Topic

Sexual health

79 articles · every claim cited

More in Sexual health

Sexual health'Female Viagra' OTC: What Exists (and Doesn't)No over-the-counter 'female Viagra' exists: no OTC pill is FDA-approved to boost female desire, and low desire is rarely a blood-flow problem like erections [1]. The approved medicines, flibanserin and bremelanotide, are prescription-only, and gas-station 'enhancement' pills can hide unlisted drugs. Distressing low desire affects about 1 in 10 women and deserves an individual evaluation.Sexual health | out-of-scope Sexual healthA Herpes Diagnosis Doesn't End Your Sex LifeA herpes diagnosis does not end a satisfying sex life. About 1 in 6 adults has genital herpes, and with condoms, daily antivirals, honest disclosure, and avoiding sex during outbreaks, most couples keep partner risk low. The emotional weight of stigma is often harder than the virus, and support helps.Sexual health | education Sexual healthAddyi (Flibanserin): How Well Does It Work?Addyi (flibanserin) is a daily bedtime pill for premenopausal women with distressing low desire. The benefit is modest, about one-half to one extra satisfying sexual event per month over placebo, with a large placebo response. Side effects include dizziness, sleepiness, and low blood pressure, especially with alcohol.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthAlready Have HPV? The Vaccine May Still HelpThe HPV vaccine will not clear an infection you already have, but it can still protect against the other high-risk and wart types you have not caught. Since few people are exposed to every covered type, vaccination often still adds protection. Whether it is worthwhile is a shared decision with a clinician.Sexual health | education Sexual healthArousal Gels: Marketing vs EvidenceDrugstore arousal and warming gels have thin evidence of working; the tingle they create comes from irritant ingredients like menthol and capsaicin, not improved arousal [1]. Roughly 4 in 10 women report a sexual concern at some point, and warming additives can sting sensitive tissue. Plain lubricants are usually gentler and better studied.Sexual health | out-of-scope Sexual healthArousal Trouble: When Mind and Body DisconnectWanting sex while your body will not physically respond is called arousal non-concordance, and it is common. Desire and genital arousal run on separate systems that can fall out of sync. Persistent, distressing arousal trouble may be female sexual arousal disorder, with treatable causes from medications to menopausal changes.Sexual health | education Sexual healthAsk Your Gynecologist: A Sexual Health ChecklistA written question list is the most reliable way to make a short gynecology visit about sex productive. Lead with your top concern, such as low desire, pain, dryness, or changes after childbirth or menopause, then ask about causes, tests, and treatment options. Sexual concerns affect close to 40% of women, so these talks are routine [1].Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthBeyond Urine: When Site-Specific STI Tests MatterA standard STI test checks urine or a genital swab and only detects genital-tract infections. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can also live in the throat or rectum after oral or anal sex, usually without symptoms, where a urine test cannot find them. Site-specific swabs catch these, and self-collection is an accepted option.Sexual health | education Sexual healthBody-Safe Materials: A Buyer's Health PrimerThe safest sex toy materials are nonporous ones, medical-grade silicone, glass, stainless steel, or ABS plastic, which can be cleaned thoroughly and do not trap bacteria [1]. Porous jelly, PVC, and TPE hold microbes and cannot be sterilized, and some soft toys contain phthalates. Bacterial vaginosis affects nearly 1 in 3 women, so hygiene matters.Sexual health | out-of-scope Sexual healthBooking a Sexual Health Visit Without the AwkwardBooking a sexual health visit takes one short call or portal request, and schedulers need only a general reason such as 'STI testing,' 'a sexual health concern,' or 'a checkup' to reserve the right time. Specifics stay between you and the clinician. Many concerns qualify for same-day or telehealth visits.Sexual health | scheduling Sexual healthBurning After Sex: Causes Beyond InfectionBurning after sex with a negative urine test is usually irritation, not infection. Common causes include friction, low estrogen thinning the tissue, a reaction to lubricant or spermicide, or pelvic floor tension. