Why So Many Women Aren’t Enjoying Sex as Much as They Could

The messages you hear about sex while growing up have consequences in adulthood, a study suggests. By Claire Gillespie For many of us, sex ed doesn’t end in high school. It’s not unusual to have to do some serious work decades after the first mention of the birds and the bees––often to try to repair …

How to talk to children about sex

By Marie Claire Dorking Just reading the title of this article is likely to bring many parents out in an uncomfortable sweat. Having the sex chat with your smalls is totally filed under the awkward convos parents dread, but being able to talk openly and honestly about the subject has multiple benefits. Recent research has revealed that children who feel able to talk …

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. …

Slow sex

How embracing the ‘mindful sex’ trend could boost your wellbeing By Mary-Jane Wiltsher There’s no denying that our interest in slow sex, or mindful sex, is on the rise. From sexy audio stories to carefully curated ‘pleasure packages’, there’s a whole new world of thoughtful, creative approaches to sex out there – and for many …

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 …

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 …

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 …