Anna Catania

Anna Catania (M.Cons. PG(Dip) Psychosexual and relationship therapy is a warranted counsellor specialised in the area if sex and relationships. She provides counselling to individuals and couples who are having difficulties with sexuality, relationships and intimacy.

Click here to check out Anna's full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles

breast cancer awareness

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In: Health, Physical Health

October is a month where we highlight the importance of breast cancer awareness. Walks, runs and bike rides are organised all over Europe to raise funds for NGO’s, support groups, medical equipment, and cancer research. Schools and workplaces organise breast cancer awareness talks and encourage wearing pink for the day. Breast awareness and the dissemination of accurate information about common symptoms of breast cancer is necessary and highlights the importance of breast screening and regular breast check-ups. In Malta we have approximately 370 new patients diagnosed with breast cancer every year and over a five-year period our survival rate is around 87% at par withRead More…

BDSM

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In: Relationships, Women

‘BDSM’ refers to a range of sexual activities that can be grouped into three categories: B and D or bondage and discipline, D and S, domination and submission and S and M, sadism and masochism. In recent years the trilogy ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ books seemed to cause renewed interest in kink and BDSM practices. However, those in BDSM communities quickly distanced themselves from fifty shades of grey phenomenon, as its depiction of kink borders heavily on the dangerous and abusive and is incompatible with informed, uncoerced and enthusiastic consent. BDSM practices include very diverse sexual practices and personae. The scenes played out in thisRead More…

responsive sexual arousal

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

A difference in sexual desire in couples is a very common difficulty in relationships. In fact research suggests that although strong sexual feelings are usually present in the first 6 months to 3 years of a relationship these can drop down to 50% after the first 3 years. Therefore, it seems that keeping a healthy sex life in long term relationships requires planning and work. Unfortunately, if our knowledge about sex is mainly from pornography and media, we might come to believe that only spontaneous desire and arousal exist. Picture this, a couple is drawn together by strong feelings and a deep uncontrollable passion andRead More…

sexual difficulties

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

What is menopause? Menopause is diagnosed 12 months after a woman’s last menstrual period. The transition to menopause, also known as peri-menopause, can last for a number of years and is characterised by hot flushes, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, low sexual libido and vaginal dryness. The truth is that no one prepares us for menopause. We have to figure it all out by ourselves and it can be extremely frustrating to feel that we are being aged out of society. On the other hand, knowing how our bodies work and understanding the physical, psychological, emotional and sexual changes that can happen during this transition can beRead More…

orgasm gap

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

The orgasm gap refers to the difference in frequency of orgasms between straight men and women. Although the term ‘orgasm gap’ has only been around for the last decade, gender inequality surrounding sexuality and sexual pleasure is not a recent phenomenon.  Female sexual pleasure and arousal was misunderstood in the medical field for many years and diagnosed as ‘hysteria’. In fact, some sources document that the vibrator was created as a cure to this ‘illness’ and as a way for women not to remain sexually repressed! The clitoris, which we know today is mainly responsible for female sexual pleasure, was not well-researched and given enoughRead More…

Paulina Dembska

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In: Lived Experiences, More

It’s 6am, on one of those glorious mornings after a night of rain, and I am doing my daily walk, the day after Paulina Dembska ’s rape and murder. All of a sudden I am afraid, as I realise I’m walking alone. I am afraid for myself and for those who identify as women in our country. I am afraid for one of my daughters who had to run home at night, as a man was following her, after being touched and harassed on a bus while everyone there turned a blind eye. I am afraid, for another one of my teenage daughters, who myRead More…

sex cancer relationships

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

Since the beginning of October, our island has been graced with several pink billboards encouraging us to look out for signs of cancer. The campaign this year combined Pink October, which traditionally focused on breast cancer awareness and Movember which looks at men’s physical and mental health. It seems that the focus of Pink October and Movember this year were cancers that have to do with sexuality and intimacy i.e. prostate, testicular, breasts, ovarian and cervical. Why do we need to talk about sex, intimacy, and relationships when cancer is mentioned? Isn’t it enough that we survive, take the oncological treatments needed and are inRead More…

sexually transmitted infection

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

In Malta, until a couple of years ago, sex education was aimed to terrify rather than inform. The emphasis of the subject’s curriculum focused mainly on abstinence and not getting pregnant. Thankfully this is changing and moving towards a more comprehensive view of the sex education where young people are provided with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to make appropriate and healthy choices about their sexual health and that of their sexual partners. It is important that we teach our kids about contraception, being safe during sex, giving and receiving sexual consent and the importance of sexual pleasure.  As a sex therapist, one of theRead More…

infertility

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

According to the World Health Organisation, one in every four couples in developing countries are affected by infertility. This statistic is based on a biological and medical definition of infertility that looks at the inability of a heterosexual couple to conceive after a year of unprotected sex and the difficulty of a woman to carry a pregnancy to term. However, today, we are looking at a more comprehensive definition of infertility that includes queer families that are trying to have kids and single parents that would like to conceive without a partner amongst others. Infertility can affect both men and women and can be causedRead More…

vaginismus

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In: Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health

Netflix Sex Education Season 2 finale opens with a sex scene between Lily and Ola who had in the previous season admitted they did not want to remain “just friends”. All seems well until Ola unzips Lily’s silver skirt and inserts her hand. “Ow” Lily shouts, “Did I do something wrong?” asks Ola? “It’s not you, it’s me. I have something called vaginismus. My vagina is like a venus flytrap”. Vaginismus, or what is now part of the Genito-Pelvic Pain Penetration Disorders consists of an involuntary spasm of the vaginal muscles causing the vagina to close, resulting in penetration being painful, difficult or at timesRead More…