Consensual Text

Consensual Text is featured on Twitter and on Facebook .  Fan and follow us for info on a range of topics pertaining to sex and sexual health!

Orgasms light up more than just your loins...

I only wish there was a “This is your brain on sex” PSA that could do this question justice.

What we do know is that your brain goes through different changes depending on what you’re doing or thinking. When it comes to sex, scientists have discovered there aren’t many differences between a man and a woman’s brain.  For both, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex shuts down during orgasm. And since it’s that region’s job to make decisions and process information, it’s safe to say your male buddy probably isn’t crunching numbers or even thinking about what he wants for dinner when he’s having an orgasm.

A study from the mid 2000’s looked at the “pleasure center” in male and female brains.  PET scans showed that different sections of the brain would actually light up and then shut off during sexual activity.

Orgasm is usually not the time to think—it’s the time to feel.  Feel incredible, intense, beautiful, warm, pleasure. So tell your guy to stop thinking—there will be plenty of time for number crunching later on. 

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.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Please email goddess@ppnne.org

Back by popular demand…Due to all the scuttlebutt on our Facebook page, we bring you 7 Outrageous Sex Positions–in the correct venue this time. Who’s feeling frisky ?

Let’s face it-the first thing people think of when they hear “the newest in sex technology” is porn.  Turns out, there’s a whole host of technological advances that reach far beyond.

iVibrate App: The iPhone is many great things rolled into one: cell phone, digital camera, MP3 player, internet, and, oh, yeah, did we mention vibrator?  The iPhone iVibrate App soothes your body by using the phone’s built in vibrator. Great for your back, neck, head, and “any other area that needs a little release.” Ow, la, la.

Coming soon-Teledildonics: Great for the long-distance, bi-coastal couple, teledildonics will stimulate sex in a computer virtual reality, allowing users to interactively have sex with one another miles away.  Teledildonics is sponsored by Virtual Reality Innovations, the same company that invented the Virtual Sex Machine.

Talk2Me & OhMiBod: Forget about resorting to your standby Slow Jams mixed tape when you wanna get it on. There are now two sex toys that vibrate based on audio sounds and radio frequencies they pick up. What does this mean exactly? That you can pleasure yourself by listening to Prince whisper, “I wanna be your lover,” or fantasize about Justin Timberlake as he explains how he’s bringing SexyBack. HOT.

Today is the 37^th Anniversary of Roe v Wade—the landmark decision that legalized abortion in the United States. We are dedicating this week’s Consensual Text to a woman’s right to choose.

Find abortion facts throughout the day on Twitter and Facebook.  

There’s actually a *huge* difference between emergency contraception and the abortion pill. And we’re so glad you asked! There are many myths and misconceptions that seem to surround these pills.

EC – Emergency Contraception (AKA the Morning After Pill or Plan B): Like the name implies, EC is taken in emergencies to prevent you from getting pregnant. If the condom breaks, or you were so caught up in the moment you never used contraception in the first place, or if you were forced to have sex against your will: EC can be used for any of these.

• EC protects a woman, who has had unprotected intercourse, from getting pregnant. 
• EC is most effective if used within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse,  condom breakage, or a method failure. It can still be used up to 120 hours (5 days), but might be less effective.
• EC contains the same hormone that is in most birth control pills but has a different dosage.  
• EC is not abortion.  It prevents conception.

It’s a good idea to carry EC with you or to keep it in your house for those “just in case” moments. Be aware that EC does not protect you against STD’s and HIV.  

Abortion Pill (AKA Medication Abortion): Unlike EC, the abortion pill is used to terminate an already existent pregnancy. It is an alternative to the in-clinic, surgical abortion procedure.

• The Abortion Pill is taken after a positive pregnancy test and a decision to terminate an early pregnancy—up to 9 weeks.
• Two pills are taken.  The first is taken at the health center and is the abortion pill (mifepristone). It blocks the hormone progesterone, which breaks down the lining of the uterus. Step two, taken at home, is a pill called misoprostol. This causes the uterus to empty.
• Hormones in the abortion pill are not the same as hormones used in EC or birth control pills.
• Some women choose this type of abortion because of the privacy it offers and because it is not a surgical procedure.

These pills are used for completely different things—EC is for preventing pregnancy and the abortion pill is for discontinuing a pregnancy, for whatever reasons a woman has.

All Planned Parenthood health centers educate their patients on the full spectrum of their options.  As a matter of fact, our current CEO’s dedication to choice stems from an experience as a teen in a Planned Parenthood health center.  After being educated on all options, our CEO chose to carry the pregnancy to term. If you need accurate and comprehensive information on your choices, contact your nearest Planned Parenthood health center.

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.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Please email goddess@ppnne.org

The 37^th Anniversary of Roe v Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States, is this coming Friday. To commemorate this landmark decision for reproductive health, we are celebrating with events, factoids on Twitter & Facebook, and dedicating Consensual Text to Roe.

Check out our list of  some great abortion-related films.

There is one, though, we wanted to feature, set in an era when abortion was illegal: Revoluntionary Road.

Revoluntionary Road is based on the 1961 novel by Richard Yates with the same name. Our favorite, hot couple from Titanic reunites for the first time with an intense performance.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are a young, unhappy couple living in suburbia in the mid 1950’s. Frank (DiCaprio) is a businessman who absolutely hates his job, and April (Winslet) is a stay-at-home Mom who is equally dissatisfied.  Fed up with their way of life, the two hatch a plan to move to Paris and start a brand new life together. However, an unexpected third pregnancy changes everything and examines just how far the couple is willing to go to achieve happiness.

