TresSugar

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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Cervical Fluid: What It Says About Your Fertility

DearSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 -0700

So I've already gone into detail about how cervical fluid is totally normal and how you have different kinds, but what does it all mean in relation to your fertility?

As a general rule, you are most fertile on the last day of egg white cervical fluid (this is the day before or the day you ovulate). This wetness provides nutrients for the sperm to survive, and also makes it easy for those little guys to swim to your fallopian tubes and find your egg. This doesn't mean you are only fertile for one day though. Remember that an egg can live up to 24 hours, and more than one egg can be released during the time of ovulation. Also, sperm can survive inside a woman for up to five days. So to be safe, it's best to think of a women's fertile phase as lasting for about 9 or 10 days. This is very important info whether you are trying to prevent or plan for a pregnancy.

Dear's Advice: This is just a general overview, so if you're really interested in learning more about this, check out the amazing book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

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Cervical Fluid: It's Totally Normal

DearSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I'm sure you've all noticed some wetness down there in your lady business - maybe you thought it was some kind of an infection, but then miraculously, it goes away, right? Well that's your cervical fluid, and it's not an infection at all. It's actually totally normal, and if you take notice of it in the weeks leading up to your period, you'll be able to tell when you're the most fertile. Your cervical fluid will become progressively wetter as you approach ovulation.

To check your cervical fluid, you're going to need to get pretty intimate with your lady parts. In the privacy of your own home, slide your index and middle finger just at the beginning of the vaginal opening. Glance away so you can feel the sensation. Is it creamy? Dry? Sticky? Slippery? The answer will give you great insight into what's happening inside your body.

To check out a chart explaining the difference between each kind of cervical fluid read more.

Type of Cervical Fluid	Explanation
Menses	This is your menstrual fluid. It's red or dark brown in color, and very wet.
Spotting	This is when you're period is almost over. It's brownish in color, sometimes streaky, and sometimes thick and sticky.
Nothing	It's dry. No cervical fluid is present. You may feel dampness on your finger, but it quickly evaporates.
Sticky	It's opaque white or slightly yellow in color, and occasionally clear. It can be fairly thick. It has a sticky quality, or rather no wetness. It may be crumbly or flaky like paste, or gummy and rubbery like rubber cement.
Creamy	It's milky or cloudy, white or yellowish in color. It'll feel creamy like lotion, wet, watery, or thin.
Egg White	It's usually clear, but it can have opaque streaks in it. It's extremely slippery and wet, like raw egg whites. You'll have a lubricative feeling at your vaginal opening, and it can stretch from one to 10 inches.

I know this is a lot of info to digest, so tune in tomorrow to find out what your cervical fluid is trying to tell you.

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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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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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Your Menstrual Cycle: What the Heck is Going on?

DearSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:00:00 -0700

Let's talk about your menstrual cycle. Fun topic, huh? Every woman should know what's going on inside her body every month, because it'll help you understand your physical and emotional self a little bit better.

If you are not on the Pill or any other contraception involving hormones, you get your period -- some women have shorter cycles (26 days or less) and some women have longer cycles (32 days or more). Every woman's cycle is different, some have regular periods, some have irregular, some have a heavy flow, some are blessed with a light flow. Regardless of your cycyle, this is a basic breakdown of what's happening inside your body:

DAY 1: You get your period (wa-hoo!)

DAY 2-7 (earlier or later): You have your period.

DAY 10-18 (earlier or later): This is halfway through your cycle and this is when you ovulate and should avoid unprotected sex at all costs if you don't want to get pregnant. On the other hand, if you are trying to get pregnant, have at it ladies!

Ovulation is not necessarily on DAY 14 like you may have learned in your Sex Ed class. If you have a shorter cycle, you may ovulate as soon as DAY 10. One way to tell if you're ovulating is because you'll have really wet cervical fluid (like egg whites). This is not discharge and it's not a bad thing -- think of it as the perfect environment for sperm to swim upstream, which is why you have cervical fluid in the first place - to help you get pregnant.

You may also notice a little pinching pain on the right or left of your abdomen, right inside your hip bones. That's where your ovaries are located, and what you are feeling is the egg releasing from your ovary. Some women also experience breast tenderness, bloating, light spotting, or an increased sex drive -- almost like PMS symptoms all over again.

Want to know what happens next? Then read more

DAY 21-32 (earlier or later): You are done ovulating. Most women will start feeling PMS symptoms during this time which include all the fun stuff: cramps, mood swings, uncontrollable crying, feelings of depression, bloating, sore breasts, food cravings (did someone say chocolate?), fatigue, and headaches.

And then, it all repeats itself. Pretty cool to know what's going on, huh? Knowing your specific cycle will help you out tremendously.

Dear's Advice: I definitely recommend charting your cycle on a calendar. Write down when you get your period, and your physical and emotional symptoms each month for about 6 months, and see if you notice a pattern.

If you want to learn more about what's going on with your cycle, check out this book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It changed my life.

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No More Conspicuous Red Dots

GiggleSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:00:00 -0700

It's a nice gesture, but that glass ceiling . . . yeah, it's still there.

Thanks, College Humor!

Hump Day: Why Do I Get Dry Sometimes?

TresSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Welcome to Hump Day, TrèsSugar's sex advice column. Are you confused about sex? Do you have trouble having an orgasm? Is there something you'd like to try but you're worried it's too weird? Send your questions to TrèsSugar, and our friend Dr. Charlie Glickman from Good Vibrations will offer his sound advice!

