The Better2Know Blog

Semen is a great indicator that a man has enjoyed sex. Here are some other things about Semen.

Every ten years the UK completes a study on the nations Sexual Health.  The survey conducted by Lancet has found the following:

• 82.1% of men and 77.7% of women (aged 16 to 74) had had at least one sexual partner of the opposite sex in the past year.
• Women are reporting more sex, with the number reporting having had a male or female sexual partner in the last year having increased.
• Women are having more oral and anal sex than ten years ago
• 5.5% of women and 4.2% of men in all age groups have never had sex
• 8% of men reported some sexual contact with another man during their lifetime
• 11.5% of women reported some sexual contact with another woman during their lifetime
• 3.6% of men, and 0.1% of women had paid for sex in the last year – increasing their risk of HIV and other STIs
• 7.6% of men and 4.9% of women had had at least two sexual partners with whom they had not used a condom in the last year

The study has been valuable for both healthcare providers and commentators on changing society and its attitude towards sex and relationships. More people are having more sex to an older age than before, which also increases their exposure to HIV and STIs being transmitted later in life.  This shows that healthcare providers have to do more to ensure that everyone, no matter what their age is able to access sexual health.

Today is the most popular day of the year for the Office Christmas Party. We have all seen our colleagues coming in sheepish the morning after the night before (or Monday after), and most people can expect a little banter tinged with jealousy. However if you are worried about you or your colleague and whether they remembered to use a condom, then why not send them this blog?

World AIDS Day 2013 saw organisations and supporters across the world coming together to remember the millions of people who have tragically lost their lives and to raise awareness and support for the fight against AIDS moving forward. 22 years after a group of New York artists came up with the iconic symbol, the red ribbon once again brought awareness and support for people living with HIV across the globe.

In the UK we saw a huge variety of exciting events, awareness raising initiatives and people coming together in the fight against AIDS. Some of the highlights included Northern Rail’s ‘Awareness Train’, the world’s largest awareness ribbon (45 metres long!), Kieran Alger’s thirty one days of half marathons and the World AIDS Day concert: We All Live Together. During this time STOPAIDS met with MPs to hear about their commitment to global treatment, with encouraging news, so it really was a progressive weekend for HIV and AIDS awareness. We caught up with some of the great organisations involved to find out how World AIDS Day went and to find out how you can still get involved moving forward.

So, you have done the right thing and decided to have an STI test, and have chosen to use Better2Know’s services. You have visited one of our clinics across the UK and have enjoyed a discreet and confidential service at a time to suit you, or ordered one of our home testing kits and tested yourself in the comfort of your own home.

Better2Know has the fastest results times in the UK: one to five days depending on the test, however the anxiety waiting for results to come back is never fun, and the big worry is what if the results come back positive.

Do not worry; Better2Know is here to help you. Our patient care does not stop with testing, and we will contact you whether your results are positive or negative. If you test positive not only will we help you to get the appropriate treatment, but also where you can receive any support. If you test positive for HIV, we will arrange a repeat test, and our partnership with the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust will help sign post you to counselling and advice that you may need.

A chlamydia testing programme run by Public Health England (PHE) has increased testing by 76% in GP surgeries and other NHS clinics, and found 40% more people with chlamydia than were previously being treated according to new research published today in ‘Sexually Transmitted Infections’.

The testing programme was designed by PHE to make it easier for young adults to get tested and to make it more normal to get tested.  The project was trialled in the South West of England in 76 GP practices.  Staff were trained to develop skills and confidence to increase awareness of the risks of an untreated chlamydia infections.  Publicity (posters and patient cards) were also given to the practices.

Dr Cliodna McNulty, head of PHE primary care unit, said: “General practice is a natural venue to engage young adults in chlamydia testing, and our intervention shows that providing the right skills and resources can significantly improve screening rates in this setting. In doing so, we can also create opportunities for young adults to discuss good sexual health in an easily accessible and familiar place.”

More than 2,200 women every year are having cosmetic surgery to give them the “perfect vagina” in a procedure known as labiaplasty. Many women (including 250 girls under the age of 14) are having this operation on the NHS.  This is a 500% increase on ten years ago.  These figures do not include private surgery where a large number of cosmetic procedures happen.

An article published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections has said that condom distribution in prisons increases safer sex, but with no evidence of sex itself increasing.

Research focused on prisons in two states of Australia: New South Wales (NSW) where about 30,000 condoms are freely distributed a month; and Queensland where no condoms are distributed. Of the 2,018 male inmates who participated, both states have similar low levels of anal sex (3.3% and 3.6% in NSW and Queensland respectively) and unsurprisingly a far higher proportion used a condom in NSW than Queensland (the former with 56.8% usage and the latter 3.1%).

The paper concluded on the note that no evidence suggested condom provision increase consensual or non-consensual sex, but did encourage safer sex; “[c]ondoms should be made freely available to all prisoners as a basic human right.”

