It turns out that the need for contraception-themed sex ed is global…at least South Korea-global:
Professor Shin Kyung-lim from Ewha Womans University said that in her survey of 6,000 students, she found few have any inhibitions left about premarital action between the sheets.

“We found more people are sexually active nowadays,” she remarked to the Korea Times.
Hooray for the libertines! But here’s the bad news:
“But information or precautions regarding such behaviour is very inadequate, often leading to pregnancy and abortion,” the professor added.

This made me laugh out loud. I sent it to all of my friends who have a tendency to freak out about having and STD. I mean, for a while there, trips to the sexual health clinic were like Sunday brunch. This is not to say we were being extra promiscuous, just that sometimes the fear that sex-ed and the wild world of the unknown will one day converge as an STD can be worrying…for minor hypochondriacs and people who pay attention to the 0.01% wild card of condoms. On a more serious note, these anyonymous “i tested positive for an STD” e-cards may just be the slightly odd, but incredibly useful, thing to help make the sexual wilderness a safer place.

Condoms can really make or break any erotic encounter. I can’t tell you how often the thing has slipped, slid, snapped, or just felt weird - and it has really, really put a dent in the warm mood. Headed up by an American prof, European men are giving their anonymous opinions about rubber johnnies, in aid of a better prophylactic. According to Professor Michael Reece from Indiana University’s sexual health center, there are more options for us stateside to find the perfect love glove.

“The fit and feel issues that men report may be among those that contribute to their likelihood of using, or not using, condoms consistently and correctly,” he said. This research may help manufacturers and health care professionals in their mission for safe, fun, care-free sex.

image source 

Let me start off by saying that there is nothing wrong with bringing a life into the world in a home full of love and dedication to the thriving support of that life…at any age.But, will Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy affect your vote? 

And now for the meat:

Remember when the big thing was virginity? And the media fussed and fumbled about Britney and fumed about Christina…now it was up in arms about Miley Cyrus baring her shoulder and a few other choice naughty photos of the Disney Dream Brand. Now Jamie Lynn Spears and Sarah Palin’s daughter are the teens whose sex life is in total focus. What’s the deal with that? And by deal, I mean, it’s fairly obvious that sex and sexuality are a big part of ANY adolescent’s life. After all, the adolescent’s body is raging with hormones that are turning the darlings into fertile men and women. Of course sexuality and to have or not to have questions about sex are a big deal. It’s easy (and fun for a tabloid lover like me) to follow the trends in media coverage of the the Britneys and Jamie Lynns of the world, but dichotomies aside, when adolescence “strikes” your child… think very carefully about what position you want to take.

We know that extreme conservatism breeds a very naughty underbelly (the Victorian Era, hello) and that abstinence-only education still results in over a million teen pregnancies a year and 40 percent of girls will become pregnant before they turn 20. As mothers and future mothers (and especially if you are a person who enjoys this blog), it would do you a world of good to figure out your position…and figure one out that is sexually sane.

1. Be realistic about your teen.

2. Give them balanced information, both about abstinence and sexual activity.

3. Talk to them about the different kinds of intimacies between two loving people.

4. Talk to your teen about what sex means to them and discuss how your teen might handle certain scenarios where the question of sex may arise.

Well, lambskin condoms always sounded unsavory! So for those dietary politicos (I’m more than 1/2 vegan, so it’s all love, sweets). Glyde, makers of vegan condoms, just got a big honor from PETA. They are now “the first [such manufacturer] in the world to be awarded cruelty-free certification from PETA,” reported AVN. Sex just got a little bit more ethical. (Now for the man who thinks that condoms are cruel restrictive things…sorry, no further developments in the wild world of condoms…except maybe Trojan’s Magnum in the larger size…)

Is a short spell intended celibacy the secret to better sex? To breaking a mundane routine? Read Colleen Oakley’s story for the dish on what happens with 30 days of no nookie.

30 Days Without Sex

 When I told my boyfriend I wanted to give up sex for 30 days, he hooted with laughter. But the process was anything but funny.

“So when you say ‘no sex’ for 30 days, what does that mean, exactly?”

I’m on the phone with Ian Kerner, Ph.D., author of Sex Detox, which suggests stepping away from the hot stuff for a month to revive a sex life that’s grown yawn-inducing or otherwise “toxic.”

I wouldn’t call the sex I have with my boyfriend, Fred, “toxic”: We’ve had a healthy amount with lots of texture (from start-the-week-off-right sex to the Wednesday-night reconnectors to a few all-day Saturday sessions). But after a year-and-a-half, even a good thing can feel routine. Why not try something that promises to make sex better — even if it means not having it at all?

In his nearly 10 years of counseling bedroom-challenged couples, Kerner has found that taking sex off the table helps couples focus on aspects of the relationship they never paid attention to before. “Most things that happen — or don’t happen — during sex have nothing to do with sex,” he says. Read the rest.

I always wondered how these female condoms worked. Here’s a video demonstration. (Don’t worry! She uses an anatomical model, not a real woman for the contraceptive demo.)

I’ve mentioned Craiglist adventures before and the “Casual Encounters” world of one-night-stands continues to fascinate me. I stumble upon this article written by two middle-aged women who both were fans/frequenters of the Casual Encounters page, discovering casual sex is sometimes anything but. Here’s a list about “Hook Up Central” that they devised, summing it up (Remember your condoms!):

1) A lot of men want to screw Sarah Silverman. (Three lovers told Lily the potty-mouthed comedian was their “fantasy fuck.”)

2) With ads for people over forty, add at least five years and ten pounds to the photo. That way, when the older and heavier date shows up, you won’t be as disappointed. This rule is as applicable to men as it is to women.

3) Men have a tendency to overreport the number of sex partners they have had. Women underreport.

4) You better have a good memory if you want to date a lot. In case you don’t, call everybody “honey” to avoid mix-ups and make a cheat sheet on each with the name of their dog, their favorite movies, wines, and sexual positions. Failure to take notes will make pillow talk a minefield. If you are compulsive, go ahead and make a chart.

5) Promise little, deliver much.

Ever browse the casual encounters sections of Craigslist.com? Well, if you want a bleak perspective of the amount of lovely out in the world and a desire to feel REALLY good about your relationship status, go there. It is really true, you can get anything on the CL. Lonely guy says he just ordered pizza and has a few beers, male or female company Ok. First to call gets to share the pie.

A bit l’etranger goes wrong for my taste, but if you’re thinking about a casual encounter and want none of the strings or fuss, it was reported to me that the “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” (or to quote Aerosmith “Sex is like a gun. You aim. You shoot. You run.”) can work just as fine for the ladies as the men. Just think of the Helen Gurley Brown, the empress of Cosmo, femme-philosophy. We’re strong working women, we should take what we want just as men do. (And then the sexual revolution happened, then the 70s, then the 80s and subsequent backlashes, but it was an interesting starting point.) I digress, the CL casual encounter page yielded unexpected, stress-free pleasure for an over-worked exec lady friend. Let’s put it this way, a couple of IMs and a picture exchange and within the hour Missy had had her Big O with none of the “Oh no.” (Um, of course the CONDOM was a key player in this menage a deux.) Just a thought…if you’re into that anonymous stuff…and hankering…

Save Trees, Sport Wood!

Just in time for Earth Day:

According to the BBC, “The Brazilian government has begun producing condoms using rubber from trees in the Amazon.” And this initiative is expected to help preserve the largest rainforest in the world and also cut dependence on imported contraceptives.

Like you needed another reason to go to Rio. Happy earth-saving, responsible shopping!