There’s a worrisome uptick in the incidence of certain head and neck cancers among middle-aged and even younger Americans, and some experts link the trend to a rise in the popularity of oral sex over the past few decades.

That’s because the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major trigger for these cancers, and HPV can be transmitted through this type of sexual activity.

“It seems like a pretty good link that more sexual activity, particularly oral sex, is associated with increased HPV infection,” said Dr. Greg Hartig, professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re experiencing a severe headache at the time you reach orgasm, this can be worrying for you and your partner.

Unfortunately, such pains do occur – sometimes just before orgasm, sometimes during it, and sometimes just after it.

They are more common in men than in women – which is a little surprising because in general, headache is more often seen in females than in males.

They seem to be seen more frequently in people who have migraine. But the pains themselves are not typically ‘migrainous’ in nature. Read the rest of this entry »

There are a many medical conditions and disabilities that make it difficult to enjoy a normal sex life.

For example, sexual intercourse may be difficult for people with any of the following conditions:

• paralysis (following a stroke or a spinal injury)
• severe arthritis
• heart failure
• severe respiratory problems (such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema)
• kidney (renal) failure.

Numerically, the problem which most often affects people’s sex lives is heart disease.

Heart attacks and heart failure (cardiac insufficiency) are common, and can easily make patients feel frightened about re-starting sexual intercourse.

Unfortunately, a lot of people are embarrassed about discussing such issues. So a man or woman may find it hard to talk about his or her sexual problem or to ask for any kind of help. A reluctance to discuss things often makes the problem worse.

Please do try and talk matters over with your partner and your doctor. Read the rest of this entry »