Condoms, STD & Birth Control Discussion

What do I buy My Wife For Christmas?

2008-11-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

Not sure what the wife will like this Christmas? I know what I like. SEX! So why not give her a little fun for Christmas. Besides, Jewelry is expensive, the stock market is down and Chocolate will make her fat.

After all, I am a Hip circa 2000 kind of tough guy and I can handle it!

After some research I decided on the store "Spicy Gear". These toys are picked by women, the prices are spot on and they have FREE SHIPPING! Yeah.

Sex Toys - They carry a wide assortment of these nice products. Both big and small, textured and non textured, basically anything and everything you could think of.

Vibrators for Her - Again as the name implies they carry all the cool stuff the ladies want.

Vibrators - I think these make the best gift. Period. A jack rabbit or Spicy Rabbit and a Sybian! What more could she ask for?

Now don't get me wrong here, I plan on buying my wife some jewelery and a card but adding a little vibe to her stocking and a couple of boxes for a private moment is a great thing. After all the stress the holidays but on us, who could complain about a thoughtful husband that was thinking about my wife's sexual pleasure?

LATIN AMERICA: AIDS Threat Still Looming

2008-07-30T10:44:00.004-04:00

By Emilio Godoy

MEXICO CITY (IPS) - The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains stable in Latin America and the Caribbean, mainly affecting high-risk groups like gay men and sex workers, according to the UNAIDS report for 2008, released Tuesday.

Last year, 140,000 new infections were reported in the region, bringing the total number of people living with HIV to 1.7 million, while 63,000 people died of AIDS-related causes in 2007.

César Núñez, UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) director for Latin America, said at the presentation of the report that "this is not a small, controlled epidemic," and recommended heavy emphasis on prevention measures.

The U.N. agency's 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic identifies Brazil and Mexico (Latin America's most populous countries) as having the largest number of cases: 800,000 and 200,000, respectively.

It also reports that the Central American and Caribbean regions have been hard-hit by the pandemic. In the Caribbean, where 20,000 new cases were reported and 14,000 people died of AIDS in 2007, there are 230,000 people living with HIV.

A majority of the 33 million people testing positive for HIV worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study presented simultaneously in Mexico City, New York, Geneva, Johannesburg and Bangkok just ahead of the 17th International AIDS Conference, to take place Aug. 3-8 in the Mexican capital.

The "AIDS 2008" conference is expected to draw 25,000 delegates from national and international bodies, experts and activists from 150 nations.

The Latin America section of the UNAIDS study says unprotected sex is common among men who have sex with other men in Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

It also warns that in countries like Bolivia and Peru, the spread of HIV is linked to the practice of unprotected sex and intravenous drug use without precautions.

In addition, the report points to a feminisation of the epidemic. "We have seen that the number of infected women has gone up in recent years, and we will see this to an even greater extent in the future," said Núñez.

More than 30 percent of people living with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean are women. In Mexico alone, 40,000 women test positive for the AIDS virus.

"The visibility of the epidemic must be raised among women, in order to promote safe, protected sexual practices," said Linda Adechar, head of the non-governmental Fundación Vihdha.

Tuberculosis is still the biggest killer of people with HIV/AIDS. "The disease remains the main cause of mortality among vulnerable groups," said Philippe Lamy, the Pan-American Health Organisation’s representative in Mexico.

Núñez underscored the significant increase in prevention efforts and treatment in Latin America, where 390,000 people now receive antiretroviral medications.

However, 630,000 people in the region still lack access to the life-extending drugs, he said.

"The number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy has increased," said the UNAIDS official, who also stressed the importance of prevention.

"Measures like blood tests and increased use of condoms have provided an encouraging response," said Mauricio Hernández, deputy minister of prevention in Mexico’s health ministry.

The fight against HIV/AIDS has faced hurdles from the start because of stigma, discrimination, homophobia and ignorance.

A study of seven Latin American countries, sponsored by Brazil's International Centre for Technical Cooperation on HIV/AIDS (ICTC) and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), noted that, despite more and better government policies and laws, discrimination against people living with HIV and high-risk groups remains a major challenge.

The report, which was coordinated by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and will be presented at next week's conference in Mexico, says that one of the biggest efforts that countries must make to fight HIV/AIDS is to achieve social equality for vulnerable groups like gay men and prostitutes.

The study, to which IPS had access, notes that practically all of the constitutions in the region mention the right to non-discrimination, but without referring to people living with HIV or to members of the gay, lesbian and transgender communities.

Labour is one of the most problematic areas, since that is where laws that guarantee the right to non-discrimination are systematically flouted, a phenomenon that is hidden because of reforms that have ushered in more flexible labour relations and the difficulties in proving that someone was fired because of discrimination, says the report, which focused on Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru.

"In the case of HIV, discrimination is still very strong, because of prejudice and misinformation about how it is spread," José Aguilar, national coordinator of the Mexico City-based Democracy and Sexuality network, told IPS.

A National Survey on Discrimination carried out in 2005 showed that the two groups who feel the worst discrimination in Mexico are the disabled and homosexuals.

On average, nine out of 10 women, disabled persons, indigenous people, homosexuals, elderly persons and members of religious minorities responded that they have faced discrimination. In addition, one out of three people belonging to these groups say they have suffered discrimination at work.

Alejandra Gil, president of the Asociación en Pro Apoyo a Servidores, which provides support for sex workers in the Mexican capital, told IPS that the growing visibility of high-risk groups can help combat the stigma and discrimination.

Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru have multidisciplinary agencies to deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is not the case in Argentina and Chile. But all of the countries studied have national action plans to tackle the problem.

The researchers found gaps and contradictions in laws on the right to non-discrimination in the countries studied.

While on one hand, governments try to combat the stigmatisation of people living with HIV, on the other they have laws and institutions that are themselves discriminatory against groups that are vulnerable to the disease, says the document.

"Stigma and discrimination are still major factors," said Núñez.

The FLACSO study found that while legislation in the region generally prohibits labour discrimination, such laws are usually not enforced.

"We need work places free of stigma and discrimination," said Adechar.

A study by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, which will also be presented at the Mexico City conference, concluded that even though organisations fighting the epidemic in 10 Latin American nations have gained visibility and political influence, they have more limited financial resources for carrying out their projects.

Schools "encouraging "underage sex

2008-07-24T14:21:00.001-04:00

by Kathleen Nutt and Julia Belgutay
www.timesonline.co.uk

SCHOOLS have been criticised for encouraging underage sex by giving pupils free condoms.

Teenagers at secondary schools in Edinburgh and West Lothian have received the contraceptives, in a bid to curb unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

But parent groups and education campaigners say that the scheme encourages youngsters to have sex.

Broughton High School, in Edinburgh, North Berwick High School in East Lothian, Newbattle High School, in Midlothian and West Calder High School in West Lothian have given out contraceptives.

NHS Lothian was unable to say what age the pupils were who had received the contraceptives and whether they were over 16. The schools sexual health clinics also offer pregnancy tests and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Free condoms have also been handed out to pupils at Sandwick Junior High School in Shetland under a one-year pilot scheme which is set to be extended to the seven other secondaries on the islands.

A spokesman for Shetland Isles' schools said that parents' permission is not required if the pupils are aged over 16. He said that it was "extremely rare" for underage pupils to receive condoms.

Some school nurses in secondary schools in the Borders have also obtained permission to give out free contraceptives to pupils.

However, the local authority does not keep information on how many contraceptives have been issued.

"Handing out free contraceptives to school children simply encourages teenage sexual activity," said Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education. "It is extremely worrying that condoms are being given out to pupils without the permission of their parents."

Stan Martin, one of the founders of Parents for Consultation, a group that wants parents to have more influence over sex education in schools, said: "Initiatives like these just sexualise children at an earlier and earlier age."

Scotland has one of the worst teenage pregnancy records in the world, with almost 30% of girls aged between 15 and 19 giving birth. In a league table of teenage pregnancy rates, produced by the children’s charity Bernardo, Scotland was 28th out of 31 countries. Only America, Mexico and Turkey had more teenage mothers.

Last year The Sunday Times reported that almost 5,000 underage girls, some as young as 11, were being prescribed the contraceptive pill.

Figures published last year revealed the number of cases of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia rose by 4% cent, to 17,926. More than 70% of the patients suffering from the disease, which can cause infertility, were aged under 25.

Jim Reyner, quality improvement manager at Shetland Isles' schools service, said: "From our perspective we would rather condoms were available than kids were left ignorant. They are issued responsibly."

If any child under 16 asked for a condom, parents and child protection staff would be informed, he said.

A spokesman for Scottish Borders council said: "Contraceptives could be given out by school nurses in the drop-in sessions, but it is a private matter between the pupil and the school nurse. The sessions are confidential and designed to discuss all health issues."

Shona Robison, the public health minister, said: "It is important for local agencies to provide high-quality, consistent information in a range of settings. This includes easily accessible drop-in services, staffed by health professionals and youth workers, services we know young people respond well to.

"How these services are delivered is a decision for local health boards and local authorities to make in partnership with their sexual health strategy groups."

Making it big: Bravo Condoms aims product at sports, music scenes

2008-07-22T10:30:00.000-04:00

By LAITH AGHA
www.montereyherald.com

In orchestrating his quickly growing business, Bravo Condoms, Zac Mazzotta figured out early that he is not just selling a product.

He is selling a name. He is selling packaging. And perhaps most importantly, he is selling an image.

In an industry that has traditionally focused on more general themes — safety and comfort — in its marketing, Mazzotta, a Stevenson School graduate and part-time Carmel Valley resident, is billing his product as the condom of youth culture, infiltrating the adventure sport and rock music crowds with an aggressive advertising campaign.

"We're becoming the Red Bull of condoms," said Mazzota, 28.

It is tailored toward a fast-paced lifestyle that craves convenience and lacks patience.

A cup of coffee is to be sipped. A Red Bull is "downed."

"These days kids buy image," said Bob Wecker, owner of The Wecker Group advertising design company in Monterey. "With a condom company, image and packaging is everything."

Most condoms come in three-dimensional boxes that must be ripped open. Bravo Condoms are sold in a flatter fold-open packet that borrows from Orbitz's gum packaging design. Flaps hook together to contain the contents.

While the typical condom package is easily identifiable, which can be embarrassing for those concerned about the stigma of buying or carrying condoms, Mazzotta said, Bravo's sleeker package design is less conspicuous.

The company's innovations appear within the packet, which, in addition
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to three condoms, contains a sticker of the Bravo logo — a lion's head with a flowing mane, an information booklet and a baggie for disposal purposes.

Starting a business in an established marketplace, with an industry leader, Trojan Condoms, that holds about 70 percent of the American market, "It's almost like, it's impossible to reinvent the wheel," Wecker said. "But there is always an opening."

The insurance industry, for instance, used to play it straight with its advertising, but once Aflac loosened the collar by featuring a comical duck in its commercials, "everyone else started do it," Wecker said.

Mazzotta saw a similar opportunity for the condom market.

"It's been a sleeping industry for 85 years," Mazzotta said.

The target consumer ranges from high school students to thirtysomethings, the age group most likely to use the product and to be involved in the sports and music scenes. But the company is not hyping sex to sell the product, Mazzotta said.

"We don't promote sex," he said. "We promote safe sex, and we promote condoms as a tool if you choose to do it."

And while the sales pitch is image-driven, the product retains the basic principals of its function.

"We're not just selling a mediocre product in nice packaging," Mazzotta said. "The goal was always to put out a phenomenal product in great packaging."

His company mantra, as well as his motivation to start the company, stems from personal experience.

Mazzotta's 4-year-old daughter is a blessing now, he said, but at the time he found he was going to be a father, Mazzotta was a 23-year-old race car driver living the fast-paced lifestyle that complements the profession. He hadn't planned to start a family for another decade, but he promised himself he would stop racing when he did start one because the risk of dying on the track was too great to be a responsible father, he said.

At the end of the 2003 racing season, a month before his daughter's birth, he retired early from the sport. Giving up the career and lifestyle to take care of a child — and learning how to be a father — was a major struggle, he said. Mazzotta learned first-hand the financial and emotional strains that can rise from an unplanned birth.

That was a major driving force in starting the company, Mazzotta said.

"It spawned in me a real passion to try and make options that gives someone the opportunity to keep that from happening to them," he said. "It's not easy for the adults. It's not fair to the kids."

He wanted to pursue something that inspired him more than pounding nails at construction sites, which he did for a while to make a living after racing.

Mazzotta moved to Santa Barbara from Carmel Valley in 2006 — he splits his time between the two places — and began researching for his new business idea the new-fashioned way, by Googling.

Selling the image can't happen without getting the word out, so Mazzotta is slapping the Bravo insignia on some very strategic surfaces.

The company sponsors 15 athletes in the adventure, or extreme, sports realm, starting with Mozzatta's brother, Hawk, a 26-year-old motorcycle racer from Carmel Valley who is competing in Sunday's American Motorcyclist Association Superbike race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Bull rider Tony Mendez, who competed in Wednesday's Professional Bull Riders tour event at the Salinas Sports Complex, signed with the company Thursday.

Bravo sponsors surfers, skateboarders, bicyclists and a daredevil.

Distribution is steadily increasing. Mazzotta started by stocking shelves of convenience stores and gas stations around the Monterey Peninsula and Santa Barbara. He expanded to businesses that cater to Bravo's target audience, such as surf and motorcycle shops. He has a deal with 7-Eleven stores in Hawaii.

But most of the company's volume has moved through online sales. More than 250,000 condoms have sold on the Web site, www.condomdepot.com, he said.

Mazzotta recently signed a product placement deal to put Bravo in several movies, including "Transformers 2" and "Old School 2," and the television shows "Entourage" and "The Office." And he is working out a deal with a distributor to have Bravo's logo placed on race cars in 11 NASCAR events next year.

After the label is on the race cars, Mazzotta said, he will be in a strategic position to approach major chain stores. If that door opens as Mazzotta hopes, the Bravo image could be sold across the country and, eventually, around the world.

"We're getting very close," he said.

Condom adverts should be screened before 9pm to tackle teenage pregnancies, Government advisers say

2008-07-16T14:06:00.000-04:00

By Aislinn Simpson
www.telegraph.co.uk

The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) also called for the parents of children as young as four to be sent information packs about how to talk to their children about sex, relationships and contraception.

The group, which is made up of family planning advisers, medical experts and social workers picked by ministers, made its recommendations in its annual report published yesterday (Wed).

The report said: "TPIAG would like to see restrictive and outdated broadcasting standards reviewed and overhauled to ensure positive sexual health messages, including the advertising of condoms, are communicated effectively before the 9pm broadcast watershed."

Male fertility options growing

2008-07-15T09:07:00.000-04:00

By Amy Crawford
www.chicagotribune.com

NEW YORK—Though they didn't look like much, the white specks squirming under a microscope in Debra Wolgemuth's lab could have a big impact in the world of controlling fertility, not for women but for men. The specks were sperm from mice that had been treated with a new contraceptive. The healthy, swimming cells showed that the new drug did not have a permanent effect once the mice had gone off it. For Wolgemuth, this was an important step toward testing the drug in men.

Wolgemuth and other researchers at Columbia University Medical Center were using the drug to block retinoid receptors—proteins that bond with vitamin A to turn on certain genes. The drug prevented sperm from developing normally.

"We demonstrated that the mice are infertile," Wolgemuth said. "We take them off the drug, and then after a certain period of time they're fertile again."

If the method works as well in humans, it could become a true contraceptive option for men.

In 1960, "the Pill" hit the market and changed the sex lives of millions of American women. By taking a tiny pill containing female hormones, they could take control of their bodies and prevent pregnancy. Today, 12 million women in the United States use oral contraceptives, and others use hormonal implants, transdermal patches or vaginal rings. For women who can't take hormones, there are copper intrauterine devices, female condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps.

Men, on the other hand, still have only two options.

"You have condoms, which are in the moment, and vasectomies, which are permanent, and nothing in between," said Elaine Lissner, founder of the not-for-profit Male Contraceptive Information Project.

But researchers around the world are working on new options for male birth control, including retinoid blocking, implants that could be removed when a man decides to become a father, and even special underwear that prevent sperm production. A new analysis of 30 studies done between 1990 and 2006 shows that male hormonal contraception might not be that far away.

"The initial work toward producing contraceptives focused on women, because women get pregnant," said Ronald Swerdloff, head of the endocrinology department at the UCLA Harbor Medical Center. "That attitude has changed with the changing attitudes of partners."

In a 2002 survey of 9,000 men on four continents, more than half said they would use male hormonal birth control. Methods like the Intra-Vas Device and RISUG would be ideal in developing countries, where access to pills or condoms is not always guaranteed, said Lissner.

FDA sets guidelines to ensure imported condoms hold up

2008-07-11T14:55:00.000-04:00

By Elizabeth Lopatto
Bloomberg News-www.sltrib.com
No repeat shippers were listed as of June 17. A repeat offense will get a warning about manufacturing deficiencies. A bad shipment after that will lead to a full banfor example - before the shipment is freed.
Federal regulators urged steps to prevent a trickle of leaky condoms being shipped to the U.S. from becoming a flood.
One faulty sheath will cause a whole shipment to be detained, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday in its final guidelines for the industry and agency employees. Measures were originally proposed in 2000. The FDA also posted guidelines for medical gloves, which like condoms are made of latex.
''Some foreign manufacturers and shippers repeatedly attempt'' to ship leaky articles, the agency said. Condoms, when they work, help prevent pregnancy and the spread of diseases such as AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
Leaky condoms have been shipped from China, India, Korea and Thailand, as well as the United Kingdom, Greece, Japan, Italy and Germany.
Condoms and latex gloves, according to the FDA, undergo what is known as the ''water leak test,'' set forth in a ''Compliance Policy Guide.'' If just one style of condom fails in a shipment that contains a variety - ''unlubricated, lubricated, spermicidally lubricated, ribbed, etc.'' - all must be detained and ''a separate style should be taken for each style that the field office wishes to test.''
Styles shouldn't be mixed in one sample.
The FDA has three levels of detention. First offenders have to show their products are safe - using an independent U.S. laboratory, for example - before the shipment is freed.
A repeat offense will get a warning about manufacturing deficiencies. A bad shipment after that will lead to a full ban. No repeat shippers were listed as of June 17.

Brazil legislators reject legalizing abortion

2008-07-10T09:42:00.006-04:00

by Raymond Colitt
www.reuters.com/

A committee in Brazil's lower house of Congress voted down a bill on Wednesday that would have legalized abortion in the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation.

The Justice and Constitution Committee in the Chamber of Deputies voted 57-4 against a bill that had been stuck in Congress for 17 years, steeped in controversy. It is now likely to be shelved.

"This bill won't prosper in the Chamber," said Deputy Eduardo Cunha, committee leader.

Several ruling party legislators pushed the bill after Health Minister Jose Temporao last year all but endorsed legalizing abortion.

Church groups, which lobbied against the legislative proposal and witnessed the hearing, cheered and prayed in celebration after the vote.

Some deputies had placards hanging from their necks, showing pictures of aborted fetuses.

A few legislators supported the bill.

"You can't treat this issue on the basis of religion or belief. It's a public health issue," said Deputy Jose Genoino, who voted in favor of the proposal.

Temporao angered church groups by proposing a referendum on the legalization of abortion and backing increased use of contraceptives.

The government has begun distributing condoms in public high schools and in April launched its own factory to produce condoms made of rubber from Amazon trees.

Temporao has warned that the large number of women having illegal abortions was a serious public health issue because of often dangerous complications when they went awry.

Annually more than 200,000 women are hospitalized because of botched abortions, government statistics show. Based on those figures some experts estimate the number of abortions could be as high as around 1 million per year.

Many Brazilians believe it is mostly poor teenagers who abort. But a study co-sponsored by the University of Brasilia showed that most abortions were practiced by Catholic mothers, aged 20-29, with jobs, who used contraceptive devices and had steady sexual partners. (Reporting by Raymond Colitt, Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Plan for spray-on condoms shelved

2008-07-07T12:58:00.000-04:00

By Gary Fennelly, belfasttelegraph.co.uk

A German inventor has admitted that spray-on condoms may never hit the shelves after his team were unable to overcome technical problems.

Jan Vinzenz Krause of the German Institute for Condom Consultancy made headlines across the world when he announced his pioneering design in 2006.

Krause promised the spray-on condom would offer a better, safer fit for men of all sizes.

"We thought why not come up with a condom that fits the man rather than vice versa? This would represent a revolution in the condom market," said Krause.

"With our technology we could spray a condom on an erect elephant," he added.

Krause filed for a patent for the latex spraying system he invented and had hoped to have it on sale this year.

But the project hit problems and may never reach the market, according a statement on his website.

"Whether we can solve the technical problems, and whether the advancement of the idea is financially viable, remains uncertain," he wrote.

Spray-on condoms ignited a wave of online interest recently after being featured in the US forensics show CSI and getting a mention on the BBC's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

Demonstrating it on a model, CSI character Lindsay Monroe said: "Simply apply like so. Allow a few moments for maximum drying time and, boom. Instant condom."

Can You Hear Me Now?, the CSI:NY episode featuring the condom, was shown in the US in September 2007 but has not yet been aired on British terrestrial TV.

The sexual health of young people

2008-07-02T10:14:00.005-04:00

SOURCE: Alison Davis, www.communitycare.co.uk

The role of sexual health services

Rising levels of sexually transmitted infections (STI) have led many local education authorities to recognize the need for comprehensive sexual and relationship education. Meanwhile, many hard-to-reach young people are being contacted through pupil referral centres, youth offending teams and leaving care teams.

Topics covered include the factors that influence young people in their ability to form and maintain relationships. This may include discussion on how to say "no" to unwanted attention and sex.

The risks associated with unprotected intercourse should also be highlighted, raising awareness of how to access local sexual health services and how to gain the knowledge and skills to practice safer sex.

Other areas to cover include the prevalence of STIs and HIV, how they are spread and how to minimize the risk of an unwanted pregnancy.

In some areas, outreach teams may offer a trip to sexual health clinics or run virtual clinics.

Sex and the law

Although the age of consent for sexual intercourse is 16, a doctor or other professional can advise or treat someone under 16 without their parents' knowledge or consent if they meet the Fraser guidelines, named after Lord Fraser who stood in judgement in 1985 in the case of Victoria Gillick, who objected to her under-16-year-old daughter being prescribed contraception without parental consent. The five guidelines are:

- The young person will understand the advice.

- S/he can't be persuaded to tell parents.

- S/he is likely to have sex anyway.

- His/her physical or mental health would suffer without the advice or treatment.

- His/her best interests require it.

The Best Practice Guidance (DH 2004) highlighted the benefit of establishing a rapport with the young person who is engaged in sexual activity by giving support and time to make an informed choice. This can be done by discussing emotional and physical risks, and coercion or abuse and the benefits of talking to the GP, parent or other adult (especially in cases of abortion referral).

Best practice within sexual health clinics maintains that all clients have a right to a confidential service. Anyone treated for an STI should only have their identity disclosed to someone involved in their treatment or preventing the spread of infection (NHS trusts 2000).

Contraception and young people

Condoms remain the most popular first method of contraception used by young people, probably due to their high accessibility. In some areas, schools and colleges will supply condoms to pupils.

The combined contraceptive pill is probably the most popular hormonal method of contraception. This is prescribed free, and as with all consultations, confidentially - even if the person is under 16, so long as they meet the Fraser guidelines (see above). Hormonal methods of contraception do not protect against STI and HIV - condoms should always be used.

For emergency contraception, the most common form is the one-off progesterone-only pill. It has to be taken within the first 72 hours of unprotected sex. This is widely available, including from some pharmacies and via school nurses.

Taking action to prevent abuse

British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) guidance from 2003 advises to question and check that there has been no coercion (especially when there are large age differences between sexual partners), exploitation, rape or other abuse. Child protection referral procedures should be used for under-18s in these situations.

Working Together (April 2006) advises professionals to use a concern checklist when dealing with young people engaged in a sexual relationship, but also retain a professional discretion. For those young people under 13 who have disclosed sexual activity, it is vital to:

- Consult the child protection lead.

- Presume that you will always refer except in exceptional circumstances.

- If a decision is made not to refer, keep full records of reasons for the decision.

- Note that an assessment must be made in more depth than usual, and that the threshold for referral is much lower.

It is important to note that Home Office Sexual Offences Act guidance states that although the age of consent is 16, it is not intended that the law should be used to prosecute mutually-agreed teenage sex between two young people of a similar age, unless it involves abuse or exploitation.

Bush's Embattled AIDS Bill

2008-07-01T09:50:00.000-04:00

Serious Concerns Raised Over Use of Funds

By Sue Ellin Browder

WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).-Pressing the Senate to rubberstamp $50 billion in global spending on AIDS, malaria and TB, AIDS activists marched on the White House last week bearing signs with slogans like "Now or Never."

But this week, a Anglican priest from Uganda opened more serious dialogue about the bill, saying that "condom promotions have failed in Africa" and AIDS "profiteers" have subverted African fidelity and abstinence programs in order to sell commodities for a profit.

"AIDS is no longer simply a disease; it has become a multibillion-dollar industry," Reverend Sam Ruteikara, co-chair of Uganda's national AIDS-prevention committee, wrote today in the Washington Post.

Stalled for months in the Senate, the reauthorization for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) would more than triple program spending from $15 to $50 billion over five years. But Ruteikara told ZENIT that if the money is misspent, it won't stop the spread of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, and it could even raise HIV rates.

President George Bush wants the bill passed before the G-8 summit in Japan next week. But in a March 31 letter to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, seven senators led by Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma urged delay, saying the bill has "serious problems."

Among other concerns, the senators said the new initiative costs too much and would fund "morally dubious" activities such as needle-exchange programs for drug addicts.

Further, the letter expressed major concerns about the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The senators wrote, "The [Global] Fund has serious policy problems, drug quality problems, administrative corruption, and [it] operates programs not bound by U.S. laws on abortion, needle exchange, prostitution/trafficking policy and others."

Over five years, the new PEPFAR bill would give the Global Fund $10 billion -- a quarter of the fund's budget. But the U.S. has only one vote out of 20 on how the money is spent.

The senators also want to reinstate wording from the original PEPFAR bill specifying that 55% of AIDS monies will go for treatment.

Prevention first

An AIDS-prevention authority on the frontlines in Africa, Ruteikara agreed the Global Fund has serious problems that merit more U.S. oversight, but he questioned whether 55% of AIDS monies should be spent on treatment.

"HIV-testing and treatment are good, but they won't stop the pandemic," Ruteikara said. "With six Africans becoming infected for every person who gains access to treatment, we can't treat our way out of this tragedy. Effective prevention must come first."

Coburn, a physician, and others have argued that anti-retroviral treatment will do more than just prolong lives; it will prevent new AIDS cases by making the HIV virus less infectious and, therefore, less likely to be transmitted.

But in The Lancet, a leading British medical journal, James Shelton of USAID called this theory a "myth" unsupported by science. Shelton observed that as people become healthier on anti-retroviral treatment, they're likely to become more sexually active, creating further chances for the virus to spread.

Physician Norman Hearst of the University of California, San Francisco, agreed that "treatment is important, but it's not prevention."

"In sub-Saharan Africa, prevention must be linked to sexual behavior, because that's what fuels the pandemic," Hearst explained. Whereas most Westerners are monogamous -- one sex partner at a time -- many Africans, even when married, have one or two long-term lovers on the side. In a young-adult survey in Botswana, where one-third of the population carries the HIV virus, 43% of men and 17% of women reported having two or more regular lovers.

"The latest evidence shows it's these long-term, overlapping multiple partnerships that drive the pandemic," Hearst said. "This new scientific understanding that the African pandemic is fueled by people having more than one current sex partner explains why public-health campaigns urging sexually active adults to be faithful have worked so well in Africa."

ABC

Between 1991 and 2002, Ugandans lowered the proportion of the population infected with HIV from 21% to 6% with their famous ABC (Abstain, Be faithful, or use a Condom) campaign -- with "B" as the pillar. "We promoted fidelity for sexually active people, abstinence for young people, and condoms only as a last resort," Ruteikara said.

In response to the campaign, the number of Ugandan men embracing monogamy shot up from 59% to 79% -- and the number of faithful women rose from 79% to 91%. Rates of new HIV infections fell by two-thirds.

"Uganda provides the clearest example that HIV is preventable if populations are mobilized to avoid risk," Cambridge University researchers Rand Stoneburner and Daniel Low-Beer wrote in Science magazine. They likened Uganda's plunge in casual sex to the equivalent of an AIDS vaccine that's 80% effective.

What's more, prevention advocates say, sexual behavior change is a bargain. "HIV treatment costs an estimated $1,000-per-patient per added year of life. Uganda's successful prevention campaign cost less than 30 cents per person per year," says Edward Green, head of Harvard's AIDS Prevention Research Project.

"Because we knew what to do in our country, we succeeded," Ruteikara wrote in the Post. But he said that when "international AIDS experts" arrived in Uganda, they came with their own "casual-sex agendas," which they forced on Africans -- even to the point of rewriting Uganda's National Strategic Plan, which guides how PEPFAR money is spent.

Ruteikara reported that he and his fellow Ugandans would repeatedly put abstinence and fidelity into the National Strategic Plan. "Repeatedly, foreign advisors erased our recommendations. When the document draft was published, fidelity and abstinence were missing." Meanwhile, a suspicious statistic blaming most HIV infections on marriage appeared. Repeated requests for the source of the statistic have gone unanswered, the priest said.

"As fidelity and abstinence have been subverted, Uganda's HIV rates have begun to tick back up," Ruteikara wrote. "The Western media have been told this renewed surge of HIV infection is because there are 'not enough condoms in Uganda,' even though we have many more condoms now than we did in the early 1990s, when our HIV rates began to decline."

