Episode 7: Sex Meducation with Rainey Horwitz
Ari interviews Med Student and Sexual Science Researcher Rainey Horwitz. Rainey has a successful insta page dedicated to shame-free and research-focused Sex Education — largely because she found little research in her own Doctoral Program concerning female sexual anatomy and pleasure. Ari and Rainey chat about de-stigmatizing sex-specific topics in medicine and how Rainey is making waves for sex-positive health practitioners!
Rainey answers burning questions about:
How elective Labiaplasty can result in loss of clitoral sensitivity or inability to orgasm
Vulva-shaming (it’s a thing!)
Overcoming internalized shame in her own solo sex practices
Why ‘the G-Spot’ is a marketing scam
Owning your orgasm by using your big… sexy… BRAIN!
How to better advocate for your sexual health and pleasure at the doctor’s office
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Editor’s Note: Your labia are beautiful and NORMAL. Check out the diversity of vulvas in these examples:
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Featured in this Episode
About our Guest: Rainey is a second year MD student (M2) and sex science researcher. Before med school, she was a history and philosophy of science and sex researcher for nearly 4 years.
Now, she is trying to normalize sex (and pleasure-informed) conversations in medicine and help other health workers learn the importance of removing stigma and shame from the doctors office.
She is also passionate about teaching the anatomy of the clitoral complex that is missing from most medical textbooks, and that most doctors are NEVER taught in medical school (which is scary for the future OBGYNs, urologists, and plastic surgeons that operate on nearby tissues!). Humans are designed to eat, sleep, move, eliminate waste, and have sex, but not even doctors tend to recognize how important that last component is to our health, and she is here to change that!
Pronouns: She/Her(s)
More from Rainey:
History of Sex / Reproductive Healthcare Articles x Rainey - The Embryo Project (Encyclopedia)
Classification of the anatomical variation in female external genitalia
Follow Rainey: Website // Instagram // YouTube
Resources, Tangents, & Mentions:
Jessica Pin: @Jessica_Ann_Pin
Jessica’s botched Labiaplasty story (TW)
Your botched Labiaplasty is not your fault x Jessica Pin
Rainey’s Youtube video about the G-spot: The G-Spot is not what you think
Sex Ed // Definitions:
Labiaplasty - a surgical procedure that aims to decrease the size of the labia minora (inner tissues of the female genitalia) so that it is flush with the labia majora (outer part of the female genitalia). from PlasticSurgery.Org
STI - An STI is an infection passed from one person to another person through sexual contact. An infection is when a bacteria, virus, or parasite enters and grows in or on your body. Some STIs can be cured and some STIs cannot be cured. For those STIs that cannot be cured, there are medicines to manage the symptoms. — from Women’sHealth.gov
STD - Sexually Transmitted Diseases first begin as sexually transmitted infections. Infection occurs with the sexually transmitted bacteria or virus first enters the body and begins multiplying. Once the sexually transmitted bacteria or viruses have entered the body, the infection may progress into a disease. — from StarkvilleUrgentCareClinic.com
Lube - lubricant used during sexual activity to reduce friction between body parts, or between body parts and other objects. — from YourDictionary.com
Hysteria - a pejorative term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the 19th century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in females. — from Wikipedia
Edge/’Edging’ - (also known as peaking, or surfing) a sexual technique whereby orgasm is controlled. It is practiced alone or with a partner and involves the maintenance of a high level of sexual arousal for an extended period without reaching climax. — from Wikipedia
Enthusiastic Consent - Enthusiastic consent is about ensuring that all parties to sexual acts are enthusiastically consenting to everything that happens. This means you would be participating in sexual acts because you're excited about it, not because you feel pressured into it. — from University of New England
Sources // Further Reading:
Abstract: The Edge-Wedge Labiaplasty: A Novel Technique for Female Genital Rejuvenation — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery — Global Open
Labiaplasty with Stable Labia Minora Retraction—Butterfly-like Approach — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery — Global Open
What's the difference a trim labiaplasty and a wedge labiaplasty? — American Society of Plastic Surgeons:
Labiaplasty Animation — Understand.com
The two common techniques for labiaplasty — Brooklyn Gyn Place on Facebook
Labiaplasty Figures — ResearchGate.com
Abstract: The Edge-Wedge Labiaplasty: A Novel Technique for Female Genital Rejuvenation — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery — Global Open