- commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/04/latest-genital-herpes/
- commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/05/sex-after-cancer/
- commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/08/iud-rise/
- commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/12/sexual-anorexia/
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
April 22, 2011; May 11, 2011; August 5, 2011; December 9, 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Soon after we launched CommonHealth in late 2010, Rachel took the brave step of writing a first-person piece about experiencing pain during sex and the pelvic floor therapy that helped her overcome it. The response was incredible: Women hugged her in the hallways; dozens of others spoke out for the first time about having the same problem. We realized that there was a major public need for more medically grounded but deeply human reporting on sexual health, and that remains an important part of our mission. These four posts represent just a small selection of that work: -Genital herpes is stunningly common, and the latest research suggests you should assume everyone has herpes, because the virus can be “shed” even in the absence of symptoms. -Sex after cancer is rarely talked about but generally acknowledged to be a huge problem for both men and women. Here, we talk intimately with patients and doctors about specific solutions (like selling vibrators at the hospital gift shop) and on navigating the post-treatment period when people may be glad to be alive but grieving over their lost sexuality. -The IUD, long shunned after the 1970s debacle with the Dalkon Shield, is getting more and more respect these days, and contraception experts are pushing it as a strong option even for young women who’ve never had children. -Sexual anorexia is a fairly new diagnosis, part of a vicious cycle of bingeing and then obsessively abstaining from sex as a way to try to control feelings of chaos and shame.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
No unusual digital sources.
Explain types of human sources used.
Ourselves, friends, researchers.
Results:
All these posts got strong traffic and many comments, and were also turned into on-air segments on Radio Boston.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No corrections or clarifications.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
There’s an odd disconnect between the great importance of sexual health for many of us and the thin coverage it tends to get in the media. Go for it!