It has long been observed that Gonorrhoea is becoming resistant to some types of antibiotics. Particularly in the Far East and America. In the UK, Gonorrhoea is usually treated with two different types of antibiotic (including an injection as well as a pill) to make sure that the bacteria is cured by one or both. However, Public Health England (PHE) says that the rate of Gonorrhoea becoming drug-resistant has slowed down.

A bacteria can become resistant to drugs both by Darwin’s theory of evolution and adapting to its environment, and if people do not finish their course of antibiotics. IF you do not finish the course, and not all the bacteria have been killed, then those that remain become stronger and more likely to be able to survive the antibiotics next time. As Gonorrhoea is so infectious, you can see how different antibiotics not quite killing the bacteria can lead to a multi-drug resistant strain quickly, and it becoming wide spread.

A new report from Health and Social Care Information (HSCIC) shows that of the 17,000 girls under 15 who went to NHS contraceptive clinics in the year to 31 March 2013, 6,600 of them already used the Contraceptive pill to prevent birth control, while 6,900 used condoms (40%, down from 46% just last year). The use of the Pill has increased in the last few years, and this means that these girls may be putting themselves at risk of a Sexually Transmitted Infection if they have multiple partners.

The total number of people attending clinics has fallen by 8% since last years, which shows that more people are seeking an alternative to NHS contraception clinics for their contraception and Sexual Health advice.

The report also shows that condom use was more popular in the West Midlands and Yorkshire where 1 in 4 women used the condom, but only 1 in 7 in Wales.

AIDS is one of the most destructive pandemics in history and, every year on the 1^st December, World AIDS Day aims to raise awareness about this global issue. It presents the world with a chance to unite and stand up to this vicious disease. To show support for those living with HIV and AIDS and to remember those who have died, people are encouraged to wear a red ribbon in support.

In 1988, World AIDS Day became the first ever internationally recognised health day and was conceived to raise awareness about the growing AIDS pandemic that was first clinically observed in the US in 1981.

A brief history of HIV and AIDS

World AIDS Day has been on 1 December since 1988, and was set up to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS.  It is promoted by the United Nations, and Governments and Charities across the world, including in the UK.  The red ribbon is the globally recognised symbol of World AIDS Day.

AIDS has killed over 25 million people in the last 30 years, with more than that number currently living with the virus.  The HIV virus is no longer considered life threatening thanks to medical advancements in drugs and treatment, although most people will be on medication for life, and they may find it takes longer to recover from other illnesses such as the common cold.

The current NHS policy on HPV vaccinations is to only provide vaccinations for girls, usually given at the age of 14 to 15 at school.  Better2Know supports vaccinations for everyone to prevent HPV spreading.  Although it is responsible for the majority of cases of cervical cancer, there are other cancers which HPV can cause in both men and women, plus if men are vaccinated then they cannot transmit the virus on to new partners.

In a recent poll, three times as many people supported giving boys the HPV vaccination as opposed the option.  The same survey also found out that there is a lot of misconception about the virus, with 21% of people thinking it was transmitted the same was a cold.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is offering a $100,000 (£65,000) investment for an inventor who is able to create the “Next Generation Condom”. The foundation is looking for a design “that significantly preserves or enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and regular use.”

New research has suggested that the high levels of estradiol (a compound found in estrogen) that occur prior to ovulation results in decreased immune system effectiveness, meaning greater vulnerability to infection.

The “dip” in women’s immunity at this point in their ovulation cycle is believed to allow spermatozoa a better chance to reach and fertilise an egg without threat of an immune response. One researcher on the project, Miguel Relloso, said: “This could be an explanation why during ovulation females have more risk of being infected with sexual transmitted diseases like HIV or HPV.”

Whilst unable to replace the bedroom as the firm favourite, a recent survey has revealed that the shower is the second most popular destination for sex.

40% of British people have claimed to have had sex in the bathroom, and of these people the majority said the shower was their preferred bathroom location. The popularity of the shower was followed by sex in the bath, over the toilet (hopefully separate to other toilet related activities!), over the sink and on the bathroom floor. Outside the bathroom and bedroom, people like having sex on locations such as the sofa and kitchen table.

So what is the appeal of the shower? Some cited the excitement of the change in location, whilst others enjoyed the warm water and cleanliness of the shower.

Rectal STIs greatly increased risk of subsequent HIV infection, according to a paper published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The authors compared the HIV incidence in people diagnosed with rectal Gonorrhoea (GC) and/or rectal Chlamydia (CT), with control patients who did not have GC or CT. All participants had a baseline clinic visit between 2008 and 2010, and over two thirds of both groups reported unprotected anal sex.

Follow-ups with both groups showed that of the men with rectal STIs diagnosed on the initial clinical visit, the annual incident rate of HIV diagnosis was 11%. The control group without rectal STIs had a HIV rate of 3%.

The authors comment: “Our results demonstrate that rectal CT/GC infections are objective markers for identifying persons at an exceptionally high risk for HIV.”

