Tag: Sexual Studies

White Washing Tonsils

I have already posted on the pirates and there is a fire ….somewhere…and no doubt there is a car chase happening as I writing….Congress is on break…..sooooo….it is Sexy Sunday!

The incidence of tonsil cancer has tripled in the city of Stockholm since the 1970s and doctors at the world-famous Karolinska Institute there think they know why.

Oral sex. Or perhaps French kissing. And changes in sexual behavior that took place 20 or 30 years ago, says Tina Dalianis, a professor of tumor virology at Karolinska.

The study found that patients with HPV in their mouths are much more likely to get tonsil cancer than patients who don’t have it. In fact for patients who are HPV-positive, the rate of tonsil cancer has gone up seven times since the ’70s, Dalianis says. It takes between 20 and 30 years for an HPV infection to result in cancer, so the people getting sick now were infected in the ’70s and ’80s.

“It’s an epidemic,” she says.

Prior to this, the greatest risk factor for tonsil cancer was drinking and smoking. As smoking rates have dropped, the number of tobacco-linked tonsil cancers has declined.

Geez, these people can just suck (no pun intended) all the fun out of the party!  What a damn buzz kill!

Could Sex Be Addictive?

Teen sex is fraught with perils, and not just the physical kind.

While sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy are the two most talked-about risks, a new book says young people having sex may want to add this to their list of concerns: teenage sex is bad for the brain.

That’s what the authors of Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children are saying, anyways.

In a message clearly intended to promote abstinence in youth, the authors of Hooked say that young people should wait to have sex until their mid-20s, once their brains have developed fully, and are in a “lifelong relationship.”

Otherwise, neurochemicals released during sexual activity may cause problems later in life.

During sex, a woman’s brain produces oxytocin and a male’s brain produces vasopressin, hormones that cause the sexes to bond with each other.

Both sexes also experience a dopamine rush — dopamine is a hormone that makes you feel good and rewards you for exciting behaviour.

However, for young people whose brains are susceptible to pattern-forming behaviours, that may set them up for a lifetime of seeking the thrill and reward from sex, and make it hard for them to attach themselves long-term to a partner later in life.

Well, if one must be addicted, IU think that sex is much more preferable than, say, heroin.  Just a thought.

I Have All Sober To Sunday Up

The more things change, the more they stay the same……

Young people across the county are being encouraged to think more about their sexual health following research which has revealed the shocking finding that one in three young people in the county have had drunken sex.

It also found one in five (22 per cent) of young people have gone home with a stranger while 15 per cent have invited a stranger back to their home.

Almost all the 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed by YouthNet were sexually active (92 per cent) and more than a third (37 per cent) first had sex under the legal age of 16.

More than a third of girls (36.9 per cent) and just under one fifth of boys (19 per cent) said they thought they should have waited longer to have sex.

Almost one in three boys (29.9 per cent) and one in five girls (19.1 per cent) said they had been drinking when they first had sex.

One in five boys did not use contraception when they first had sex (21.5 per cent), compared with one in ten girls (11 per cent.)

Cheaper By The Dozen

Drawn by payments of up to $10,000, an increasing number of women are offering to sell their eggs at U.S. fertility clinics as a way to make money amid the financial crisis.

Fertility organizations across the country said there had been a growing interest. The Centre for Egg Options in Illinois has seen a 40 percent increase in egg donor inquiries since the start of 2008.

New York City’s Northeast Assisted Fertility Group said interest had doubled and the Colorado Centre for Reproductive Medicine said it had received 10 percent more inquiries.

The Reproductive Science Centre of New England, which does not deal directly with egg donors, said it had gone from no inquiries to now receiving several a month.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends that total payments to donors be capped at $10,000.

A 2007 study by the society found the U.S. national average payment was $4,216. Payments by clinics in the Northeast were found to average just over $5,000, while those in the Northwest averaged just under $3,000.

