Cancer diagnosis affects person’s sexual functioning

Cancer can put a patient’s life on hold, especially among young adults who are just starting their careers or families.   [A] cancer diagnosis affects a person’s sexual functioning, according to a research. The study, led by the University of Houston, found that more than half of young cancer patients reported problems with sexual function, …

New treatments restoring sexual pleasure for older women

By Tara Bahrampour [W]hen the FDA approved Viagra in 1998 to treat erectile dysfunction, it changed the sexual landscape for older men, adding decades to their vitality. Meanwhile, older women with sexual problems brought on by aging were left out in the cold with few places to turn besides hormone therapy, which isn’t suitable for …

We May Have Just Identified Genetic Evidence of Male Sexual Orientation

But that still doesn’t mean there’s a ‘gay gene’. By PETER DOCKRILL [S]cientists are reporting what could amount to be the firmest evidence yet of genetic links to male sexual orientation, in the first published genome-wide association study (GWAS) examining the trait. Researchers recruited more than 2,000 men of both homosexual and heterosexual orientation and …

Why society should talk about forced sex in intimate relationships, too

By Shervin Assari [I]n the wake of the deluge of news about sexual harassment and alleged assaults by several high-profile and powerful men, it is important to look at the causes and consequences of forced sex in the workplace – but also in intimate relationships. Although forced sex by a boss and by an intimate …

A new prescription for tackling sexual violence

How some advocates are looking to dismantle rape culture using public health strategies. By Addy Baird [W]hen Tahir Duckett talks about consent with elementary and middle school boys, he often talks about video games first. “If I just hop on your Xbox without your consent, what’s your response?” Duckett says he asks the boys. Almost …

More Men Than You Think Identify As ‘Mostly Straight’

By Ritch Savin-Williams [I]n 2013, Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson told an interviewer for Out magazine that he was, in his own words, “mostly straight.” “Maybe I could say right now I’m 100 percent straight. But who knows? In a fucking year, I could meet a guy and be like, ‘Whoa, I’m attracted to this …

Female sex tech pioneers are turning pleasure into empowerment

Women are founding startups to design sex toys and wearables that appeal to female sensuality and increase representation in the tech industry By Kirstie Brewer [T]he percentage of female leaders working in technology is notoriously low and the sex tech industry fares no better. But there has been a surge in the number of sex …

Nienke Helder designs therapy tools for women recovering from sexual trauma

By Angel Trinidad Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Nienke Helder has created a set of sensory objects that can be used to rehabilitate women affected by sexual abuse. Presented at this year’s Dutch Design Week, Sexual Healing is designed to help women who are suffering from trauma-induced sexual problems, such as pelvic muscle blockage. According to the …

With midlife comes sexual wisdom

Research shows women’s sexuality adapts with aging by Madison Brunner [W]hile women experience changes with the menopausal transition that can negatively affect their sex lives, they often adapt behaviorally and psychologically to these changes, according to a qualitative study by University of Pittsburgh researchers. The results of the study, which included individual and focus group …

Women don’t need to ‘switch off’ to climax, orgasm study shows

By Helen Thomson [T]he most detailed study yet of orgasm brain activity has discovered why climaxing makes women feel less pain and shown that ‘switching off’ isn’t necessary. It’s not easy to study the brain during orgasm. “A brain scanner like fMRI is the least sexy place in the world,” says Nan Wise at Rutgers …

Debunking Common College Sex Myths

by William Leo and Juliette Silvain [S]ex is among the most talked-about subjects on college campuses. Yet myths and misconceptions pervade almost every discussion of sexual activity and sexuality, subtly infiltrating the beliefs of even the best-informed people. Sexually inexperienced young people are likely to become confused by the dizzying array of information and opinions …