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause affects up to half of women after menopause. Persistent or recurring burning deserves evaluation.Sexual health | education Sexual healthBV That Returns After Sex: Breaking the CycleBV tends to recur after sex because semen is alkaline and briefly raises vaginal pH, disturbing the protective lactobacilli that hold odor-causing bacteria down. It is a microbiome imbalance, not a caught infection. More than 50% of cases return within 12 months, so a swab and a talk about suppressive options can help.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthChoosing a Lubricant: Types and IngredientsThe best lubricant for dryness is usually a plain, low-additive one chosen for how you will use it. About 1 in 2 women develop vaginal dryness after menopause, and water, silicone, and oil bases differ in feel, condom safety, and irritation [1]. Glycerin, fragrance, and warming agents cause most stinging; silicone lasts longest, while oil weakens latex condoms.Sexual health | out-of-scope Sexual healthCondom Allergy: Signs and Latex-Free OptionsMost condom reactions are irritation from friction or spermicide, not a true latex allergy — though latex allergy is real. A latex reaction brings itching, redness, and swelling where latex touches, usually within about 60 minutes. Polyurethane and polyisoprene condoms are latex-free and effective; lambskin condoms do not prevent STIs.Sexual health | education Sexual healthCondoms and HPV: Real but Partial ProtectionCondoms reduce but do not eliminate HPV risk, because the virus spreads by skin-to-skin genital contact and condoms leave some skin uncovered. Used every time, they lower transmission and protect against many other infections. Vaccination and routine cervical screening add protection condoms cannot, so combining all three works best.Sexual health | education Sexual healthDating After 50: Why STI Rates Are RisingDating after 50 brings genuine STI risk. Lower estrogen after menopause thins and dries genital tissue, making small tears and infection more likely, and condom use often drops once pregnancy is no longer a worry. A full panel plus continued cervical screening, which runs to age 65, are both reasonable with a new partner.Sexual health | education Sexual healthDeep Dyspareunia: The Endometriosis ConnectionDeep pain during sex — pain felt with deep penetration that changes with position or worsens near your period — can point to endometriosis or adenomyosis. Endometriosis affects about 1 in 10 reproductive-age women. Surface or entry pain usually has different causes. A gynecologist can evaluate the pattern and guide testing.Sexual health | education Sexual healthDifficulty Reaching Orgasm: Common ReasonsDifficulty reaching orgasm usually reflects too little clitoral stimulation, not a medical problem. Medications like antidepressants, stress, anxiety, and the hormonal changes of perimenopause can also delay or block orgasm. Most causes respond to a change in approach, and persistent difficulty is worth discussing with a clinician.Sexual health | education Sexual healthDilator Therapy: Retraining Muscles Step by StepVaginal dilators are smooth, graded-size devices that gently stretch and desensitize vaginal tissue and calm the muscle guarding behind painful sex. A typical program steps up through several sizes over weeks to months, often alongside pelvic floor physical therapy. According to ACOG, they work best with clinician guidance, not used alone.Sexual health | education Sexual healthDirect-to-Lab STI Testing: How Self-Ordering WorksYou can order many STI tests yourself through direct-to-lab and at-home services: a partner physician approves the order, you self-collect or visit a draw site, and results post online. Positive results still need a clinician for treatment. The World Health Organization backs self-testing as a way to widen access to care.Sexual health | scheduling Sexual healthEveryday Medications That Dry Vaginal TissueAllergy antihistamines can add to vaginal dryness because their drying, anticholinergic action reduces secretions throughout the body. Other common culprits include some antidepressants, hormonal contraceptives, diuretics, and estrogen-blocking cancer drugs. The effect is usually modest and reversible, and moisturizers, lubricants, or local estrogen can restore comfort while a clinician reviews the medication list.Sexual health | education Sexual healthFinding Menopause-Savvy Care for Sexual SymptomsMenopausal sexual symptoms, such as dryness, pain with sex, and low desire, respond best to a clinician trained in menopause medicine, not every general provider. Look for menopause certification, ask about their training, or use a directory. These genitourinary symptoms affect roughly 27% to 84% of women after menopause, yet often go untreated [1].Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthGetting Help for Painful Sex: Your First StepsGetting help for painful sex starts with telling a clinician plainly and asking for an evaluation, since it is common and usually treatable. Before the visit, note where the pain is, when it started, and what makes it worse. A focused exam and history then point toward the cause and a treatment plan.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthHerpes and Pregnancy: Protecting Your BabyHerpes and pregnancy usually mix safely. Long-standing herpes carries under a 1 percent chance of infecting a newborn, while a first infection late in pregnancy is far riskier. Antivirals in the final weeks and a cesarean only if sores are present at delivery keep newborn risk low.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthHerpes Blood Tests: Why Results Get MurkyHerpes blood tests detect antibodies, not the virus, so they confirm past exposure but not when or where it happened. HSV-2 IgG results near the low positive range are often false positives, and most guidelines advise against routine screening in people without symptoms. A low positive usually needs a confirmatory test first.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHerpes Triggers: Stress, Friction, and MoreRecurrent herpes outbreaks often follow physical stressors like illness or fever, friction, menstruation, sunburn, or high stress and poor sleep, though many have no clear trigger. Triggers differ person to person. Recurrences usually ease over the first 1 to 2 years, and suppressive antiviral therapy can reduce their frequency.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHigh-Risk vs Low-Risk HPV: What Each MeansHigh-risk HPV types, especially 16 and 18, can cause cervical and other cancers over time, while low-risk types like 6 and 11 cause genital warts but not cancer. HPV testing detects high-risk types; wart-causing types are diagnosed by appearance and are not a cancer concern.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHPV and Throat Cancer: What Oral Sex ChangesOral sex can transmit HPV to the throat, and persistent high-risk oral HPV is one cause of some throat cancers. For any one person the risk stays low, most infections clear on their own, and no screening test for throat HPV exists. Vaccination targets the high-risk types involved.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHPV Doesn't Prove Cheating: Here's WhyA positive HPV test does not prove infidelity. The virus is extremely common and can stay undetectable for years, so a result cannot show when or from whom it was acquired. A diagnosis years into a faithful relationship is common and expected, not a sign of cheating.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHPV Dormancy: Why Timing Tests Is TrickyHPV can stay dormant for months to years, so a positive result rarely reveals when you were exposed. Most infections clear within about 2 years, yet high-risk types may persist silently and resurface later. No test can date an HPV infection or trace it to one partner.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHRT and Libido: What It Can and Can't FixHormone therapy helps sex drive mostly by fixing what gets in the way: it eases vaginal dryness, painful sex, and poor sleep. Estrogen alone raises desire only modestly. When low libido itself is the problem, testosterone has the strongest evidence, so calibrated expectations matter before starting.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHSDD: When Low Desire Becomes a DiagnosisHSDD, hypoactive sexual desire disorder, describes low or absent sexual desire lasting at least 6 months that causes real distress and is not explained by relationship conflict, medication, or another condition [1]. Desire that fluctuates without bothering you is normal, not a diagnosis. HSDD is common and has treatment options.Sexual health | education Sexual healthHSV-1 Below the Belt: Cold Sores and Genital HerpesYes, a cold sore can cause genital herpes: cold sores are usually HSV-1, and oral sex can transmit HSV-1 to the genitals. Genital HSV-1 generally recurs less often than HSV-2, the type more classically tied to genital infection. Both are common and lifelong, and a type-specific test distinguishes them.Sexual health | education Sexual healthIrritated After Sex: Allergies, pH, and FrictionItching and irritation after sex, especially a pattern that repeats every time, usually reflects a contact reaction or pH shift rather than a fresh infection. Common triggers include latex, lubricant or spermicide ingredients, and sometimes semen. Friction and low estrogen raise sensitivity. A clinician can identify the specific trigger.Sexual health | education Sexual healthLibido Supplements: What's Actually in ThemNo over-the-counter supplement is proven to raise female libido, and major gynecology guidance endorses none of them [1]. 