Campus Health Service SexTalk.

The first choice you would make is whether to carry or terminate your pregnancy. If you choose to continue, your first call will be to a medical provider to start pre-natal care. You’ll have almost 9 months to decide if you want to raise the baby or not.

Your girlfriend should take a pregnancy test right away. While pre-cum doesn’t always contain sperm, it is possible to have sufficient amounts to fertilize an egg. Enough time has passed that an accurate result will be available with a home test kit. These tests are quick and easy and can detect HCG (the pregnancy hormone) in the urine just two weeks after ovulation. Pregnancy tests are sold at the Campus Health Pharmacy ($5.99) or any grocery store or pharmacy.

Due to state regulations, The UA Campus Health Service cannot treat minors (under 18) without parental permission. If you are a UA student and your parents signed a “consent to treat minor” form on your behalf, you are clear to receive any treatment you come in for. Rest assured that Campus Health considers you an adult and will not initiate contact to notify your parents about your care (unless it is a life-threatening emergency).

Genital warts are members of the family of viruses called Human papillomavirus (HPV) that are spread by skin-to-skin contact, not by bodily fluids. There are more than 100 different types of HPV. Some types cause common warts on the hands or feet while others cause warts on the genitals. Other types of HPV may cause cellular changes on a woman’s cervix. Human papillomavirus affects 3 out of 4 Americans between the ages of 15 and 49 during their lifetime, although many never have visible signs of infection. Over 5 million new cases of genital HPV occur each year in the US.

An Intrauterine device (IUD) is one of the most effective methods of birth control. When used as your sole method, an IUD provides a 99% contraceptive effectiveness rate. While using a condom will provide an additional measure of pregnancy protection, the IUD alone is one of the most effective methods a woman can choose.

The short answer to your question is “it depends.” Just as with any type of physical activity, duration, intensity and body weight are all variables that will make a difference in how many calories are expended during sex. But if you are thinking about skipping your daily bike commute or regular workout at the Rec Center in favor of more“sexercise,” keep in mind that the non-coital forms of physical activity tend to burn more calories per unit of time.

Realizing that things may not be working out the way you want is a good first step. For most individuals who drink, the difference between a fun night out with friends and a night of regrets comes down to one thing – dosage. Light or moderate drinkers tend to enjoy more of the benefits of alcohol social, fun, relaxing) and less of the things most of us try to avoid (regrets, blackouts, hangovers). Even more seriously, heavy drinking is associated with higher rates of unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexual assault.

While this column usually addresses sexual health and relationship issues among Homo sapiens, the answer to your question underscores the link between humans and other animals in the origin and spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Yes, STDs are found throughout the animal kingdom, and are common among both domestic and wild animals, infecting everything from cattle to koalas, to dogs, birds and even some invertebrates.

It’s hard to estimate your chances of pregnancy from one sexual encounter. It’s best to assume that without any contraception, being young (and presumably fertile), you are at high risk of getting pregnant. Get to a pharmacy ASAP for Plan B®, also known as the “morning after pill.” A prescription is NOT needed for Plan B® – just talk to the pharmacist and they will sell you the medication after confirming that you are over the age of 18 (Arizona State Law). Women 17 years of age or younger will need to see a medical provider for a prescription (this may involve parental consent since the law dictates that minors cannot be treated without their parent’s or guardian’s permission).

Perhaps the only thing that will put your mind at ease is to take a pregnancy test (Campus Health Pharmacy sells them for $4.99). While stimulating each other to orgasm with your hands is very low risk for pregnancy (with intercourse obviously being the highest risk) the key is to make sure your boyfriend ejaculates away from your vagina. As long as the semen doesn’t get near your vulva (the folds covering your vagina) the chance of pregnancy is almost zero.

The “morning after” pill is called Emergency Contraception (EC). There are currently two drugs on the market – Preven® and Plan B®. Preven is actually two pills of progestin (synthetic hormone), while Plan B contains a combination of two different hormones.

It’s smart to be concerned. While the situation you describe is not extremely "high risk" for pregnancy, it’s not zero. Thin underwear isn’t a foolproof barrier and pre-ejaculatory fluid sometimes contains small amounts of sperm. Pre-cum can soak through underwear, allowing mobile sperm to enter the vagina and swim deeper toward the cervix. It only takes one sperm cell to fertilize an egg.

