This Week in Sex is a summary of news and research related to sexual behavior, sexuality education, contraception, STIs, and more.

Tax Day 2016: A Reason to Celebrate for Same-Sex Couples

Many in the United States dread this time of year because it means dealing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But there is something to celebrate this time around: 2016 is the first year that every married same-sex couple can file both federal and state taxes together.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, the IRS changed its rules to allow legally married same-sex couples to be treated as married for federal tax purposes. While this was a step forward for equality, it actually made tax filing far more complicated for some couples, as NPR explains. Those who lived in a state where same-sex marriage was not recognized would have to file federal taxes as a married couple, but state taxes as individuals. To make matters trickier, state taxes are often based on your federal tax return; some couples had to create mock individual federal returns just to figure out what they owed their state.

This all changed in June 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that no state can prevent same-sex couples from marrying and all must recognize their unions, effectively legalizing marriage equality nationwide. So this makes Tax Day 2016 the first day that all married couples—regardless of gender—will be treated equally.

While many are celebrating the symbolic victory, some couples may be shocked to find out that they actually owe more taxes as a married couple.

Another Step Toward Male Contraception

Over the last few decades, researchers have developed numerous ways to prevent pregnancy, from hormonal pills that block ovulation to IUDs that slow the movement of sperm through the reproductive tract. Up until now, male contraception has been limited to one barrier method, condoms, and one permanent one, vasectomies. Now, a new study lends some proof of concept for possible reversible male contraception methods.

As Rewire has reported, one method in development, known as Vasalgel, is intended to be injected into the vas deferens and create a physical barrier preventing sperm from leaving the testicles. Scientists behind Vasalgel say they intend for it to be reversible with another injection. This could be on the market as soon as 2018. But scientists are still looking for other ways to temporarily render males infertile—possibly ones that do not involve an injection into the testicles.

A new study suggests new chances for one such method. University of Virginia researchers are focused on an enzyme known as TSSK2, which helps make sperm motile. They think this enzyme could be the key to a contraceptive method because it is only found in the testicles and only involved in the very last state of sperm production. In theory, this means that blocking this enzyme could produce nonswimming sperm without causing side effects in the rest of the body. They have found a way to mass produce this enzyme in a laboratory, and their next step is to test existing drugs to see if any can bond only to TSSK2 in the testicles without affecting the rest of the body.

Clearly, they are years away from an actual male birth control pill based on this concept. But this is not the only idea for a male birth control pill under development. As Rewire reported last year, other scientists are working with existing drugs to block a protein called calcineurin and have successfully rendered mice infertile by doing so.

While men wait—though it’s still unclear if many are really interested in their own pill—we should all remember that between condoms, pills, patches, rings, and IUDs, there are many methods couple can rely on for preventing pregnancy.

April is STD Awareness Month

With so many months and even weeks dedicated to disease, causes, or remembrances, it can be easy to let them pass unrecognized. But we here at Rewire thought it was important to remind our readers that April is STD Awareness Month, because the epidemic in this country is growing out of control. For the first time in a decade, cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are all on the rise.

Syphilis—a disease that not long ago, we thought could be eradicated—has increased by 40 percent between 2010 and 2014. While much of this increase is seen in men who have sex with men, rates among women are increasing as well. There has also been an increase in cases of ocular syphilis, which infects the eyes and can cause permanent blindness.

Along with this, we have seen a rise in the rate of congenital syphilis, which occurs when an infected woman passes the bacteria to her infant. As Rewire reported, the rate of congenital syphilis increased 38 percent between 2012 and 2014. Congenital syphilis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, severe illness in the infant, and even early infant death. There were 438 nationwide cases of congenital syphilis in 2014, which led to 25 stillbirths and eight deaths within 30 days of birth.

Rewire has also been reporting on the possibility of antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea that could turn a once easy-to-treat bacterial infection into a very dangerous disease.

We really do need to be aware of STDs and take steps to prevent them in ourselves and our communities. The CDC has given us all three easy tasks for this month—Talk, Test, Treat. So, for April, let’s talk openly about STDs with our friends, relatives, and partners; get tested if we’ve been exposed to any risk; and of course, seek treatment if necessary.