Consensual Text

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Not long. It all depends on the environment.

Sperm can survive for about an hour outside the body. Thanks to its lifeline—Semen—sperm stays alive during and after ejaculation. As long as the semen remains wet and moist, the sperm will survive. So when a guy ejaculates on someone’s leg, back, stomach, near the vagina, or anywhere on the body, sperm can have a short, wild life. 

In the vaginal canal, sperm can survive for about six hours.  Humans and all animals are meant to reproduce, and our bodies work with that in mind. So, after the semen and sperm enter the body it’s a whole new game.  In the vaginal canal, sperm can last for 6 hour or so—depending on the environment. Some vaginas aid sperm in fast, save travel—others which at times can be more acidic or infectious, slow down the process and decompose sperm. 

Once sperm goes through the cervix and into the uterus, it can last for up to seven days.  There’s a whole other world waiting for sperm once they are in the uterus and fallopian tubes.  The environment there makes it possible for sperm to live up to seven days.  (The average however is between 3-4 days). 

Sperm Trivia:

• A man has approximately 280 million sperm per ejaculate; a pig has 800 million sperm per ejaculate.
• It takes 2-3 minutes for cow’s sperm to reach the fallopian tubes; and it take 5 to 68 minutes for a man’s sperm to take the same journey.
• Fruit flies have sperm larger than the body of a house fly, whereas humans have the smallest sperm cells.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09kLIsNfaO8

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

“Whoa!”, “Stop!”, and “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” are never words you want to hear in the bedroom.  That’s why being on the same page from the get-go is so important, and is also why your question about consent is such a good one.  

Everyone wants to feel respected and cared about – especially during sex. You are a great lover when you ask someone what they are okay with. Whether it is a casual or longer term relationship, everyone feels good when he or she is participating in a mutual and consensual act.

It’s actually easier than you may think to ask for consent and “keep the mood.” Your tone of voice and the way you ask questions both play a big role.

One of the best questions to ask that won’t ruin the mood is simply-Do you like this? This really helps if you are trying something that you haven’t done together before, or if you haven’t been together before. 

Other questions you can ask: What do you like?; What can I do that really turns you on?; Does this feel good?; Would you like to do this?;  Can we try this?;  Are you up for trying this?  All of these are great ways to gauge what your partner is comfortable with.

You can also start the conversation off by mentioning what you are into:  I like this. Would you be willing to do this to me?; This is what I like more than anything…; I saw two people doing this, and I’d like to try it. Would you? Etc., etc. 

Now here’s the one rule to keep in mind- Don’t ask a hundred questions. Unless you’re playing some sort of “permission” type game, your partner might find this really unnecessary.  If you find you’re getting into new territory, then you should ask again and just enjoy what’s happening.

Bottom line: Asking is a turn on. You can and should do it. And if you do it correctly, you’ll never ruin the mood. Have fun!     

And speaking of setting the mood, check out the Top 10 Songs to Have Sex To.

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!

Absolutely not!  Plenty of people wait till their twenties to have sex for the first time.  In fact, 20.8% of 21 year old women have not ever had sex.

Don't let movies trick you-there is no specific age you "should" lose your virginity by

As Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter,” and this is especially true about sex.  Don’t let it bother you that you haven’t had sex yet —there’s no predetermined age that you “should” lose your virginity by.  You have to make sure you are ready emotionally and mentally. 

People have sex, and hold off on sex, for many, many reasons.  Some have sex to get it over with, some are curious, and some have sexual desires that they are ready to act on.  Some wait for religious reasons, or because they simply aren’t ready.  Some people have sex and are extremely happy that they did, while others feel regretful about having sex at that time.  Some people haven’t met the right person yet, or have but have decided to wait to have sex.  There are so many reasons and there is no one right time.  

For many people, they are still virgins simply because the occasion hasn’t presented itself yet. They are accidental virgins – there is no reason other than a lack of the opportunity.  It will happen.  And it will hopefully be a great experience. 

For those of you who are waiting because it is accidental or are waiting because you are not ready – don’t worry! You will have years and years to be sexual if you so choose.

Can you name fives movies about being a virgin?  Watch these!

1. American Pie
2. The Forty Year Old Virgin
3. The Virgin Suicides
4. The Last American Virgin
5. Losin’ It

Famous Fictional TV and Film Virgins —Look them up!

1. Doogie Howser, M.D. of Doogie Howser, M.D.
2. Dawson Leery of Dawson’s Creek
3. Donna Martin of Beverly Hills, 90210
4. Andy Stitzer of The Forty Year Old Virgin
5. Jamal Malik of Slumdog Millionaire

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

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

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 Facebook.  Fan and follow us for info on a range of topics pertaining to sex and sexual health!

