• 7 sex hygiene habits you really shouldn't skip
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    Marie Claire Dorking

    7 sex hygiene habits you really shouldn't skip

    Developing healthy hygiene habits before, during and after sex is important for keeping germs and infections at bay.

  • There's a national shortage of some contraceptive pills
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    Caroline Allen

    There's a national shortage of some contraceptive pills

    GPs are being left with no choice but to prescribe women with alternatives.

  • Teenager claims she almost died after contraceptive pill caused blood clot in her brain
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    Danielle Fowler

    Teenager claims she almost died after contraceptive pill caused blood clot in her brain

    Lexie Nash wants her experience to be a warning to others.

  • Scientists make 'important first step' in vaccination against chlamydia
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    Evening Standard

    Scientists make 'important first step' in vaccination against chlamydia

    A vaccination against chlamydia is safe and has shown signs that it can work, a clinical trial has found.Researchers found the vaccine provoked an immune response during preliminary tests on 35 healthy women.Further trials will now be carried out to determine whether it can fully protect against the sexually transmitted infection (STI).But experts say the latest findings are an "important first step" in tackling the STI."The findings are encouraging as they show the vaccine is safe and produces the type of immune response that could potentially protect against chlamydia," said Professor Robin Shattock, from Imperial College London."The next step is to take the vaccine forward to further trials, but until that's done, we won't know whether it is truly protective or not."Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STI in the world and accounts for almost half of all STIs diagnosed in England.It can lead to infertility, as well as complications such as ectopic pregnancy, arthritis and increased susceptibility to other STIs such as HIV.The infection is currently treated with antibiotics, but people can still catch it again.As many as three out of four cases show no symptoms."The major issue with chlamydia is the long-term consequences," said Professor Shattock."It is very treatable if identified, but as many people don't have symptoms it can be missed, and the biggest problem is that it can go on to cause infertility in women."One of the problems we see with current efforts to treat chlamydia is that despite a very big screening, test and treat programme, people get repeatedly re-infected. If you could introduce a protective vaccine, you could break that cycle."The study, led by Imperial College London and the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, tested two different formulations of the vaccine to examine which would perform better.Both formulations provoked an immune response in 100 per cent of participants - compared to no immune response in those given a placebo - but one was found to perform better and produce more antibodies.The experts hope this formulation will undergo further clinical development.The research, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, found the vaccines produced no serious adverse reactions.

  • Brit hospitalised with two-week erection that won't go away
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    Caroline Allen

    Brit hospitalised with two-week erection that won't go away

    It's the result of an unprescribed erection enhancing drug that he injected into his penis before having sex.

  • What is syphilis and why are cases on the rise?
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    Marie Claire Dorking

    What is syphilis and why are cases on the rise?

    The number of cases of syphilis in the UK has more than doubled in 10 years.

  • Gonorrhea in over-65s rising at nearly double national average with divorce and dating apps blamed
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    The Telegraph

    Gonorrhea in over-65s rising at nearly double national average with divorce and dating apps blamed

    Gonorrhea among the over-65s is rising at nearly double the national average with divorce and dating apps blamed for greater promiscuity amongst pensioners.

  • Cardiff ranked the worst UK city for people getting STI checks in new sexual health study
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    Danielle Fowler

    Cardiff ranked the worst UK city for people getting STI checks in new sexual health study

    Just 22% of people living in the Welsh capital are willing to wear a condom.

  • Male contraceptive pill passes initial stages of testing
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    Evening Standard

    Male contraceptive pill passes initial stages of testing

    A male contraceptive pill is closer to reality, with scientists revealing the capsule has passed initial stages of testing. A month-long study of 40 male participants was conducted by the University of Washington, where users took a once-daily capsule to try and suppress the levels of hormones that contribute to the production of sperm. The researchers found that hormone levels in the men taking the pill fell, with sperm counts notably reduced.