MTV has partnered up with Foursquare to give one lucky winner a free trip to New York City and the opportunity to see a taping of their show “10 on Top.”  All you have to do is stop by your local testing center during the month of September and GYT (Get Yourself Tested).  While you’re there, unlock the Foursquare GYT Badge on your phone and you’ll be automatically entered into the sweepstakes.  Don’t have a smartphone? You can still enter the contest.

To get started, text your zip code to “GYTNOW” or request an appointment with us. See? Peeing into that cup may be the most beneficial thing you do all day. Good Luck!

There’s nothing quite like waking up after a night of naughty to find “love stains” all over your couch, your bed, the wall…Traces of the fun we had.

When are cum stains not so charming? When you book that romantic weekend for two, check into your $300 a night hotel, and find dried “stuff” all over the room. Something even less charming is when you have friends coming over and you know they aren’t going to buy your “spilled milk” lie.  This is when you need a product and need one fast.

In our (extennnsive!) experience, rug cleaners like “Resolve,” or “Shout IT Out” seem to work the best on upholstered stuff.  They handle all kinds of stains and work on all kinds of fabrics.

As far as shirts, underwear, and even sneakers are concerned, laundry detergent and a super wash cycle for four hours should do the trick.

Looking for a more eco-friendly route? Lemon juice, my friend. It cleans everything. Try it full strength, or distilled, just like sex.

Some Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to love stains:

• Don’t call an upholstery cleaning service, unless the entire couch was drenched (If this happens, call Guinness World Records while you’re at it).
• Do know that untouched stains can resolve quarrels about affairs years later.
• Don’t wear the same clothes after a busy night without checking for visible traces.
• Do continue to be adventurous and don’t let fear of cum stains stop you from having a good time. Just make sure you have a product near by.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Ask us anonymously!

Ehhh…it depends…

Relationships vary, as does someone’s commitment to a relationship.

When you decide to be in a relationship with someone, it is critical to understand your commitment. You need to understand what your partner views as “cheating.”  Have a conversation so you’re on the same page.

Once you’ve figured that part out, discuss cyber sex.  Possible things to ask:

• What’s your opinion on cyber sex?
• When would cyber sex be okay (if ever) in our relationship?
• Do you think cyber sex is the same as masturbation?
• What are some boundaries you want to set in this relationship?
• How do you handle jealousy?
• Would cyber sex make you jealous?

These conversations are hard, but  your goal is understanding and trust.

Be clear about how you feel about it, too.  Is it okay if your partner watches others have sex online? Talks dirty with someone on the screen? Is aroused by someone else?

Here’s when it is cheating—when you know your partner doesn’t think it’s okay and you do it anyway, OR when cyber sex turns into something other than simply cyber sex (IE: having real life romps with your online buddy).

If both of you decided cyber sex is acceptable, then it is not cheating.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Please email goddess@ppnne.org

"While Test Driving a Car" was #6 on their list

Considering most gyms recommend you wear flip flops in the shower, I am not inclined to fornicate wildly in a place where even my feet are prone to picking something up. Climax, Colorado sounds intriguing, but I’m pretty sure my local hookah lounge will not host any of my action. 

Anyone have better ideas than the ones espoused by this article?

Semen-no two samples are exactly alike

While “Chunky,” “Lumpy,” and “Clumpy” all sound like characters from a bad porno, you have nothing to worry about. These are perfectly normal semen consistencies and are not a sign of a sexually transmitted infection.

Remember when you were a little kid and learned that no two snowflakes are identical?  Think of semen (a.k.a. cum, ejaculate) the same way–it varies from guy to guy depending on diet, biology, exercise, body temperature, and recent ejaculations. The taste can even vary depending on if he’s a smoker, or whether he’s taking medications or drugs, including alcohol.

“Normal” semen can be thick and stringy, gooey and clumpy, thin and drippy, or a combination of any of those. And in most cases, semen can be described as “milky” in color—white to yellowish-gray, and anywhere from opaque to almost transparent.

Thicker ejaculate may just mean it’s high in protein—this type of consistency causes the semen to stay high in the vagina, increasing chances of fertilization. 

If at any point your boyfriend begins to feel pain during ejaculation, or unusual discharge or odor, he should make an appointment to be on the safe side. Otherwise, have fun!

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Please email goddess@ppnne.org

PPNNE wants to show support to all the lovely gay couples in California postponing their weddings, pending the appeals process. We have full faith it will come to pass and gay marriage will become the law of the land one day.

In the meantime, a celebration of the best gay marriage protester signs.