Today's Question:

"I get really dry sometimes when my boyfriend and I are having sex. I know all about lubricants, but I'm having trouble guessing when I might need help." To read Dr. Glickman's response, read more

There are a lot of reasons why women experience fluctuations in how much they lubricate. For some, it’s just part of the menstrual cycle. Some women lubricate more at ovulation, while others say that’s when they’re driest. Lots of women also report that their vaginal lubrication changed when they got pregnant and again, some say that they became much wetter and others say that they got drier. So while we know that changes in hormones can influence it, there’s a lot of variation in how much and in what direction. It’s also worth mentioning that menopause generally reduces how much lubrication your body will produce.

Lots of medications and drugs also affect vaginal lubrication, even if it’s rarely listed on the bottle or box. For example, allergy medications are formulated to dry the mucous membranes in your sinuses, but they can do the same to the vagina. Anti-depressants, antihistamines, anxiety medications, smoking cigarettes or marijuana, and drinking alcohol can do the same. In general, if a medication or drug makes your mouth or sinuses dry, it could also reduce vaginal lubrication. Unfortunately, most doctors are unaware of these effects or they don’t feel comfortable talking to their patients about it.

I think it’s really unfortunate that we have this cultural myth that vaginal lubrication is proportional to arousal. Many women find that they can be totally turned on while being pretty dry and others might be quite wet while barely aroused. The best thing we can do is learn to separate the two things in our minds.

You say that you know about lubricants, but for the folks who don’t, here’s a little info.

There are pros and cons to the lubricants on the market, and it can take a little experimenting to find one that will work for you. You might also find that a lube that worked great for a long time isn’t working so well anymore. It’s kind of like shampoo or skin lotion - after a while, you might need to change brands as your individual chemistry changes.

Water-based lubricants can be thin and slippery, or they can be thicker gels. They rinse away really easily, making cleanup a snap, but they do dry out after a while. The glycerin-based lubes last a bit longer, but they tend to get sticky when they dry out. You can add a little water or saliva to freshen them up. While glycerin doesn’t cause yeast infections, it can make one worse if you get one for some other reason, so if you’re prone to yeast infections, avoid these lubes. The glycerin-free lubricants don’t get sticky, but they usually don’t quite last as long. They soak in like hand lotion, so adding water doesn’t work; you need to add some more.

Silicone lubricants don’t dry out (so if you spill some on the kitchen floor, be sure to wipe it up) and are hypoallergenic. They’re also waterproof, which is a plus if you want to have sex in the shower but it can make them a bit trickier to clean up and they sometimes stain sheets. They’re also hypoallergenic and have no taste or scent.

Some people like to use oils as sexual lubricants. If you want to give them a try, use something organic and vegetable-based, such as coconut or almond oils. Mineral oils like baby oil or Vaseline actually dry the skin since the body can’t absorb them or break them down. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so it doesn’t go rancid. Keep almond oil in the fridge. And never use oils with latex condoms, diaphragms or cervical caps. Oils will make them dissolve: a condom will break in about 30 seconds if it comes into contact with oil.

A few tips for using lubricants. First, keep the bottle near the bed. You’ll want to be able to grab it when you need it. Second, pump bottles make it a lot easier to add more without fumbling to get the bottle open. Third, if you accidentally get too much lube out of the bottle, don’t put the extra back in. You don’t want to contaminate the bottle with anything that might be on your hand. And lastly, many lube makers offer single-use packets or small bottles. While they cost more per ounce than larger bottles, you can stick them in a pocket or purse pretty easily, not to mention your carry-on bag.

So I think that the best thing for you to do is to keep lube handy and use it when you need it. It takes about 5 seconds to apply and it’ll make sex a lot more fun. And don’t stress about whether it means anything that you sometimes need a little extra slipperiness.

Don't forget to send your questions to TrèsSugar, and our friend Dr. Charlie Glickman will offer his sound advice!

Do You Believe in Pheromones?

DearSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:00:46 -0800

Some guys seem to exude sex, a trait often attributed to pheromones, the chemical signals that people supposedly emit when they're in the mood. But turns out, scientists have never been able to find evidence of such pheromones in humans.

In an essay published in the journal Nature, scientists say they haven't pinned down so-called "releaser pheromones" in humans, which would trigger sexual desire. They have, however, found evidence of "primer pheromones" related to physical reactions. Here's more:

Scientists have observed what they think are the effects of human primer pheromones, including studies showing that some compound in the extract from a woman's armpit can cause menstrual cycles of nearby women to sync up. And a recent study found that women can smell a guy's sexual intentions. . . . But without any actual chemicals identified as pheromones, scientists can't test effects on humans, so the jury is out as to whether we communicate via pheromones.

OK, first of all: How cool is it that they may have proven that menstrual-cycle syncing actually happens?! I thought that was just a myth. That makes me wonder if the sexual pheromones thing is also a myth or if maybe it's just not proven yet. What do you think?

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Study Reveals Shopping Linked to Periods - Who Cares?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:30:03 -0700

A lot of times research studies reveal conclusions that make me say duh. Did you know science proves that men remember the bodies of women clad in bikinis better than those of fully clothed women?

Today the British Psychological Society revealed that in the 10 days before their periods, women are more likely to go on a spending spree. The revelation that women make hormone-induced bad decisions has me thinking: can some "studies" double as useless and detrimental to society?

The study, which surveyed women about their spending habits, concluded that women were more likely to buy on an impulse during the later stages of their menstrual cycle, thanks to a reaction to intense emotions and hormonal changes. More than half overspent by about $50.

Do you need a study to tell you to put the credit card back in your wallet? You don't really want that new pair of shoes, you're just being hormonal! Is this study eye-opening or does it simply further a stereotype?

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