Mates condoms Durex pleasuremax Vibrating condom Ribbed condoms - Econdoms

The extension of a screening programme for the "silent" sex infection chlamydia has seen more than three times the people checked. In its first year the programme, launched in 2003, screened around 18,000 young men and women.

But 60,698 were tested across England in the second year of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme.

Chlamydia - the most common sexually transmitted infection - is often symptomless but can cause infertility.

Out of over 78,000 people so far screened for chlamydia, more than 8,000 tested positive for the infection.

The screening programme now covers a quarter of all primary care trusts in England but is being extended to cover the whole country.

The Department of Health said it was well ahead of the target of having all chlamydia screening offices up and offering full coverage by 2007.

The scheme targets under-25s, who may otherwise go unchecked.

High street tests

Speaking at the NCSP conference in central London, Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "It's great news that we're reaching so many young men and women - most of whom would have been missed had it not been for this world leading chlamydia screening programme.

"We have made it clear that tackling the top five sexually transmitted infections is a priority for government - especially chlamydia which affects one in 10 sexually active women and can lead to infertility.

"That is why we are making both screening and testing services more accessible for the under-25s, offering them in places outside traditional health care settings such as universities, pharmacies and armed forces bases."

The Boots chain of chemist is also set to launch a free chlamydia screening service across London from Monday.

It is part of a government-funded pilot to make it easier for young people to access testing services.

The NCSP's annual report showed 49% of screening took place in contraceptive clinics, 21% in young people's clinics, 10% in general practice and the rest in settings such as colleges and prisons.

Dr Jan Clarke, chair of the National Chlamydia Screening Steering Group, said: "The huge increase in screening volumes this year is a reflection of the tremendous commitment and hard work of these pioneering local teams."

Nick Partridge, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "Eight thousand people now know that they have chlamydia and can be treated for it.

"These are cases which would otherwise have gone unrecognised, with all the potential consequences for the future health and fertility.

"These figures also show the programme is very acceptable to young people."

But he said the NHS still needed to put a substantial amount of money into services to detect and treat all sexually transmitted infections."

Clare Brown, Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK said: "We believe screening programme will also be cost effective in the long term and might prevent many hundreds of couples each year having to seek fertility treatment in order to conceive."

BBC News

The number of scenes on US TV featuring sex has nearly doubled in the last seven years, a study has suggested. The survey for US health pressure group the Kaiser Family Foundation showed there were 3,783 scenes in a 1,000-hour sample, compared with 1,930 in 1998.

It found that 70% of shows had sexual content, ranging from a reference to full depiction, with five sex-related scenes per hour on average.

TV bosses said parents have technology to bar content they deem inappropriate.

The foundation's survey found the number of sex-related scenes in the leading teen TV shows was nearly seven per hour.

Behaviour link

It cited examples including a discussion of sex on the WB's Gilmore Girls to a depiction of sexual intercourse in Fox's The OC.

The study examined programmes on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB, PBS, Lifetime, TNT, USA Network and HBO.

Lead researcher Dale Kunkel said it was generally accepted that TV influenced children's behaviour.

"Their sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviours are all shaped in part by the characters in stories that television conveys," he said.

Tony Vinciquerra, president and chief executive of Fox Networks Group, said parents had controls such as the V-chip, which is built into TV sets to allow parents to block shows based on ratings.

Safety message

He added that TV bosses were aware of parents' concerns.

"We have debates every minute of every day about what goes on television," he said.

The Kaiser study suggested a slight rise in shows promoting a message about contraception and the risks in having sex.

Among the shows that featured sexual content, 14% had discussions about waiting to have sex or safe sex, up from nine per cent in 1998.

The report follows a review in April by the Parents Television Council, which claimed that many US shows did not have enough prior warnings on sex and violence.

BBC News

The number of men - especially students - volunteering as potential sperm donors has fallen sharply since 2000, a study has found. Researchers at the Newcastle Fertility Centre say the fall is almost certainly linked to scrapping the right of donors to remain anonymous.

They say urgent action is needed to attract more volunteers, particularly among older men who may have partners.

Details are published online by the journal Human Reproduction.

