Archive for March, 2009
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LAWS AFFECTING OUR SEX LIVES: HIV/AIDS DISCRIMINATION. TESTING FOR HIV
HIV/AIDS discrimination People with HIV/AIDS need special protection in our society because of the serious social stigma attached to the disease. Many people have lost jobs, been evicted from apartments, been denied life and health insurance, or have experienced other disabling discriminations because they tested positive for HIV or developed AIDS. These are the four [...]
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REVERSIBLE METHODS OF BIRTH CONTROL
Most younger women and men who choose to use contraception want to be able to have children at some future time in their lives. They want to protect themselves against unintended pregnancy now, but they also want to be able to reverse the contraceptive effects when they decide they want to have a child. Many [...]
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GENDER DYSFUNCTIONS AND SEXUAL INHIBITIONS
Gender identity is not the simple matter it may seem. Our sexual organs and hormones are biological elements of our gender, just as are the sex drive and, perhaps, our sexual orientation. Our feelings about our sexual selves begin to take shape when we are given our gender assignment. We are “assigned” our gender at [...]
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SEXUALITY IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE: HORMONES
Underlying the conspicuous changes of puberty in growth and sexual maturation are changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal and -adrenal systems which lead to an increased secretion of male and female sex hormones. Since reliable methods for the measurement of pituitary, gonadal, and adrenal hormones have been developed only recently, our knowledge of the complex endocrinology of [...]
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MALES’ SEXUAL PREFERENCE: CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY
Comparisons of homosexual and heterosexual experiences In addition to what has already been reviewed, some theorists have suggested that it is not so much whether a boy has homosexual or heterosexual experiences but rather their relative priority or enjoyment that is important for predisposing him toward homosexuality, on the one hand, or heterosexuality, on the [...]
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CANCER OF THE UTERUS: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Diagnosis. A woman should have her history taken and an examination performed by a doctor. There may be nothing much to find, because usually the action is happening in the lining of the uterus. Specific testing of the endometrium needs to be performed. This is usually a microscopic examination of samples collected from the endometrium. [...]
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PREGNANCY: WHAT SHOULD I DO AND NOT DO?
Illegal drugs and other drugs of addiction. The most widely used recreational drugs in our society are cigarettes and alcohol. Less commonly used is marijuana. It seems that research into the effects of this drug on foetuses is not yet as available as for the first two. Despite this, it is generally accepted that the [...]
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ABORTION
In an ideal world we would not need abortion. In an ideal world there would be no unplanned, unwanted pregnancies. However, abortion is a reality in the lives of many women; it is estimated that 65 million abortions are performed each year world-wide. We do not live in an ideal world. Fortunately in Australia, where [...]
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GENITAL HERPES: TREATMENT
Treatment of genital herpes is aimed at relieving the symptoms, and preventing recurrences. Being a virus it does not respond to antibiotics, and even the new anti-viral drugs do not actually eradicate the bug from the system, but they do help to decrease the degree to which it causes symptoms, and the rate at which [...]
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“I DON’T HAVE ORGASMS”
Most women and men are physically capable of having them. Most are able to stimulate themselves to have them. There are some people, particularly women, who rarely have orgasms, and some who never have them at all. This does not always create a problem. Orgasms are nice, but they are not compulsory. If you are [...]