Sexuality is a normal, healthy, and positive aspect of human life. The American Sexual Health Association (a.k.a. ASHA) believes that everyone has the right to information and services that will help them be sexually healthy. We provide information and resources that are reliable, science-based, and stigma-free.
Sexuality is a normal, healthy, and positive aspect of human life. The American Sexual Health Association (a.k.a. ASHA) believes that everyone has the right to information and services that will help them be sexually healthy. We aim to provide information and resources that are reliable, science-based, and stigma-free.
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Syphilis rates among pregnant women went up 222% percent between 2016 and 2022 and another 28% between 2022 and 2024. This alarming increase shows too many pregnant women are not being screened.
At the end of 2025, the American Cancer Society released its new cervical cancer screening guidelines. In January 2026, the Health Resources and Services Administration endorsed a new set of guidelines as well. Both suggest HPV screening with self collected samples is an acceptable option.
Research suggests that only one dose of the HPV vaccine may be effective enough to prevent HPV-related disease, including cancer.
Australia has been a leader in HPV-prevention and cervical cancer screening for decades. Because of this, it is now close to eliminating cervical cancer entirely. However, recent drops in vaccination and screening rates threaten this progress.
The FDA approved two new drugs to treat gonorrhea The new drugs—gepotidacin and zoliflodacin—are both new kinds of antibiotics and represent the first completely new treatment options in over thirty years.
Sexual health is the ability to embrace and enjoy our sexuality throughout our lives. It is an important part of our physical and emotional health. Learn more about what being sexually healthy means.
Does your child feel it’s okay to talk with you about sex and sexual health? If not, have you thought about who will answer your child’s questions? Only you can tell your child that it’s okay to ask you questions. You want to become askable!
Sexual anatomy typically refers to the both the external sexual organs, like the vulva and penis, and the internal organs involved in reproduction, like the uterus and seminal vesicle. Learn about this part of the body and how it works.
The words sex and gender are sometimes used interchangeably, but they actually mean different things. Sex and gender may seem complicated, but it’s all pretty simple. Neither biological sex nor gender breaks down to just male/female.
Because sex involves both the body and the mind, our self-image can have a strong affect on our sexual health. It’s important to realize – and remind yourself every day – that just as you have a unique mind with its own gifts to offer the world, you also have a unique body that is one-of-a-kind.
Taking care of your sexual health means knowing your body, understanding how it works, and being able to recognize when something isn’t quite right. It also means preventive care that can help you find problems early and prevent serious illness.
Featuring interviews with medical professionals and experts in the field of sexuality, ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast aims to offer information and resources to with the goal of helping people take charge of their sexual health.
Communication is necessary throughout a relationship, from the very beginning to the very end. No matter how long you and your partner have been together, you will need to keep communicating about your sexual expectations, desires and needs.
Whether we’re attracted to the opposite gender, the same gender or both, the truth is: We learn how to experience sexual pleasure for pleasure’s sake by understanding our own sexual desires and responses.
An important part of overall sexual health is healthy sexual functioning—being able to experience sexual pleasure and satisfaction when desired.
Many people confuse love, commitment, and sex, or assume the three always go hand-in-hand. There are many ways to express love, and you don’t need to have sex with someone to show them you love them.
Guest contributor Pamela Madsen explores the lack of passionate sex in long-term relationships (including her own), and what we can do about it.
ASHA believes that all people have the right to the information and services that will help them to have optimum sexual health. We envision a time when stigma is no longer associated with sexual health and our nation is united in its belief that sexuality is a normal, healthy, and positive aspect of human life.
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