Katherine Bernardo, egg donor program manager at Northeast Assisted Fertility Group, said while some women saw donation as an easy way to make money, not everyone was accepted.

“There is an economic climate that encourages women to find creative ways to make money,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that anyone interested in egg donation actually goes on to donate because so few women are actually eligible.”

Bernardo said only 5 percent to 7 percent of the applications she received resulted in the retrieval of eggs. An ideal candidate, she said, was in her twenties, healthy, attractive and well-educated.

Egg donors undergo medical, psychological and genetic testing as well as a background check. If selected, a donor must undergo hormone injections until her eggs are ready to be retrieved.

Not as much money is on offer for men looking to donate sperm. Several sperm banks in New York City, where men are paid about $60 each time they donate, said there had not been a rise in donors.

Something To Think About

In the last week…Burris has run for cover…the markets have fallen like a lead balloon….banks want more money…auto makers have their hands out and a partrisge in a pear tree….so to lighten up the day  it is Sex Sunday!

Despite the cheerful tenacity of Dove advertising campaigns, slenderness remains a desirable state for many women. The widely held belief is that slim women are more attractive to men, can find nicer clothes and, when it comes to sex, are rocking the casbah far more often than their zaftig counterparts.

But not so fast, Calista Flockhart. According to research published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, overweight and obese women are more likely than their skinny sisters to report that they’ve had sex with a man — 92% of overweight or obese women reported having had sexual intercourse with a man vs. 87% of women of normal weight.

“It’s totally unexpected,” says Marie Harvey, the Oregon State University professor who co-authored the study with Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, assistant professor at the school of medicine at the University of Hawaii. The results were based on secondary data already collected by the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, which collects a variety of reproductive health outcomes and behaviours for a sample of more than 7,000 women aged 15 to 44.

The study’s objective was to look at the impact of body mass index on sexual behaviour, and all other measures — such as age of first intercourse, number of partners, frequency of intercourse and sexual orientation — showed no difference between normal weight women and overweight and obese women.

Prior to the release of the study’s results, many hypothesized that overweight and obese women would be less sexually active than their normal-weight counterparts. “It’s our stereotype that men are attracted to slender women,” says Harvey, who adds that thin women are often perceived as more sexually empowered.

So all you lonely guys out there…when it is closing tiome and you have struck out with the Giselle look-a likes….there may be hope for you yet.

Let’s Get Kinky!

Forget the boring kitchen or the bathtubs… think bizarre, out-of-the-box! Try out unexplored corners in your house, which you’ve have never earlier considered as apt places to enjoy a steamy sex session. From your storeroom to the dirty basement that you’ve never bothered to clean up to the garage that you thought was only meant for car parking – try out off-beat sex destinations and convert them into sensuous love dens.

Sex expert Dr. Deepak Arora agrees, “Whenever you experience a change in your life you feel more excited and the same holds true for sexual intimacy. Couples should keep changing the decoration of their rooms like lighting, placement of objects, wall colours, curtains etc to infuse a fresh feel every time they get intimate, as it boosts their sexual pleasure.”

Sex counselor Dr. Shivi Jaggi supports, “Taking of sex variations, a place can influence a couples’ pleasure quotient. Any place outside the stereotypical bedroom will help couples keep alive their sexual fire. The reason why they find hotel rooms more appealing than their bedrooms is for because it’s a new pleasure playground that takes their mind away from mundane domesticity and adds a zing of excitement. So, if they pay a little attention and experiment with the decor of certain places within their own homes, they can perform wonders in their sex life.”

