Happy Wednesday! Today’s Naked Notion is about beauty and body image. Special thanks to WaistcoatDave, Rebobeeve, MD, & Jeff for sharing with us their definition of “beauty.” Look for your comments at the end of the video.

For next week’s video, we wanna know What are some stereotypes you’ve heard or seen about people who are gay and lesbian? Leave a comment below.

Got a question for Laci? Send it to nakednotion@ppnne.org

For our video next week, we want you to answer this question: What is beauty? Leave a comment below.

a new project dedicated to frank, open conversations about sexuality.

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Meet Laci Green

She’s a sex educator and a 22 year old video blogger, crisis counselor, social scientist, asparagus lover & artichoke dipper. And she has teamed up with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for A Naked Notion.

NEW VIDEO each Wednesday!

Here’s a preview of our new project:

Like with Consensual Text, we’re always happy to answer YOUR questions. Fill out this form to ask us anything related to sex or sexuality, and we just might do a video on the topic.

Let’s start off by defining this mysterious body part: The hymen (which some people call “the cherry”) is a thin, fleshy tissue that stretches across part of the opening of the vagina. It’s located about 1-2 centimeters inside of the vaginal opening, not deep inside the vagina (myth #1).

Ok, now that we’ve got the basics covered, let’s tackle the first part of your question: “If you break your own hymen, will having sex for the first time hurt less?” Myth #2 is that there’s a need to break the hymen, or that it will “pop.” The hymen stretches through numerous activities like riding a bicycle, doing gymnastics, using tampons, using sex toys, masturbating, and yes, vaginal intercourse. For some women, these same activities can tear the hymen and this can cause bleeding.

Whether or not sex will hurt for the first time varies from person to person. It has a lot to do with how turned on you are. Foreplay plays a huge role in this, so make sure you’re having some before diving right into sex.

As far as pain, this too is different for each woman. Some women experience pain the first time, some do not. Some women bleed the first time, some do not.

For more hymen myths, check out this great video by Laci Green:

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!

Lifetime is premiering a new series called “7 Days of Sex” which challenges struggling couples–on the brink of divorce–to get it on for a week straight.

What do you think? Can sex save a marriage? More importantly, are you going to watch this show?

Sure. But most of the injuries were brought on by the user.

This woman from Lexington Park, Maryland is a perfect example. She and her partner thought it would be a super great idea to attach a dildo to a saber saw blade. What’s a saber saw? It’s this terrifying object:

One of the largest studies on sex toy injuries was conducted over an eleven year period by The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.  Here’s what they found:

•  6,799 people were treated in U.S. emergency departments for sex toy injuries between 1995 and 2006.
• There was an overall doubling of the number of injuries, from 2.41 per million in 1995 to 5.46 per million in 2006
• Men had higher injury rates than women, and rates were highest for people between 30-39
• 78% of injuries were anorectal, 18% vaginal/penile, and 4% other

Occasionally, sex toy injuries take place through no fault of the user. A California woman is suing Pipedreams Products for their dildo that nearly killed her. April Bonjour claims the toy caused sharp vaginal pain and massive bleeding.

We’ve also read reports about a hickey that lead to paralysis, a woman who received genital burns after her partner ate a hot sauce-laden meal, and lots and lots of objects getting stuck in people’s bums.

Here are some tips to ensure your pleasure doesn’t ever turn to pain:

1. Listen to your body. If you experience any pain or discomfort, stop doing whatever you’re doing.
2. Use some common sense. If you want to experiment with a sex toy, great, but make sure the object you’re using is actually intended for sex. That means the vacuum cleaner hose and the toothbrush are out.
3. AVOID POWER TOOLS.

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!

With three mouth-watering flavors to choose from, your partner will never be able to get enough!

This parody brought to you the comedy group Olde Payphone

No one likes to be wrong. But unfortunately, your friend is right.

It is safe to take the pill continuously to avoid having your period – except for women who should not take the pill at all. (More info on that here). It’s also safe to continuously take other forms of hormonal birth control like Depo-Provera, the Ring, or the Mirena IUD.

Women skip their periods for many reasons – an upcoming vacation or honeymoon, an athletic event, to avoid PMS discomfort, to alleviate medical conditions like endometriosis, or simply because they don’t like having a monthly visit from Aunt Flow.

Back in the day—we’re talking prehistoric time—women spent a lot of time pregnant. This means they only had about 160 periods in their lifetime. Modern ladies experience almost three-times that, with an average of 460 periods a lifetime!

Is there a health benefit to skipping your period? Some researchers believe reduced ovulation and menstruation may protect against cancers of the reproductive organs.

If having fewer periods a year is something you’re interested in, it’s important to talk with a medical professional first. You can call 1-866-476-1321 or visit www.ppnne.org to make an appointment with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England 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!

Researchers looked at 163 twenty-somethings and found that those who were in new relationships had higher levels of Oxytocin than their single counter-parts.  Those who had the highest levels of the hormone were still together after six months.  This suggests, “Oxytocin in the first months of romantic love may serve as an index of relationship duration.”

This theory led one of our favorite websites, Jezebel, to think about an interesting relationship blood test.  “You get tested for oxytocin right when you first meet, and then the doctor tells you whether you should keep dating or just throw in the towel now…it could save you a lot of time.” True, this would be a time saver. But wouldn’t it also take some of the fun out of it?

We suggest the tried and true method of listening to your gut: If you have the butterflies and can’t stop thinking about this new person, you may have found “the one” (or at least someone to date for six months).

Yep.

The thing about certain sexually transmitted diseases and infections is that some can take years to rear their ugly heads. You may feel absolutely fine, especially if you aren’t experiencing any symptoms, but you could actually have an STI, and you could spread it to your partner.

HIV

• Can take up to 10 years before symptoms of AIDS develop.

HPV

• 3 out of 4 women have it at some points in their lives and most don’t know it.
• HPV infections that don’t go away on their own can hide in the body for years.

Chlamydia & Gonnorrhea

• Often have no symptoms
• Can be easily spread to partner

The only way to be sure you don’t have an STI is to Get Yourself Tested (GYT).
Call 1-866-476-1321 to find a Planned Parenthood Health Center in your area.

Until you know your status, we say don’t give up on condoms. When used correctly, condoms are extremely effective at preventing pregnancy and reducing your risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection. They come in many fun colors and you can pick up free condoms at any Planned Parenthood Health Center.

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!