No matter your age, you have plenty of choices when it comes to your sexual and reproductive health. We’ve pulled together the latest medical information on sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and lifestyle issues affecting women today so that you can make the safest, healthiest decision for you.
Sex and Birth Control
Dating Dilemmas: 8 Tips for Telling Your Partner a Health Secret
Being intimate with someone new means learning about each other’s quirky behaviors, emotional baggage, and past experiences that have shaped your lives. But what if this involves a medical secret? Read more
Top 10 Myths About Safe Sex
You know the best place to get information about your sexual health is from your doctor, but you probably still turn to the Internet first. Here’s why you should explore those search results with caution. View slideshow
10 Questions to Ask a New Partner Before Having Sex
Before hopping into bed with a new sex partner, have an open and honest conversation about your sexual histories, and the last time you were tested for STDs. Read more
Birth Control Is Safer Than Ever
Times have changed since women going on birth control risked the pelvic infections of the Dalkon Shield or hormones dosed perilously high. Read more
Who’s Most at Risk for STDs?
Certain STDs, such as HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea, are more prevalent in some communities than others, but it’s really not about who you are; it’s about what you do and whom you do it with. Read more
What Is Safer Sex?
Safer sex is a general term used to describe methods for reducing the chance that you will spread or catch sexually transmitted diseases. Read more
What Should I Do if the Condom Breaks?
In moments of passion, a condom worn incorrectly can break or slip off, putting women at risk for STDs and pregnancy. Read more
Women’s Health
Knowing Your Mother’s Health History Can Lower Your Risks
Experts say it’s wise to know both parents’ health histories. It may help with problems—such as a struggle to get pregnant—later on. Read more
Have Your Best Gyno Visit Ever
Few women look forward to an annual gyno appointment. You see the doc because you have to. But that doesn’t mean this crucial checkup should feel like torture. These five tricks will help you be prepared and feel less stressed. Read more
How to Finally Fix Your Menstrual Problems
Many women, perhaps as many as 95%, have period issues—excess bleeding, debilitating pain, out-of-control PMS, or other annoyances. Thanks to a variety of new remedies, you don’t have to suffer. Read more
Your Lifestyle
How to Survive Nearly Anything
A breakup, the bad economy, a flat tire…you name it, and our experts have the tips and tools you need to get through a tough time. Read more
Why These Energy Boosters Are Poor Substitutes for Sleep
When you’re living with less sleep than your body needs to operate, it’s tempting to go the easy route and keep yourself alert with caffeine and sugar. Bad idea. Read more
For Big Drinkers, Talking About Sex and STDs May Be a Wash
Sex therapist Sari Cooper urges her clients to be sure they’re making choices about sex with a level head. Watch the Video
Social Smokers Aren’t Hooked on Nicotine, Just Smoking
Ever hear a smoker say, “I’m not a smoker,” or “Only on weekends”? These are social smokers—and there are more of them than you might think. Read more
Do I Have a Drinking Problem?
Ask yourself these four key questions. If you answer “yes” to two or more of them, you should get help. Read more
Teens and Safe Sex
Keeping Your Daughter Safe and Healthy at College
College is giving your child an education, but your happy-go-lucky freshman might also pick up a few health problems along with that $25,000 tuition tab. View slideshow
Sexual Health Talking Points
Looking for a way to talk to your daughter? Start with the facts we’ve pulled some together. Read more
Sex and Teens: Test Your Knowledge
Make sure your daughter knows the answers to the important sexual health questions—and that you do too. Test your sexual health IQ with our quiz. Take the quiz
Cervical Cancer and HPV
How to Protect Yourself From HPV
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is nicknamed “the common cold of STDs” because if you’re a sexually active adult, you’ve probably contracted several of the 100 different types out there—and you probably had no idea. Read more
How HPV Causes Cervical Cancer and Abnormal Pap Smears
HPV is so common that 50% of sexually active adults have been infected with at least one of its strains. Some can cause cervical cancer—a disease that can sometimes be halted by a Pap smear. Read more
What’s the Future of the HPV Vaccine?
If you can’t keep up with the public debate about vaccinating girls against the human papilloma virus (HPV), you’re not the only one. Read more
What You Need to Know About the HPV Vaccine, and Why It’s Controversial
Just a few strains of HPV are the main cause of cervical cancer. A vaccine, approved in 2006, guards against two of these strains and two others that are responsible for most genital warts. Read more
Shocking HPV Stats
Approximately 80% of women will be exposed to HPV at some point in their lives. Fashion designer and cervical cancer survivor Liz Lange speaks out. Read more
Cervical Cancer FAQ
How are HPV and cervical cancer related? What are the symptoms of cervical cancer? How do you diagnose cervical cancer? Get the answers to these questions and more. Read more
