TresSugar

Five Common Causes For Late Periods

DearSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0700

A late period is one of the scariest experiences if you're not planning on being a mom anytime soon. It's actually pretty normal for women's periods to be delayed for several reasons, and you shouldn't just assume it's because you're pregnant. Here are a few to keep in mind.

Your cycle might be irregular from month to month. This means that last month your cycle might have been 24 days long, and this month it could be 32 days long. When your period doesn't show up when it's expected, it could be because your body hasn't finished its cycle yet.
Stress caused you to ovulate later than usual. Your body releases an egg from your ovary with the intention of becoming pregnant and if you were worried or upset about something at that specific time, your body will wait until it feels you are emotionally ready. That means you could ovulate up to a week or more later than usual or you could even skip your period altogether.
You are sick or injured. If your body is not well, then you aren't equipped to handle a pregnancy. Your body will ovulate when it feels you are healthy again. This could delay your period or stop it altogether.
You're not getting enough to eat or are exercising too intensely. This again will affect your overall health. If your body is working too hard to keep you well, then there's no way a pregnancy can occur. Your period may be late, irregular, or it may disappear altogether until your body feels that your health is in order.
You're taking new medication. Taking certain prescriptions or changing your meds can affect your cycle, so talk to your doctor if you skip your period.

Dear's Advice: If your cycle is consistently regular and your period happens to be unusually late, worrying about whether you're pregnant isn't going to make you get it any faster so take a pregnancy test to help ease your mind. Whatever the results are, you'll be able to decide what step to take from there.

You're Fertile and We Know It (It's in Your Voice)

DearSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Now this is interesting! Without even realizing it, a man may be able to know when a woman is most fertile by the sound of her voice. According to a study from the State University of New York at Albany, a woman's voice changes when she's ovulating - it becomes sexier and more alluring. How did scientists figure this out? Women were asked to count from one to 10 at four times throughout their cycles, and their voices were recorded. The ones that were rated most attractive came from women who were ovulating, even when compared to recordings taken from the same women at earlier or later times during their cycles.

What causes this? Sex hormones rise and fall and can affect the way a woman's voice box works. It may be too subtle to really notice, but apparently men can pick up on it and they tend to find a women more attractive because of it. Researchers aren't convinced yet though, and more research needs to be done since this may have less to do with voice changes and more to do with mood changes. Some scientists feel a person just might be more attracted to a happier-sounding woman, rather than where she is in her cycle. So what's your take on this fascinating study?

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You Can Get Pregnant if...

DearSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:00:00 -0700

Lately I have been getting inundated with questions from women ending with "Am I pregnant?" so I just want to clear up what needs to happen in order for you to even think there could be a remote possibility that you are preggers.

In order to get pregnant, you must have sex when you are ovulating, about 10-18 days after the first day of your period. During ovulation, your body releases an egg from one of its ovaries (you have two) each month and in order to get pregnant, a sperm has to unite with your egg. Since sperm can live up to 5 days inside a woman's body, technically a sperm could still be swimming inside you in which case it is possible it can fertilize your egg. Stress and taking certain meds can make you ovulate later in your cycle or not at all, which is why your period can be "late," so if you are worried you might be pregnant, take a pregnancy test.

What about if a guy ejaculates outside of your body? To find out, read more

If a guy ejaculates outside of your body, you can't get pregnant unless his semen comes in contact with your vagina. After he ejaculates, if you're still wanting to continue your intimacy, it's a good idea for both of you to wash your hands and any area where his sperm is present just in case.

Also, having sex while you have your period is usually a "safe" time, but if you don't want to end up a mom, use birth control! Find a method that's right for you. Condoms work well, but the guy MUST put one on before having sex, even if it's for a few minutes. Why? Pre-cum is a liquid that comes out of a man's penis before he ejaculates and it can contain sperm, so you don't want that inside you whatsoever since pre-cum can get you pregnant.

The Pill, the NuvaRing, and other hormonal birth control methods are great too. They prevent you from ovulating in the first place so they are very effective at protecting you against pregnancy, but only when used properly. They don't however protect you from STIs - only condoms can do that.

This can be a confusing subject, so feel free to keep the questions coming. It's better to know the facts than to end up pregnant.

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Sexual Response Cycle: What Happens Before, During, and After Your Orgasm

DearSugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

When I first learned what happens physiologically when we’re turned on, my initial response was, “oh, so that’s what’s going on.” If you’ve never learned the details of your body’s sexual-response cycle than I think you might have the same reaction I did. If you have, it’s never bad to get a reminder on just how incredible our bods are! To learn the basics about all four stages, read more.

Excitement: This phase is what you could consider as the foreplay portion. This is when muscle tension starts to build, blood rushes to your genitals and breasts, lubrication kicks into gear, and of course, your resting heart rate increases.
Plateau: Ever feel like you just get stuck right before an orgasm? You’re probably trapped in the plateau phase, which occurs immediately preceding the big "O." This phase is marked by escalation of the traits in the excitement phase as well as muscle spasms. At this point the clitoris becomes highly sensitive, and in some cases, painful to the touch.
Orgasm: Although fairly self-explanatory, during an orgasm your heart rate increases, accompanied by rapid breathing. Your body experiences many involuntary muscle contractions, specifically in the vagina and uterus.
Resolution: The final phase is simply your body returning to its normal resting state. And it’s usually a time of good feelings and fatigue. Many women can easily return to the orgasm phase at this point, thus experiencing multiple orgasms.

