LOS ANGELES – As the name of the podcast implies, Shameless Sex is not a forum in which the hosts are hesitant to take up thorny issues surrounding human sexuality. In the latest example of how much their audience appreciates and approves of the show’s intrepid bent, April Lampert and Amy Baldwin took up the topic of sexually transmitted infections in this week’s episode, appropriately titled “The STD (AKA STI) Episode.”

“It’s amazing, this particular episode – we have received more emails of praise and gratitude from this than any of our other shows,” Lampert said. “It’s a topic most of the public don’t like to speak on, and we wanted to address this and let people know that there is no shame in contracting an STI – it is more normal than anyone can imagine.”

Lampert and Baldwin brought in a special guest, Nurse Practitioner Remy Paille, to respond to sensitive questions about sexual health, covering “STIs, birth control, hormonal changes and nutrients/nutritional supplements for optimum daily wellness” the podcast noted in a release about the new episode.

The show took a personal turn when Lampert revealed what she termed a life-defining event that took place when she was 17. In response “fans voiced their support, sending a sea of emails to the hosts.” The hosts said one listener wrote in to say their “eyes teared up listening to April tell her story… THANK YOU for sharing your experience publicly and thank you April and Amy for this podcast.”

Noting that “STIs are consistently on the rise,” Lampert said STIs are “still a topic engrossed in shame and guilt and remains scary for people to approach.”

“There seems to be a lack of understanding and openness in sharing – people are obviously hungry for a way to normalize their experience so they don’t feel alone and broken,” Lampert added. “This podcast opened some serious floodgates!”

According to the release, each week the Shameless Sex Podcast receives over 500,000 downloads via Apple Podcasts and by people directly visiting the show’s website, as well as over 500,000 listens on a variety of other platforms and apps, including Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher and YouTube.

For more information about the podcast, visit ShamelessSex.com and follow the show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.