A hickey is a bruise caused by someone sucking or nibbling on the skin of another person. Bruises usually appear when skin is injured by a fall, a bump, or an overzealous romantic partner. Skin discoloration occurs as a result of broken blood vessels and blood leaking into the tissues just below the skin. Women are more prone to bruising than men. During the healing phase, which may take 2 weeks or more, hickies and bruises create a rainbow of colors, including blue, purple, red, and greenish-yellow.

While research confirms that men generally think about sex more often than women, masturbate more often than women, and have more sexual partners in a lifetime than women, they do not necessarily corner the market on sexual enjoyment. Your self-perceived hypersexuality may mean that you are very “normal & healthy” and simply enjoy having sex more frequently than others. If you are able to control your sexual impulses (rather than them controlling you) and you are not using sex as a habitual escape from work, school, feelings of anxiety, loneliness or anger, thenyour behavior probably falls within the range of “normal” sexual expression.

The Campus Health Service (CHS) performs thousands of tests each year for sexually transmitted diseases. The most common STD tests students choose are HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes. Prior to testing, a doctor or nurse practitioner will discuss your sexual history, signs or symptoms, and do a physical exam, if needed. Call 621-9202 for an appointment. For detailed testing info, go to www.health.arizona.edu and search for “STD testing”.

The withdrawal method may be the oldest form of birth control since it requires nothing more than interrupting intercourse to prevent sperm from entering the vagina. In fact, withdrawal is so basic, people often don’t think of it as a real option. Like any form of birth control, using withdrawal to prevent pregnancy is only as effective as its practice, which requires men to “pull out” at some point prior to ejaculation.

To understand which sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are curable, we first need to look at their pathogenic, disease-causing origins. The most common STDs are viruses, bacteria, parasites and protozoa. Among these, bacterial and protozoan STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis are readily curable, and have been since the development of antibiotics. In fact, one of the first antibiotics to be developed was Salvarsan, an early treatment for syphillis that also gave us the term “magic bullet” based on its effectiveness.

Campus Health does offer confidential testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Test results become part of your medical record and cannot be accessed by anyone (parent, partner, professor, other medical providers outside Campus Health) without your written authorization.

Reading SexTalk Mondays in The Daily Wildcat is a great place to start. And while this column tends to address specific concerns on sex and relationships, your all-encompassing question nods to the many factors that create a state of sexual well-being. Here are six essentials:

We all know that some amount of stress is normal, and is often necessary for us to be at our best. But when stress begins to pile up, it can create a negative cycle that takes away our desire for sex as well as the enjoyment we derive from it. In this cycle, anxiety from other areas negatively impacts our sex lives, and feeling “sexless” in turn reinforces that anxiety. To further compound the issue, frustrations about sexual performance in the midst of this stress tends to make matters worse.

What you and your guy were doing (sometimes called “outercourse” or the French word for body rubbing: frottage) is fairly safe. And it can feel really good! For many young people, outercourse is a very pleasurable sexual activity that can easily lead to orgasm, and can serve as a way to learn about your body’s sexual response without the risks of intercourse. As long as you keep semen or pre-ejaculate away from the labia of the vagina, outercourse (fingering, rubbing, dry humping, etc) is very low risk for pregnancy.

The average age for first-time marriages in the U.S. is 27 for men and 25 for women. Overall, Americans are marrying later and co-habitating more (living together unmarried), as is the case in most industrialized countries worldwide, especially in Europe. Delaying marriage the longest are the Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Sweden, where men and women typically wait until age 33 and 30, respectively.

Fortunately, learning about the menstrual cycle is a lot easier than studying the Krebs cycle, and considerably more interesting than the carbon cycle. Here’s how it works: In a typical 28 day cycle, Day 1 represents the first day that menstrual bleeding begins. Between Day 7 and Day 11, the lining of the uterus thickens and becomes awash in hormones like estrogen. On Day 14, the egg is released, signaling the start of the second half of the cycle, also known as ovulation. If the egg comes into contact with a single male sperm, then the process that leads to pregnancy begins. If not, the egg disintegrates and the lining of the uterus sloughs off to become the next menstrual flow. A woman is most likely to become pregnant around two weeks before the expected date of her next period. Since sperm can last up to five days inside a woman’s body and an unfertilized egg can last only 24 hours, there is about a six day window when a woman is at her most fertile.