Both men and women go through these same four stages, though obviously, men are marked by a series of different reactions specific to the male body. It’s most important to note that the time that each of these phases occur will vary for men and women. Being able to understand where your partner is versus where you are in the cycle can truly enhance your sexual experiences.

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Dear Quiz: What Did You Learn About the Sexual Response Cycle?

DearSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Earlier this week I told you all about the sexual response cycle or what happens to our bodies before, during, and after an orgasm. Take this brief quiz to see if you learned anything!

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Take the quiz

Vampax: Stay Close to Your Vampire Boyfriend All Month Long

TresSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:52 -0800

Twilight Cycles from Brandon Routh

Is your monthly cycle getting between you and your vampire lover? Sounds like you need Vampax - new tampon technology that promises to keep you safe while you run around the forest with your brooding bloodsucking boyfriend. Learn all about it in this Twilight parody from the people at Funny or Die. It's disgustingly funny.

Can You Get Pregnant When You Have Your Period?

DearSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:00:00 -0700

For a while, I always thought that you could have unprotected sex while you had your period, and it was a "safe" time when you wouldn't have to worry about getting pregnant. Then I heard there are a few cases where women have gotten pregnant, so what's the deal?!

If a woman has a typical 28-day menstrual cycle, then she will ovulate in the middle of her cycle (around 14 days after the 1st day of her period). Even if she has unprotected sex 5 days before she ovulates, she can get pregnant (remember that sperm can live up to 5 days inside a woman's vagina).

Studies show that if a woman's cycle is shorter than 28 days, she'll ovulate much sooner, so if she has unprotected sex while she has her period, it's possible that sperm can still be around when she eventually ovulates - meaning women with shorter cycles may be able to get pregnant if they have unprotected sex while they have their period.

Other factors also play a big role. Stress and certain medications can make you ovulate later or earlier than expected, which in turn will affect when you get your period. This can cause some women to have erratic cycles, where one month it's 25 days long and the next month it's 33 days long. If this sounds like you, then it may be hard to determine when you ovulate, so if you don't want to end up preggers, don't have unprotected sex ever.

What about a "false period?" To find out read more

A true period happens about 2 weeks after you ovulate. The blood is a shedding of your uterine wall due to lack of conception. A false period, like spotting can really be the first signs of pregnancy so if she doesn't know she's pregnant, she can continue going through the month not knowing she's already pregnant -- a scary thought I know. If she had sex during that "false period" when she was spotting (and already pregnant), she'll think she got pregnant at that time, when in reality, she got pregnant about 2 weeks before that "false period."

Spotting or irregular bleeding (that's not a real period) can also happen if you're using an IUD, if you've recently had an abortion, if you have stress or a fluctuation in your hormones, if you have low thyroid levels, injury to your vagina, an infection, or if you are on certain medications such as anticoagulants.

The bottom line is, unless you are charting your cycle every day and measuring your fertility signs (cervical fluid, body temperature, and position of your cervix), there's really no way to know for sure when you ovulate and if your period is a true period.

Dear's Advice: If you are sexually active, and you don't want to get pregnant, make sure to use an effective form of birth control every time you have sex. It doesn't matter if you use condoms, the Pill, the Nuvaring, the Patch, or the Shot - just make sure to use it properly!

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Do Tell: How Do You Keep Track of Your Period?

DearSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I'm sure many of you are so in tune with your bodies that you know exactly when Aunt Flo is going to pay you a visit. Some women count days and keep track of their periods on their calendar, some women record the details of their cycles on a fertility awareness chart, and others just know based on their birth control (how many pills they have left in their pack or how long they've been wearing their NuvaRing). Of course PMS and the responses our bodies give us are a great indication (did someone say sore boobs?), but how do you keep track of your cycle? Is it something you monitor religiously, or something you do every once in a while when you remember?

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Do You Believe in Menstrual Synchrony?

DearSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0800

If you've ever lived with other women, and none of you were on hormonal birth control, you may have discovered that your cycles slowly began to mimic each others. This is called menstrual synchrony, but many scientists will say that women who live together, menstruate together is hogwash. I've actually experienced this so there's got to be some truth to it.

In 1971, Martha McClintock studied 135 college women. She wrote down the starting date of their periods at three different times during the year. She discovered that women who lived in close-knit groups had their periods an average of 6 to 4 days apart during certain times of the year. It's said to be caused by pheromones, the release of chemical signals that influence behavior and physiology among people. Other studies conducted after this, however, showed no connection between women living together and their cycles synchronizing.

What do you think about menstrual synchrony? Have you ever lived with a woman (sister, mother, roommate) or group of women and noticed that you had your periods about the same time?

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Who Is The Whiniest Model On ANTM?

GiggleSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:30:00 -0800

America's Next Top Model (Cycle has already created a hothouse of clashing, bruised and deluded egos. Alliances have been formed, lines have been drawn in the sand, and tears have been a-flowin'. It's not surprising that beautiful women might be difficult, but who do you think has been the whiniest so far?

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