TresSugar

The Biology of Your Lady Business

DearSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 07:00:00 PDT

I really wish I'd paid more attention in my sex ed class when the teacher taught us all the science-y facts about our lady business. There's so much to know, and being that it's such an important part of your body, take this quiz for a little brush-up.

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What's the Deal With the Diaphragm?

DearSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:00:00 PDT

I've been talking a lot about many forms of birth control including hormonal ones like the Pill, the Patch, and Depo-Provera, and about barrier methods like the male and female condom. A diaphragm is another form of barrier method, which prevents sperm from getting to your precious eggs.

It is a shallow, bowl-shaped piece of rubber with a flexible rim that fits over your vagina and covers the cervix so sperm can't reach your uterus. Your vaginal muscles keep it in place.

Advantages:

You need to get fitted for one by your gynecologist, but once you have it, and if you take care of it properly, it should last 1-2 years.
It usually can't be felt during sex by either partner.
You can keep it inside you for up to 24 hours.
It doesn't change your menstrual cycle.
It doesn't affect future fertility.

There are unfortunately many disadvantages so click here to

Disadvantages:

It's only 84% effective at preventing pregnancy.
It doesn't protect you against STIs.
You have to use it with spermicide, which can be messy and irritating to some women.
More spermicide has to be added every time you have sex.
You have to leave it inside you for at least 6 hours after intercourse
If the diaphragm is left in place for more than 24 hours, the woman runs the risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS).
It's possible that the diaphragm can become dislodged during sex. If that happens, there's a chance you could become pregnant.
It may cause UTIs.
If you gain or lose 10 pounds, you may need to be fitted for a new size.

If you are in a mutually monogamous relationship with someone you know is disease free, this could be a great option for you. Although the fact that it's only 84% effective at preventing pregnancy doesn't make me want to jump up and get one! Talk to your gynecologist about whether a diaphragm is right for you.

Dear's Advice: The natural hormones in a female body affect the position of her cervix throughout her cycle. To ensure a proper fit, women should make sure that she is fitted mid-cycle at the time of ovulation, when her cervix is the highest.

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What Do You Know About Your Eggs and Ovulation?

DearSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:00:00 PDT

Every month, once we hit puberty, women produce eggs for the sole purpose of getting pregnant. Those eggs are just waiting for a strong sperm to swim by and fertilize it.

I'm wondering how much you know about your eggs and what happens when you ovulate, so take this quiz and find out.

Take the Quiz

Prevent Pregnancy For Five Years With Mirena

DearSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:00:00 PDT

The Mirena is a type of IUD (intrauterine device) that is placed inside your uterus (by a doctor or nurse practitioner) to prevent pregnancy for up to five years. It's a T-shaped piece of plastic that emits hormones into your uterus directly. The hormones stay in the uterus and are not systemic, meaning they do not go to other parts of your body. This is why it won't cause significant weight gain like oral contraceptives sometimes do or increase breast tenderness. Another bonus is that the Mirena might also shorten, lighten, or even eliminate periods altogether while you use it.

OK, but how does Mirena work? The small amounts of levonorgestrel released by Mirena make your cervical mucus thick and tacky so sperm can't swim through it. If the sperm gets in, then they can't make it to the egg to fertilize it.

Another way the Mirena, or IUDs in general, prevent pregnancy is it promotes the production of white blood cells and when a foreign object is placed inside the uterus, your body creates these white blood cells to defend itself. So when you have sex, if sperm does make it through your tacky mucus to your uterus, the white blood cells will attack them.

Interested in how effective it is? To see the stats, just

Mirena is 99.9 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and like metal IUDs, it needs to be fitted and removed by a medical professional, but once it's in place, that's it, you're done, no fuss, no muss!

Dear's Advice: Mirena is great if you are looking for hassle-free birth control for up to five years straight. Just a reminder, it does not prevent against STIs, so that's why it's great to use if you are in a long-term relationship with someone you know is disease-free.

Pain During Sex?

DearSugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Sex is supposed to feel good emotionally and physically. Although women may not have that huge BANG of an orgasm (or a few if you're really lucky) like men do, making love is still supposed to be a happy and pleasurable experience. If you are feeling discomfort or pain during sex (called dyspareunia), something is wrong. Here are some reasons sex could be hurting:

As I've said before, lubrication is key in order for sex to feel good. If you are not creating enough of your own "love juices" then I recommend increasing the amount of foreplay time you have before sex. If that doesn't work, purchase a personal lubricant. Also, keep in mind that hormonal birth control and certain meds like allergy medicine can cause vaginal dryness.
If your lady business is feeling great normally, but when you have sex it burns or feels irritated, check your condom. Condoms that contain spermicidal lubricant can irritate your lady parts, so try and find condoms with plain old lubricant instead.
Latex condoms can also cause irritation. Some women have a latex allergy. It's an unmistakable and horrible feeling, but don't fret, that's what polyurethane condoms are for.

There are other reasons sex can feel painful. To find out what they are,

If you have an infection of any sort, lay off the between the sheets moments until you've given your body ample time to get rid of that infection.
Certain sexual positions can also hurt. A man can easily hit your pelvic bone in certain positions, and you'll know when he does, so let him know what feels good and what doesn't and try other positions that are pleasurable for you.

Dear's Advice: Pain during sex is a symptom that something is wrong. If you're experiencing pain consistently, there could be something going on with your uterus or ovaries, so it's best to get checked out by your gyno. Once you figure out the reason, you'll be loving sex again in no time.

Mirena: Birth Control For Up to 5 Years

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:15:00 PDT

The Mirena is a type of IUD, that is placed inside your uterus (by a doctor or nurse practitioner) to prevent pregnancy for up to 5 years. It's a T-shaped piece of plastic that emits hormones into your uterus directly, so it is considered an IUC (intrauterine contraceptive) or an IUS (intrauterine system). The hormones stay in the uterus and are not systemic, meaning they do not go to other parts of your body. This is why it won't cause significant weight gain like oral contraceptives sometimes do or increase breast tenderness. Another bonus is that the Mirena might also shorten, lighten, or even eliminate periods while you use it.

OK, but how does Mirena work? The small amounts of levonorgestrel (hormones) released by Mirena make your cervical mucus thick and tacky so sperm can't swim through it so it is difficult for them to make it to your uterus. If the sperm get in, then they can't make it to the egg to fertilize it.

Another way the Mirena, or IUDs in general, prevent pregnancy is it promote the production of white blood cells. When a foreign object is placed inside the uterus, the body creates white blood cells to defend itself. So when you have sex, if sperm do make it through your tacky mucus to your uterus, the white blood cells will attack them. Even if a sperm does fertilize the egg, the white blood cells will destroy that too.

Interested in how effective it is? To see the stats, just

Mirena is 99.9% effective at preventing pregnancy and like metal IUDs, it needs to be fitted and removed by a medical professional. Though once it's in place, that's it. You won't need to use any other form of birth control or even think about it.

Fit's Tips: Mirena is great if you are looking for hassle-free birth control for up to 5 years straight. Just a reminder, it DOES NOT prevent against STDs, so that's why it's great to use if you are in a long-term relationship with someone you know is disease-free.

It's also a great option if you've already had kids and aren't planning on having anymore, or if you know it's going to be many years before you want to start a family. If this interests you, ask you doctor about Mirena. Some doctors recommend against the using the IUD if you have not had children for they are more difficult to insert if you haven't had children.

IUD: Long-Term Birth Control

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 03:30:00 PST

IUD, also known as a coil, stands for intrauterine device. - "intra" meaning within, and "uterine" meaning of the uterus. An IUD is about 1.5 inches long and it's inserted into your uterus to prevent pregnancy. They are 99% effective.

There are 2 types of IUDs, ones made out of metal, and ones that release hormones similar to those found in oral contraceptives (the Pill.) Most of the metal IUDs have a plastic T-shaped frame that is wrapped with copper. The copper is believed to have spermicidal effects, which is one reason why it works. You can wear this one for up to 10 years.

IUD's that release hormones are also T-shaped, but they are made out of plastic. The hormones make your cervical fluid thick and tacky, making it difficult for sperm to swim in, so they never make it to the egg, so therefore they can't fertilize it. You can wear this one for up to 5 years.

Both kinds of IUDs have little plastic strings attached at the bottom that hangs down past the cervix. The string is not visible and it won't cause any problems during intercourse. The string is a safety check so you can check to make sure your IUD is still in place.