'Female libido' blends of maca, fenugreek, and ginseng are sold as dietary supplements, so their dose and purity are not verified. Distressing low desire affects about 1 in 10 women and deserves a real evaluation.Sexual health | out-of-scope Sexual healthLichen Sclerosus: Why Diagnosis Can't WaitWhite, shiny, or easily-tearing patches on the vulva with painful sex are often lichen sclerosus, a chronic skin condition rather than a yeast infection. It is confirmed by a small biopsy and treated with prescription ointments. Untreated, it can scar tissue and slightly raise vulvar cancer risk, so an accurate diagnosis matters.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthLong-Term Relationship? When STI Tests Still MatterBeing married or monogamous lowers new-exposure risk but does not remove every reason for STI testing. Infections like HPV can stay dormant for years, earlier tests may have skipped some infections, and new symptoms or a partner's diagnosis still warrant a check. Cervical screening continues on its own timeline.Sexual health | education Sexual healthLow Desire: When It's Worth a Medical VisitSee a clinician about low sex drive when it has lasted several months, bothers you, or comes with pain, fatigue, or mood changes. Distressing low desire for at least 6 months may be hypoactive sexual desire disorder, which affects about 1 in 10 women and is treatable. Desire without distress needs no treatment.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthLow Libido in Women: What's Behind the ChangeA sudden drop in sex drive usually reflects several factors at once: hormones, medications such as antidepressants, sleep loss, mood, pain with sex, and relationship strain. Desire in women is often more responsive than spontaneous, so context matters. Persistent, distressing low desire lasting 6 months or more may be diagnosable HSDD [1].Sexual health | education Sexual healthNever Orgasmed? You're Not BrokenNever having an orgasm, called primary anorgasmia, is common and highly treatable. For many women it reflects stimulation that has not yet matched what their body needs, not a physical defect. Structured self-exploration helps most who try, and a clinician or sex therapist can guide the process when it stalls.Sexual health | education Sexual healthOdor After Sex: When pH Shifts Signal BVA fishy odor after sex typically reflects a chemistry reaction between alkaline semen and amines from bacterial vaginosis, which the higher pH releases. A faint, short-lived scent shift can be normal, but a strong or persistent fishy smell usually signals BV, not hygiene. A swab confirms it when the odor keeps coming back.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthOspemifene: A Pill for Menopausal Painful SexOspemifene (Osphena) is a once-daily oral pill for moderate-to-severe painful sex after menopause. A selective estrogen receptor modulator, it acts like estrogen on vaginal tissue while behaving differently elsewhere — an option for women avoiding vaginal products. Its main tradeoff is that it can trigger or worsen hot flashes.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthPainful Orgasm: Causes Worth InvestigatingPainful orgasm, or dysorgasmia, usually comes from the uterine and pelvic floor contractions that orgasm sets off, especially when those muscles are tight. Endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and IUD position can contribute. Most causes are treatable, though sudden, severe, or one-sided pain deserves a prompt clinician check.Sexual health | education Sexual healthPainful Sex: The Most Common Causes in WomenPainful sex usually comes from one of four sources: low estrogen or dryness, an infection or skin irritation, tight pelvic-floor muscles, or deeper pelvic disease like endometriosis. Where it hurts and when it started point toward the cause. Painful sex every time is common and, in most cases, treatable.Sexual health | education Sexual healthPainful Sex: Which Specialist to See FirstStart painful sex with a gynecologist or primary care clinician; they evaluate common causes, test, and treat many of them. From there, care may branch to a pelvic floor physical therapist for muscle pain, a vulvar specialist or dermatologist for skin conditions, or a sexual medicine clinician for complex cases.