Pap smear every year? Not so much.
A government-backed panel released new recommendations for women of reproductive age to get a pap smear every 3 years rather than annually. The recommendations are still in draft form and accepting public comment, but given that cancer patient advocacy groups like the American Cancer Society have voiced their support for the recommendations, they may not […]
They’re into you, but are they into your birth control? How to engage a partner in your method
You love your birth control. (We hope.) You love the person you’re sleeping with. (Or you like them enough to knock boots.) How about connecting those two things to make your sex life even better? Go For Peace of Mind Are either of you worried about accidentally getting pregnant? Using less reliable methods can be […]
Attitude Adjustment
A recent study found that three-quarters of doctors (74%) are likely to prescribe extended-use oral contraceptives—the ones that let you go longer between periods. More than any other factor, the doctors who prescribed the extended-use contraceptives shared “a positive attitude toward skipping periods.” Doctors aren’t supposed to let their personal feelings influence how they treat […]
Pill good news and bad news
There was good news and not-so-good news for the pill this week. First, the good news: a new study confirms that women who have ever taken the pill—even for just a few years—have long-lasting protection from ovarian cancer. Previous research has shown that the pill also protects against uterine cancer and that, contrary to popular […]
You, him, and Aunt Flow: Sex and your period
For most guys, choosing between period sex and no sex is a no brainer. They’re gonna choose period sex because having sex is always better than no sex. But what about the blood? The smell? The mess? Doesn’t matter. Our guy friends have reported back to us and they all said the same thing: Period […]
Happy Birthday Our Bodies, Ourselves!
Long before women could look to the Internet for advice, support, and information, a small group of feminist activists published a book that became a sort of Bible of sexual health. Our Bodies, Ourselves has just been published in its ninth edition and it’s no less relevant than the first, which turns 40 this year. […]
Minding the unplanned pregnancy gap
There are some things—acne, awkwardness, a curfew—it’s generally safe to look forward to outgrowing once your teenage years are behind you. One hazard that’s not so easily shed? Unplanned pregnancy. According to a report from the Guttmacher Institute , the proportion of US pregnancies that are unintended—already higher than other developed countries—rose slightly from 2001 […]
There’s STI good news and bad news
There’s STI good news: What if there was a shot that protected you against not just HPV but against every virus out there? We aren’t there yet, but some MIT researchers recently made a major leap toward developing one—they’ve invented an across-the-board virus-killer that’s proven safe and effective when tested in mice. It’s got a […]
Emergency Contraception 101 (because mishaps happen)
UPDATE: Plan B One-Step emergency contraception is now available over the counter without a prescription or age restrictions. Here’s what we know about it so far ! You could be drunk and forgetful. You could be crazy in love, horny as hell, and out of birth control. You could be perfectly responsible, but the condom […]
Baby in one hand… birth control in the other
As if they didn’t have their hands full already, women who have just given birth have to be especially careful when choosing a contraceptive. The CDC has just updated it’s guidelines on which methods are safe for new moms to use, and when. While hormonal methods that don’t contain estrogen—the shot, the Mirena IUD, the […]
