Teenagers and Sex

Hello all
It has been a while since I visited. We are at the end of week one of semester 2. It is exciting to see how happy the students seem to be.

Some of you may have seen the ABC TV series on the Science of Teens on Thusrsdays at 8 pm? I had a small part in the episode to air on the 6th August:
http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/fhs/628.html?eventcategoryid=49&eventid=4484

Hope you all enjoy the show.

The many health benefits of sex

Apart from being so much fun, sex is also really good for your health. Check out the web site:
http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-sex
Some of my favorites:

• 42 half-hour sessions [of making love] will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound.
• Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you're feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone
• men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third

I would like to know the benefit of sex on athletic activity. Should we quarantine our athletes from sex before the big game? or encourage a diet of plenty?

Graduate Program in Sexual Health wins award at WAS 2009

I have just returned from the World Association for Sexual Health Congress in Gotenberg Sweden.
The BIG news in that our program was awarded the WAS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE & INNOVATION IN SEXUALITY EDUCATION 2009.
This is the equivalent of winning an Oscar award for sex education.

Do let me know (P.Weerakoon@usyd.edu.au) if you want to be a part of this award winning group.

Marriage and Love

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald on the 4th June discusses common pitfalls in marriage.
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/marriage-traps-to-avoid-20090604-bwc6.html?page=-1

Infatuation and Love are chemically induced in the brain (YES it is chemistry) BUT the feelings induced by changes in Serotonin, Dopamine and Noradrenaline last only for 18-24 months.
Staying to together in a committed relationship requires the couple to hang in there - as they move into a phase of couple bonding (also hormone induced).

The highs of love can be reinvigorated - taking time to do something exciting and new could bring your love chemistry back into action - try it!

Walking the tightrope of Biology Psychology Sociology: No wonder we call it Sexology!

An interesting article in SMH today
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/the-drugs-of-desire-pushing-us-into-a-sexual-arms-race-20090528-boz7.html
Discusses the medicalisation of sexuality and sexual health.
I quote:
"The model of sex research Masters and Johnson pioneered, with its focus on physiology and the language of function and dysfunction, has led inexorably, these critics [Leonore Tiefer and others]argue, to a mindset where sexual functions are seen as simply physical ones, with cures that are pills or creams or gels or patches."

If you are intersted in this issue, check out the site:
http://www.newviewcampaign.org/

Have we swung too far into the biological in sexual function? Are we too eager to reach for the magic tablet rather than 'talk'?

I came across this web site today. Discusses the issue (they call!) SexTech
http://sexuality.about.com/od/sex_tech_faq/f/sex_tech_FAQ.htm

Interesting questions:

• Does technology change the way we have sex?
• Is Tech ruining Sex?

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Consent and Regret: Two sides of the coin in Sexual Behavior?

An article in the Sun Herald by Leslie Cannold has the following (quote from article)

"Consent and regret are different. You can't regret someone forcing you to do something because regret suggests responsibility and you weren't in control in the first place. You can consent to something, even drive it, yet realise while it's happening you've bitten off more than you can chew."

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/sexual-freedom-wont-spare-you-regret-20090524-bj6d.html

Teen brains are fired by testosterone fuelled desire and yet in their developmental stage of neuronal connections - vulnarable to impulsive behaviour and risk taking.

How can we help? Sex Education? Parental guidance?