What Happens to Relationships When Sex Hurts

Women who suffer from the chronic-pain condition vulvodynia often feel isolated from their partners. But a better medical understanding is helping. By Ashley Fetters In her 18 years as a sex therapist in Orange County, California, Stephanie Buehler has come to recognize a certain tense, fraught dynamic in couples when a female partner has vulvodynia. …

Surrogate Therapy Takes a Hands-On Approach to Overcoming Sexual Trauma

—Up to and Including Intercourse By Shannon Gormley Touch, erotic or not, can communicate painful memories, insecurities and vulnerabilities that are hard to verbalize. One of the most revelatory moments of Carlene Ostedgaard’s career was the time she got an orgasm from having her shoulder touched. It happened a few years ago, when Ostedgaard, 35, …

How to Move Forward When You’re in a Sexless Marriage

A Q&A with a clinical psychologist who specializes in getting couples to talk openly about sex. By Sophia Benoit Recently, a 36-year-old man posted something stupid on Reddit. This is not breaking news—this happens likely thousands of times per day, but the post made it over to Twitter, and people went in. The issue at …

How female sexuality is finding its voice

By Remy Rippon After centuries of secrecy, female sexuality is finally finding a voice, with women entering a new era of enlightenment and fulfilment thanks in part to the booming wellness industry. Considering how long females have graced this earth, it’s astounding to think it was only 21 years ago that scientific research discovered something …

Happy endings

The ins and outs of clinical sexology By Matt Tilley Sexology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of human sexuality, including sexual behaviours, interests and function. A sexologist is a trained professional who specialises in human sexuality. There are many different ways a sexologist may work, and many different areas she may work in – in …

Not Sexually Compatible With Your Partner?

Here’s How To Work On It. By Caroline Colvin A couple’s compatibility doesn’t hinge on just one thing. Compatibility takes into account a couple’s habits, interests, attraction, and the effort both partners are willing to put into their relationship (among so many other factors). Sex is one important part of an even bigger compatibility “whole,” …

Documenting the initiative helping disabled people explore sexuality

by Studio 1854 Simone Cerio won the ‘Hidden Worlds’ category in last year’s Wellcome Photography Prize for his year-long project documenting the practice of sexual assistance, helping people with disabilities to explore intimacy and sexuality in a therapeutic context. Six years ago, Simone Cerio came across a newspaper story that made him sit up and …