Abbi Havens

Senior Content Writer & Editor

United States

Writer & Editor with a passion for sexual health, queer health and relationships, and healthcare justice. MSW candidate with a concentration in sexual health and education at Washington University in St. Louis.

Portfolio

Sexual Health

Ro
How to Talk to Your Partner About Erectile Dysfunction | Ro

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is when you have trouble getting an erection sufficient for satisfying sex. ED includes erections that don't last as long as you want, aren't as firm as you'd like, or inability to get an erection at all.

Nano
The history of the clitoris

It's easy to laugh at the mistakes of scientists in millennia past (and scream into the void out of frustration) at their deep misunderstanding of female anatomy since the first "discovery" of the clitoris. But it's more than just a gaffe to forgive and forget, and we aren't as far removed from these pioneers of anatomy as we might think.

Nano
Routine STI screenings don't check for herpes. Here's why.

A herpes diagnosis can cause significant psychosocial and psychosexual damage including depression, poor self-esteem, social isolation, inability to have meaningful sexual relationships and hostility towards the person who is believed to be the source of the infection. That's why doctors no longer screen for herpes.

Nano
The case for more orgasms

Despite the undeniable benefits of orgasm to the mind and body, the United States is the victim of a vast orgasm gap. We're here to change that. We present to you... the case for more orgasms (no matter who you are).

Nano
Yes, sexual health is an important part of your well-being

The phrase "sexual health" means two things to most people: birth control and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention. But sexual health is so much more than that. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity.

Nano
Women, what causes painful orgasms?

Women are often influenced by the media, their educators, their peers and even healthcare professionals to believe that pain is just a part of sex, but it's not. A sexual condition or infection may be the underlying cause of painful intercourse.

Nano
Men, what causes painful orgasms?

Pain during sex is not just a women's issue. Dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse, affects women and men and can lead to significant psychological distress. Here are the sexual infections and conditions that may cause painful intercourse for men.

SurvivorNet
5 Ways Male Cancer Survivors Can Restore Sexual Function | SurvivorNet

Dealing with the sexual fallout of cancer and cancer treatment is never easy. Chemotherapy, radiation treatment and hormone therapy can all contribute to low libido, erectile dysfunction, poor body-image and pain during intercourse. But when quarantined (either solo or with a partner) for hours and hours on end, new challenges may present themselves.

Survivornet
06/10/2020
Using sextech to reignite your mojo: A chat with Sera Bonds

Sera Bonds, MPH, is an activist, humanitarian, founder and birth worker committed to working towards balancing the scales of access, equity, and availability in sexual reproductive healthcare. Her community organizing background led her to work on sexual reproductive health projects in over twenty countries spanning North America, Africa, Asia, Central America, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, having raised over 20 million dollars for programs reaching over three million women. She is the...

UT Health Austin
Baby Boomers are more susceptible to Hepatitis C. | UT Health Austin

Love, drugs, flower power and... Hepatitis C? The generation of Americans born between 1945 and 1965 are often referred to as "baby boomers," a name earned by the temporary spike in the birth-rate that occurred in several countries following WWII, notably in the U.S.

UT Health Austin
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Silent Symptoms | UT Health Austin

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. This reproductive cancer may not receive as much attention as other reproductive cancers, but ovarian cancer is serious business. It is the 11 th most common cancer among women in the US, but the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women.

Health and Wellness

Nano
Masculinity and your health

The APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men was not met with the same unanimous enthusiasm. The purpose of the publication is to help therapists provide care that is sensitive to the concerns of boys and men influenced by diverse economic, biological, developmental and sociocultural factors and reduce the impact of traditional masculine ideology. But the publication was met with swift backlash from Twitter users, news programs and men’s rights activists who deemed...

UT Health Austin
The Science of Pain Management: It takes a village. | UT Health Austin

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Let's break that down. An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. Pain hurts.

UT Health Austin
7 Tips for Better Sleep Hygiene | UT Health Austin

Reviewed by: Donna Shanor, LCSW and LCDC Written by: Abbi Havens Just like breathing, sleep is a pivotal piece of human functionality. Sleep allows your body to repair itself, strengthens your immune system and allows your brain to process information and consolidate memories.

Books

Nano
Well Being

Well Being is a book on health and wellness in the modern age created by myself and my colleagues at Nano. See article personally authored by me in the categories below.