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. …

What does a healthy open relationship look like?

In a culture that favors monogamy, is it possible for couples to have open relationships that work? Recent research that used a novel framework to explore types of monogamy and nonmonogamy suggests that open, consensual nonmonogamous relationships can be healthy and satisfying. by Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. The new study does not draw sweeping conclusions about …

Meet the BDSM therapists treating clients with restraints, mummification and impact play

By Gillian Fisher When we say BDSM, you probably think of chains, whips, and all sorts of sexy stuff. But there’s far more to it. BDSM has long been recognised as an erotic practice, with more people than ever introducing aspects of bondage, domination, sadism and masochism into their sexual pursuits. A combination of changing …

Female Power and Pleasure Go Together.

Just Ask Bonobos By Wednesday Martin Meet the non-human primates who tell us everything our culture doesn’t want to hear about female sexuality. You’ve probably heard about bonobos — close relatives of chimps who are somewhat skinnier, and are native to the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the popular imagination, bonobos have a somewhat hippie-ish …

A queer user’s guide to the wild and terrifying world of LGBTQ dating apps

By Jon Shadel What’s the best queer dating app today? Many people, tired of swiping through profiles with discriminatory language and frustrated with safety and privacy concerns, say it isn’t a dating app at all. It’s Instagram. This is hardly a queer seal of approval for the social media platform. Instead, it’s a sign that, …

How to talk to your children about sexual consent

By Jennifer Cassarly Parents and caregivers often wait until their children are older to talk about sexual consent. And many parents often leave “the sex talk” altogether – hoping that schools will do it instead. The most recent guidance for teaching consent under the relationship and sex education curriculum simply advises that lessons should be …

Prostate Play

How To Massage One To Orgasm By Erika W. Smith People born with a penis are also born with a prostate — a walnut-shaped gland wrapped around the urethral canal. It’s often compared to the G-spot, because the prostate’s location is in a similar location inside the body and both can feel amazing when stimulated. People …