The Newcastle team examined details on over 1,100 men who applied to be potential donors between 1994 and 2003.

Nearly nine out of 10 were aged under 36, more than half were students without a partner, 85% were unmarried and over three-quarters had no children.

Nearly a third had opted out during the process, and almost two-thirds were rejected, most because their sperm was not of sufficient quality.

At the end of the recruitment and testing process, just 3.63% were accepted as suitable donors.

Crucially, just 25 potential donors came forward in 2003, compared with 175 in 1993. The sharpest fall occurred from 2000 onwards.

From 1999, the numbers who changed their mind during the application and testing process also rose.

The acceptability rate of donors also declined over the study period because of the introduction of stringent criteria aimed at improving standards of recruitment.

Different donors

Lead author Dr Sudipta Paul said numbers of acceptable donors was likely to be further decreased by new rules on the handling and use of human tissues.

"On the other hand, the demand for donor sperm is likely to increase because of a possible decline in the semen quality in the general UK population."

His colleague Dr Jane Stewart said the removal of anonymity from donors, which came into force in April, had led not only to a sharp fall in volunteers, but also to a change in the donor profile.

There was a significant increase in the number of volunteers who had partners, and substantial fall in the number of students.

She said: "It is clear now that we can recruit only donors willing to be identified that we need to change our strategies to target older men in established relationships.

"Since it appears they are likely to offer help for altruistic purposes, we must continue to work to increase public knowledge of the need for donors up to the age of 40."

Dr Stewart said numbers of recruits would probably be boosted if the process for releasing personal details was clearly spelled out.

However, plans to increase payment to donors did not go far enough to make a telling difference.

The Newcastle unit is reviewing its high cut-off rate for sperm quality - but warns dropping thresholds too low will cut IVF success rates.

Old stocks

Dr Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said many other clinics had similar problems.

"Indeed, a lot of clinics have stopped accepting enquiries from potential donors because too few men are coming forward to make it worth their while to assess their suitability.

"Many clinics are still relying on stocks of sperm that were donated anonymously and that they are allowed to use in treatments until March 2006."

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "It is right that the interests of donor-conceived children should be first and foremost, and that donor-conceived people should have a right to information about their genetic origins, including the identity of their donor."

She said the government had launched a campaign to encourage more people to become egg and sperm donors.

BBC News

A mother has launched a newspaper appeal urging men to write a 500-word essay on why they should be allowed to go out with her 24-year-old daughter. Linda Adams, from Barnstaple, north Devon, started her appeal with the question: "Who wants to date my daughter?".

Single men aged between 24 and 30 are being invited to send in a picture to the North Devon Journal.

Ms Adams, 53, said she wanted daughter Sabina to get a partner she deserved.

'Brad Pitt lookalikes'

She insisted that she was not looking for a husband for her daughter, but just hoped to find someone she could celebrate Christmas with after spending the past few single.

Holistic therapist student Sabina, who lives with her six-year-old son in Barnstaple, said she wanted to meet someone with a good personality who would make her laugh and was also good with children.

Good looks were not the main requirement, she said. But the article does add that "Brad Pitt lookalikes will not be rejected out of hand".

Journal Deputy Editor Richard Best said about publishing the piece: "It seemed like a genuine request: a nice, light-hearted, fun story which might have a happy outcome."

"We'll have a look at the letters that come in, have a few put forward and go through them with Linda."

"She knows her daughter best, and Sabina is happy for her mum to be involved."

Sabina said: "Everyone is looking for the perfect partner, aren't they? And I am happy to go along with it for a laugh."

BBC News

A retired head teacher has called for condom machines to be installed in some of Lincolnshire's secondary schools. Grant Allan, a district councillor, says it could help reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs).

Teenage conceptions in East Lindsey are below the national average, but there are worries about the spread of STIs.

Health Protection Agency figures show the number of national HIV diagnoses is up by seven per cent. Chlamydia rates rose by nine per cent in the past year.

Councillor Grant denied that such a move would condone promiscuity.

He said: "I suspect parents wouldn't be happy if their teenage daughter comes home pregnant or with Chlamydia.

"And if children are - and they are - indulging in sexual activity at younger and younger ages, then we ought to be doing our best to protect them."

