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Sacred - Devoted to religious purpose.
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Sadism - A paraphilia in which sexual arousal becomes dependent on sexual role play or fantasy that includes giving punishment, discipline, or humiliation.
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Sadomasochism (S and M) - The consensual use of domination and/or pain for sexual stimulation in sex play. The "sadist" is the partner who dominates and inflicts pain. The "masochist" is the partner who is dominated and receives pain.
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Safer Sex - Ways in which people reduce the risk of getting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
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Safe Word - A previously agreed upon signal that means a partner is no longer enjoying a sexual activity and it must stop.
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Sample - The group of people or subjects studied in a research project.
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Sanitary Pad - An absorbent "napkin" made of cotton or similar fibers that are worn against the vulva to absorb menstrual flow.
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Saturated Fats - molecules consisting primarily of carbon and hydrogen and containing no double bonds among the carbon atoms. In other words, all of the carbon atoms are fully saturated with hydrogen atoms.
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Satyriasis - The desire by a man to have sex very frequently with many different partners.
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Scabies - Tiny mites that can be sexually transmitted. They burrow under the skin, causing intense itching — usually at night - and small bumps or rashes that appear in dirty-looking, small curling lines, especially on the penis, between the fingers, on buttocks, breasts, wrists, and thighs, and around the navel.
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Schizophrenia - a brain disease that can cause loss of personality, agitation, catatonia (being in a statue-like state), confusion, psychosis (a disorder in which a person is not in touch with reality), unusual behavior, and withdrawal. The illness usually begins in early adulthood. No one knows the exact cause of schizophrenia, but a problem with a gene called COMT has been found to raise the risk of developing it.
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Scoliosis - When the spine curves either away from the middle of the body or to the side.
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Scrotum - A sac of skin, divided into two parts, enclosing the testes, epididymides, and a part of the vasa deferentia.
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Secondary Sex Characteristics - Characteristics of the body that are caused by hormones, develop during puberty, and last through adult life. For women, these include breast development and widened hips. For men, they include facial hair development. Both genders develop pubic hair and underarm hair.
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Secular - Devoted to human purpose.
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Sedative - a drug that calms a person and allows her or him to sleep.
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Seizures - uncontrollable contractions of muscles that can result in sudden movement or loss of control, also known as convulsions.
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Self-Esteem – How you feel about yourself - how you feel about who you are, the way you act, and how you look. When a person does not think too highly of themselves, she is said to have low self-esteem.
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Semen – the fluid (which contains sperm) a male releases from his penis when he becomes sexually aroused or has an orgasm. Semen is composed of seminal fluid from the seminal vesicles, fluid from the prostate, and fluid from the Cowper's glands.
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Seminal Fluid - A fluid that nourishes and helps sperm to move. Seminal fluid is made in the seminal vesicles.
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Seminal Vesicle - One of two small organs located beneath the bladder that produce seminal fluid.
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Seminiferous Tubules - A network of tiny tubules in the testes that constantly produce sperm. Seminiferous tubules also produce androgens, the "male" sex hormones.
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Serotonin - A neurotransmitter found naturally in the brain and intestines that sends messages throughout the body. Impaired serotonin activity has been linked to symptoms of anxiety, impulsiveness, aggression and increased appetite.
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Sex - Gender; the act of sex play.
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Sex Cell - A reproductive cell.
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Sex Drive - Our natural urge and desire to have sex.
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Sexism - Bias against a certain gender — especially against women.
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Sexology - The scientific study of sex and sexuality through many disciplines including, but not limited to, anthropology, biology, sociology, history, psychology, medicine, and law.
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Sex Play - Any voluntary sexual activity, with or without a partner.
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Sex Therapy - Treatment to resolve a sexual problem or dysfunction such as premature ejaculation, inability to have orgasm, or low level of sexual desire.
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Sexual Abuse - Sexual activity that is harmful or not consensual.
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Sexual Addiction - The compulsive search for having very frequent sex.
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Sexual Assault – Sexual assault and abuse is any type of sexual activity that you do not agree to, including: inappropriate touching, vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, sexual intercourse that you say no to, rape, attempted rape, child molestation. Sexual assault can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. Examples of this are voyeurism (when someone watches private sexual acts), exhibitionism (when someone exposes him/herself in public), incest (sexual contact between family members), and sexual harassment. It can happen in different situations, by a stranger in an isolated place, on a date, or in the home by someone you know.
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Sexual Aversion Disorder - The fear of sexual contact.
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Sexual Compulsion - An obsession with having very frequent sex, often with many different sex partners.
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Sexual Compulsives Anonymous - A self-help recovery group for women and men who want to control what they believe to be sexual addictions.
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Sexual Conflict - The clash between sex drive and sexual inhibition.
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Sexual contact - Any type of contact during sexual activity between two people, including sexual intercourse, oral sex, and skin to skin contact in the genital area (around the vagina, penis, scrotum, anus, and thigh). STDs such as genital herpes, HPV (warts), and syphilis can be passed by having sexual contact with areas that are not be covered by a condom.
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Sexual Desire - A strong physically arousing attraction.
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Sexual Discomfort - Feelings of sexual inhibition that are not as severe as dysfunctions.
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Sexual Dysfunction - A psychological or physical disorder of sexual function.
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Sexual Harassment – Sexual advances (like touching, grabbing) or sexual comments (that can be offensive and/or joking) that are not wanted or appropriate. This can happen in the workplace and a person can feel like they have no control over it. They may decide not to deal with it because they fear they will lose their job or not get a raise or promotion.Unwanted sexual advances with suggestive gestures, language, or touching.
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Sexual Identity - Feelings about one's own sexual orientation, gender, gender role, and gender identity.
