Researchers are constantly studying sexual health. Here are a few interesting tidbits I’ve gathered over the last few weeks:

• A study of 1000 migraine and headache patients found that orgasm can successfully treat headaches. Sexual activity or masturbation can alleviate the pain, and may even be able to stave off an attack. It didn’t work for all headache sufferers, but it did work for a significant amount of study participants. “I have a headache” is a cliche way to turn down sexual activity, but sex just might be the way to get rid of that headache!

• The Journal of Sexual Health found that viewing sexually suggestive material influenced teenagers’ sexual behavior less than previously thought. They found a very small association (0.3 – 4.0%) with viewing explicit materials and engaging in sexual behavior.

• The HPV vaccine is being credited with lowering the rate of genital wart transmission in teenage girls. The study was done in Australia, which was one of the first countries to offer the vaccine as a nationally-funded program. A mere two years after the vaccine was widely introduced, diagnoses declined by 59% in the sample group.

• A different HPV vaccine study found that getting the vaccine does not increase the rate of sexual behavior in teens. Opponents of the vaccine had expressed fears that the vaccine would give teens a false sense of safety. Researchers found no clinically significant differences between the sexual behaviors of those who had had the vaccine versus those who had not.

• Another Australian study found that men who have erectile dysfunction are more likely to develop heart problems. Previous studies have made the connection between ED and the cardiovascular system, but this research was the first to determine that the severity of the ED was directly proportional to the risk of heart issues.