‘The number who express immense gratitude is overwhelming’

As research questions the effectivenss of sex change operations, a surgeon who has performed 200 of them tells David Batty the majority of his patients have gone on to lead much happier lives.

Mistaken identity

There are up to 400 sex change operations a year carried out in Britain. Some transsexuals who resort to surgery live to regret it, others decidedly do not. David Batty hears their stories.

Beware the sexperts

It's not just teenagers who need sex education - adults do, too. Petra Boynton despairs of the new regiment of pundits who make a living out of talking dirty.

Hospitals blamed as sex disease figures soar

Chief medical officer will urge reduction in clinic waiting times to fight huge rise in disease rates.

Schools fail to hold back surge of sexual diseases

Teenagers want less emphasis on biology and more guidance on emotions in sex education classes.

Foreign travel can increase risk of sex infections, says study

Holidays can be bad for your health, according to research suggesting that those who seek sex in the sun should be screened for infectious diseases when they return.

Young, free and infectious

Rates of sexually transmitted diseases are rising alarmingly; overworked clinics are turning patients away; and still young people aren't getting the message about unprotected sex. Julie Wheelwright on Britain's teenage sexual health crisis.

Celibacy and the city

John O'Farrell: A movement called the Silver Ring Thing are promoting the idea that young people should not have sexual relations before marriage, which is an inversion of the usual British tradition of abstaining from sex after marriage.