CLEANING YOUR TOYS

• Proper cleaning of sex toys is essential to avoid bacterial infection or transmission of STIs. While some STIs die once the fluid they live in dries, others (such as hepatitis and scabies) can live for weeks or months outside of the body.

• For basic toy care, remove any batteries. Never submerge electrical components in water. Use a damp, soapy washcloth to clean your electric toys, preferably with anti-bacterial soap. Keep toys stored in a container or pouch (to keep them clean) and in a cool, dry place.

GLASS: Wash glass toys with soap and water. Pyrex toys are dishwasher safe. Do not expose glass to extreme temperatures.

STAINLESS STEEL: If attached to an electrical device, use warm soapy water, being careful not to submerge any electrical components. If there are no electrical components you have 3 options: Boil or soak in a bleach-water solution (50:50 ratio) for 10 minutes, or place it in the dishwasher.

HARD PLASTIC: Clean with anti-bacterial soap and water. Do not boil

SILICONE: 3 options: boil for 5-10 minutes, put it in your dishwasher (on top rack), or wash with anti-bacterial soap and warm water. Do not boil silicone vibrators because you will destroy the vibrator mechanism.

RUBBER MATERIALS: Rubber materials are porous and difficult to clean. In addition, their composition is not always known or may contain phthalates, chemicals which have been shown to be harmful to your health. For these reasons, it is recommended to use condoms with these types of toys.

CYBERSKIN: Cyberskin is soft and porous, often used for dildos. Wash cyberskin and vinyl toys delicately with warm water only. Air dry and powder a small amount with cornstarch to keep them from getting sticky.

LEATHER: Wipe leather products with a damp, soapy cloth or with leather cleaner. Do not soak leather. After cleaning, you may recondition your toy using a leather conditioner. Protect metal parts from tarnish by applying a coating of clear nail polish.

ORAL SEX

• Don't rush. Talk to your partner, and ask her what she wants you to do to her.

• Make sure that everything is comfortable and nice for her and you have the right atmosphere

• Give her lots of kisses and cuddles before you even think about making any approach to her sexual area

• When you do start to stroke, rub or kiss her genitals, don't rush into 'attacking' her clitoris. Take things gently, and see what she wants.

• Use her own natural lubrication to moisten her clitoris. (If she is over 40, it may be a good idea to use some additional lubrication. See below for suggestions).

• Basic oral sex involves licking the vulva from the vaginal opening to the clitoris. As women become sexually aroused, their outer vaginal lips fill with extra blood, which parts them somewhat, exposing the inner lips and the sensitive tissue between them.

• Kiss her on the way down—her neck, the tops of her breasts, her nipples, her belly, so she gets the idea where you're headed. Move down slowly.

• Kiss her on the way down—her neck, the tops of her breasts, her nipples, her belly, so she gets the idea where you're headed. Move down slowly.

• Approach the clitoris very slowly and gently. Some women enjoy a woman's tongue directly on the clitoris. Others find direct clitoral licking too intense, even uncomfortable. You might want to try one or two fingers as you lick her clitoris for extra arousal.

• Check with her as you lick.

• Be gentle while she's having her orgasm and after. Many women experience unusual clitoral sensitivity and don't like to be touched or licked there. This is normal. If you like “last licks” after she comes, check in about where and when she might like to be licked. If not her clitoris, perhaps her vaginal lips or vaginal opening. Or come up from between her legs and hold her, kiss her, and massage her any way she likes.

ORGASM & CLIMAX

• Many women enjoy sex even without an orgasm, and do not think that orgasm is necessary to be satisfied. Other women, however, are not satisfied unless they get an orgasm.

• What happens in a woman's body during a climax is very like what happens in a male body when they ejaculate. In other words, there's a feeling of increasing excitement, building up to a point where everything 'blows' in a great blast of ecstasy. This 'orgasmic moment' is characterised by surges of contractions in the sex organs, occurring almost every 0.8 seconds.

• The female orgasm lasts a few seconds, followed by a feeling of relaxation. Continued stimulation may also result in further orgasms.

• After a woman becomes sexually aroused, her heart beats faster while her breathing quickens. Often, she'll tighten various muscles all over her body. Her breasts usually enlarge somewhat, the nipples tend to stand out while the areolas become noticeably enlarged. Some women flush red on their face, neck, and chest. The visible part of the clitoris also swells slightly.

