Guys are more likely to masturbate than girls, according to a recent review of teen data from a national survey on sexual health and behavior. Guys also reported masturbating more frequently than girls; about 50 percent of the guys in the survey said they masturbated at least twice a week, while only 23 percent of the girls reported to do the same.

None of these stats are surprising. After all, the media basically portrays masturbation among guys as part of being a teen, while female masturbation still remains taboo. I think that it is likely that girls masturbate as much as guys, but the stigma around female masturbation simply makes them too embarrassed to report that they have tried it. In any case, it’s important to realize that masturbation is a healthy part of growing up for both guys and girls and should never be regarded as dirty or unnatural, if it’s something you choose to do.

I was really shocked that the survey found that masturbation in boys was linked to increased condom use with a partner; interestingly enough, this link was not seen among girls. Perhaps guys who are comfortable with their bodies are more likely to think about practicing safer sex? If you have any ideas why guys who masturbate are more likely to use condoms, comment below and share your thoughts!

—Sam Dercon, 17, Staff Writer

True or false? Gardasil, the vaccine that protects people from certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), is only for females and is ineffective in males.

False! While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that 11-and 12-year-old girls get the Gardasil vaccination, males should think about taking it too! The New England Journal of Medicine just published a study funded by Merck—the maker of Gardasil—on the effectiveness of the drug in males. The study found that Gardasil was 90-percent effective at preventing genital warts and 86-percent effective at preventing persistent HPV infections. Gardasil was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for males in 2009, but hasn’t been strongly encouraged for them.

The CDC estimates that 20 million Americans are infected with HPV. The virus usually has no symptoms, so it often goes unnoticed in the carrier. HPV usually clears the body on its own and is totally harmless. But some strains, like those the Gardasil vaccine protects against, can cause cervical, penile, anal, vaginal and vulvar cancer.

Just last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics included Gardasil in their list of recommended vaccines for boys. Guys are a vital part in stopping the spread of HPV. If guys are vaccinated, then that means fewer guys will pass the strains of the virus linked to cancer to their partners.

—Colleen Tierney, 17, Staff Writer

Sex: one of the most talked about, thought about and worried about topics in society. But what does “sex” mean?

In a recent survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, only 20 percent of college students felt that oral-genital contact was a form of “sex.” On the other hand, 98 percent agreed that penile-vaginal intercourse was sex, and 78 percent agreed that penile-anal intercourse was sex. Interestingly, the participants in the survey were only half as likely as participants in a similar study conducted in 1991 to consider oral-genital intercourse sex.

We all have our own definitions about what sex is or isn’t, but we can’t make the mistake of thinking oral-genital intercourse is a way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). While there is no risk of pregnancy during oral-genital intercourse, there are STDs, including herpes, gonorrhea and HIV, that you can get from oral sex.

Believing that oral sex is not as “serious” as penile-vaginal or penile-anal sex can unfortunately lead to carelessness when it comes to using condoms and dental dams to protect yourself during oral sex. And no matter what you consider sex to be, we can all agree that not protecting yourself is to risk getting an STD. And why not use protection now, so you don’t have to deal with an STD later?

-Melanie Johnson, 17, Staff Writer