Sex Aware

Scientists studying the effects of pornography fell at the first hurdle - after failing to find a man who had not viewed X-rated material.

The researchers were comparing the views of men in their 20s who had never been exposed to pornography to regular users.

But Professor Simon Louis Lajeunesse, of Montreal University in Canada, said: We started our research seeking men who had never consumed pornography. We couldn't find any.

Although hampered in its original aim, the study was then changed to examine the habits of men who regularly used porn.

It found single young men viewed such material on average for 40 minutes three times a week, compared with those in relationships, who watched it 1.7 times a week for 20 minutes.

Update: Porn viewers grossly over-demonized

4th December 2009. Based on article from news.cnet.com

New research out of the University of Montreal suggests that pornography is so widely digested, and with such a seemingly low correlation to pathological behavior, that it is grossly over-demonized. The research is funded by the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Family Violence and Violence Against Women.

Simon Louis Lajeunesse, a postdoctoral student and professor at the School of Social Work, set out to examine the effects of pornography on men, which would involve studying men in their 20s who've never consumed pornography. We couldn't find any, he says.

Still at an early stage of the study, Lajeunesse has so far recruited 20 heterosexual male university students who, as consumers of pornography, are representative of, well, heterosexual male university students. The objective of the study, he says, is to observe the impact of pornography on the sexuality of men, and how it shapes their perception of men and women.

Subjects shared their sexual history, beginning with their first experience with pornography, which for most boys happens by the age of 10. The research so far shows that 90% of pornography is consumed online and 10% through video stores. On average, men who are single watch porn about three times a week for about 40 minutes, while men who are in relationships watch about 1.7 times a week for about 20 minutes.

All test subjects report that they support gender equality, and that they feel victimized by rhetoric that demonizes pornography.

Pornography hasn't changed their perception of women or their relationship which they all want as harmonious and fulfilling as possible, Lajeunesse says. Those who could not live out their fantasy in real life with their partner simply set aside the fantasy. The fantasy is broken in the real world and men don't want their partner to look like a porn star. (Naomi Wolf has famously argued the opposite.)

Even though he has only interviewed 20 men so far, Lajeunesse says his work is already refuting pornography's role in changing sexual behavior. If pornography had the impact that many claim it has, you would just have to show heterosexual films to a homosexual to change his sexual orientation.

The latest oral sex stimulator to hit the market doesn't twirl, vibrate, thrust or buzz. Instead, it simply spins a wheel of tongues—yes, you read that right; a wheel of tongues—to bring women to orgasm.

Sqweel is a patent-pending sex toy for women or their partners, designed to simulate the sensation of oral sex. The wheel of 10 tongues provides easily controlled stimulation at just the right speed needed to deliver deeper, longer-lasting, more sheet-clenching climaxes.

Sqweel feels completely different to a vibrator, and while it's not a tongue, it's the closest you'll ever get to it, said international sex expert Tracey Cox. It's an entirely different sensation, so human it's almost eerie. Own one of these and a vibrator and your boyfriend should be seriously worried!

Men who get embarrassed talking to their doctor about sexual matters can now blush in front of a pharmacist instead, as Viagra goes on sale in chemists.
The little blue pill, used to tackle erection problems, is being given out in Boots stores, following consultations to make sure men who want to buy it are suitable to use the drug.

But shyness comes with a price-tag, whereas suitable patients can get the drug for the cost of an NHS prescription, the Boots service will set them back more than £80.

The scheme will offer men a half-hour consultation to assess the requirements. Pharmacists will then be able to give them a course of the prescription-only drugs. Chemists will do a pre-screening questionnaire, take a medical history and conduct blood tests, including checking men's glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, to rule out a more serious health problem.

The service will be available in a private consultation room in 29 stores in England and will cost £55 for the initial screening then £26.59 for four tablets. Patients can return for a check-up and get further supplies.

Boots hopes to extend the service later to shops in Scotland.

An experimental spray-on anesthetic may be the cure for many men suffering from premature ejaculation -- increasing the time to orgasm more than sixfold, according to new findings to be presented this week.

In a double-blind trial of more than 300 men with a lifetime history of prematurity, researchers found that the mean time to orgasm increased from about 0.6 minutes to 3.8 minutes in those using the spray.

This new topical spray has promise to become one of the most effective treatments for premature ejaculation, said Dr. Ira Sharlip, a urologist at UC San Francisco and an association spokesman. It has a number of characteristics which will be attractive to patients.

Premature ejaculation is one of the most common sexual problems of men, striking about 1 in every 3 -- compared with 1 in 4 who have erectile dysfunction.

Researchers have generally taken two approaches to overcoming the problem: treating the brain or numbing the penis.

Scientists noted some time ago that certain antidepressants, such as Zoloft and Prozac, had a side effect of delaying ejaculation. Johnson & Johnson developed a new drug, called dapoxetine, that maximized this effect. The drug has been approved in a couple of European countries, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ruled that it is not approvable, in part because of the problems associated with long-term use of such drugs.

The other approach is to use a topical anesthetic, such as EMLA cream, a combination of the anesthetics lignocaine and prilocaine in a cream base. It has not been approved for treating premature ejaculation, but many physicians prescribe it off-label.

The cream takes 45 minutes to work, however. The man must also wear a condom, or the cream will rub off on the female, preventing her from achieving satisfaction.

Dr. Michael G. Wyllie and his colleagues at Plethora Solutions Ltd. in London have developed an anesthetic spray called PSD502, or Tempe. A combination of lidocaine and prilocaine, it is absorbed only by the glans penis -- the most sensitive part of the organ -- and not by the shaft. It is quickly absorbed, so there is no danger of it rubbing off on the woman, and it acts in five minutes. That's a distinct advantage over previous options, because it doesn't need to be used with a condom or washed off before intercourse, Sharlip said.