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Sexual intercourse - Sex involving putting the penis in the vagina.
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Sexuality - The interplay of gender, gender role, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual preference, and social norms as they affect physical, emotional, and spiritual life.
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) - Any disease that can be spread from one person to another during sexual interaction (intercourse and/or other kinds of sexual activity).
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Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) – Sexually Transmitted Infections are diseases that you get by having intimate sexual contact, that is having sex (vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse), with someone who already has the disease.
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diseases that are spread by sexual activity.
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Sexual Norm - A cultural norm regarding sex or sexuality.
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Sexual Orientation - The term used to describe the gender of the objects of our sexual desires. People who feel sexual desire for members of the other gender are heterosexual, or straight. People who feel sexual desire for people of the same gender are homosexual, or gay. Gay women are called lesbians. People who are attracted to both genders are bisexuals.
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Sexual Repression - The suppression of sexual activities, ideas, or identities that are perceived to be harmful or morally wrong.
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Sexual Response Cycle - The pattern of response to sexual stimulation. The five stages of the cycle are desire, excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
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Sexual Seduction - Legally, the encouragement of a younger or less mature person into an illegal sexual situation.
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Sexual Stereotype - An overly simplified judgment or bias regarding the sexuality of a person or group.
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Sex Worker - One who is paid for providing sex or sexually arousing conditions, including prostitution, striptease, lap dancing, commercial phone sex, and erotic massage.
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Shaft - A part of the penis and clitoris.
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Shot, the - A progestin that is injected every 12 weeks to prevent pregnancy. It is a reversible method of birth control available only by prescription.
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Sleep Apnea - a disorder involving brief interruptions of breathing during sleep.
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Smegma - A sticky, white, unpleasant-smelling substance produced at the glans of the penis. It is formed by bacteria and body oils.
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Social Stigma - Severe disapproval for behavior that is not within cultural norms.
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Social Worker - A licensed clinical social worker (L.C.S.W.) is trained in psychotherapy and helps people with many different mental health and daily living problems to improve overall functioning. Usually has a master's degree in social work (M.S.W.).
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Sociology - The study of human relationships, interactions, beliefs, values, behaviors, and their meanings.
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Sodium - a mineral that is used in regulating the amount of water in the body. Sodium also plays important roles, along with potassium, in muscle contraction, the beating of the heart, and the sending of nerve impulses. Sodium is an ingredient of table salt.
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Sodomy - Oral or anal intercourse.
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Somatotropin - The human growth hormone secreted by the pituitary gland.
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Specimen - A sample of body tissue used for testing or examination.
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Spectatoring - The habit of thinking about, comparing, grading, and monitoring one's sexual performance while having sex.
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Speculum - An instrument that is placed into the vagina to hold the vaginal walls apart when examining the cervix
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Speculum Exam - Physical examination of the walls of the vagina and cervix that is accomplished by using a speculum.
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Speech Therapy - therapy aimed to help a person with a speech or language disorder or problem to restore basic speech skills.
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Sperm – The reproductive cells in men’s semen that can get a girl pregnant during sex.
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Spermarche - The time when sperm is first produced by the testes of a boy.
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Spermatogenesis - The process of producing sperm. Spermatogenesis occurs in the seminiferous tubules of the testes.
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Spermicides – chemical jellies, foams, creams, or suppositories, inserted into the vagina prior to intercourse that kill sperm.Chemicals used to immobilize sperm and protect against certain sexually transmitted infections.
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Spina Bifida — Spina bifida is the most common of all birth defects. Its name means "clef spine," or a failure of a fetal spine to close the right way when it is developing before birth. It occurs very early in pregnancy, roughly three to four weeks after conception, before most women know that they are pregnant. Any woman can have an affected pregnancy. Most women who bear a child with Spina bifida have no family history of it.
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Spirochete - Organism that causes syphilis.
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Squeeze Technique - A method for postponing early ejaculation.
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Statutory Rape - Sexual intercourse between an adult and anyone who is below the age of consent, whether or not it is voluntary.
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Stereotype - An overly simplified judgment or bias regarding a person or group.
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Sterilization - Surgical methods of birth control that are intended to be permanent — blocking of the fallopian tubes for women or the vasa deferentia for men.
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Stethoscope - instrument used by health care professionals to detect sounds produced in the body. Commonly used to listen to your heartbeat to detect any heart-related problems and to listen to your lungs for sounds that they could have fluid inside them.
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Stillbirth - when a fetus dies during birth, or when the fetus dies during the late stages of pregnancy when it would have been otherwise expected to survive.A stillbirth is the loss of pregnancy due to natural causes after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can occur before delivery or during delivery.
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Stimuli - Things that excite response or action.
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Straight - Heterosexual.
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Stranger Rape - Coerced sexual intercourse by an assailant unknown to the victim.
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Stress - Being made to feel threatened or challenged in some way.
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - the diagnosis given for the sudden death of an infant under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete investigation. Because most cases of SIDS occur when a baby is sleeping in a crib, SIDS is also commonly known as crib death. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between 1 and 4 months of age.
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- a method of pregnancy planning or birth control that combines certain aspects of the calendar, the basal body temperature, and the cervical mucus methods. It takes into account all these factors as well as other symptoms a woman might have, such as slight cramping and breast tenderness.
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Synthetic - made in a lab and not from a natural source.
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Syphilis – Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. Syphilis can also be passed from mother to infant during pregnancy. The most common way to get syphilis is by having sexual contact with an infected person. Syphilis is sometimes called "the great imitator" because it has so many possible symptoms, and its symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases. It can lead to blindness, mental illness, cardiac disease and even death if it is not treated. It can be cured with antibiotic injections.