Off course

Green said that Western "sexual freedom ideologies" have caused successful AIDS-prevention strategies to be derailed in Africa, perhaps costing millions of lives.

"If AIDS prevention is to be based on [scientific] evidence rather than ideology or bias, then fidelity and abstinence programs need to be at the center of programs for general populations. [...] What the churches are inclined to do anyway turns out to be what works best in AIDS prevention," Green and his Harvard colleague Allison Herling Ruark wrote in the April issue of First Things.

In a 2004 "common ground" statement in The Lancet, 150 global AIDS-prevention leaders agreed fidelity should be the first-line prevention strategy for population-wide epidemics like those in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Senate bill mentions fidelity, but not as a central priority. Instead, the initiative, if passed, will fund a wide array of commodities and services to combat AIDS indirectly -- from HIV tests and Chlamydia treatments to female condoms. The latter are more expensive than male condoms -- and so unpopular in Africa that Uganda has stopped importing them.

Only 20% of funds in the new PEPFAR bill would go for prevention. Ruteikara would like to see that percentage doubled until the pandemic is under control.

The only hint of a spending requirement for fidelity in the current bill is a clause stating that in the event a country chooses to spend less than half its prevention funding on fidelity and abstinence programs, a report must be sent to Congress.

The bill also calls for preventing 12 million new HIV infections worldwide, but doesn't specify how.

Calling for HIV/AIDS profiteers to "let [his] people go," Ruteikara wrote, "We understand that casual sex is dear to you, but staying alive is dear to us. Listen to African wisdom, and we will show you how to prevent AIDS."

Green said, "This is a challenging moment for Congress to unite behind objective scientific evidence, and do the right thing. If Congress puts fidelity promotions at the center of our AIDS response, billions of tax dollars will be effectively spent and millions of African lives will be saved."

CondomDepot.com Signs an Exclusive Deal With Bravo Condoms

2008-06-30T12:40:00.009-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4400 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
June 30, 2008

CondomDepot.com brings on a new line of ultra thin condoms...Bravo Condoms. CondomDepot.com signs an exclusive deal with Bravo Condoms to sell and distribute their condoms. As a special offer to Condom Depot customers, the web site is selling a 4 Wallet Pack for $11.99. Unique and stylish in its packaging, Bravo Condoms come packaged in 'The Wallet', which contains 3 "Wicked Thin" Bravo Condoms, a Bravo Lion sticker, a Bravo-stash Baggie, and an Information Booklet. For a limited time, our customers can get 4 Wallers (a total of 12 condoms) at a great price of $11.99

Bravo condoms are extremely thin for ultra sensitivity and strength that our customers depend on. We are confident that our customers will be repeat customers of this brand for years to come.

For more information on Bravo condoms, please see the Bravo Condoms page.

BRAVO WICKED THIN CONDOMS
These are Bravo's high-end 49mm straight walled condoms. Offering a bit snugger hug, their sheer thinness, silky quality latex, and vanilla scented lubricant place them in a league of their own.

BRAVO LARGE WICKED THIN CONDOMS
Giving you some more room for your zone, Bravo's Large Wicked Thin condoms are 54mm from base to head. The parallel walled design offers optimal strength and sensitivity, while the vanilla scented lube masks any latex odor. When it comes to Bravo Condoms, thin is in.

ABOUT BRAVO CONDOMS - Deeply rooted in the extreme sports industry, Bravo's mission is to save lives and ensure that good times stay good times. We are the first condom company to charge into today's culture and force progression in the industry with our innovative products and responsible image. Our focus is sponsoring pro athletes, bands, and artists who carry our company's message and style to the masses through their supernatural abilities. Our products are quality. Our approach is professional.
Life is radical; protect it... Bravo!

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

###

FOXSexpert: The Joys of Summer Sex

2008-06-27T11:08:00.002-04:00

By Yvonne K. Fulbright

FoxNews.com

It's the one thing hotter than the weather these days - sultry summer sex. You can all but fan yourself (among other things) thinking about it.

But what is it about the summer season that makes us so much more aroused?

There are a number of reasons summertime awakens one's libido. Males, in particular, respond greatly to external, visual triggers, like the sudden influx of women in bikinis, sundresses, mini-skirts and halter-tops. But it's not just this full moon effect of the scantily-clad that has us all howling with desire:

- Sunlight warms the libido.

You're likelier to feel more consumed with lust when it's sunny. It's hypothesized that sunlight helps to produce a hormone, MSH, which is linked to sexual desire. Also, sunlight stimulates the pineal gland, which reduces the amount of the body's hormone melatonin, elevating our mood and awakening our sex drive.

- Everyone looks sexier.

Men are hotter than ever; their summer clothes are showing off those toned arms and firm buttocks. Women have a sun-kissed, blushed appearance - the same appearance we have right after sex. This is the time for women to strip down and flaunt their assets, like our cleavage. Finally, a tan makes our curves and muscles seem more prominent, so we sport fewer clothes. No matter what your gender, feeling better about your healthy summer self helps you to exude confidence and project energy that is infectious - and sexy!

- There’s nothing like sweaty sex.

Salty kisses, the slick sliding of body parts, and wet hair spraying droplets of water onto your lover are among the many sensations that make sweaty sex raw and uninhibited.

On a summer’s evening, in a sweltering bedroom . . . the wetter, the better!

Couples hit every inch of their bed. No position goes untried. No sheet goes unsoaked. In creating sweaty, summer sex sessions, couples forgo air conditioning and make their own rainforest in no time.

- People quit hibernating.

Many lovers hole up in winter, eating more, exercising less, and are pathetically lazier. This sluggish state can affect one's sex life, making for less action. The "let there be light" of summer takes on whole new meaning in shaking off the winter blues. As lovers soak up the sun, their spirits are lifted and their energy levels swell. They are moving more, eating lighter meals - and feeling better about their physiques. Lovers find themselves in a completely different state of mind, with sex on the brain.

- Rest and relaxation.

Couples tend to go on vacation during the summer, reaping the benefits of a romantic destination. Submerged in a new environment, they thrive off a sense of adventure that emboldens their sexual ventures. With vacation lending itself to better moods, lovers find themselves experiencing increased sexual desire and response.

Being away from their laptops and cell phones further boosts a couple's summer "sexperiences." Far from office and home demands, couples feel more relaxed. The effects of simply loosening up make for more amazing intimacy, and many couples experience a boost in the quality and quantity of sex. They also appreciate the fact that they're focusing on nothing more than their relationship and each other.

- Becoming one with nature.

Summer means hiking for a lot of couples, which invites plenty of opportunities for outdoor sex. Deep in the woods and feeling one with the Earth, lovers can shed their inhibitions and go for an animalistic shag.

- Bare, smooth skin.

With bikini season comes increased nether region maintenance. Lovers step up their grooming, shaving, plucking and waxing on a more regular basis. This invites more sensations, which can have people bearing even less.

— Skinny dipping.

Summer's red hot couple can't resist an inviting body of water. A cool dip doesn't snuff out the action, however. Between weightlessness, new maneuvers, and getting wet, couples adore water sex. Just don't forget to come up for air!

- Sex on the beach.

Whether on a private beach or tucked under a big beach towel, couples like to get fresh on the seashore. Those with exhibitionistic tendencies seem to enjoy such sex even more. The risk and danger of getting caught produces dopamine, which stimulates sexual excitement. No matter what, it doesn't hurt to have a beach umbrella handy.

Just remember, no matter what the time of year, sex, like any other exercise, can result in overheating if you exert yourself for a long period of time in a hot, humid space. If you long to make love in such an environment, avoid dehydration, by drinking plenty of fluids. Taking out-of-control action to a cool shower can help keep your motor running at a comfortable temperature as well.

In the Know Sex News . . .

-New York City to Buy Female Condoms. In an effort to curb HIV/AIDS, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has allotted $2 million to make female condoms available in health clinics and organizations citywide. Health officials said they need to increase the supply due to the condoms' popularity. These condoms cost about $3 a piece, versus the male condom, which sells for $1.

- Safe Sex Programs Really Do Benefit Teens. A study from the University of Kentucky found that safer sex programming appears to nurture positive attitudes toward practices that help to avoid the acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases. Approximately 48 percent of the nearly 19 million cases of STDs that occur in the U.S. every year are among those between the ages of 14- and 24--years-old.

- Pregnancy Intention Impacts Timing of Birth. According to an article in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, women who do not intend to get pregnant have a greater likelihood of having a preterm birth.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, "Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots."

CondomDepot.com Continues to Spread Their Safe Sex Message with Upcoming Sponsorships in UFC 86 on July 5th

2008-06-26T11:17:00.006-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4400 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
June 26, 2008
www.condomdepot.com

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com has made its presence known amongst MMA fans for over the past year. With its numerous sponsorships for MMA fighters such as Chris "The Crippler" Leben and Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, just to name a few, CondomDepot.com has been able to utilize their sponsorships to also spread a safe sex message amongst its many millions of fans, while providing the helpful support to the fighters. CondomDepot.com will continue to show its support through their upcoming sponsorship of Tyson Griffin and Chris "Lights Out" Lytle for UFC 86 on July 5th.

Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that has grown tremendously in popularity. With the risks of STDs and other sexually transmitted diseases, Condom Depot has found an avenue through the sponsorships of these MMA fighters to increase safe sex awareness. In addition, seeing the CondomDepot.com logo displayed on the fighter's clothing will make the fans aware that there is a reliable web site available in which he or she can purchase condoms from the comfort of their own home, instead of having to walking in to a store front, which can be an uncomfortable experience for some.

UFC 86 will be broadcasted on PPV Live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on July 5th. Tyson Griffin will be taking on Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio and Chris Lytle will be fighting against Josh Koscheck.

"We are proud to support such wonderful and talented fighters such as Tyson Griffin and Chris "Lights Out" Lytle In the past we have sponsored talented fighters including Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, Chris "The Crippler" Leben, and Pete "Drago" Sell, Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga, and Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. We will continue to support these hard working fighters and spread a positive safe sex message," states John Fidi, Vice President of CondomDepot.com.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

Unsafe Sex In The City: Fewer People Using Condoms

2008-06-25T14:20:00.002-04:00

By: Kate Sullivan
wcbstv.com

NEW YORK (CBS) - A new study shows more and more New Yorkers are putting themselves at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases because fewer people are using condoms.

Public service announcements have been a part of the New York City health department's campaign to get more people to use condoms. Although the department has distributed some 48 million condoms since last year, officials say not enough New Yorkers are heeding the warnings.

The department surveyed 10,000 adults in the five boroughs, and found that many are putting themselves at risk by having unsafe sex.

Forty percent of all New Yorkers engaged in sex without a condom with multiple partners.

In a year that has seen sex scandals involving top local politicians, the survey also addresses the issue of cheating. Five percent of New Yorkers admitted to having sex outside their relationship.

Men are three times more likely than women to report multiple partners.

In 2006, more than half of all New York City pregnancies were unplanned and more than 60,000 new cases of STD's were reported.

For today's seniors, it's never too late for sex education

2008-06-19T10:20:00.002-04:00

HOW TO BE ACTIVE, STAY SAFE?

By Vianna Davila
Mercury News

Like any sex education seminar, this one covered the familiar topics: how to use a condom, how to protect against sexually transmitted disease. But some of the questions - How will Viagra affect my heart medication? Where does an 82-year-old man meet women? - signaled that the needs of this particular group were, perhaps, a little different.

News flash: Older people are having sex, and increasingly open about wanting to enjoy it. But with pleasure comes complications. Today's seniors are learning they are vulnerable to STDs and HIV; this week, Stanford and Veterans Affairs researchers released a study demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of HIV/AIDS testing for adults age 75 and up.

Add disease to the list of other challenges - learning how to work with an aging body, navigating a romantic realm that now includes online dating and sex toys - and suddenly it's a whole new world for seniors.

"I think as seniors get older, they need a lot more information," said Larry Saltman, 73, of San Jose, "because we're not dead yet."

Saltman was among the seniors who attended a "Sexuality and Aging" seminar sponsored by the San Jose Office on Aging. Today, representatives will discuss offering similar talks at all the city's senior centers.

Already, signs suggest the sessions will be popular. Pfizer claims Viagra has helped 25 million men. Baby boomers, the same folks who led the sexual revolution in the 1960s, now are becoming senior citizens.

After marching for sex, "They're thinking, 'Wait a minute, maybe I still deserve to have some,' " said Bryna Barsky-Ex, a psychologist and sex therapist with Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa, who has counseled couples in their late 90s about how to enjoy their sexuality.

Different times

But generations like Saltman's did not grow up with the same comprehensive sex education offered today in most schools; these men and women were at least in their 40s and 50s when AIDS appeared on the scene.

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 15 percent of new HIV cases in the United States were among people over 50.

Saltman, who sits on the San Jose Senior Citizens Commission, suggested a sexuality session after he and his wife, Linda, saw a program about the rising rates of STDs and HIV in older adults.

Last week's program, led by Barsky-Ex, was a reminder that seniors can have fun but also need to protect themselves, he said.

"Sexuality is not just for the young or the pretty or for penises working perfectly," Barsky-Ex said. "It's for everybody."

Saltman still speaks in the accent of his native Boston, where he said it was a "no-no to talk about anything like this" when he was young.

But the conversations are becoming easier. Nearly 40 people - some with canes and ranging from 60 to 90 years old - attended the seminar.

"Sometimes it was really quiet, like, 'Ooh,' " said Linda Saltman, 69, describing the session, which covered everything from lubrication to vibrators. "And then, when it was over, everybody was smiling."

But the topic can make some a little antsy.

"To be honest with you, this is the first time I've even given it thought," said Nasario Gutierrez, a gerontology specialist with Gardner Senior Center.

Uncomfortable topic

Dr. Susan Kegeles, co-director for the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California-San Francisco, said people are often uncomfortable talking about sexuality; discussing the sexual proclivities of the elderly is even harder.

While the prevalence of sexual activity decreases with age, men and women still have sex well into their 80s and 90s, according to a study last year in the New England Journal of Medicine.

But as more people divorce now, the chance of contracting diseases through multiple partners increases.

Jane Fowler's HIV-positive diagnosis at age 55 came as a shock. The few times she had sex after her marriage ended, condoms seemed unnecessary; she thought of them only as contraception.

"There is this denial among older people that this can happen to them," said Fowler, now 73 and the founder of HIV Wisdom for Older Women, based in Kansas City, Kan.

In Santa Clara County, people over 60 make up only 1.2 percent of the total number of HIV or AIDS patients. Those 50 to 59 years old make up 8.8 percent of the county's HIV/AIDS population, said Joy Alexiou, county public health department spokeswoman.

Experts said sex education is key to ensuring the percentages stay down. Just as important: learning that sex is about more than intercourse.

"Seniors need companionship," Saltman said. "Even if it's just touch, feel, the idea that somebody gives a hoot."

"It's part of life," said his wife, Linda. "Why keep it a secret?"

'Pro-Life' Drugstores Market Beliefs

2008-06-16T12:50:00.001-04:00

No Contraceptives For Chantilly Shop

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 16, 2008; A01

When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away.

That's because the drugstore, located in a typical shopping plaza featuring a Ruby Tuesday, a Papa John's and a KMart, will be a "pro-life pharmacy" -- meaning, among other things, that it will eschew all contraceptives.

The pharmacy is one of a small but growing number of drugstores around the country that have become the latest front in a conflict pitting patients' rights against those of health-care workers who assert a "right of conscience" to refuse to provide care or products that they find objectionable.

"The United States was founded on the idea that people act on their conscience -- that they have a sense of right and wrong and do what they think is right and moral," said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel at the Thomas More Society, a Chicago public-interest law firm that is defending a pharmacist who was fined and reprimanded for refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control pills. "Every pharmacist has the right to do the same thing," Brejcha said.

But critics say the stores could create dangerous obstacles for women seeking legal, safe and widely used birth control methods.

"I'm very, very troubled by this," said Marcia Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center, a Washington advocacy group. "Contraception is essential for women's health. A pharmacy like this is walling off an essential part of health care. That could endanger women's health."

The pharmacies are emerging at a time when a variety of health-care workers are refusing to perform medical procedures they find objectionable. Fertility doctors have refused to inseminate gay women. Ambulance drivers have refused to transport patients for abortions. Anesthesiologists have refused to assist in sterilizations.

The most common, widely publicized conflicts have involved pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills, morning-after pills and other forms of contraception. They say they believe that such methods can cause what amounts to an abortion and that the contraceptives promote promiscuity, divorce, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and other societal woes. The result has been confrontations that have left women traumatized and resulted in pharmacists being fired, fined or reprimanded.

In response, some pharmacists have stopped carrying the products or have opened pharmacies that do not stock any.

"This allows a pharmacist who does not wish to be involved in stopping a human life in any way to practice in a way that feels comfortable," said Karen Brauer, president of Pharmacists for Life International, which promotes a pharmacist's right to refuse to fill such prescriptions. The group's Web Site lists seven pharmacies around the country that have signed a pledge to follow "pro-life" guidelines, but Brauer said there are many others.

"It's just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "And there's new ones happening all the time."

Some pro-life pharmacies are identical to typical drugstores except that they do not stock some or all forms of contraception. Others also refuse to sell tobacco, rolling papers or pornography. Many offer "alternative" products, including individually compounded prescription drugs, as well as vitamins and homeopathic and herbal remedies.

"We try to practice pharmacy in a way that we feel is best to help our community and promote healthy lifestyles," said Lloyd Duplantis, who owns Lloyd's Remedies in Gray, La., and is a deacon in his Catholic church. "After researching the science behind steroidal contraceptives, I decided they could hurt the woman and possibly hurt her unborn child. I decided to opt out."

Some critics question how such pharmacies justify carrying drugs, such as Viagara, for male reproductive issues, but not those for women.

"Why do you care about the sexual health of men but not women?" asked Anita L. Nelson, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "If he gets his Viagra, why can't she get her contraception?"

The DMC Pharmacy opening in August marks an expansion by Divine Mercy Care in Fairfax, a nonprofit health-care organization that adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The group runs the Tepeyac Family center, an obstetrics-gynecology practice in Fairfax that offers "natural family planning" instead of contraceptives, sterilization or abortion.

"We're trying not to leave our faith at the door," said John Bruchalski, who chairs the group's board of directors, noting that one of the organization's major goals is helping needy, uninsured patients obtain health care. "We're trying to create an environment where belief and professionalism come together."

Like the doctors, nurses and other staff members at Tepeyac, Robert Semler, the pharmacist who will run DMC Pharmacy, plans to start each workday with a prayer with his staff, which at first will just be his wife, Pam, a nurse.

"Being a faith-based workplace, it's a logical thing to do," Semler said.

Bioethicists disagree about the pharmacies. Some argue that they are consistent with national values that accommodate a spectrum of beliefs.

"In general, I think product differentiation expressive of differing values is a very good thing for a free, pluralistic society," said Loren E. Lomasky, a bioethicist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "If we can have 20 different brands of toothpaste, why not a few different conceptions of how pharmacies ought to operate?"

Others maintain that pharmacists, like other professionals, have a responsibility to put their patients' needs ahead of their personal beliefs.

"If you are a health-care professional, you are bound by professional obligations,"said Nancy Berlinger, deputy director of the Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank in Garrison, N.Y. "You can't say you won't do part of that profession."

California, New Jersey, Illinois and Washington state recently began requiring pharmacies to fill all prescriptions or help women fill them elsewhere, and at least another 10 states are considering such requirements. But some states exempt pharmacies that do not generally stock contraceptives, and it is unclear how other existing rules and laws and those being considered would apply to those pharmacies.

"These are uncharted waters, since the issue of so-called pro-life pharmacies are so new," said Elizabeth Nash, a public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a private, nonprofit organization that researches reproductive issues.

Virginia does not have any laws or regulations that would prohibit a pro-life pharmacy, and is not considering adopting any, according to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.

Critics also worry that women might unsuspectingly seek contraceptives at such a store and be humiliated, or that women needing the morning-after pill, which is most effective when used quickly, may waste precious time.

"Rape victims could end up in a pharmacy not understanding this pharmacy will not meet their needs," Greenberger said. "We've seen an alarming development of pharmacists over the last several years refusing to fill prescriptions, and sometimes even taking the prescription from the woman and refusing to give it back to her so she can fill it in another pharmacy."

Pharmacists at eight pro-life drugstores contacted by The Washington Post said they would not actively interfere with a woman trying to fill a prescription elsewhere, but none posts signs announcing restrictions or offers to help women get what they need elsewhere.

"If I don't believe something is right, the last thing I want to do is refer to someone else," said Michael G. Koelzer, who owns Kay Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It's up to that person to be able to find it."

Semler, at DMC Pharmacy, said he does not feel that will be an impediment.

"We just say there are other pharmacies in the area they can go to," he said, noting that the Kmart across the parking lot has a pharmacy and that there are several other national chains nearby. "We're not threatening anybody. We're just trying to serve a niche market of like-minded individuals."

But others worry about what will happen if such pharmacies proliferate, especially in rural areas.

"We may find ourselves with whole regions of the country where virtually every pharmacy follows these limiting, discriminatory policies and women are unable to access legal, physician-prescribed medications," said R. Alta Charo, a University of Wisconsin lawyer and bioethicist. "We're talking about creating a separate universe of pharmacies that puts women at a disadvantage."

Condom message gets stronger as disease rates rise

2008-06-10T13:25:00.003-04:00

Jennifer Parks, Canwest News Service, canada.com

EDMONTON - Today's teens and 20-somethings grew up with safer-sex slogans and celebrity-endorsed condom campaigns. They learned from parents, teachers, government and the media, the grim realities of HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

Their after-school TV specials dispensed the "no glove, no love" moral, and hip anti-STI messages still reach them on-the-go via cellphone or the Internet.

There's no doubt young people can talk the talk about safer sex, but are they walking the walk?

"Knowing all about safe sex doesn't mean we're practicing it," says Susie Ross, a Yukon-based sexual health advocate who thinks we need new strategies to get an old message across about condom use.

By the age of 15, many of today's young people already have had sex, and despite access to information about contraception, the rate of condom use among youth aged 15 to 24 has declined over the last decade, according to the 2007 Baseline Study on Sexual Health in Canada.

With STIs on the rise, Ross wonders what it will take to reverse a troubling trend.

"Information isn't enough to change people's behaviour. You have to start a conversation, create a comfort level. Meet people where they are. We still haven't normalized condom use," says Ross, who will discuss how creative condom campaigns in the Yukon have gotten people talking, at the Guelph Sexuality Conference, next month.

School and parents are still youths' main source for sexual health information, explains Ross. But our increasingly in-your-face media-based culture has extreme power to shape people's attitudes and behaviour, she says.

The Yukon government launched a safer-sex campaign in 2004 in which they distributed matchbook-style condom wrappers with holiday themes and hip, fun messages like "Wrap it up for someone you love" for Christmas, and ""Feeling Lucky? Don't count on luck," for St. Patrick's Day.

"They were edgy and got people talking. They're still talking," says Ross, noting groups and organizations have continued ordering the custom condoms. "Youth are happy to take them because they don't look like a condom. And this way they've got them, so in the moment of passion, they'll be more likely to use them."

Their health unit also designed a series of sports-themed condom wrappers for the last Canada Winter Games that were so popular, the athletes traded them and tried to collect all six, says Ross.

"Trading pins is so passe. Now, we're trading condoms."

Canada's STI rates have steadily risen since 1997; Alberta's gonorrhea and chlamydia rates are higher than national rates, and those most affected are youth under 25, especially women, says the baseline study.

"Just saying 'Wear a condom' isn't good enough anymore. That's old hat," says Barbara Anderson of Capital Health in Edmonton (capitalhealth.ca).

"You need to teach skills in using condoms, provide free access, and talk about the things that get in the way of safer sex."

"Condom fatigue" is responsible for the decline in condom use among young people, as well as for the current STI spike, says Carol Carrozza, vice-president of marketing for Lifestyles condoms.

"Gen X and Y were brought up with the condom vernacular. They know they need to use it, but they're not experiencing the full message," says Carrozza, who is in the midst of promoting Lifestyles' condom-dispensing Make-out Booth, which is making its way through bars and nightclubs across the U.S.

"The idea is to reach people where they're partying and hooking up. The booth takes your picture like the old-style photo booths, and dispenses free condoms," says Carrozza.

"Twenty years ago, the idea never would have flown. In the late '80s or early '90s we had to take down posters just because they contained the word 'condom.' Today's message has to be abrupt, in-your-face and relevant to young people's lives."

Planned Parenthood Edmonton puts out custom condom carriers. The case comes with two condoms and a "tube of lube" to "increase the chances of having protected sex."

At HIV Edmonton, anyone can buy a box of 144 condoms at the discounted price of $21.50. The organization uses peer-based education to reach high school students with a broader message than in the past.

"The focus is not just on safe sex, but on complete healthy sexuality," says HIV Edmonton executive director Debra Jakubec. "People still find it hard to talk about sex, so if we can get them more comfortable, it's easier to move forward."

You're never too old to get an STD

2008-06-09T08:30:00.002-04:00

By Judy Rupp, commentary, enidnews.com

Maria was offended when her daughter started to lecture her about safe sex. At age 78, she had been a widow for 11 years, and her relationship with Edward was filling an important need in her life.

"We are not going to get married," she told her daughter, "because that would complicate matters with our property and our children. And I'm too old to get pregnant. So what is it that you're so worried about?"

"STDs," her daughter answered. "Sexually transmitted diseases."

An AARP survey in 2007 found 85 percent of Americans 65 and older had some kind of intimate experience at least once a week; less than 5 percent considered themselves "too old" for sex. And sexually transmitted diseases are spreading rather rapidly among the senior set. According to Centers for Disease Control, at least 10 percent of new AIDS cases every year occur among persons age 50 and older.

One reason for the change in attitude among seniors regarding sex - if there has indeed been a change - may be the introduction of erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. ED affects at least 25 percent of males by age 65, and that percentage increases with each passing year.

For many of the erectile problems facing older males, these drugs have a high rate of effectiveness. But they do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

Unlike the younger generations, most older Americans did not have the benefit of sex education in school. And after several decades of a monogamous relationship, they may not have bothered to inform themselves about STDs. One survey found 47 percent of women older than 50 knew little or nothing about AIDS.

The most reliable protection against STDs is the use of condoms. Women past child-bearing age do not think readily of condoms. And even with the help of Viagra, many older men may find them tricky to use effectively.

AIDS: There are more than 20 sexually transmitted diseases, and, while many of them can be cured easily with antibiotics, they often go undetected. And nearly all of them increase the risk of AIDS.

With a weakened immune system and thinning of vaginal walls, an older person may be more vulnerable than a younger person to HIV, and early symptoms are sometimes difficult to distinguish from changes associated with aging or with chronic medical conditions. Dementia, ordinarily a very late symptom of AIDS, is the presenting symptom for as many as 10 percent of cases in persons older than 60.

In addition to ignorance, seniors are hampered often by denial. A married man who is having extramarital gay sex or sex with a prostitute is not going to want to admit it to his family or even to his doctor. A widowed or divorced male who is dating regularly likewise may be reluctant to admit he is having sex with multiple partners.

Major risk factors for STDs, in addition to failure to use condoms, are: 1) sex with multiple partners and 2) sex with someone who is having sex with multiple partners. Both of these scenarios are becoming increasingly common among seniors in the community and even those in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. As Maria’s daughter reminded her, the rules of safe sex - including mutual monogamy - hold regardless of age.

SYPHILIS: Once the most feared of STDs, syphilis still is around and still highly contagious, although treatable with antibiotics. Left untreated, syphilis can lead to severe neurophysical impairments such as complete or partial paralysis, progressive dementia, blindness or deafness.

GONORRHEA, CHLAMYDIA: Gonorrhea often is detected by painful urination or discharge from the penis or vagina. More than a million infections occur each year in the United States, and about 60 percent of patients with gonorrhea also have a chlamydia infection. Chlamydia, the most commonly reported STD in the United States, can increase the risk of sterility, pelvic inflammatory disease and ovarian cancer as well as HIV.

HERPES: About 45 million Americans are infected with a herpes virus. Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth. Herpes simplex type 2 ((HSV-2), is genital herpes.

It once was believed HSV-1 was transmitted primarily above the waist. A recent study found women who received oral sex were nine times more likely than abstinent women to become infected with HSV-1. Vaginal sex increased the risk six-fold. The study could not prove kissing was not the means of transmission.

HPV or human papillomavirus can be spread by intimate skin-to-skin contact that does not necessarily include sexual intercourse. That’s a type of intimacy probably relatively common among older adults. And it is not necessarily prevented by use of condoms.

Although usually manifested in genital or anal warts, HPV often exists with no symptoms or with warts that disappear after a few years. As a result, many individuals are infected without knowing it. On the other hand, only a few of the many strains of warts that can occur in the genital region or elsewhere on the skin are precursors of cervical cancer.

The important thing for health care professionals and adult children to keep in mind is sex is a drive that does not stop at a certain age, at least for most adults. Nor should it stop. Sexual intimacy provides pleasure and a sense of self fulfillment; and research has found regular sex helps prolong life.

Whatever message Maria gave to her daughter years ago, the message her daughter is giving back today is not abstinence but "keep yourself safe."

Teens Having More Sex and Using Fewer Condoms, U.S. Study Says

2008-06-05T08:26:00.002-04:00

June 4 (Bloomberg) -- Teenagers are having more sex than they were in 2001 and condom use declined after the U.S. government increased spending to promote sexual abstinence.

The percentage of teens who said they had sex rose to 47.8 percent last year from 45.6 percent in 2001, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Condom use fell from 63 percent in 2003 to 61.5 percent in 2007, the survey of high school students found.

