Gabrielle Kassel

Yes! Your capacity for pleasure, orgasm, and intimacy doesn’t disappear after prostate removal.
What’s the short answer?
Pleasure, orgasm, erection, and ejaculation are not a package deal. It’s possible to experience one or more without the others.
“The prostate’s main function is to produce semen, which is the fluid that carries sperm through the urethra and out the body,” says Mohit Khera, MD, a urologist specializing in sexual dysfunction and infertility.
When it’s removed, there’s no flui...

It ultimately depends on your healthcare plan, the surgery you’re inquiring about, and why you’re getting it done.
The United States government offers six different healthcare plans:
Medicare
Medicaid
State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
Department of Defense TRICARE and TRICARE for Life programs (DOD TRICARE)
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program
Indian Health Service (IHS) program
Together, these programs provide healthcare coverage for about one-third of people in the U...

You can still have a pleasurable sex life after a radical prostatectomy.
What’s the short answer?
Most people can orgasm and experience pleasure after a radical prostatectomy. But your postsurgery orgasm may differ from your presurgery orgasm.
“While it’s still possible to have an orgasm after this procedure, there’s no ejaculate associated with the orgasm,” explains Mohit Khera, MD, a urologist specializing in sexual dysfunction and infertility. This is referred to as a “dry orgasm” or an “o...

Find out more about labiaplasty recovery below. Plus, seven surgeon-approved tips to speed up healing.
What’s the short answer?
“This procedure tends to have a quicker and smoother recovery for most people,” says plastic surgeon Sean Kelishadi, founder of SSK Plastic Surgery in Newport Beach, California.
Typically, full labiaplasty recovery takes 12 weeks. Meaning, it takes 3 months for swelling to resolve, scar tissue to settle, and sensation to return.
But you should be able to resume sexua...

Hepatitis C is an inflammatory liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus. Read on to assess your individual risk level and learn the steps you can take to prevent transmission.
The saying “prevention is the best medicine” may sound trite, but as far as hepatitis C is concerned, it’s true.
“Hepatitis C is a contagious disease that spreads easily,” says Monte R. Swarup, MD, OB-GYN, founder of HPD Rx. “Left untreated, it can lead to an illness that’s quite serious.” For example, liver dama...

Here’s what you need to know about sperm, semen, and fertility following prostate surgery.
What’s the short answer?
Yes, you can still produce sperm after prostate surgery.
Sperm are the microscopic reproductive cells (aka gametes) created in the testicles that can fertilize an egg and create an embryo.
Sperm develop in the testicles — not the prostate.
Semen production, however, may be altered. Semen is a fluid substance that contains sperm and is ejaculated.
What types of prostate surgery a...

Below, we share sexting prompts and examples, a list of one-liners for initiating this kind of sexchange, and info on how to sext safely.
Smack-dab in the middle of a salacious convo and at a loss for words? Want help inviting your hottie to get down with you digitally? Got questions about whether sexting is safe?
We got you covered. Read on now and revel in pleasure later.
What exactly is sexting?
Made up of the words “sex” and “texting,” sexting is a broad term for the practice of sending a...

Whether two minors can legally consent to sexual activity with one another depends on several factors.
What’s the short answer?
Unfortunately, there is no short answer. It’s impossible to make broad sweeping statements about whether two minors can legally consent because the answer varies state to state.
In the United States, most states have the age of majority set at 18. The exceptions are Alabama, Nebraska, and Mississippi, which have the majority set at 19, 19, and 21, respectively. The a...

Gynecomastia Treatment Without Surgery
Gynecomastia (sometimes colloquially called “man boobs”) happens when an individual grows breasts without the typical balance of hormones meant to grow functional mammary glands and the associated fat surrounding increased breast gland tissue.
Typically, the hormone testosterone inhibits the development of breast tissue, while estrogen has a stimulating effect. Imbalances between these hormones can lead to gynecomastia. Being overweight can lead to incre...

Though rare, risks are possible.
What’s the short answer?
Breast reduction surgery — known medically as a reduction mammoplasty — is a common procedure done either for medical or aesthetic purposes to reduce the size of a person’s breasts, chest, or nipples.
Generally speaking, the benefits outweigh the risks, and the risks themselves are both minimal and rare.
Still, it’s important to know what’s possible before undergoing any major procedure. Here are the 10 most common concerns after breas...

Probiotic supplements do not take the place of proper vaccinations, nor do they function as a cure.
What’s the short answer?
Probiotics won’t make you immune to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) or prevent you from developing COVID-19. Probiotics can’t treat or cure COVID-19, either.
But they may help relieve some symptoms associated with the virus.
Probiotics can support a healthy gut microbiome, which is the collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microscopic living things that l...

There are two ways condoms are most commonly messed with — one is easier to spot than the other. Here’s how.
Sex is supposed to be all fun and games, pleasure and pleas.
But for that to be the case, everyone involved has to be on the same page about what sexually transmitted infection (STI) and pregnancy prevention tools are being used.
No joke of an action. Condom sabotage ruins all the fun that sex is supposed to be and replaces it with betrayal.
Condom sabotage is marked by the intentional...

Puberty blockers are a safe and effective way to treat precocious puberty and gender dysphoria.
What’s the short answer?
Yes, the effects of puberty blockers are reversible. This is true whether the medication is being used to treat precocious puberty or as part of gender affirming care.
When a person stops taking puberty blockers, their body will resume puberty exactly as it would have had they never taken the medication, says Jennifer Osipoff, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Stony Brook ...

A vulvectomy is a medical procedure performed by a surgeon during which some or all portions of the vulva are removed. The purpose? To improve the individual’s overall current or future health status, as well as their quality of life.
Ahead, learn more about why vulvectomies are performed, the different types of vulvectomies people with vulvar cancer can choose from, and exactly how to prepare for and recover from the procedure.
Anatomy 101
As a refresher, the vulva is the external portion of...

It’s highly unlikely for someone to develop cervical cancer if they have never had sex.
That’s because nearly all cases of cervical cancer result from an individual having a high risk strain of human papilloma virus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
“At the end of the day, we never say never in medicine,” says Greg Marchand, MD, OB-GYN. “But it would be virtually impossible for someone to get cervical cancer unless they have had some sexual activity that could present th...