It’s no secret that condoms are no fun to use, but a new study says that having unprotected sex may actually be better for your mental health.

When Stuart Brody of the West of Scotland University, Paisley, asked 99 women and 111 men about sexual pleasure, he found that the ones who go bareback handle stress better and experience less depression. Humans might be biologically programed to enjoy unprotected sex, Brody theorized, since we were boinking for thousands of years without Durex Pleasuremax.

There are lots of other theories, though. Maybe people who don’t use protection want to start families and are at an emotionally-ready and healthy place to begin with. Or, maybe unprotected sex, while more risky, just feels more intimate and that makes everybody happier! [Scotsman]

Does seeing a used condom wrapper instantly make you want to hop in the sack? Well, Durex thinks so. In a new commercial for their rubbers, the company encourages people of all ages and sexual orientations to bump it out. One couple starts the trouble when their Durex condom wrapper flies out the window and flutters around town to a catchy tune, sexing up whomever it touches. A teen couple stops “studying” when they see the wrapper (like they really were anyway), gramps and granny skip tea time to get their kettles boiling, two male cops realize their “man-in-uniform” fantasies, and a woman closes the shutters to heat up a cocktail party … much like rich British people do on weekends. In fact, this commercial would be a great visual in British sex ed classes. Watch and get inspired. [Gawker]   

Since the sexual revolution, it’s been hard for us modern gals to remember that our below the belt business is also for baby-making.  STD’s and UTI’s are always a risk, but sadly, these party favors from sexual favors have been linked to birth defects.  Just when you thought they were bad enough to handle on your own, a new study has found they quadruple your baby’s chances of being born with a birth defect known as gastroschisis. While the name of the disorder is hard to pronounce, the complications are convoluted too—gastrochisis causes the baby’s intestines and other organs to be born outside the abdomen. States like Utah have experienced a tenfold increase in cases over the past 30 years and they blame it on the rise of STD and UTI infections.