There has been a lot of sex-related stuff in the news over the last couple days, which makes complete sense because April is STD Awareness Month, and, you know, the S in STD stands for sexually.

The rich get richer and the poor get babies. Well, not anymore! These tough times aren’t gonna stop hardworking American men, just their sperm. According to CNN, the recession is responsible for a rise in the number of vasectomies and urologists are cashing in by sealing vas deferens!

A new-and-improved female condom has been approved by the FDA. Even though a lot of Frisky commenters aren’t keen on using this form of birth control, it’s one small step for womankind, as this new version is thinner, less noisy (yes, that’s right), and less expensive. Don’t look for the FC2 condom in stores yet, though—it should be available in about a year. [Reuters]

Back in October, the Food and Drug Administration demanded that Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals say goodbye to the claims made in previous Yaz birth control pill commercials. As it turns out, Yaz isn’t approved to cure pimples or PMS, so the FDA and attorneys general from 27 states have required Bayer to correct previous marketing with a new $20 million ad campaign, which we’ve started seeing on TV. “You may have seen some Yaz commercials recently that were not clear,” an actress says in the new corrective commercial. “The FDA wants us to correct a few points in those ads.” Along with clarifying that the contraceptive pill won’t maintain clear skin or treat PMS, the new ads also point out the potential health risks associated with the drug, which were downplayed in previous ads. The whole thing comes across like an embarrassing, “Oops! We messed up big time!” apology from Bayer. We’ll put up the new commercial as soon as we can! [New York Times]

Cosmopolitan’s bread and butter is teaching women how to sex things up, in a billion different ways, which is precisely why we were shocked to read this cover line on their March Issue: “An Orgasm Almost Killed Her!” with the laughable tag, “We Are Not Kidding.” Are they biting the hand that feeds, or has their crack team of journalists finally found a dark side to doing it?

People are strange when it comes to condoms. Most people don’t like them much, but they continue to use them because they do their job. But if you’re a woman and you want to enjoy sex, you might want to use condoms and take birth control. According to data from The Kinsey Institute, women who use both hormonal contraception and condoms report higher overall sexual satisfaction. Now, “sexual satisfaction” doesn’t been “sexual enjoyment.” Satisfaction goes beyond the immediate act and includes things like sexual self-esteem and relationship satisfaction. So, while this study seems earth-shattering—Use condoms and hormonal contraceptives and enjoy sex more!—it’s probably not.

On October 16, 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the nation’s first family planning clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Women waited on line to get information on birth control. Nine days later Sanger was arrested for violating the Comstock obscenity laws, which made it illegal to send any contraceptive devices and birth control information through the mail and banned the distribution of information on abortion for educational purposes. Unfortunately, the clinic was closed, but that didn’t stop the birth control movement. She later opened clinics, known as “Mothers’ Health Centers,” in Manhattan and the Bronx, which later became branches of Planned Parenthood of New York City. The American Medical Association didn’t recognize birth control as an essential health service until 1937, but Sanger had championed the benefits for two decades prior. [Planned Parenthood]

You won’t be seeing Yaz birth control ads on TV anymore—or at least not the ones that the pharmaceutical company Bayer has been using. On October 3, the FDA issued a warning letter to the company, telling Bayer its ads overstate the benefits of Yaz. While the drug is approved for symptoms related to treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, it is not approved for the treatment of the less serious premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. Similarly, Yaz is approved for the treatment of moderate acne, but the FDA said the ad suggests it is approved for acne of all severities. Just another reason not believe everything you hear on TV. [Medical News Today]

Did you know Lysol used to advertise itself as appropriate for feminine hygiene? “A man marries a woman because he loves her,” the copy for this vintage ad reads. “Instead of blaming him if married love begins to cool, she should question herself.” According to this retro-minded public service message, a woman should “safeguard her dainty feminine allure by practicing complete feminine hygiene” with… a household disinfectant. Do not try this at home, people. Your vagina is for lovin’—not Lysol. [mrbill].

The sudden pregnancy of Bristol Palin is a touchy issue that the media has their paws all over. When John McCain announced that Sarah Palin was his running mate late last week, a firestorm of Internet activity erupted as “skeletons” came crawling out of Palin’s closet. But the biggest bombshell—that 17-year-old Bristol is pregnant—has opened up a much larger debate about whether the families of political candidates are always off-limits.

I feel really bad for Bristol Palin. At 17-years-old she’s having to deal with a very adult situation—pregnancy, marriage, and the responsibility of being a first time parent. And she’s having to do it with very bright studio lights shining on her—some are critical of her and her parents, while others are cheering on her decision to keep her baby and marry the father sooner than she might have otherwise.  I cannot imagine how she’s doing it and with such serenity. While I feel badly that Bristol has to deal with these new pressures while the media discusses her every move, I do think the media has every right to do so, but only to a point. I don’t think Sarah Palin’s parenting should be questioned and I don’t think Bristol’s pre-marital sexual behavior should be judged, by anyone. But I do think the contrast between Sarah Palin’s personal life and her political ideologies is wide open for discussion, no matter what side of the fence you sit on.

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.  Whether he’s a handsome stranger you don’t want to lead to the promise land or your boyfriend trying to gorge on girlfriend pie, here’s how to just say “Later lover.”

Sterilization Screw-Up A simple birth control slip up could cause penis pandemonium.  No dude wants to accidentally make a baby just because he wants to make sweet love.  So, just say you forgot to take the pill and would rather not risk it right now. He’ll probably thank you for protecting both of you!

The Bush Administration’s new reproductive health proposal is out and it’s getting some serious heat. In the proposal, recipients of federal aid for health programs (i.e. hospitals, health clinics, and phamacies) must “certify that they will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion and even certain types of birth control.” In other words, a women’s clinic cannot refuse to hire a nurse on the basis that she won’t perform abortions or dispense birth control or Plan B. Additionally, the proposal also classifies abortion as “any of the various procedures—including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action—that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.” Made my head hurt too, but the last part is important—some people argue that the birth control pill and emergency contraception can prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg, therefore those forms of birth control and Plan B would be considered abortion under the proposal. So what do you think about this? Are you worried that the language in this proposal is a step in the direction of reversing Roe V. Wade or do you agree that abortion has been defined properly? Weigh in! [Salon: Broadsheet]

The Pill is a miracle.  It’s 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, which is almost as good as you’re gonna get from abstinence. We said almost. While 12 million American women rely on the oral contraceptive to stop them from going prematurely preggos (Ashlee Simpson must not have gotten the memo), it’s unfortunately not indomitable. There are still five ways you can get pregnant while pill popping. Have your cervix take notes.

1. Alcohol: Since spirits lodge themselves in your liver, just like the pill, binge-drinking affects the way the medication is metabolized there.

Remember that poll we conducted about how often you use condoms? Well the result are in, and a whopping 46% of you don’t use condoms EVER. We were curious and wanted more info, so for those of you that don’t use condoms, please, oh please, tell us why.

“I’ve heard about the various birth control pills that you can take to go without your period for a few months and longer. Are they really safe and recommended?”—Banning Aunt Flo, via email

Have you seen that SNL skit (clip after the jump!), where the women are going ape sh*t because they haven’t had their period in months? I have, and I have to say it scared that crap out of me.