Guardian readers respond to an article separating fact from fiction on all things ‘down there’ As a gynaecological cancer surgeon, I am pleased to see some myths about vulvas and vaginas being busted (Everything you ever wanted to know about vaginas … but were too afraid to Google, 2 November). However, it’s disappointing that you used pictures of vulvas, while only using vaginas in the title, thereby undermining myth No 1 in the article (that the vagina is the name for whole genital area). It would also have been helpful to encourage people to check their vulvas, to get used to their normal a ..read more

Damaging cuts‘Down below’ at the GP’sThe vagina dialoguesBoris Johnson is history alreadyLimoncello’s popularity Articles and letters (31 October) pointing out the harmful gaps in budget funding have still omitted a key service, namely youth services, where local council spending last year in England was 73% less than in 2010-11. These services will also now suffer the double whammy of increased national insurance contributions. I presumed the council cuts are because young people do not have the vote, but I am not sure why they miss out on inclusion in the Guardian. Don Macdona ..read more

Should you wash your vagina? Can a tampon get lost in one? And does having sex make you looser? Experts in all things ‘down there’ separate fact from fiction FALSE “The word vagina only refers to a specific internal part: the muscular tube leading to the cervix. The outside part, including the labia (or lips) and clitoris, is called the vulva,” says Zoe Williams, interim director at the Vagina Museum. “There isn’t really a good word to describe both … apart from slang words,” she laughs. It’s no wonder that 45% of women couldn’t accurately label the vagina in a 2019 YouGov survey. “The recomme ..read more

Despite growing demand for female health solutions, businesses are coming up against entrenched prejudice Women’s health tech ‘less likely’ to get funding if woman is on founding team Wouldn’t tampons that boost women’s sexual health be a great idea? Welcome to The Daughters of Mars’ tampons, which use pH-friendly ingredients to help prevent vaginal infections such as thrush. What woman wouldn’t want to be able to test her urine at home for breast cancer, or her menstrual blood for diabetes, endometriosis and human papillomavirus (HPV)? Hello, The Blue Box, an “electronic nose” that detects ..read more

Fertility tourism is booming for single Chinese women with hopes of future motherhood. China's birthrate is at a record low, yet unmarried women are not legally allowed to freeze their eggs there. We meet Lei and Abu, as they travel to the US for the procedure, battling self-doubt and scepticism along the way. What does this mean for womanhood and parenting in modern China ..read more

Contos and peak body The Women’s Services Network hope it will introduce ‘nuances of consent’ to dating app users, but one expert says Tinder should not receive ‘props for the basics’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Dating app Tinder has launched a new consent course in Australia, created in collaboration with sexual consent activist Chanel Contos and The Women’s Services Network, the national peak body for domestic and family violence services. The course is only available on Tinder’s School of Swipe website ..read more

Cases have risen 80% in the last five years, and the US now has the highest syphilis rates since 1950 Syphilis was until recently an anachronism to medical professionals. The sexually transmitted infection (STI) was so common in the 19th century that it earned its own specialism – syphilology – but the advent of penicillin in the 20th century meant the disease could be easily treated, and by the 1990s syphilis had been nearly eliminated from the US ..read more

Country awash with teenage pregnancies to launch new school curriculum on sex – but is it worse than none at all? Paraguay, which has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, is about to approve its first national sex education curriculum. But activists, students and parents have expressed concern about the new guidelines, which warn that condoms cannot be trusted, masturbation leads to loneliness and make no mention of LGBTQ+ people ..read more

TGA recently approved importation and supply of overseas-registered tablets to help ease the shortage Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia is experiencing a shortage of an important HIV prevention medication and sexual health organisations are urging those who rely on it to plan ahead so they don’t run out. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is an antiretroviral drug taken by people at high risk of HIV infection, which if used every day has an efficacy rate of 99% among gay and bisexual men. It became ava ..read more

International survey of 250,000 15-year-olds found nearly a third of them did not use a condom or the pill An alarming decline in condom use is putting young people’s health at risk, the World Health Organization has warned. The WHO’s survey of nearly 250,000 15-year-olds in 42 countries and regions across Europe and Canada found that between 2014 and 2022, condom use among sexually active adolescents declined significantly, putting them at significant risk of sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions ..read more