Information on popular complementary and alternative medical topics
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Archive for the 'Women’s Health' Category
Knowing the survival time of sperm and ovum, we can work out that the fertile period may extend from seven days before until 24 hours after ovulation. Each cycle has two infertile phases: the first phase lasts from the first day of menstruation until about seven days before ovulation and the second infertile phase lasts from 24 hours after ovulation until the first day of the next menstruation. You can use this knowledge to assess when you are fertile by noting various changes in your body during the menstrual cycle and knowing what these changes mean.
• Changes in cervical mucus and the cervix tell you that the fertile period has begun and that ovulation is approaching.
• A rise in basal body temperature pi further changes in cervical mucus tell you that ovulation has occurred and that the second infertile phase has begun.
There are thus several ways you can use fertility awareness, depending on which changes you concentrate on and observe in your body. These methods are known as the rhythm (calendar), the temperature, the mucus (ovulation, Billings) and the symptothermal (combines mucus am temperature) methods.
The rhythm (calendar) method
The rhythm of your menstrual cycles is observed to calculate your most likely time of fertility, based on the knowledge that ovulation usually occurs around two weeks before the next period starts. But because even women with the most regular cycles can sometimes ovulate early or late, the rhythm method got a bad reputation for its high failure rate. Now that we have more reliable methods of fertility awareness, the rhythm method is no longer recommended. However, just for the record I’ll describe how the calculation was done.
• First, the length of menstrual cycles was rioted for a minimum of six months. For women whose cycles varied widely, observation of 12 cycles was advised.
• From the length of the shortest cycle during the observation period 20 days were subtracted. This marked the first day of the fertile phase by allowing 14-16 days for the length of time after ovulation plus 6-4 days for sperm survival time.
• Eleven days were subtracted from the longest cycle (which allowed for the shortest time from ovulation to menstruation) to find the last day of the fertile phase.
Thus, for example, if your cycle varied from 27 to 30 days, the time of abstinence would be from the 7th to the 19th days, but if your cycle varied from 21 to 35 days you would need to avoid coitus for 24 days from the first day of menstruation. This amount of abstinence is not acceptable to many couples.
If you intend to use temperature, mucus or cervical changes, it’s best to learn the method from a teacher properly trained to observe and interpret these signs.
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Can the Pill be taken continuously?
Yes, and some women choose to take the Pill this way when they realise that the only purpose of the week off is to produce a withdrawal bleed. A scheme that was successfully tried in Scotland is 12 weeks (four 21-day packs) of hormones followed by a week off. This results in four withdrawal bleeds per year instead of the usual 13, and reduces the frequency of symptoms that some women experience during the Pill-free week, such as headaches.
Is missing the break between cycles harmful?
Almost certainly not. However, because all studies on safety of the Pill have been done on women taking a week off after each 21 days of hormones, it’s impossible to give an absolute ‘No’ to this question. In theory ill effects are extremely unlikely. Some women have reported spotting or a feeling of bloatedness after some months without a break.
Can you use the Pill to time bleeding?
Yes. If you want to miss or postpone bleeding so that it doesn’t coincide with a sporting or other event in your plans, just go on to the next pack without taking the week off or the dummy tablets. This is straightforward if you’re taking a monophasic Pill. However, if your Pill is biphasic or triphasic, you must go on in the next pack with the same-coloured hormone pills as those that you were taking at the end of the last pack. (If you take the dummies or lower-dose -different-coloured – tablets at the beginning of a triphasic or biphasic cycle, bleeding will occur.) Stop the Pill 24-72 hours before it’s convenient to have your withdrawal bleed. Start a new pack within seven days (it doesn’t matter if it’s less than seven) and put aside the part-used pack as ‘spares’.
If you manipulate withdrawal bleeds in this way, the important thing to remember is never to have more than seven days’ break from the hormone tablets.
Why can’t all women take the Pill?
Oral contraceptives can aggravate some conditions. Your doctor will take a full health history before prescribing the Pill. Other methods of contraception will probably be suggested if you have or have had any of the following:
• high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, blood clot in the lung or leg
• acute or chronic liver disease •jaundice or severe skin itching during previous pregnancy
• certain types of cancer
• abnormal vaginal bleeding of unknown cause (though the Pill may be used to treat certain types of irregular bleeding after diagnosis)
• severe diabetes
• certain types of migraine
• systemic lupus erythematosus Non-hormonal contraception may be advised if you’re a heavy smoker.