So, the next time you plan an intimate session with your partner, try out these unexplored places within your house and see the heat of passion building like never before…

Garage Passion : Everyone loves a wild backseat romp, but it can get even wilder if you try sex in the garage. The dark ambiance and the rusty feel will surely build up the mood for a night of passion. Fun would be at its peak when you play love games of hide and seek behind the parked cars and let your partner look for you and thus build up your sexual mood. Alternately try a sex romp on top of your car. Dr. Jaggi explains, “In a garage, it’s the raw energy of the destination that adds to the pleasure and once you’re away from the comfort of your bedroom, this crude place is definitely racy and exciting. If you really wish to have a new-f

Arty Attic : An attic fills the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and the slanted roof, and they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult-to-access corners. So why not make the most of this neglected area in your house? Decorate it in an alluring manner to seduce your partner and during the act, try out new positions in accordance with the structure of the attic. Dr. Arora states, “Due to hectic lifestyles, couples have no time to maintain their attic space. But just devoting a single day to covert it into a lavish area to have sex can turn the heat on. Couples will surely leave their bedroom luxuries behind and have sex on rough surfaces like that of an attic.”
Cosy Corridor : If you thought the corridor was just meant for kids to play during the day and the elderly to relax in the evening, think again! You can make the most of this zone during your moments of pleasure. Think of a converting your otherwise tedious corridor/balcony into a sex inspiring den. Place a cot adorned with satin sheets and scented flowers can act as an add-on. Dr. Arora suggests, “If you’re staying on the top floor of a high rise, then the balcony or corridor can be a perfect place to have sex. Remember, you’ve moved to the balcony because you want to enjoy the fresh air and have sex in an open area, so no curtains are required. Also, ensure there are no surrounding buildings at the same level as your balcony and if there are, then wait for mid-night, so you can enjoy the act in the dark.”

Storeroom Surprises : Imagine how a broken table lying wasted in the storeroom can make for a wonderful base to get intimate with your lover. While in the storeroom, you can try being a little more creative by taking out antique items, sexual pictures, Kamasutra paintings etc and creating an atmosphere to arouse your partner. Dr. Jaggi shares, “Having sex in the storeroom is a welcome change. Having limited space, it usually stimulates sex in standing positions. The little spaces meant for ventilation allow some amount of light to enter the room, so it would be an excellent shift, as far as the surrounding is concerned.”
Romantic Roof-top : Having sex in the open on your terrace can be awesome, provided you make optimum use of the space. It can be by arranging a candle-lit dinner for your beau or decorating the entire roof-top with flower strands reviving your first-night charm. Dr. Arora opines, “If the rooftop is too high from which noone can see you from the outside, it can be an experience to remember. To make it more arousing, you can have a roof-top garden, which will not only add to the sexual energy, but also let you enjoy the fragrance of the blossoms. The moonlight adds to the ambience.”

All that time and money for this study and this is the best these yo-yos could do?  I know that there are much better ideas out there, so come on….let us put these guys to shame…….speak up!

“Sexsomnia”?

There are at least 11 different sex-related sleep disorders, collectively referred to as “sexsomnia” or “sleepsex,” that affect people who are otherwise psychologically healthy—causing them to unknowingly engage in various sexual activities during the night.

Carlos Schenck, a psychiatrist at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, and his colleagues have studied a number of behavioral disorders associated with sleep.

“Any basic instinct can come out in the context of sleep,” Schenck told LiveScience. “All sorts of things can happen.”

Recently, he and his colleagues turned their focus to sex-related sleep disorders. They conducted computerized medical literature searches for studies published between 1950 and 2006 related to sleep and sexual behavior and looked through a number of sleep medicine textbooks. They also analyzed data from a previously completed internet survey that had gathered data from 219 people, 92 percent of whom had experienced multiple “sexsomnia” episodes.

Among other things, they found that people—mostly men—sometimes masturbate, initiate sex with a partner and reach orgasm during sleep. They usually have no memory of these activities when they wake up, learning about them only if a partner or roommate tells them. Some of these activities can also have legal consequences, such as if someone initiates sex without a bed partner’s consent, noted Schenck.

People are at-risk for developing sex-related sleep disorders when they also tend to suffer from other sleep disorders—such as sleepwalking or sleep terrors, according to Schenck. “Sexsomnia doesn’t come out of nowhere,” he said. But “for whatever reason, sexual behaviors become part of the repertoire.”