The Bush administration has more than doubled grants for abstinence programs since 1999 to a proposed $191 million in next year's budget. The programs limit discussions of contraceptives and advocate that teens avoid sex. The CDC study didn't attempt to explain why teen sex isn't declining and condom use isn't rising, as they were during the 1990s.

``We are concerned about what appears to be a flatting-out of sexual risk behaviors,'' said Howell Wechsler, director of CDC's division of adolescent and school health, in a conference call with reporters today.

Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for the government's Administration for Children and Families, said he had no immediate comment on the study.

The CDC study also found that Hispanic teenagers more often engaged in risky behavior than black or white teenagers. Hispanic teens were more likely to commit suicide or abuse intravenous drugs than their peers, the study said. More than 1 in 10 Hispanics said they had made a suicide plan in the last 12 months and about 7 percent attempted suicide.

`Do Something'

``That is alarming and unacceptable and we need to do something now,'' said Glenn Flores, professor of pediatrics and public health at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Hispanic teens' feelings of depression and hopelessness could come from difficulty integrating with American culture and economic strains on many immigrant families, Flores said.

The CDC has surveyed teenagers every two years since 1991. The 2007 results showed fewer teens engaged in risky behavior including sex, drinking and smoking cigarettes when compared with data from 10 to 16 years ago. The upswing in sex began in 2001 and the reduction in condom use began in 2003, the study said.

SOURCE: Shannon Pettypiece, bloomberg.com

The Real Deal on STDs - Raw Data

2008-06-01T20:52:00.002-04:00

Random facts and figures.
* One out of 4 women and one out of 5 men have no knowledge about their sexual partners' history.
* Two-thirds of 1,000 women age 18 to 60 knew nothing or very little about STDs (other than HIV/AIDS) in 1995.
* The highest at-risk groups are adolescents and gays. African American and Hispanic women are also in the high-risk group.
* The rate of unwanted pregnancies and incidence of disease is alarming.
* There are over 15,000,000 new cases of STDs a year.
* Over 70,000 Americans have a viral STD--like genital herpes, HIV/AIDS, or Hepatitis B.
* Individuals under 25 have two-thirds of the STD cases in the U.S.
* 1 out of 4 teens will contract an STD.
* 1,000,000 teenage pregnancies each year.

Rates of curable STD cases in the U.S. are the highest in the developed world.

* There are 150 STD cases per 100,000 in the U.S. versus 3 cases per 100,000 in Sweden.
* Over 70,000 Americans have viral STD--like genital herpes, HIV/AIDS, or hepatitis B.
* Viral STDs such as HPV, herpes, and hepatitis B are lifelong diseases.
* Many people experience no noticeable symptoms initially, but can still pass on the disease.
* Women are up to 5 times more likely to become infected and suffer more serious consequences.

Over 20,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

* 62% of those cases reported before 1996 have died (319,000 Americans).
* Women now represent 30% of new HIV/AIDS cases reported.
* 75% of the cases are from heterosexual sex.
* 3 out of 5 Americans with HIV were infected as teens.
* HIV infection rates are 10 times higher when STDs are not treated properly.

Sexual habits reinforce the need to use condoms.

* Age of sexual maturity is decreasing; age of marriage is increasing.
* More sex, more partners, more risk.
* 46% of teens (14-18) have had intercourse.
* 50% divorce rate means reentering the dating scene to deal with new health challenges.

Sources: American Social Health Association, CDC, Kaiser Foundation.

Gloucester birth control flap prompts resignations

2008-05-27T12:07:00.001-04:00

By Mike Underwood
www.bostonherald.com

Two fed-up medical officials have quit Gloucester High School's health center amid a teen pregnancy "crisis" in a fight over handing out condoms and birth-control pills.

Medical Director Dr. Brian Orr and chief nurse practitioner Kim Daly resigned in outrage after their recommendation to confidentially give contraceptives to students was rejected by Addison Gilbert Hospital, which administers state funding for the school clinic.

"We had 17 teen pregnancies this academic year . . . a real worsening of the problem," Orr told the Herald yesterday. Normally, the school has about four pregnancies per school year.

"We wanted a comprehensive program that would address this crisis, including giving condoms to the guys and oral contraceptives for teen women."

But, Orr said, the hospital rejected his proposal over fears it could be held liable if teen women suffered health complications after being given the pill.

"This risk is almost nil," said Orr, a pediatrician for 18 years.

He said the confidential distribution of contraceptives is practiced at many other school clinics in the state.

The hospital's executive director, Cindy Donaldson, expressed concern about community reaction as well liability if a teen had ill effects from taking contraceptives.

"I'm surprised to hear of the resignations," Donaldson told the Gloucester Daily Times.

"When the issue came up of confidential contraception around February, we said 'yikes,' " Donaldson was quoted as saying by her hometown paper.

Orr, who will continue to work for Cape Ann Pediatricians, said he felt he had no choice but to resign Friday from the school clinic.

"This was not an easy decision for me at all," he told the Herald. "I believe in this (program)."

Gloucester birth control flap prompts resignations

2008-05-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

By Mike Underwood
www.bostonherald.com

Two fed-up medical officials have quit Gloucester High School’s health center amid a teen pregnancy “crisis” in a fight over handing out condoms and birth-control pills.

“We had 17 teen pregnancies this academic year . . . a real worsening of the problem,” Orr told the Herald yesterday. Normally, the school has about four pregnancies per school year.

“We wanted a comprehensive program that would address this crisis, including giving condoms to the guys and oral contraceptives for teen women.”

But, Orr said, the hospital rejected his proposal over fears it could be held liable if teen women suffered health complications after being given the pill.

“This risk is almost nil,” said Orr, a pediatrician for 18 years.

He said the confidential distribution of contraceptives is practiced at many other school clinics in the state.

The hospital’s executive director, Cindy Donaldson, expressed concern about community reaction as well liability if a teen had ill effects from taking contraceptives.

“I’m surprised to hear of the resignations,” Donaldson told the Gloucester Daily Times.

“When the issue came up of confidential contraception around February, we said ‘yikes,’ ” Donaldson was quoted as saying by her hometown paper.

Orr, who will continue to work for Cape Ann Pediatricians, said he felt he had no choice but to resign Friday from the school clinic.

“This was not an easy decision for me at all,” he told the Herald. “I believe in this (program).”

Ex-surgeon general: Condoms, not promises, help teens

2008-05-22T13:02:00.000-04:00

Ex-surgeon general: Condoms, not promises, help teens

By JANET ELLIOTT
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN — Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders on Monday said condoms are more likely to protect teens against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy than vows of abstinence.

"Many of our children don't use condoms because we don't teach them about condoms," she said. "Our government tells them that condoms will break. I always say, the vows of abstinence break far more easily than latex condoms."

The 74-year-old pediatrician said the best place for children to get information about sexual health is from their parents.

She spoke outside a bus sponsored by condom manufacturer Trojan. The bus was at an Austin hotel where public health officials from around the state are attending the Texas HIV/STD conference sponsored by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Elders said she knows that many parents are uncomfortable talking about sexual issues with their children. But she said it is particularly important in Texas, where students receive little information at school beyond a message of abstinence.

President Bill Clinton named Elders the first African-American surgeon general in 1993 but fired her 15 months later after she made controversial remarks about masturbation after a speech at the United Nations on World AIDS Day.

She said she continues to speak out about the need to educate young people about safe sex because the United States is a "sexually unhealthy nation."

"Compared to other industrialized nations, we have one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates," she said. "More than 65 million people in our country have an incurable STD. These are just unacceptable numbers."

In March, a federal study found that at least 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease. Nearly half the black teens in the Centers for Disease Control study had at least one sexually transmitted infection, versus 20 percent among whites and Mexican-American teens.

The most common one is the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer, which was the subject of heated debate in Austin last year after Gov. Rick Perry ordered schoolgirls to be vaccinated against the virus. The Legislature overturned Perry's order and made the vaccine voluntary.

An estimated 100,000 new cases of STDs were reported in Texas last year, including 5,000 HIV infections. The state does not track HPV cases.

"We still have a major challenge with HIV and STDs, not only nationally but here in the state of Texas," said Dr. David Lakey, Texas health commissioner.

Prevention, early diagnoses and treatment are critically important in the fight against STDs, Lakey said.

CondomDepot.com Sponsors Thiago "Pit bull" Alves for the UFC 85 Main Event and Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio for UFC 86

2008-05-21T15:09:00.003-04:00

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com announces their sponsorship deals with mixed martial artists Thiago "Pit bull" Alves and Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio. CondomDepot.com will show their support for Alves as he takes on former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes in the UFC 85 Main Event. This sponsorship deal with Alves also marks the first time that CondomDepot.com will sponsor a fighter for the main event. CondomDepot.com who sponsored Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio for UFC Fight Night April in which he defeated Ryan "Are You Ready" Roberts, will be cheering for his victory again as he fights Tyson Griffin for UFC 86.

UFC 85 will be broadcasted live on PPV from the O2 Arena in London England on June 7^th. UFC 86 will be on PPV Live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on July 5^th.

"We are proud to support such wonderful and talented fighters, Thiago Alves and Marcus Aurelio. To be a fan of the UFC and participate as a sponsor is something that we are extremely proud of. In the past we have sponsored talented fighters including Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, Chris "The Crippler" Leben, and Pete "Drago" Sell, and Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga. Our participation as a sponsor for these fighters has also been a great way to nationally promote our positive safe sex message. Our entire staff will be cheering for Alves' and Aurelio's victory," states John Fidi, Vice President of CondomDepot.com.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16.

Birth control for men? They're working on it

2008-05-20T12:09:00.001-04:00

By AMY CRAWFORD
Columbia News Service, island packet.com

Published Tuesday, May 20, 2008

NEW YORK -- Though they didn't look like much, the white specks squirming under a microscope in researcher Debra Wolgemuth's lab could have a big impact in the high stakes world of controlling fertility, not for women but for men.

The specks were sperm from mice that had been treated with a new contraceptive. The healthy, swimming cells showed that the new drug did not have a permanent effect once the mice had gone off it. For Wolgemuth, this was an important first step toward one day testing the drug in human men.

Professor Wolgemuth and other researchers at Columbia University Medical Center were using the drug, called BMS-189453, to block retinoid receptors -- proteins that bond with vitamin A to turn on certain genes. The drug prevented sperm from developing normally, making the male mice unable to impregnate females.

"We demonstrated that the mice are infertile," explained Wolgemuth "We take them off the drug, and then after a certain period of time they're fertile again."

If the method works as well in humans, it could become a true contraceptive option for men. Maybe one day, biologist Sanny Chung said as she weighed mouse testes, "males can play a bigger role" in family planning.

NEW OPTIONS

Men, on the other hand, still have only two options for controlling their fertility.

"You have condoms, which are in the moment, and vasectomies, which are permanent, and nothing in between," said Elaine Lissner, founder of the nonprofit Male Contraceptive Information Project.

But researchers around the world are working on new options for male birth control, including retinoid blocking, implants that could be removed when a man decides to become a father, and even special underwear that prevent sperm production. A new analysis of 30 studies done between 1990 and 2006 shows that male hormonal contraception might not be that far away. One day, there could be two dial packs of birth control pills on the nightstand, one for her and one for him.

"The initial work toward producing contraceptives focused on women, because women get pregnant," explained Ronald Swerdloff, head of the endocrinology department at the University of California, Los Angeles, Harbor Medical Center. "That attitude has changed with the changing attitudes of partners. Women, in multiple surveys, have said they would like to share responsibility with a partner, just like we have come to believe that men and women should share economic and childcare roles."

Because of the commercial success of the female birth control pill, many researchers are trying to develop a men's pill, which would block sperm production using the body's chemical signals, just as the women's pill blocks ovulation.

Normally, a man's pituitary gland produces chemicals that tell the testes to make sperm and testosterone. A male hormonal contraceptive would consist of testosterone, along with the female hormone progestin. Once in the bloodstream, these hormones would tell the pituitary that the testes already had done their job, so the pituitary would not produce the signals.

"It's fooling the system," said Swerdloff, who worked on the new analysis. "The signals that normally regulate the system are used to turn it off." He uses the analogy of an air conditioner, which produces cool air until it gets the signal that the air is cool enough. "We want to turn off the thermostat, if you will."

NOT FOR EVERYONE

Swerdloff's analysis showed that this method works very well in about 86 percent of men. Unfortunately, it does not work for all men, and scientists do not yet understand why.

"That's what's kept it off the market," said John Amory, who studies male contraception at the University of Washington Medical Center. "After three months, you'd have to test them and tell one out of six people it didn't work. Hormones are still worth pursuing, but it's going to be a while."

Amory is working on an effective pill form of testosterone, which currently is administered as a gel or an injection. This could be helpful for contraception, as well as for men who have testosterone deficiency. Like Wolgemuth, at Columbia, Amory also is beginning to study retinoid blocking.

Wolgemuth thinks this method is promising, but she said that there still are questions she and her team would like to answer. They want to understand retinoids' role in sperm production more fully, and they need to determine how long the drug can be used before it damages the testes permanently. The next goal is to test the drug in monkeys, a step toward eventually testing it in humans.

Are men ready for this? Definitely, say researchers. In a 2002 survey of 9,000 men on four continents, more than half said they would use male hormonal birth control. Male hormonal birth control methods appear to have lower risks of side effects than female methods, which can be dangerous for some women, according to Swerdloff.

Methods such as the Intra-Vas Device, an implant that blocks the flow of sperm, and an injectable gel called RISUG would be ideal in developing countries, where access to pills or condoms is not always guaranteed, said Lissner.

Act Your Age - Get That Checkup

2008-05-16T09:13:00.001-04:00

Have you been to the doctor recently? Probably not, if you're like the men polled recently by CNN and Men's Health magazine. That survey showed that one-third of American men haven't had a checkup in the past year and that 9 million of them have not seen a doctor in five years.

Those statistics are problematic, says Gervais Fréchette, MD, Medical Director of Le Docteur and certified HIV specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Fréchette believes there are health risks for men at every age. Here's a guide to the self-exams, doctor's office visits, and vaccines Fréchette recommends you schedule, starting at age 20. In addition to the tests indicated, don't forget that during each year you're sexually active, you should request that your doctor screen you for STDs.

Monthly
Testicle self-exam: After a warm bath or shower, stand in front of a mirror to look for any unusual swelling on the skin of the scrotum. Hold one testicle with your index and middle finger underneath and your thumb on top. Gently roll the testicle between your fingers and thumb. Repeat with the other testicle. If you feel any lumps or bumps, call your doctor immediately.

Yearly
Skin self-exam: Look for any new growth or skin change on your face, head (use a blow dryer to see your scalp), hands, nails, elbows, arms, underarms, neck, chest, torso, back, shoulders, upper arms, butt, legs, feet and genitals. For information on the size, color and shape of melanoma, click here.

Dental exam: Your dentist or dental hygienist will examine, X-ray and clean your teeth.

Eye exam: Your doctor will give you a series of painless vision tests, like the eye muscle test (you'll be asked the track the movement of an object with your eyes), a visual acuity test (the traditional test where you're asked to read letters of the alphabet from 20 feet away) and refraction assessment (your doctor will shine a light into your eyes and observe the movement of the light reflected by your retina) and check for diseases like glaucoma. For more on what to expect at the eye doctor, click here.

Blood pressure test: Your doctor will use a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope to listen to the blood pumping through your artery. Ideal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm HG. The first number refers to the systolic pressure, or the amount of pressure the blood puts on the artery walls when the heart pumps; the second refers to diastolic pressure, or the pressure the blood puts on the artery walls between heartbeats.

Every five years
Cholesterol test: Cholesterol -- a soft, waxy substance found in your blood, necessary to help form cell membranes, but dangerous in high amounts -- is tested by having blood drawn and analyzed. The results will report the LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, and the HDL, or "good cholesterol." LDL levels above 160 mg/DL, HDL levels below 40 mg/DL, or a total cholesterol level of above 200 mg/LDL can put you at risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in men.

Monthly
Testicle self-exam: After a warm bath or shower, stand in front of a mirror to look for any unusual swelling on the skin of the scrotum. Hold one testicle with your index and middle finger underneath and your thumb on top. Gently roll the testicle between your fingers and thumb. Repeat with the other testicle. If you feel any lumps or bumps, call your doctor immediately.

Yearly
Skin self-exam: Look for any new growth or skin change on your face, head (use a blow dryer to see your scalp), hands, nails, elbows, arms, underarms, neck, chest, torso, back, shoulders, upper arms, butt, legs, feet and genitals. For information on the size, color and shape of melanoma, click here.

Dental exam: Your dentist or dental hygienist will examine, x-ray, and clean your teeth.

Eye exam: Your doctor will give you a series of painless vision tests, like the eye muscle test (you'll be asked the track the movement of an object with your eyes), a visual acuity test (the traditional test where you're asked to read letters of the alphabet from 20 feet away) and refraction assessment (your doctor will shine a light into your eyes and observe the movement of the light reflected by your retina) and check for diseases like glaucoma. For more on what to expect at the eye doctor, click here.

Blood pressure test: Your doctor will use a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope to listen to the blood pumping through your artery. Ideal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm HG. The first number refers to the systolic pressure, or the amount of pressure the blood puts on the artery walls when the heart pumps; the second refers to diastolic pressure, or the pressure the blood puts on the artery walls between heartbeats.

Flu shot: Made up of three dead influenza viruses, the flu shot causes your body to make antibodies that will attack the virus if you're exposed to it after the shot. It's best to get the flu shot in November or December, before flu season starts. For more info on the shot, click here.

Prostate exam: Consists of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam.

Stress test: Used to test for heart disease, a stress test is a 60-minute to-exhaustion exercise session done on a treadmill or stationary bike while electrodes attached to your chest measure your heart's electrical activity.

Every five years
Cholesterol test: Cholesterol -- a soft, waxy substance found in your blood, necessary to help form cell membranes, but dangerous in high amounts -- is tested by having blood drawn and analyzed. The results will report the LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, and the HDL, or "good cholesterol." LDL levels above 160 mg/DL, HDL levels below 40 mg/DL, or a total cholesterol level of above 200 mg/LDL can put you at risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in men.

Every 10 years
Colonoscopy: A 30- to 60-minute exam done by your doctor to inspect your colon and large intestine. After you receive sedating medication, a long, flexible colonoscope is inserted through your rectum and blows air into your colon to make it easier to see. During the exam, your doctor may remove polyps or a small amount of tissue for biopsy.

Tetanus booster: A shot to vaccinate you against tetanus, a medical condition usually caused by a bacteria-laden wound that can lead to dangerous stiffening of muscles.

In your 60s
Shingles vaccine: Given by your doctor, a one-time Zostavax vaccine will prevent shingles, a painful rash-producing infection caused by the dormant virus behind chicken pox.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.

SOURCE: Beth Dreher, PlanetOut.com

Reducing Your Risk for Breast Cancer

2008-05-13T08:49:00.001-04:00

By RONI CARYN RABIN, NEW YORK TIMES.COM

GO for regular checkups, do breast self-exams and get your mammograms on time, and chances are you'll detect breast cancer early on, when it is most treatable. But what about prevention? Short of radical surgery, are there steps you can take to reduce the risk?

Turns out there are.

True, immutable factors like genetics, a family's medical baggage and just being born female determine much of the risk of breast cancer. And, as with all cancers, that risk increases with age: a 30-year-old woman's chances of developing breast cancer over a 10-year period are less than half of 1 percent, or 1 in 234, while a 60-year-old has a 3.5 percent risk, or 1 in 28. (The often-heard "one in eight" figure refers to the lifetime risk that women face.)

But there is now solid evidence that lifestyle can play a role as well. Choices that have an effect include how much alcohol a woman drinks (none is best), the amount of physical activity she gets (the more the better) and whether she takes hormones (the less the better). Doctors also urge women to keep their weight down, as obesity increases the risk of developing breast cancer during the postmenopausal years.

"Breast cancer is a disease of how much estrogen you have in your body," said Heather Spencer Feigelson, strategic director of genetic epidemiology for the American Cancer Society, and these seemingly disparate factors - alcohol, physical activity and hormone pills - affect levels of estrogen and other hormones.

“There are things you can’t change, like when you got your first period, or your family history,” said Dr. Carolyn D. Runowicz, director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Conn., referring to two well-known risk factors, early menstruation and having a close relative with breast cancer. “But you can change a lot about you. Empower yourself with knowledge and information.”

Know your family's medical history — but even if there is no history of breast cancer, don't be complacent. Consult a genetic counselor if you are concerned about your family history, and inquire about being tested for the genetic mutations that increase breast cancer risk (more common among Ashkenazi Jews). Do not forget that breast cancer genes come from both sides of the family, not just your mother's.

Among relatives, “the special red flags” are premenopausal breast cancer, bilateral breast cancer (cancer that appears in both breasts) and ovarian cancer, said Dr. Larry Norton, deputy physician in chief of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. But even if no one in the family had breast cancer, that is no guarantee that you are safe, said Dr. Runowicz; in fact, only 10 percent of breast cancer patients have a family history.

Cut down on alcohol, or avoid it altogether. When it comes to breast cancer, studies have been pretty consistent: there is no safe amount of alcohol. Even one glass of wine a day can increase your risk slightly, and the risk climbs with each additional drink. "This is something you can control," said Jasmine Q. Lew, a student at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago who recently completed a National Institutes of Health study that is one of the largest on the subject. "Women can choose not to drink."

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Obesity after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer, so try to keep your weight down. But exercise is beneficial regardless of weight, and even a small amount of physical activity may be helpful. “Women who are overweight and exercising are at lower risk than those who are overweight and not exercising; women who are lean and exercising are at lower risk than women who are lean but not exercising,” Dr. Feigelson said. Risk drops with increased hours and strenuousness of exercise, and studies have found that women who do an average of three hours of strenuous exercise a week reduce their risk of breast cancer by 20 percent.

Breast-feed if you can. Early menstruation, late menopause, postponing pregnancy and never having gone through a full-term pregnancy increase the risk of breast cancer, but those factors cannot be changed easily. If you do have a baby, however, you may want to breast-feed, and the longer the better; studies have found that breast-feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Try not to take combined hormone therapy. The recommendation for all hormone therapy is to take the lowest dose for the shortest period necessary. A Women's Health Initiative study found a slightly higher risk for breast cancer among women who took estrogen with progestin after menopause, and a drop in breast cancer diagnoses since then has been attributed to the fact that many women quit using hormones. (In the same study, women on estrogen-only therapy, which is used by those who have had hysterectomies, did not have a higher breast-cancer risk.) A woman who has recently used birth control pills is also at greater risk; Dr. Norton urges women to find alternative contraceptive methods and avoid so-called natural or herbal hormones as well.

Have regular mammograms, but if you have very dense breast tissue or are at high risk of breast cancer for other reasons, insist on an M.R.I. as well. Having high breast-tissue density can drastically raise your risk of developing breast cancer, as does finding atypical hyperplasia, or abnormal cell growth, which is confirmed by a biopsy. After a mammogram, discuss the results with your physician. "Everyone just wants to hear that it’s negative," Dr. Runowicz said. But important information can be gleaned even from a negative screening, she said. “Learn about your breast density. If a biopsy shows hyperplasia, your doctor can put you on a chemoprevention program."

Become familiar with your personal risk factors. Your breast cancer risk could be higher than normal if you are above average height, upper middle class (probably related to the tendency to postpone childbearing and having fewer children), never had a full-term pregnancy or you had children after age 30, or if you ever had endometrial, ovarian or colon cancer or ever had high-dose radiation to the chest, your risk for breast cancer could be higher than average.

Media's Critical Role in Fighting HIV/Aids

2008-05-06T14:29:00.002-04:00

By Issa Sikiti Da Silva, allafrica.com

Various speakers and panellists, including Nelson Mandela's wife Graca Machel, who addressed delegates at the 2008 International Public Television (Input) Conference in Johannesburg, have launched a persuasive call to the media worldwide to play a critical role in combating HIV/Aids, which continues to wipe entire communities. "It is clear that with the digital developments the media can help spread a powerful message out there to make a difference," Dali Mpofu, SABC CEO and chairperson of Global Media Aids Initiative (GMAI), said.

"Broadcasters and other media organisations should make HIV/Aids part of their core business and use whatever resources they have, including airtime, to ensure that people take their future into their own hands," Mpofu said.

"Media can help change society by connecting their audiences with Aids-related services like how to prevent the disease, get VCT (voluntary counselling and testing) and treatment. If we are to be part of the solution, then we should busy ourselves to be creative and provide accurate and reliable information on the disease that can save lives."

Input 2008, which kicked off at the Sandton Convention Centre on Sunday 4 May 2008 and ends on Saturday 10 May, is being attended by over 1000 people, including broadcasters, senior business leaders and filmmakers, from more than 100 countries across the globe.

Centre of GMAI's mission

As HIV/Aids continues to tear society apart and feature prominently at the centre of GMAI's mission, the organisers thought it should be part of a lengthy discussion at the conference.

According to UNAIDS statistics, the number of people living with HIV/Aids globally rose from 29 million in 2001 to 33.2 million in 2007 (68% in southern Africa), primarily due to continuing new infections - something Mark Stirling, UNAIDS director of Eastern and Southern Africa, said could be reduced if the media can play a central role in the fight against the disease.

"As a gatekeeper, media must lead this fight and use its enormous power and influence to challenge certain social and cultural values and norms that make us vulnerable. Provoke the Aids debate and get the nation talking. So far you have done an amazing job, but I implore you to redouble efforts in order to change the face of this disease," Stirling pleaded.

Called on the media

Machel called on the media to segment their messages to reach specific audiences and shame and denounce governments and Western leaders if they fail to fulfill their promises on HIV/Aids.

"We cannot afford to talk only about global village when it comes to business but not talk about global village when it comes to human lives," she said.

"Our social intervention on HIV/Aids has been ineffective and prevention is not working, partly due to poverty and lack of resources, which mostly were promised but are yet to be fulfilled.

"Media must help us and invent new ways to spread their messages, perhaps be specific for each specific age group to enforce self-respect, good citizenship and sense of responsibility in these challenging times."

Rare and wonderful platform

Monicah Waceke, Ugandan Broadcasting Corporation programme manager, told Bizcommunity.com that the fact that global broadcasters and public media meet to discuss global issues affecting their respective societies and share ideas so how to solve them, makes Input a rare and wonderful platform.

GMAI, a worldwide coalition of over 300 broadcasting companies, was launched in 2004 by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Anan, to leverage the communication power of mass media to get out the information about HIV and challenge the stigma related to the disease.

GMAI's regional branches include the Africa Broadcast Media Partnership against HIV/Aids (ABMP). Partners include the Kaiser Family Foundation, Bill & Melinda Foundation, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, MTN SA Foundation and Nelson Mandela Foundation.

GMAI's next board meeting will take place in June in New York, US, Mpofu told Bizcommunty.com on the sidelines of the gathering.

Pledge to protection

2008-05-02T08:37:00.000-04:00

Trojan makes education tour

By: Drew Garver, dailytexanonline.com

Representatives from Trojan Condoms addressed both the sexually active and abstinent UT community on Thursday as part of its nationwide college tour.

"We are trying to get people to evolve past piggish behavior to being aware of the need for sexual safety," said Kari Kuka, spokeswoman and sexual health educator for the tour.

About 65 million Americans live with incurable sexually transmitted diseases, and another 19 million are diagnosed every year, Kuka said, adding that America has the highest rate of STD infections of any industrialized nation. This is made worse by the fact that only one in four sexual acts among singles involves the use of a condom, she said.

"It's important that we educate so that we can prevent these trends from continuing," Kuka said.

The Evolve Tour, which will stop at 65 college campuses nationwide, provides sexual education in the form of short videos and a lounge where

students can talk with sexual health educators. Students can also sign a pledge promising to use protection when engaging in any sexual acts, and students gave shout-outs to the UT community challenging members to live sexually healthy lives.

"It's pretty dang important to use protection so disease doesn't spread," said audiology graduate student Amanda Harris. "You have to contain the nasties."

Also central to the tour is a petition that asks people to commit to sexual education beyond the tour. Part of the petition calls for increased contraceptive advertising during prime time hours on basic television channels.

There are no laws restricting contraceptive advertising during prime time hours, but as a general rule, many of the biggest television stations decline to air ads during their prime time viewing hours, leaving contraceptive commercials to run late at night or on cable channels.

The other part of the petition seeks to make comprehensive sexual education in schools a standard, instead of abstinence-only classes.

"We support abstinence 100 percent. It's the only sure way to prevent STD transmission," Kuka said. "But some of these people are telling their students that condoms don't work. People need to make their voices heard. They need to say that they want the real information."

Condoms are not 100-percent effective in preventing STDs, especially those that are transmitted by skin contact, such as herpes and syphilis, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, they greatly reduce the risk of infection and are essentially impermeable to particles the size of STD pathogens.

Those who missed the tour and want information or to sign the petition can visit www.trojancondoms.com.

Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Says

2008-04-24T15:46:00.001-04:00

Penny Starr

Senior Staff Writer, crosswalk.com

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government must provide more funding for the worldwide distribution of female condoms while reducing the amount of money it spends on abstinence-until-marriage programs, according to Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, or CHANGE.

"The Congressional earmark in PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) -- which we are in the process of trying to remove the earmark that (gives) money for abstinence and fidelity - what we've found from people we interviewed and from various studies is that the result of that is the stigmatization of condom use," Sippel said Tuesday at a briefing of the Global Health Council in Washington, D.C.

Sippel added that the goal of her advocacy group is to "really push the U.S. government to promote sexual and reproductive condom rights within U.S. foreign policy."