If surgery is planned, ask your doctor whether you should stop the Pill beforehand. If you have emergency surgery, make sure that your doctor or the hospital bows that you’re taking oral contraceptives. The combined Pill should not be used during breast-feeding, but the mini-Pill may be used.
In some conditions the Pill may be less effective. These include:
• certain chronic bowel disorders that may reduce absorption of the hormones
• illnesses such as epilepsy and tuberculosis and some fungal skin conditions, which need treatment with drugs that can reduce the effectiveness of the Pill.
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WOMEN: PREGNANCY IN ADOLESCENCE
Author: admin
An unplanned pregnancy in your teens is usually a disaster. Out of each hundred Australian women under the age of 20 who conceive, less than five will be married or plan to become pregnant. Even though effective contraception is easy to get these days, nine out of ten adolescent girls risk pregnancy from their first sex. Once sex becomes regular, nine out of ten are taking precautions.
Are there any adolescent girls these days who don’t know about contraception? Why do they take the risk? There seems to be a block against using it the first time, based on a heap of myths and notions including the following.
• ‘It can’t happen the first time’ (one in five teenage girls become pregnant during the first month of risking it).
• Tm too young to get pregnant’ (not after you’ve started periods, and sometimes even before).
• ‘I don’t want to appear to be anticipating sex – “nice girls don’t”.’
• ‘Contraception takes the spontaneity and pleasure out of sex’ (a teenage pregnancy takes more out of your life).
• I’m too embarrassed to ask for contraception’ (how would you feel about admitting you’re pregnant?).
• ‘Contraceptives can be harmful, and I they’re too expensive’ (contraception is very rarely harmful, and having a baby or an abortion is very expensive).
• ‘My parents might find the contraceptives at home’ (I hope most would prefer this to finding out that you’re pregnant).
Be prepared. You can get condoms from pharmacies and many supermarkets, and other contraception from your doctor or a Family Planning Centre.
If you do become pregnant, what will you do? There’s the choice of:
• marrying or setting up home with the father
• having the baby and bringing it up as a single parent
• having the baby and giving it for adoption (this rarely happens these days)
• having an abortion.
Often all the options are bad. Marriages forced by pregnancy have the highest divorce rate; being a young single parent is usually very tough; abortion may be against your beliefs. Pregnancy counselling services will give you information to help with your decision.
You may dread breaking the news to your family. You will certainly have to tell them if you continue the pregnancy. If you decide on abortion you may not need to confide in your parents, but it is in the best interests of family relationships if you do. Parents often hit the roof at first, but it’s rare for them not to come round after they’ve cooled off, offering you support in whatever decision you make.
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The growth spurt and budding of breast in early puberty are soon followed changes in the other reproductive organs.
In childhood all that can be seen of the external genitals are the rather flat, undeveloped outer lips of the vulva, and the genital cleft between them. Around the age of 10 to 11 you will notice some downy, pale hair appearing on the outer lips (labia majora). Over the next few years this pubic hair becomes thicker, coarser, curler and often darker, and extends to cover the outer surfaces of the labia majora and to meet in the middle over the pubic bone so that the vulva can no longer be seen.
While pubic hair is growing, fat is deposited over the pubic bone so that this region protrudes more and is called the mons veneris (Latin for ‘hill of love’!). The labia majora enlarge in width and length. The inner lips (labia minora) grow, and may partly protrude from between the labia majora – sometimes on one side more than the other. They often develop an irregular edge and a rather wrinkled surface.
The membrane covering the labia minora and the inner surfaces of the labia minora changes from the pale pink, rather shiny appearance of childhood to dull red, and becomes moistened by fluid draining from the vagina. You may notice a small clear or white stain with a characteristic sweetish smell on your underpants. This is normal, as long as the discharge isn’t yellowish, bad smelling or itchy.
The clitoris, which lies beneath a ‘hood’ of skin where the labia minora meet in front, also enlarges. The genitals become much more sensitive to touch, especially the clitoris and the labia minora. You will notice exciting and enoyable sexual feelings stimulated by the lightest touch and sometimes just when you think of sex. This is normal.
The growth of pubic hair is controlled by hormones from the adrenal gland. Its pattern of growth (amount, colour, where it grows) is controlled by the genes you inherit. The development of the rest of your genitals is controlled by oestrogen from your ovaries. By the mid to late teen years, genital development has reached adult stage.
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