Topic: having sex

I Have Endometriosis and I’m Not Going to Treat It

I Have Endometriosis and I’m Not Going to Treat It

A large part of my teenage years was spent curled into a painful little ball. I used to get cramps that were so debilitating, I couldn’t do anything but lie in the fetal position and whimper.

Not ever having known anything different than incredibly painful periods, I honestly didn’t think much of it. I was also having really heavy periods — like Fort Knox wouldn’t have protected me kind of heavy. At the time I didn’t realize what I was experiencing was unusual; I just thought that’s how every girl’s period was. Now that I finally know what’s amiss, I’m not planning to treat it. Here’s why. More »

Want Great Sex? Get Off the Couch and to the Gym

Want Great Sex? Get Off the Couch and to the Gym

Check out this post from Ian Kerner via AOL Health.

Whether you’re a man or a woman, your sexual health and your overall health are intimately connected to each other in more ways than one. At Good in Bed, we take sexual fitness seriously. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that erectile dysfunction is often an early indicator of poor cardiovascular health. Researchers followed more than 2,300 men for an average of four years and found that men with ED had a 58 percent greater risk of coronary heart disease.

Diet, exercise, stress management and nutrition all play a role in healthy sexual function. So are you sexually fit? More »

Five years ago I thought I was all done with vaginas. I had been working full-time as an OB/GYN, was expected to see 40 patients a day, and was really miserable. So I ended up leaving my job — a huge leap of faith because my husband was a stay-at-home dad and we didn’t have any savings. I thought I was going to be a full-time artist and writer, but realized nine months later that you can quit your job, but you can’t quit your calling. I realized that I was supposed to be in service to women in some way.

Five years ago I thought I was all done with vaginas. I had been working full-time as an OB/GYN, was expected to see 40 patients a day, and was really miserable. So I ended up leaving my job -- a huge leap of faith because my husband was a stay-at-home dad and we didn’t have any savings. I thought I was going to be a full-time artist and writer, but realized nine months later that you can quit your job, but you can’t quit your calling. I realized that I was supposed to be in service to women in some way.

– Gynecologist and author Lissa Rankin on heeding the call to help women in a different way than how she was trained as a medical professional, from our post: We Probe Dr. Lissa Rankin, Author of What’s Up Down There? on Vaginas, Sex, and Aging

If possible, encourage the Joneses to host their sex party inside during the waning twilight hours – a time, place, and light level most forgiving toward a little neighborly nudity. It’s just polite to put your best fanny forward. For these tawdry evening affairs, we recommend a simple cocktail dress accessorized with minimal jewelry. You don’t want someone to yank out an earlobe in the frenzy. Aside from his swim trunks, your husband should not go near elasticized pants for any reason. Never sacrifice dignity for efficiency.

If possible, encourage the Joneses to host their sex party inside during the waning twilight hours – a time, place, and light level most forgiving toward a little neighborly nudity. It’s just polite to put your best fanny forward. For these tawdry evening affairs, we recommend a simple cocktail dress accessorized with minimal jewelry. You don’t want someone to yank out an earlobe in the frenzy. Aside from his swim trunks, your husband should not go near elasticized pants for any reason. Never sacrifice dignity for efficiency.

– Blisstree contributor Amber Matassa on how to dress for an evening of neighborly debauchery, from her post: What to Wear to a Sex Party

I think that as women get older, their sex lives just keep getting better – that’s my experience with my patients, friends, and people I’ve talked to. I know that I felt the sexiest-looking in the mirror when I was 28, but the older I get the more I feel sexy in other ways. It’s not that I have the world’s greatest pair of legs anymore, but there are other things that have changed, and I’m open to things in a new way.

I think that as women get older, their sex lives just keep getting better – that’s my experience with my patients, friends, and people I’ve talked to. I know that I felt the sexiest-looking in the mirror when I was 28, but the older I get the more I feel sexy in other ways. It’s not that I have the world’s greatest pair of legs anymore, but there are other things that have changed, and I’m open to things in a new way.