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the federally funded agency that distributes international aid, $457 million of its budget for FY 2008 is dedicated to family planning programs, including condom distribution.

The CHANGE briefing also marked the release of its "Saving Lives Now: Female Condoms and the Role of U.S. Foreign Aid" report. In it, the center states that the U.S. government supplied nearly 1.9 billion condoms worldwide between 2004 and 2007.

It also reports that the "the United States government plays an important role in shaping global trends in reproductive and sexual health supplies," with America providing 42 percent of "global donor support" for family planning, including the female condom.

But other advocacy groups say that U.S. foreign aid that promotes sexual activity is doing more harm than good around the world.

"Social radicals ... believe they must liberate Third World children from their benighted traditions and religions and to enlighten them in the way of the American teenager," Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic and Family Rights Institute, told Cybercast News Service. "That is, to be sophisticated about sex and riddled with STDs.

"These social radicals believe that young people not only can't, but shouldn't control themselves sexually," Ruse added. "They seek to tear down, rather than build up the human person."

The center's report also detailed strategies used to successfully distribute female condoms, including in Zimbabwe, where it credits Population Services International, another non-profit health advocacy group, for helping with the distribution of female condoms in that AIDS-stricken country.

"Because approximately 97 percent of Zimbabwean women visit a hair salon at least once a month, PSI also promoted female condoms to women in Zimbabwe using hair salons in low-income, urban areas," the report reads.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, cited another report to argue that abstinence programs, not condom distribution, can really help women at high risk for contracting AIDS.

A Feb. 2 article in National Geographic online, said a decline in AIDS rates in Zimbabwe was linked to "behavior changes," as first reported in the journal Science.

"Most important, researchers say, is the substantial decrease in casual sex partners reported by Manicaland residents," the National Geographic online article reported. "This, combined with increased abstinence by teenagers, may be contributing to the HIV decline."

"Our biggest problem is relying on methods that have had terrible failure rates," Wright told Cybercast News Service, "while denying them access to programs that have been proven effective."

Wright said groups with agendas like CHANGE are "trying to wipe out the competition by giving no federal funding for abstinence, even though the evidence shows that abstinence programs are effective in delaying sexual initiative and reducing HIV and AIDS rates."

Make media inquiries or request an interview about this article.

Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Say

2008-04-24T09:20:00.000-04:00

By: Penny Starr

Senior Staff Writer, crosswalk.com

Export More Female Condoms, Not Abstinence Programs, Report Says

2008-04-24T08:34:00.001-04:00

By: Penny Starr

Senior Staff Writer

House Panel Examining Federal Abstinence Programs

2008-04-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
April 23, 2008

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) has introduced a bill urging the House of Representatives to spend more taxpayer money on the prevention, screening and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

"We can no longer be silent about this issue, Tubbs Jones said. "The abstinence-only education touted by the Bush Administration is simply not enough."

But a conservative group says a new study by the Heritage Foundation shows that abstinence programs work. Fifteen of the 21 programs reviewed by Heritage analysts showed positive behavioral results, including delay or reduction of sexual activity, said the Family Research Council.

On Wednesday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) was holding a hearing on abstinence programs.

Federally funded abstinence-only programs require the exclusive teaching of abstinence until marriage and prohibit teaching about condoms or other contraceptives -- other than to discuss failure rates. These programs have received over $1.3 billion in federal funding over the past decade, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee says on its Web site.

On Wednesday, medical and scientific experts, as well as youth educators, will testify before the committee on evidence of the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs and of "more comprehensive" programs -- those that include mentions of birth control.

The problem

Tubbs Jones says the United States has the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in the industrialized world. Almost half occur in young people.

"The issue of sexually transmitted diseases has grown to epic proportions in this country," Tubbs Jones said in a news release. "What is most devastating is the toll that STD's are taking on our young women, particularly African American young women."

Pointing to numbers from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tubbs Jones noted that 48 percent of young African American women are infected with an STD compared to 20 percent of young white women.

That 2008 report from the CDC estimated that 1 in 4 young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States, or 3.2 million teenage girls, are infected with at least one of the of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, including human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis. These infections can lead to long-term health risks including infertility and cervical cancer.

Tubbs Jones said direct medical costs associated with STDs are as high as $15.3 billion a year.

Studies show abstinence works

The Family Research Council is hailing The Heritage Foundation for its "careful" review of 21 abstinence education programs.

"The research by Christine C. Kim and Robert Rector provides valuable data about the benefits of abstinence education programs and, most importantly, that it is the teens who benefit most," said FRC President Tony Perkins. "This paper also shows that none of the programs had a negative impact, despite what opponents of abstinence claim."

The Heritage researchers said they reviewed at 21 studies of abstinence education. Fifteen of the studies examined programs that were primarily intended to teach abstinence. Of those 15 studies, 11 reported positive findings.

The other six studies analyzed virginity pledges, and of those six studies, five reported positive findings.

"Overall, 16 of the 21 studies reported statistically significant positive results, such as delayed sexual initiation and reduced levels of early sexual activity, among youths who have received abstinence education. Five studies did not report any significant positive results," the Heritage Foundation said on its Web site.

"All of the evidence shows that sexual abstinence is the healthiest behavior for youth," the FRC's Perkins said. "Teaching and equipping youth with the skills to practice this behavior is the goal of genuine abstinence education."

The FRC says the federal government should support "effective" abstinence education programs like those the Heritage Foundation has reviewed, and not promote programs that encourage teens to engage in physically and emotionally risky sexual behavior.

"The government does not promote drug use or underage drinking, and it should not promote risky sexual behavior either," Perkins said.

Continued Good News on Teen Pregnancy and Abortion

2008-04-17T15:09:00.004-04:00

By Janice Shaw Crouse
townhall.com

In a study released this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports record declines in the rates of teen pregnancies and abortions. The drop in teenage pregnancy rates continues a long trend: the decline of 38 percent is a fall from an all-time high in 1990 to an historic low in 2004. Significantly, the CDC, the nation's largest public health agency, stated that their report is the most comprehensive study of this decade.

Teen pregnancies were only 12 percent of the total pregnancies in 2004, down from 15 percent in 1990. Teen abortions were at a historical high in 1990 at 1.61 million, but had declined by 24 percent (1.22 million) by 2004. Another way of looking at the data is to note that among 15- to 44-year-old women, abortions per 1,000 women declined from 30 per thousand in 1990 to only 19.7 per thousand in 2004.

Clearly, the only thing that has changed in the years under review is the increase in schools offering abstinence education. Contraception, especially the condom, is readily available, but that's nothing new; that availability has remained constant during the period of the decline. Over the past decade, though, abstinence programs have become far more widespread. In addition, they have been increasingly more effective as more money has been available to test the programs and provide research about best practices in teaching abstinence. The programs focus on increasing teen self-esteem and teaching delayed gratification, how to say "no" effectively, how to resist peer pressure, and how to plan and achieve goals for the future. Such programs provide legitimate means of teen empowerment.

Further, teens have access now to all the technological evidence, via high definition sonograms, that the babe in the womb is really a pre-born child with fingernails and sucking a thumb. These views of the baby inside the womb are having a profound impact on the future generation of mothers and fathers; they understand the seriousness of abortion - that it truly does kill an infant.

Equally important, today's teens have seen broken relationships up close and ugly; they've seen friends used and discarded. They want more; they want a future and hope for those things that now seem possible for everyone.

The culture is changing for the better.

Unsurprisingly, the battle is not over yet. The left is still behind the times and is still arguing the same old talking points. The Guttmacher Institute headed their press release about the decline in teen pregnancy and abortion with the improbable claim: Improved Contraceptive Use a Key Factor. We are supposed to believe that suddenly teens have become consistent and reliable about using a condom. In fact, an earlier analysis by Guttmacher reported that 86 percent of the decline in teen pregnancy between 1995 and 2002 was due to more teens using contraception and using it more effectively. Apparently unaware that they seemed to be trying to have it both ways, Guttmacher complained that "the proportion of U.S. teens receiving any formal instruction about birth control methods has declined sharply." Most of their press release promoted the "need" for comprehensive sex education instead of abstinence programs for teens. Further, they cited the need for increased funding for comprehensive sex education and recommended cutting all funding for abstinence (even though current funding shows an untenable disparity - $12 in comprehensive sex education funding for every $1 in abstinence education.) They want it all, even though their programs have proven ineffective.

There is still much to be done in changing attitudes and promoting the well-being of America's young people, but teen sexual activity is down, teen pregnancies are down and teen abortions are down. That is great news from the cultural battle fields.

Over the past decade, we have offered our nation's teens a bright future and expected the best from them. Not surprisingly, they have met the challenge and are seizing the opportunities to grasp all the possibilities available to their generation. Our national leadership needs to continue to keep faith with them by supporting abstinence education as clearly the best choice for their current and future well-being.

Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute, the think tank for Concerned Women for America, is a recognized authority on domestic issues, the United Nations, cultural and women’s concerns.

Canadian Prisons Contributing To Spread of HIV, Researchers Say

2008-04-09T13:31:00.000-04:00

About 15% of incarcerated drug users at correctional facilities in the Canadian province of British Columbia reported using injection drugs during their incarceration, causing concern that prisons are contributing to the spread of HIV in Canada, according to one of two recently released studies conducted by researchers from the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the CNS/Vancouver Sun reports.

The first study, published online in Oxford University's Journal of Public Health, followed 1,247 injection drug users for six years. Half of the IDUs were incarcerated at some point during the study. Nearly 15% of those who had been incarcerated reported using injection drugs while in prison, mostly with used needles.

The second study, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, followed 902 IDUs at Insite -- a supervised drug-injection facility in Vancouver, Canada -- over two years. About one-third of the IDUs reported having been incarcerated at each six-month follow-up, 5% of whom reported using injection drugs during their incarcerations.

The studies found that IDUs who have been incarcerated are "more likely to report syringe sharing" and to be living with HIV or hepatitis, the researchers wrote. Evan Wood, a researcher who worked on both studies, said the findings likely underestimate the number of IDUs who reuse needles while incarcerated because many people are unlikely to admit they use injection drugs or reuse needles.

The researchers are calling for needle-exchange programs in prisons to reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis. Wood said a "coordinated public health response" is needed to address the issue and to protect inmates and their "home communities" from the spread of bloodborne diseases. The researchers added that the findings underline the "urgent need" to expand harm-reduction programs at correctional facilities across Canada.

Officials at Correctional Service of Canada said that "continuing risk behavior by inmates during incarceration presents a public health challenge." Guy Campeau, director of media relations at CSC, said that the department is implementing a "comprehensive" infectious disease program that includes methadone maintenance and the distribution of condoms, dental dams, water-based lubricant and bleach to help reduce the spread of HIV and other diseases. The department has "no plans to implement a needle-exchange program," Campeau said (Munro, CNS/Vancouver Sun, 4/6).

SOURCE: KAISERNETWORK.ORG

Mens' low libido no longer a secret

2008-04-08T08:22:00.001-04:00

Waning sex drive, performance problems affecting more males in their 20s and 30s

By GAIL ROSENBLUM
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Michael Metz is growing less surprised by phone calls like the one he got a few weeks ago. A worried young wife said that the couple's sex life had taken a noticeable nosedive. "Is there something wrong with us?" she asked. Probably not, said Metz, a St. Paul, Minn.,-based marital and sex therapist. Any couple married for five years, with young children, should expect a dip in intimacy. Then came the punch line: She's starving for the hot sex they used to have. He's the one with the "headache."

A guy who doesn't want sex? We're kidding, right? Uh-uh.

Metz is one of many sex therapists noting a shifting dynamic in the bedroom, as women are finally talking about a problem many of their mates would rather shove under the mattress: erectile dysfunction and diminished libido in men under age 40, married and single. Studies suggest the problem is trickling down to younger, college-aged males; as many as one-fourth face performance problems.

Brian Zamboni, a therapist with the Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota, also has seen a "significant and steady stream" of new male clients, ages 20 to 35, in the past five years. One of several new books on the subject calls low sexual desire among men "America's best-kept secret." Some men, though, are sharing their frustration and confusion.

"Yes, I'm 25 and I have a sexual dysfunction already," posts "Z," seeking advice on a medical Web site. "I don't have erections in the morning anymore. I must sleep first to have sex later. Why is this happening to a healthy guy like me?"

There are lots of possible reasons. Too little sleep. Too much porn. Cigarette smoking and other unhealthy habits. Unresolved resentment toward one's mate. And it doesn't just affect the guys. Partners feel the impact, too.

"This morning, I was once more rejected and I started to cry because it's getting to me," writes a woman on the "Mismatched Libidos" message board, directed to people in their 20s and 30s. "I feel ugly, I feel fat."

Another writer shares similar frustration. "My husband would always say, 'You have an incredible sexual appetite. I hope you never lose that, especially when we have kids.' Well, two kids and 10 years later, I am not the one who has lost it. He has. There is always one excuse after another."

If there is good news here, it's that unleashing men from the myth that they always want sex allows women to silence the fiction that they never want sex. Metz, who has written three books on men's sexual health, believes that it is women's increased confidence in — and demand for — sexual pleasure and intimacy that is forcing this issue into the open. "Women are expressing more frequently that sex is important to them," he said.

For most men, sex is still very important, too, which makes the inability to perform difficult to face or fix.

So, what is going on?

Well, a lot. And this is part of the problem. "A good number of men, even young men, get exhausted," said Metz. "The competitive pace, the demands of work and kids, the decrease in leisure time — it has to show up somewhere." But therapists and doctors see many other factors playing a part. Among them:

· His health. Is he drinking? Smoking? Alcohol and cigarettes both inhibit erections. Is it his prescription medication? Some antidepressants and blood-pressure drugs can lower desire or delay orgasm for men and women. Obesity, diabetes, sleep apnea and thyroid imbalances can all hamper sexual success, too. And what about illicit drugs? "The research isn't definitive," Zamboni said, "but cocaine, marijuana and heroin use can inhibit erections." Low testosterone levels could also be a treatable factor.

· Psychological stresses. This is the "feelings" conversation many men just hate. But it's essential to draw them out if they hope to get to a solution. "A number of young men are lonely in their marriages," feeling like the third wheel when babies arrive, Zamboni said. Not just lonely. Some are silently fuming. Bob Berkowitz and Susan Yager-Berkowitz asked men why they stopped having sex with their wives for their new book, "He's Just Not Up for It Anymore." Forty-four percent answered, "I am angry at her." Men felt criticized and controlled, undervalued and insignificant, yet "many couldn't, or wouldn't, talk about it with their partners," they write. Thus begins a downward spiral. He loses his desire, starts having performance problems, starts to avoid sex.

· Her reaction. At this point, things may go from bad to worse. Women (and some gay partners, Metz said) aren't thinking, "Poor guy, he has performance anxiety. I need to be patient and affirming." She personalizes: "He doesn't love me anymore! He must be having an affair!" Not surprisingly, she pulls away. Sometimes, in fact, he is having an affair, or she is. Sometimes, though, women say his "affair" is with pornography.

· Pornography. Is pornography a culprit? Maybe yes, maybe no. There's certainly a risk, Zamboni said, that a man can become dependent on porn. "Instead of going to his partner, he goes to the computer." There's also a risk that his view of normal women's bodies and capabilities could become unrealistic.

Consider this blog entry on Cribsheet (startribune.com/cribsheet), a Star Tribune forum for new parents:

"I'm sorry to have to say this, because it must be painful for a woman to hear," writes a young father, "but I just don't find my wife as attractive as I used to. Pregnancy takes a toll on a woman's body and — I'm sorry — I'm just not turned on the way I used to be. If that makes me a cad or a superficial jerk, I'm sorry. But there it is." (Never mind that he, too, has likely put on a few, or more than a few pounds. Men don't tend to see that as a problem. Sorry, but there that is, too. This is probably a good conversation for couples to have when they're both feeling well-rested and collaborative.) But Metz also knows some couples "who use traditional porn for their own

sexual energy. Porn is about fantasy," he said. "Fantasy can be fine, if you know what you're doing." How can anyone be sure? Metz encourages couples to ask a very sensible question: Are your actions around pornography encouraging intimacy with your partner, or hindering it? "A man who masturbates four times a week to porn and is ignoring his wife," Metz said, is clearly compromising intimacy. "If he does it one time a week as a reaction to a high-pressure career and it's a tension release," the act may not have any ill effects on the couple's intimacy, he said.

· Unreasonable expectations. We live in a world where erections are considered problematic only if they last more than four hours, and women feel inadequate if they don't own several lacy thongs. No wonder people are shell-shocked. We also think everybody's doing it with more frequency and flair than we are. Probably not. Still, everybody's anxious. That's doubly true, Metz said, for other cultural groups. He's counseled couples and men in the Muslim community, for example, for whom talking about sexuality is "a shy, cautious experience. I see it as a double edge," he said, "... the deep respect for the body and private intimacy, (coupled) with an anxiety, especially for men, who commonly have premature ejaculation. The difficulty of talking about sex is similar to other couples."

Metz wishes that everyone would follow a "good-enough sex" approach,

where pleasure becomes as important as performance. That means relaxing and touching. It means taking the pressure off by finding other ways to enjoy intimacy. It also means getting real about what's reasonable.

The woman who called Metz eventually revealed that, while their sex life had diminished, they were still making love once a week. That, according to many studies, is about average and certainly no cause for alarm. "You're not going to be having college sex when you're raising kids and working your butt off," Metz said. "The crucial issue is being realistic about expectations. How sad it is that this pursuit of 'perfect' sex becomes a cause of sexual problems."

More Contraception Choices for Women 40

2008-04-04T10:05:00.003-04:00

ATLANTA (AP) - Birth control options are growing for women 40 and older - a group that once viewed its choices as pretty much limited to tube-tying surgery and condoms.

For them, the pill is back. So is the IUD. The reason is that both are safer. There's even a nonsurgical method of tube-tying.

Such options have long been needed, experts say, because 40- and 50-somethings are a complex group. Some have had several children and are willing to have sterilization surgery. Others may want children, but not right now.

Traditionally, women 40 and older are the least likely to use birth control. Along with adolescents, they have the highest rates of abortion. At the same time, these women are more experienced at using contraception and follow instructions better.

When it comes to contraceptives for women 40 and older, "one size definitely does not fit all," said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president for medical affairs of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

A review of the current science of contraception and women 40 and older was published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. The author, University of Florida gynecologist Dr. Andrew Kaunitz, noted that the risk of dangerous blood clots rises sharply at age 40 for women who take birth control pills containing estrogen.

The risk is even greater for overweight women, who also are more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes.

But the dosage of estrogen in current birth control pills has been dramatically reduced. The pill is now considered a safe alternative for lean, healthy, older women Kaunitz and other experts said.

"It may not be well known that the current low-dose formulations are a reasonable option for healthy women in their 40s," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, a Harvard endocrinologist who wrote a book on menopausal hormone therapy.

The pill may be preferable for some women, because it can help control irregular menstrual bleeding and hot flashes and has been shown to reduce hip fractures and ovarian cancer, wrote Kaunitz. He has received fees or grants from several companies that make oral contraceptives.

But middle-aged women who are obese, smoke, have migraines, high blood pressure or certain other risk factors should be steered toward IUDs or progestin-only treatments like "mini-pills," experts said.

Higher breast cancer rates have been reported in older women who took estrogen-progestin pills for menopause. However, studies did not find an increased breast cancer risk in women 35 and older who took oral contraceptives.

The most common form of contraception for women 40 and older continues to be sterilization — a category that counts tubal ligations (tube-tying) in women as well as vasectomies in their male partners.

Increasingly, gynecologists are offering a newer type of tubal ligation that is nonsurgical. The procedure, called Essure, was approved by the government in 2002. Instead of cutting through the abdomen to cut and tie the fallopian tubes, a doctor works through the cervix, using a thin tube to thread small devices into each fallopian tube. These cause scarring, which in about three months plugs the tubes, stopping eggs from the ovaries from reaching the uterus.

Also relatively new is a product called Implanon, approved by the government in 2006. It's a matchstick-sized plastic rod, placed under the skin of the upper arm, that is a more modern cousin of Norplant and can last about three years.

"Things have definitely changed. There are a lot more options for older women than there used to be," said Dr. Erika Banks, director of gynecology at New York City's Montefiore Medical Center.

Choosing the right contraception can be a bit of an odyssey, said Lisa Riley, a 44-year-old who works in Banks' medical practice. Last week, Riley got a new IUD.

When she was younger, she took the pill. It worked, but she stopped it to have kids — twins — in 1993. She was nervous about returning to the pill because of worries about a possible cancer risk. For about a year, she and her husband used condoms, but he got tired of that, Riley said.

She had friends on IUDs so she chose that option. It worked well for several years until it began to cause heavy menstrual bleeding. After Banks advised her to get a new one, she chose Mirena, a version that releases hormones and should last for five years.

For now, Riley doesn't plan any more children. But she wasn't ready for sterilization. "It's too permanent for me," she said.

SOURCE: MIKE STOBBE, ASSOCIATED PRESS, AP.GOOGLE.COM

Sex ed bill proposes more than abstinence-only

2008-04-02T10:41:00.001-04:00

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Some Florida teens believe drinking Mountain Dew or smoking marijuana will prevent pregnancy and that swallowing a capful of bleach will prevent HIV/AIDS. One reason those dangerous myths have spread is the state's reliance on abstinence-only sex education, say advocates of a bill to require a more comprehensive approach in Florida's schools.

The measure narrowly won approval from a Sentate committee Tuesday. Under the proposed legislation, schools would still be required to teach abstinence as the only sure way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseasese, but they would have to teach more about sex. It would require, for example, teaching about condoms and other methods of birth control and disease prevention.

The bill's chances, though, remain slim with the annual 60-day legislative session nearly half over. The bill would have to clear three more committees before getting a Senate floor vote. The House version has yet to get a committee hearing.

"Young people are getting too little information too late,'' said Jenna Cawley, director of education for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.

Cawley urged the bill's approval as she told the Senate Education Pre-kindergarten-12th Grade Committee about the Mountain Dew, marijuana and bleach myths.

Opponents, including anti-abortion activists, claimed the bill's requirements would result in more, not fewer teen pregnancies as supporters argue.

"The only healthy, 100-percent effective way to prevent disease and pregnancy is abstinence,'' said Alison Lambrechts, a field coordinator for Project Reality, which provides sexual, alcohol and drug abstinence materials for schools.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said Florida's current approach isn't working because the state has the sixth-highest teen pregnancy rate nationally.

He cited a recent University of Florida study showing the state's sex education programs vary widely in content, get little class time and that some students miss out entirely. Half of the middle schools and a third of high schools teach abstinence-only courses, according to the Florida Department of Education.

The committee voted 4-3 for the bill (SB 848). One Republican, Senate President Pro Tempore Lisa Carlton of Osprey joined the panel's three Democrats in favor of the bill. The other three Republicans voted no.

Source: The Associated Press, www.nwfdailynews.com

Use a Condom - You'll Live Longer

2008-04-01T09:19:00.002-04:00

At the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference held in Chicago in early March, Dr. Sara Forhan released an alarming set of data referring to a study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in female teenagers.

Forhan studied 838 participants in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, all of whom were female teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19. The study showed that approximately one in four teens had one of the four most common STDs found in women-HPV (Human papillomavirus,) Chlamydia, HSV-2 (Herpes simplex virus type 2), or Trichomoniasis.

That is 3.2 million members of America’s female population that have STDs that can cause lifelong damages such as genital cancers, genital herpes, and infertility, among other symptoms. Out of those 3.2 million, 15 percent have more than one of the four major STDs.

While there is no comparable data for male teenagers or young adults between the ages of 20 and 24, it is no secret that STDs in teen and young adults are on the rise. Quite often, it is more difficult to detect STDs that are generally symptom-free, such as HPV and Chlamydia in men, who typically do not undergo regular STD screening tests such as those for women. While the diseases are more prevalent in certain genders and backgrounds, it’s time for every one of us to take to step back to see what we’re up against and how we can fix this ever-growing problem.

Of the four STDs targeted in this study, the most prevalent STD found in teen girls was HPV, which affected 18 percent of the study's participants. According to the Center for Disease Control, over 25 percent of women aged 20 to 24 also have the disease at any given time. The majority of the American population will come in contact with one of the many strains of HPV before their 50th birthday. This is especially unfortunate because there is a strong link between HPV and cervical, penile, and anal cancers, as well as the occasional case of genital warts.

Next comes Chlamydia, a disease with little to no detectable symptoms. The rate of Chlamydia has gone up 36% in men and 16% in women from 2002 to 2006, the CDC says. Still, the disease is more than three times more common in women than men. Unfortunately for these women, Chlamydia is an extremely destructive force if left untreated and can lead to damage of the reproductive organs and infertility.

One out of five adolescents has genital herpes, the catalyst of which is primarily HSV-2, according to the CDC. Apart from genital herpes outbreaks, which do not occur right away and may be mistaken for another condition such as skin irritation in the early stages, there is no way to track HSV-2.

"Genital HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of eight),” the CDC website states. "This may be due to male-to-female transmission being more likely than female-to-male transmission."

Forhan's study also found a disparity in the race of infected teenagers in her study. While 20 percent of non-Hispanic whites and Mexican females were infected with one of the main four STDs, a shocking 48 percent of African-American females were affected.

"Factors contributing to the severe STD impact among African Americans include limited access to quality health care, as well as poverty. Additionally, a higher prevalence of STDs in this population may translate into a greater risk of being exposed. Finally, misperceptions of personal or partner risk may also be factors in increased risk for STDs among African American women," says Nikki Kay of the Center of Disease Control.

However, Dr. John Douglas, Director of the STD Prevention Division at the CDC, assures that the minority trend is not exclusive to African-Americans. “When compared to whites, the Chlamydia rate among Hispanics is three times higher and the gonorrhea rate is twice as high. Hispanics also have the second highest rate of syphilis in the nation, followed closely by Native American/Alaska Natives, who also have the second highest rate of gonorrhea and Chlamydia in the U.S."

Overall, young females have more STDs than young males. Young African-Americans have more STDs than other races. Now we must consider that statement and ask ourselves why this is happening.

"We are seriously overdue to re-invent 'sex education' - to ensure that adolescents gain understanding about the underlying gender norms that actually shape much of their sexual health and well-being. Specifically, policies and programs need to emphasize young people’s critical thinking skills and their awareness of gender issues," Nicole Haberland and Debbie Rogow say in an editorial reacting to Forhan's study. The two authors wrote the article on behalf of the Population Council, a program which seeks to improve programs and policies for HIV/AIDS; poverty, gender, and youth; and reproductive health.

Haberland and Rogow suggest that the rise in STDs is directly linked to America’s perception of the traditional gender roles men and women play out in a sexual relationship.

"Girls who are submissive to male partners, or who agree that males should 'have more power in the relationship' are less able and less likely to negotiate condom use or to refuse unwanted sex. Boys who are socialized to equate masculinity with physical strength, emotional toughness, and aggressive behavior; with proving their heterosexuality; and with having multiple sexual partners are also at greater risk."

According to the authors, the only way to fix the problem is to develop a stronger focus on gender dynamics among teens. This focus is absent in most sexual education programs, whether they are abstinence or prevention-based.

"Unfortunately, sex educators in the US are busy battling right wing opposition and have had little time or space to heed this call,” Haberland and Rogow explain. "Indeed, most sex education programs ignore gender issues, or touch on them at best superficially."

The call for education on gender relations and stereotypes also offer a solution to the controversial call for "sex education" to be taught at a younger age since many students drop out of school before high school, when sexual education is usually taught. The authors discuss this in a November 2005 article entitled Sexuality and Relationships Education: toward a Social Studies Approach:

"Unfortunately, in some cases, implementing this shift boils focusing only on negative aspects of sexuality (protection against abuse) or on lessons about intercourse and contraception for children who are not prepared for such information. In contrast, a culturally appropriate focus on social norms related to gender might also be considerably more appropriate for under-12 children than focusing predominantly on sexuality per se."

Even when taught to teens, Haberland and Rogow have found that the few gender-based sexual education programs that exist have had their success. In Latin America, the Project H program for young males targets gender awareness issues. An evaluation of the program showed more condom use and less STD symptoms among its participants.

In the US, where there is also a great concern about the growing levels of STDs in youth, the authors have also found a program that’s got the attention of teens. "Another example, closer to home, is the Brooklyn-based nonprofit Scenarios USA. Scenarios sponsors a critical thinking and creative writing program through public school districts in New York City, Cleveland, South Texas, and Miami, as well as through Planned Parenthood and through Black Entertainment Television."

Scenarios USA presents a new theme based around issues of love, sex, and gender every year. This year’s theme is "What’s the real deal about masculinity?" The theme was discussed through a story, play, and scriptwriting contest, which will be translated into publications, performances, and films that will be displayed throughout high schools and via television.

The data released by Dr. Sara Forhan at the National STD Prevention Conference only supports a pattern that America has been trying to deter for years though health and education programs. STDs have a significant prevalence in teens between age 14 and 19, as well as young adults between age 20 and 24. This is especially true for women and minorities, who are as much affected by society’s social constructs as they are sexually transmitted diseases.

It is only through gaining a greater understanding of our own strengths and, perhaps more importantly, vulnerabilities that teens can conquer the norms of sex as we know it. We need to recognize the faults of traditional gender roles and utilize that knowledge to protect ourselves from undesirable sexual situations and consequences.

Those who see themselves as being in a favorable sexual situation must still be aware of both contraceptive and STD screening services available to them, both of which are crucial to STD prevention and treatment. According to a study by Sherry Farr and her colleagues at the CDC, it shows that only 39% of women are actually taking advantage of both services, thus putting themselves at unnecessary risk.

The old cliché "knowledge is power" has never been more relevant than in a case such as the struggles of teens and young adults against sexually transmitted diseases, so get educated and get involved!

