Am I Ready For Sex?: 7 Things To Think About

By Katie Naymon in SEXUAL HEALTH

Whether you’re a virgin or are contemplating having sex with a new partner, first times can be nerve-wracking. There are many factors to consider, both emotional and physical. We talked to Heather Corinna, founder and executive director of Scarleteen, an independent, grassroots sexuality education and support organization and website. Corinna is a sexuality, contraception and abortion educator and counselor as well as a writer and activist. Read on for her and collegiettes’ advice on how to know when you’re ready for sex.

When is the right time to have sex in a relationship?

Some girls wait until marriage, some wait a few months and some just a few dates. There’s no recommended timeline—the right time to have sex is when you and your partner feel ready. Eva, a collegiette at Colby College, decided to lose her virginity a month into hooking up with the girl she liked. She says you know it’s a good time to have sex “once you stop thinking about it and don't doubt the person and trust they're on the same page,” she says. “I had a first time that was genuinely lovely. We fell hard and fast.” For others, it takes a bit longer to get comfortable. Veronica, a collegiette at Johns Hopkins, has dated her boyfriend for four months but has decided to wait to have sex. “I want to make sure I’m in love. I don’t want to have any doubts about it. You hear about a lot of people who do it and then regret it,” she says.

Sex drive fades as family grows

By Miriam Stoppard

Dear Miriam,

My fourth child is due in five months. I enjoy being a mum but as the eldest is only six it can be hard work.

My sex life with my husband isn’t at all like it was at the start of our marriage.

I loved having sex with him and all our babies were planned, except this one.

Enhancing Postpartum Sex

If you're leery about having postpartum sex, you're not alone. Most women have fears about resuming their sex lives after delivering a baby. Perhaps the main thing to understand is that your body has changed, so it is natural that sex too will change and be a different experience. Here follows some tips and tricks for easing your way back into your love life.

* Take your time. Your partner may be anxious to make love, but he will need to take a deep breath and be patient. You mustn't have sex until you are ready in both body and mind. Otherwise, you may do irreparable damage to your relationship.

*Be creative. Perhaps you can try taking a bath or shower together. This will inject some fun and excitement into your love life, making it new and irresistible.

*Use contraception. Don't count on nursing or just having delivered as factors that can protect you against another pregnancy. Don't look back with regret because you took a risk.

Alone Time

Do You Know A Woman With a Blue Menstruation?

The issue is bigger than blue dye in a tampon commercial.

by Pamela Madsen in Shameless Woman

If I ever checked my menstrual pad and saw something blue there instead of red, I think I would infarct! So, why do so many makers of "feminine sanitary supplies" feel the need to demonstrate menstruation with blue dye? Is the blue dye supposed to make us feel less ashamed of our monthly bleeding? Did someone - somewhere in the great marketing sky decide that women and the world at large would feel better if blue dye was used to demonstrate effective menstrual pads and tampons?

Why do they think we need to see any demonstration at all of how pads or tampons work or absorb menstrual blood? I am not really sure. But you can never be too careful with directions when it comes to menstruating females I suppose!

Frankly - I have been on a menstruation rant for a few days now. There is simply not enough real information out there for women about their menstrual flow. What is normal - and what is not normal. And what if our menstruation doesn't feel normal to us? What then? Talk about it?