Do We Know Things?

Do you remember when there was a media frenzy about oral sex and cancer after actor Michael Douglas said his oral cancer was caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) that he contracted from cunnilingus? Is it true that oral sex causes cancer? I am joined today by Julia Kaufmann, a Mount Allison University Bell Scholar Intern who is working with me this summer. She dug up all the dirt on the Micha...

Often when someone is victimized in some way, we hear cries for justice. In some cases, and for some people, the legal system will work for them. For many, many people, the criminal justice system does not feel just at all. While the problems with the system are pervasive and affect many people in negative ways, for this episode, I am focused on survivors of sexual assault and abuse. This is the t...

These days, talk of consent and consent education is increasingly common. I would argue that it is the most important part of school-based sex education, even though it is still not explicitly included as part of some provinces’ curricula. Of course, it’s one thing to tell people that they need to get consent about sexual activity, but having conversations about sex is hard! Kids and adults often...

Sexual assault is a highly charged topic of discussion. With the popularization of the #MeToo movement, these discussions and arguments are happening more publicly with increased polarization. One of the things people argue about are the statistics around how many women are sexually assaulted, with common estimates being 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 women have been sexually assaulted. When I started this epis...

It is such a weird time in the world, and I don’t know about you, but I am definitely having challenges with concentration. So in that spirit, something a little different this week. Instead my usual deep-dive into a single subject, this episode will focus on three separate questions that don’t require a whole show to answer, but are still topics I wanted to investigate. First, I ta...

Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) are the greatest thing ever created, according to Lisa Dawn Hamilton. It is the most effective method of preventing pregnancy that has ever been created, and it lasts up to 10 years! It’s amazing! But the IUD was not always held in such high esteem. There was a period of time in the in the U.S. and Canada, when they were not so great. Have you heard the rumors about the...

Yet another episode on messages women get from the media! This time I am looking at whether or not people with vaginas need to pee after sex to prevent urinary tract/bladder infections. Most people I know are aware of the peeing-after-sex rule for the care and keeping of the urinary tract. But, is this true? Does peeing actually help stave off the agonizing hell of a UTI? If you have ever read any...

It seems like all anyone can talk about these days is the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. One way I thought I could add a voice of reason to the discussions about COVID-19 is to talk about some of the information about COVID-19, sex and relationships that I have seen circulating around on the internet. Like things about sex boosing your immune function. Spoiler alert, we don't actually know! I will a...

Media targeted at women, including magazines, YouTube channels, and TV shows, seem to regularly trumpet the importance of doing Kegel exercises. Raise your hand if you have been told to or felt like you should do Kegels at some point in your life! Kegel exercises are the flexing and releasing of the muscles a specific set of muscles in your pelvic region. These exercises are supposed to strengthen...

What are the feelings people have after having an abortion? In the sex education field, we say that abortion is part of mental health care and that most people are relieved after the have an abortion. Anti-choice groups want us to think that abortions are psychologically harmful. It is important that the misinformation be addressed with the actual research with actual people. On this episode of “D...

Abortion is a part of reproductive healthcare. As a sex educator and a feminist, I know how important it is for people to be able to control their reproductive lives. I often talk about sex being a taboo topic that people avoid discussing, but abortion is talked about even less! This leads to misunderstandings, misconceptions, and stigma around abortion. We'll talk access, politics and the law con...

Do men really want sex more than women? It's a widely-endorsed stereotype that you'll find everywhere from great literature to teen romantic comedies. Men of all sexual orientations being complete lust monsters that can't control themselves while women are vanguards of purity blocking men's advances or tragically succumbing to lesbian bed death. Of course the reality is much more complicated than...

Testosterone. Even the mention of the word conjures up images both good and bad: From the chisel-jawed, muscled-up action hero to the dude with the pickup truck doing donuts in the parking lot at 3 in the morning. It's such a mythical hormone. We ascribe to it virtually everything that has to do with masculinity. It makes men strong, hairy…and virile, but actually, everyone has testosterone coursi...

In this episode we'll sift through the research to find out what actually happens to our sexual function when we take antidepressants. Roughly 7% of Canadians and 12% of Americans are taking antidepressant meds like Prozac or Zoloft.  While anti-depressant medication lifts millions out of the gloom, there's also the side effects. There are a range of possible side effects including dry mouth,...

On this episode, we are talking about herpes. Specifically, does EVERYONE have herpes? So many sex educators seem to think that most people on this planet have herpes. I have often thought that this stat couldn’t be true, but somehow have never actually looked into it. In this episode we'll crunch the numbers, to try and sort fact from hyperbole. We'll also talk about what herpes is, the stigma as...

On this episode, I delve into WHY some women might have orgasms from PVI while some don’t. And also, why it shouldn’t matter! The episode features a strange story about clitoral surgeries and a researcher/princess who, according to Wikipedia, is the great grand-niece of Napoleon Bonaparte. I will also have some feedback from some of the researchers featured on the last episode: Dr. Debby Herbenick...

Media depictions of heterosexual sex are all about penile-vaginal-intercourse (PVI), which always seems to lead to mind-blowing orgasms for women. Sex educators say only about 25% of women have orgasms from PVI, though. Where does that number come from? Is it accurate?  Listen to find out if we know things about about orgasms. Find the script for this episode with notes and references at www....

I’m Dr. Lisa Dawn Hamilton. By day, I’m a sex researcher and psychology professor who teaches about sex.  If you are a sex geek like me or if you just want to know things, subscribe to listen to me question everything you thought you knew about sex! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.