Dr. A. is a resident physician in family medicine in Montreal.
Yes, a real doctor! Call it a cyber-house-call, call her Dr.
A, just make sure you email her for answers to your queries
on sex and health. When avivalsvegas got wind of this column,
she tried to bill the zine as a medical journal, but her marketing
people put the brakes on that. Of course, the lawyer had to
jump in too, as you can see from the caveat below. So go ahead,
ask away, it's "Sex Drive Live" and the Doctor is in the house.
Sex Drive Live: Q & A with Dr. A
Dear Dr. A.,
Is it true that orgasm is one method of easing menstrual
cramps?
Signed, Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I hope you are a guy. Otherwise, why are you asking me this?
Why don’t you just try and find out for yourself. A
little experiment of sorts.
Anyway, the answer is yes; masturbation and especially orgasm
are effective in relieving menstrual cramps in many women.
The effect may be short lived, however, so unless you have
a lot of time on your hands you may want to consider anti-inflammatory
medication to ease your pain. Ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin)
is available over-the-counter. Naproxen (Anaprox) and mefenamic
acid (Ponstan) are commonly prescribed for this purpose. If,
despite these measures, you continue to have painful menstrual
cramps you should see your family physician. A trial of oral
contraceptives or further investigation may be the next step.
Don't suffer needlessly!
Note: name brands are in parentheses but ask for generic,
it's cheaper!
Dear Dr. A,
Which douche works the best? And how do I tell my partner
to try some?
Signed, Can't breathe
Dear Can't Breathe,
Welcome to the 21st century Mr. Can't Breathe (again I'm
assuming you're a guy, correct me if I'm wrong)! We don't
(or shouldn't) use douches anymore. They are unnecessary and
dangerous. The vagina is self-cleaning and, under normal circumstances,
does not require that we stick anything in there. Douching
is associated with an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory
disease (an infection with chlamydia or gonorrhea which can
lead to infertility), bacterial vaginal infections, and ectopic
pregnancy (a pregnancy which implants outside of the uterus,
usually in the fallopian tubes). I strongly discourage the
use of douches.
I will give you the benefit of the doubt (although I shouldn't
since you think using a douche is a great idea) and assume
that you know what a normal vagina smells like and your girlfriend's
smells, well, otherwise. If this is the case, an infection
is the most likely culprit. Tell her nicely that all is not
well down there and suggest she go see her family physician
to get checked out. Make like you actually care about her
health and not just yourself. How about that?
Sex Drive Bulletin Board
Good news for those sick of puking their guts out when they
have to take the morning-after pill. There is a new morning-after
pill called Plan B (good name, huh?). Unlike the so-called
Yuzpe regimen which involves taking pills containing estrogen
and progesterone (usually Ovral) this pill contains progesterone
only (0.75 mg of levonorgestrel per pill to be precise). Plan
B was compared to the Yuzpe method in two randomized, comparative
studies by the World Health Organization and was shown to
be highly effective and much better tolerated. Nausea was
reduced from 50 percent to 23.1 percent with the use of Plan
B and vomiting was reduced from 18.8 percent to 5.6 percent.
It's not a piece of cake procuring these pills, however.
At least not in Montreal, as I recently learned. Being in
need of a little emergency contraception myself, I called
several of the big chain pharmacies only to be told they could
get it for me in a couple of days (hello, it’s called
the morning-after pill). Finally, a smaller pharmacy in the
hood told me they could get it for me by the end of the day.
Disaster averted !
The Plan B regimen involves taking one pill as soon as possible
(within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse) and a second
pill twelve hours later. It requires a prescription except
in British Columbia where pharmacists can dipense it without
a presciption. Taking dimenhydrinate (Gravol) a half hour
before each pill can further decrease the risk of nausea.
Please note that emergency contraception does not offer
protection against STDs.
For more info on emergency contraception check out www.not-2-late.com.
Note: This column is for educational and entertainment
purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you
have a medical problem, please consult a physician.
Contact Sex Drive Live at dr.a@avivalasvegas.com.
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