Sexual Health

Sexually transmitted infections are one part of sexual health, but that’s not all! Any aspect of health or healthcare that is related to sex and reproduction is about sexual health: menstruation, common infections like yeast or bacterial infections, birth control and abortion, health conditions like endometriosis, PCOS or phimosis, vaccinations, pain with sex, safer sex and other preventative sexual health practices and yep, STIs, too.

a couple o' peaches

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Articles and Advice in this area:

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

First up, good onya, J, for thinking about these things in advance, despite that fact that you’ve been so unprepared to do so by your community! Here’s the scoop on condoms for you. Effectiveness & Use: With perfect use, condoms are HIGHLY effective, around 98%. Perfect use means a few things. It…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

First things first: when something hurts, that really is your body’s way of telling you that IT wants whatever it is to STOP. So, next time? If it hurts? Press pause. Manual sex really shouldn’t hurt – nor should it just be something one gets used to: sex should feel GOOD – and if it did hurt a…

Advice
  • Heather Corinna

You know, what “sex” even IS differs for everyone. There are a world of sexual activities out there – oral sex, manual sex, intercourse, anal play, role play, frottage, the works – and how each person does them isn’t only different from person to person, but from partnership to partnership, and…

Article
  • Heather Corinna

If you’re a guy, even though you’re not the one who can become pregnant, you still get choices, and you still should participate in birth control use and responsibility just as much as a female partner. Have a look at how you can do your part.

Article
  • Kat Giordano

I have genital herpes. Those people you see in the Valtrex commercials, running down a beach with five beautiful women chasing after them? Totally me.

Article
  • Janel Hamner

Trichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, mainly affecting 16-to-35-year old females.

Article
  • Janel Hamner

Syphilis has been called “the great imitator” because many of its signs look like other diseases. It is also difficult to know if someone has syphilis because a person might not have any symptoms at all.

Article
  • Janel Hamner
  • Robin Mandell

This disease has bothered humans for thousands of years, but it seems to come and go in unexplainable cycles. Scabies used to be very rare in America, but now it is coming back again.

Article
  • Heather Corinna
  • Robin Mandell

Pubic lice is also called “crabs.” It’s caused by very tiny insects that live in pubic hair and feed on human blood. Pubic lice are often spread through sexual contact, though genital contact or sexual intercourse is not necessary for transmission. I

Article
  • Heather Corinna

“Pelvic inflammatory disease” is shorthand for any serious bacterial infection of the reproductive organs that are housed in the pelvis: the uterus, uterine lining, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries. These infections usually start in the vagina and, when left untreated, can progressively infect other reproductive organs. 20% of PID cases are found in teens, who often are afraid or unable to get reproductive health care. PID can result in permanent infertility and chronic pain.