Sex toy fans are getting cashback from a health scheme that pays them £40 to hand in their old rampant rabbits.

Health officials in Germany have said the type of plastic used to make old vibrators can harm users, as it leaks hormone-copying plastic molecules into their bodies.

Participants are now getting a cash handout for scrapping their old vibrators and buying new ones.

A health worker told the Austrian Times: These old plastics are now banned in children's toys and surgical instruments. Hopefully this is a deal that will leave everyone smiling.

See further information from Wikipedia

Phthalates are frequently used in soft plastic fishing lures, nail polish, adhesives, caulk, paint pigments, and sex toys made of so-called jelly rubber.

Some vendors of jelly rubber sex toys advise covering them in condoms when used internally, due to the possible leaching of phthalates. Other vendors do not carry jelly rubber sex toys, in favor of phthalate-free varieties.

In studies of rodents exposed to certain phthalates, high doses have been shown to change hormone levels and cause birth defects

The Earth Angel is a brand new innovatively designed adult toy designed and developed in Ireland. It is the first ever adult toy to contain "green" technology. Over the last few years there have been attempts made to produce a 100% environmentally friendly sex toy but none have so far lived up to expectations. "Green" sex toy manufacturers are focusing more on the materials used in their toys than the operation of the toys. There have been some offerings of solar powered and moon powered toys but these are not without their disadvantages.

Unlike traditional "green" toys it will never require replacement batteries as it houses its own patented power core. Intense vibrations from the word go. A specially adapted key is fitted within the base and is extracted and turned to initiate the power core. A few turns and you have a fully charged, incredibly intense vibrator.

All elements of THE EARTH ANGEL have been used with the environment in mind, from the internal parts to the outer packaging. We have only produced our vibrator in one colour, white, in keeping with the concept behind the product.

The adult trade group point out that it takes 4 minutes to wind up the vibrator sufficiently for 30 minutes of fun. I wonder how much extra carbon dioxide is generated due to the exercise and how many resources are expended to grow the food used to fuel the human power generator.

Couples who share a passionate kiss enjoy sensations of relaxation and excitement because of a complex series of chemical processes, as well as their love for their partners.

The study showed that women need more than just a kiss to experience the same chemical high as men - with additional features such as a romantic atmosphere of dimmed lights and mood music also required.

Wendy Hill, professor of psychology at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania began the research to find out why the mundane physical activity of rubbing lips can elicit such a gratifying emotional response.

Her team tested the levels of two hormones, cortisol and oxytocin, in 15 couples before and after holding hands and kissing.

They found that kissing reduced the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in both sexes. But levels of oxytocin, a hormone linked to social bonding that they expected to be boosted by kissing, only rose among the men.

This study shows kissing is much more complex and causes hormonal changes and things we never thought occurred, said Prof Hill.

It is not clear how kissing provokes such hormonal reactions, but some scientists believe they are triggered by the exchange of pheromones – chemicals our bodies release to attract sexual partners – in the saliva.

This interaction may also have health benefits. Helen Fisher of Rutgers University, New Jersey, said: If you share your germs with somebody, you're boosting your internal defence system.

A one-a-day impotence pill is now available on the NHS.

The makers of Cialis say it is superior to its predecessor Viagra because the effects last much longer – up to 36 hours compared to four.

It has been licensed for daily use for the first time, meaning men can now take it as part of their everyday routine.

Only those 15% of impotence patients with a certified medical condition – such as diabetes or renal failure – will be able to receive a 28-day supply of the drug for free on the NHS.

The remainder of patients will have to pay around £55 for each pack. The drugs are available only on prescription from a GP.

Men take it as part of their daily routine in the morning. Side-effects are mostly mild, including headaches or upset stomach.

The drug has been available for several years, but has only just been licensed for use once a day. It is therefore the first oral impotence drug which enables couples to initiate sex whenever they wish.

Bless me Father for I have sinned...20 times this month. Twenty Hail Marys my son. Can I take that as a repeat prescription?

Masturbation may be good for you – or bad, depending on your age. The solitary sexual activity that is widely practised but little discussed, is linked with an increased risk of prostate cancer when practised frequently by young men in their twenties and thirties, doctors say.

But by the time men reach their fifties, it may protect against the disease because it helps remove toxins that have built up over a lifetime.

Prostate cancer is known to be driven by the male hormone testosterone, and men with high levels of testosterone tend to have a higher sex drive and a higher risk of the cancer.

But most research has examined older men because prostate cancer is unusual under 50. Researchers at the University of Nottingham studied the link between sexual activity in younger men and the disease to see if it affected their long-term risk. More than 400 men with prostate cancer diagnosed before the age of 60 were questioned about their sexual habits over the preceding decades and the results compared with 400 controls.

The findings showed that those who had been most sexually active in their twenties – having sexual intercourse or masturbating more than 20 times a month – were more likely to have the cancer. Frequent masturbation, but not sexual intercourse, in the twenties and thirties was significantly linked with the later development of prostate cancer.

In their 50s men who were most sexually active (more than 10 times a month for sexual intercourse and masturbation combined) enjoyed a small protective effect. The effect was greater when masturbation was assessed on its own.

Polyxeni Dimitripolou, who led the study published in the British Journal of Urology International, said: It seems as if keeping up a certain level of sexual activity through the decades is better than having a high level early [in the 20s and 30s] and then nothing.