Pleasureful

Tag: sexeducation

  • All About Thrush: We Know You’re Itching to Learn

    All About Thrush: We Know You’re Itching to Learn

    Upset your vagina, and it can produce yeast. One of the many joys of the female body, right? Yeast infections, otherwise known as thrush, are something that everybody with a vagina will experience at least once in their life. It’s important that we understand what causes thrush, so we can do our best to avoid it, and treat it when it does come knocking on our labia. 

    Firstly, what causes thrush?

    Like an unwanted 1am ‘You up?’ text from that guy you never should have given your number to, thrush can appear when we least expect it. Main causes include irritated skin, antibiotics (they kill our good bacteria as well as bad), oral contraception, poorly managed or undiagnosed diabetes, and, of course, stress.

    Symptoms of thrush include:

    • White/yellowish, usually odourless vaginal discharge which is often visually compared to cottage cheese.
    • Itchy or swollen genitals.
    • A stinging or burning sensation when peeing.
    • Uncomfortable or painful intercourse.

    There are some things you can do to ease the itch. It’s advised that you avoid soaps in the affected area, and opt for water with a gentle emollient to wash, ensuring you dry yourself properly after. Wear comfortable, cotton underwear to prevent further irritation to your friend downstairs (she’s been through a lot, a lace thong will not help). You should refrain from sexual activity with any partners, as although it isn’t an STI, thrush can be passed on if it hasn’t cleared up. 

    But how do you treat thrush?

    There are many anti-fungal treatments out there in the form of creams, tablets and pessaries. Check out products by the female-founded sexual wellness brand HANX right here. No nonsense, easy to follow instructions, and discreet packaging. Everything you and your vag wished for and more.

  • My Pleasure is not Shameful

    My Pleasure is not Shameful

    I love sex.

    I love engaging in sexual acts, I love talking about it, I love educating others on sex and everything to do with it. It’s not just me being super horny (although it happens). I’m fascinated by sex, even more so when I learn something new that we should have been taught in school or by our parents, or when I tell someone else something that they don’t know.

    Did you know that sperm can live inside of you for 5-8 days? Meaning you can get pregnant days after actually having sex.

    Being hydrated leads to better orgasms.

    Period sex has lots of benefits, including helping cramps.

    75% of women don’t orgasm through penetration alone.

    I love talking about and being open about sex because it helps myself and others learn more about ourselves and our bodies. I talk about it because I feel comfortable to do so, and I want others to be able to engage in the conversation without shame or stigma surrounding those topics.

    As I said, I’ve been like this for a while. I’ve been exploring my own sexuality, desires, likes and dislikes since I was a teenager. As most people do. I wouldn’t say that I was bullied in school or college, but when I look back on certain experiences now, I can confidently say that I experienced what we refer to as ‘slut-shaming’.

    A particular incident that has stuck with me happened in college, when I was around 17 years old. I was sat in the common room during a free period with a group of my friends at the time – all guys. The conversation moved to sex, and I engaged in the topic just as they all were. I spoke about experiences I had, answered questions they asked (being the only girl present at the time, they seemed curious to hear what I had to say). After the conversion, we all went about our day as normal.

    That evening, I got a message from one of the guys at college. He wanted to let me know that after I had left the room, the other guys immediately began making fun of me and shaming me for being so willing to talk about sex. They thought it was weird, attention-seeking, gross, unladylike. I was shocked, because at the time none of them seemed to have an issue, and I was only talking about the same things they were, just from a female perspective.

    That was a few years ago now, but even then I remember thinking, ‘Are we really still holding on to these double-standards?’. It made me question myself, and if I should dial it back with what I say around others. But nothing I had said was offensive, and no one was uncomfortable to my knowledge. Which begs the question…

    Is talking about my experiences and pleasure only acceptable if I have a penis in between my legs?

    If this is how we act towards women when they voice their opinions, likes and dislikes around sex, then no wonder there’s an orgasm gap. Women are shamed into not expressing their sexual needs because it’s not seen as socially acceptable – even if they do, are they even being listened to? How are our partners meant to know how to bring us pleasure if the stigma around embracing our sexual desires prevents us from telling them what we want?

    I love sex. I’m never going to stop encouraging conversations about it, because they’re important conversations to have. I hope you’ll join me in them.

  • Sex Miseducation: Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby

    Sex Miseducation: Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby

    I would say that I am a pretty open person when it comes to talking about things that others may shy away from, such as mental health, racism, and sex. I have spoken on two of the mentioned topics here on Currently Clueless, but not that third one. The thing with sex is people like to keep it private, which is completely understandable, and I respect that decision. But there is a difference between keeping our own sex lives private versus not talking about sex at all. This leads to the issue of lacking proper education and understanding on something that plays a huge role in most of our lives.

    But why is this a problem?

    Poor sex education is dangerous. It can affect not only our physical health, but our mental wellbeing as well. We’re not born knowing these things, and due to the poor teachings we receive on the subject at school, most of us just learn along the way through friends, family members and a quick Google search (using an incognito tab, of course). The problem is, many sources can be misleading, uninformative, or biased based on personal views and beliefs, and lead to the spread of misinformation.

    I’m pretty sure the most any of us ever learned in school about sex was how to put a condom on a banana, and unless you have a fetish for fruit, that’s not exactly going to help us out in the long run.

    And surprise, surprise – sex isn’t all about the penis in the vagina (shocking, I know).

    So, I wanted to start a little series on here, which I have titled ‘Sex Miseducation’, where we will be talking about all the things that school failed to teach us. Get ready to talk about topics such as sex and the LGTBQ+ community, gender identity, breaking the stigma surrounding the idea of virginity, putting an end to body hair shame, how to really take care of our sexual health and so much more.

    Obviously, I’m not a sex-pert by any means. Anything I say is based off my own research, and I’m definitely still learning along with everyone else. But that’s a good thing! No one needs to pretend to know exactly what they are talking about, and no one needs to feel ashamed for not knowing either.

    Expect the first instalment of this sexy new series very soon!