Health Medical & Technology

Approximately 19 million new sexually transmitted disease (STD) infections occur each year. Young women between the ages of 19 and 24 bear the brunt of these infections, the sexual health effects of which can range from burning, itching, and discomfort to infertility, cancer, and even death. The best way to prevent STDs, which can be caused by viruses or bacteria, is to abstain from sex or protect yourself by using a barrier method of birth control.

Sexual Health: Most Common STDs in Women

There are many STDs out there, but the ones that occur most commonly in women, based on 2007 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are:

• Chlamydia. More than one million people were diagnosed with chlamydia in 2007, the highest number of chlamydia infections in history. The CDC estimates that another one million people go undiagnosed each year . Women are three times more likely than men to have this STD.
• Gonorrhea. In 2007, 355,991 people were diagnosed with gonorrhea. As with chlamydia, women are more often affected by gonorrhea then men, and the number of people actually infected is likely higher since many people with gonorrhea are not diagnosed.
• Genital herpes. One in five teens and adults has genital herpes, which is more common in women than men.
• Syphilis. Unlike the STDs mentioned above, syphilis is more common in men than in women. In fact, men are six times more likely to be diagnosed with syphilis than women. Rates of syphilis are on the rise nationally, especially among men who have sex with men.
• HIV/AIDS. Although it’s less common than other types of STDs, women are being diagnosed with HIV. more often than in the past.

When a woman already has an STD, she is particularly vulnerable to infection by a second STD. This is because STDs cause inflammation of the vaginal tissues, which can injure blood vessels and make them more susceptible to small infectious agents, like viruses and bacteria. HIV, one of the most dangerous STDs, is easier to contract under these conditions.

Sexual Health: Minority Women

African American and other women of minority races are hit hardest by STDs of all types, with rates in each category that far exceed those in Caucasian women. For example, African Americans are eight times more likely to have chlamydia than Caucasians, and Alaskan natives are five times more likely to be diagnosed with this STD.

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Sexual Health: Consequences of STDs

The potential health complications of STD infections for women are many, and may include:

• Infertility. At their most severe, untreated STDs can lead to infertility in women. STDs are equal opportunity sterilizers, as men can also become sterile as a result of chlamydia or gonorrhea infections.
• Ectopic pregnancy. This occurs when scarring of a woman’s reproductive organs, which can occur as a result of an STD like chlamydia or gonorrhea, causes a fertilized egg to implant and grow outside the uterus.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Two out of five women whose chlamydia infection is not treated develop PID, which can lead to pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Untreated gonorrhea can also cause PID.
• Infection of newborns. Pregnant women with untreated syphilis, herpes virus, hepatitis B, or HIV may pass these infections on to their babies. This can cause premature birth, stillbirth, death soon after birth, birth defects, and in the case of HIV, lifetime infection.
• Heart disease and brain function. Untreated syphilis can lead to cardiovascular and neurological problems.
• Cervical cancer. Most cervical cancers are caused by certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that also causes genital warts.
• Increased risk of HIV transmission. Studies suggest that having chlamydia or gonorrhea makes it easier for a woman to become infected with HIV, if she’s exposed.
• Death. Untreated syphilis and HIV eventually lead to death.

STDs: How to Reduce Your Risk

Abstinence from all sex — vaginal, anal, and oral — is the best way to prevent the transmission of STDs. However, there are several less drastic steps you can take to reduce your risk of contracting an STD when you are having sex:

• Always use a new condom. Use a new latex condom every time you have any type of sex, even during your period. Other types of contraception, such as pills, patches, diaphragms, sponges, intrauterine devices, and the rhythm method do not protect against STDs.
• Get tested and treated. If you have any symptoms that could point to an STD, see your doctor immediately so you can be properly diagnosed and treated. Abstain from sex until you have been checked. If you are diagnosed with an STD, you should ask your doctor if your partner should be tested and treated as well, to prevent reinfection.
• Get vaccinated. In the case of HPV, a vaccine exists that can reduce your risk of contracting some of the virus types that cause cervical cancer. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all women between the ages of 13 and 26 receive the series of vaccines needed to protect against HPV.
• Have a mutually monogamous relationship. Once you and your partner know you are both STD free, stay faithful.

An STD can seriously affect your health, sexual and otherwise, and even threaten your life. Taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself can help ensure a safer, healthier future for you and your partner.

Compared with male masturbation, female masturbation is considerably less common. According to the National Health and Social Life Survey, 39 percent of American women ages 18 to 60 reported masturbating during the previous year, compared with 61 percent of American men. There are many benefits linked to female masturbation, however, and practicing masturbation techniques appears to be particularly helpful for older women.

Benefits of Female Masturbation

As you age, your body undergoes normal physical changes that may affect your sex life. The good news is that all these changes aren’t bad: Aging can have positive effects on sexuality. Some women, for instance, report feeling the freedom to enjoy sex more as they get older and don’t have birth control issues to contend with. Other women, however, experience emotional or physical changes that can make sex less enjoyable.