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthPerimenopause and Desire: Why Libido DipsPerimenopausal libido dips usually stem from several changes at once: falling estrogen and testosterone, vaginal dryness and pain, poor sleep, hot flashes, and mood shifts. Most are treatable. Local estrogen, moisturizers, systemic hormone therapy, and sleep improvements each target a different cause, and options are individualized [1].Sexual health | education Sexual healthPGAD: When Arousal Won't Switch OffPersistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) causes unwanted physical arousal that lasts hours or days, arises without desire, and does not settle after orgasm. It is distressing rather than dangerous, and often traces to pelvic nerve irritation, pelvic-floor tension, spinal changes, or medication effects. A sexual medicine or pelvic specialist can investigate the underlying cause.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthPrasterone (Vaginal DHEA): How It HelpsPrasterone (Intrarosa) is a nightly vaginal insert of DHEA that local cells convert into estrogen and androgen, rebuilding tissue thinned by menopause. Trials show it eases moderate-to-severe painful sex better than placebo, with little change in blood hormone levels — an option for those avoiding direct estrogen.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthReclaiming Intimacy After Trauma: Gentle StepsIntimacy after trauma often feels hard because the nervous system links closeness with danger, triggering tension, numbness, or flashbacks. A paced, trauma-informed approach, frequently with a trauma-trained therapist, helps many people rebuild safety and desire. Sexual concerns affect close to 40% of women at some point, and most respond to support [1].Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthResponsive Desire: Why Wanting Sex Can Start LaterResponsive desire means wanting sex arrives after arousal and closeness begin, rather than spontaneously. It is a normal, common pattern, especially in long-term relationships, and does not signal low libido or a problem. Clinicians describe more than one model of sexual response, and neither spontaneous nor responsive desire is more correct [1].Sexual health | education Sexual healthSelf-Swab STI Testing: Accurate and AvailableYou can often collect your own vaginal swab for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing, and it is as accurate as a clinician-collected sample. Self-swabbing uses the same NAAT lab method, takes about 30 seconds, and skips the pelvic exam. The World Health Organization endorses self-collection, so it is worth asking your clinic.Sexual health | education Sexual healthSemen Allergy: Rare, Real, and DiagnosableSemen allergy is real but rare: seminal plasma hypersensitivity is a reaction to proteins in seminal fluid, not to sperm. Burning, swelling, or hives usually start within about 30 minutes of contact, and a condom that fully prevents symptoms is a classic clue. More common causes are ruled out first.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthSex Headaches: Common Causes and Red FlagsMost headaches during sex are benign primary headaches, triggered by the rising blood pressure and muscle tension of arousal and orgasm, and they are more common in people who get migraines. The exception is a sudden, explosive headache that peaks within a minute, which needs urgent, same-day evaluation.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthSex Therapy and Insurance: What Gets CoveredInsurance may cover sex therapy, but usually only when sessions are billed under a recognized mental health diagnosis, not as 'sex therapy' by name. Behavioral health benefits, copays, and deductibles all apply. Out-of-network care can be partly reimbursed through a superbill, and cash-pay or sliding-scale options are common.Sexual health | billing Sexual healthSex Therapy for Orgasm Difficulties: How It WorksSex therapy helps many women reach orgasm by addressing the mental, relational, and learned patterns behind anorgasmia, not just the mechanics. A typical course blends education, techniques to quiet performance anxiety, and structured practice like sensate focus and directed self-stimulation over about 8 to 20 weeks.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthSTI Screening for Women: A Schedule by AgeThe core STI panel for women is chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, and syphilis, with hepatitis and trichomoniasis added by risk. Sexually active women under 25 are advised to test yearly for chlamydia and gonorrhea; cervical screening runs separately, with a Pap about every 3 years from 21. Frequency after 25 depends on partners and risk.Sexual health | education Sexual healthSTI Testing on Your Period: Usually FineGetting an STI test during your period is usually fine. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are found with a urine sample or vaginal swab, and menstrual blood rarely changes the result. Blood tests for HIV and syphilis are unaffected. Some clinics prefer to reschedule a swab during heavy bleeding, so a quick call ahead is worth it.Sexual health | education Sexual healthSTI Tests and Insurance Paperwork: What's VisibleSTI tests billed to insurance usually generate an explanation of benefits sent to the policyholder, which can show the date, the lab, and coded test names, though not results. On a shared or a parent's plan, that can make the service visible. Self-pay, public clinics, and confidential-communication requests are the main privacy routes.Sexual health | billing Sexual healthSTIs Between Women: Real Risks, Right TestsSex between women is not risk-free. HPV, herpes, trichomoniasis, and bacterial vaginosis can pass through skin contact, shared fluids, or shared toys, and HIV risk is lower but not zero. Cervical screening still applies to anyone with a cervix. Barriers and testing with new partners reduce the risk.Sexual health | education Sexual healthStress and Desire: How Burnout Mutes LibidoLosing interest in sex when you are stressed and exhausted is a normal response, not a sign of a broken relationship or a hormone problem for most women. Chronic stress, poor sleep, and mental load compete directly with the body's capacity for desire. Rest and stress relief count as real sexual-health care.Sexual health | education Sexual healthSuppressive Therapy: Daily Antivirals for HerpesDaily valacyclovir works as suppressive therapy, cutting herpes outbreaks for most people and roughly halving the risk of transmitting the virus to a partner. It does not remove risk entirely. Whether daily or episodic treatment fits depends on how often you have outbreaks and whether protecting a partner is a priority.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthTelehealth for Sexual Concerns: What Works RemotelyTelehealth handles many sexual concerns well, including low libido, herpes management, counseling, and reviewing results, with privacy and the option to prescribe or order labs. What it cannot do is a physical exam, so new pain, a lump, or anything needing a swab is better seen in person. Sexual concerns affect close to 40% of women [1].Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthTestosterone for Low Desire: What Evidence SupportsTestosterone modestly raises sexual desire in postmenopausal women with distressing low libido and no other cause, adding about one satisfying sexual event every 4 weeks over placebo. No product is approved for women in most countries, so it is prescribed off-label at roughly one-tenth of male doses and monitored with blood tests.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthThe New-Partner STI Talk: Which Tests to GetBefore a new relationship, both partners typically test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, and syphilis, and often hepatitis, then share results. Swabs or urine cover chlamydia and gonorrhea; blood tests cover HIV and syphilis. Testing a few weeks after any previous partner, and using condoms until results are in, gives the most reliable all-clear.Sexual health | education Sexual healthThe Painful-Sex Workup: What an Exam InvolvesA painful-sex workup is a gentle, paced exam, not an ordeal. The clinician asks focused questions, looks at the vulva, often uses a cotton-swab test to map where the pain is, and may do a single-finger pelvic floor check. You can pause anytime, and the goal is finding a treatable cause.Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthThe Pill and Your Libido: What Research ShowsResearch on the pill and libido is genuinely mixed: some women report lower desire, some higher, and most little change [1]. Hormonal contraception can influence desire through hormones and mood, but no single effect holds across users. Switching methods helps some women, while other causes of low desire remain unaffected.Sexual health | education Sexual healthTrich Testing: Why Panels Often Skip ItMany standard STI panels test only chlamydia and gonorrhea, so trichomoniasis is often left off unless requested. It is one of the most common curable infections, yet older microscopy misses many cases. To confirm you were tested, check the order or results, or ask which infections were included and request a NAAT.Sexual health | education Sexual healthUnder 25? Why Annual Chlamydia Screening MattersSexually active women under 25 are advised to test yearly for chlamydia because it is