Facts about Birth-control

Recently Women's Health Magazine had a test to inform women of the facts and myths of birth-control.

BIRTH-CONTROL FACT OR FICTION?

In this test it informs the ladies that you are still able to get pregnant on your period. That every women ovulates at a different time and it is hard to know when your time is. It also says that a man's sperm can live inside a women for up to six day. The best way to ensure that you don't get pregnant is too be safe, use protection.

The test goes on to inform you that if your stomach is upset (yes, this means throwing up or diarrhea) you should use extra protection (a condom) if you use oral contraception. The birth-control pill is absorbed through your digestive system, therefore if it is leaving your system too quickly it does not have time to do its job.

Then emergency contraception is discussed. It states that this pill is 75 to 89 percent effective, which it pretty good, but if your period is late take a test, but don't stress.

The test also talks about the different types of birth-control available IUD, condoms. A myth that many people believe is that condoms prevent many sexually transmitted diseases. Genital warts, herpes, and crabs for example larger areas then the condom covers, therefore its not a perfect solution, but they do prevent the spread of some infections. The moral here is to be careful, and maybe know or at least look at what you put inside you before you do.

Another problem that many women are unaware of is that herbs, and other medications can alter the affects of the birth-control pill. So before you take any new medications talk to your doctor about the affects on your birth-control.

Staying healthy means staying happy!!

We've all heard the song, "Manic Monday," by The Bangles, where Mondays are crazy hectic and Sunday is a "funday." Well it turns out that The Bangles got it half right, but only by a hair. According to this article The University of Sydney and the NTF Group worked in conjunction to survey people on their moods throughout the week. They found that throughout the week there was surprisingly little variance in mood. It does appear that Sunday is more of a "funday" than other days and Wednesday appears to be the day that most people fall into a slight funk... but only by a tad.

Here are some tips to help you (and me) stay positive regardless of what day it is:

1. Keep connected with good friends
2. Listen to The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson... or music that cheers YOU up
3. Get physical/exercise
4. Volunteer
5. Get enough sleep
6. Eat well
7. Take time to relax (this doesn't include watching TV- too much TV can lead to depression)
8. Be thankful for what you do have in your life. Write it in a journal and look back on it when you're down
9. If you are not happy then change something. Read a new genre of book, try waking up 15 minutes earlier, etc
10. Be flexible- when one door closes another opens
11. Smile :-D I try to smile I pass on the street, in an elevator, people in the grocery line, etc.

http://dreamscapes.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/in-a-big-random-moment/

Don't scoff at this! Take it from countless researchers being happy leads to a healthier life! Those who are optimistic are able to lead a life of less stress and better overall health (optimistic breast cancer patients had better health outcomes than pessimistic patients).

Getting Gardasil - Looking at the math

In the previously posted article, the researcher states that getting the vaccine makes no sense, with 44 deaths in 15,037 tested girls who had adverse affects. (The number of girls who did not have side effects is not given; we don't know if half of the subjects had problems or just one percent.)

No matter what small percentage of girls have side effects in the first place, 44 deaths sounds pretty bad, so is the vaccine worth it? Let's calculate the predicted number of deaths within the population of affected girls without the vaccine:

15,037 girls had side effects from the vaccine (1)
*80% of women in the US get HPV during their lifetime (2)
----------
12,029.6 of the girls with side effects would get HPV in their lifetime
*5% of HPV infections cause cancer (1)
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601.48 of those girls would get cervical cancer
*29% deathrate of cervical cancer (3)
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176 of these girls would die of cervical cancer
-44 deaths from the vaccine (1)
----------
132 survive who wouldn't otherwise

So without any other changes in cervical cancer treatment, just having the vaccine would save 132 of the girls who had side effects. Seems worth it to me!


(1) http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/10/25/top_stories/doc4ae4b76d07e16766677720.txt
(2) http://www.ashastd.org/hpv/hpv_learn_patfactsheet.cfm
(3) http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_cervical_cancer_8.asp

Edit: Changed source 2 to one with more consistent statistics

Keeping you in the loop

Here's the deal: as far as I'm concerned from the research I've done the human papillomavirus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, are basically frivolous. I'm not saying that some women's lives aren't saved by the vaccines because that's not true. All I'm saying is that I don't know if it's worth the time, money and trouble.

Though hugely prevalent, with one in four US women getting HPV in their lifetime and typically in their 20's, 70% of all HPV infections resolve themselves without treatment within a year of contraction. Within two years 90% of HPV infections will be cleared from the system. Even of the 10% of infections that remain, only 5% could result in cervical cancer.

In the US, cervical cancer is most prevalent in Hispanic women, occurring more than twice what is seen in white women. African-American and American Indian women also develop cervical cancer at an alarming rate of about 50% more than white women. Researchers believe that these population groups, as well as women with low economic statuses, are less likely to receive annual Pap smears. In the US between 1955 and 1992, the cervical cancer death rate declined by 74% and continues to decline by 4% every year because of regular Pap smears.

Additionally, four out of five women with cervical cancer are women in developing countries, not in the US. This of course isn't surprising; we have access to health care and regular Pap smears!

My take is that if you have multiple sexual partners, don't regularly get Pap smears, can afford the expensive three dose vaccine (or have a great health insurance), and aren't terrified by the side effects then get yourself protected, especially if you are Hispanic, American Indian or African-American.

Just don't get suckered into something just because there are catchy commercials about it.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Part 2 - The Curable Ones

Fortunately, most STD's are now curable. So what do we need to know about these?

Chlamydia
This is incredibly common bacterial infection and rates of infection are increasing particularly in teenage women. It generally gets passed through sexual fluids, so using condoms provides a lot of protection. It does not generally present with symptoms, but can be tested for with a simple urine test. It can cause infertility if left untreated, so just one more reason to get tested regularly!
Chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics, but since it's bacterial (and not viral) people can get it more than once, so if someone has it their sexual partners should be tested (and treated) too, or they'll be reinfected. It's also important to take the full prescribed course of antibiotics, the the disease does not become resistant.

Gonorrhea ("the clap")
Another bacterial infection that is becoming more common. Gonorrhea is spread by skin-to-skin contact, so condoms provide only a bit of protection. A genital infection causes puss and sometimes blood to come from the genitals, and painful peeing. If left untreated it can cause infertility.
Gonorrhea can be treated with antibiotics. Same story as chlamydia: everyone involved needs to be treated, and the full course needs to be taken.

Pubic Lice ("Crabs")
These are insects that live specifically on pubic hair. They are generally passed through skin-to-skin contact. They cannot be passed to or from animals (except gorillas, if that's an issue for you). The symptoms of lice are itching and occasionally blue spots due to their bites.
You can get rid on lice through shaving, using a special shampoo, and washing all cloth that comes in contact with the genitals (underwear, sheets, towels, etc.) thoroughly.

Syphilis
This is a bacterial infection that was nearly eradicated in the US, but is now increasing. Syphilis is pass through contact with syphilis sores. The initial symptoms are sores, rash, hair lose and mild fever or sore throat. Afterward, the disease lies dormant (infection-wise) in the body, eventually it can cause brain damage and death. Syphilis also makes it easier to get HIV.
Syphilis used to kill many people--syphilitic madness was well-known, but it's easily cured with penicillin. If you get syphilis a doctor can give you a dose of penicillin (or another antibiotic, for those of us who are allergic), and you'll be good to go. Again, everyone involved needs to be treated so people don't get re-infected.

And I think we have the different STDs covered!
More information on STDs can be found at Scarleteen