He added: "At the end of the day, if they're not receiving that message properly and we're not giving that message properly then we need to find other ways of preventing the outcomes which can be dreadful."

BBC News

Circumcision can reduce the rate of HIV infections among heterosexual men by around 60%, a study suggests. The South African study, reported in Public Library of Science Medicine, found it had a protective effect for some of the 3,280 young men involved.

Circumcision is thought to help protect against HIV because cells under the foreskin are vulnerable to the virus.

UK experts warned some circumcised men in the study still became infected and condoms offered the best protection.

HIV infection rates are lower among groups in Africa who practise circumcision, but it was not known if this was due to cultural differences.

When the foreskin is removed, the skin on the head of the penis becomes less sensitive and so less likely to bleed, thereby reducing the risk of infection.

Studies in Uganda and in Kenya are also investigating the link.

Trial stopped

The South African trial, conducted by a team of French and South African researchers and sponsored by ANRS (the French National Agency of Research on Aids), took place in the Orange Farm area near Johannesburg, where male circumcision in adulthood is a common but not universal practice.

Just under 3,280 young, sexually active, uncircumcised, heterosexual men who took part in the study were offered the chance to be circumcised and then monitored for HIV infection.

Just under half chose to be circumcised.

The researchers planned to test all participants for HIV at three, 12 and 21 months, to see whether there was a difference in the rate of new infections between the two groups.

However, after 18 months, the number of new HIV infections in the control group was 49, compared with 20 in the treatment group.

The researchers decided at this point it would be unethical to continue the study.

It was stopped and the uncircumcised men were offered circumcision.

UNAids has said the trial found promising results, but more work needs to be done to confirm its findings and "whether or not the results have more general application."

'Not a condom substitute'

Keith Alcorn, of the National Aids Manual, said: "Although this study showed that men who were circumcised were less likely to become infected with HIV, it must be stressed that circumcised men did become infected in this study, and that circumcision does not provide total protection against HIV.

"I don't think that any country will be moving towards promotion of circumcision for HIV prevention on these results alone.

"Two further studies in Kenya and Uganda have yet to be completed, and will give us more information."

Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National Aids Trust, added: "There is a danger that people who have been circumcised will feel that they are fully protected from HIV when they are not.

"We need more research and clear guidance, as circumcision can never be a substitute for condom use."

BBC News

The number of women being trafficked from Lithuania has increased since EU membership last year, the International Organisation for Migration has found. The national survey found that about 2,000 women and girls - some as young as 14 - were illegally being taken abroad each year for the sex trade.

Nearly a quarter of them were ending up in Britain.

The organisation said most of the women had been unemployed in Lithuania, and more than half had children.

The IOM says that this, their first national survey of human trafficking in Lithuania, confirms their suspicion that the illegal trade has increased since Lithuania joined the European Union.

The women and girls come from all over Lithuania, but tend to be among the poorest and poorer-educated people in society.

Action

The survey brings together information gathered by non-governmental organisations working with women and girls who have come back to Lithuania - some 200 people.

But the IOM estimates that they are currently reaching only 10% of those who are trafficked.

The IOM says it hopes this survey will focus both international and Lithuanian attention on human trafficking as, for the first time, they have data covering the whole country which they can use as a spur for action to combat the trade in human beings. By Laura Sheeter
BBC News, Vilnius
BBC News

Women use their brains differently at different times of the month, research suggests. Brain scans revealed mental processes can change across the menstrual cycle.

Just before a period, at the time when some women experience premenstrual syndrome, activity in brain regions that help control emotions increased.

After menstruation the activity went down, a US team from New York told Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cyclical changes

Although the researchers looked at 12 women with no outward menstrual mood changes, they say their findings could be important for understanding why some women have a particularly hard emotional time around menstruation.

PMS is believed to affect between one-third and one-half of women between 20-50 years of age.

Women with PMS may experience depression, irritability and a propensity towards outbursts of anger as well as physical symptoms such as cramps and bloating.

In the study, Dr Emily Stern of Cornell University, along with colleagues from the Rockefeller University, used MRI scans to monitor the brain activity patterns of women as they were asked to read words with negative, neutral or positive connotations.

