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Sexual health

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Vaccination rates fall.

‘Really urgent’: Teen vaccine rates tumble, leaving cancer elimination in doubt

Australia’s ambitious goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035 is under threat amid a worrying decline in HPV vaccinations across the country.

  • Melissa Cunningham

Latest

Many teenagers are learning about sex online instead of via effective parental and school education, according to a new study.

Safe sex decline: Teenage condom use hits 30-year low

Parental and high school sexual health education is failing to meet the needs of young people, who are increasingly learning about relationships and wellbeing online.

  • Bridie Smith

How male sex toys became the last bedroom taboo

In the past decade, women’s sex toys have become couched in the language of empowerment, wellness and self-care. So why haven’t toys for straight men undergone the same rebrand?

  • Lauren Ironmonger

Women are used to bleeding. Here’s how to know when things aren’t normal

It’s common for women to delay seeking help for abnormal or heavy bleeding. However, experts say any unexpected bleeding should be investigated.

  • Lauren Ironmonger
Robbie Dettmann recently tried to access STI testing at the state’s only public sexual health clinic but was turned away.

Victoria’s only public sexual health clinic axes a key service as STI rates soar

When Robbie tried to access the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, the doors were locked. It was then he discovered the walk-in service had been axed.

  • Henrietta Cook and Alexander Darling
Olivia Donaghy is a psychologist, researcher and the Clinical Director of Gender Health Australia. She helped establish Queensland’s first gender clinic for trans kids in 2016, and is currently employed as the statewide coordinator of the service.

Top gender clinic psychologist ready to quit over trans ban

The psychologist behind Queensland’s first children’s gender clinic fears she can no longer provide evidence-based healthcare or fulfil her professional duties.

  • Courtney Kruk
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The contraceptive pill will be available at Victorian chemists without a script.

Contraceptive pill will become available without a script in Victoria

Women will be able to see a pharmacist instead of a doctor to access the pill, but the move has doctors worried.

  • Kieran Rooney and Henrietta Cook
Grace Toombs, founder of June, Australia’s first at-home cervical screening test kit.

‘Putting the sexy back in sex’: What’s the solution to rising youth STIs?

STI rates are rising for young Australians, while safe sex practices like using condoms, regular testing and contraception are declining.

  • Lauren Ironmonger
The Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, which causes gonorrhea.

Drug-resistant ‘gonorrhoea superbugs’ are spreading across Sydney

Health authorities are growing concerned about the limited effectiveness of antibiotics to treat the common sexually transmitted infection.

  • Angus Thomson
Sex coaches and therapists are there to facilitate open conversation, not to judge.

‘It’s not about performance’: Seven common sex therapy myths

It’s a normal part of life enjoyed by a considerable portion of the population, yet most of us are not good at seeking help with our sex lives. That might have something to do with these common misconceptions.

  • Robyn Willis