As You Like It

The Latest on Sex

Paul Joannides is a research psychoanalyst, author of Guide To Getting It On, and an editor of the American Journal of Sexuality Education. His podcast is at ThePleasureReport.com. See full bio

November 24, 2008

Paul's Sex Term of the Day--Hot Coffee Mod

Hot Coffee Mod: While violence is at the heart of many video games, not a lot of US senators get bent out of shape about it. But throw in a little sex, and Washington comes unglued, as they did in 2005 over the Hot Coffee Mod. Read More

November 21, 2008

Female Trouble--Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

This is a hormone imbalance that can result in irregular periods, unwanted hair growth, acne, extra weight gain, baldness, and patches of dark skin on the back of your neck and inner thighs that weren't caused by some guy giving you a hickey.

Nearly 1 of every 10 to 20 women have PCOS, and it tends to be especially common in young women. Cases can be mild or severe.

October 3, 2008

Antidepressants, Sexual Side Effects, and a Senate Probe

Why would a blog on sex be interested in a possible senate investigation of the primary investigator for an NIH study of Paxil? It seems that this university psychiatrist might have forgotten to disclose the $500,000 he received from the company that makes the drug to the university he works for. Read More

September 22, 2008

Hypospadias

Hypospadias is a condition where the urethra (tube you pee through) doesn't go to the end of the penis. In mild cases, it comes out near the end of the penis, but not quite. In more severe cases, it can come out anywhere from below the head of the penis to the scrotum. Read More

September 10, 2008

Paul's Sex Term of the Day--Tramp Stamp

Tramp Stamp is a lower back tattoo that rides on the pant line. It peeks out at you when the owner--usually a woman--wears low-rise jeans and/or a cropped T-shirt that shows her midriff, or she bends over and her pants go low and her shirt goes high. The tattoo is often v-shaped and points down in a way that signifies the anatomy below. Read More

September 9, 2008

The New York Times Gets It Wrong Again

An article on gender differences in yesterday's New York Times starts with the following unfortunate generalization:
Read More

August 20, 2008

The Latest Call for Caution Over Large Scale HPV Vaccination

A very sobering editorial in today’s New England Journal of Medicine asks a number of pointed questions about the safety and effectiveness of the new HPV vaccines. Read More

July 30, 2008

Menstruation at the Psychology Today Blogs--Part 1

Here are some of the things I learned from the menstruating issue of Women & Health Read More

July 25, 2008

Do Soy Nuts Impact Human Nuts?

Does a diet heavy in soy decrease male fertility? Read More

July 23, 2008

Dark Chocolate, Viagra for Women with Anti-Depressant Problems, and more

After nearly a month away, I am back in the office Read More

Sex Basics

Sex is the most profound and intimate way to express your love for someone. Different people enjoy and pursue sex in different forms—as the pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey put it, the only universal in human sexuality is variability itself. But within the universe of intimacy and pleasure that sex affords is a lot of room for error.

Go to the Sex Basics page for more on Sex including:

Current Issue

Everyday Creativity

How to start living creatively and reap the benefits.

Subscribe to As You Like It

Sex Basics

Current Issue