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Content

Sexual Health

Here’s what you need to know to keep your sex life healthy and safe.

Protect Yourself Against STDs

Learn honest communication and safer-sex strategies to help you avoid sexually transmitted infections.

How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex

Research shows that parental involvement reduces kids’ risky choices. Whether you have toddlers or teens, learn how to build open communication about sex.

Why Your Preteen Needs the HPV Vaccine

This safe, accessible treatment permanently protects your child from contracting a common STD that causes many cancers, including cervical cancer.

    Featured Articles

    Young couple in bed

    Examine Your Partner During Intimacy

    Use proximity and love to enhance early detection of common ailments.

    Feet tangled in bed

    Have Great Sex in Midlife

    You can have a satisfying sex life in your 40s, 50s and beyond.

    Couple laughing in bed

    Men: Maintain a Healthy Sex Life

    Learn how STD and body awareness can help you keep sex fun and safe.

    View All Sexual Health and Relationship Articles

    Ask an Expert

    Deborah Quinn-Chen

    Deborah Quinn-Chen, M.D.

    Palo Alto Medical Foundation

    Is it okay to have sex during pregnancy?

    Pregnancy is a normal part of life. During pregnancy a woman is not sick or fragile. It is true there are some restrictions in foods and activities, but for the most part women are encouraged to live a healthy,... continue reading  about  Is it okay to have sex during pregnancy?

    Frank dela Rama

    Frank dela Rama, R.N., MSN, CNS, AGN-BC, AOCNS

    Palo Alto Medical Foundation

    I am a prostate cancer survivor, age 72, who remains interested in sexual activity. However I suffer from ED and have not found medications to be helpful. Are the penal constrictive devices an option? What other options are available?

    Erectile dysfunction can be a side effect of prostate cancer treatment, but depending upon the treatment (surgery or radiation), the onset and quality of symptoms may be different. ED after surgery may stem mor... continue reading  about  I am a prostate cancer survivor, age 72, who remains interested in sexual activity. However I suffer from ED and have not found medications to be helpful. Are the penal constrictive devices an option? What other options are available?

    Toni J. Brayer

    Toni J. Brayer, M.D.

    Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation

    I have recently lost all desire to be intimate with my partner. I sometimes feel it to be repulsive. I do find him attractive, but the thought of sex or even just kissing him makes me freak out.

    You say you have recently lost desire so I am assuming the sexual relationship was a good one previously. Any sudden loss of libido should be evaluated medically. Hormone imbalance, depression, weight changes o... continue reading  about  I have recently lost all desire to be intimate with my partner. I sometimes feel it to be repulsive. I do find him attractive, but the thought of sex or even just kissing him makes me freak out.

    Catherine A. Madison

    Catherine A. Madison, M.D.

    California Pacific Medical Center

    For the first time in my life I experience vertigo after climaxing. Why is that?

    Headaches after climax have been described over the years and are felt related to changes in the size of blood vessels after sex. Vertigo is more unusual and might suggest a problem with the inner ear system; a... continue reading  about  For the first time in my life I experience vertigo after climaxing. Why is that?

    Toni J. Brayer

    Toni J. Brayer, M.D.

    Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation

    When should you tell a potential sex partner about herpes?

    Herpes simplex is a very common virus and can break out on any moist surface of the body. A person is contagious when there is an active herpetic lesion, and close contact must be avoided during these times. Th... continue reading  about  When should you tell a potential sex partner about herpes?

    Deborah Quinn-Chen

    Deborah Quinn-Chen, M.D.

    Palo Alto Medical Foundation

    I am 51 years old. What is my chance of still getting pregnant, and how should I handle birth control as I move through menopause?

    Women commonly believe that after a certain age they cannot conceive because they are too old. That is not entirely true. As a woman ages her fertility declines. A 45-year-old woman is less likely to conceive t... continue reading  about  I am 51 years old. What is my chance of still getting pregnant, and how should I handle birth control as I move through menopause?

    Susan Maayah

    Susan Maayah, M.D.

    Palo Alto Medical Foundation

    My physician recently changed my brand of birth control pills. I read reviews that described bad side effects for the new brand. Do all birth control pills have the same ingredients? If so, why would some cause different side effects?

    All birth control pills are formulated with a synthetic estrogen and progestin hormone (with the exception of one that has progestin only). Most common side effects of birth control pills occur when you first b... continue reading  about  My physician recently changed my brand of birth control pills. I read reviews that described bad side effects for the new brand. Do all birth control pills have the same ingredients? If so, why would some cause different side effects?

    Junaid H. Khan

    Junaid H. Khan, M.D., FACC, FACS

    Eden Medical Center

    Can you participate in sex if you have an enlarged heart?

    Great question, and one we get asked often. We also get asked about the use of Viagra. Sexual activity is generally categorized under "vigorous physical activity." Patients with known heart conditions need to c... continue reading  about  Can you participate in sex if you have an enlarged heart?

    Susan Maayah

    Susan Maayah, M.D.

    Palo Alto Medical Foundation

    If HPV high risk is detected during my PAP smear result, should I get vaccinated? Or is it too late for any benefit of a vaccine? I have been monogamous for the last 10 years. Also, what's the likelihood of getting cancer once HPV is detected?

    High-risk HPV detection on a pap smear indicates you are at risk for developing cervical cancer at any point in the future. With a healthy immune system, many women clear this, but sometimes severe cases requir... continue reading  about  If HPV high risk is detected during my PAP smear result, should I get vaccinated? Or is it too late for any benefit of a vaccine? I have been monogamous for the last 10 years. Also, what's the likelihood of getting cancer once HPV is detected?

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