YOU'LL KNOW SHE IS HAVING AN ORGASM WHEN...

• A mild orgasm may have 3 -5 contractions

• Her blood pressure and pulse rate increases; breathing quickens, increase in vaginal lubrication, clitoris becomes erect and exposed, breasts become enlarged, nipples erect, skin flushes, particularly the face and chest, pelvic muscle spasms, causing vaginal contractions and orgasmic sensations.

• At the peak of orgasm the entire body may become momentarily rigid

CLIMAX

• Women get an orgasm by proper stimulation of the clitoris, a small lap of skin just over the vagina. The clitoris can be stimulated by hand, using lubricating gel, by the woman herself or her partner. It can also be stimulated by mouth. If the clitoris is stimulated by her partner, this is usually done before the vaginal intercourse. Only 30 % of all women get an orgasm through vaginal sexual intercourse.

• There is also a place inside the vagina, which can be stimulated to give an orgasm. This point is named the g-point or g-spot. It is, however, difficult to find this point and stimulate it in the right way. Women who succeed in getting orgasm this way usually use the intercourse position with the woman on top, so she has the largest options to control the movements to stimulate the g-spot.

• After foreplay by kissing and fondling (may have to continue for up to 20 minutes) have your partner stimulate your clitoris (the area below the labia or genital lips, and above the vagina opening) by rapidly flicking a finger or the tongue back and forward or up and down. Do not press hard.

• If you are using a finger, be sure to use lots of lubricating gel (can be bought at a drug store). If you are using the tongue, lubricating gel is usually not necessary, since lubrication comes from the mouth. Ask her to concentracte on sexy thoughts at the same time.

MASTURBATING

• Masturbation gives women the opportunity to explore their body while at the same time giving them a high degree of sexual freedom. It allows women the opportunity to experience sexual pleasure without relying on a partner and to release sexual tension when "they" choose to.

• There is no wrong way to masturbate. We are all different. Massage your clitoris with hands and fingers or rub the vulva up. You may use vibrators, dildos, pillows, among other things to stimulate the vulva or vagina. Some women employ nipple and/or anal stimulation in addition to clitoral and vaginal stimulation.

• Use your middle finger, moistened, to stroke and rub on and around my clitoris while your other had pulls back the lips, keeping a gentle tension on the clitoral area. Alternate the rapid clitoral rubbing with a slower rub of the vaginal entrance. Open legs wide apart, knees up—not much torso motion until orgasm, when there are strong spasms in torso and pelvis areas.

• If your hand gets tired, give yourself a rest, switch hands, or try a vibrator. If you're on the brink of orgasm, but can't quite get over the hump, try altering you're breathing, or focusing on a really hot fantasy. Give yourself extra stimulation: caress your nipples, or try also thrusting your other fingers or a dildo in and out of your vagina.

• As you begin to orgasm, continue the stimulation through the orgasm. Lighten up on the stimulation during the first extremely sensitive moments but keep it going to enjoy those little pleasurable aftershocks. Your first orgasm may feel like a blip or a blast, but the more you practice, the more variety you will experience.

• There are times in all relationships when your partner is not available for sex when you desire it, even when they sleep beside you. Couples frequently have different levels of sexual desire and expectations regarding physical intimacy. This is why women frequently masturbate secretively in the shower, or masturbate silently in the early morning hours while their sleeping partner lies beside them.

• Masturbating when you have a partner is normal and a woman should not feel ashamed for doing so; most women have probably done it at some point in their relationship. It is often a necessity.

• Keep praticing and enjoy it by yourself or with your partner!

 SAFE SEX & STDs

• Wet Kissing: is safe unless either of you has a cut or sore in your mouth, or bleeding gums. (After you brush or floss your teeth, wait at least 1/2 hour before kissing.) Blood, not saliva, contains the virus.

• Touching your lover's breasts is safe. You can lick, suck, kiss and bite them too-as long as there's no blood or breast milk. Massage, dry kissing, masturbation (touching yourself), and body-to-body rubbing are all safe.

• Putting your fingers inside her can be risky. To be safe, wear latex gloves. If you use a lubricant, be sure it is water-based. (Oil-based lubricants like Vaseline and hand lotion will damage the latex.)

