"Self-Conscious Sex Is Bad for You"

It seems that women with hypoactive sexual desire - which is a disorder characterized by a continual lack of sexual interest or fantasies - use more brainpower than sexually healthy women in monitoring their reactions and performance during sex.

Don't Think about What You're Doing...Just Do It

It's a vicious circle: Women who pay too much attention to their performance during sex could be inhibiting sexual desire — and that lack of desire increases self-consciousness.

The idea's not new, of course, but now it's got scientific data to back it up. A new study by the Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that women with hypoactive sexual desire [HSDD] - which is a disorder characterized by a continual lack of sexual interest or fantasies - use more brainpower than sexually healthy women in monitoring their reactions and performance during sex.

Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to track brain response to sexual stimuli in 16 HSDD women and 20 women who don't suffer the condition.

Participants were shown clips of erotic films, women's sporting events, and relaxing nature scenes. In addition to the brain scans, the women subjectively rated their levels of arousal while an instrument objectively measured vaginal response.

Their brains lit up in very different ways.

"Many of the HSDD subjects spent their time monitoring their experience, or lack thereof," said Leah Millheiser, one of the lead researchers of the study, which was published in the journal Neuroscience.

"For example, they may have been asking themselves, 'Am I responding correctly?', 'Is this how I am supposed to be feeling?', 'Should I be experiencing more arousal than I currently am?', instead of actually allowing themselves to integrate the information being presented to them in the erotic video."

These women, Millheiser says, may be cheating themselves out of the ability to associate positive emotional memories with sex.

In addition, the results pointed to a disconnect between both groups' subjective ratings and the arousal measurements taken by the vaginal instrument — results that are consistent with those found in other studies.

"Women can experience little subjective arousal, but still have a genital response, meaning vaginal engorgement and lubrication," Millheiser said.

"The reason behind this phenomenon is not well understood. There is a popular theory that women could have developed this response during the evolutionary process to protect the pelvic floor during forced sexual acts for procreation or childbirth."

The study suggests a useful strategy:

"As a female sexual medicine practitioner, I encourage women to 'be in the moment,'" Millheiser said. "That means to focus on the pleasure they are experiencing either by themselves or with their partner.

What I discourage is for women to focus on what they 'think' they should be experiencing. If certain expectations are not met during a sexual situation, this may lead to a negative sexual experience."

"Circumcision Lessens Sexual Pleasure For Men"

In the ninth episode of the second season of "Sex and the City," one young male professional has had enough of being judged - and in some cases, rejected - by women because of his uncircumcised penis, and chooses to undergo circumcision as an adult.

The Foreskin Is a Vital Element in Sexual Intercourse

The foreskin consists of several parts, and performs several key functions in sexual activity and in the penis itself.

The foreskin can be thought of as akin to the eyelids, according to a presentation done by The University of Washington Health Sciences Academic Services & Facilities and George C. Denniston, MD.

The eyes need constant moisture to optimize their function, as well as a covering membrane capable of shielding them from pathogens and unwanted external irritants. The same holds true for the glans of the penis.

As erection occurs, the prepuce turns inside out, unfolding onto the shaft of the penis. During sexual intercourse, the foreskin will continuously retract and then recover over the glans, sliding along the sides of the vaginal wall in the process.

This causes increased stimulation to both male and female, as the penis is essentially sliding in and out of both itself and the vagina, using the prepuce as a sort of “buffer” between the two.

The foreskin, therefore, plays a very important role during sex, keeping both organs moist. Without it, the mushroom shaped glans actually draws moisture from the vagina with each forward and backward motion, increasing abrasion.

To Cut, or Not to Cut? A Touchy Subject

The importance of this question arises for different people in a variety of situations.

Women might have inherited certain beliefs about what men 'ought' to look like, and those beliefs stand to influence their feelings about future possible male sex partners. Men who are uncircumcised have to grapple with being members of an aesthetic minority.

In the ninth episode of the second season of "Sex and the City," one young male professional has had enough of being judged - and in some cases, rejected - by women because of his uncircumcised penis. He chooses to undergo circumcision as an adult, not out of religious considerations at all, but so that he can be more confident during his future sexual encounters.