SOURCE: Kait Silva, acedmagazine.com

Vaccine Failure Is Setback in AIDS Fight - Test Subjects May Have Been Put at Extra Risk Of Contracting HIV

2008-03-21T09:39:00.001-04:00

By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 21, 2008; A01

The two-decade search for an AIDS vaccine is in crisis after two field tests of the most promising contender not only did not protect people from the virus but may actually have put them at increased risk of becoming infected.

The results of the trials, which enrolled volunteers on four continents, have spurred intense scientific inquiry and unprecedented soul-searching as researchers try to make sense of what happened and assess whether they should have seen it coming.

Both field tests were halted last September, and seven other trials of similarly designed AIDS vaccines have either been stopped or put off indefinitely. Some may be modified and others canceled outright.

Numerous experts are questioning both the scientific premises and the overall strategy of the nearly $500 million in AIDS vaccine research funded annually by the U.S. government.

"This is on the same level of catastrophe as the Challenger disaster" that destroyed a NASA space shuttle, said Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, and head of the Institute for Human Virology in Baltimore.

The recently closed studies, STEP and Phambili, used the same vaccine -- made from a common respiratory virus called adenovirus type 5 that had been crippled and then loaded with fragments of HIV. Both studies were halted when it became clear the STEP study was futile and possibly harmful.

The results of the Phambili vaccine trial, which was conducted in South Africa, were revealed last month and only worsened the gloom. Although the number of new HIV infections in that study was far smaller than in STEP -- and too few to draw firm conclusions from -- those results, too, hinted at a trend toward harm among vaccine recipients.

Many researchers are questioning the scientific premises on which all those studies were based and are wondering, along with AIDS activists, what effect this near-worst-case scenario might have on tests of future vaccines.

The working hypothesis for what went wrong is that the vaccine somehow primed the immune system to be more susceptible to HIV infection -- a scenario neither foreseen nor suggested by previous studies.

The National Institute of Health, which funded the STEP and Phambili trials, is convening a meeting next week to reassess its AIDS vaccine program. But some respected scientists have already reached a verdict.

"None of the products currently in the pipeline has any reasonable chance of being effective in field trials," Ronald C. Desrosiers, a molecular geneticist at Harvard University, declared last month at an AIDS conference in Boston. "We simply do not know at the present time how to design a vaccine that will be effective against HIV."

He told a rapt audience that he has reluctantly concluded that the NIH has "lost its way in the vaccine arena" and that he thinks it should redirect its AIDS vaccine funds to basic research and away from human trials.

In this fiscal year, the NIH's budget for AIDS vaccine research is $497 million. The STEP and Phambili trials were each expected to cost about $32 million. Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. has spent an undisclosed amount developing the vaccine and helping to manage the studies.

"We can't afford to have any more trials like this," said Mark Harrington, head of the activist Treatment Action Group and a longtime observer of AIDS research. "We have to stop and reassess and recommit to basic science, or people will begin to lose faith."

At the moment, only two things are certain.

The first is that the vaccine, developed by Merck, could not have caused HIV infection because it contains only three proteins from HIV, not the entire virus. The second is that there are no obvious villains.

"I do not think that what happened in this trial is an example of scientists blindly rushing into dangerous things," said John P. Moore, an AIDS virologist at Weill Cornell Medical College, who has criticized vaccine trials he considered futile. "In the general HIV-research community, I didn't know anyone who said this was going to happen."

Both trials recruited people who were at high risk of HIV infection through sexual activity. The STEP subjects included many male homosexuals; the Phambili volunteers were male and female heterosexuals. Half the people in each trial were randomly assigned to get three shots of vaccine, and half to get three shots of a harmless liquid containing no adenovirus or HIV proteins.

Each trial was to have 3,000 participants. STEP had finished enrolling subjects in North and South America, the Caribbean and Australia. Phambili (which means "moving forward" in the Xhosa language of South Africa) had signed up 801 by the time it was shut down.

While scientists hoped the Merck vaccine might prevent some infections, its chief purpose was to stimulate "cell-mediated" immunity to produce a less severe illness. Specifically, the vaccine was expected to lower the "viral load" of HIV in the bloodstream, which in turn would both prolong survival and lessen the chance the person would infect others.

Many experts are questioning the wisdom of that strategy, even if it had worked perfectly. Urging millions of people to take an AIDS vaccine that probably would not protect them from the virus, they say, would be a hard and confusing task, even in places where the epidemic still rages.

For the moment, that is an academic question. The vaccine failed to achieve any of its goals.

In both studies, people who got vaccine were more likely -- not less -- to become infected, with trends suggesting roughly a twofold risk. In the STEP study, which has many more cases to evaluate, nearly all that added risk was in people who had high levels of antibodies to adenovirus type 5 before they got their first shot -- evidence they had been previously infected with that strain. Uncircumcised men in that group had the highest risk.

So how could this have happened?

The leading theory is that activation of the immune system, a cascade of events that occurs naturally when a person is infected with a virus or bacterium or gets a vaccine against one of them, in some way increased the risk of HIV infection.

Activation causes cells called CD4 T-lymphocytes (among many other things) to proliferate. CD4 cells are the targets of choice for HIV. In their activated state, they are coated with molecules called CCR5 co-receptors, which HIV needs to attach itself to a cell.

The hypothesis is that people who received the vaccine had greater-than-normal activation and consequently produced more and fatter cellular targets for HIV. That then increased their chances of becoming infected should they encounter the virus in unprotected intercourse.

Two things undercut this idea.

People have been suffering immune-activating infections and getting vaccines for years, and there has never been evidence that those events increased a person's risk of acquiring HIV. These vaccine trials would be odd places to first notice such a thing. Furthermore, people in the STEP study who got the vaccine did not have more activated CD4 cells than people who got placebo -- something that Merck vaccine executive Mark B. Feinberg called "kind of an interesting and unexplained observation."

"There is something very, very peculiar" going on in the vaccine trials, said Anthony S. Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsored them.

The multiple surprises have reminded researchers how much they still do not know about HIV's biology. It has also focused attention on questions they never asked.

For example, none of the monkey experiments with the Merck vaccine subjected animals to the kind of sexual exposure that people in the trial had -- namely, repeated encounters with low doses of HIV, with no single exposure being especially high-risk.

Why not?

The researchers did not have any reason to believe the vaccine might be harmful (although they acknowledged it might not be effective), and in any case such a study would have required quite a large number of monkeys, which are expensive to acquire and maintain for research.

Instead, researchers vaccinated a relatively small number of monkeys with the Merck vaccine and then injected them with the monkey equivalent of HIV in a manner that guaranteed they would become infected. Those animals did much better over the long run than infected but unvaccinated ones.

That was once enough to move a vaccine into human trials. But it probably never will be again.

CondomDepot.com Sponsors Doug "The Rhino" Marshall and John "The Natural" Alessio for upcoming March 26th WEC "Las Vegas" Live On Versus Event

2008-03-20T08:40:00.003-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4500 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
March 20, 2008
www.condomdepot.com

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com, a leading distributor of condoms and source for safe sex education, announces their sponsorship deals with mixed martial artists Doug "The Rhino" Marshall and John "The Natural" Alessio for their upcoming March 26th WEC "Las Vegas" live event on The Versus Network. CondomDepot.com will show their support for Marshall as he defends his Light Heavyweight title against Brian "All American" Stann during the main event fight, and Alessio as he goes back to the cage to take on Brock Larson. Alessio and Larson will battle it out to win a spot in line for a shot at the welterweight title.

"As fans of the MMA, it is an honor to play an active role as a sponsor. To our company, our sponsorships extend past the national recognition Condomdepot.com receives. We truly admire the hard work and dedication that these fighters put in to their sport. In the past we have sponsored talented fighters including Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, Chris "The Crippler" Leben, and Pete "Drago" Sell, and Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga. Our participation as a sponsor for these fighters has also been a great way to nationally promote our positive safe sex message. Our entire staff will be cheering for Marshall's and Alessio's victory," states John Fidi, Vice President of CondomDepot.com.

ABOUT DOUG "THE RHINO" MARSHALL

From Visalia, California, 31-yr old Marshall is the current Light Heavyweight champion. Marshall was also a former WEC North American Heavyweight Champ. His current MMA record is 7-2-0.

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Born on July 5, 1979 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he decided to pursue fighting when he was 19 years old. At the age of 20, he made his UFC debut fighting Pat "The Croatian Sensation" Miletich. Alessio lost this fight but proved that he was a talented fighter. Alessio then continued to grow in his career and has fought in PRIDE, KOTC, UFC, and WEC. His current MMA record is 22-10-0.

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###

Doctor training urged to fight syphilis spread

2008-03-18T11:37:00.001-04:00

CHICAGO, March 17 (Reuters) - Syphilis is making a comeback in developed countries, spurred by illicit drug use and high-risk sexual behaviors, and many doctors are unprepared to recognize and treat it, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They said syphilis has been on the rise since the beginning of the 21st century in high-income countries, but because the disease had been well controlled in the 1990s, doctors may not be screening for it.

"The key message here is that syphilis is again on the rise in several developing countries. In many of these countries we are seeing very high rates in men who have sex with men," said Dr. Kevin Fenton of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose study appears in the journal Lancet.

Fenton said the resurgence demands new training efforts among health-care professionals. "In many countries, physicians may have lost some of the skill sets associated with diagnosing syphilis," Fenton said in a telephone interview.

The CDC last week said the U.S. syphilis rate rose once again in 2007, marking the seventh consecutive year of increases. Homosexual and bisexual men accounted for 64 percent of syphilis cases in 2007, up from about 5 percent in 1999.

Syphilis infects some 12 million people worldwide every year. Most cases are acquired through sexual contact with a syphilis sore. Pregnant women can pass it on to their babies.

The recent resurgence is among a sub-group of men who have sex with men and engage in high-risk sex with multiple partners.

If not addressed, Fenton said the disease could become far more widespread.

"We have seen with other epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases that even if the initial rise occurs in men who have sex with men, it is unlikely to stay in that group for any long periods of time," Fenton said.

"The data suggest we are now seeing increases among heterosexuals in the U.S. and in Europe as well," he said.

Fenton and colleagues argue that the resurgence calls for swift public health intervention, including screening programs to prevent the spread of the infection, mass media campaigns, efforts to change behavior in high-risk groups and distribution of condoms.

"Efforts must be made to incorporate and evaluate new diagnostics tools, social network approaches, innovative evidence-based prevention interventions, robust disease surveillance and systematic monitoring and evaluation of prevention, treatment and care activities," they wrote.

Like many other sexually transmitted diseases, syphilis raises the likelihood of infection by or transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It starts out as a sore, but progresses to a rash, fever, and eventually can cause blindness, paralysis and dementia.

SOURCE: Julie Steenhuysen, REUTERS.COM

Phil Baroni Fight Video from March 15th 2008

2008-03-16T18:52:00.002-04:00

Below is the Fight Video from Saturday Night's MMA bout in Hawaii. Phil "The New York Bad Ass" Baroni ( A CondomDepot.com Sponsored Fighter) -vs- Kala Kolohe Hose. Hose won the match by 5th Round Knockout and is now holds the Champions Belt. Below is Fight Video from the 1st Round.

1 in 4 teenage girls found to have sex-related disease

2008-03-12T08:21:00.001-04:00

More than one in four teenage girls is infected with common sexually transmitted diseases, federal researchers reported Tuesday in a new study that for the first time quantifies a persistent problem.

Young women and girls ages 14 to 19 in "alarming" numbers are contracting human papilloma virus, chlamydia, genital herpes and trichomoniasis, said Dr. Sara Forhan, a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study team. Almost half of black teens were infected.

An estimated 3.2 million have one or more of those four sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, all of which can cause permanent damage. Cancer-causing HPV was the most common STD by far, followed by chlamydia.

Teen girls get such diseases when they don't protect themselves by avoiding sex, using contraception and remaining monogamous. The problem of disease transmission is compounded because many do not get tested or treated, CDC officials said.

"They don't really think they can catch it. They just don't believe they would be the ones to get it," said Lourdes Salgado, 17, a Plantation High School senior who gives talks to students about how to avoid STDs.

STD rates were higher among black female teens, with 48 percent infected compared with 20 percent of white and Mexican teens, the study showed. CDC officials blamed the disparity partially on a lack of access to health care and education, but said the main reason is that STDs are more prevalent in the black community, making each sexual encounter more risky.

"This does not mean African-Americans are taking higher individual risks than other groups. In fact, research suggests the opposite," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., director of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the CDC. Still, he said, the nation must face "this extraordinary racial disparity."

The high infection rates were not a surprise, said health officials in South Florida and elsewhere, but the study puts harder numbers to the problem. Researchers based the new estimate on a 2004 nationwide health assessment program that examined, among others, 838 teen girls in what was called a representative sample of the U.S. population.

No state breakdowns were done, but Florida has reported rising numbers of teen girls with STDs. Almost 14,000 girls ages 10 to 19 contracted chlamydia in 2005, including 1,100 in Broward and 615 in Palm Beach County. Overall, chlamydia cases rose 75 percent in the prior decade.

The four STDs are not considered as serious as HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea and syphilis, which were not tracked in the study. But all can damage the body if left untreated. HPV can cause cervical cancer, the bacterial infection chlamydia can lead to abnormal pregnancies, and genital herpes viruses and the parasite trichomoniasis can make it easier to catch HIV/AIDS.

The study showed that about half of teens reported being sexually active, and about 40 percent of those were infected.

A second CDC study showed that the nation's health care system misses many opportunities to test teen girls when they come into clinics for contraception, Douglas said. Only 38 percent who came in after unprotected sex were tested, counseled or treated.

"We need to do a better job on lots of different fronts," Douglas said.

An HPV vaccine for girls and women ages 11 to 26 has been available since 2006 but is controversial. Critics have argued that giving it to young girls may encourage promiscuity and expose them to side effects. But many advocates say it's a strategy for preventing an infection that kills 3,700 women annually.

A few states made the vaccine mandatory for school admission, while Florida and others have not.

Plantation High School's Salgado said South Florida teens often ignore advice to get tested because it's not easy to find or reach a testing site.

"It's far away and some can't get there," she said. "Some don't know about it. Some are scared to go because of their parents."

Salgado is leading a group organizing an HIV/AIDS testing day March 25 across from her school. A small-scale attempt at another school last month brought 46 teens to a mobile testing van, said Norman Powell, president and CEO of Comserv Inc., a community group.

SOURCE: Bob LaMendola, www.sun-sentinel.com

Group gets to test new Merck AIDS drug in gel

2008-03-11T10:28:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - A group working to develop a gel or cream women could use to protect themselves against the AIDS virus said on Tuesday they have permission to use an experimental new drug from Merck and Co.

It is the sixth HIV drug to be tested by the International Partnership for Microbicides, said the group's chief executive officer, Dr. Zeda Rosenberg.

The drug is known only by its experimental name L'644. It is a member of a class of drugs known as gp41 fusion inhibitors. They stop the AIDS virus from attaching to the immune system cells it targets.

"It's a completely different mechanism of action to what we have currently under development and what the field has under development," Rosenberg told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"It's pretty early in the life cycle for HIV. Most of us feel that, for a microbicide to be really effective, it has to get at the infection in its earliest timepoints."

Microbicides are products, such as gels or creams, that could be applied vaginally or anally to prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.

So far, attempts to create a microbicide have failed.

The AIDS virus has infected 33 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization. It has killed 25 million, and there is no vaccine to prevent the fatal and incurable virus.

Condoms can protect men and women, but health experts note that many men refuse to use them. In many countries, a women who demands that her husband or partner use a condom can face refusal or even a beating.

According to the United Nations, in sub-Saharan Africa almost 61 percent of adults infected with HIV are women. Most cases of HIV are transmitted sexually.

The nonprofit IPM has another agreement with Merck for a royalty-free license to develop another compound, L'167/CMPD167, which belongs to the class of molecules known as CCR5 blockers.

"Merck is pleased to contribute the results of our research and development to this worldwide effort to protect women from HIV infection," said Dr. Daria Hazuda, vice president of scientific affairs for infectious disease and HIV at Merck Research Laboratories.

The microbicides group also has agreements with Pfizer to develop its CCR5 blocker maraviroc; with Gilead Sciences to develop tenofovir, a licensed HIV drug; with Bristol-Myers Squibb; and with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Tibotec Pharmaceuticals to try to make a microbicide out of its HIV drug dapivirine.

The field could use some successes.

Last month a study showed one microbicide candidate, called Carraguard, did not protect women from infection.

Two other potential microbicides have made women more likely to become infected -- a spermicide called nonoxynol-9 and a product called Ushercell, made by Toronto-based Polydex Pharmaceuticals. (Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

SOURCE: By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor, guardian.co.uk

Chris "The Crippler" Leben Fights His Way To Another Thrilling Victory at UFC 82

2008-03-07T09:38:00.007-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4400 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
March 7, 2008
www.condomdepot.com

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com, the leading distributor of condoms and a resource for safe sex information, celebrates Chris "The Crippler" Leben victory against his latest opponent Alessio Sakara at UFC 82 on March 1, 2008. Leben won by a technical knockout in the first round at 3:16. Both fighters fought hard for the win, but it was Chris Leben that sent the final blow and defeated Alessio Sakara. Leben's current record is now 18-4-0.

CondomDepot.com had also sponsored Leben for last year's "UFC Fight Night 11" in which he defeated Terry Martin by a knockout (punch) in the third round. His latest victory against Alessio has now earned him a 2-0 record for both CondomDepot.com sponsored fights.

"CondomDepot.com is truly proud of Chris's latest victory. He is a talented fighter and we are thrilled to have been one of his sponsors. CondomDepot.com is more than just a company that sponsors fighters for advertising purposes. We are true fans of the MMA and are delighted to have been a support for these hard working fighters. CondomDepot.com has sponsored such talented fighters as Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, and Pete "Drago" Sell. Our continued support of this sport has also been a great way to nationally promote our positive safe sex message.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

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FDA Warning - Internet Sales of Bogus STD Preventatives

2008-03-07T09:24:00.000-05:00

The FDA issued an emergency alert today warning consumers of drugs being sold on the Internet falsely claiming that they can prevent or treat sexually transmitted diseases. The products are sold under the names of Tetrasil, Genisil, Aviralex, OXi-MED, Imulux, Beta-mannan, Micronutrient, Qina, and SlicPlus and make claims such as:

"Treatment Kills all Herpes Viruses WITHOUT having to use conventional drugs or medications," "Greatest STD Protection Without Condoms," (SlicPlus) and "The active ingredient in our product is FDA certified to destroy 99.9992 percent of all pathogenic organisms [ie] Chlamydia" (OXi-MED).

Since these drugs have not been submitted to the FDA, they are in violation of FDA rules and should not be taken as they have not been tested for the safety or effectiveness and may pose a health threat to consumers. The FDA regards these drugs as "mislabeled" and/or "misleading" and states they do not include sufficient instructions for consumers.

Consumers should stop taking these drugs immediately and should report any adverse effects to the FDA's MedWatch group at 800-FDA-1088.

SOURCE: Edmund A. Normand, Editor orlandoinjuryboard.com

Contraceptives: What about your health?

2008-03-05T08:40:00.001-05:00

Your method of birth control can actually do more than just protect against pregnancy. It may also affect things such as your appearance and your risk of certain kinds of cancer.

Health benefits
Some methods of birth control have benefits for your health.

Clearer skin: Studies have shown a connection between the use of the birth control pill and decreased amounts of acne. This is because the pill can moderate levels of hormones called androgens, regulating the production of oil in the skin.

Protection from certain diseases: The birth control pill is associated with protection from some diseases affecting women. These include benign ovarian cysts, endometrial (uterine) cancer, ovarian cancer, iron deficiency (anemia), and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Reduced pain and menstrual flow: Birth control methods that contain hormones are linked to a reduction in the volume of menstrual flow and the painful cramps that often accompany your period.

Protection against STIs: Condoms provide protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Depending on the nature of your sexual relationship, this protection can be vital, even if you use another form of birth control, because the other forms of birth control do not provide protection from diseases such as AIDS/HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (associated with genital warts and cancer of the cervix), and syphilis.

Things to watch out for
Your state of health is an important consideration when deciding on or during the use of any birth control method. Certain birth control methods may affect some medical conditions, and medication for some conditions may change the effectiveness of some birth control methods.

Antibiotics: The antibiotic rifampin reduces the effectiveness of birth control pills. As for other antibiotics, there is less conclusive evidence that they decrease the effect of oral contraceptives. This effect may only occur in a small number of women. But it's best to err on the side of caution, as more research is needed to determine the effect of antibiotics on the modern low-dose birth control pills used today. Adding a barrier method (e.g., male or female condom) is a good idea if you're taking antibiotics.

Medical conditions: Women with epilepsy need to determine the proper form of birth control with their doctor and neurologist. Many anti-seizure medications may reduce the effectiveness of hormone-based birth control methods by speeding up the breakdown of these hormones in the liver. Including a barrier method will reduce the chance of pregnancy.

Women who have any of the following conditions should talk to their doctor before deciding on a birth control method:

high blood pressure
liver disease
history of blood clots in a vein (deep vein thrombosis) or lung (pulmonary embolism)
migraine headaches
family history of stroke

Latex allergy: Most male condoms are made of latex. People who are allergic to latex can consider such options as condoms made from polyurethane and female condoms. Lambskin condoms are also available, but they offer less protection against STIs. If protection from STIs is not an important issue, there are many options, ranging from sponges to IUDs to pills.

SOURCE: MediResource, canada.com

Sex Ed For Your Kids: One Talk Won't Do

2008-03-04T09:21:00.001-05:00

(WebMD) Ideally, that "facts of life" talk you have with your children should be a series of sex ed discussions that cover a range of topics, rather than one long talk, according to a new study.

"Because of discomfort with the topic, there is that hope that it can be taken care of with a single talk," says Steven C. Martino, PhD, study researcher and a behavioral scientist at Rand Corp. in Pittsburgh.

But his new study, published in the March issue of the journal Pediatrics, suggests that a continuous, repetitive, wide-ranging conversation with your kids about sex is the better approach.

Study: Beyond the "Big Talk"

"We know [already] that the more parents talk to their kids [about sex], the better off the kid is in terms of healthy beliefs," Martino says, citing previous research. Children whose parents talk often about sex education are more likely to delay sex until an older age and to take precautions when they do become sexually active, he says.

In the new study, Martino and his colleagues wanted to assess the independent influence of repeating topics and covering many topics on the teen's perceptions of their relationships and communication with their parents.

"What we were interested in is whether the extent to which having repeated discussions about sexual topics and also covering a wide variety of topics matter" in terms of how teens feel about their relationship with their parents and how easy it was or wasn't to talk to them about sex.

The researchers polled 312 teens in grades 6 through 10, and their parents. They responded to four surveys during the yearlong study, telling whether they had discussed each of 22 sex-related topics and how often they had. Teens rated their overall relationship with their parents, too, including their ability to communicate about sex and other topics.

Among the topics: the making of decisions about whether to have sex, consequences of getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant, selection of a birth control method , what it feels like to have sex, and protection offered by condoms.

Study Results: Repetition Key in Sex Ed

Repetition was good, the researchers found. "We found that kids whose sexual communication with their parents involved more repetition felt closer to their parents, better able to communicate with them in general and about sex in particular, and they perceived their discussions about sex happened more easily and with more openness in comparison to kids whose communication involved less repetition," Martino tells WebMD.

The greater the number of topics that were discussed, the more openness teens said they felt during these talks.

At the start of the study, the average number of topics that teens had discussed was seven of the 22.

"On average we found that parents and teens had 10 repeat discussions over the course of the year," Martino says. That is, they revisited a topic previously discussed that often. Regarding breadth of topics, the average number of new topics discussed during the study was reported as three, on
average.

Sex Ed: The Role of Repetition and "Breadth"

"We think that having these repeated discussions is so important because it helps kids to better understand the information," Martino says. "It helps them to get a clear sense of what their parents' values are, and it boosts parent and child feelings of comfort in talking about sex ."

Revisiting a topic allows children to ask clarifying questions, he says, and allows parents to talk about topics in a more age-appropriate way as a child matures. Some abstract topics become less so as the child gets older, he adds.

Second Opinion

The study reinforces what is seen anecdotally, says Vanessa Cullins, MD, MPH, MBA, vice president for medical affairs for Planned Parenthood of America, New York, who reiewed the study results for WebMD.

What is new about the study, she says, is the importance of the repetition and variety of topics.

The study, she says, "reinforces what Planned Parenthood has always believed in, and that is that parents should be the primary educators in a child's life, and that the best way to keep teens healthy and safe is to have open, honest communication [about sexual matters]."

As parents, she says, "you just can't deal with the subject of sex infrequently or every blue moon." It should be a frequent part of household conversation, she says.

Sex Ed Advice for Parents

Lack of preparation is one cause of discomfort for parents when asked questions about sex by their kids, Martino says. Prepare yourself for the expected questions ahead of time, he suggests. Anticipate you'll be asked questions sooner than you think -- maybe even when your children are still toddlers.

"It's OK to admit you feel uncomfortable," he says. It's also OK, he says, to gather more information on a topic and get back to your kids.

One way to ease into talks about sex, Martino says, is to look for what he calls "teachable moments." If something is in the news that is sexually related, or something happened at school that lends itself to discussion, take advantage, he says.

Take advantage, too, of prepared materials that may help you, Cullins says. Many Planned Parenthood affiliates in the U.S. offer special programs that help parents talk to their kids about sex, she says.

SOURCE: Kathleen Doheny, Web MD, article featured on CBSNews.com

Activists Call for More Family Planning In Fight Against HIV/AIDS

2008-03-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

The United Nations estimates that 2.5 million children are infected with HIV / AIDS, with nearly 90 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Activists in the fight against the disease say one of the best ways to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus is to prevent unintended births. From Washington, reporter William Eagle has the story.

In recent years, anti-retroviral AIDS drugs have been in the forefront of the fight to prevent the spread of the disease from a mother to her baby.

The most influential program in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa is the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. Among other things, PEPFAR funds treatment and prevention efforts.

Principal deputy AIDS coordinator and chief medical officer for PEPFAR Dr. Thomas Kenyon notes that the United States has been a global leader in preventing mother-to-child transmission, called PMTCT.

"To date," he says, "we have supported PMTCT services for women in more than 10 million pregnancies, of whom 800,000 were found to be HIV positive."

He says PEPFAR's support for anti-retrovirals has helped avert 150,000 infant infections.

But some health activists note that despite much progress, only one in 10 HIV-positive women in Africa has access to the medications. They say a more effective way to stop infections is preventing unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women.

According to recent newspaper reports, researchers with the U.S.-based group Family Health International say contraception is more reliable and less expensive than AIDS drugs.

Policy analyst Katie Porter, of Population Action International in Washington, says PEPFAR could be far more effective by strengthening its prevention programs - including mother-to-infant prevention - by making contraceptives available to those who want them.

"The immediate concern," says Porter," is that PEPFAR is not supporting access to [a wide variety of] contraceptives. While they support condom use, which is important, they are not providing other contraceptive commodities to women in what would be a very appropriate setting. If you can intervene when women come in for these services and offer them contraceptives, you help to reduce unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women, and that would further enhance these programs."

PEPFAR supporters say its job is preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and the only contraceptive that does so is the condom. But they note that USAID sponsors family planning programs that include a wide variety of contraceptives, including IUDs, oral tablets and injected medications such as NORPLANT.

When President Bush introduced PEPFAR five years ago, he proposed a budget of $15 billion for its first five years, the majority of which would benefit 15 focus countries - 12 of them in Africa. [They include: Botswana, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The others are Guyana, Haiti and Vietnam].

Recently, it was announced that that goal would be surpassed - for a total of nearly $19 billion.

But Porter says only a very small portion of that money is earmarked for family planning and reproductive health, despite the critical role it plays in helping prevent HIV infection. As an example, she addressed President Bush's 2008 budget.

She says,"If you look at PEPFAR's 15 focus countries, where efforts to address the needs of women and girls and to address HIV prevention is paramount, we are seeing a decrease, or flat-lining, of funding for international family planning [in 10 of the countries]."

Population Action International says four of the 15 focus countries receive no family planning assistance, while only one - Rwanda - is marked to receive a small increase. The group says all 11 countries have high fertility rates and an unmet need for contraception.

PEPFAR supporters say that it is the US Congress that authorizes and appropriates funding, with the president's approval. That includes deciding on the amount of money allocated to the agency in charge of the bulk of family planning services, USAID. They note that PEPFAR's goal is preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Therefore, PEPFAR's only involvement in family planning is in recommending methods that prevent the spread of the disease - using condoms or practicing abstinence.

Porter says advocates and providers are also concerned about some of the rules that are attached to PEPFAR's funding. For example, one says that at least one-third of all the prevention funds must go to programs that only teach abstinence. Some researchers complain that there is no scientific evidence that teaching restraint alone is effective.

Porter says organizations that receive PEPFAR funding must also sign a pledge opposing prostitution. But prostitutes are at high risk of HIV and unintended pregnancies.

She says, "There is concern in the field that having such a statement would alienate the very people they are aiming to provide services to."

PEPFAR officials disagree. They say their programs target everyone, including high-risk groups like those who practice prostitution.

They say PEPFAR is supporting the most diverse prevention strategy of any donor, which addresses prevention of mother-to-child transmission, as well as preventing sexual transmission by delaying sexual activity, being faithful, and using condoms.

Kenyon says from 2004 to 2007, the United States provided 1.8 billion condoms worldwide - more than all other donors combined.

At the same time, the U.S Government has a voluntary family planning and reproductive health program, through USAID's Office of Population and Reproductive Health.