It can, but not in everyone.

Cyclists started talking about numbness in the genitals around 1890. Following that, ads for saddles that reduce genital numbness and tingling started appearing. People realized cycling was affecting male performance and increasing the risk of erectile dysfunction.  Luckily, saddle design has enjoyed some improvements in recent years.

Cycling can create too much pressure on the perineum, located between the external genitals and the anus. The perineum has the Alcock canal, which contains an artery and a nerve that supply the penis with blood and sensation. When a cyclist sits hard on a narrow bike seat, the blood flow decreases, diminishing the flow pressure for the penis to be able to achieve a full erection.  

 Today’s manufacturers of bike seats have developed saddles addressing some of the pressure issues, however,  people are physiologically diverse and have different bone structure and protective tissue. Cyclists have to do a little homework and find the seats best for them.  

 Three Tips:

• Wear padded bike shorts.
• Use upright handle bars so your posture changes, transferring the pressure of the perineum to the buttocks.
• If you feel numbing and tingling during a ride – stop riding for one to two weeks.  

Some alternative help tips:

• Horny Goat Weed: Increases levels of testosterone and thyroid hormones
• Yohimbe: Helps to dilate small blood vessels – especially in the penis. This herb has received FDA approval as a treatment for impotence. Discovered in South Africa, it has been used for years as an aphrodisiac.
• Ginseng: Increases stamina, helps relax blood vessels in penis, and helps produce an erection. It has been used for years as a male sexual tonic.  

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Please email goddess@ppnne.org

For a nice reprieve from lingerie ads and a comprehensive, accurate and funny history of men’s undergarments (and some eye candy!), enjoy the video below.

Sex drives vary from person to person due to an infinite number of reasons: circumstance, environment, personal history, hormones, values, feelings, etc. etc. The good news is there are easy (and fun!)  fixes to help your partner, or yourself, become more interested in sex.

The brain is the most important sex organ in the human body—not  the clitoris, or the penis—the brain. Our brain dictates our sex drive with neurotransmitters. Dopamine, for example, works to increase our sex drive and  Serotonin can decrease our sex drive.

Knowing your brain is a major player in sexual desire, use it to encourage positive feelings and reactions.  Use visual, auditory, or kinesthetic stimulation to influence your brain. We know this sounds cliché, but, think positively—it can have a huge effect on your sexual desire.

Another element to increase your sex drive has to do with body image—how you feel about your body and what you say about it affects both your libido and your partner’s.  When you are having sex, let go of your worries about your body – just for the moment.

Sexual satisfaction can also increase sex drive. Some tips:

• Foreplay, foreplay and more foreplay – entice him or her – get your mojo going.
• Masturbate together.
• Use lubrication to change your sex drive and sexual satisfaction.
• Reveal your fantasies to your partner.
• Try out different places to have sex – some people get charged in edgy or more public places.
• Incorporate some sex toys and different positions into your routine.
• Talk. Ask your partner what she or he would like to try – what would turn her/him.
• Leave the lights on – let your partner see you get aroused and excited.

There are also many foods that can increase your sex drive.

Not long. It all depends on the environment.

Sperm can survive for about an hour outside the body. Thanks to its lifeline—Semen—sperm stays alive during and after ejaculation. As long as the semen remains wet and moist, the sperm will survive. So when a guy ejaculates on someone’s leg, back, stomach, near the vagina, or anywhere on the body, sperm can have a short, wild life. 

In the vaginal canal, sperm can survive for about six hours.  Humans and all animals are meant to reproduce, and our bodies work with that in mind. So, after the semen and sperm enter the body it’s a whole new game.  In the vaginal canal, sperm can last for 6 hour or so—depending on the environment. Some vaginas aid sperm in fast, save travel—others which at times can be more acidic or infectious, slow down the process and decompose sperm. 

Once sperm goes through the cervix and into the uterus, it can last for up to seven days.  There’s a whole other world waiting for sperm once they are in the uterus and fallopian tubes.  The environment there makes it possible for sperm to live up to seven days.  (The average however is between 3-4 days). 

Sperm Trivia:

• A man has approximately 280 million sperm per ejaculate; a pig has 800 million sperm per ejaculate.
• It takes 2-3 minutes for cow’s sperm to reach the fallopian tubes; and it take 5 to 68 minutes for a man’s sperm to take the same journey.
• Fruit flies have sperm larger than the body of a house fly, whereas humans have the smallest sperm cells.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09kLIsNfaO8

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Do you have a question you would like to see included?  Please email goddess@ppnne.org