The Best Books to Give to Your Teen to Learn About Their Reproductive Health

By Mara Santilli If your kids are anything like I was as a tween, protesting going to the “birds and the bees” talk proclaiming that they “already know everything” when it comes to menstrual and sexual health (or if your child’s school or community center does not offer sex education), you’re going to need to …

How First US Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Could Revolutionize Reproductive Health

— “After a year during which there has been very little good news about people’s reproductive health, this is the first solid win in a long time,” says BU gynecologist By Molly Callahan The FDA’s approval of the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States could be a revolutionary change in birth control …

‘The sex ed class you wish you’d had’

— The influencer doctors teaching Americans the basics With schools failing American students, OB-GYNs use TikTok to tackle questions and dispel myths By Alaina Demopoulos Some of TikTok’s biggest stars aren’t teen influencers or adorable pets – they are OB-GYNs posting sex education videos. Need to know if you can continue to take antidepressants while …

Everything to Know About Gender-Neutral Terms and How to Use Them

— “Gender-neutral language is honestly an easy way to show respect and acceptance to everyone we come into contact with.” By Jamie Ballard The language we use when we’re speaking to and about people is significant. It can impact how we see others, how we see ourselves, and how people are treated in workplaces, social …

Sex? Sexual intercourse? Neither?

— Teens weigh in on evolving definitions — and habits By JOCELYN GECKER Situationships. “Sneaky links.” The “talking stage,” the flirtatious getting-to-know-you phase — typically done via text — that can lead to a hookup. High school students are having less sexual intercourse. That’s what the studies say. But that doesn’t mean they’re having less …

‘It just didn’t enter my mind to initiate sex;’

— Low sex drive in men linked to chemical imbalance By Sandee LaMotte While hanging out with his college roommates, Peter (not his real name) realized he felt differently about sex than other heterosexual men. “I’ve never been somebody who was interested in pornography, but I’d laugh along with their jokes,” said Peter, now 44, …

Five important things you should have learned in sex ed

– But probably didn’t By Áine Aventin If you grew up in the 90s and 00s, you may feel that sex education didn’t teach you much of practical value. Most sex education during this time followed a “prevention” approach, focusing on avoiding pregnancy and STIs, with most information largely targeted at heterosexual people. While some …

Is Outercourse the Same Thing as Abstinence?

— And 5 Other Questions, Answered By Maisha Johnson What is it? Outercourse is an option for sexual activity without intercourse. When you get down to the details, that means different things to different people. For some, it’s everything except penis-in-vagina (PIV) penetration. For others, outercourse means no penetration of any kind, including fingers, sex …

Sex Redefined

— The Idea of 2 Sexes Is Overly Simplistic Biologists now think there is a larger spectrum than just binary female and male By Claire Ainsworth As a clinical geneticist, Paul James is accustomed to discussing some of the most delicate issues with his patients. But in early 2010, he found himself having a particularly …