USAID has provided an average of $440 million in family planning in the past five years, more than the average $427 million provided during the Clinton administration.

Kenyon says this program is coordinated with PEPFAR to ensure appropriate linkages between these two distinct programs.

"We have a number of countries where we are adding counseling and testing to family planning centers," he says. "[We are also] adding services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission as is done through the Africa Medical Research Education Foundation in Kenya. [It] has introduced PMTCT services in more than 30 family planning centers and reached more than 20-thousand women. We [are also improving] linkages between HIV programs and family planning programs. [We are also] linking family planning programs with HIV care, and to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission."

PEPFAR officials say that a comprehensive strategy is necessary - which combines the expertise of PEPFAR in fighting HIV with the family planning programs of USAID.

SOURCE: William Eagle, voanews.com

EXPOSURE FEARED: 40,000 LV clinic patients urged to be tested for viruses

2008-02-28T10:43:00.002-05:00

Syringe reuse at Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada 'common practice'

Forty thousand Nevadans soon will receive word that they might have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis strains B and C in what a federal health official called the largest notification of its kind in U.S. history.

Patients who visited the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada at 700 Shadow Lane between March 2004 and Jan. 11 are being urged to get tested for the diseases as soon as possible.

Health officials cautioned them to practice safe sex and use condoms.

At a Wednesday afternoon news conference attended by health officials and doctors from the facility, officials said six people diagnosed with acute hepatitis C in recent months received treatment at the center near Valley Hospital Medical Center. They are believed to have been exposed to the disease when anesthesiologists reused syringes to administer medications.

The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada is a high-volume gastrointestinal practice where colonoscopies are frequently performed. Reuse of syringes and vials at the facility was a "common practice" undertaken by everyone from doctors to technicians, health officials said.

The business was investigated for other unsafe practices such as not properly cleaning endoscopic equipment used in colonoscopies and upper gastrointestinal procedures.

The medical facility was open for business Wednesday. It could be subject to sanctions or lose its Medicare contract at a later date, state health officials said.

Dr. Eladio Carrera, a gastroenterologist and internal medicine physician at the center, attended the news conference, but he did not address why he and other staffers did not follow correct medical procedures. In a statement, he expressed concern for patients, then refused to take questions.

Dr. Dipak Desai, the center's administrator, was not at the news event and could not be reached later at the office for comment.

LARGEST SUCH NOTIFICATION

"Las Vegas has the dubious distinction of having the largest patient notification of its kind," one involving the reuse of syringes and consequent spread of disease, said Joseph Perz, an epidemiologist with the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Like some Nevada physicians, Perz said, he was stunned by the magnitude of what happened in Las Vegas.

"It certainly is unsettling to think of the scope of this,'' he said. "Let's not forget the impact on people when they receive the notification letter. A lot of people are going to lose sleep.''

Health officials began investigating the endoscopy center in early January after learning of three people who had been diagnosed with hepatitis C, a chronic, potentially lethal blood-borne virus that can cause liver cancer and liver failure.

The three other cases were identified later.

Each of the individuals underwent procedures requiring injected anesthesia at the medical center between June and September 2007. Five underwent the procedures on the same day at the facility, said Brian Labus, the health district's senior epidemiologist.

The health district subsequently notified the Nevada State Board of Licensure and Certification about the hepatitis C cases and the possibility that exposure occurred at the same medical facility.

The board inspects facilities before they accept patients to determine whether they meet construction requirements and health care regulations. The board also evaluates medical facilities to ensure they comply with the law and provide quality patient care.

After a joint investigation by the board and the health district, it was determined that syringes -- not needles -- and the use of vials of anesthesia medication on multiple patients were potential sources of infection.

A syringe would become contaminated by the backflow of blood when patients with a blood-borne disease were injected with medication, health officials said. That syringe, in turn, would be reused to withdraw medication from a different vial. That vial could become contaminated and result in infection.

During the investigation Labus said doctors, nurses and other medical personnel at the facility were asked whether it was the norm to reuse syringes and vials.

"They admitted, 'This is what we were told to do,' " Labus said.

So far there have been no cases of hepatitis B or HIV linked to the endoscopy center that have been reported to the health district.

INCUBANCY MIGHT BE KEY

Dr. Lawrence Sands, director of the health district, said at the news conference that it could be too early in the investigation for reports about HIV to surface, considering the incubation period for symptoms. Depending on an individual's health, symptoms of HIV might not appear for several years.

The incubation period for hepatitis C is six to eight weeks, and only 20 percent to 30 percent of people exposed actually have symptoms, Labus said.

"Hepatitis C is a serious medical condition,'' Sands said.

"As a precaution and in order to take appropriate steps to protect their health, it is important for these people to get tested and for anyone with the illness to seek medical attention.''

Health officials said Wednesday evening they don't believe the hepatitis C cases are the result of colonoscopies or gastroenterology procedures performed at the center, though the state licensing board referenced in its report problems arising from these procedures that could spread infection.

Lisa Jones, chief of the licensure and certification board, said the reuse of syringes and vials of medication were considered more of a public health risk than the fact that endoscopic equipment was not cleaned properly by clinic personnel.

Instead of cleaning one endoscope and then using fresh solution to clean another one, the same dirty solution would be used, the report states. Jones said one batch of cleaning solution should be used for a single endoscope or set of instruments.

But that issue was not raised at the news conference.

"I didn't want to go into too much detail (about the endoscopic equipment) because of time," Jones said in a telephone interview Wednesday evening. "We felt it was significant enough to cite (in the report) as a deficiency."

District Attorney David Roger said his office "will look at all the facts and circumstances of the Health District investigation" before deciding whether criminal charges are warranted.

When asked who would pay the costs of patients getting tested and treated for diseases spawned because of diagnostic procedures, health officials didn't have any immediate answers.

"That hasn't been worked out yet,'' Sands said. "We hope to get that worked out over the weeks that come.''

Dr. Cheryl Hug-English, associate dean of admissions and student affairs for the University of Nevada School of Medicine, said students are taught from their first year of medical school that what transpired at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada "is not an acceptable practice."

"Certainly the standard of care for many years is not to reuse syringes," Hug-English said. "The proper practice is repeated and ingrained that syringes cannot be reused. ... We take this very seriously.''

In residencies, medical students are monitored by program directors on proper practice, she said.

Carrera, accompanied by Drs. Sanjay Nayyar and Clifford Carrol, said in the statement that the center wants "to express our deep concern about this incident to the many patients who have put their trust in us over the years.''

"As always, our patients remain our primary responsibility and we have already corrected the situation.''

Carrera went on to say that the investigation marked the first time "anything like this" has happened at the facility.

He said the center was "officially notified" of the hepatitis C outbreaks Feb. 6 and submitted a detailed plan of correction to the licensing board on Feb. 15.

Jones said the agency conducted an investigation at the facility from Jan. 9 to Jan. 17.

"This is beyond unfortunate,'' Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association, said after learning of the possible exposures. "Even in the early days of the HIV epidemic when I was the administrator of the Nevada State Health Division, I don't think we ever had a situation like this. ... I'm sure that's why the red flags went out. It's unusual to have an outbreak of hepatitis C.''

FOLLOW-UP WILL BE NEEDED

Matheis and other Nevada health officials said they couldn't recall such an event involving so many people occurring in the state.

Dr. Don Havins, chief executive officer and special counsel for the Clark County Medical Society, said he was alerted by the health district of the hepatitis C cases but wasn't made aware that five of the six people probably were exposed at the same facility on the same day.

He said that is a major concern because others treated that particular day will need to get tested.

"That's the most important thing right now, getting to those people,'' he said.

Matheis said the issue definitely requires follow up and intensive review.

He said the medical association will send information to all Nevada physicians to alert them about such mistakes. He said there might be a need to review Nevada laws to ensure that measures are in place to prevent future similar incidents.

"The Board of Medical Examiners also should be looking at this as well,'' Matheis said. "This is why we have systems in place, to make sure that patient safety is built-in and redundant practices don't occur.''

Evelyn McKnight, co-founder of Hepatitis Outbreak National Organization for Reform, a national advocacy group, said in an e-mail Wednesday that her heart dropped when she heard that 40,000 Nevadans were being notified they might be exposed to hepatitis C and B and HIV.

McKnight was one of 99 cancer patients infected with hepatitis C while undergoing cancer treatment at a Nebraska oncology center.

"Once again, we have an outbreak that involves two common elements -- an outpatient clinic and the reuse of medical equipment that is intended to be used only once,'' she said. "When we hold our restaurants to higher standards than our doctors' offices, that's a tragedy."

On Wednesday, Angelo Dominic, 76, sat in the medical building that houses the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and shook his head in disbelief. Dominic, now being treated for prostate and heart problems, said he had a colonoscopy at the facility within the last year.

He couldn't believe medical personnel would have reused syringes.

"I was a medic in Korea, and I knew you could never do that," he said.

"I've had to deal with prostate cancer and now I have to worry about hepatitis and HIV. Why can't these people care about other people? Where do they come from?"

SOURCE: ANNETTE WELLS and PAUL HARASIM, Las Vegas Review Journal

Staying safe in the sack - Protection for All

2008-02-27T08:57:00.003-05:00

There is an abundance of information out there about safety during straight sex, but what about gay sex? Whether you are gay, bisexual or just curious, you should make sure you know your facts and your options before you have sex.

Q: I know the standard run-of-the-mill issues that come along with straight sex, but I'm bi, so what do I need to know about the risks that come along with gay sex?

A: I think one of the most incorrect assumptions society makes is that people can't contract sexually transmitted infections if they are having sex with someone of the same gender. This is not true. Though it's always a good idea to use protection, we can't always be certain of our partner's STI status, so you should take some precautions to protect both of you.

If you are engaging in lesbian sex, you should be focusing on the use of barriers. Barriers like a dental dam are most effective. According to Brown University's student health website, "dental dams are small, thin, square pieces of latex that are used for oral-vaginal or oral-anal sex.” They are placed between the giver's mouth and the receiver's vulva or anus. If used correctly, these should block the passing of potentially dangerous fluids both from the vagina and from the mouth.

If you don't want to buy dental dams, Brown's website suggests that you can use a latex glove, regular condoms or they also recommend using Saran Wrap. If you choose Saran Wrap, Brown’s website says "it is important that it be non-microwavable because the pores in microwaveable saran wrap are large enough to allow viruses and bacteria to pass through." Who knew?

If you are using sex toys, these also need to be cleaned or protected when going from one person to another. In addition to that, use toys that are made of non-porous and nontoxic materials like silicone. These kinds won't absorb very much fluid, keeping you safer.

For gay men, there are also some things to remember during sex. For male-to-male oral sex, a regular condom can be used to block the spread of fluids from the mouth to the penis and vice versa. If you can't stand the taste of latex, you have the option of using flavored condoms or flavored lubricant. They come in all flavors, so you won’t be stuck with something you find gross.

When having anal intercourse, a condom also should be worn because most infections, like HIV, are most easily spread through anal intercourse. Because most people find that they need a lot of lubricant during anal sex, check to see if you are using the right kind. Oil-based lubricants like Vaseline can ruin the latex of the condom, so make sure that your lubricants are always water-based when condoms are involved.

To be safe when having gay sex, you need to focus on keeping your fluids away from your partner's, as is also true with straight sex. It's just that some of the details are a little different.

SOURCE: Tiffany Harms, dailyevergreen.com

HIV Stigmatization Still Widespread

2008-02-26T10:12:00.001-05:00

Stereotypes and misinformation about HIV that are commonplace among the general public are also evident in a surprising number of clinical staff, a study from the University at Buffalo has found. Published in the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs, Lance S. Rintamaki's study shows that more than 25 years after its discovery, HIV still has the power to generate a broad array of stigmatizing behavior. People infected with HIV have previously labeled dealing with stigma as the most significant social and psychological challenge of the HIV experience and Rintamaki's study shows little has changed.

Sufferers' experiences were categorized by the type of stigmatizing behavior that they experienced most often in the presence of health-care personnel. These categories were: lack of eye contact; assuming physical distance; using disdainful voice tone or inflection; asking confrontational questions; showing irritation, anger, nervousness, fear or panic; taking excessive precautions; scaring, mocking, blaming or ignoring patients; providing substandard care or denying care, and being generally abusive.

Stigmatizing experiences included judgmental behavior and panic on the part of providers when informed of a patient's HIV status, doctors "hermetically sealing" themselves before approaching the patient and patients being told they were going to die. Participants described being blamed openly by health-care providers for their condition. One patient told of being scolded by a phlebotomist; "If you hadn't done this to yourself, we wouldn't have to be going through this!" when he objected to being "poked" painfully several times as she searched for a viable vein to draw blood.

Other reports included the hospital worker who refused to mop the floor in an HIV patient's hospital room, the dentist who turned away a patient because of his HIV status and rough-handling by paramedics. One participant said he had so little eye contact with his neurologist that he couldn't describe the doctor's face. Another participant recounted a nurse's disdain when she delivered his AIDS diagnosis: "It was just so callous and cold the way she said it; 'You have AIDS.' There was no feeling. It's almost like a stone-faced warden or something. No concern."

"Given patients' sensitivity to any indication of bias or discrimination, it's likely that even well-intentioned health-care personnel sometimes engage in behaviors that are interpreted negatively by their patients," said Rintamaki. "The findings from this study give health-care personnel additional insights on what to avoid, or if certain protocols are standard procedure, what to explain further. These approaches might help to prevent misunderstandings."

SOURCE: Kate Melville, scienceagogo.com

Anti-HIV Gel Proven Safe, Tolerable For Women

2008-02-25T08:42:00.001-05:00

Newswise — An experimental anti-HIV gel is safe for women to use on a daily basis, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

In testing, the gel, called tenofovir, was favorably self-applied and tolerable to non-HIV-infected women, a significant boost to HIV and AIDS prevention efforts focused on next-generation microbicides to reduce infection rates, the researchers said.

The women study participants said if tenofovir gel is approved for the prevention of HIV infection, they would be willing to apply the gel to themselves daily or before sex, whichever is determined the best use.

“The gel is safe to use, and well tolerated by HIV-negative women. That’s a key message in our findings,” said Craig Hoesley, M.D., associate professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases and author on the initial Phase II results. “This sets the stage for larger studies to see if tenofovir can prevent HIV infection.”

The tenofovir Phase II trial results were presented Monday, Feb. 25 at an international microbicides meeting in New Delhi, India. The researchers are part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network, an international team of researchers devoted to exploring and evaluating anti-HIV microbicides.

“Based on what we have learned we can proceed with greater confidence on a path that will answer whether tenofovir gel and other gels with HIV-specific compounds will be able to prevent sexual transmission of HIV in women when other approaches have failed to do so,” said Sharon L. Hillier, Ph.D., director of reproductive infectious disease research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and principal investigator on the Phase II study.

Researchers evaluated if tenofovir was safe to use every day for six months, or safe to use prior to each act of intercourse. They found both approaches equally safe. Women in the study were asked to use condoms in addition to the gel.

Researchers found no disruption of liver, blood or kidney function in each group of women using a different gel regimen, including those given a placebo gel that looked and felt identical to the tenofovir gel.

The study included 200 sexually active HIV-negative women enrolled at UAB, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York and the National AIDS Research Institute in Pune, India. Participants were age 19 to 50, and 64 percent were married.

In addition to the safety findings, researchers found women in the study significantly willing to follow the gel-apply guidelines. Eighty percent of the women instructed to use the gel within two hours of having sex said they followed instructions, and 83 percent instructed to use the gel daily said they had done so in the week prior.

Hoesley said if the gel were approved to help prevent HIV infection, more than 90 percent of the study volunteers said they would seriously consider using it, regardless of the regimen, to protect their sexual health.

“We asked women ‘How acceptable is this as a prevention option, is it too messy, is it a nuisance, and will you use it?’ Our study showed they will use it and they’re not bothered by the gel,” Hoesley said.

The active ingredient in tenofovir gel is a class of anti-retroviral drugs called nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, which act against HIV by blocking the virus’ ability to replicate and grow inside the body.

Tenofovir was developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc., of Foster City, Calif.

The Microbicide Trials Network was established in 2006 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases with co-funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Mental Health, all components of the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE: University of Alabama at Birmingham, NEWSWISE.COM

Stimulating Thymus Reactivates T-Cell Production

2008-02-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

FRIDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- It's possible to stimulate the thymus gland to produce new immune system T-cells in adults infected with HIV, U.S. researchers say.

HIV infection destroys T-cells, which leads to the collapse of the immune system and severe infection. The thymus gland produces T-cells early in life but gradually loses function and becomes mostly inactive in adulthood. That means it's difficult for HIV-infected adults to produce new T-cells to rebuild their depleted immune systems.

It has long been believed that it wasn't possible to reactivate T-cell production in the thymus. The new study, by researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is the first to show that therapy can help boost thymus function in adults.

The two-year study of 22 HIV-infected adults found that treatment with growth hormone (GH) increased thymus mass and more than doubled the number of newly made T-cells. The results are published in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

"These results represent new proof-of-principle findings that thymic involution can be reversed in humans," study author Dr. Laura Napolitano, an assistant investigator at Gladstone and an assistant professor of medicine at UCSF, said in a prepared statement.

"Improved T-cell production may be helpful for some medical conditions such as HIV disease or bone marrow transplantation. These findings contribute new information to our understanding of T-cell production and are also an important step to determine whether immune therapies might someday benefit patients who need more T-cells," Napolitano said.

However, much more research is needed to determine whether stimulating production of new T-cells actually provides a health benefit for HIV patients or anyone else, the researchers said.

SOURCE: Forbes.com

One in five HIV patients in New York say they never use condoms

2008-02-21T10:26:00.001-05:00

Approximately one-fifth of HIV-positive patients report never using condoms with regular or casual partners in a study conducted in New York and published in the February edition of AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Inconsistent use of condoms was associated with the presence of symptoms of depression, and most of the patients reporting unprotected sex had a detectable viral load.

Although the investigators found no link between use of antiretroviral treatment and inconsistent or non-existent condom use in their multivariate analysis, they did find that patients who reported poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy were more likely to never or inconsistently use condoms.

Patients in the study were asked about their sexual behaviour and adherence using an audio computer-assisted self-interview and the results of this interview were made available to their doctors. The investigators suggest that these interviews could be used to identify “a core group of nonadherent patients who do not consistently use condoms, and then deliver targeted intensive psychosocial services and prevention interventions to them.”

Thanks to the success of antiretroviral therapy people with HIV can live, longer, healthier lives. This good health means that individuals with HIV are likely to remain sexually active. Therefore HIV prevention efforts are being focused on people with diagnosed HIV infection and in 2003 the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an initiative to screen for sexual risk behaviour during HIV clinic appointments.

Investigators wanted to see if audio computer assisted interviews were a successful means of obtaining information about issues including sexual risk behaviour, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and the presence of depressive symptoms.

A total of 198 patients at two HIV clinics with a predominately Latino population were recruited to the study in 2004. The patients were told that their answers during the computer-assisted interview would be provided to their HIV doctor.

Three quarters of the patients were Latino, 36% were gay/men who have sex with men, and 25% were women.

In the four weeks before the study, 65% reported being sexually active, with 24% reporting a regular partner only, 5% a casual partner only and 35% both a regular and a casual partner.

Of the patients who reported sex with a regular partner, 34% said they didn’t always use condoms and 18% said they never used condoms. Of the patients who said they had had sex with a casual partner, 26% reported not using condoms every time and 15% said they never used condoms. Overall 35% of sexually active individuals reported inconsistent condom use and 19% reported never using condoms.

Women were more likely than men to report never using condoms (32% vs, 15%, p = 0.047), and heterosexuals were more likely than gay men to report not using a condom every time with a regular partner (p = 0.04).

Taking antiretroviral therapy was associated with inconsistent condom use with regular partners in univariate analysis (p= 0.05). But this association disappeared in multivariate analysis that adjusted for age, race, gender and HIV transmission category. In multivariate analysis, the only factors significantly associated with not using condoms were self-reported depression (p = 0.03) and self-reported poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (p = 0.02).

Of the patients who reported never using condoms with regular partners, 76% had a viral load above 400 copies/ml. All the patients who reported never using condoms with casual partners had a viral load above 400 copies/ml.

“We found that almost one fifth of those who had been sexually active in the past four weeks reported never using condoms with their regular or casual sex partners. Over one third of these patients reported not using condoms every time”, comment the investigators.

“Most patients with recent HIV RNA results who reported unprotected sex…had detectable HIV RNA”, the researchers observe, adding, “the fact that a substantial number of patients with detectable HIV RNA are practicing unprotected sex is a serious concern.”

The investigators acknowledge that their study had some limitations, including the lack of diversity in the population. Nor were the investigators able to say if patients were having unprotected sex with partners of the same HIV status, or if men were adopting “strategic positioning” (assuming the receptive role with men who were HIV-negative or of unknown HIV infection status).

SOURCE: Michael Carter, aidsmap.com

Clueless on STDs, Throat Cancer, and Oral Sex

2008-02-20T09:31:00.001-05:00

There's an argument out there that oral sex is not sex. For some grown-ups, it's a way to deny that they're cheating. To some young people, oral sex preserves virginity—technically speaking—and allows for what is perceived as risk-free sexual intimacy. From a medical perspective, however, this is sex—and generally, as practiced, it's unsafe. People seem clueless that sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and human papillomavirus can take hold in parts of the oral cavity during sex with infected partners and that the oral contact can infect the genitals, too. HPV is a particularly scurrilous threat, since it incubates silently in the back of the mouth and is now linked to a dangerous form of throat cancer in both men and women similar to the one that arises in the cervix.

Head and neck cancers, which can attack the mouth, nose, sinuses, and throat, have been diseases of people over 50 with a history of heavy smoking and drinking. Thanks to the decrease in smoking and use of chewing tobacco, these disfiguring cancers are in steady decline. However, this triumph of prevention is clouded by an unexpected increase in oropharyngeal cancer, which develops in the tonsils and the base of the tongue and is apt to show up in those who don't smoke or drink heavily, and in younger people. Earlier this month, researchers from Johns Hopkins reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that between 1973 and 2004 there had been a near doubling of the incidence of these HPV-related oral cancers among people in their 40s.

It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that this rise in oropharyngeal cancer is linked to changing sexual practices and, in particular, ones that involve bathing the throat with HPV-infected fluid. Increasingly, scientists are implicating HPV-16, and in some cases 18, the same ones that causes cervical cancer. In 2006, a Swedish study of preserved surgical specimens from excised oropharyngeal cancers going back over 30 years identified HPV-16 in less than a quarter of specimens removed in the 1970s. By the 1990s, the proportion was 57 percent. After 2000, it was 68 percent. In 2007, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found HPV-16 in 72 percent of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States. Not proof, but based on correlations with sexual behavior, and an abundance of similar findings both here and around the world over the past few years, there is credible if not alarming medical concern that the infection is being acquired through unprotected oral sex.

That our children might be at growing risk for this deadly cancer is particularly unnerving. Health surveys indicate that well over half of American teens now engage in oral sex, with about 10 to 20 percent claiming "technical virginity." Pediatricians will tell you that this behavior is fueled by the adolescents' belief that oral sex is risk-free play, making it more common and acceptable. But few practice it safely. Some of this is anecdotal. But British researchers determined that more than 80 percent of university students ages 16 to 21 failed to protect themselves with condoms during oral sex. This is an age group well known for diligently using them during vaginal sex.

Granted, the major risk for STDs comes with vaginal sex, but the relative ease and growing frequency of oral sex among those engaging in casual "hookups" is a virtual epidemic in the making. Providing our young people with graphic medical information and stern parental and medical guidance is long overdue. As with all sex education, the abstinence message should be foremost and explicit. But it's not enough. They must also know that safe sex applies to sex by mouth, too. And, that's a message for all ages, unless one has a single faithful partner.

Concern about the growing risk of oropharyngeal cancer also bears on the use of the new HPV vaccine, Gardasil, which protects against HPV-16 and 18. Currently it's approved for young women only. Yet men contract, carry, and transmit HPV and develop HPV-related genital cancers, though far less commonly than do women. But, when it comes to HPV-related tonsil and tongue cancer, men are at greater risk than women. This should provide strong impetus for an HPV vaccine that works for men, too—an effort that's taking an inexplicably long time. Before anyone thinks, however, that a cancer vaccine will deliver a free pass on risky behavior, just imagine for a moment what a rip roaring case of pharyngeal gonorrhea might look like. It's not pretty.

SOURCE: Bernadine Healy M.D., USNEWS.COM

5 things you didn't know about HPV

2008-02-19T08:03:00.001-05:00

1 Cancer connection: There are more than 100 types of Human papillomaviruses or HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Most are harmless, but about 30 types put you at risk for cancer. Almost all women will have HPV infections at some point, but very few will develop cervical cancer; their immune systems will usually suppress or eliminate HPVs, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only HPV infections that do not go away over many years lead to cervical cancer.

2 How you get it: Through skin-to-skin sexual contact with an infected partner. Transmission by genital contact without intercourse is not common, but it has been reported. Oral-genital and hand-genital transmission of some HPV types is possible, says the American Cancer Society.

3 Common: Infection is very common soon after a woman becomes sexually active. In one recent study, more than 50 percent of college-age women were found to have acquired an HPV infection within four years of first having sex, says the American Cancer Society.

4 Prevention: Abstinence or a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner, although it's difficult to tell if a partner who has been sexually active in the past is infected. Correctly using latex condoms greatly reduces the risk, but it doesn't completely protect because areas not covered by a condom. A new vaccine called Gardasil is recommended for 11- and 12-year-old girls before their first sexual contact. Another promising vaccine, Cervarix, is being tested, but hasn't been approved yet. Studies suggest the vaccines can protect against some HPV for at least four years; the need for a booster vaccine is being researched. A controversial Florida bill that would have required all sixth-grade girls to be vaccinated died in the Florida Legislature last year.

5 Guys: HPV also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer. It now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say. A vaccine for boys may soon become available, which also would help prevent men from spreading the virus to women.

SOURCE: JODI MAILANDER-FARRELL, MIAMIHERALD.COM

Anti-AIDS gel disappoints, failing to prevent HIV infection in study of African women

2008-02-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

Monday, February 18, 2008
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP
chinapost.com.tw

The first anti-AIDS vaginal gel to make it through late-stage testing failed to stop HIV infection in a study of 6,000 South African women, disappointed researchers announced Monday.

The study was marred by low use of the gel, which could have undermined results, they said. Women used it less than half the number of times they had sex, and only 10 percent said they used it every time as directed.

Scientists are still analyzing the results to see if this made a difference. They also plan more tests on a revamped gel containing an AIDS drug that they hope will work better.

The gel used in the current study did prove safe, however, and researchers called that a watershed event.

But for now, the effort is the latest disappointment in two decades of trying to develop a microbicide - a cream or gel women could use to lower their risk of getting HIV through sex. A female-controlled method is especially needed in poor countries where women often can't persuade men to use condoms.

A year ago, scientists stopped two late-stage tests of a different gel after early results suggested it might raise the risk of HIV infection instead of lowering it.

The new study tested Carraguard, a microbicide developed by the nonprofit, New York-based Population Council. It contains carrageenan, which comes from seaweed and is widely used in the food and cosmetics industries as a gel, stabilizer and thickening agent. Lab, animal and early human tests suggested it might prevent HIV and other sexually spread infections.

The latest study was done from March 2004 through March 2007 in Gugulethu, Isipingo and Soshanguve, all in South Africa.

More than 9,000 women, average age 31, volunteered for the study. About 27 percent tested positive for HIV and were disqualified. In all, 6,202 women were randomly given either Carraguard or a placebo gel. Neither the women nor the study staff knew who received what. All received safe-sex counseling and condoms.

Women participated from nine months to two years, with 4,244 completing the study. About 18 percent dropped out, often because they became pregnant and the gel is not known to be safe for use in pregnancy. Another 13 percent could not be found for follow up information.

At the end of the study, there were 134 new HIV infections in the Carraguard group and 151 in the fake gel group - a rate of 3.3 infections per 100 women each year in the microbicide group and 3.7 for the placebo group.

"The results are comparable," with no statistically significant difference, said Khatija Ahmed, a microbiologist who headed the study's Setshaba Research Centre site near Pretoria.

However, women in the study used the gels only 44 percent of the time, and some used it hardly at all. Researchers are still analyzing the numbers to see what that means. If nonuse was far greater in the microbicide group than the placebo group, "it could have had an impact on our final study results," said Barbara Friedland, the study's behavioral coordinator.

A plus: reported condom use doubled, from 33 percent at the start of the study to 64 percent during it. Other sexually spread infections declined.

The study was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.

Jeff Spieler, an official at USAID, called the trial "groundbreaking work" in a statement. "We have always known that the path to developing a successful microbicide would be a long one."

The Population Council hopes to start tests this year of a revamped Carraguard containing an experimental AIDS drug, MIV-150. The group also has studies under way of a contraceptive version of the gel, Carraguard plus hormones.

Web site allows anonymous warning of STD infections

2008-02-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A Web site that enables people with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to send anonymous email warnings to their partners could help slow a rise in new infections, a New York health official said.

InSpot.org uses the E-Card model to send messages like "I'm So Sorry" to notify people that they may have been exposed to a disease. It also offers information about getting tested and treatment.

"Making use of some of the emerging technologies makes sense," said Sue Blank, of New York's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

"We're getting the word out to the community."

Blank hopes the site will help to reduce new syphilis infections in New York which rose by 56 percent during the first half of the current fiscal year.

Users of the site, which went online in San Francisco in 2004, can choose from a selection of messages.