I’ve been asking myself this very same question for years. “How can I feel tired/bloated/crampy/hungry/sore and horny all at the same time?” One minute I’ll be asking my partner to rub my back…and the next, I’ll want to be on my back. It just doesn’t make any sense!

Turns out it’s really common to be horny around the time of your period.  Arousal patterns are often associated with hormonal cycles and it is true that some women get very turned on just before their period  starts.

You can also feel very frisky around the time of ovulation, which makes sense if you think about it in terms of pro-creation.  If you’re feeling more aroused when you’re ovulating  it can mean more time in the sack, which can improve your chances of conception.

Science backs this up.  There are biological factors that promote intercourse during a woman’s six fertile days of the menstruation cycle.   And other researchers say that there is an increase in libido around the time of ovulation.

Levels of reproductive hormones influence sexual desire and these levels vary greatly throughout the monthly cycle, with highs, lows and bursts of different neuroendocrine chemicals that surge through the brain and affect us in many ways.

As these hormones do their thing, other influences are also at play– such as surroundings, one’s mood, music, smell, and the visuals. And don’t forget about certain foods!

We say go for it, and embrace those “randy”  feelings.  After all, orgasms will help relieve your cramps!

And if you’d like to learn even more about the menstrual cycle, check out this vintage Walt Disney video, circa 1946.

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

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

Dress properly for sex by wearing condoms

Most of us dress appropriately for events.  We wear boots in the snow, sunscreen on the beach, a costume at mardi gras, we get dressed up to go to Aunt Lou’s for Thanksgiving dinner, or weddings and big parties … so why aren’t we wearing proper attire when we are delighting in being naughty?

Currently, sexually transmitted infections rates are soaring. Soaring. These infections affect us in many ways – from uncomfortable symptoms, to no symptoms, but jeopardizing our fertility – having to tell a partner about reoccurring incidents, to suffering through a severe medical problem.

• Adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 and women ages 20-24 are reported having the highest incidences of STIs
• The prevalence of HPV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and herpes was at 24.1% (one in four!) among all females aged 14–19.
• The CDC estimates nearly 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, almost half of which are among 15 to 24 year olds.

STIs in the USA are too high.  Use this handy online tool to see if you are at risk.

And, as mentioned earlier this week, a condom can be stretched to handle 3 bags of potatoes or 12 quarts of water (and, according to a comment we received, can also handle a bunch of plaster!).  Celebrate the latex, people!  It is a good thing!

When dressing for sex, here are some silly limericks to remind you:

• no glove, no love
• sex is cleaner, with a packaged wiener (actually uttering that phrase may make you no longer want to have sex, however)
• cover your little guy, or you’ll die (an awful saying, on so many levels)
• it’ll be sweeter, if you wrap your peter

“Getting dressed” for sex still seems to be a societal taboo. Sex requires proper attire.  Please use condoms.  Please get tested.

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

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

There is a myth that a woman’s vagina gets bigger and wider when she has a lot of sex, or a lot of partners, or lots of sex with someone who has a large penis. There is no truth to these “facts”.

Women’s vaginas vary in size, but are not so drastically different that one woman would be identifiable by a large, wide vagina, and another for a small, little vagina.  Genetics do make a difference, but it is not something we can easily tell. The average size of a vagina is 3 ½ to 4 inches in a relaxed state, and 5 to 6 inches in an aroused state.  A woman’s vagina does widen when she is sexually aroused, but as soon as arousal diminishes, her vagina goes back to its normal size.

The vagina is a muscle which stretches and contracts, depending on whether there is something in it or not.  If a woman is having sex and she is aroused, her vagina expands to hold a penis, a dildo, a vibrator, and/or other sex toys. When the penis or the toys are removed the vagina returns to its regular size.

For most people intercourse doesn’t feel the same every time you have sex – nor does it feel the same with every partner you have.  Sometimes a woman’s vagina feels tighter, sometimes loser, which is dependent on her state of arousal, not the width of her vagina.

Sometimes, after childbirth, a woman’s vagina might feel wider.  With kegel exercises, that fabulous muscle can get back in shape. A woman’s vagina might also change as she ages and goes through menopause.  As with other muscles, the tone of her vagina can change with age.  Here’s the good news … there are exercises that can help keep that muscle in shape even as you age.

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

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

Two very different ads about pleasure and safety….and no one gets naked! Which one do you prefer?

Here is an African condom ad, where the hot sound track “One Love” by Blue sets the steamy mood.

Multitude of condom uses in this one…and the condom is featured as an aphrodisiac!