Selected Articles

To see more of Martha’s work check out her author pages at these sites: whattoexpect.com, rewire.news, bedsider.org, and thebody.com.

THIS WEEK IN SEX: SO YOU WON’T USE A CONDOM BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO THROW IT AWAY?

Puh-leeze. This is not the time to reuse, reduce, or recycle. While most of us have used one at some point in our sexual lives, few people seem to use them every time they have sex. Cosmopolitan magazine recently teamed up with Power to Decide, a national campaign dedicated to preventing unplanned pregnancy, to determine why, in this age of skyrocketing STIs, we’re still so willing (or eager) to make love without latex.

'FEMALE CONDOM' GETS A GENDERLESS REBRAND FROM FDA

At the end of last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new rules for "female" condoms that not only change the device's name but ease some other strict regulations. Now called the "single-use internal condom," the device is approved for both vaginal and anal sex and has the same regulatory classification as the "male" condom. The internal condom has never enjoyed widespread popularity in this country, and recent changes to how the manufacturer distributes it have made it even harder to access.

IN NETFLIX’S ‘SEX EDUCATION,’ TEENS ARE MORE THAN WALKING HORMONES OR STDS

In the usual depictions of television adolescence, teens are lithe and horny. They own remarkable collections of lingerie and engage in soft-lit, well-choreographed sex scenes. Of course, they’re also irresponsible and suffer post-sex consequences such as a bad reputation, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), or pregnancy. Netflix’s new series Sex Education premiered this week, and it avoids most of these tropes—at least in its first three episodes—and gives us complicated, relatable characters who have genuine concerns about sex.

DON'T PANIC: HERE'S WHAT THAT VIRAL STUDY ABOUT ARSENIC IN BABY FOOD REALLY SAYS

A new study by a watchdog organization is getting a lot of media attention because it found that most baby foods and formulas contain at least trace amounts of contaminates — including lead, arsenic, cadmium and acrylamides — that can be dangerous to children in large doses. While this sounds scary and will hopefully encourage those who produce and monitor our food supply to be as rigorous as possible when testing and labeling baby food, parents should not panic. The science behind the study is secret — and therefore questionable — and the elements it tested for are found in our environment every day. 

BACK TO THE 19TH CENTURY: REPUBLICANS’ NEW ANTI-PORN CRUSADE

Today, with an iPhone in our hands and Pornhub just a click away, it’s easy to laugh at the “Comstock Act,” an 1873 law that banned sending “obscene” materials through the mail, as a symbol of a more prudish time. Imagine living in an era when the only way to get pornography was through the mail, and the government tried to stop us. But don’t be so quick to scoff. Hiding behind pseudoscience about addiction and tired “save the children” rhetoric, Republican lawmakers across the country are coming after our porn.