While people might feel ashamed to learn from their partners that they are exhibiting these behaviors while they sleep, these disorders are not indicative of psychological problems, noted Schenck, whose recently published book, Sleep: The Mysteries, The Problems, and The Solutions, has a chapter devoted to sex-related problems. “Bizarre and inappropriate behavior during sleep does not necessarily reflect a daytime psychological problem.”

And “sexsomnia” disorders are easily treated with medication, he added.  (let me guess, the meds will cause erectile dysfunction?)

If anything, people who become aware of their problem but don’t seek help put themselves at an even greater risk. “The longer you go with this problem without getting it treated, the more you can then develop a secondary psychological problem,” such as depression, said Schenck, whose study is published this week in the journal Sleep.

It did not play with my ex-wife….damn…..I could have had a defense the whole damn time……

Geez! Suck All The Fun Outta Sex!

While research shows that sex can indeed trigger heart attacks in some people, especially men, the odds of literally succumbing to passion are very low. Sexual activity is a contributing factor in less than 1 percent of heart attacks, according to a 1996 study by Harvard Medical School researchers.

Although heart attacks during sex are rare, no one wants to be among the unlucky few who die while getting lucky. So if you have cardiovascular disease (CVD), or even if it runs in your family, it’s important to ask your doctor what type of sexual activity is safe. If you’ve just had a heart attack, for instance, you should wait three to four weeks before having intercourse, according to current guidelines.

The physical danger posed by sexual activity is probably the least of your problems, however. There are plenty of other ways for heart disease to curtail your sex life. Everything from incision pain following bypass surgery to the emotional stress of living with a heart condition can get in the way of intimacy.

Sexual activity and heart conditions can interact in complicated ways, which can be difficult to tease apart. To make matters worse, heart patients (and their partners) are often uncomfortable discussing their sex lives with their doctors and vice versa.

The link between cardiovascular disease and sexual dysfunction is well established, at least in men. Researchers have known for years that erectile dysfunction (ED) is disproportionately common among men with CVD (and even among those with risk factors for CVD, such as diabetes and high blood pressure). While erectile dysfunction can result from a number of factors, including psychological ones, the majority of cases can be traced to vascular problems.

The shared mechanism linking ED and CVD is believed to originate in the endothelium, the thin layer of cells that lines blood vessels. Risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking prevent cells in the endothelium from releasing nitric oxide. This compromises the ability of blood vessels to dilate, which can lead to both atherosclerosis and erectile dysfunction.

Atherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of the arteries that causes coronary heart disease, can affect the arteries that pump blood into the penis just as readily as those that surround the heart. But endothelial problems can also prevent the so-called smooth muscle in the penis from relaxing properly. In either case, erections become harder to sustain.

For a long time it was thought that ED was strictly a side effect of CVD and atherosclerosis, but experts now believe that ED may actually precede heart problems. A 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association described ED as a “harbinger” of cardiovascular events.

The study, which analyzed more than 4,000 men without symptoms of CVD or ED, found that the men who subsequently experienced ED were nearly 50 percent more likely than those who did not to experience a cardiovascular event within seven years.

I say “screw it” if I gotta die at least I gonna die with a smile on my face.

Somethings Are Just Not That Important!

This is just sick, IMO.

Scientists proved several years ago that people’s sexual appetites come from their genes. Some inherit a high libido from their ancestors and want to have sex every day, others have this wish once a week, some others are asexual and can live without sex very well.

Libido can vary depending on various circumstances. As a rule, people want to have more sex when they go on holiday. In general, libido remains stable all the time. If it decreases considerably, it is most likely a consequence of health problems.

The sexual appetite, or libido, is directly connected with the hormonal background of an individual, with male sex hormones, or with testosterone, to be more precise. If there is a lot of testosterone, a man’s sexual desire will be higher than the average. It is generally believed that such men are well-built, short-tempered, hairy on the body and hairless on the head.

