Sexualisation of Young People report released. How useful are the findings? Here’s your chance to find out

By Dr Petra | Published: 1 March, 2010
The UK has just seen the launch of an anticipated Consultation into Sexualisation of Young People. The work has been widely reported and generally accepted by the media both in the UK and Internationally. Perhaps due to the sensitive topic focusing on the wellbeing of young people, it seems there has been little attention paid to the content and quality of the Consultation or how actionable its recommendations… Read more
Posted in Critical appraisal, Evidence based | Comments closed

What’s going on with sex education in the UK?

By Dr Petra | Published: 26 February, 2010
In this past week sex education has been hot news in the UK. Reporting on this issue hasn’t always been clear and I’ve been overwhelmed with emails from parents, teachers and health practitioners asking about what’s going on. Here’s my answers to the most commonly asked questions which hopefully should clear up any confusion and bring you up to speed on what’s happening. Read more
Posted in Parents, Reproductive health, Safer sex, Sex education, Teachers | Comments closed

Am I bovvered…about not desiring sex?

By Dr Petra | Published: 22 February, 2010
A drug company has launched a new study and patient registry to measure female sexual problems. Using a five question quick checklist you can now be diagnosed as dysfunctional. Read more
Posted in Female Sexual Dysfunction, Flibanserin, Sexual dysfunction, Surveys/questionnaires | Comments closed

Celebrating National Condom Week

By Dr Petra | Published: 16 February, 2010
love condoms This week's national condom week, and in case you hadn't been thinking about male or female condoms it's a good time to reflect about what they can bring to your sex lives. Long gone are the days where condoms are thick, smelly and come with the spermicidal pessary that bleaches your boyfriends carpet (yes I'm talking personal experience here). Nowadays condom manufacturers have caught on to the opportunities… Read more
Posted in Condom(s), Safer sex | Comments closed

Ten love songs from the musicals – with love to you on Valentine’s Day

By Dr Petra | Published: 14 February, 2010
What better to enjoy Valentine's day than some romantic songs? I'm a bit of a Musicals fan so here are a selection of love songs for you to enjoy and share. Predictably since they are songs from the shows they're about love and passion, but also about loss and pain. Still, if you've not had a good cry on Valentine's it's really not been a proper one! Sit back… Read more
Posted in Movie(s) | Comments closed

Countdown to Valentine’s 2010

By Dr Petra | Published: 13 February, 2010
Here are a few romantic little treats from me to you in the run-up to Valentine's day. Read more
Posted in Uncategorised | Comments closed

American Psychiatric Association launches draft guidelines for DSM5 – consultation open til April, have your say

By Dr Petra | Published: 11 February, 2010
The DSM is the classification system used by psychiatrists and medics in the US and elsewhere to define, research and treat mental disorders. It's not without its critics and with the latest draft open for consultation you have a chance to share your views on how they aim to classify mental health. Read more
Posted in Critical appraisal, Female Sexual Dysfunction, Medicalisation, Mental Health, Sexual dysfunction | Comments closed

Sex workers, stigma and barriers to health

By Dr Petra | Published: 9 February, 2010
Here's an account and link to a recent event from my college focusing on addressing issues of stigma as a barrier to health care for sex workers. Read more
Posted in Academia, Activism and Open Access, Evidence based, Prostitution | Comments closed

‘Getting away with it’ – Contraception Awareness Week 8-14 February 2010

By Dr Petra | Published: 8 February, 2010
It's Contraception Awareness Week, but did you know unplanned pregnancies aren't just an issue that affects teenagers. Older women also experience unplanned pregnancies and this year Contraception Awareness Week focuses on their needs. Read on if you think you might need to think about family planning. Read more
Posted in Contraception, Pregnancy | Comments closed

How television constructs sex – an evolving case study of a prime time sex series

By Dr Petra | Published: 7 February, 2010
This is a longer blog than usual that tracks my observations over the past few weeks a TV series I’ve been involved with. It looks at how ‘sex’ is framed for prime time television, and discusses whether our current approach to sex programming may not be presenting sex in accurate or informative ways. Read more
Posted in Case studies, Celebrity, Sex education, Surveys/questionnaires, Television | Comments closed