Mpox Cases Almost Double from Last Year Experts Worry Too Few People Are Vaccinated Mpox cases in the United States are almost double what they were at this time last year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While rates still remain far lower than they were during the outbreak of 2022, experts worry that too few people are vaccinated. As of mid-March, there were an estimated 511 cases of the virus compared to just 287 at the same time last year. New York City has had over 100 cases so far this year compared to just 30 last year, and the Virgi ..read more

Diagnosing and Managing Genital Herpes A two-part conversation with Terri Warren, RN, ANP In this two-part episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast, Terri Warren, RN, ANP—nurse, author, and owner of Westover Heights Clinic in Portland, Oregon that specializes in the genital herpes infection—explains the tests that can provide an accurate genital herpes diagnosis and how they work and clarifies that a physical exam alone should never be the final diagnosis for anyone, for many reasons. She also discusses the importance of knowing herpes type and offers helpful insight into how to put a herpes i ..read more

Doxy-PEP is a New Strategy to Help Prevent STIs Doxy-PEP—or Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis—is a sexual health strategy that involves taking an oral antibiotic after condomless sex to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. This strategy comes at a time when bacterial STIs are on the rise. Recently released data from the CDC showed there were 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in the United States in 2022. Cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea—the two most common reportable STIs—have remained high for many years, and syphilis cases have skyrocketed recen ..read more

New Studies Add to Evidence that Doxy-PEP Works for STI Prevention A group of new studies presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) add to our evidence that Doxy-PEP is working to prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among transgender women and men who have sex with men (MSM). Doxy-PEP—or Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis—is a sexual health strategy that involves taking the oral antibiotic doxycycline within in 72 hours after having condomless sex. Research has shown that this effective at preventing chlamydia, gonorrhea, an ..read more

March is Sexual Pleasure Month Celebrate it with Us! Sex is good for you! Our bodies thrive on the chemicals released during orgasm, so a healthy sex life is part of a healthy body. We need to think of sexual health beyond the mere absence of disease: sexual pleasure and satisfaction are essential to our wellbeing. Go solo because YOLO! There are many ways to experience sexual pleasure, and you don’t even need a partner. Masturbation is normal, healthy, and fun! It reduces stress, is associated with better sleep, can ease discomfort during periods, and is a great way to explore what feels ..read more

Congenital Syphilis A preventable problem The number of babies born with syphilis in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate. There were over 10 times as many babies born with syphilis in 2022 than in 2012. 0 infants born with syphilis in 2022 Syphilis during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, and infants born with syphilis can have lifelong health issues. Timely testing and treatment during pregnancy might have prevented 0 % of the cases of congenital syphilis in 2022. 2 in 5 people who had a baby with syphilis did not get prenatal care. If you ..read more

What You Need to Know about Syphilis Syphilis is a bacterial infection, caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It is passed on when a person comes in contact with a syphilitic sore, known as a chancre—typically during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Syphilis can also be passed on during pregnancy or childbirth from a pregnant person to their baby. Syphilis can be treated more easily if it is caught early. But undiagnosed and untreated syphilis can be dangerous. It can cause irreversible health damage and even death. At this moment, syphilis cases are increasing and there is a surge in case ..read more

Do You Have to Be Turned on to Have Sex? By Evelyn Resh, CNM, MPH, CSC, MSN  The number one complaint of women that I see for sexuality counseling is that they have no libido – zip, gone, disappeared. They tell me they’d rather do just about anything else than have sex; bake 100 cupcakes at midnight, shovel snow, or do laundry. Contrary to what many of us assume, this happens to women of all ages and levels of love, attachment, and attraction to their partners. This is not just a problem for members of the post-menopausal set who feel as though their mojo went out the window and thei ..read more

The Askable Parent's Guide to Adolescent Health Care Get your FREE review pack—while supplies last A companion piece to our Askable Parent booklet, The Askable Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Health Care offers information on sexual and reproductive health services for young people and what to expect from your pediatrician. This 16-page booklet offers information on sexual and reproductive health services for young people. It can help you understand what to expect from your pediatrician during these years. It also offers advice on how you can set your child up for success in their relationship ..read more

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious infection in the upper genital tract/reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries) of women. PID can be sexually transmitted or naturally occurring. It can lead to infertility in women (unable to have children) or life-threatening complications. Women between ages 15 and 25 have the highest incidence of PID. In the United States, PID is the leading cause of infertility in women. How does someone get PID? The most common causes of PID are two sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—chlamydia and gon ..read more