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.
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.
The CDC surveillance numbers for 2011 show that gonorrhea and chlamydia are up especially among young people and that three-quarters of all syphilis cases are among men who have sex with men; an analysis of STIs in New York City finds they are inextricably linked to poverty, and research suggests dormant HPV may reactivate as women near menopause.
In this week’s sexual health round-up: research found that friends-with-benefits are more likely to use condoms than those in romantic relationships but since they’re also more likely to have multiple partners this might not have a positive impact on their sexual health; other research tested the theory that porn stars are “damaged goods” and the results may be surprising, and when you think Ivy League think kinky sex as Harvard gets a new club.
The nation’s doctors are speaking up for expanded access to contraception. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorsed making oral contraceptives available without a prescription and emergency contraception over-the-counter. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that pediatricians give young women prescriptions for Emergency Contraception before they need it.
In an (almost) inspiring ad, Disney attempts to equate being a princess with being brave, strong, and generous. The ad is good but is it enough to counter the company’s own marketing machine that tells girls being pretty is most important?
In this week’s Sexual Health Roundup: A new study finds that heterosexual men who are in stable, monogamous relationships keep their distance from a pretty girl if given a sniff of oxytocin (the bonding hormone), a judge is set to rule on Alabama’s policy of segregating HIV-positive prisoners, and researchers in Germany find that social media is more tempting than sex, cigarettes, and alcohol.
The relatively liberal town of Austin just cancelled a play about Roy and Silo, two male penguins who get together to raise a baby chick. A book based on the couple has been the most challenged book in the country for at least four of the past six years. What is it about gay penguins that gets parents so upset and school districts twisted in knots?