– Dr. Lissa Rankin, on women and sexuality after 30, from our exclusive Q&A: We Probe Dr. Lissa Rankin, Author of What’s Up Down There, on Vaginas, Sex and Aging

UTIs vs. VPLs: Could Fashion-Friendly Thongs Give You Infections Downstairs?

UTIs vs. VPLs: Could Fashion-Friendly Thongs Give You Infections Downstairs?

If you’ve ever had a urinary tract infection (UTI), you’ll do everything in your power to prevent them. But one doctor-recommended way to steer clear of infections downstairs is to skip the most fashion-friendly type of underthings: Thongs. Your v-string keeps visible panty lines (VPL) away, but some doctors say they can bring on UTIs. On the other hand, there’s not a lot of research supporting the connection between thongs and UTIs. So which is it? More »

We Probe Dr. Lissa Rankin, Author of What’s Up Down There? On Vaginas, Sex, and Aging

We Probe Dr. Lissa Rankin, Author of What's Up Down There? On Vaginas, Sex, and Aging

If you don’t already have a copy of Dr. Lissa Rankin’s new book, What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend, you should. Rankin, a practicing gynecologist and founder of The Owning Pink Center in Mill Valley, California, sifted through thousands of questions from her friends, patients, blog readers, and Twitter followers to create a book filled with real questions about our ladyparts — including stuff like: “What’s the most common labia size, and please don’t say that all vaginas are different and special. Seriously, what’s the most common?” Her answers are hilarious, candid, personal, racy (she confesses everything from what her vagina tastes like to her STD history, something we’ve never heard from our doctors), and full of the real answers we spend all night looking for on Google.

We recently sat down with Lissa to do what everyone else wants to do with her: Ask questions. More »

1 In 5 Women Not So Into Having a Kid

1 In 5 Women Not So Into Having a Kid

Check out this post by Catherine Donaldson-Evans on AOL Health:

The number of American women without children has risen to an all-time high of 1 in 5, a jump since the 1970s when 1 in 10 women ended their childbearing years without having a baby, according to the Pew Research Center.

About 1.9 million women aged 40-44 – or 18 percent – were childless in 2008, an 80 percent increase since 1976, when just 580,000 – 10 percent of those in that age bracket – had never given birth, the Census Bureau‘s Current Population Survey shows. More »

Do You Need to Give Mom and Dad the Sex Talk?

Do You Need to Give Mom and Dad the Sex Talk?

Most sex-ed is aimed at educating the youngest generations in how to protect against unwanted pregnancies and STDs, but it according to a recent study, it’s baby boomers who really need lessons about the birds and the bees. The largest ever survey of Americans’ sexual behavior, published on October 4 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (JSM), showed that more adolescents are abstaining from sex, while a large percentage of baby boomers are sexually active. This soothes our fears of sexually inactive old age, but the bad news is that a majority of those over 50 don’t use condoms when having sex with dates or casual acquaintances. More »

Can Men and Women Be Friends? One Guy’s Perspective

Can Men and Women Be Friends? One Guy's Perspective

Check out this post on Lemondrop.

You may have read the series on platonic friendships over at Slate that I felt compelled to write about this week. If you haven’t, go do it. I’ll wait.

After reading Juliet Lapidos’ articles about her nonsexual relationship with a guy named Jeff, I’m once again reminded of how lucky we are to be alive now instead of, say, in the 16th century, when bro hangs between men and women were uncommon and dying of the plague was not.
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The last time I engaged in bedroom activity, I don’t remember it being bra-inclusive. In my experience, the Maidenform is always one of the first things to go. True, it’s been a while, but not that long so that my recollection is completely rusty.

The last time I engaged in bedroom activity, I don’t remember it being bra-inclusive. In my experience, the Maidenform is always one of the first things to go. True, it’s been a while, but not that long so that my recollection is completely rusty.

– Blisstree contributor Maria Ricapito, on women TV and film characters who wear bras during sex (this means you, Carrie Bradshaw), from her post: Sex and Bras Do Not Mix!

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