Sex+health

It's Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month—time to talk about cancers that affect more than 89,000 women in the US each year. Mamta Singhvi, MD, a radiation oncologist and ASHA board member, discusses various ways gynecologic cancers are treated, what to expect during and following treatment and issues around prevention and early detection.

In this episode of the Sex+Health podcast Dr. Eli Coleman, director of the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota and a former member of ASHA’s board of directors, talks about developing a broader view of sexual health that goes beyond merely having sex with another person.

In this episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast, we ruminate on men and sexual health. Dr. Abe Morgentaler of Men's Health Boston and ASHA’s vice president for strategic partnerships Kay Phillips offer their insights and we highlight the tools and resources ASHA offers for men (and organizations serving them).

“[Girls] have told by society that sex is great but that’s not their experience. They don’t know how to talk about that disconnect, there’s a certain amount of shame that shuts down their voice….for me, sexual empowerment for girls is helping them to find a voice in their sexual relationships.” In a compelling TED Talk video, nurse practitioner Jane Epstein makes the case that our efforts are sadly lacking with it comes to talking to teen girls and young women. In this episode of ASHA’s podcast we delve deeper into the topic with Ms. Epstein on not only what to say when talking to young females about sex, but how to help them speak up for themselves. Jane Epstein is a Yale graduate and a clinician who sees teenagers at a high school-based health clinic where, as part of comprehensive health care, she provides sexual health care including contraception services to teens.

We’re frequently asked about websites touting unlicensed, off-the-grid vaccines and supplements that claim to cure HPV and related diseases. In this episode, H. Hunter Handsfield, MD, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD, breaks down the more common HPV “miracle cures” and also answers the most common questions about legitimate, approved HPV vaccines.

There are many misconceptions around men, sex, sexuality, and just what men want from relationships. Guys are seen as always turned on, selfish in the bedroom, and not all that interested in their partner once the carnal tango ends. Is that fair? To find out we chatted with men’s sexual health expert Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, the director and founder of Men’s Health Boston, and a member of ASHA’s board of directors. He’s also the author of The Truth About Men and Sex: Intimate Secrets from the Doctor’s Office.

It used to be very simple – a woman had an annual Pap test. Now, Paps can be done alone or in combination with an HPV test (one HPV test can even be used for primary cervical cancer screening). Added to the mix is a set of updated guidelines that, for most women, means an annual cervical cancer screening exam is a thing of the past. It can all be very confusing, even for healthcare providers! Not to worry: in this episode we talk to Ina Park, MD, who sorts it all out for us. Dr. Park is an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Park is also the medical director of the California Prevention Training Center.

As Congress considers funding to answer the many unknown questions about Zika virus and to proactively push out education and awareness messages for Zika, Fred Wyand discusses what we know about Zika virus, sexual transmission, and ways to protect against it.

Taking care of young males is often a challenge, since most young men do not visit their healthcare providers on a regular basis. In this episode, Dr. David Bell discusses ways to build rapport with patients, elements of the physical examination, immunizations, sexual health, and other matters of relevance to this population. Dr. Bell is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Population and Family Health at the Columbia University Medical Center. He is also the Medical Director of The Young Men’s Clinic at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Tales of sexual exploration, pleasure, and a sense of freedom, fulfillment and finding oneself. This episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast features a chat with Lynn Brown Rosenberg, author of My Sexual Awakening at 70: And What Led Me Here.

Cancer can be isolating, and it’s easy to see where friends and family members who haven’t personally dealt with cancer—and if they have, probably haven’t dealt with your specific cancer—aren’t able to fully relate and a patient can feel alone in some ways. The volunteer chapter leaders who work with ASHA’s National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) understand this well; many chapter leaders are cervical cancer survivors or patients, others are family members who lost a loved one to the disease. In honor of Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ASHA’s Fred Wyand asked NCCC chapter leaders to share their insights around what NCCC offers, coping with treatment and follow-up, and anything else they think women and families should know when it comes to dealing with cervical cancer. Fred shares their responses in this episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast and underscores the need for support and the value in finding others who really understand and appreciate what a patient is going through.

Cervical cancer screening used to all be so simple—women were told just go for your annual Pap. But now we have new tests to screen for cervical cancer, plus updated guidelines that, for most women, mean routine screening is done every few years rather than annually. The changes are confusing not only to women but their healthcare providers, too. So to sort all this out, we’re talking today with Dr. Warner Huh, Division Director and Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Most sexually active individuals are estimated to have one or more infections in their lifetime with the human papillomavirus (HPV) and, not surprisingly, ASHA receives countless HPV questions like: What should I tell a partner? Will I always have it? How are HPV tests used? How well do vaccines work? In this episode, H. Hunter Handsfield, MD, covers these and other common questions about HPV. Dr. Handsfield is Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD, and former director of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Program for Public Health—Seattle & King County, Seattle, Washington. He recently completed six years as a member of ASHA’s Board of Directors.

Fred Wyand talks to Walker Thornton, M.Ed, about reigniting the spark your sex life and communicating about sexual pleasure. Thornton writes extensively about sexuality, relationships, sexual health, and caregiving, with a special focus on sexual health and aging.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common sexually transmitted infection. So common that most (~80%) of sexually active people will be infected with HPV at some point. While it is often harmless, it can cause genital warts and even lead to cervical cancer. In this episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast, Fred Wyand talks to Ina Park, MD, assistant professor at University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, about HPV, from genital warts, cervical cancer vaccines, the stigma associated with warts “below the waistline,” talking to partners about HPV, and more.

We have an abundance of accurate, relatively inexpensive tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) but the trick is engaging patients and health professionals so the proper tests are given to the right individuals. In this episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast we chat with J. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, MS, professor of pediatrics and medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, about barriers to STI testing and what we can do to empower patients and providers alike.

Long-acting reversible contraception, or LARC, is reversible birth control that provides long-lasting (think years) pregnancy prevention. LARC methods, which include intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, are highly reliable, but they don’t prevent STIs. For this reason, many choose to use (and health professionals recommend) condoms in addition to a LARC method. Dual use of condoms and LARC thus offers couples dual prevention. ASHA’s Fred Wyand (a.k.a. Fredo) discusses dual use of LARC and condoms in the latest episode of ASHA Sex+Health podcast. Fred explains the facts about LARC and the added benefit of dual use of LARC and condoms to prevent STIs.