All stories

'Bring up condoms with your underpants on'

Safe Sex
Ninety percent of young people in the Netherlands say they think it’s important to use a condom when having sex with a new partner, a recent survey found. But 40 percent say they find it hard to raise the topic when it comes to the crucial moment.

Erection and orgasm trouble go together

Sex Problems: how to overcome them
Two thirds of all men with erection problems say they also have trouble reaching orgasm, a new study found. We usually think only women have trouble climaxing. But US researchers say men with erection problems often find it hard to orgasm.

Flirting for sex will get you nowhere

Meeting someone
Coming on strong might not be the best approach to flirting. Girls find dominant guys less attractive, a British study found. Leaving a good impression on the person you’re flirting with has more to do with your motives for flirting, researchers say.

Wedding night sex did not go well? Tips to help

Marriage troubles
Wedding-night stress about first-time sex is quite common. Men have this expectation to 'perform' well in bed while women fear the pain they may experience at the time of sex, thus leading to not so good experience for many couples. What can they do next? Let's talk about it in detail with an expert doctor.

Sex with empathy: better for both

Ways to Make Love
The better you understand how your partner feels, the better your sex life. If you’re good at empathising – grasping what your partner is feeling during sex – it won’t just boost your partner’s pleasure, but also your own, a recent US study found.

Firm evidence: a condom to keep you stiff

Sex Problems: how to overcome them
Good news for men who find wearing a condom makes their erection droop: condoms containing an erection-boosting gel. The gel increases the blood flow to the penis and helps keep it hard, researchers say.

Risky thrills of secret sexting

Love and relationships
“Sexting is fun,” says 21- year-old Ruchi, a self-confessed serial sexter. She’s had a long-distance lover for over a year now and says sexy SMS exchanges have helped keep her relationship buzzing.

The truth about sex, guilt and religion

Making Love
Religions that forbid porn, masturbation and premarital sex don’t stop most people from partaking in them. They just stop people from enjoying them. But saying goodbye to a conservative religion may improve your sex life, an American study says.

Early drug treatment cuts risk of spreading AIDS

STI prevention
People with AIDS can dramatically cut the risks of infecting their sexual partners if they start taking antiretroviral drugs immediately rather than waiting till they become more ill.

India tops child bride table

Marriage
Forty-seven percent of Indian women aged between 20 and 24 were married by 18. That’s higher than the average for both South Central Asia and Africa, the Times of India reports.

Feminist porn: emotions as well as orgasms

Porn
We ask award-winning erotic film director Jennifer Lyon Bell if pornography has a female-friendly future?

Dutch researchers help women climax

Orgasms
Amsterdam’s AMC university hospital is testing a unique way of bringing women to orgasm in the lab. The volunteers watch erotic films while a special device stimulates their clitoris. If that doesn't work, they get a quick dose of testosterone.