One common problem that older women experience is physical changes in the vagina. As a woman ages, her vagina becomes shorter and more narrow. In addition, without regular supplies of estrogen, the walls of the vagina can become thin and stiff. For this reason, it is common to experience vaginal dryness, or a lack of natural vaginal lubrication (wetness), as you get older.

Practicing masturbation techniques can help remedy some of these problems by stimulating the brain to produce physical changes in the vagina. “Masturbation, which may include stimulation of the clitoris, urethra, and vagina, activates various neural pathways responsible for clitoral swelling, vaginal congestion, lengthening of the vagina, and lubrication,” says Cathy K. Naughton, MD, director of the Metropolitan Urological Specialists’ Center for Sexual Health in St. Louis.

Age may not be the only reason for vaginal dryness and pain during sex. A lack of sexual arousal can also contribute to these problems. Practicing masturbation techniques and becoming sexually aroused more frequently can be especially beneficial for older women who are experiencing less lubrication and more discomfort during sex.

And for women who no longer have an active sexual partner because they are divorced, widowed, or have a partner who is ill, masturbation can be a satisfying substitute for sexual intercourse.

Sexual Arousal in Older Women

The good news is that researchers say there are no differences between premenopausal and postmenopausal women when it comes to being physically able to get sexually aroused. When researchers have looked at vaginal congestion — increased blood circulation to the walls of the vagina, which is a marker of sexual arousal — in response to erotic stimulation, they have found that older women are just as able to become aroused when they are sexually stimulated as are younger women are.

If problems such as vaginal dryness are making you uncomfortable or are interfering with your sex life, you may want to try masturbation techniques. But be sure to address any feelings of guilt you may have when it comes to masturbating. And since female masturbation can be used to compensate for a lack of sexual satisfaction, avoid using masturbation to mask problems you may be having in your sex life with your partner.

“From a medical perspective, masturbation is physically safe and can offer individuals practice and sexual self-esteem,” says Dr. Naughton. “However, it may be problematic if it is associated with excessive guilt or used compulsively to avoid intimacy.”

Want to clear your complexion, boost your mood, and cut your risk of cancer, heart disease, and other health hazards? No, the answer isn’t in a magic pill — it’s between your sheets. That’s right — a little lovin’ can boost your overall health in many surprising ways.

“There have been lots of studies describing the health benefits of sex,” says licensed sex therapist and sexuality educator Sandra L. Caron, PhD, professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine’s College of Education and Human Development in Orono. “Most of them relate to achieving orgasm. Nobody says you have to be with someone to do that.”

That’s an intriguing sex tip for people who do not have a committed partner — self-pleasuring can offer sex benefits, especially those specifically related to having a good orgasm.

So, whether you’re coupled up or flying solo, check out this list of healthy side effects of sex:

• Improved heart health. Just like any physical activity, healthy sex is good for your heart. Several studies have found that your risk of dying from a heart disease event such as stroke or heart attack goes down as the frequency of your good orgasms increase over time. And for those that worry that the exertion involved in sex is a threat to the heart, analyses show that the most sexually intense moments (assuming you aren’t unusually vigorous in your activities) place about the same demand on your heart as walking 4 to 6 miles an hour. Of course, it helps your heart and your sex life overall to stay in shape.
• Sweet pain relief. Just looking at your partner (or even a photo of your partner) can help ease pain. When anesthesiologists showed people taking part in a study photos of their romantic partners or photos of attractive strangers, or asked them to engage in a word game, they found that looking at romantic partners significantly dulled the experience of pain. So even though you might think pain is a barrier to sex, consider this one sex benefit worth the time and effort: take a moment to really look at your lover. Other studies have found that women may get some relief from menstrual cramps through a good orgasm.
• Less stress. Healthy sex offers the same soothing effects of sugary comfort foods when it comes to reducing stress. Researchers theorize that this stress reduction occurs because the pleasure pathways of the brain are triggered by sex (just as they are, for some, by sweet treats) — and it looks like this effect is a little bit more lasting than we often think.
• Cancer prevention. Research has suggested that men may reduce their risk of prostate cancer proportionately to their good orgasms and the stimulation of their testicles. While more research is needed, this would certainly be a welcome sex benefit.
• Better sleep. Although experts are not sure exactly why sex works to improve sleep, there appears to be some evidence that it does. So don’t be too surprised if you and your partner doze off shortly after a satisfying sexcapade — and wake up feeling refreshed!
• Better mood. It’s no wonder you’ve got a more positive outlook post-sex: There are biochemical rationales for experiencing improved mood as a sex benefit, from the neurotransmitters that may be released during healthy sex to the mood enhancers contained in semen itself. “And”, adds Caron, “there’s a lot to be said simply for the mood-boosting effect of having a nice connection with somebody that you trust and care about.”
• Glowing skin. That fabled ‘morning-after’ glow? It’s not just your imagination: You really do look better after having sex. “Sex even helps you look younger,” says Caron. That glow can be attributed to a combination of stress relief, better mood, and the flush of blood under your skin that’s a natural part of the arousal process.

Enjoying a healthy sex life is one of the great joys in life. Knowing intimacy could be a boon for your long-term health as well makes it that much more pleasurable.