Both male and female University of Massachusetts students gathered last Tuesday to learn about taboo sexual fantasies, picking the right toy and bedroom safety as VOX and board-certified sexologist Megan Andelloux brought the Sex Study: College Tour to the Cape Cod Lounge.

Andelloux, otherwise known as Oh Megan!, looked like a walking contradiction, wearing glasses, pearls, a pretty pale blue wrap dress and sleeve tattoos.

The sexologist specializes in “how to keep things fun and frisky while you’re playing,” said Andelloux of her craft.

She has been studying sex for 13 years, but studied marine biology in college. Since her change of heart, Andelloux has worked at Planned Parenthood. She currently works as a gynecological teaching associate and runs a sexual resource center in Rhode Island.

Met with confused expressions, Andelloux explained that a gynecological teaching associate means she acts as a “portable vagina that gives feedback to medical students.”

Andelloux goes through 30 gynecological exams a week to make future exams better for women. She then passes around a speculum while assuring students the device is “not creepy.” A speculum, also referred to as duck lips, is the metal medical instrument used in gynecological exams.

Andelloux kicked off the workshop by discussing sexual risks and assessment.

The first risk approached was abstinence, to which an on-the-spot cell phone poll declared that everyone in the room had different definitions of the method.

However, the clinical definition is “no oral, anal or vaginal sex,” informed Andelloux.

Abstinence is risky because although the practice is taught to be 100 percent effective with perfect use, with “human use” it is only 75 percent effective. The safety drop is in accordance with the fact that sex is not always planned – sometimes it just happens.

Andelloux then discussed fantasies, enlightening that they are a great way to live vicariously through a sexual urge. The most common of the desires are the “non-consensual” and slapping fantasies.

People often feel guilty about both. Andelloux rationalized with, “We have enough baggage that we carry without putting our politics into our sexual behavior.”

A sexual ego risk is that people often want to talk dirty but have no idea where to start. Andelloux told students to simply say what you feel, what you want to feel, or describe something that sounds fun.

“People want to feel appreciated and (a sext) is a way to make you feel appreciated,” said the sexologist of dirty texting.
To sum up the risk factor section, Andelloux listed and discussed what she called “the Continuum” of sex.

The lowest risk act on the continuum is oral sex because the germs in the mouth will kill almost anything. The most common risk from engaging in oral sex, however, is herpes. Andelloux clarified a common misconception that cold sores and fever blisters are simply a socially appropriate way of saying herpes.

There are two types of this virus: Simplex 1 is oral, and Simplex 2 is genital. The most common time to contract herpes is just before an outbreak. The initial virus outbreak is easy to identify because it causes flu-like symptoms and the lesions are intense.
Andelloux freaked the audience out, sharing that “by the time we’re 50, 50 percent of the population will have Herpes Simplex 2.”
Vaginal sex is gauged as medium risk on the sexual play continuum. When sperm enters the vagina, 50 percent is automatically killed. Despite this fact, the vagina is extremely sensitive to irritation and infection.

Glycerin-based lubricants trigger yeast infections, and “oil-based lubes will make vaginas freak out,” said the sexologist.

The highest risk sex act on the continuum is anything related to the anal region because the tissue is thinner and more likely to tear. Andelloux informed the crowd that oral to anal contact transmits bacteria, so it’s important to wash the anal area before engaging in play.

After wiping her hands clean of the risks, Andelloux went straight to the fun part by showing students how to put a condom on using only her mouth. Calling up a volunteer to wear a strap-on, she then demonstrated the trick in one fell swoop as viewers in the back stood on their seats to get a better view.

A perfect transition into condom-talk, Andelloux informed shocked attendees that colored condoms are actually safer than those with flesh-tones. With the brighter colors it is easier to make sure the condom has not ripped and is still on properly.
“Colored condoms are more fun, you can coordinate with any holiday,” said Andelloux.

Flavored condoms, on the other hand, tend to break more easily due to their thinner design, which is designed for oral pleasure.
While passing around some toys, students learned that the U.S. does not regulate sex toys because the sale of them is still illegal in states like Alabama. Therefore, certain toys are unsafe because of unsafe chemicals and plastics. To test a toy, leave it on a wooden table overnight. If there is a stain on the table in the morning, toss the toy. Andelloux shared a rule of thumb: sex shops that allow holding and touching of the toys before purchase generally carry safe products.

Aiming to spread pleasurable fun, the sexologist shared that only 20 percent of women can reach orgasms from vaginal sex alone, and the vast percentage that cannot need clitoral stimulation. Andelloux described the hood of the clitoris as the best place to stimulate because it is not as sensitive as the clitoris itself, yet still packs pleasure.

After showing students a video of what female ejaculation looks like, Andelloux finished the night off by discussing anal play.

“On average, people wait 2-3 days before going to the ER with toys lost up their butts,” recited Andelloux. This fact was met with laughter as she discussed the male prostate, otherwise known as a man’s g-spot.

Andelloux shared that stimulating the prostate gives men full-body orgasms as opposed to genital orgasms.

“Usually when men get prostate orgasms they don’t want to go back,” said Andelloux. She ended the night telling students that the most common sexual activity among gay men is oral sex, despite the myth that anal sex is most common.

The only disappointment of the workshop was that students did not get to take home vibrators as party favors. Free vibrators were advertised on the event’s Facebook page, but it was a miscommunication of sorts. Students did, however, take home free condoms, lube samples and a Tenga egg. The egg is generally a masturbatory tool for males, but Andelloux shared that it can also be used for females as a new surface for sex toys. The event ran an hour overtime, and lively students left with their goodies by 10 p.m.

Kate Evans can be reached at [email protected].