"It provides an easy, convenient, anonymous way for people to be responsible about notifying their partners about a possible exposure to an STD," said Deb Levine, of the San Francisco Internet Sexuality Information Services, which created InSpot with the city's Department of Public Health.

There are 15 million new cases of STDs in the United States each year, according to the Web site. The rise in syphilis in New York mirrors a national trend that shows syphilis has risen sharply among gay and bisexual men in the United States this decade.

Levine said that in San Francisco, syphilis rates have fallen since the site was introduced.

In addition to New York and San Francisco, the Web site is now active in six other U.S. cities. It has also been launched in eight U.S. states, as well as two Canadian cities and Romania.

SOURCE: Edith Honan, Reuters.com

USC students' demand for condom dispensers denied

2008-02-14T08:14:00.002-05:00

Since administrators decided against installing condom machines in University of South Carolina residence halls, students will have to go a little further for safety when they want to go all the way.

The Residence Hall Association, representing student residents, took an opinion poll that found most USC students wanted condom machines installed in dorms. Student residents and the RHA alike said the administration's decision was a disappointment.

The school is reluctant to install these machines because the administration fears it will hurt its public image, said Assistant Director of Student Learning Sean McGreevey.

"The university's number one concern is recruitment and retention," he said. "There is a proportion of people out there who will view these machines negatively and the administration has to take that into account."

SOURCE: Kimberly Wexler, www.dailyfreepress.com

Though the school decided against installing in-dorm condom machines this year, the RHA and the administration will continue discussing the possibility of installing them in the future, said RHA President Amanda Pippin.

"I think if these condom machines prevent even one couple from engaging in unsafe sex, then the project of installing them would be worthwhile," she said.

Pippin said the RHA plans to tackle the image issue by installing the machines in areas accessible only to dorm residents, avoiding public bathrooms or dorm lobbies.

"They will only be available and noticeable to the residents of that particular dorm," she said.

USC freshman Ben Orpizcolon said the public's perception of in-dorm condom machines will vary, but the machines will ultimately benefit students. Though residence advisors make condoms available, he said, many people are embarrassed about something so personal.

"It would benefit students and encourage safe sex to have them available in the dorms," he said.

While Northeastern University has condom machines in some residence halls, Northeastern student health representatives would only confirm the school has them and declined further comment.

Boston University Student Health Services offers free condoms in its office waiting area and allows students to purchase up to 20 condoms for $5.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said regardless of image, BU does not need condom machines in dorms because there is no shortage of places that sell condoms on or near campus.

"We believe that our students are mature and able to make these decisions responsibly," he said. "Practicing unsafe sex is a sign of immature and uninformed decision making, especially because condoms are available all over the city."

SOURCE: Kimberly Wexler, dailyfreepress.com

Contraception: It's better to be doubly safe than sorry

2008-02-13T09:07:00.000-05:00

A new study indicates that the safe sex message is getting through to Australian women, with nearly 70 per cent of those surveyed currently using contraception and 15 per cent using not one but two contraceptive methods to prevent pregnancy and protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.

The study, by Dr Nick Parr and Dr Stefania Siedlecky from Macquarie University's Demographic Research Group, was published recently in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

It uses survey data from more than 3000 women aged between 18 and 44 about their contraceptive use. The variation in the seven most prevalent contraceptive practices between different age groups, marital status, parity, education level, place of residence, birthplace, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent was examined.

Results showed that education, cultural factors arising from ethnic background and the nature of sexual and family relationships were all important factors in determining contraceptive choices.

Two-thirds of respondents were using contraception, including more than 15 per cent who used more than one method. The contraceptive pill was the most widely used method (39 per cent), followed by the condom (28 per cent). Interestingly, more than one-quarter of pill users (28 per cent) were using condoms as well.

"Following its introduction in 1961, the oral contraceptive pill was rapidly adopted by Australian women, while the use of other methods, including condoms, declined," explain Parr and Siedlecky. "However, the arrival of HIV/AIDS in Australia in 1982 focused attention on the public health implications of contraceptive use, particularly the importance of condom use. Consequently condom use increased.

"Condoms are the only contraceptive that protect against sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS for both men and women. However, since the condom alone is less effective as a contraceptive than hormonal methods and intra uterine devices (IUDs), the twin goals of preventing the spread of STIs and preventing unwanted pregnancy through the simultaneous use of both the pill and the condom - so-called dual protection - has been advocated."

While the study indicates that the use of the Pill and the increasing use of dual protection methods have been adopted by most subgroups, it appears a more widespread use of condoms is required among particular groups.

"Women under 25 and students were found significantly more likely to use the combination of pill and condom," say Parr and Siedlecky. "This could reflect a greater number of sexual partners in this demographic and the associated greater need for protection against both STIs and unwanted pregnancy.

"However, rising rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea indicate there is still a need for more widespread use of condoms, either as a single method or combined with other methods. High rates of STIs and lower levels of condom use, either alone or in combination, may also be an indication of a greater need for education and access among people living in remote Australia or for those of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent."

SOURCE: Macquarie University, PHYSORG.COM

Free love isn't

2008-02-12T07:41:00.000-05:00

Ah, the swinging 60s and 70s. Those were the days. Sex was an egocentric activity engaged in, solely and indiscriminately, for pleasure.

"Spreading the love" was a humanitarian activity, not a euphemism within the medical community for the increased distribution of STDs among the population. This was all, of course, before the official discovery of AIDS by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 5, 1981.

After the discovery of AIDS, using protection such as condoms became the expectation and the norm for highly developed societies.

Or did it? Judging by the way college students have sex today, one might think that it was 1972 and not 2008. Several students interviewed admitted to having unprotected sex regularly, though they are informed of the risk involved.

In a random Hodges Library sample, 8 out of 10 students admitted to having unprotected sex at least once.

Some of the comments that were shared regarding their decisions:

"Sex feels better without a condom."

"I was drunk, and it was only one time."

"I haven't gotten anything yet."

"Condoms suck."

"I didn't want to, but she said she was clean."

"I trust him."

News flash: It only takes one unprotected sack session to contract an STD. There is no way to tell if someone is "clean" other than getting tested.

Most males have never been tested. A Pap test (standard yearly procedure for females) only screens for abnormalities. Separate tests are required for most STD diagnoses, including HIV and herpes. Most women do not know this.

Condoms are not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Per the back label of a Trojan, "If used properly, latex condoms will help to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV infection (AIDS) and many other sexually transmitted diseases. Also highly effective against pregnancy."

Many STDs, such as Chlamydia, HPV (Human papillomavirus, aka genital warts), herpes, and HIV, can remain symptom less for months, or even forever. A person can be a carrier, spreading the disease to many others, without ever having a single outbreak.

Alternatively, a person aware that they have the disease can still spread it to others, regardless of whether or not they're having a visible outbreak.

Hold the phone. So are we just supposed to not have sex, ever? Not exactly. But with the STD rate steadily climbing, so is the average sexually active person's risk of exposure. Condoms aren't a guarantee, but they are a fairly sure bet, and certainly better than nothing.

Never engage in unprotected sex outside of a solid monogamous relationship. If you happen to be a swinging single with raging hormones, be a smart swinging single. Get tested regularly. And never dismiss the often overlooked joys of frottage and heavy petting.

SOURCE: Katherine Leone, tnjn.com

Sex with your Valentine

2008-02-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and among the chocolates and the flowers and the paper hearts, all inscribed with endearing words, there will also undoubtedly be a lot more "love making" happening than usual. Given this fact, National Condom Awareness Week, which has been recognized by the American Social Health Association, occurs annually around Valentine's Day. This year it is being held on Feb. 10 to Feb. 17 and intends to promote the use of condoms as a preventative against unwanted pregnancy as well as some sexually transmitted diseases.

According to research done by staying-alive.org,, 62 percent of young men and women do not use condoms every time they have sex. This is an alarming number considering that the incidence of AIDS stands at about 40,000 newly reported cases each year, 25 percent of which are persons between the ages of 15-29. New York also has one of the highest infection rates as well, second only to the District of Columbia. Given all of these facts, we would think that more than 38 percent of sexually active youths would use condoms before "doing the deed."

Why are there so few consistently responsible youths? We could surely attribute the nonchalance about the topic to the fact that there are several myths about condoms and their use. The top five "Condom Myths" that I have found consistently in my research are as follows:

Myth#1 Condoms break anyway.

Condoms don't break, the users break them. The likeliness of a condom being broken in the package or during intercourse is slim, and the breaks are typically due to human error and possibly a hasty hand. If the condom is put on properly, it should remain in tact.

Myth #2 Condoms don't protect me from STDs.

Condoms are actually very effective in preventing the spread of both gonorrhea and chlamydia as well as the most severe of them all, HIV. While it is never 100 percent fool proof, it has been shown to be "your best bet" in protecting yourself against these life-altering diseases.

Myth #3 Condoms don't fit well. They hamper my pleasure.

Modern times have allowed for the technology to creation condoms that are said to be quite comfortable and may even enhance pleasure during intercourse. It's all simply a matter of taking the time to identify the right fit and moving forward from there.

Myth #4 I'm allergic to latex.

There are alternatives to latex condoms that are just as effective in preventing pregnancy and disease. The most notable is the polyutherane condom, which is made from a plastic derivative. It may typically be a bit more expensive, but not nearly as expensive as the college tuition you would have to pay for the baby that you could potentially have.

Myth #5

Condoms are not that effective.

Condoms, when used properly, are 99.8 percent effective. That leaves you with a 0.02 percent chance of getting pregnant as opposed to a 99 percent chance of getting pregnant by not using one. I think the first alternative makes the most sense.

Now that you are armed with these facts, please be safe always. For National Condom Awareness week, we have a New York based group coming to campus on Wednesday, Feb. 13 to the VC's 2nd floor lobby from 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. to share information with students on condoms and emergency contraception.

In addition, the Baruch Health Care Center will have a representative during club hours on Thursday, Feb. 14 to hand out free condoms to ensure that everyone has a safe and very happy Valentine's Day.

SOURCE: Taheera Tm Kee, media.www.theticker.org

Safety is sexy, chlamydia is not

2008-02-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

Back in the day it was called VD for venereal disease. And then we had STD for sexually transmitted disease. At present, the medically appropriate term is STI, for sexually transmitted infection.

The terminology changes, as does the awareness about them and the number of people afflicted. With an increase in education and awareness about condoms and STI testing, one might think that the numbers are going down. But the horizon ain't totally rosy. Let's check in on some stats of those with bacterial ants in the pants.

There is some good news, particularly on the increasingly less grim front of HIV/AIDS. New diagnoses of those with the virus have been relatively stable in Oregon since 1997, and they've been taking a slight decline in the last couple of years, hovering around 300 new cases a year in the state, but dipping to 270 in 2006.

Syphilis, too, has been a virtually nonexistent issue with a rate of 1.3 per 100,000 new Oregonians diagnosed with it in 2006. (As my doctor of a mother said, "Jesse, you really don't need to worry about that unless you're doing it with sailors or something.") And Oregon's rate of those newly diagnosed with any infection-for which data is available-is lower than the national average.

In some cases, however, our genital health is a little less jolly. Chlamydia rates, for example, have been on an aggregate rise in our state since a historic low in 1997. The rate then was 184.9 per 100,000 people. In 2006 it was 259.5. The scariest part about this is the fact that while chlamydia is often easily cured with antibiotics, the infection usually occurs with no symptoms, and as a result, often goes undiagnosed. The health consequences can be harsh, especially on women. In a report on recent STI trends, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us "Up to 40 percent of females with untreated chlamydia infections develop PID, and 20 percent of those may become infertile." The report goes on to say that while chlamydia complications among men are "relatively uncommon," it can, in rare cases, cause sterility.

Gonorrhea rates, while having remained relatively stable in Oregon for the last few years (and even showing signs of going down), have a separate and frightening can of worms to deal with. Long dealt with as an infection cured by antibiotics, a fast-growing number of cases are turning out to be resistant to the leading class of antibiotics used to treat it. Of the cases tested through a CDC surveillance project in 2006, 13.8 percent were found to be resistant. Alternative antibiotics are now being used to treat it, but other drug-resistant strains exist, and alternative antibiotics can often come with higher prices and more side effects.

Not to mention diseases like HPV, which the CDC estimates half of sexually active people will get at some point in their lifetime and which men cannot be tested for. Or genital herpes, which, it's estimated, one out of five adolescents and adults in the United States has. Scary stuff.

Finally, the fact that some rates of new diagnoses are stable is, quite bluntly, not good enough. A total 270 new diagnoses of HIV/AIDS a year in this state is 270 too many.

So what's the deal in our age of supposed enlightenment? Most people are smart enough to not fuck total strangers without protection. Most of us are smart enough to know how to put on a condom, and most of us know that using the withdrawal method is about as safe as taking the MAX out to Gresham.

But having unprotected sex with anybody, no matter how well you know them, is still unprotected and unsafe. Urban myths, like the idea that putting on two condoms means double the protection (uh, not true, by the way) or that you can't contract infections through oral sex, still persist. And condoms are effective, but like everything, they are not 100 percent.

So it bears repeating: If you are sexually active, use protection effectively and get screened for infections regularly. There are enough resources out there to get it done confidentially, cheap and without judgment. If your antsy untested partner is loath to the idea of protection, don't forget that it's not a matter of "Don't you trust me?" It's a matter of protecting yourself as well as your partner, every time, all the time.

SOURCE: Jesse Thiessen, dailyvanguard.com

If you really love her, wear a cover

2008-02-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, couples worldwide are scrambling in order to make the day as romantic and memorable as possible.

Between the methodical plans for candlelight dinners, bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates, there are two unwanted gifts distributed regularly that a significant other wants no part of.

These white elephants are unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, surprises that are easily preventable.

"Most people are aware that there are a lot of sexually transmitted infections out today, so it's a good idea if you're having sex to use [a condom]," James Almeda, health educator and sexual health and peer education coordinator at Student Health Services, said.

He added that one of the keys to avoiding these diseases is finding out about the partner's past.

"Just because you've been with someone for a long time, you don't necessarily know who they have been with before or if they've been exposed to something," he said. "The problem is you can never tell when someone is infected. They may have never had an outbreak, but can still transmit it."

So what is the best way for students to avoid contracting infections on such a historically passionate holiday?

"You need to use a barrier method like a condom to protect yourself," Almeda said. "Condoms or not engaging in intercourse are most used against STI's."

To stay clear of pregnancies, Almeda said the pill is the most popular form of contraception, but also offered advice for sexually active students.

"I recommend to students that are worried about STI's and pregnancy to use both a condom as well as another birth control method," he said.

However, some students are leery of condoms due to rumors of their ineffectiveness. But according to Kathie Spegel, director of education of East Central Illinois' Planned Parenthood, many condom failures are due to incorrect use.

"Most failure is through user mistakes, not condom failure itself," she said. "Using petroleum based lubrication, instead of water based, will break down the latex. Bubble backing, the use of two condoms at once, causes friction between the two pieces of latex and causes the break."

Other cautionary advice with condom use includes checking for fairly obvious signs. The expiration date on the wrapping should be checked to make sure it is still good. The packaging around the condom should also be checked for tears, since that can be seen as a warning sign for a broken condom.

Some believe certain brands of condoms are more effective than others. According to Almeda, that is not necessarily the case.

"If you look at the research, there's really no one brand that is best for protection. A lot of people have the perception that Trojan is the only brand of condom," he said.

"[Condoms] have to meet a certain effectiveness rate as far as protecting against STI's and pregnancies to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration."

He does warn about the use of specially labeled condoms that are available.

"You can buy condoms… that are made of what is called lambskin, natural skin or sheepskin. They are fine for protection against pregnancy, but they don't provide protection against STI's and HIV," he said.

To further the sexual knowledge on campus, Student Health Services offers the G-Spot, a traveling version of the Health Staff Resource Center. Located weekly at different spots on campus, it supplies students with condoms and a variety of important health information.

"The big focus of the G-Spot is sexual information. We do offer free condoms, but people realize that we have other health resources there too," Almeda said.

SOURCE: Philip P. Lasseigne, Daily Vidette Staff, dailyvidette.com

Condom distribution may stir local controversies

2008-02-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

Awareness group to visit several colleges

While they know it may stir up some controversy, representatives from AIDS awareness group Bethany Place plans to pass out more than 6,000 condoms at metro-east colleges next week but not at Southwestern Illinois College.

The giveaway is part of the observance of National Condom Week, according to Katie Barnhart, the Bethany Place community prevention and education coordinator. She said the message is too important not to get out.

"The idea is to get awareness up so people know how to protect themselves," Barnhart said. "The idea was to do five colleges in the five week days because a college campus is a great place to find young single people who are most likely to be sexually active and in need of hearing our message."

McKendree University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Lewis and Clark College and Kaskaskia College agreed to host an safe sex awareness program and the condom giveaway. Southwestern Illinois College approved the group's request to have a table with information about safe sex. But school leaders shot down the request to pass out condoms.

"While Southwestern Illinois College was happy to approve a recent Bethany Place request for that group to set up an information table promoting safe sex on Valentine's Day, which is also National Condom Awareness Day," said SWIC spokesman Mike Fleming. "The college respectfully chose not to allow simultaneous distribution of free condoms. On this occasion and historically if and when we've been asked, we have always declined because we do not see it as a community college charge."

Fleming said "There are likely more appropriate distribution alternatives" than passing out condoms at the college.

"We do not think it is in the best interest of our diverse-taxpayer community to potentially offend any individuals or groups who might question such participation," Fleming said.

McKendree organizer Tami Eggleston, an associate professor of psychology at the school, said she is trying to keep things tasteful and informative at the same time.

"We'll have experts in to talk to people and we'll also have some students making presentations and talk about staying safe." Eggleston said. "Next week is also sexual responsibility week, so this is not all just about condoms. It's also about responsibility. And part of sexual responsibility is making smart decisions."

SOURCE: Scott Wuerz, bnd.com

Study Finds Anti-AIDS Drugs May Prevent HIV Infection

2008-02-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

A new study involving monkeys suggests that antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV could also protect people from getting infected with the virus. The development is being hailed by AIDS researchers. VOA's Jessica Berman reports.

More than 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV. There were 2.5 million new infections last year alone.

Despite years of intensive effort, researchers have been unable to develop a vaccine. But antiretroviral drugs have turned HIV into manageable disease by keeping it from progressing to AIDS.

Now, researchers are finding that these drugs may be a potent weapon against the spread of HIV.

In a study involving monkeys, researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia used two antiretroviral drugs to prevent transmission of a primate version of HIV.

The scientists injected macaques with single daily doses of the antiretroviral drug FTC and then exposed them once a week for 14 weeks to a primate version of the AIDS virus. In that experiment, the drug reduced the risk of infection 3.8-fold compared to untreated primates.

The researchers then gave oral doses of FTC and another antiretroviral drug, tenofovir, to the monkeys, reducing the risk of infection 7.8-fold compared to untreated animals.

In a third experiment, the macaques were given daily shots of FTC and higher doses of tenofovir before being exposed to the primate HIV virus. Lead researcher Walid Heneine says that provided 100 percent protection, as did another regimen in which the macaques received the FTC-tenofovir combination two to three hours before exposure to the virus and 24 hours after each weekly exposure.

Heneine says the research provides a model for human use.

"The findings from this intermittent study suggests that ultimately it is possible to provide a promising new avenue for future research, where it opens up the floor for a lot of more research for intermittent dosing," said Walid Heneine.

The results of the study were published in the online journal Public Library of Science Medicine.

The Centers for Disease Control is currently conducting HIV prevention trials using antiretroviral drugs in Thailand with injection drug users, Botswana involving heterosexuals and in the United States in the homosexual community.

Lynn Paxton is coordinator of the clinical trials at CDC. Paxton says the notion of antiretroviral drug use to prevent HIV transmission is not new. She points to the use of drugs to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus from pregnant women to their unborn babies.

Paxton says the use of these drugs may soon take its place alongside other HIV prevention methods, such as condoms.

"So, we look upon pre-exposure prophylaxis as potentially a powerful new weapon that we may be able to add to this armamentarium," said Lynn Paxton.

Myron Cohen is with the University of North Carolina's Department of Medicine.

"This is not, like, business as usual," said Myron Cohen. "There are 30 to 40 million people infected. There is an urgent thing for us to have better and better tools."

Cohen commented on antiretroviral prevention therapy in the journal PLoS Medicine.

SOURCE: Jessica Berman, voanews.com

Break it down: Drop guns, wear condoms

2008-02-04T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ohio family physician Anthony Atkins, MD, has turned to hip-hop music to reach adolescents with important messages about safer sex, self respect, and prevention of violence.

Anthony Atkins, MD, a family physician working in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of Lima, Ohio, wanted a way to reach the young African-American males who came to his office with bullet wounds and the 13-year-old girls arriving for prenatal care. He also wanted to find a way to reduce the number of adolescents he saw who had not just one sexually transmitted disease, but multiple types simultaneously.

And then he settled on music.

"These kids listen to hip-hop. They vibe to that. I needed to find a rapper and write out what I saw in a way that the kids would listen," said the staff physician at the Lima Community Health Center.

So, even though he prefers jazz, the 49-year-old doctor started writing lyrics for hip-hop songs and turned them over to local rappers as well as those from Detroit, Chicago and New York. They refined the songs to make them even more relevant for the audience Dr. Atkins wanted to reach.

"They said, 'You're old school, but we know what you're trying to say.' They made it flow better. They made it rhyme," he said.

The result is "LifeStoryz: State of Emergency," a 16-track compact disc that is probably one of the few, if not only, hip-hop releases with a physician credited on the cover. He hands it out to patients or refers them to his MySpace page where four of the songs are posted. He and his rappers also performed at the local high school in September 2006 with the support of the county health department.

"Adolescents think they're bulletproof and invincible. Dr. Atkins makes them stop and think, and he's found a way to do it through music," said Becky Dershem, a nurse practitioner and director of nursing for the Allen County Health Dept. in Lima. "The patients love him, and teenagers respect him a great deal. He's been a real asset to our community."

The music is refreshing. The songs have explicit messages without profanity. The public health themes are clear, but in a language that speaks directly to the intended audience. "Put the gun away," is a song performed by 20-year-old Chicago rapper J-Verse that outlines the consequences -- jail and death -- of being armed. "Strap it up," sung by the 21-year-old Toledo, Ohio-based Miss Behavin, urges women to have enough pride in themselves to demand that men practice safe sex and for men to respect their partners enough to do so.
An eye on making a difference

According to public health officials, it's unclear yet what kind of impact this music has had on the area's health status. Lima, with a 2006 population of 38,219, is nestled in the fairly rural, central-northwest portion of the state. The jurisdiction in general, and particularly the south-side area where the clinic is based, is one of Ohio's poorer locales. Nationally, more than 12% of people live below the poverty line, but it's more than 22% in Lima. The city and the surrounding county's percentage of adults experiencing violence in the past year, 9.3%, is more than double the state's rate of 4.3%, and the region has some of the state's higher rates of HIV and STDs.

But anecdotal evidence suggests that the project may have found real traction.

"Some of the parents say, 'What did you show my kids? Whatever you did, my daughter now says she's not going to have sex,' " Dr. Atkins explained.

Those who have worked with him suspect he is having success because, although he is decades older than those to whom he wants to communicate these messages, he's not so far removed from their world. He grew up in inner-city Detroit and, when faced with a decision about what to do with his life, chose the U.S. Air Force over joining a gang and selling drugs. Both options, he realized, involved the possibility of getting shot, but one would provide his mother with a flag and other compensation if that happened.

After an honorable discharge in 1988, he ended up in a Health Resources and Service Administration program at Ohio State University College of Medicine that aimed to draw students from disadvantaged backgrounds into the health professions. This path led him to medical school. He graduated in 1999. He then completed his family medicine residency in 2002 at Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio, where he received an award for his communication skills and was known for frank talk.

"He could always ask the difficult questions, use real words and get away with it," said Jeanine Huttner, MD, director of the residency program. "He relates incredibly well to people."

The local health status may or may not be improving because of Dr. Atkins musical endeavors, but it is clear that his medical work is making a difference.

In 2003, when he was looking for an underserved area to work in, Allen County Health Partners, which at that time was developing the Lima Community Health Center, was looking for a primary care physician. He's been working there ever since. The facility now has 10 physicians.

Since the clinic opened, the overall death rate in the county has dropped by slightly more than 12%. The African-American death rate was cut by 20%.

"LifeStoryz" has cost Dr. Atkins $7,500 thus far, paid by his extra weekend shifts in the emergency department at Lima Memorial Heath System. He is hunting for ways to distribute his music more widely and working on a second album. He hasn't yet planned for what he'll do if his CDs ever top the charts or even make any money, although local schools would be a likely beneficiary.

SOURCE: Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews Staff, amednews.com

IU to provide research for condom maker

2008-01-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

Indiana University is partnering with the makers of Trojan condoms to conduct research in hopes of improving people's sexual health.

For the next three years, IU's Center for Sexual Health Promotion will work on projects for Church & Dwight, a Princeton, N.J.-based sexual health products company.

"Trojan is the largest condom company in the U.S.," said Michael Reece, center director. "For IU to really have the potential to influence the products they design and the way that they approach the business they do is quite significant."

Under the agreement, the IU Bloomington center serves as a strategic research, education and consulting partner with Trojan. Reece said IU will contract with the firm for each project individually, so he couldn't estimate a total financial value of the agreement.

While all of the research projects are not determined yet, Reece said among the first will be a study of why people decide to use condoms. Initial research will be geared mostly toward heterosexual couples who use condoms as they plan families.

"We don't have a solid scientific understanding of what it is about a relationship or the context of a marriage when condoms are the method of choice," said Reece.

The IU center has done research on adult sexual behavior, sexual health and condoms for years. Faculty from other academic areas, including the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, also will be involved in conducting research and developing educational materials for Trojan.

The range of expertise at IU will benefit Trojan as it continues to develop high-quality products and evolve the sexual health of America, said Jim Daniels, Trojan vice president of marketing, in a release.

"We want to raise the bar on consumers' definitions of what it means to be sexually healthy and break down the barriers to condom acceptance and usage," said Daniels.

Reece said research that helps Trojan understand consumer demand and produce better products can lead to more consistent and effective use of condoms. Ultimately, he added, that should help reduce unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

SOURCE: Barb Berggoetz, INDYSTAR.COM

Wholesaler sued for fake condoms

2008-01-23T00:26:00.001-05:00

Wholesaler sued for fake condoms

New Berlin grocery company also target of FBI inquiry into stolen baby formula</span>
By CARY SPIVAK

Already caught up in an FBI investigation of a scheme to sell stolen infant formula, a New Berlin grocery wholesaler is also in the middle of a complex lawsuit involving the sale and distribution of millions of counterfeit condoms.

Kaloti Enterprises has steadfastly denied dealing in stolen infant formula. But it admits buying and selling a shipment of counterfeit Trojan condoms as well as a load of fake Duracell batteries.

The company's defense: It didn't know the products were counterfeit.

"Kaloti Wholesale Inc. bought a load of condoms from a company in New York that it has dealt with for many different products over the last few years and had never had any problem," Ahmed Quereshi, attorney for Kaloti, said in an interview last week.

Only after Kaloti sold the condoms and batteries did it discover they were not authentic, Quereshi said.

"Condoms and batteries are not top 100 items," Quereshi said, explaining that the company focuses its business on the top 100 products sold in grocery stores - goods such as cereal and detergent. But, he explained, Isaac Kaloti, a part owner, "got a good price" for the condoms and batteries, "and the rest is history."

Geoffrey Potter, lawyer for Church & Dwight Co., Trojan's parent company, was unimpressed with Quereshi's defense.

"I do a lot of these cases, and it's very rare for somebody to say, ' . . . You caught me,' " Potter said.

String of incidents

Invoices filed with the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., show that in January 2007, Kaloti's supplier, Alex Trading Inc., paid a Canadian company $56,000 for 6,400 cases of Trojan condoms and $18,400 for 400 cases of Duracell batteries. The products were immediately sold to Kaloti for an undisclosed amount, and Kaloti then sold them to a third wholesaler, which did not pay for the goods because it discovered they were fraudulent.

Quereshi said that none of the nearly 250,000 condoms made it to market and that this was the only time the firm has been involved in the condom business. Kaloti has agreed to a court injunction not to deal condoms, he said.

The condom lawsuit - an action filed last year in New York against some 40 companies and individuals - was one in a string of embarrassing incidents to hit the wholesaler. The other defendants - none, with the exception of Alex Trading, related to Kaloti - are alleged to have bought and sold more than a million other counterfeit Trojans. Church & Dwight is seeking $10 million from every defendant.

Kaloti was launched 20 years ago with the purchase of one truck by brothers Rassem, Marvin and Isaac Kaloti.

Today, Kaloti Enterprises posts more than $100 million in sales.

Last February, the FBI raided Kaloti's warehouse and seized more than 80,000 cans of infant formula that were believed to have been stolen. Alex Trading, the New York company that sold the counterfeit condoms and batteries to Kaloti, was also the source of some of the infant formula that was seized, according to court records and Kaloti's attorneys.

Alex Trading also denies knowing the condoms and batteries were bogus.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Campbell said in a hearing in Milwaukee last week that criminal charges were expected to be filed in the formula case, though he did not say who would be charged.

Kaloti's president, Rassem Kaloti, declined to be interviewed for this story, calling the situation "a goofy thing" and referring all questions to his lawyers.

The condom lawsuit was filed under seal, an action that allowed Church & Dwight to secretly obtain a court order to seize Kaloti's records on the condom transactions. Local police accompanied Church & Dwight's investigators last Feb. 14 when they made a surprise visit to Kaloti's office to confiscate the records.

