Physicians express concern about the growing popularity of penis enlargement procedures, which, despite the enthusiastic claims of some practitioners, the relevant professional societies regard as “experimental” due to the lack of sufficient safety and efficacy data. An opinion piece published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine recommends careful psychological screening of patients prior to receiving […]
Women Less Heterosexual than Men
LGBTQ+ identification has more than doubled since 2012 according to a recent Gallup poll. 28% of Gen Z women identified as LGBTQ+ compared with 10.6% of Gen Z men. In an in-depth piece, The Conversation brings together an interdisciplinary team (psychology, social work, and gender studies) to look at this national trend and ask if […]
Why Do Fathers Commit Incest?
A recently published study based on in-depth interviews with six UK fathers convicted of abusing their own children or step-children gives insight into the common characteristics that put men at risk for this profoundly damaging behavior. These include dysfunctional family environments in their own upbringing, an instrumentalizing attitude toward having children (i.e. doing it to […]
Sex Toy Education in Pornography
A team of three women from the University of New Brunswick has studied the use of sex toys in 100 mainstream heterosexual pornographic videos. They found that the toys (including vibrators, dildos, and butt plugs) are most frequently used by the male partner to enhance the pleasure of the female partner, but are often also […]
World Cup and Babies
Do major sporting events, such as this year’s World Cup, influence the sexual behavior of fans and cause a significant change in local birth rates and sex ratios? A review of 4 different studies indicates that the answer is “maybe”. These studies looked at birth rates and/or sex ratios in live births 9 months after […]
Evaluating the “Dutch Protocol” for Youth Gender Transition
In a special issue of the European Journal of Developmental Psychology, two articles have appeared evaluating the influential “Dutch protocol” developed over 20 years ago at the Center for Expertise on Gender Dysphoria of the Amsterdam University Medical Center. This program calls for puberty blockers at the outset of pubescence, hormonal therapy at around age […]
“Cumdump” as a Sexual Identity
“Cumdump” is a slang term in the gay community for a man whose primary sexual goal is to receive ejaculates from multiple partners within a limited period, either serially or at a group sex party; the concept is most often framed by scholars through risk-based and pathologizing discourses, but the development of PrEP and effective […]
Neuroanatomy of the Clitoris
The clitoris is the least studied organ of the human body and didn’t appear in standard anatomy textbooks until 1995 when it was described as a “small version of the penis”. A new study is using a non-invasive imaging method with micrometer-scale resolution capability to create 3D trajectory of the nerves in the clitoris. This […]
Sexual Health of Bi-Sexual Men Needs Attention
New studies out of Australia and Kenya focus on the special health challenges of bi-sexual men, who are often neglected due to their relative invisibility. Bi men often conceal their identity from partners, fearing rejection, and are stigmatized as the vectors of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections to women, who are especially vulnerable. Using […]
How Many Gay Subcultures Are There?
It has long been known that there is no one type of gay man and that generalizations about their appearance or behavior are hazardous. A newly published “scoping review” (i.e. a search of published scholarship) in the journal Psychology & Sexuality identifies a range of different subcultures that have been the object of scholarly interest. […]