Topic: STDs

Sex, Drugs and Other Reasons You Can’t Donate Organs: New CDC Guidelines Go Too Far

Sex, Drugs and Other Reasons You Can't Donate Organs: New CDC Guidelines Go Too Far

Are you too slutty to donate your organs? If you’ve slept with more than two people in the last year, the CDC says you probably are. Their new federal health guideline proposal says that deceased or living donors who haven’t been monogamous in the 12 months prior to donation should be considered “risky.” They say this could protect transplant recipients from accidental HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C transmission; many say the guidelines are going too far. More »

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea On The Rise In U.S.—And Young Women Most Likely To Be Infected

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea On The Rise In U.S.âAnd Young Women Most Likely To Be Infected

Uh-oh: Looks like more people could have used our Sex (Re)Education week last month. According to new government health data, cases of common sexually transmitted diseases—including chlamydia and gonorrhea—have continued to increase in the United States. The number of new gonorrhea cases passed 300,000 in 2010, while more than 1.3 million cases of chlamydia were reported. More »

Sex (Re)Ed: A Brief Refresher On STIs

Sex (Re)Ed: A Brief Refresher On STIs

Earlier today, Elizabeth wrote about a few non-normal ‘nether region symptoms that could be caused by something other than an STI, which was a good reminder that just because it itches, it doesn’t mean it’s automatically an infection of the intimate variety. But that doesn’t mean that when something fishy is going on downstairs, you should ignore it–because it could be something serious. More »

Sex (Re)Ed: 4 Things Other Than An STI That Could Be Causing You Lady-Part Problems

Sex (Re)Ed: 4 Things Other Than An STI That Could Be Causing You Lady-Part Problems

One of the weird things about sex-ed, at least as I remember it, is that there’s a lot of focus on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) but nothing on other common infections that can hit your lady parts. If you’re experiencing symptoms—like vaginal itching, weird discharge, pain when peeing or pain during sex—that you’re just sure are the clap, don’t panic: These are also the symptoms associated with very common and very treatable ills like urinary tract infections, yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis or vaginitus. Here’s a quick guide to those things other than an STI that could be causing you problems down there … [I had a graphic designer friend who designed boxes for a pubic hair dye company, whose slogan was "For the Hair ... Down There.' This has since become my favorite euphemism for female genitalia ...] More »

Women Using Injectable Contraceptives Twice As Likely To Contract HIV

Women Using Injectable Contraceptives Twice As Likely To Contract HIV

There are a lot of reasons to use protection when you’re having sex, but for most of us, the most immediate concern is having babies when we’re not yet in the baby zone. Which is exactly why you should also know that a recent study found women who use injectable contraceptives are more likely to contract HIV. The results are preliminary, but the scary stats are still an important wake-up call that, regardless of your preferred type of birth control, condoms are the best way to protect against STDs. More »

Author Ayelet Waldman Announces She Has HPV … On Twitter

Author Ayelet Waldman Announces She Has HPV ... On Twitter

Author Ayelet Waldman, who is best known for her anti-mommy-wars book Bad Mother, does not appreciate Michele Bachmann‘s recent comments about the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Rep. Bachmann, who is one of the candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination, claimed that Gardasil could make people mentally retarded. That claim was debunked, but it sparked a frenzy of online discussions about the vaccine and about HPV. More »

Michele Bachmann Thinks That Gardasil Causes Mental Retardation. It Does Not.

Michele Bachmann Thinks That Gardasil Causes Mental Retardation. It Does Not.

As Republican hopefuls duke it out to see who will win the Presidential nomination for their party, they’ve stepped away from simple political debates, and into the world of public and sexual health. Unfortunately, at least one of them doesn’t seem to have all the information about how vaccines, particularly Merck’s HPV-preventing, cervical-cancer-protecting Gardasil, actually work. More »

U.S. Health Panel Recommends Free Birth Control And HPV Screenings For Women

U.S. Health Panel Recommends Free Birth Control And HPV Screenings For Women

You may find yourself paying less for birth control—like, 100% less—if Congress adopts recommendations made by an independent, federally-commissioned health panel last week. The Institute of Medicine panel suggested that the government require health insurance companies to include an array of contraceptives (including implants and IUDs), annual HIV screenings, human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as part of cervical cancer screening for women over 30, and a yearly preventative care visit as part of the standard preventative care measures health plans must allow at no extra cost as part of President Barack Obama’s health-care law. More »

Pap Happy: Study Says We Need Fewer Pap Smears and More HPV Tests For Sexual Health

Pap Happy: Study Says We Need Fewer Pap Smears and More HPV Tests For Sexual Health

No one likes getting a pap smear. But most of us have always been taught that it’s a yearly prerequisite to smart, preventative health. Lately, however, doctors have been questioning how much good the yearly pap really does.

But we’re not getting the message: Despite repeated media-trumpeting of new guidelines that women stop with so many mammograms and pap smears already, we want our yearly screenings.

Sorry! This poll is now closed.

More »

Your Sexless Marriage May Be Perfectly Healthy

Your Sexless Marriage May Be Perfectly Healthy

You are in a sexless marriage. Scary phrase, right? In principle, maybe, but as it turns out, if you and your partner haven’t had sex in recent memory, it may not mean the end of everything. (Of course, it may, but there’s always hope.) I actually have a few friends who are in long-term sexless relationships, and to an outside observer, they really don’t seem any more dysfunctional than most couples I know who have regular sex as a part of their union. Still, curious about what’s considered “normal” and “abnormal” when it comes to marriage and sex, I asked Dr. Julie Elledge — a psychotherapist for individuals and couples who deals with many issues of sexual health – some questions about whether or not intimate, romantic relationships can exist and last without the s-word. Here’s part one of my Q&A with her on the scintillating subject of the sexless marriage: More »

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