The movie is a powerful, honest portrayal of what life was like pre-Roe. It reminds viewers of the lengths to which women actually went to end unwanted pregnancies, and the sometimes dire consequences that came with those choices. We highly recommend Revoluntionary Road–it reiterates the importance of legal abortion.

Consensual Text is featured on Twitter and on Facebook .  Fan and follow us for info on a range of topics pertaining to sex and sexual health!

Maggie Gyllenhaal sure likes to be submissive in the film Secretary

Any question that’s phrased with the word “all” is almost always going to elicit the response “no.” But what do you actually mean by the word submissive? Do you mean submissive as in doesn’t make any of the moves? Do you mean submissive as in Dominance and submission? Or do you mean submissive as in a person just lies there like a dead fish, doing and saying nothing?

Partner Who Doesn’t Make the First Move: It’s true that some women prefer men to make the first move, but not all women. We unfortunately live in a culture that encourages girls to grow up believing they should be “sugar and spice and everything nice.” This stereotype, among many others, can cause girls to grow up believing the passive role is the only one for them, when this just isn’t the case.

However, some women do prefer their partner to make the first move. Maybe they are shy, or maybe they just feel more comfortable waiting for their partner. Either way, there’s nothing wrong with this scenario. If it bothers you though, talk about it and let her know you’d like to see her initiate sex play every once in a while.

Dominance and submission (D&s): It can be said that both men and women have been known to enjoy D&s.  D&s is a role couples can choose to play in the bedroom, where they take pleasure or find it erotic to either dominate or be dominated. Those who take the superior role are the dominants, and those who take the subordinate role are called submissives.  D&s is not set in stone—you have both the ability to be dominant and the ability to be submissive.  How you choose to act depends on what role you want to play, are required to play, or believe you should play.

It takes confidence and comfort with a partner to take on either one of these roles. Here are some questions you should ask yourself if considering D&s:

• What role turns you on the most —and why does it?
• Are you able to consider switching back and forth — giving each person the opportunity to play both roles?
• What’s your motivation for choosing this role?
• Are you sure that you are taking care of yourself and remaining safe?

Dead fish scenario: If you have a partner who doesn’t do much during sex and you’d like something to change, talk to them about it. Ask them to tell you what they want — ask them how it feels when you [fill-in-the-blank].  Ask them to moan, scream, or sigh when something feels good.

Think of someone being submissive in a good way — if they are getting pleasure, they’re  turned on, and having fun — let them enjoy it. 

Here’s the link to a glorious video we couldn’t embed: Maggie Gyllenhaal performing basic office tasks in bondage. How cute is that?

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

The 80’s were a pretty reckless time.  Cocaine, shoulder pads, big hair and….douching.  People actually thought it was a good idea to douche…and to do it with vinegar.

Thankfully, we’ve learned to not only tone down the big hair and makeup, but we’ve also learned the dangers of douching and we no longer promote it as a way of cleaning your vagina.

Consensual Text is featured on Twitter and on Facebook .  Fan and follow us for info on a range of topics pertaining to sex and sexual health!

This may be one of the saddest scenarios I’ve ever had to contemplate.  Imagining the clitoris—the only organ dedicated to pleasure—injured or unable to feel sensation because of a vibrator practically brings tears to my eyes!  I suppose you could lose sensation if you were to use some of the barbaric torture devices, I mean vibrators, we featured a few weeks back. But luckily, modern technology can allow me to confidently answer your question by saying, “Aw, hell to the no!” to quote the unflappable Whitney Houston.  No matter how much you use them, vibrators simply cannot take sensation away from your clitoris.

Think of a vibrator as a wonderful sidekick.  A Robin to your Batman, a Laverne to your Shirley, a Cheech to your Chong…except in a non-cartoony, non-Milwaukee brewery, and non-pot smoking kind of way.  Okay, so maybe those were terrible examples. 

My point is that a vibrator is a fabulous assistant in reaching orgasm. It’s not going to cause you nerve damage, or hinder your chances of having an orgasm over time.  In fact, 70% of women need clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm, and intercourse alone doesn’t guarantee it for some women. So a vibrator can be a tremendous supporter in the quest for the big O. 

As you know by asking this question, the clitoris is a very sensitive organ.  It responds well to all kinds of touch—not just vibrators.  Fingers can easily arouse and heighten sexual desire.  If clitoral massage is done well, the feeling can be a sensational as receiving oral sex.  Light touch, slow circles, side- to-side strokes, and listening for moans of pleasure are some instructions you should pass on your partner. Orgasm can also be achieved when your clitoris is rubbing up against your partner’s pubic bone. 

Occasionally there are women that get hooked on their vibrator and end up believing it’s the only way they’ll have an orgasm.  This usually isn’t true.  But, for variety’s sake, we suggest having several different ones on hand. Dodson & Ross have some excellent sex toy  suggestions.

So, enjoy the pleasures your vibrator provides and don’t worry about losing sensation.  It won’t happen. 

And check out this great video from Dan Savage, as he bluntly answers the question, “How can I get a woman to orgasm without resorting to clitoral stimulation.”

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’s National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and we’re reminding everyone that condoms are one of the ways to reduce your risk of contracting HPV (human papilloma virus)—the virus that can cause cervical cancer.  HPV is also spread by skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal or oral sex play,  so the best way to prevent HPV is to get vaccinated.  Make an appointment with us today.

And in the meantime, check out this hilarious condom video from the geniuses over at the Midwest Teen Sex Show—you’ll especially appreciate the music video towards the end with “Hank-The-Condom.”  Happy Monday!