A study based in London involving men with HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection has shown that, despite clearing their primary infection either spontaneously or with treatment, one quarter of participants was reinfected with HCV. In some cases reinfection occurred up to three times. Retrospective research conducted in the Netherlands has confirmed very high rates of HCV reinfection among gay men who are HIV positive.

The results, also presented at the 7th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2013) in Malaysia, call for better education for HIV positive men who have sex with other men (MSM).

Whilst people rarely lie about other gender-related behaviours, a recent study in the journal Sex Roles has suggested that men and women lie about their sexual behaviour to better fit into the cultural norm.

Whilst happy to admit to “male-type” and “female-type” activities regardless of gender, when it comes to sexual activities people prefer to be seen as either “real men” with a lot of sexual experience or less sexual experience for women.

Terri Fisher, the author of the study which spoke to 293 college students aged 18 to 25, said:
“There is something unique about sexuality that led people to care more about matching the stereotypes for their gender. Sexuality seemed to be the one area where people felt some concern if they didn’t meet the stereotypes of a typical man or a typical woman.”

The participants filled out the questionnaire on different activities, and some were connected to what they thought was a working lie detector (it actually did not work). This alteration only made the participants’ answers about sexual behaviour change. Fisher carried the same experiment in 2003 with similar results, bar one aspect. When hooked up to a lie detector the women of the more recent study admitted to more sexual partners than the men, whilst in 2003 women were more even to the male figures.

October is one of the most popular months of the year for getting an STI test at Better2Know followed by August, November and January.  Explanations vary but remember that you need to wait between 10 and 28 days to get tested, so people are coming back after their summer holiday or Christmas party and getting tested then.

Professor Barry Komisaruk, a neuroscientist, has claimed that having an orgasm is a superior workout for the brain than crossword puzzles or Sudoku. He points to the fact that orgasms increase brain activity throughout the organ, as opposed to the relatively localised regions which puzzles stimulate.

University of Oxford scientists, in a study with Cancer Research, have recently published a paper which suggests that certain types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) not only significantly increase the risk of oropharyngeal cancer, but may also account for a third of the throat cancer cases.

Edinburgh police have issued proposals to ban condoms from Edinburgh licensed saunas.  Clearly the thought behind this idea is that some patrons might be put off going to saunas by people having sex in them, but banning condoms is not going to prevent people having sex, it is just going to increase the associated risks, and particularly increase the risk of HIV transmission in MSM.

There are five licensed saunas in Edinburgh, and police want any item of a sexual nature banned from them, in a bid to stop sex.  However charities say this will put prostitutes and clients on to the streets where they are subject to greater threats and dangers.

Cereal entrepreneur Peter Ehrlich has created the world’s very first gender-based cereal geared towards improving your performance in the bedroom. First envisioned in July 2011, the Canadian cereal is spreading its roots and now boasts retailers in the USA and across the world.

Australian biotechnology company Coridon has just entered the early stage of clinical trials, to test a vaccine that would both prevent and cure Herpes Simplex 2 (HSV-2).

You have a right to make decisions for your own body, so the choice of whether or not to get a genital piercing is entirely up to you. However, the best decisions are made with full information about what risks are involved with such procedures and how you can mitigate any consequences. You may have heard that genital piercings carry the potential risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, however, you can minimise this risk through a correctly carried out procedure and good aftercare.

If you want to start a new relationship in the best way possible, you should both have an STI test. Not only will your relationship be healthier for it, but your health will be too. Better2Know can get you confidential, accurate and fast results so you can get back to enjoying your new romance as soon as possible. Watch our short clip “New relationships…”

New HIV diagnoses in the gay male community of London have risen by at least 21% from 2011 to 2012, whereas the rest of England has seen a 4% drop. Medical research has cited the binge drug-taking behaviour in the capital’s gay scene as one cause fuelling the surge in infections, however confining this problem to homosexual men is to deny a wider problem in society and could stigmatise a group.

The authors of an article published in the Lancet medical journal, Tony Kirkby and Michelle Thornber-Dunwell, found that participants often have unprotected sex with multiple partners as well as sharing needles:

“London’s 24-hour gay scene is world famous, with clubbing that goes on all weekend and beyond… Many of London’s drug-using men who have sex with men (MSM)… often congregate at post-club parties known as chill-outs where drug-taking continues until drugs, money, energy, or all three run out.”

“HIV, it’s three letters and that’s how everyone likes to think about it. But if we step back for a second and remember that the first word is actually ‘Human’, and we have human rights.”

Jesse, HIV Positive

Condoms have offered a form of contraceptive for centuries; however they have also long been used as protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

How far back the first condom was used is a matter of intense debate and has produced an array of answers. However ancient Greek writer Antoninus Liberalis appears to write of a female condom in 150 AD, with the purpose of protecting against harmful semen as opposed to reducing the risk of pregnancy. In the tale, King Minos of Crete solves his curse (his semen was supposedly filled with snakes and scorpions) through using a goat bladder inserted into his lover.