Sexual health

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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

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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
Tony Briffa was 11 when doctors put her on female hormone replacement therapies.

‘He needs to be a boy’: Unnecessary surgeries being performed on intersex children

As Victoria prepares to ban unnecessary surgeries for intersex children, a new report says some hospitals appear to keep no records justifying surgeries.

  • Broede Carmody
Premier Jacinta Allan and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas launched the inquiry in 2024.

‘Green whistle’ for IUDs and new pain standard after inquiry reveals women’s suffering

Australia’s first women’s pain inquiry has validated – and sets out to relieve – the suffering of thousands of women who spoke of disrespect and belittling of their intense pain.

  • Wendy Tuohy
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Women in their 40s, at the beginning of the menopause transition (or perimenopause) experienced a big jump in symptoms of sexual dysfunction with distress compared with pre-menopausal women.

Almost half of women experience poor sexual wellbeing in middle age – but don’t blame testosterone

Factors other than a drop in the hormone being promoted as vital for women’s mid-life libido are causing problems with arousal, desire and orgasm for women at the start of the menopause transition.

  • Wendy Tuohy
A new study has found reduced sperm production and testosterone in mice exposed to forever chemicals.

The great sperm mystery: How doctors hope to solve unexplained male infertility

Doctors have galvanised around the extraordinary fact that most male infertility cannot be explained.

  • Angus Dalton
Do libido-boosting supplements for women work?

Libido supplements for women are on the rise. But do they work?

In an era of sex positivity, a flagging libido can be seen as a deficiency. But is it possible for women to enhance desire by taking a simple vitamin? And do they even want to?

  • Lauren Ironmonger
The old stereotypes about being sexless as we age should be put to bed, new research suggests.

Forget the stereotypes: there is plenty to enjoy about sex after 60

While sex (and our bodies) change as we age, the notion of a sexless older age is outdated, new research reveals. Here’s how to navigate relationships, sex and pleasure with the passing of time.

  • Lauren Shirreff