Tykia Murray

It causes acne and blindness, hair grows on the palms of your hands, and you are stripped of the ability to have children. The myths of masturbation are endless and well known. Yet among women, ...

Dear Period, You couldn’t have picked a better time. Really? My birthday? I guess it’s partly my fault, but it’s not like you haven’t done this before – the day before Ladies Weekend ’06, at ...

As women, we’re taught to expect the “first time” to hurt. But only the first time. Afterward, sex always feels wonderful and is mutually fulfilling for both partners. Sadly, this is not ...

I, like many women, have been laid off as a result of the recession. Amid the shock of finding myself jobless for the first time in years, filing for unemployment benefits, and looking for a new ...

Remember when breast enhancement and liposculpting were the most popular procedures in plastic surgery? Well the scalpel has found its way below the belt; the demand for labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, ...

Visiting my local bookstore, I invariably wander into Self-Help; it houses the Sexual Health section. With all those pink and red and black sexual manuals and encyclopedias by Dr. John Smith or ...

What happens when “not tonight” becomes never? This is a possibility all women face regardless of our feelings about a particular partner or sex itself. Our libidos are fragile things, at times ...

Every woman wants one; but for many of us, they’re really hard to come by. The elusive orgasm remains a mystery to many women. Hollywood has taught us to believe the orgasm is a natural conclusion ...

We’ve all probably heard of the female condom, but how many of us have actually used one? As women we are more likely to be the recipient of sexually transmitted diseases solely based on our ...

A flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure in which a flexible endoscope is used to screen the large intestine up to the last part of the colon. A camera is inserted to look for the symptoms of ...

One of the most popular and oldest forms of contraception has a whole week dedicated to it — February14-20 is National Condom Awareness Week. The condom has been touted, advertised, shunned, mass ...

We've all heard of a broken heart, but can it kill you? Yes. The disorder is called takotsubo cardiomyopathy or Broken Heart Syndrome. Although it can strike anyone (none of us are immune to ...

Every week, I read my local alternative newspaper. Invariably, the first thing I turn to is the last few pages to look at the classified section. Without fail, one ad always catches my eye. It ...

I’ve been on Seroquel for almost three years. Before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I had never heard of the drug. I assumed that if you’re bipolar, the doctor automatically prescribes ...

Every time I go to the doctor, at the end of the appointment, he or she will ask me, “Do you have any questions?” Every time I say, “I can’t think of anything.” But I know I have questions; I can ...

Depression was not my final diagnosis. After my suicide attempt, I was referred to a psychiatrist. After an extensive interview – a whole history of my depression – my psychiatrist determined I ...

I tried to kill myself three years ago today. I was miserable, and had been, for years. At that time, I had accepted that it was just who I was. Some people are outgoing. Some are funny and some ...

Women on the verge of delivery: There’s one thing you might want to think twice about leaving behind at the hospital . . . your placenta. It may seem strange or even morbid to hang on to, but ...

It is fodder for first grade class clowns and insensitive friends – stinky feet. YOUR stinky feet. Do you find yourself in turmoil at the thought of removing your shoes? Don’t sweat it (bad joke, ...

Every year, from November through December, I consume a lot of coffee. The oncoming chill begs the consumption of hot, tasty drinks that just happen to be infused with caffeine, which I find ...

With the recent turn toward green living, all-natural feminine hygiene products have risen in popularity. Though, you can’t walk down the “pink aisle” at your local pharmacy and pick up these ...

While visiting my mother on Christmas, she informed me she was no longer taking medicine for her Multiple Sclerosis. She cited the pain of the daily injection of Copaxone as her reason for ...

In 2000, my mom became one of the 400,000 Americans living with Multiple Sclerosis. Like most of them, she had no idea the early symptoms -- blurred vision, numbness, and loss of balance -- would ...