• Sores or cuts on your fingers, mouth or vagina-or hers- increase the risk. They can provide a way for the virus to get inside you. If you touch her vagina and then touch your own (or vice-versa,) you could spread the virus. Be sure to use gloves in between!

• Contact with menstrual blood is very risky. If she is infected, her menstrual blood (like other blood) will have a lot of virus in it.

• Oral sex on a woman is risky, especially when she has her period. To make it safe, cover her vulva (genital area) with a piece of plastic wrap. This will keep her fluids out of your mouth. Latex dams—also called "dental dams"—are safe to use for oral sex too.

• Sex toys are safe by themselves, but it is risky to share them. If you share dildoes or vibrators, cover them with a condom and put on a fresh one every time it is used by a different person.

• Getting pregnant can be risky. If you have sex with a man or have a man donate sperm to you, make sure he tests HIV negative at least 6 months after his last possible risk. (All licensed sperm banks test their donors carefully.)

STDs

• STDs/STIs affect people of all ages, backgrounds, and from all walks of life, about half of which occur among youth ages 15-24 years .

Yeast Infection: This infection, also known as candidiasis, is caused by a yeast overgrowth which disrupts normal vaginal flora. Certain yeast (candida) normally live in the vagina in relatively low numbers without causing a problem. Symptoms are: burning &/or itching of the vulva, vagina; thick white discharge with cottage cheese appearance; possible yeasty odor. Treatment: anti-fungal creams, suppositories, or oral anti-fungals (tablets).

Chancroid: Chancroid is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease (or STD), but it is curable. Swollen, painful lymph glands in the groin area are often associated with chancroid. Left untreated, chancroid may make the transmission of HIV easier. Chancroid is transmitted by: Sexual transmission through skin-to-skin contact with an open sore and Non-sexual transmission by means of autoinoculation when contact is made with the pus-like fluid from the ulcer.

Crabs: Crabs (also known as pubic lice) are small parasites that feed on human blood. Crabs are not the same as head and body lice. Crabs are usually found on the pubic hair, but can be also be found on other parts of the body where a person has coarse hair (such as armpits, eyelashes, and facial hair). Crabs rarely infest head hair. Crabs is transmitted by: the close physical contact, the crabs can move from the pubic hair of one person to the pubic hair of another. Crabs can be sexually transmitted even if there is no penetration or exchange of body fluids. The most noticeable symptom is: itching. The itching usually starts about 5 days after a person gets crabs.

Gonorrhea: Gonorrhea is transmitted during vaginal, anal, and oral sex (performing or receiving). Although most women infected are asymptomatic (without symptoms), women who develop symptoms will do so within 10 days of infection. Gonorrhea can be transmitted even if the tongue does not enter the vagina, mouth, or rectum. Using latex condoms and dental dams from the very beginning of sexual contact until there is no longer skin contact reduces the risk of transmission of gonorrhea.

Hepatitis: Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by a group of viruses. There are 5 different types: A, B, C, D, E & F. Hepatitis is transmitted by: Sexual activity poses a different level of risk for each type of viral hepatitis, but is most closely associated with HBV. Blood transfusion, IV needle sharing, and organ transplants may also pose a risk for transmission.

Herpes: Herpes simplex virus can cause symptoms on the mouth (oral herpes) or genitals (genital herpes). Hepatitis is transmitted by: Herpes is most easily spread from genital-to-genital or oral-to-genital contact during an active outbreak or during prodrome—the few days just before an outbreak. The surest way to prevent the spread of genital herpes is to avoid sexual contact during an active outbreak and to use condoms for sexual contact between outbreaks.

Syphilis: A person can get syphilis from another person if the soft skin of the mucous membrane found inside the vagina, urethra and anus or a cut/abrasion come into contact with an infected lesions, found during primary & secondary syphilis, during vaginal, oral and anal sex, even if there is no sexual penetration. Syphilis can be detected by a blood test, which looks for antibodies developed by the body. It can sometimes take a week to a few months to develop enough antibodies for a blood test to detect. Syphilis is curable with antibiotics, and the preferred treatment is penicillin.

THESE ARE ONLY A FEW STDs. We suggest you contact your doctor or local health department for more information.