"Sex Addiction" is a Real Thing

You may jokingly say “Yea, I’m addicted to her, the sex is just so great!” but for some people it is a real problem. It’s called “Hypersexual Disorder” and it is tearing apart people’s lives as you read this.

Bartholin Gland cyst or abscess, i.e. The Newlyweds or Honeymoon Disease

We’ve all read many articles on our more erotic pleasurable spots, those many spots down there in our nether region that pleasure us so well, but what about the one that can get infected and cause pain? I’m talking about the Bartholin Gland, which is located on the outside folds of the labia. These glands lay mostly in discreet places and out of harm's way during our lifetimes but occasionally they can become irritated, even inflamed, and if not treated, infected.

Sexual Myths: Debunking Them Part 4

Today’s article focuses on some common sexual myths you might have heard and helps to explain why they are wrong.

Balanitis

A common condition and a painful one too. But one that you rarely hear discussed. Genital hygiene does more than keep things clean.

Studies Show Circumcision Reduces the Risk of HIV...So Now What?

Studies in Kenya and Uganda show that circumcision reduces the risk of contracting HIV, but does that mean circumcision should be the standard?

Contraception Part 1 -- An introduction

Contraception (preventing pregnancy) can be very confusing as many forms exist out there. This three part series will focus on how they work, their effectiveness, and the side effects they come with.

Define This: Bugchasing and the Quest to Acquire HIV

Bugchasing: the quest to acquire HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). That's right, it's a thing! Are you asking, "But why would someone ever want to get HIV?" Read on and find out...

Could you have HIV/AIDS?

Symptoms of HIV can take up to 12 years to appear, allowing some people to have it without being aware. Understanding the virus, modes of transmission, and precautions can help us prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as know what to do in case of exposure.

S-T-I Can't Believe This Is Happening To Me!

How can a piece of latex change your life? In more ways than I had considered. It took catching something to make me realize that the few seconds it takes to wrap it can make all the difference in the world.

It’s here – the era of incurable Gonorrhea

Antibiotics are no longer effective against a super-strain of the sexually transmitted disease.

Sex Myths in Our Schools

Educating our children about sex is one of the most important lessons we can teach them in life. High school is a breeding ground for misinformation and peer pressure. Get to your kids first before their peers do.

Statistics or Homophobia: Debating the Ban on Gay Blood Donations

One could argue the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood isn’t a matter of homophobia – it’s statistics. But why, then, are other equally at-risk groups not excluded from donating?

Letter from the Editor - World AIDS Day 2012

I never know what to say when it comes to World AIDS Day. You'd think a topic so broad as HIV/AIDS awareness would give a writer idea-overload, but it always leaves me speechless. So I default to "Use protection. Get yourself tested. Tell someone."

Define This: Cocktail

Regarding AIDS and HIV: World aids day is December 1st

Why AIDS is Still a Big Deal

I've heard a lot of people say, "AIDS just isn't a big deal anymore." Thinking on this, and the approximate 34 million people who are living with it worldwide (and that's just the people who KNOW they have it), I want to know why anyone would say it's not a big deal anymore. It is to the people who have it, and it will be a big deal for those who don't know when they find out. And it would be a big deal for those who don't have the money or insurance to cover the expensive costs of AZT.

Knock Knock. Who’s There? Herpes.

At 21, I was diagnosed with an STD. Though I have happily found someone who accepts me and doesn't judge me for my past, society still says it's OK to make jokes about diseases that are killing people. You wouldn't make a joke about cancer, so why is it OK to joke about syphilis?

Sex Feed: Is ninety two percent enough?

OraQuick is a new at home testing kit that helps people determine their HIV status. But with a high error rate, is it actually helping?

So, You just use your tongue, right?

The yearly trip to the OBGYN's office is nothing but hell for us lesbians, at least us lesbians in a small town. Eventually, half way into the visit, you end up explaining what sex is to your Doctor. HELLLLLOOOO, didn't you go to Medical School, don't you know how people have sex?

How AIDS Affected My Life

As a child to a parent with AIDS, I had a lot of challenges not normally faced in childhood. I learned to make the most of each day.

Bacterial Vaginosis: "Eww What's That Smell?"

Bacterial vaginosis is common in women of child bearing age and it is not a sexually transmitted disease.

All The Crap That Can Go Wrong With Our Cooches

STD testing: a necessary evil that all sexually active people must partake in at least once in their lives. Fortunately I am disease free today at 36 years of age. But that's because of my horseshoes up my arse, so to speak. For females there are a number of things that can go awry in your reproductive system. Some are STDs while others just mimic the symptoms. Here's my personal account of a bunch of issues I and my body have had to face.

STI 101: HPV

One of the most common STIs is HPV. It has been estimated that roughly half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their life. Despite how common it may be, many people may not know the facts about HPV.

STD Myths: You Can't Really Believe That!

It's amazing the crazy things people believe when it comes to STDs and protection. Here are some of the craziest I've heard, and the real truths that people need to know.

Chlorhexidine. It’s in your Eden Wipes and many of the toy sprays. What is it?

Chlorhexidine is a hospital grade antimicrobial. It is used for treatment and prevention of infections. It's very impressive that it is used in our toy cleaners.

Syphilis: The Silent One

Syphilis starts with one sore. You may or may not know you have it as it could be internal. Then you develop a rash a month later; it doesn't hurt, it doesn't itch, and it goes away. Years later you may find that you are positive and didn't even know it. Syphilis is not routinely checked for and the treatment in the early stages in one simple shot. If it goes untreated, you may have irreversible damage to your body.

Advocating Circumcision

In recent years, the American tide has turned against circumcision. "Inactivists" speak out against what they call an unpunished form of genital mutilation and more and more states health coverage is refusing to cover the procedure. Yet, inn all the discussions of the negative side effects, these inactivists often gloss over the pro's of circumcision.

Where in the world are the dental dams!?

Condoms have become standard practice in sexual education, but dental dams remain something rarely discussed. Why is it that sex education is so often told through old fashioned terms?

Let Me Go Get My Rubbers

I hate that people think that condoms are an option for birth control. The only time you should be using condoms as your birth control method is if you wouldn't mind a birth or two in your future.

#SexFeed: Centers for Disease Control Roll Out Drugstore HIV Test

Will rapid, affordable and anonymous HIV testing help quash the HIV crisis?

This Week In Sex: Should we sue HIV+ patients for not taking their meds?

Two bits of news hit the headlines this week, and together, they raise alarming questions about how best to tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis.

No Shame: Coming Out Positive

Why don’t clinics routinely test for this when we come in? Why are we so disproportionately represented? How many women give birth and transmit the virus unknowingly to their babies?

Generation Fear: How I Survived HIV Education in the 1990s

Can we blame Columbus for Syphilis or not?!

He is to blame. He is not. He is to blame... Oh, who knows, really?

O Canada: FDA Approves Human Trial for HIV Vaccine

In as few as five years, HIV may go the way of Polio.

CDC May Prefer Monogamous Organ Donors

More than two partners in the last year? Your organs might be "risky" under proposed guidelines.

Bad Science Doesn’t Justify Male Circumcision

Doctors still attempt to promote the unnecessary and unethical practice of male infant circumcision – and have begun using increasingly questionable science to support their argument.

The Bloggess: AIDS isn’t really that funny