Having police on the scene proved fortuitous for federal authorities in the formula case, because while at the Kaloti offices, a New Berlin police sergeant spotted evidence that bolstered the FBI's application for a search warrant in that case.

Potter, the Church & Dwight lawyer, said about four million counterfeit Trojans have been confiscated by law enforcement officials and by his client, a firm best known as the maker of Arm & Hammer baking soda. He said four people have been indicted in connection with the fake Trojans.

Quereshi stressed that with the exception of Alex Trading, Kaloti has not been involved with any of the other players named in the condom litigation.

Potter said he was confident that all the illicit condoms, which he said were likely made in China, have been seized.

While many brand-name products are counterfeited, Potter said, "I must tell you that counterfeiting condoms is pretty distasteful."

Church & Dwight said consumers who have questions or think they may have bought counterfeit condoms can contact its consumer affairs department at (800) 575-2925.

\\\\\ A Note From CondomDepot.com On This Serious Issue //////

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Many of the companies that sell these counterfeit condoms are convenience stores, Ebay Stores and Various Online Retailers.

CondomDepot.com is an authorized MASTER Distributor of Condoms and other Safe Sex Products. If you are concerned that a product you purchased elsewhere may be counterfeit, you may contact John Fidi Vice President of CondomDepot.com whose experience in this area can be of assistance.

Sex education failing to curb risky encounters by teenagers

2008-01-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

Susan Martinuk
For The Calgary Herald

A Leger Marketing survey on the sexual attitudes of Canada's young women suggests our current approach to sex education isn't working.

Comprehensive, no-holds barred sex education programs were supposed to produce women who are knowledgeable, confident and capable of making smart sexual decisions.

But the survey reveals a very different product: A generation who are sloppy and unknowledgeable about birth control, and relatively unconcerned about risky sexual behaviours.

Despite being pummelled with the 'always use a condom' philosophy, one in five women (aged 16-24) never use condoms. Age and maturity don't matter much, as condom use declines with age. Surprisingly, 23 to 24 year-olds are more likely to not use them than their younger counterparts.

About 90 per cent of these "one in five" are/have been on oral contraceptives (OCs). But that's of little comfort, since they apparently believe that OCs are capable of protecting them against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

If this data is concerning, so is its interpretation by the so-called experts. The Canada-wide news story quoted Saleema Noon, a Vancouver-based, private sexual-health educator. The statistics on birth control pills set off alarm bells for her -- but not for reasons you might think. Her great concern is that 71 per cent of women aren't committed to any particular brand of OC and are open to switching.

The market is about to be flooded by generic OCs. Without a strong commitment to brand-name contraceptives, Noon believes young women will be attracted to the cheaper generic pills that may have different side effects and "haven't been subjected to the rigorous testing" of brand-name pills. As such, she reminds young people it is their "right" to "specifically ask for that brand name" product, and encourages them to stick to it, regardless of price or recommendations of health professionals.

But her worries are false and misleading. Generic drugs have the exact same chemistry as brand-name drugs, and Noon should know that. (Perhaps we should be asking which pharmaceutical companies are supporting Noon and her sales pitch for brand-name products.)

If prominent educators are passing on the wrong information about OCs, it explains some of the confusion exhibited by those who are the products of that education. But it also suggests we should be highly concerned about the accuracy of the information sex educators are handing out.

A second concern raised by this survey is the prominent shift in attitudes towards casual sex. One in four women has what is popularly called a "friend with benefits" (a casual sex partner with no formal relationship or expectations), and 16 per cent of these never use condoms in such situations.

This is the product of our latest sexual revolution: a 'hook-up' culture, where the relationship norm is no dating or commitments; just sex. It seems sex has been recast as a recreational activity, leading one American writer to call it "the new midnight basketball."

Naturally, this attitude has led to an unprecedented epidemic of STDs. Yet sex educators refuse to respond by encouraging changes in sexual behaviour. Instead, they have tweaked the "safe sex" moniker to "safer sex" and worked with Planned Parenthood to change the nasty term "STD" to a more friendly "STI" (sexually transmitted infection) in an effort to alleviate young peoples' worries about STDs.

But STDs aren't always curable, they can recur throughout a lifetime, and they have been implicated in causing infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and the vast majority of the cases of cervical cancer. That's why I refuse to follow suit and falsely communicate the idea that STD infections can easily be cured without any serious or lasting consequences.

Our teens leave high school with more knowledge about sexuality and greater access to birth control than ever before. Yet, somehow, they aren't getting the right message.

One of the most telling stories about attitudes toward sex and how we should respond is a 1993 news story about a high school athletic clique called the Spur Posse.

California police laid rape charges against eight of the elite athletes when it was discovered the group had a competition that awarded a point each time the members had sex with a different girl. The leader had 66 points.

The heart of the problem was revealed when one of the arrested teens told The New York Times, "They pass out condoms, teach sex education and pregnancy-this and pregnancy-that. But they don't teach us any rules."

We expect teens to enter the adult world of sexuality without any rules or expectations -- other than to wear a condom.

Evidently, the biggest problem with sex education may be what we aren't saying to our kids.

Susan Martinuk's column appears every Friday.

Making the love glove sexy

2008-01-17T09:32:00.000-05:00

Don't want to be saddled with an STI? Wrap it up before you go for a roll in the hay.

Jennifer Parks, Edmonton Journal

In a nation where sexually transmitted infections (STI) are steadily increasing, many of us would rather play Russian roulette with our bodies than be seen in a drugstore buying condoms.

Access to contraception isn't the main barrier today, although if you live in a small town and your aunt works at the drug store, you may face greater challenges.

We live in a culture that has not yet normalized sexuality or condom use by embracing the love glove as an essential household item, like toilet paper or dish soap.

"Most people can afford contraception these days," says Laura Wershler, a spokeswoman for the non-profit group Sexual Health Access Alberta in Calgary.

"If you can go to Starbucks for coffee or Booster Juice for a smoothie, you can afford to buy condoms. It should be on everyone's grocery list."

Given the statistics, we can't afford not to practice safer sex.

Most young people today have sex before the age of 16, and yet condom use has declined over the past decade, says a new study by the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health.

Scarier still: Alberta has lower rates of condom use than the national average, the study states.

Whose responsibility is it to reverse this troubling trend?

Wershler applauds the courage of one mother who keeps a basket of condoms in the bathroom for her teenagers and their friends.

"The condoms don't get counted, and no questions are asked. If kids are going to have sex anyway, we need to empower them to protect themselves," says Wershler.

This is just one mother, one creative example for other parents, schools and community sex educators to learn from. While some good work is already being done in this area, more is needed -- and fast.

Reported STI rates have been steadily increasing since 1997, says the study.

More than two-thirds of new chlamydia cases occur among young people ages 15 to 24, and many instances go undetected because chlamydia often doesn't show symptoms. National syphilis and gonorrhea rates have also risen, and 20 per cent of new HIV cases occur among people under the age of 30.

"We need to talk about the increasing number of cases among young people," says Barbara Romanowski, infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta.

"There is an increase in gonorrhea cases that are resistant to conventional antibiotics. With condom use, we can decrease the risk of all STIs drastically."

Condoms are nearly 100 per cent effective in preventing STIs, but would be 100 per cent effective if condoms were always used correctly, says Romanowski.

"Condoms break because they're not put on right. It's the most common error."

They can also break when there is too little lubrication during intercourse. Nothing kills the heat of the moment like a condom malfunction, followed by the inevitable worries about pregnancy or STIs.

We need to make condoms sexy again, says sexual health educator Brenda Kerber.

"We think condoms are inconvenient, a bother, that they don't feel good. Why not be more positive?" says Kerber, who owns The Travelling Tickle Trunk, a company that hosts home sex-toy parties.

"Use a condom, reduce your worry. It's much more sexy and fun."

The bottom line: always practise safe sex. Respect yourself and your partner. Don't skip the condom unless you're in a monogamous relationship and both of you have been tested for STIs and HIV, and there is mutual trust.

Don't gamble with your body and health. Some games just aren't worth playing.

Safe Sex Tips

- Always make condoms a part of sexual activity. We're animals. We get conditioned. Before long, the sight of a condom will trigger excitement.

- Keep condoms in your purse, bedside and glove compartment, so you can get to them fast. Don't keep them in your wallet, or anywhere they can be damaged.

- If you know you're going to have sex, take the condom out of the package beforehand so it's ready when you are.

- Have your partner put on the condom. It's more fun if someone is touching you, and it keeps the excitement flowing.

- Always squeeze the end of the condom as you're putting it on to leave room for the ejaculate. If not, it could break.

- Put a drop of lube in the tip of the condom for greater sensation. Use only water-based lubricants like KY Jelly, because oil-based products like Vaseline destroy latex.

Source: Brenda Kerber, The Travelling Tickle Trunk

CondomDepot.com Sponsors Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga for UFC 80 "Rapid Fire" Live on World Wide Pay-Per-View in England, January 19th

2008-01-14T12:46:00.000-05:00

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com, a leading distributor of condoms and safe sex education, announces their sponsorship deal with mixed martial artist Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga for his upcoming fight on January 19th . The UFC 80 "Rapid Fire" event will be broadcasted live on World Wide PPV from the Metro Radio arena in New Castle, England. CondomDepot.com will show their support for Gonzaga as he takes on Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum. Gonzaga will be sporting extra protection as the CondomDepot.com logo will be on his fighter shorts.

"CondomDepot.com is thrilled to be a part of Gabriel's corner for this event. He has earned numerous achievements and has emerged as one of the world's top MMA heavyweights. We are big fans of the MMA and have a stable of great fighters including Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, Chris "The Crippler" Leben, and Pete "Drago" Sell. Our continued support of this sport has also been a great way to nationally promote our positive safe sex message. Our entire staff will be cheering for Gabriel's victory," states John Fidi, Vice President of CondomDepot.com. "I am excited about this sponsorship deal with CondomDepot.com and to be a part of spreading their positive safe sex message. I would like to thank CondomDepot.com for their support, and am proud to display their logo on my fighter shorts," Gonzaga stated.

ABOUT GABRIEL "NAPÃO" GONZAGA

Born on May 18, 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gonzaga, an accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player, made his debut in the MMA in April of 2003 and earned a record of 4-1 losing only against Fabricio Werdum. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Wander Braga, and is a former member of the Chute Boxe Academy. From his earlier successes, UFC took notice of him and Gonzaga signed a contract and made his UFC debut at UFC 56. Gonzaga won by knockout over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic on April 21, 2007, which earned him a UFC Heavyweight Title shot with Randy Couture. He won the Mundials (2004), which is considered to be the top BJJ competition in the world. His current overall MMA record is 8-2-0 and fights out of Ludlow Massachusetts for Team Link.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

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CondomDepot.com To Announce Sponsorship Deal with UFC's Gabriel Gonzaga

2008-01-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

TAMPA, FLORIDA - January 8, 2008

CondomDepot.com To Announce Sponsorship Deal with UFC's Gabriel Gonzaga

This Press Release Is Issued As A Headline Only.

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First Lady Laura Bush Advocates 'Safe Sex,' Condoms

2007-12-14T14:33:00.000-05:00

First Lady Laura Bush Advocates 'Safe Sex,' Condoms
By Pete Winn
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
December 13, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - In a Dec. 1 op-ed in the Washington Post, First Lady Laura Bush said Americans need to "practice safe sex," use condoms "every time," and get tested for HIV/AIDS. Her spokeswoman repeated the message to Cybercast News Service this week. However, it is a message that is contrary to the Bush administration's policy position on abstinence education as the best way to fight HIV/AIDS.

In her commentary, "Let's Unite Against HIV-AIDS," Mrs. Bush wrote that Americans "should know our HIV status" and provided the Web site to find "the testing center closest to you."

She went on to write: "Practice Safe Sex. Let's take a cue from our African counterparts and follow the ABC method of prevention: Abstinence, Be Faithful and the Correct and Consistent Use of Condoms. That means not just occasionally, but every time."

But the term "safe-sex" has long been a code word for the promotion of condoms as the best approach to solving the AIDS crisis. Is that what Mrs. Bush meant by the comment? Cybercast News Service posed the question to the White House.

"I think the op-ed speaks for itself," the first lady's press secretary, Sally McDonough, told Cybercast News Service. "Mrs. Bush is and has been a proponent of the ABC program, which is clearly making a difference across the globe.

"Part of ABC is the correct and consistent use of condoms, and she writes that. She goes on to explain that to mean not just occasionally, but every time," McDonough added.

But despite tying it to the ABC program - Uganda's successful program addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic - those involved with the AIDS issue in the U.S. were more interested in the terminology Mrs. Bush chose.

Activists like Ronald Johnson, deputy director of the AIDS Action Council, applauded Mrs. Bush for mentioning safe sex - long a cornerstone of the AIDS agenda.

"We feel that a comprehensive approach to HIV intervention is necessary and that a comprehensive approach must include not only teaching about abstinence and limiting the number of partners, but also condoms and the proper use of condoms," Johnson told Cybercast News Service.

"The fact that she, in her article, articulated a more comprehensive approach than the administration has been articulating domestically was very heartening," he added.

Conservatives who back abstinence programs, meanwhile, wondered whether the administration was wavering from its stated policy of abstinence.

Leslee Unruh, president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, questioned whether the First Lady supported promoting condoms to every young person in America as the answer to HIV/AIDS.

"I hope not," Unruh said. "Her husband is saying something quite different. President Bush has long said, 'What part of abstinence don't people understand?' Abstinence until marriage has to be a clear concise message - not a mixed message. It has to be said every single time."

ABC not a condom program

Dr. Gary Rose, president of the Austin, Texas-based Medical Institute for Sexual Health, said that while the ABC program the first lady touted does mention condoms, it does not, in fact, advocate the "practice safe sex" message she declared.

"In Uganda, ABc is capital A, capital B, little 'c,'" Rose said. "Condoms are not the solution. The solution is behavior change, and that's the A and the B - abstinence until marriage and being faithful in marriage."

Uganda has had phenomenal success with ABc, Rose said, cutting the rate of HIV infection by more than half. But the fundamental message behind the program is that when high-risk sexual behaviors are discouraged, their incidence goes down.

As part of that, abstinence until marriage and fidelity within marriage are the most important factors in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Condoms do not play a primary role in reducing HIV/AIDS transmission.

"You can push condoms till the cows come home, and you are never going to make a dent - at least a significant dent - in this epidemic," Rose told Cybercast News Service.

"That has been part and parcel of the program that world organizations have thrown at Africa. They have thrown condoms at Africa - and that doesn't solve it. In Botswana, which has a very, very high incidence of HIV, they have more condoms per man than almost any other country in Africa," Rose added.

Rose said the scientific research shows that condoms reduce the risk of acquiring AIDS by 85 percent.

"But the problem is that condoms only lower your risk for other sexually transmitted diseases - like gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia - by 50 percent," he added.

"And if you have one of those other sexually transmitted diseases, then it is much more likely that you can become infected with AIDS. If you have any of those other diseases, the lining of the tissue is already interrupted and HIV can gain entry," he said.

Mrs. Bush's op-ed appeared in connection with World AIDS Day - a fact not lost on the AIDS activist community.

"We were pleased to see it," Johnson said. "I thought Mrs. Bush showed a genuine compassion about the epidemic and the people who are impacted. But more importantly, it showed an awareness of the fact that, as she said in the editorial, 'AIDS is not over.' It's not over here in the United States, and it is important for Americans to know that."

Unruh, however, suggests the first lady may be trying to walk a politically correct line.

"I think that's what happens in a political world," she added. "But really when it comes down to a face-to-face with your child, it has to be a very clear and consistent message. Condoms don't protect the heart. And condoms don't always work."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than 80 percent of the cases of HIV infection in America occur among homosexual men and IV drug users.

2008 Condom Awards Names 10 Best Condoms

2007-11-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4500 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
November 29, 2007
www.condomdepot.com

Condom Depot Announces the Winners of the 2008 World's Best Condom Awards

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com has announced the long awaited winners of its 7th Annual World's Best Condom Awards. Throughout the year, Condom Depot's condom testers, which consisted of college students, swingers, and 25 couples of various ages, sampled Condom Depot's forty best condoms. The forty condoms they received where decided by combining our top Selling Condoms with the ratings we receive from our customers via online reviews. Each of the forty condoms was tested and graded based on certain criteria such as comfort, quality, and reliability. After tallying the results from the condom testers, and then reviewing customer feedback results, Condom Depot narrowed down to the top ten winners of the World’s Best Condom Awards.

The winners of the 2008 World's Best Condom Awards include the #1 Rated Crown Skinless Skin condoms, a six-time winner of the award. Also receiving an honorable mention is the Vibrating Johnny, for how it excels in performance as a safe sex gadget.

"We are excited to announce the winners of the 2008 World's Best Condom Awards. The 2008 World's Best Condom Award Winners have proved to excel in all test criteria and have received a multitude of positive feedback from our customers. We believe that conducting these awards is another positive way of educating individuals on condoms and spreading the safe sex message that we firmly stand by." Kim Fidi, President of CondomDepot.com.

The complete list of winners of the 2008 World's Best Condom Awards can be found at www.condomdepot.com under the condom reviews section.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

Since 1996 we have quickly grown into one of the nation's leading sources for condom information and new condom sales. Our mission is to provide a truly secure & discreet way for consumers to purchase safe sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Condom Depot offers brand name condoms such as Beyond Seven, Crown, Durex, Trojan, Lifestyles, Trustex & more. In addition, we also provide personal lubricants, erotic massage products & more. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16.

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'Condom fatigue' may be behind STI rise: UBC

2007-09-20T14:12:00.000-04:00

'Condom fatigue' may be behind STI rise: UBC

Updated Thu. Sep. 13 2007 10:31 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

New numbers suggest the message about the importance of safe sex may not be getting through to students.

University of British Columbia health officials have observed a disturbing increase in sexually transmitted infections.

"We're seeing an increase in the number of Chlamydia cases, and human papilloma virus (HPV) cases are a good example as well," Dr. Patricia Mirwaldt, director of UBC Student Health Services, told CTV News.

Over the past 10 years, the number of Chlamydia cases in B.C. has more than doubled from 4,000 in 1997 to a staggering 9,000 last year, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Most alarming is the fact that the greatest increase occurred in 15 to 24-year-old women, an age group in which, if left untreated, the disease could result in life-long infertility.

The highest rates of gonorrhea were found in men aged 20 to 29. "We have a lot of students coming in and asking to be tested to see whether they have STIs," said Mirwaldt.

'Condom fatigue'

The increase has health professionals calling the phenomenon a hidden epidemic, and leaves them wondering if the rise is partly due to "condom fatigue".

According to UBC, one way to encourage safe sex is to give out free condoms. With a donation of 25,000 contraceptives by manufacturer Trojan Condoms, the university will distribute them at its residences and student health sciences clinic.

It's hoped that easy access will make the decision to use them easier for students.

"(We) certainly want to make sure anyone who has interest will be able to access condoms," said Mirwaldt. "Access to condoms shouldn't be a barrier."

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low

Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms

2007-06-25T12:10:00.000-04:00

IN a commercial for Trojan condoms that has its premiere tonight, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs. One shuffles to the men's room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s. When he returns to the bar, a fetching blond who had been indifferent now smiles at him invitingly.

Directed by Phil Joanou ("State of Grace"), with special effects by the Stan Winston Studio ("Jurassic Park"), the commercial is entertaining. But it also has a message, spelled out at the end: "Evolve. Use a condom every time."

"We have to change the perception that carrying a condom for women or men is a sign they're on the prowl and just want to have sex," said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive of the Kaplan Thaler Group, the New York advertising agency that created the "Evolve" campaign. "It's a sign of somebody being prepared — if the opportunity arises — to think about their own health and the health and safety of their partner."

But the pigs did not fly at two of the four networks where Trojan tried to place the ad.

Fox and CBS both rejected the commercial. Both had accepted Trojan's previous campaign, which urged condom use because of the possibility that a partner might be H.I.V.-positive, perhaps unknowingly. A 2001 report about condom advertising by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that, "Some networks draw a strong line between messages about disease prevention — which may be allowed — and those about pregnancy prevention, which may be considered controversial for religious and moral reasons."

Representatives for both Fox and CBS confirmed that they had refused the ads, but declined to comment further.

In a written response to Trojan, though, Fox said that it had rejected the spot because, "Contraceptive advertising must stress health-related uses rather than the prevention of pregnancy."

In its rejection, CBS wrote, "while we understand and appreciate the humor of this creative, we do not find it appropriate for our network even with late-night-only restrictions."

"It's so hypocritical for any network in this culture to go all puritanical on the subject of condom use when their programming is so salacious," said Mark Crispin Miller, a media critic who teaches at New York University. "I mean, let's get real here. Fox and CBS and all of them are in the business of nonstop soft porn, but God forbid we should use a condom in the pursuit of sexual pleasure."

• Networks accept ads of a not-so-subtle sexual nature for erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, often restricting them to the wee hours.

Trojan has had no trouble finding other broadcasters to take its money. Jim Daniels, vice president for marketing, said that the company was spending more on this than any previous campaign, but declined to say how much. The commercial will run on ABC, NBC and nine cable networks, including MTV, Comedy Central and Adult Swim. Print ads will appear in 11 magazines and on seven Web sites. All will highlight a Web site, trojanevolve.com.

The 87-year-old company placed its first ad in trade magazines for pharmacists in 1927, when druggists still kept condoms behind the counter. Though out in the aisles for decades, condoms are still purchased furtively: while the average time shopping for a home-pregnancy test is 2.5 minutes, the average condom buyer takes just 7 seconds, according to research by Trojan. "We call it a drive-by purchase," Mr. Daniels said. "People to this day are embarrassed."

In its new commercial, the word "Trojan" is never uttered, and the logo appears only briefly on the bathroom's vending machine and at the end. But with what according to A. C. Nielsen Research is 75 percent of the condom market (Durex is second with 15 percent, LifeStyles third with 9 percent), Mr. Daniels said the company was focusing less on growing market share than growing the market. The annual condom market is now $416 million, according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.

"With a 75 percent share of the market, we can prioritize growing the category and increasing overall condom usage," Mr. Daniels said. "Right now in the U.S. only one in four sex acts involves using a condom. That's dramatically below usage rates in other developed countries. Our goal is to dramatically increase use."

Sometimes that goal finds Mr. Daniels seeming less like he works for Church & Dwight — the consumer products company that purchased Trojan in 2001 and also makes Arm & Hammer baking soda — and more like an agitator for public health. Last year, for example, Trojan issued its first Sexual Health Report Card, grading 100 colleges and universities on criteria including their testing for sexually transmitted diseases, sexual assault courses and, of course, condom availability.

While Mr. Daniels does not disparage the company's double-entendre-heavy "Trojan Man" campaign from the 1990s or similar Trojan Tales Web site today, the tone of the company's promotions is moving away from "Beavis and Butthead" and toward "Sex and the City."

"The 'Evolve' ad does a nice job of being humorous, but it's also a serious call to action," Mr. Daniels said. "The pigs are a symbol of irresponsible sexual behavior, and are juxtaposed with the condom as a responsible symbol of respect for oneself and one’s partner."

The industry typically tries to reach men, but this campaign's ads are running in Cosmopolitan and Glamour. Trojan sees growth potential in women customers, who make only 30 percent of condom purchases. In 2005 it introduced Elexa, a line of condoms in pastel packages that include what is known in industry parlance as a "pleasure accessory."

Trojan and its competitors are adding the accessories across their entire product lines. The perennial challenge for condoms is the perception that they are unpleasant to use, so having an erotic add-on could increase sales as well as lower the incidence of disease and unintended pregnancies. The pleasure enhancement is a message that TV networks may be reluctant to broadcast.

"We always find it funny that you can use sex to sell jewelry and cars, but you can’t use sex to sell condoms," said Carol Carrozza, vice president of marketing for Ansell Healthcare, which makes LifeStyles condoms. "When you’re marketing condoms, something even remotely suggestive gets an overly analytical eye when it's going before networks' review boards."

Source: The New York Times Published: June 18, 2007

Condom Depot Sponsored Ed "Short Fuse" Herman Victorious at UFC 72

2007-06-21T12:42:00.000-04:00

Ed "Short Fuse" Herman continued his winning ways by submitting the very tough Scott Smith in their middleweight bout at UFC 72. Herman looked dominant with his ground and pound game, throwing some devastating shots to his opponent, including a bone-shattering elbow that opened a huge cut on Smith's nose. The fight was allowed to continue, but in the second round, Herman took Smith's back after a scramble and locked in a rear naked choke that forced Smith to tap out. This was Herman's second straight Submission of the Night victory and places Herman in line with a very thick UFC Middleweight Division on his quest to become champion.
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Ed Herman joins Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski as Officially Sponsored by CondomDepot.com fighters. CondomDepot.com Sponsored Fighters are undefeated.

Ed Herman Signs Sporsorship Agreement for UFC 72

2007-05-30T12:57:00.000-04:00

CondomDepot.com Sponsors Ed "Short Fuse" Herman for UFC 72 On June 16 2007

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com announces that the condom distribution company is sponsoring Ed "Short Fuse" Herman for his upcoming UFC 72 fight.

"Ed is now the second fighter to sign up for our team. What a great example of a young future champion and his image fits our demographic perfectly. We are confident in "Short Fuse's" ability and enjoyed watching him on Ultimate Fighter 3. We will be cheering for him to ground and pound Scott Smith into submission." states John Fidi, Vice President of CondomDepot.com. " We are also confident that Ed will add another victory to 'Sponsored by CondomDepot's' undefeated record."

ABOUT ED "SHORT FUSE" HERMAN

Ed "Short Fuse" Herman was born in Vancouver, Washington on October 2 1980. Ed was raised primarily in Vancouver by his father but spent plenty of time in Portland visiting his mother. Ed was raised with his little brother and two-step sisters. In high school Ed played football and was on the wrestling team. His dominant athletic career would not begin until shortly after high school. After graduation Ed moved to Portland fulltime and would begin a new experience that would take him where he is today. Shortly after high school through a mutual friend Ed enrolled himself into some classes at Team Quest. In the beginning Ed did this as a hobby but would soon find it to be much more than just that. He began his amateur-fighting career in 2002 where he was 7-2. A couple of years later he would take on his first professional bout and the rest was history. He has amassed an impressive record of 11-3 as a professional and has taken out some very tough names along the way with his ground n' pound style. He is the current IFC Middleweight Champion, Desert Brawl Middleweight Champion, and Sportfight Light Heavyweight Champion. Regardless of all his belts, Ed has his eye on the Ultimate prize, the UFC middleweight championship.

Ed was a contestant on the Ultimate Fighter 3 reality series on Spike TV.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com has quickly grown into one of the nation's leading sources for safe sex information and condom sales. CondomDepot.com carries every major condom line including Trojan, Vibrating Johnny, Crown, Durex, LifeStyles, Beyond Seven, Trustex, Astroglide, Pjur and many other safe sex products. CondomDepot.com is also responsible for the Annual Condom Awards that independently rates the "World's 10 Best Condoms" every year. CondomDepot.com's corporate headquarters are located in Tampa, FL and can be visited at http://www.CondomDepot.com

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Study finds a throat cancer, HPV link

2007-05-14T14:06:00.000-04:00

Study finds a throat cancer, HPV link
Oral sex blamed; it's unclear what vaccine would do

May 13, 2007 - BY MICHELLE FAY CORTEZ - BLOOMBERG NEWS

The virus that causes cervical cancer may be linked to throat cancer in people who engage in oral sex, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A study in 300 adults found that those infected with the human papillomavirus who had oral sex with more than six partners were three times as likely to get throat cancer. The research was included in a package of studies and commentary on the virus in Thursday's issue of the journal.

The throat cancer study didn't explore whether Gardasil, the Merck & Co. vaccine against HPV that U.S. regulators approved in June, would protect against oral infections.

The findings may spur new debate over use of the drug -- already the center of controversy over whether schoolgirls should be inoculated. Oral HPV infection occurs in both men and women who engaged in this type of sex.

"Our results and those of other studies provide a rationale for HPV vaccination in both boys and girls," said the researchers, led by Gypsyamber D'Souza, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

The number of cancers found on the tonsils and the base of the tongue is on the rise, and "the widespread oral sexual practices among adolescents may be a contributing factor in this increase," the researchers said.

If Gardasil also prevents oral infections, there could be a substantial reduction in throat cancers, they said.

One study alone can't prove that HPV triggered the throat cancers, the investigators said. Although additional research is needed to confirm the results, the findings are consistent with previous work, the scientists said.

The study compared 100 patients with newly diagnosed cancer of the back of the mouth, including the soft palate, the base of the tongue and the tonsils, with 200 people without the disease, examining any difference in HPV infections.

More than 26 vaginal sexual partners also increased the risk of cancer in people with HPV infections. Smoking and drinking were the main risks for cancer in uninfected patients.

"Our data suggest that oral HPV infection is sexually acquired," the researchers said. "Oral-genital contact was strongly associated with oropharyngeal cancer, but we cannot rule out transmission through direct mouth-to-mouth contact or other means."

Every year, about 650,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with head and neck cancers, and 350,000 die from the diseases.

In the United States each year, almost 7,500 people die from oral cancer and 35,000 are told they have it, according to the American Cancer Society, based in Atlanta.

"Suspicious" Condoms

2007-05-01T18:55:00.000-04:00

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) - It was no bomb, just a whole lot of condoms.

Officials at Iowa's Des Moines Area Community College weren't taking any chances. Several classroom were evacuated last week and the bomb squad was called, when school officials got concerned about a package delivered to campus.

Investigators found about 500 condoms in a box sent to the teacher of a human sexuality class.

The condoms were from a person who had spoken to the students as part of the course. The Des Moines Register quotes one officer as saying it must have been a lifetime supply.

Source- Associated Press