Martha Kempner is a writer, consultant, and sexual health expert. She has authored numerous publications for young people, parents, educators, and policymakers. She is also frequently called upon by print, radio, and television media to comment on sexuality issues in popular culture, politics, and research. Martha was previously the Vice President for Information and Communications at SIECUS. Ms. Kempner graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a bachelors degree in political science and received her masters degree in human sexuality from New York University.
The Superbowl ads that set the sex education world all-a-twitter this year are pretty obvious and I am not the first to call them out.
South Carolina was ahead of the curve in adopting a mandate for health education, which includes a reproductive health component, in 1988. A new report suggests, however, that 25-years later many school districts aren’t following the mandate and students are still not getting the education they should.
In this week’s sexual health roundup: A pill may have led to the sexual revolution, but it was penicillin – not birth control; new research says the first time a person has sex really is important; and testosterone release is immediate upon mutual attraction.
Unintended pregnancies are even more common among women in the Navy than they are in the general population and they can be even more disruptive to their lives and careers. The Navy is spending January addressing this issue through its peer-mentoring group, Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD).
In this week’s sexual health roundup: researchers create an online model of a simple STD epidemic to see why and when people protect themselves; lawmakers in Colorado propose strengthening that’s state’s sex education law; and a sex toy manufacturer loses its bid for trademark rights.
In this week’s sexual health round up: we have hit an expected but dreaded milestone with the first document cases of cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea in North America; a major porn producer sues the city of Los Angeles to stop the enforcement of an on-set condom requirement; and study shows that an age-old herb might work just as well as modern prescription drugs for erectile issues.
In what could be a major breakthrough, researchers developed a test—similar to the Pap Test—that was able to find ovarian and uterine cancer cells in cervical fluid. Though it is years from the market it has the potential to save thousands of lives.
A new document designed to settle debates over how to approach teen pregnancy prevention implies that evidence should trump content. As a sexuality educator and a mother, I have to disagree. What you say is important, as is how you say it and, frankly, equally important is what you deliberately leave out (e.g. no mention of same-sex relationships).
A new study suggests that smoking can cut the lives of HIV-positive patients by over 10 years; a new app wants to reassure you that the cute guy at the bar doesn’t have an STD; and research shows that women who find their partner sexy feel best about him during ovulation.
Twenty-two Philadelphia schools installed condom dispensers as part of a city-wide effort to reduce STDs; a new at-home HIV test hit drug store shelves but some worry if this is the best way for individuals to find out their status; and a new study suggests that public health efforts may be leaving some men unprotected.
