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From a reproductive standpoint, the purpose of an erection is to allow for insertion of the penis into the vaginal canal and ejaculation. Once the erection has served that purpose, there is no reason for it to continue. Also, typically after ejaculation or orgasm, sexual arousal wans. As that…

A recent study was released which shows that European teens are using alcohol and recreational drugs with the intentional aim of improving their sex lives.

Like any myth or urban legend, there’s just enough truth involved to make something sound reasonable or make people question it. Just like any other part of the body, when one’s weight changes, it makes the body look different than it did before the weight loss or gain. So it would not be…

What you’re describing here comes down to a word that many people interested in psychology would term “displacement.” The theory of displacement was first brought about by the well known Sigmund Freud to describe the idea that when a person is upset, they shift their impulses from an unacceptable…

This is actually a good thing! In general, the vagina is supposed to be a pretty wet environment. Even when a person with a vagina is not sexually aroused, they’ll have cervical mucus and other vaginal discharge. It may be helpful to think about it as being somewhat similar to the inside of your…

It’s not at all unusual to find that our relationships change the longer we are in them. This is going to be true in our family relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships. As individuals, we are constantly growing and changing. Things get even more complicated when you consider the fact…

In order for oral contraceptives – the birth control pill – to be effective, they need to be taken every day. Missing one every now and then so long as you make it up within a day or so won’t likely compromise your effectiveness all that much, but if you’re missing a few pills regularly, that’s…

I remember a few years back when a close friend and I decided that we were going to try bungee jumping. I was petrified the entire time that I was being strapped into the gear and in the end decided that I simply couldn’t do it. As I stepped down from the ledge with my friend my body was shaking and…

The answer to this depends entirely on exactly what you’re talking about here. If you’re wondering whether a gynecologist can tell if a woman has ever had an orgasm, then the answer is no. Orgasm does not permanently change the state of the genitals in any way. There would be nothing special for the…

Save talking to this guy – or discovering you became pregnant or contracted a sexually transmitted infection – there’s no way for you to find out what went on at this point. Had you gone into the police or the hospital right away, they could have looked for traces of semen or abrasions to your…

It’s important to remember that partnered sex isn’t just about your preferences and wants, it’s also about the preferences and wants of your partner. Partnered sex isn’t a solo: it’s a duet, and what you’re going for is harmony. You’re going to find those wants and preferences out by experimenting…

When a person, behaving in a healthy way, chooses not to tolerate a certain dynamic in a relationship they dislike or which makes them unhappy, what they choose to do is set a limit. If that limit is not respected by a partner, they then terminate the relationship and potentially contact with that…

The best person to ask that question of is…. (drumroll please) … your girlfriend! She’s the one who knows the answer to this question. When you’re doing something sexual with someone, and they’re not reacting in any way or don’t seem to be fully along for the ride, the first thing to do is to…

How familiar are you with the changes to your vulva or the rest of your body when you get sexually aroused? I ask this, because I’m willing to bet that there have been times, for you, when you’re with a partner you’re attracted to, and who you want to be with, but find that your clitoris is not as…

People tend to forget that young men often may not even be at the stage in their sexual development where erections happen often or easily or where they can yet ejaculate. Some guys are just starting puberty at 14 or 15. Your boyfriend simply may not be at this stage in his development yet. But…

Well, not all men do freeze up when asked (and not all men watch porn, either). For that matter, some women also watch pornographic movies, and they don’t all become mute when you ask them about it, either. As someone who has written on these issues a lot over the last ten years, and asks others…

Not having sexual contact with anyone in the past does decrease your risk of STI transmission, however it does not totally negate the risk. First of all, some STIs can be transmitted via non-sexual means. One example that works really well when we’re talking about oral sex is herpes. As is noted in…

(Emily’s question continued) Anyway, I keep thinking about being pregnant, wanting a baby and hoping and hoping I get pregnant. I hate thinking this way, because we aren’t really ready for that yet, but I can’t stop. Is there really any reason I would have this motherly urge? We always have…

Well, panic doesn’t really do anybody any good, so I’d advise not spending your time in a panic period. However, based on what you described you do have both a pregnancy risk and an STI risk. Withdrawal (or “pulling out”) is not really a good method of birth control. (Our own founder, Heather, is…

Absolutely! Hands are pretty darn dirty places. I mean, think about all the things we touch in a given day! Your hands can definitely carry bacteria and germs on them. Those nasties can then easily make their way into your body if a partner performs manual sex on you. Vaginal tissue is pretty…

Are you ticklish? Or do you know people who are ticklish? I’m really really ticklish on my knees. Touch my knees and I absolutely go crazy! My partner, however, is totally unmoved by knee contact. In fact, he’s only really ticklish on his feet and elbows. My sister’s tummy is her most ticklish spot…

Colleges over the years have made many changes that to younger generations are seen as ‘keeping with the times’ while older generations looking back are finding themselves in a situation of slight culture shock. One of the newest decisions being made about the dormitories in the past few years have been that more and more colleges are allowing – believe it or not – coed dorm rooms.

One of the things that has a great influence in both how I enact sexuality education and how I conceptualized my approach from the get-go is my background with teaching in the Montessori Method. Overall, the primary way Montessori works is this: as educators, we observe our students, and based on…

Vaginal dryness can have lots of different causes. Especially if you’re having dryness all the time (even when you’re not aroused or sexually active as well), you’ll want to first check out the other things going on in your life and see if there’s a cause there. Some medications and certain…

If you had a partner before him for oral, vaginal or anal sex, that could be who you got it from and your current partner managed not to contract it from you (now or yet), or contracted it so recently that he isn’t testing positive yet. Or, your current partner’s test wasn’t accurate, or he said he…