The level of testosterone decreases with age, but the process is difficult to notice until the age of 60. It is difficult to accelerate the process, although it is quite possible. One would need to put on weight, drink a lot of alcohol, let others hit you between the legs all the time and take hormonal medications

Libido is much more complicated that it may seem at first sight. A certain amount of testosterone is not enough – the brain needs to react adequately to it. It goes without saying that the brain reaction will not be adequate at all if a person suffers from serious stresses or depressions.

If there are no health problems and the level of testosterone is fine, but there is no sexual desire anyway, one has to think of moral issues. Desire may often depend on a person’s attitude to sex and his or her relations with their partner.

The Most Stupid Sex Studies

Fox News has made a list of the ridiculously obvious sex findings of 2008, which is as follows:

Attractive people probably have more sex

Researchers at the University of Durham in Britain found that men whose faces were more “masculine” and women whose faces were more “attractive” were rated as likelier to have casual sex.

Unplanned pregnancy affects her quality of life

Research in the September issue of Contraception didn’t surprise many when they concluded that unintended pregnancy has adverse effects on a woman’s quality of life.

Porn as sex educator

A study by the Austrian Institute for Sexual Education made a much obvious finding that more than half of Austrian male youth rely on pornography for sex information.

She’s good to ride horses

Research conducted by Dr Shaheen Alanee and colleagues at the University of Minnesota found that horseback riding is not associated with female sexual dysfunction.

Methamphetamine use makes for risky sexual behaviours

While substance abuse has long been associated with risky sexual behaviours, thus it didn’t come as any wonder when research in the Journal of School Health found that using methamphetamine is associated with risky sexual behaviours and adolescent pregnancy.

He said/she said

The long known gender divide on sex was again highlighted in the research in the College Student Journal, which found that men are more likely to think that oral sex is not sex, while women felt that such intimacy was very much sex. On the matter of cybersex, men did not regard it as cheating, while women did. Finally, men thought that the frequency of sex drops in a marriage, while women thought that it stays high.

It’s okay to pressure her

Research by Sheffield University in England [Images] confirmed that teen boys think that it’s all right to pressure girls into sex, and use alcohol for getting them into bed.

Condoms make for less pleasure

Complaints about having to use condoms was again tackled when  researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University found that women who used condoms, whether solo or with other hormonal methods, reported decreased sexual pleasure.

Ugh! It’s Brad and Jen all over again

Ridiculous as it may seem, but an investigation conducted at Queen’s University Belfast found the obvious-sexual infidelity was more upsetting for men, whereas emotional unfaithfulness was more distressful for women. Also, it was found that men think that women have sex when they’re in love.

Intra… what?

A survey in the September 2008 issue of Contraception found that over 60 percent of 14 to 24-year-old females had never heard of an IUD – intrauterine device. This isn’t mind-blowing given most youth do not receive education on any contraceptives.

Abstinence-only programs do not delay the onset of intercourse

In a Sexuality Research and Social Policy review of 56 studies assessing the impact of comprehensive, STD/HIV education, and abstinence-based sex education programs, it was found that most of these programs did not delay the initiation of sex.

It’s all in your head

Although sexologists have long been saying that Sex is a mind-body-soul experience, with your brain being your biggest sex organ, there was a Portuguese study this year, which reported that men’s concern over erection negatively correlated with sexual arousal. For women, lack of erotic thoughts and failure to control intrusive thoughts were found to impact their sexual response.

Parents want comprehensive sex education

Parents have declared since long that they want their children to get information that protects them from pregnancy, HIV, and STDs. And in the past year, a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health once again found that nine out of 10 parents want their children to be educated on both contraception and abstinence.

My question is:  How do I get on the list to get a cash advance to do a sexual study of some sort?  Good work if you can get it.