Sexual Health
English sexual health target at risk, say doctors
|
|
Government plans to reduce waiting times for appointments at sexual health clinics in England to 48 hours cannot be met without a “massive expansion of capacity”, doctors said on Thursday.
They called for local health authorities to spend all the extra money the government has allocated to tackle a rise in sexually transmitted diseases and not keep it back to cover budget holes elsewhere.
Keeping Sexual Desire in Sync Past Midlife
|
|
When it comes to desire and drive for sexual intimacy, many women at midlife find they are no longer in sync with their partners.
Although many people assume that a decrease in sexual desire inevitably occurs at midlife, that’s not necessarily the case. Age has less of an impact on sexual desire than does general health and availability of a willing and able partner.
But aging does play a role, according to the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource. After menopause, thinning of the vaginal tissues and decreased lubrication may cause pain or discomfort during sexual stimulation. Less hormonal flucuation in women can pose a challenge; couples need to become more creative in their lovemaking, allowing additional time and stimulation for arousal.
Education persuades young women to avoid douching
|
|
Education about the possible health risks of douching can convince teenage girls and young women to give up the practice, a new study shows.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that three quick counseling sessions with young women at their clinic were enough to persuade nearly half to give up douching.
Canadians can have group sex in clubs
|
|
Group sex between consenting adults is neither prostitution nor a threat to society, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Wednesday, dismissing arguments that the sometimes raucous activities of so-called “swingers” clubs were dangerous.
In a ruling that radically changes the way Canadian courts determine what poses a threat to the population, the court threw out the conviction of a Montreal man who ran a club where members could have group sex in a private room behind locked doors.
Good neighbor relations helps prevent teen sex
|
|
Having the right kind of neighbors can help prevent teens from having sex at an early age, according to new research.
A study in Chicago found that some teens were more likely to delay having sex if they lived in neighborhoods where the adults kept a close eye on area children.
Talking About Sex with Your Children
|
|
It’s never too early to talk to your child about sex, says a contributing author of a new book.
“Parents should be the primary source of what parents want kids to know,” says Marilyn Maxwell, M.D., professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Seattle gynecologist had sex with patients
|
|
A gynecologist accused of raping patients did have sexual relations with two women in his practice but the relationships were consensual, his attorney said Monday at the opening of his trial.
Charles Momah is also the target of a number of civil lawsuits that accuse him and his twin brother Dennis Momah of impersonating one another in his medical practice. Dennis Momah is not credentialed, although he examined and even operated on patients, according to the lawsuits.
Marriage, kids, career hits female sex drive
|
|
The sex drive of women plummets sharply as they juggle the increasing demands of partners, children and careers, researchers said on Thursday.
One in 10 women questioned for a survey admitted losing interest in sex for at least six months in the past year.
US experts weigh guidelines for impotence drug use
|
|
Doctors, drugmakers and health officials should take steps to curb abuse of erectile dysfunction drugs while research continues on whether use of the medicines increase the rate of HIV infections, especially among gay men, experts said in draft guidelines on Tuesday.
Research may suggest a role, but more studies are needed on how the drugs affect transmission of the virus and whether they encourage risky sexual behavior, a group of physicians, drug company representatives and patient advocates said at a government-sponsored conference near Washington.
Many boys say they’re likely to get someone pregnant
|
|
More than half of teenage boys in a new survey said there was at least some chance they would get a girl pregnant in the near future-pointing, researchers say, to the importance of boys’ intentions and attitudes in preventing teen pregnancy.
The study, of 101 sexually experienced teenage boys treated at a California STD clinic, found that about one quarter said they intended to get someone pregnant in the next 6 months. Another third said they had no such plans, but were nonetheless likely to get a girl pregnant.
Condoms effective for preventing chlamydia
|
|
For people who run the risk of catching chlamydia from their sex partners, the consistent use of condoms offers significant protection, results of a study indicate.
“These findings add to a growing body of evidence that condoms can and do prevent some sexually transmitted infections,” Dr. Linda M. Niccolai of Yale University told Reuters Health.
South Africa anti-rape condom aims to stop attacks
|
|
A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom on Wednesday that hooks onto an attacker’s penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world.
“Nothing has ever been done to help a woman so that she does not get raped and I thought it was high time,” Sonette Ehlers, 57, said of the “rapex”, a device worn like a tampon that has sparked controversy in a country used to daily reports of violent crime.
Antibiotics-to-go may increase STD treatment
|
|
Take-home antibiotics may be an effective way to ensure that the partners of men with certain Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) get treatment, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that giving male STD patients a dose of antibiotics to bring to their partners appeared more effective than the traditional method for getting at-risk partners treated.
Croatia confronts sexual abuse of children
|
|
Croatia is coming to terms with a type of crime it never addressed under communism - the sexual abuse of children.
Several investigations undertaken by prosecutors in recent weeks show child abuse and paedophilia may be more widespread than the staunchly Roman Catholic country cares to admit.
Officials ordered inspections of state orphanages earlier this month after two girls in a state-run home in the coastal town of Pula said a cook tried to rape them.
Drinking in middle school tied to risky sex
|
|
Kids who begin drinking in the 7th grade are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior in mid-adolescence - but parents can make a difference in their kids’ drinking habits, researchers have shown.
In a new study, U.S. investigators found that students who said they started drinking by the 7th grade were more likely to say they had unprotected sex, multiple partners, sex while drunk or high, or been pregnant.
In another related study, a group of researchers showed that middle-schoolers who binge drink—downing at least 5 drinks on one occasion—are more likely to binge drink in high school.