The 12 women were asked to perform the same task premenstrually - one to five days before their period was due - and then postmenstrually - eight to 12 days after their period.

Premenstrual syndrome

During the premenstrual phase the women showed much greater activity in frontal brain regions that help control emotions when they were reading the emotive words.

Postmenstrually, this increased brain activity had disappeared.

The researchers say it is possible that the brain changes might have allowed the women to maintain a consistent emotional state and compensate for the surging hormones that occur around menstruation, which some suggest are involved in PMS.

It might be that women who experience particularly severe emotional symptoms as part of PMS lose this control.

They plan to test this by looking at women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) - an extreme form of PMS.

They also suggested that doctors consider what phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in when trying to interpret any brain scan results.

Chris Ryan, chief executive of the National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome, said: "This study, although of a small sample, adds to the compelling evidence that the menstrual cycle is a key factor affecting the psychological well-being of women of reproductive age.

"It confirms that the psychological health of women patients must be assessed in relationship to the menstrual cycle."

BBC News

The anti-impotence drug Viagra can reduce the effects of stress on the heart, research has found. The drug, used by millions of men, slowed the increase in the strength of heart contractions by half.

The Johns Hopkins University study, published in Circulation, found the drug acted as a "brake".

However, UK heart experts warned men with heart conditions should talk to their doctor about taking the drug to ensure they use it safely.

Viagra, also known as sildenafil, helps men with erectile dysfunction, by making genital blood vessels expand in order to maintain an erection.

The Johns Hopkins team have previously shown Viagra can block the short-term effects of hormonal stress in the heart in mice.

But it had been thought to have little direct effect on the human heart.

Contractions

This study looked at 35 men and women, with an average age of 30 and no previous signs of coronary artery disease.

They were all given an injections of an adrenaline-like chemical called dobutamine, which increases heart rate and pumping strength in the same way as emotional or exercise stress, or heart failure.

They were then randomly assigned to either take 100mg of Viagra or a dummy pill before receiving a second injection. Heart function was measured before and after each jab.

After the first injection of dobutamine, the force of heart contraction increased by 150% in both groups.

In the dummy pill group, the same effect was seen after the second injection.

However, in the group treated with Viagra the increased heartbeat was slowed by 50%, resulting in a smaller increase in blood flow and blood pressure generated by the heart in response to chemical stimulation.

No adverse side effects on the heart were seen.

Viagra helps maintain erections by blocking the action of an enzyme which, preventing the relaxation of blood vessels in the penis.

The same enzyme, called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5A), is also involved in the breakdown of a key molecule, cyclic GMP, which helps control stresses and limit heart enlargement.

Heart warning

Professor David Kass, the cardiologist who led the study, said: "Sildenafil effectively puts a 'brake' on chemical stimulation of the heart."

He added: "Knowing more about the effects of sildenafil on heart function will allow for safer evaluation of its use as a treatment for heart problems.

"Until now, it was widely thought that drugs like sildenafil had no effects on the human heart and that its only purpose was vasodilation in the penis and the lungs."

He said further studies should be carried out to investigate Viagra's immediate and long-term effects on the heart.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "Viagra has been a real advance in treating impotence, which affects nearly half of men between 40 and 70 years old.

"The findings that Viagra affects blood pressure is not surprising - before it was known as a successful treatment for impotence, it was actually being researched for lowering effects on blood pressure."

But she added: "If you have a heart condition you should check with your doctor before taking Viagra.

"Mixing this drug with other heart medicines or taking it if you have angina (heart pain on exercise) without advice from a health professional or GP can be dangerous for heart patients."

BBC News

David Copperfield says he plans to impregnate a girl on stage - without even touching her. Speaking to German magazine Galore, the illusionist rejected the theory that there were only seven different kinds of magic tricks.

He said: "Bull s**t! There is a great deal of new territory to conquer. In my next show I'm going to make a girl pregnant on stage."

He added: "Naturally it will be without sex. Everyone will be happy about it, but I'm not telling you any more."

The magician is currently on tour in Germany with his show, An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion.

Ananova