Sexual Health

Demanding Access To Female Condoms

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:28:42 -0600

An international coalition of organizations that represent Latin American women and Latina women in the United States is demanding increased access to the female condom as an essential strategy to fight HIV/AIDS.

The 37-member coalition, which includes 28 organizations from 11 Latin American nations and 9 Latina advocacy and service organizations from the U.S., has released a World AIDS Day statement that calls on governments and international donors to step up their investment in programs that distribute the female condom and educate women and men on its use.

Health Disparities Exist Based On Sexual Orientation

ruzik_tuzik — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:33:44 -0600

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has released the nation’s first statewide population-based look at health disparities based on sexual orientation. The report revealed significant disparities among people who identified as homosexual or bisexual in the areas of access to care, self-reported health status, anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, smoking, binge drinking, illicit drug use, sexual assault victimization, intimate partner violence, disability, obesity, asthma and heart disease.

FDA Approves PREMARIN Vaginal Cream

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:14:11 -0600

PREMARIN (conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream 0.5 g has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new indication and a new less frequent twice-weekly dosing regimen to treat moderate to severe postmenopausal dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse) announced Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE).

Merck's HPV Vaccine Gardasil Shows Potential For Men

hareyan — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:11:36 -0600

Merck & Co has presented data on Gardasil which shows that the vaccine, which is approved for cervical cancer, is also effective in the prevention of human papillomavirus-related disease in young men.

Data from a Phase III trial in men aged 16 to 26,which was presented at the European Research Organisation on Genital Infection and Neoplasia meeting in Nice, France, showed that Gardasil prevented 90% of external genital lesions caused by human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16 and 18. These are the only data evaluating efficacy of any HPV vaccine in preventing disease in males, Merck noted.

Older Britons Use Condoms Less Frequently Than Teenagers

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:44:09 -0600

People in their 30s and 40s living in the United Kingdom are half as likely as teenagers to use a condom when having sex with a new partner, according to a study published recently in the International Journal of Epidemiology, London's Daily Telegraph reports. The study found that nearly 70% of those between ages 16 and 19 used a condom with a new partner, compared with 38% of men and 29% of women between ages 35 and 44 (Gammell, Daily Telegraph, 11/12).

Sexual Relationship Issues Problem For Breast Cancer Survivors

hareyan — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:00:27 -0600

An Indiana University study found that young, female breast cancer survivors often suffer from sexual and intimate relationship issues and are interested in using sexual enhancement products to treat these problems.

The study, "Young Female Breast Cancer Survivors: Their sexual function and interest in sexual enhancement products and services," was published Nov. 4 in the journal Cancer Nursing.

The study was funded by The Patty Brisben Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering research related to women's sexual health.

Hot Women Make Men Feel Bad

hareyan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:01:23 -0600

I just read a little write-up about some research on the effects of looking at sexy images of women in men's magazines like Maxim, FHM, and Stuff. People have known for a long time that women feel worse about their own bodies when surrounded by air-brushed women in bikinis who work out 3 hours a day. The article presented a series of studies indicating that men too feel worse about their own bodies after viewing these things.

Cambodia Should Address Unsafe Practices In Commercial Sex Industry

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:54:29 -0600

As Cambodia's commercial sex industry increasingly moves away from brothels and into businesses such as karaoke bars and beer gardens, the country's National AIDS Authority is calling on private businesses to address unsafe sex practices in the industry, the Phnom Penh Post reports.

Testosterone improves sexual health in post-menopausal women

hareyan — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:45:02 -0600

An international study showed testosterone, when used with no other hormone therapy, is an effective treatment for low libido in postmenopausal women. More than 800 women from 65 centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Sweden participated in the study, the first to show that testosterone administered by a skin patch can boost sex drive in postmenopausal women.

Rubber Rocks Staying Alive Unveils Furry Ads To Promote Safe Sex

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:08:21 -0600

MTV's HIV and AIDS campaign Staying Alive today revealed that Lapeno, Fat Ed and Mervin are the latest in a long line of celebrities to be associated with its work to mark the campaign's tenth anniversary. A series of specially-created shorts have been commissioned by Staying Alive and Spinvox from the creators of Fur TV -- Chris Waitt and Henry Trotter -- and will premiere during the live broadcast of the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.