How to Rethink Intimacy When ‘Regular’ Sex Hurts

There’s no rule that says sex has to be penetrative. By Breena Kerr [W]hen sex hurts, women often feel alone—but they’re not. About 30 percent of women report pain during vaginal intercourse, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine which surveyed a subsample of 1,738 women and men ages 18 and older …

How many times do women need to explain that penetration isn’t everything before everyone gets it?

By Ellen Scott [T]his week, sex therapist Dr Janet Hall advised MamaMia of a catchy new term for sex that doesn’t just involve placing a penis inside a vagina and wriggling it about. ‘Introducing outercourse’, said MamaMia, explaining that ‘outercourse’ counts ‘kissing, massaging, using vibrators, touching erogenous zones, clitoral stimulation, oral sex or toe-sucking. Basically, …

A 101 Guide to Knowing Thyself (And Understanding Everyone Else)

By Rahel Neirene and 
Jacob Anderson-Minshall [W]here society once only recognized homosexuality and heterosexuality, there’s a growing awareness of — and terms for — a much larger, ever-expanding galaxy of sexual orientations. The same can be said for genders: While many only recognized male and female, and masculinity and femininity, we are witnessing an explosion …

Female Orgasms Are Not Puzzling Enigmas, Study Helpfully Concludes

By Tom Hale [T]he female orgasm is apparently a subject of great mystery and bewilderment for many men and women alike. But after you break through the old myths, taboos, and prudishness, it’s not quite as complicated as the glossy gossip magazines and hearsay makes out. A new study by sexual health experts at Indiana University looked into …

Threesome Tips: 6 Things You Should Know Before Having One

By Sophie Saint Thomas Yes, “unicorn” is a problematic term for a person who joins a couple for a threesome (they’re a person, not a sex toy or prop). But the title gets one thing right: Like unicorns, enthusiastic guest stars in couples’ sexual adventures are hard to find. (I refuse to accept that unicorns …

What to Do When You Want More—or Less—Sex Than Your Partner

By Justin Lehmiller [A]nyone who’s ever been in a long-term relationship knows that, when it comes to sex, we aren’t always on the same wavelength as our partners. Sometimes we’re in the mood, but our partner isn’t. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, it’s usually not a big deal—unless it starts happening over …

Sex Education Based on Abstinence? There’s a Real Absence of Evidence

By Aaron E. Carroll [S]ex education has long occupied an ideological fault line in American life. Religious conservatives worry that teaching teenagers about birth control will encourage premarital sex. Liberals argue that failing to teach about it ensures more unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. So it was a welcome development when, a few years …

No, Open and Nonmonogamous Relationships Are Not Just for White People

  By Monique Judge [S]how of hands: Who here was raised to believe that the only healthy, positive relationships are ones that are monogamous, just one-on-one? Now a show of hands: Who here thinks monogamy is bullshit? Many of us were raised on the idea that we would grow up and find one person whom …