An IUD has to be fitted inside and removed from the uterus by a doctor or nurse practitioner. IUDs don't stop you from ovulating, so you still get your period, but your flow may become shorter or lighter, or may even stop altogether. Some women complain that their periods are irregular when using an IUD as birth control.

Want to know how they work? Then

When something foreign is inside your uterus, your body produces white blood cells, or leukocytes to defend itself. These white blood cells attack any sperm or eggs that may find their way into your uterus. Even if an egg does get fertilized, the white blood cells will attack it. For this reason, people who are against abortion, believing that life begins at conception, are against the IUD.

Fit's Tips: An IUD is great if you are looking for hassle-free birth control. In no way does it prevent against STDs, so that's why it's great to use if you are in a long-term relationship with someone you know is disease-free. That is why they are most often recommended for women who are married and done having children. Ask your doctor to discuss if an IUD may be right for you.

Uterus Transplants?

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 02:00:00 PST

A New York hospital is taking steps to offer the first uterus transplant in the U.S. This is an amazing and radical surgery that may allow women whose wombs were removed to still bear children.

The wombs would come from women who passed away, just as most organ transplants do. The woman would get the womb transplant, get pregnant (hopefully), and then give birth. After she gave birth, the uterus would then be removed, so she wouldn't have to take antirejection drugs her whole life.

The hospitals president warned women not to get their hopes up, because uterus transplant is not expected "any time in the near future."

Scientists are still doing research and conducting tests. They want to try it out on animals first, to make sure it is an effective procedure that produces healthy offspring.

Organ transplants usually are performed to save lives, but increasingly they are being done to improve the quality of life. Hand transplants and the recent partial face transplant of a woman in France are examples.

Uterus transplants might be next. They are a reassuring idea for women who can't have babies themselves, and whose only option for having a biological baby is through a surrogate mother. It blows my mind that this could be possible. Only time will tell.

Prego and on the Run: Round Ligament Pain

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:14:36 PDT

If you used to run regularly before there was a little bundle of joy growing inside you, doctors think it's safe to continue with your running routine while pregnant. You should def get the OK from your OB though, and once you do, you may find it helps with some common pregnancy symptoms such as constipation, leg cramps, lower back pain, and fatigue. Yeah, being with child is fun!

Running with a bun in the oven is much harder than running solo. You get winded more easily, your muscles tire quicker, and since your body is changing so much, you may experience some aches and pains. In my fifth month of pregnancy with a "popped" belly, I experienced aching in my lower belly that felt like the muscles were overstretching. This pain is known as round ligament pain and it's really common for pregos in their second trimester.

Keep reading to find out if it's harmful to your baby or if it means you should give up running.

Yoga No-Nos For Pregos

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:33:23 PDT

Fun issues like nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, and the need to hit the ladies' room - three different times during a workout! - makes it difficult to keep up with a regular exercise routine when pregnant. If you're expecting, taking up yoga (or continuing to go) is wonderful because not only does it alleviate some of these annoying discomforts, your body will stay strong and flexible. No prenatal yoga class offered in your area? Take a regular class, but be sure to avoid the following during your practice.

Deep forward bends: Folding forward can compress blood vessels and nerves that connect to your uterus. Keep things flowing by separating your legs like in this Wide-Legged Forward Bend to make space at the top of the thighs.
Deep twists: This can also decrease circulation, so always twist in an open position as in this pose, not deeply across the knee.
Lying on your back: Once you hit the second trimester, avoid lying on your back for extended periods of time (as in Savasana). The increased weight of your uterus interferes with the flow of blood and nutrients to your developing baby. It can also aggravate lower back pain, heartburn, and elevate blood pressure. Use blocks and bolsters to prop your torso up instead of lying flat, and whenever possible find ways to stretch the same muscles while you're standing, sitting, on your hands and knees, or when lying on your side.
Poses that work your abs: As your belly expands, it's difficult to support the weight with your rectus abdominus (the muscles you see when someone has a six-pack), so you use your obliques (ab muscles on the side of your belly). Overly-strong obliques can pull your abdominal muscles apart, causing a condition known as diastasis. Avoid risk by skipping poses that target your core, especially your obliques - worry about getting your abs back in shape after the baby arrives.

Keep reading for more prenatal yoga no-nos.