Health
Confessions
How to Give a Sex Ed Lesson at a Slumber Party

A dad friend of mine, who’d read my recent piece on making sexual assault in the news a teachable moment for kids, forwarded me the following tweet from Andi Zeisler while I was in the middle of my 11-year-old’s birthday slumber party: The 4th-grade boys coming to my kid’s slumber party tonight are really in […]

News
8 Things You Should Know About Consent on College Campuses

A 2017 article written by Sarah Marcantonio, then a student at Emerson University in Boston Consent (noun): Permission, approval or agreement. Here’s my definition of sexual consent: two (or more) people actively, explicitly and consciously agreeing to have sexual interactions throughout those interactions, with no party having any reservations at any point. I was taught, […]

How To
8 Potty Habits That Will Improve Your Sex Life

Let’s talk about poop, baby – the most ordinary of bodily functions, yet the one most mired in shame and lame Freudian stages. We’re all victims of evolution’s big cosmic joke: the placement of the body’s waste disposal system right next to its biggest pleasure receptors. No wonder sex is often considered dirty! One of […]

How To
In Honor of International Women’s Day: 7 Ways to Achieve Sexual Equality

Every year, March 8th is International Women’s Day, a political holiday that honors the struggles, achievements and hopes for women worldwide. Since its first observance in 1908, we’ve come along way, baby — but not nearly as far as you might think: The World Economic Forum predicted in 2014 that it would take until 2095 […]

Sexual Health
Happy Intersex Awareness Day!

One of my kids has red hair. So when I discovered the upper estimate of the population born with intersex traits is 1.7% — similar to the number of red-haired people in the world — it really hit home how common intersexuality is. You certainly know — or at the very least have met — […]

Dear Em & Lo
Terrified of Going to the Gyno? 8 Ways to Relax Enough to Make Your Appointment

Hey Em and Lo, I know how important it is to see a gyno, but honestly, I am terrified to go.  I’ve actually made several appointments since I lost my virginity about nine months ago, but every time the date approaches, I find myself canceling last minute.  I’ve tried positive thinking, ignoring thoughts of the […]

Toys
Beads, Balls & Bullets — Which Are Right for You?

As sex toys go, some fall much more neatly into categories than others. For example, rabbit-style vibrators all have a very iconic shape and clear use. However, some terms, such as ‘love egg’ are used a lot more broadly and inconsistently. Generally, it can apply to any sort of small, spherical or egg-shaped sex toy that is […]

How To
How to Discuss Your Sexual History with a New Partner in 10 Steps

We know you don’t want to hear it, but: you’ve got to have the hard conversation with each new sexual partner about where your junk has been and what it’s seen. Especially in an age when casual sex is de rigueur, and Tinder is causing STD rates to skyrocket, and almost everyone has or has […]

What's Up Doc?
Dear Dr. Kate, Should I Have a FEMALE Gynecologist?

You wish  Dr. Kate were your gynecologist.  She’s an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Boston who lectures nationally on women’s health issues and conducts research on reproductive health.  She regularly (and generously!) answers your health questions here on EMandLO.com. Today she responds to the question of whether women should have a female obgyn.  To ask her your own […]

What's Up Doc?
Why You Deserve a Sex-Positive Gynecologist

You wish  Dr. Kate were your gynecologist.  She’s an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Boston who lectures nationally on women’s health issues and conducts research on reproductive health.  She regularly (and generously!) answers your health questions here on EMandLO.com. The following on sex-positive gynecologists is part of a continuing series inspired by the #MeToo movement. To ask […]

What's Up Doc?
How Can Women Protect Themselves Against Creepy or Abusive Doctors?

You wish  Dr. Kate were your gynecologist.  She’s an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Boston who lectures nationally on women’s health issues and conducts research on reproductive health.  She regularly (and generously!) answers your health questions here on EMandLO.com. The following on abusive doctors is part of a continuing series inspired by the #MeToo movement. To ask […]

What's Up Doc?
Dr. Kate, Does a LEEP Procedure Increase My Risk for Contracting STDs?

Dr. Kate is an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Boston who lectures nationally on women’s health issues and conducts research on reproductive health.  She regularly (and generously!) answers your health questions here on EMandLO.com — this week, it’s about a LEEP procedure for HPV. To ask her your own med question, click here. Dear Dr. Kate, What […]

Confessions
Comment of the Week: It’s the Anti-Abortion LEGISLATION, Stupid

Last week, it was revealed that Pennsylvania Congressman Tim Murphy, member of the House Pro-Life Caucus, had urged his mistress to get an abortion in the midst of  promoting anti-abortion legislation and views on Facebook and in political e-newsletters. Many people rightfully were appalled by the hypocrisy of this Republican representative, whose voting record has […]

How To
Em & Lo’s Glossary of Male Sexual Anatomy

Just because male sexual structures are a bit more, shall we say, obvious, does not mean you can forgo the anatomy lesson. There are important parallels between male and female sexual machinery that will help you understand how to best to use what you’ve got on your own and with your partner, especially if your […]

How To
Em & Lo’s Glossary of Female Sexual Anatomy

There’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to female sexual anatomy: the waters of that pleasure system run way deep. These parts are not inferior, miniature versions of the male sexual anatomy, but rather equitable, albeit more internal, sexual structures that enjoy stimulation just as much. They simply need the right […]

Dear Em & Lo
Dear Em & Lo, Can I Get Trichomoniasis From Masturbation?

Dear Em & Lo, If I masturbate 3 times a day 7 days a week and haven’t had a real sex partner in over a year, can I get trichomoniasis? — Red Handed Dear RH, Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis, most commonly passed from genitals to genitals. […]