Sex is Good Podcast

Sex and the City Killed Pubic Lice. Or Did It?

Pubic lice are a sexually transmitted infection that, strangely enough, predates humans. Millions of years ago, our ancestors were covered in far more body hair, giving lice plenty of territory to live on. But as humans evolved and lost most of that hair, pubic lice got pushed into one of the last dense patches remaining: the pubic region. Now, some researchers think humans may be shrinking their habitat even further. Since the rise of Brazilian waxing and aggressive grooming trends, especially after shows like Sex and the City helped popularize them, rates of pubic lice appear to have declined dramatically in some parts of the world. There is even speculation that if grooming trends continue long enough, pubic lice could someday become genuinely rare or potentially disappear altogether. Which is a sentence I never thought I’d say into a microphone.

Viagra and Cialis for Women? The Science Is Wild.

Most people assume medications like Viagra and Cialis are “for men.” But women take them too, and the science behind what happens is far more interesting than most people realize. In this episode of the Sex is Good Podcast, Robert and Anna break down what medications like sildenafil, tadalafil, and apomorphine actually do in women, why researchers became interested in them in the first place, and why the results have been both promising and controversial. They discuss:  • Blood flow and female sexual arousal  • Why “desire” and “arousal” are not the same thing  • The strange history of “female Viagra”  • Why some women report dramatic benefits while studies remain mixed  • The role dopamine may play in sexual response  • The real science behind tadalafil, sildenafil, and apomorphine in women  • The difference between internet hype and actual clinical evidence As always, this episode is funny, honest, deeply researched, and very NSFW in places. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

The Herpes Vaccine Disaster Nobody Talks About

Herpes is one of the most common human infections on Earth. Hundreds of millions of people carry it. It can cause physical symptoms, emotional distress, stigma, relationship anxiety, and endless confusion online. So why is there still no vaccine? In this episode of the Sex is Good Podcast, Robert and Anna break down the strange and frustrating history of herpes vaccine research, why developing one has proven so difficult, and why some scientists believe we may still be much farther away than the public realizes. They discuss:  • Why herpes behaves differently than many other viruses  • Why some vaccines looked promising and then failed  • The biology of latency and immune evasion  • Whether mRNA technology could finally change things  • Why stigma affects funding and public attention  • What current treatments actually do and do not accomplish  • The emotional reality of living with HSV As always, this episode blends science, public health, history, and honest conversation without fearmongering or moral panic. Because if herpes is this common, the real question is not why people get it. The real question is why we still have not solved it.

Am I ugly? Are you? The science of how we judge each other’s looks.

Shameless Care and Robert were featured in the Daily Mail. Some of the comments called Robert ugly. Ouch. So naturally, we’re making chicken salad out of chicken poop and turning internet cruelty into a science episode. Are we more or less attractive than we think? Is there any objective way to measure beauty? Why can one person find you hot while another thinks you look like a haunted thumb? And what do studies actually say about faces, symmetry, confidence, familiarity, sexiness, and the toxic sewer known as online comments? In this episode, Anna and Robert discuss the science of attraction, why beauty is partly shared and partly personal, why static photos are terrible data, and why strangers on the internet are not qualified to grade your face.

The STI Testing Insurance Maze: What’s Actually Covered (And What Isn’t)

Why does STI testing feel like a coin flip on whether you’ll get a surprise bill? In this episode, we untangle the American health insurance system piece by piece — from the eight different coverage categories you might fall into, to the ACA preventive services mandate that makes HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and hepatitis screening legally free on most plans. But “free” comes with asterisks. We dig into the single most important distinction almost no one talks about: screening versus diagnostic testing. Same test, same lab, different billing code, wildly different price. You’ll learn the two ICD-10 codes that determine whether you pay nothing or hundreds — and the exact phrase to say to your doctor before they order the test. We also cover: •Why your Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO might pay differently than your neighbor’s •How state laws in California, New York, Illinois, Florida, and Texas change what’s covered and who gets told •The Explanation of Benefits privacy trap for anyone on a family plan — and how to fix it •Why herpes blood tests, HPV testing in men, and expanded panels often aren’t covered •When cash-pay actually beats using insurance If you’ve ever gotten a surprise medical bill for something you thought was free, this episode is for you.