There is some good news, however, as Live Science reports on a new study from the University of Michigan which found that young men with high testosterone levels are more likely to use protection than their counterparts that have less of the sex hormone. “One of the things that is interesting about these results is that they’re one of the first to demonstrate a link between higher testosterone and less risk-taking in any domain,” researcher Sari van Anders told Live Science. Hopefully, these findings will encourage more men to use condoms. This study could be a tool used by sexual health educators as a way to show individuals that being safe is the manly thing to do.

Recently, ABC News reported on a new issue surrounding this vaccine. While millions of young women have already received this shot, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only recommended it for use in people between the ages of 9 and 26. This has led many older individuals to wonder why they cannot be included as well.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a woman should ideally receive this shot before she is sexually active. Federal health officials have claimed that by the time a woman is in her late 20’s, she has likely already been exposed to HPV, which often carries no symptoms but can sometimes lead to cervical cancer.

Scientists from Ohio State University have found that while men do think about sex more than women (about 19 sexual thoughts a day compared to 10 for females), males also have more thoughts throughout the day about basic needs such as eating and sleeping than women. The study authors noted that the belief that men think about sex all the time is a dangerous misconception.

“When a man hears that, he might think there’s something wrong with him because he’s not spending that much time thinking about sexuality, and when women hear about this, if they spend significant time thinking about sex they might think there’s something wrong with them,” said researcher Terri Fisher.

These findings may make women feel more comfortable talking about sexual health with their male partners, once they realize that men are not obsessed with the subject.

CBS News published an article on the report, which found that of the estimated 1.2 million Americans who have HIV, 20 percent do not know that they are infected. Furthermore, only 40 percent of people who have HIV are getting medication regularly. According to the CDC, the key to fighting this sexually transmitted disease (STD) is awareness and prevention.

“Prevention counseling teaches patients how to stay as healthy as possible and prevent passing HIV on to others. Prevention services include STD testing and treatment services, drug rehab, assistance in notifying partners, housing assistance, financial assistance and other services,” stated the organization.

The CDC also announced that it plans to launch a multi-million dollar campaign to encourage black men who have sex with men to get screened for the disease regularly, as one third of all new infections occur in this population.

Recently, the Washington Post spoke to Amy Schalet, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts who has written a book in which she claims that American parents need to be more realistic when it comes to their children’s sexual habits. Schalet says that in the Netherlands, teen pregnancy rates are extremely low compared to the U.S. and she believes that this is due to the progressive way that the Dutch view teenage sexual development.

“One of the statistics that I point out is that in the Netherlands, 6 out of 10 teenage girls are on the pill at first intercourse (versus only about 1 in 5 in the U.S.),” said Schalet, quoted by the Post.

Her book is likely to draw controversy, but perhaps it will inspire the U.S. to examine countries with low STD rates to see how America can emulate what these areas are doing right.

According to the news provider, this team of individuals, along with helping people receive treatment before an STD has gotten out of hand, save their community about $1 million a year in future healthcare costs.

“It’s the best feeling in the world that someone out there cares about my situation,” said a woman who was informed of her STD status, quoted by the Tribune. “My health is important. If my health is on the line, I want to know.”

Avert.org states that of the more than one million people in the U.S. living with HIV/AIDS, one fifth are unaware that they have the condition. These individuals may be unintentionally spreading their disease, which highlights the need to make people aware of the importance of getting regularly tested for STDs.

In response to this, doctors from the University of California conducted a trial to determine if a vaccine would be effective in preventing the development of anal cancer, and their results were positive.

“Almost 6,000 people every year in this country are diagnosed with anal cancer and more than 700 die from the disease,” said researcher Joel Palefsky, M.D.”What this trial showed is that those cancers and deaths could be prevented.”

The vaccine they used is the highly-discussed HPV shot that has been in the news so often lately. While many people remain torn over whether children should be vaccinated for this STD, these findings complement the recent federal advisory committee suggestion that immunization of boys against this disease should be considered as well.