via WeNews, by Amy Littlefield Participants in Kate Morrow’s [IRMA Steering Committee Member] recent study may not have felt like they were fighting the global HIV epidemic. In fact, what they were literally feeling were gels of various consistencies inside their vaginas. The women in Morrow’s Project LINK answered questions after handling the gels, inserting them vaginally, Read More >>

Via Times of India.  South African scientists, who launched a 24-month trial to confirm the efficacy of a microbicide gel that would reduce the risk of women getting HIV, have found an unexpected spin-off – it also boosts sexual pleasure. Wits professor Helen Rees, of the university’s reproductive health and HIV institute, said the R300m trial would Read More >>

The Riddle of the SphincterWhy do women who have anal sex get more orgasms?via Slate, by William Saletan Last week, I tried to figure out why more women are having anal sex and why it correlates so highly with orgasms. Since 1992, the percentage of women aged 20-24 who say they’ve tried anal sex has doubled to Read More >>

via UWM Post, by Jon Tingley Anal penetration used to be a taboo topic. In fact, for some of you, it might still be. What used to be relegated to men playing in bathhouses and Bally’s locker rooms is now a widespread form of sexual intercourse enjoyed by all different sexual orientations and genders. Many people decide Read More >>

via Scientific American, by Jesse Bering It’s my impression that many straight people believe that there are two types of gay men in this world: those who like to give, and those who like to receive. No, I’m not referring to the relative generosity or gift-giving habits of homosexuals. Not exactly, anyway. Rather, the distinction concerns gay Read More >>

IRMA chats up Dan Resnic of Strata Various Product Design about the ORIGAMI Condom – a new product in development designed specifically for anal intercourse. IRMA – Tell us about this ORIGAMI condom you are working on. What is it? How is it different from other condoms? DAN RESNIC – This is a radical new design concept, Read More >>

by Jan Wijngaarden Fridae’s Men’s Sexual Health columnist Jan Wijngaarden wonders why oral sex has not been as widely recommended as a ‘safer option’ given that it has been found to be of much lower risk compared to anal sex. A while ago, a friend of mine, who is around 55 years old and from Europe, sadly Read More >>

Tristan Taormino recently sat down with Keith Orr from AIDS Action’s MALE Center before she held a workshop dealing with issues around anal sex. Check out her Pucker Up posts on anal sex.

Assessing motivations to engage in intentional condomless anal intercourse in HIV risk contexts (“Bareback Sex”) among men who have sex with men. JA Bauermeister, A Carballo-Dieguez, A Ventuneac, and C Dolezal AIDS Educ Prev, April 1, 2009; 21(2): 156-68. Although condom use is an effective barrier against HIV transmission, some men who have sex with men (MSM) Read More >>

by A. Carballo-Diéguez, A. Ventuneac, J. Bauermeister, G. W. Dowsett, C. Dolezal, R. H. Remien I. and Balan M. Rowe, January 2009,Culture, Health & Sexuality. The terms bareback and bareback identity are increasingly being used in academic discourse on HIV/AIDS without clear operationalisation. Using in depth,face-to-face interviews with an ethnically diverse sample of 120 HIVinfected and -uninfected Read More >>