The progestin-only pill, also known as the “mini-pill,” is a type of oral contraceptive or oral birth control pill. The pill contains the hormone progestin and, unlike the combination pill, does not contain estrogen. Due to the lack of estrogen, many users report feeling fewer or no side effects compared to other oral contraceptives. One…
Tag: Sexuality
Necrophilia
Necrophilia describes a paraphilia in which an individual is aroused or attracted to fantasies of or potentially direct sexual contact with the dead. Contact between the necrophile and the corpse can take the form of penile-vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, oral sex, or masturbation in the presence of a corpse, but can also solely manifest as fantasy. Experts and lawmakers consider the explicit practice of necrophilia as…
Asexuality
Sexuality exists on a continuum, and not within a dichotomy of heterosexual and homosexual. Thus, there are many different types of sexual orientation. Sexual orientation describes a person’s preferences for whom they find emotionally, romantically, and sexually attractive. One type of sexual orientation is asexuality, or the lack of sexual attraction to individuals of any gender. For example, someone might…
Polyamory
Polyamory (“poly” meaning many, and “amory” meaning “love” or “lovers”) is the practice of being open to multiple sexual or emotional relationships at once. There is a common misconception that polyamory is mainly about promiscuity.1 However, many polyamorous people engage in long-term relationships with multiple partners in which they are emotionally invested.2 Polyamory not cheating,…
Importance of a Positive Self-Image
In today’s world it can be difficult to build and maintain a positive self-image – however, it is both possible and important to do so. Unfortunately, studies have shown that significant populations of women, as well as some men, are dissatisfied with their bodies and/or suffer from low self-confidence and self-esteem, which can have extremely…
Sex and Ecstasy
There are many reasons why one might seek out illegal drugs. For many people, taking illegal drugs is a method of escaping reality; of seeing, feeling, and thinking differently; and of exploring the world they know from an altered perspective. Some take drugs for the purpose of fitting into social settings, some to cope with…
Some Culturally-Based Differences in Sexual Activity
Across the globe, behaviors that can be considered sexual activity lie on a massive spectrum. This spectrum exists as a result of some societies tendencies to promote and incorporate sexuality into their culture while others tend to suppress it. Before exploring different types of sexuality through various cultures, it is critical to be able to…
Sex in Inis Beag, Ireland
Author’s Note: When reading this article, please keep in mind that the purpose of sharing this information is to demonstrate that different cultures have different views of sexuality and to describe the views of one culture that was studied many decades ago: Inis Beag, Ireland. This article does not describe the general culture of Inis…
Homophobia
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, homophobia is the irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.1 However, people commonly describe homophobia as less of a fear and more of a prejudice and an intolerance toward those within the LGBTQ community.2 Whether it is believed to be an inherent and inborn quality or…