Consensual Text

How well do you know your sex toy?

It turns out, sex toys are considered “novelty items” and are unregulated because “novelty” means they are not intended for use.  (Interesting, that a $ 1.5 billion industry exists for things that are not “in use”!)  Unregulated means that makers (mostly China) can make them out of just about anything, and there are no import regulations.

Cheap adult sex toys are often made with phthalates to give them that soft flexible feeling. In 2008, Congress banned phthalates from toys and cosmetics. Phthalates are group of chemicals linked to breast cancer, low sperm counts and other health problems. Pretty much the last thing you want near your fun parts, judging by some of the research on sex toys.

What are the risks associated with the amount of exposure we get from sex toys?  This question straddles (yes, pun intended)  two issues we have trouble discussing openly–sex and the health risks posed by low dose exposure to chemicals in every day products. It is no surprise we don’t know our sex toys as well as we should. New Hampshire Public Radio did a terrific piece on this.

If you want to green up your toy chest, seek a sex-positive retailer, like Portland’s Nomia, who will answer all your questions and take orders over the phone. Babeland is also very good at educating their customers. Both of these retailers offer less toxic alternatives including glass toys and paraben & phthalate free lube. If you’re worried about phthalates, but don’t want to kick your rabbit habit just yet, you can always use a condom.

Find more easy-to-implement tips and information on lessening your day-to-day exposure to harmful contaminants at our Good Chemistry site.

Kama Sutra is the most renowned and ancient formulation of the art of love. It is the earliest surviving sexual “know how” and offers exciting new ways to experience sexual pleasure. It was first written down by the sage Vatsyayana around the 4th century AD. Kama means sexuality or erotic practice and Sutra means thread.

Hinduism states that religion, earthly possessions, sex and salvation of the soul are all equally important aspects of life.  Hindus believe that if sex is ignored, then human society will disappear. (Truer words have rarely been spoken: no sex=no new people) .

The Kama Sutra is most known in western culture for its many sexual positions but it is not just a work of erotic sexual positions – it is a picture of the art of living for civilized and refined people including the sphere of love, eroticism, and the pleasures of life. It explains the sexual positions in categories of sitting, rear entry, standing and role reversal positions.  Each of these categories has several different ways to experience sex.

About three hundred years after the Kama Sutra was written, some of the sexual positions were reinterpreted in a Tantric way; but the Kama Sutra and Tantric sex have different purposes.

Planned Parenthood of northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org

It can help to urinate after intercourse, especially if you are prone urinary tract infections. In fact, if you are indeed prone to UTIs, it is good to pee every two to three hours throughout the day.

Many women deal with urinary tract infections. Sexual intercourse can be a common cause of urinary tract infections because during intercourse, bacteria in the vagina can be massaged into the urethra by the motion of the penis. 80% of all urinary tract infections occur within 24 hours of intercourse.

It has been suggested that washing your genitals before having sex can help.

If you feel susceptible to a urinary tract infection, find other ways to have a sexually good time-including an orgasm.

If you get UTIs regularly, talk to your health care provider about seeing a urologist.

Planned Parenthood of northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org

Tantra is a 16,000 year old tradition, born in India as a rebellion against the belief that sexuality should be rejected in order to attain enlightenment. Tantra challenged the norms of the time by asserting that sexuality was the doorway to the divine and that earthly pleasures were sacred acts. This makes Tantric sex not just physical and emotional, but elevates it to a spiritual act.

Tantra means to expand and weave–sex expands consciousness and connects a male and female into a whole. It is seen as a dance – there is no goals, only the present moment. Tantra is expressive, meditative and intimate. It teaches lovers how to extend the peak of ecstasy so that both women and men can experience several orgasms. The focus is not on orgasm – it is on feeling.

Tantra offers ways to find sacred lovemaking that include sex techniques – from intimate conversation, to washing each other, breathing together, experimenting with erotic touch, and planning a sexual date all with a sense of ritual and excitement.

There are many things to learn about this ancient art of sexual arousal and satisfaction. Sting is an advocate of Tantra saying that it has given him a fulfilling sexual experiences sometimes lasting 8 hours.  As if that weren’t enough,  4% of the people in Croatia have tried tantric sex.

Planned Parenthood of northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org

Sexy, hot and steamy limpet, firefly, bee, dragonfly, barnacle, fly, earthworm, snail and spider sex.

This is Sundance Documentary porn from Isabella Rossellini’s acclaimed Green Porno series. She walks through a sculpture garden made of 8 foot tall paper penises, talks about how special her eggs are, winks seductively and occasionally grabs her crouch, in the classy way only Rossellini can get away with.

Less arousing, more relaxing and humorously sophisticated, but thoroughly enjoyable!  About as far as you can get from Blue Velvet!

A woman’s libido changes throughout the menstrual cycle. Changes in sexual emotion, energy and even aggression peak and wane during the cycle.  Women can feel more “turned on” and aggressive about sexual feelings and desires at different times during their cycles.

Women’s erotic desires and orgasmic capacities (nice term!) begin to increase during menstruation, and continue to build. They peak on Day 13 and 14 of her cycle.  This is due in large part to the hormones that affect sexual desire – testosterone and estrogen.  It warrants mention that Day 13 and 14 are the most fertile days in a woman’s cycle.

Sex during menstruation is completely normal, healthy and often very enjoyable.

Menstrual blood is an entirely normal and healthy bodily fluid and does not affect a woman’s reproductive organs or a man’s penis.

Orgasms cause uterine contractions and these contractions can ease menstrual cramps and pain.  Some women feel less “crampy” after having sex that includes orgasm.

On the other hand,  women who are prone to UTI’s (urinary tract infections) should consider the fact that menstrual blood is a good medium for bacteria to grow and perhaps intercourse during menstruation might increase chances of a UTI.

Planned Parenthood of northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org

ISIS Inc. is a pioneer in “mating” sexual health and technology. They have developed some smart and hip e-cards for you to send.

No, not cute puppies and curly fonts about how much you miss your summer camp bunkmates.  These e-cards take the sting out of a potentially awkward exchange:    ”I may have given you an STD.”

Or like this:

Sexy and smart!