It’s not sex that makes you healthier and happier—it’s what you do before and after

by Leah Fessler [P]eople who have sex more frequently report a greater sense of general happiness, according to numerous studies. One even found that having sex once a week, as opposed to monthly, boosts spirits more than earning an extra $50,000 per year. Yet the sex-happiness association means nothing if we don’t know why it …

How a Cervical Cancer Scare Made Me Take My Sexual Health More Seriously Than Ever

My doctor’s advice on how to not get HPV again threw me for a loop. By Rachel Bowyer [B]efore I had an abnormal Pap smear five years ago, I didn’t even really know what that meant. I’d been going to the gyno since I was a teenager, but I never once really thought about what …

Why Young Men Don’t Get The Information They Need About Reproductive And Sexual Health

By Elana Glowatz [T]hat could be important because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea — all of which can be cured with antibiotics — are spreading more than ever. Gay and bisexual men and young people were particularly affected by the infection increases. Dr. …

The Vulnerable Group Sex Ed Completely Ignores & Why That’s So Dangerous

By Hallie Levine [W]hen Katie, 36, was identified as having an intellectual disability as a young child after scoring below 70 on an IQ test, her parents were told that she would never learn to read and would spend her days in a sheltered workshop. Today she is a single mum to an 8-year-old son, …

How did evolution change our sexual organs? It’s time to learn the history of sex

By Philippe Brenot Porn images are everywhere but we need better ways to teach children about love, intimacy and yes, masturbation [A]t the start of this third millennium, sex seems to be all around us – within easy reach, on our screens, constantly talked about in the media. What used to be concealed, shameful and …

Sexual Health for Singles: Helpful Hints for Having the Sexual History Conversation

By Charles Burton Unless two people are absolute virgins when they meet, they should sit still for a few minutes and have “the conversation” prior to hopping into bed together. It’s not a pleasant thing to think about, but facts are facts, and STDs are commoner than you might think. If you’re going to engage …

How to successfully navigate friends with benefits

by Shannon Dengos [T]he idea of having a friends with benefits relationship—two friends who have sex without a romantic relationship or commitment—can be very temping and convenient while in college. Due to the fact that students live away from their parents and in close proximity to many other people their age, friends with benefits relationships …

Am I Sexually Healthy? 6 Signs Of Good Bedroom Habits For Better Sex

By Lizette Borreli Most of us don’t want to ask, but we’re curious how our sex life stacks up to our friends, colleagues, and neighbors. “How often do other couples have sex?” and, “How long do they last in bed?” or “Do they ‘change it up’ every time?” are all questions that make us wonder if we’re …

Sleeping with other people: how gay men are making open relationships work

A new study says non-monogamous couples can actually be closer, even as critics of open relationships argue humans are unable to separate love and sex By Spencer Macnaughton Hugh McIntyre, a 26-year-old music writer, and Toph Allen, a 28-year-old epidemiologist, are in love and have an “amazing” relationship of two and a half years. One …

Even Fewer Kids Are Learning Basic Things About Sex Ed

BY TARA CULP-RESSLER The United States, which has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world, isn’t exactly known for its top-notch sexual health resources. But a new study suggests that our country’s sex ed has gotten even worse in recent years. Even fewer teens are now getting basic sex ed information, like formal …

Gay Sex Questions, Answered by Davey Wavey’s Doctor: WATCH

There is a lot of misinformation out there about gay sex. In an attempt to separate the myths from the facts, blogger Davey Wavey made an appointment with his physician, Dr. Jay Gladstein, to get to the bottom of things. Among the things that you’ll find out in this check-up with Dr. Gladstein: Does having …

This Sex Researcher Says Scientists Are Scared of Criticizing Monogamy

Monogamous people catch STDs just as often as swingers, but use condoms and get tested less often, a new survey suggests. Some sex researchers say a scholarly bias toward monogamy makes studies like this all too rare. By Dan Vergano People in monogamous relationships catch sexually transmitted diseases just as often as those in open …

No, Scientists Have Not Found the ‘Gay Gene’

By Ed Yong The media is hyping a study that doesn’t do what it says it does. This week, a team from the University of California, Los Angeles claimed to have found several epigenetic marks—chemical modifications of DNA that don’t change the underlying sequence—that are associated with homosexuality in men. Postdoc Tuck Ngun presented the …