Sure, many uncircumcised men might experience neither rejection nor 'judgment' from their significant others; but when our culture projects a certain image of physical normalcy that is significantly distinguished from the images we have of ourselves, conflict is likely to ensue.

At www.circumcision.org, it is stated that, "Circumcision is 'normal' among Americans. Normality is associated with cultural values. What is familiar becomes a cultural value. Circumcision is familiar."

It is noted that that our language reinforces what we believe is 'normal'. "For example, the term 'uncircumcised' suggests that to be circumcised is the norm, the standard."

Both men and women who are thinking about starting a family are vulnerable to the need to scrutinize the question of whether or not they genuinely 'agree' with circumcision; and certainly once one is told that "It's a boy" the debate of male circumcision will present itself sooner or later.

So, why are male babies circumcised? There are many reasons for the procedure, some of which are religious, while others are health-related.

None of the reasons for circumcising male babies is based on facts alone; rather, arguments are primarily supported by beliefs and theories about spirituality and/or health. Let's consider some of the most prominent arguments regarding male circumcision:

Pro: Circumcised penises are easier to clean/less likely to become infected/safer from disease. Many elements of this claim seem to be true, but to a nearly insignificant extent. At Kids Health, it is noted that, yes, baby boys who are uncircumcised are ten times more likely to develop urinary tract infections (during the first year of life).

The article goes on to claim that, "However, even with this increased risk of UTI, only one percent or less of uncircumcised males will be affected."

Irritation, inflammation (Balantis), and infection do occur more frequently among uncircumcised men; furthermore, it is easier to clean a circumcised penis (although after the foreskin becomes retractable - around age 5 - any incontestable impediments to self-cleaning are generally alleviated).

Finally, some claim that circumcised males are safer from developing penile cancer, but the margin of difference is extremely slim - and statistically 'insignificant' - because penile cancer itself is extremely rare, in both circumcised and uncircumcised males.

Con: The trauma of undergoing circumcision undermines the long-term emotional and psychological health of males.

There has been lots of research that supports the claim that the physical trauma of circumcision leaves a negative impact on psychological health.

Dr. Ronald Goldman - Executive Director of the Circumcision Resource Center in Boston, MA - has written a book entitled "Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma," in which he shows that, "circumcision has potential effects not only on men and sexuality, but also on mother-child relationships, male-female relationships and societal traits and problems."

Pro: Circumcised men are less likely to develop STDs.

"Some sexually transmitted diseases appear more common in uncircumcised men, others in circumcised men," said Dr. Goldman.

While circumcised men might be more vulnerable to certain STDs - Chlamydia and genital warts in particular - they might have some protection from the most fatal of them all: the human immunodeficiency virus.

Many doctors and researchers have produced evidence that suggests that circumcised men are less likely to contract HIV than men who are uncircumcised.

However, the Cochrane Collaboration has reviewed all the current evidence regarding circumcision and the contraction of HIV and has, "concluded that that there is insufficient evidence to support the idea that circumcised men have less chance of contracting HIV."

Con: Having foreskin allows men to more fully enjoy sex. On the Malehealth website, it is stated that:

"As the only moving part of the penis, the foreskin facilitates sexual activity. It contains nerve endings that play a part in sexual pleasure and its glands produce lubricants that help protect both the head of the penis and [in the case of heterosexual intercourse] the female vagina."

This claim - that the foreskin 'plays a part in sexual pleasure' - is debatable. On the KidsHealth website, the authors write that:

"Some people claim that circumcision either lessens or heightens the sensitivity of the tip of the penis, decreasing or increasing sexual pleasure later in life. But neither of these subjective findings has been proved."

There are many more reasons for and against circumcision - and we haven't even touched upon those that are most controversial - the religious arguments.

But whether or not we come to a conclusion about what is 'right' or 'wrong' in this matter, it is important to challenge the notions we've inherited regarding what's 'normal,' especially when it comes to sexuality.