This article mentions Procept:
A REBORN NEW WOMAN GIVES US THE HOPE OF SAFER
SEX
Marla Paul Special to the Tribune
08/25/1999
Chicago Tribune
NORTHWEST; FNW
Page 5
Women soon may have a groundbreaking option for safer sex. But can
they find Mr. Wonderful on the Internet? (Probably, as long as they don't
try to meet him in the flesh.) September magazines explore new STD
prevention and the dangers of loving on-line.
New Woman-For single women, sex is scary. One bad choice, one
unprotected act can put your health at risk. But that anxiety may eventually
become extinct with the development of topical "microbicides"-gels, creams
and suppositories inserted vaginally to prevent AIDS, genital herpes, human
papillomavirus and other STDs.
September New Woman reports on these products-called superlubes. They
would allow women, "for the first time in history, (to) have the means to
prevent a wide spectrum of STDs without a man's permission, consent, or
even his knowledge. Put simply, these products would bring back sex
without fear," writes Lisa Belkin.
The problem is, superlube development is crawling due to scant funding.
While numerous companies are researching microbicides, the big question
is, will enough U.S. women use microbicides to create a viable market?
In the meantime, here are some new products being researched: an
"invisible condom," in which "a thermally activated liquid thickens into a gel"
in the vagina; another gel that prevents HIV from replicating; the Procept
2000 Gel, which blocks HIV from entering human cells; and a "vagina
vitamin" that creates an acid environment ("hostile to many STDs") with
lactobacilli.
We hope we will soon be able to run to the drugstore for a pack of gum
and a superlube.
P.S.: Finding this story in New Woman-as well as another strong piece
("Greedy Doctor Scams That Can Hurt Your Health")-is a happy surprise.
Once terrific, New Woman hit the skids when Rodale Press Inc. took it
over in late 1997. But Judith Coyne, former executive editor of Glamour,
has been installed at the helm to create a smart magazine targeted to 25- to
40-year-olds. And there's lots to like in the reborn New Woman. Insider
Health is a strong new feature, and we loved hearing about free samples at
cosmetic counters in Insider Beauty.
Glamour-You think you've suffered through loser blind dates? September
Glamour engineers 12 of them and then tells the tales. This is irresistible
reading: voyeuristic blind dates without the pain and suffering. In one case,
Sunshine, an assistant editor, was put off by the way Michael, an actor,
kept calling her "baby." "He used it in every conceivable sentence
formation," she reported. While several couples made friends, only one
ignited romantically. Glamour blind date advice: Expect the worst, meet in a
place with lots of people, ask your friend, "If he's so great, why aren't you
dating him?"
Health-Then again, a blind date seems downright desirable compared to
meeting a guy through an Internet dating service. Suzanne Schlosberg
reveals her "hard-earned lessons" on Internet romance in a sad-funny
essay in September Health. After paying a $14.95 monthly fee, Schlosberg
met BikeMan, a bike racer who designed Web sites. His e-mails "were
literate and provocative." She was smitten. Their communications became
searingly X-rated. The moment of truth came when BikeMan knocked on
her door. Schlosberg's heart plummeted. " For a split second he looked
shorter than my azalea plant," she writes. After six dates, she called it
quits. "I simply could not connect the athletic, poetic e-male of my fantasies
with the skinny fellow . . ."
Schlosberg hasn't give up on Internet romance. But now she asks for a
photo in the beginning. "Most important of all: I always, always insist on
having coffee before having cybersex."
Latingirl-Latinas tell how they confront racism in September Latingirl.
When Evelyn Perez wanted to attend Boston College, her counselor
warned the honors student that she might not be comfortable there because
of "racial issues." Perez went anyway. "If you only stay with people like
yourself, you're perpetuating a stereotype that non-Latinos won't accept
you," she said. If 17-year-old Stephanie Watson hears people speaking
negatively about Latinos she says, "Hey, I'm Latina. Don't group us all
together. We're all different people."
FamilyLife-Cliques, along with the painful "in" and "out" groups- begin to
crystallize at age 10. September FamilyLife explains the phenomenon and
tells how to help your child deal with rejection. Notes a professor of
psychology: "Experiencing a little rejection and learning to cope with it isn't
necessarily a bad thing. It happens to all of us." |