most common at this age and often causes no symptoms. Untreated, it can spread to the tubes and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, a preventable cause of infertility. A positive result is highly treatable.Sexual health | education Sexual healthUrine vs Swab: Which STI Test Women NeedFor women, a vaginal swab is usually the most sensitive way to test for chlamydia and gonorrhea, though a urine sample is a reliable alternative. Both use the same NAAT lab technology. Self-collected vaginal swabs are accurate and widely offered, so comfort and access can guide the choice rather than accuracy alone.Sexual health | education Sexual healthVaginal Estrogen Safety: What Decades of Data ShowLow-dose vaginal estrogen is generally considered safe for long-term use, because it acts mostly on local tissue and keeps blood estrogen within the postmenopausal range. Major societies support continuing it while symptoms last. The boxed warning on the label reflects systemic hormone-therapy data, not low-dose local use.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthVaginal Laser Therapy: Promise vs EvidenceVaginal laser therapy lacks strong evidence for menopause dryness and painful sex: in sham-controlled trials, fractional CO2 laser generally did not beat the placebo procedure. Major menopause society guidance advises against energy-based devices outside research, citing reported burns and scarring, while proven options like vaginal estrogen cost far less.Sexual health | education Sexual healthVaginismus: When Muscles Guard Against PenetrationVaginismus is an involuntary tightening of the pelvic-floor muscles that makes penetration painful or impossible. It is a reflex, not a choice, and often pairs with anxiety about pain. Graded treatment — pelvic-floor therapy, dilators, and addressing fear — helps most women, making it one of the most treatable causes of painful sex.Sexual health | education Sexual healthVulvodynia: Pain Without an Obvious CauseVulvodynia is vulvar pain lasting three months or more with no identifiable cause — no infection, skin disease, or nerve injury on testing. It can be constant or provoked only by touch, such as with tampons or sex. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, and treatment helps many women even when tests are normal.Sexual health | education Sexual healthVyleesi (Bremelanotide): An On-Demand OptionVyleesi (bremelanotide) is a self-injected, on-demand treatment for premenopausal women with distressing low desire, used about 45 minutes before sex. Its benefit is modest and similar to Addyi's, with a large placebo response. About 40% of users get nausea, and it can briefly raise blood pressure.Sexual health | medication Sexual healthWell-Woman Visits Don't Auto-Test for STIsAn annual gynecologic exam does not automatically include STI testing. The Pap test checks for cervical cell changes, not for chlamydia or gonorrhea, which need separate swab or urine tests. Routine chlamydia screening is standard for sexually active women under 25; most others generally need to ask for a panel.Sexual health | education Sexual healthWhen Lubricant Isn't Enough for DrynessWhen lubricant no longer helps vaginal dryness, the cause is usually the tissue itself, thinned by low estrogen, a skin condition, or a medication, rather than friction. A clinician can examine the area and discuss a regular vaginal moisturizer or prescription local estrogen. Persistent dryness is common and treatable [1].Sexual health | seek-care Sexual healthWhere Sex Hurts Matters: Entry vs Deep PainEntry pain and deep pain during sex usually mean different things. Pain at the opening points to dryness, low estrogen, skin conditions, or tight pelvic-floor muscles. Deep pain points to pelvic organs such as endometriosis, fibroids, or cysts. Locating the pain guides which exam and tests a clinician does first.Sexual health | education Sexual healthYour First Herpes Outbreak: Timeline and CareA first genital herpes outbreak typically lasts about 2 to 4 weeks and is usually the most intense episode. Symptoms build over several days, from tingling to blisters to sores that crust and heal. Early antiviral treatment can shorten it, and later recurrences tend to be milder and briefer.Sexual health | education Sexual healthYour STI Results: Who Sees Them in the PortalSTI results post to your patient portal and are visible to you and to anyone with proxy access or your login. Many systems treat STI results as sensitive and release them only to the patient, while a spouse or a caregiver with proxy rights may see them. Adjusting proxy settings before testing keeps results private.Sexual health | records