“Calendar
Method”:
A method of predicting fertility for women with regular
menstrual cycles in an attempt to predict their fertility
by charting their menstrual cycles on a calendar. NOT a
recommended method of birth control for teenager or people
who do not want to get pregnant
Candida:
A type of yeast
and a common cause of vaginitis. About 80 percent of
yeast infections are caused by a specific species of Candida,
called Candida albicans.
Celibacy:
Abstaining from sexual intercourse or sometimes sexual contact.
Also known as Abstinence.
Censorship:
The official suppression of information or expression.
Cervical
Cap:
A rubber cap intended to fit securely over the cervix. Used
with contraceptive jelly, the cervical cap is a barrier
method of birth control. Available only by prescription
after being 'fitted' by a health care provider.
Cervix:
The lower part of the uterus that protrudes into the vaginal
canal with an opening connecting the uterus to the vagina.
It has an opening (os) that allows passage of menstrual
flow from the uterus and passage of sperm into the uterus.
(It is the "neck of the uterus" -- cervix means
neck in Latin and "cervical" may also be applied
to mean the neck of the body). The cervix is capable of
dilating during labor and delivery of a baby. See
Sexual FAQ 15 - half way down the page. Or see “Vagina”.
Chancre:
The primary lesion of syphilis,
occurring at the sight of entry of the infection.
Chancroid: A soft, non-syphilitic venereal sore caused by
a bacteria. Almost always spread by sexual contact.
Chastity
Belt:
A variety of devices designed to prevent women, men, or
children from having sex. Used from medieval to modern times.
Some were meant to ensure fidelity in women in the absence
of their husbands. Others were designed to prevent masturbation
and nocturnal emissions in men and boys.
“Cherry”
Slang term for the hymen.
Figuratively used for virginity, as in “to pop someone’s
cherry”, as in to take someone’s virginity.
Child
Pornography:
Images of children designed to be sexually arousing.
Chlamydia:
A common sexually transmitted disease that can cause sterility
in women and men. The number
ONE STD in the USA and Canada.
Circumcision:
A surgical procedure to remove the foreskin of the penis.
Climax:
An orgasm.
Clitoral
Hood:
A small flap of skin that covers the clitoris.
Clitoris:
The female sex organ that is very sensitive to the touch.
Located between the labia at the top of the vulva. See vagina
for more.
Coitus:
Sexual union by vagina between male and female; usually
applied to the mating process in human beings.
Coitus
Interruptus:
Coitus in which the penis is withdrawn from the vagina before
ejaculation.
“Coming
Out”:
The process of accepting and being open about one's sexual
orientation. See “Homosexuality”
for more and resources.
The
Comstock Act:
An 1873 law that made it a federal crime to use the U.S.
mail to distribute anything considered "obscene, lewd,
lascivious, indecently filthy, or vile," including
information about contraception, abortion, and sexual health.
Conception:
The moment when the pre-embryo attaches to the lining of
the uterus and pregnancy begins; a term also used to describe
the fertilization of the egg.
Condom:
A sheath latex (or animal tissue) that is worn on the penis
during sexual intercourse. An over-the-counter, easily accessible,
method of birth control. It also provides protection against
the many sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
Contraception:
The prevention of pregnancy. Birth control.
Contraceptive
Jelly or Cream:
Substances containing spermicide which immobilizes sperm,
preventing them from joining with the egg. Used with diaphragms,
condoms or cervical caps. These are over-the-counter barrier
methods of birth control that are easily accessible.
Contraceptive
Foam:
A foam spermicide that is inserted deep into the vagina
with an applicator. The substance blocks the entrance to
the uterus with bubbles and then the spermicide immobilize
sperm. An over-the-counter method of birth control. Most
effective when used with a condom.
Contraceptive
Suppository:
A solid that melts into a fluid liquid to immobilize sperm.
An over-the-counter, barrier method of birth control. Most
effective when used with a condom.
Corpus
Cavernosa:
Two strips of tissue that lie on each side of the urethra
in the penis. During sexual excitement, they fill with blood
to create an erection.
Corpus
Spongiosum:
The tissue that surrounds the urethra inside the penis and
is responsible, like the corpus cavernosa, for an erection;
also the type of tissue that forms the glans of the clitoris
and the penis.
Cowper’s
Glands:
The glands beneath the prostate gland that are attached
to the urethra. They produce a substance that makes seminal
fluid sticky.
Cremaster
Reflex:
A response by the male body to stimulation (for example,
cold temperature or touching the inside of the thigh) in
which the cremaster muscle pulls the scrotum and testes
closer to the body.
Cross
Dressers:
Women and men who like to wear various articles of clothing
associated with the other gender. (Not necessarily for sexual
excitement).
Cryptorchidism:
The condition in which one or both of the testicles do not
descend from the lower abdomen before puberty.
Cunniligus
- Oral sex performed on a female.
Cystitis:
A bladder
infection.
Cytomegalovirus
or CMV:
A
member of the herpes virus group, which includes herpes
simplex virus types 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus (which
causes chickenpox), and Epstein-Barr virus (which causes
mononucleosis).
These viruses share a characteristic ability to remain dormant
within the body over a long period.
Transmission
of CMV occurs from person to person. Infection requires
close, intimate contact with a person excreting the virus
in their saliva, urine, or other bodily fluids. CMV can
be sexually transmitted and can also be transmitted via
breast milk, transplanted organs, and rarely from blood
transfusions.
CMV
infection is important to certain high-risk groups. Major
areas of concern are the risk of infection to the unborn
baby during pregnancy, the risk of infection to the immunocompromised
person, such as organ transplant recipients and persons
infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Recurrent
disease rarely occurs unless the person's immune system
is suppressed due to therapeutic drugs or disease. So, for
the most people a CMV infection is not a serious problem.
For more information see the CDC. If you are at risk get
tested by a blood test.