Consider your own experiences, as they will help in answering your question. Has sex been fun, memorable and a source of pleasure? Has it been consensual? If you answered “no” to any of these, it could mean that it’s time to take a different approach to alcohol and how it affects your relationships and sense of self worth. On the surface it can seem like alcohol makes everything easier. Drinking can make shy people outgoing, the inexperienced seem seasoned and the demure act daring. But mixing alcohol and sex also comes at a price. The judgment skills that we take for granted when we are sober are drowned out, leading to decisions that can compromise our health and safety.

With all the talk of eroding family values and news of severed celebrity marriages, you may find it hard to believe that the U.S. divorce rate has actually been declining since its peak in 1981. That’s right – the national rate of divorce is now at its lowest level since 1970, the same year “The Partridge Family” debuted on TV and “Let It Be” topped the pop charts (and about the same time The Beatles cited their own irreconcilable differences). Behind this trend is the fact that more Americans are waiting to tie the knot – on average five years longer than back in 1970 – and many aren’t marrying at all. Even when they do meet Ms. or Mr. Right, many couples are choosing to live together unmarried for the long-term, resulting in ten times the number of Americans co-habitating or “shacking-up” compared to 1960 levels.

A hickey is a bruise caused by someone sucking or nibbling on the skin of another person. Bruises usually appear when skin is injured by a fall, a bump, or an overzealous romantic partner. Skin discoloration occurs as a result of broken blood vessels and blood leaking into the tissues just below the skin. Women are more prone to bruising than men. During the healing phase, which may take 2 weeks or more, hickies and bruises create a rainbow of colors, including blue, purple, red, and greenish-yellow.

Even better than curing STDs is preventing them in the first place. Protect yourself and your partner by talking about STDs before you have sex, getting tested and protecting yourself through the consistent and correct use of condoms. Keep in mind that even sex with a condom is not risk-free. Only through abstinence or mutually monogamous sex with an uninfected partner can you lower your risk to around zero.

But what of their deeper origins? Each STD, be it a virus, bacteria or protozoan, has taken a different evolutionary path to its present day existence. Many were likely present in other animals first, later mutating to survive in humans. Once the trans-species leap was made, the proliferation of each disease became tied to a complex array of factors including the movement of people – facilitated by ships, roads, airplanes, urbanization and globalization – and the sexual practices they brought with them, to name only a few. For a glimpse into the development of a new STD with worldwide implications, we need only look back as far as 1981, when the Centers for Disease Control first reported what would later be known as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. Today, there are approximately 40 million people infected with HIV worldwide, a staggering number considering the first human case probably occurred as recently as 1930, when a hunter in the Belgian Congo may have come into contact with blood infected with the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus, the chimpanzee forebearer of HIV.

While you are safe from last semester’s chlamydia scare let’s talk about some basic vibrator care tips. It’s only smart to clean your machine between uses. While there are specially marketed products for cleaning, soap and water will do the trick perfectly well. You can also use baby wipes, rubbing alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide. If your vibrator is porous (latex rubber or silicone) adding a bit of bleach to the soap and water mixture will help destroy germs in tiny, hard to reach surface areas.

Menstrual fluid itself is not harmful. Having sex with a healthy, un-infected woman during her “period” is not dangerous. The key word is “healthy” and by that we mean uninfected with HIV or other sexually transmissible infections. We know that blood can carry infections such as hepatitis, HIV and other diseases. If a woman doesn’t have any blood-borne infections, then having sex during menstruation is not dangerous – it’s simply a personal choice. Menstruation is the natural function of a non-pregnant female when the lining of the uterus is lost or “shed” because it is not needed to support a growing embryo or fetus. It typically occurs 14 days after ovulation and lasts three to five days. In some cultures, menstruation is accepted as a routine bodily function or even a spiritually powerful condition. In others, the predominant view is that menstruation is a negative, embarrassing, or dirty condition to be avoided and hidden from others.

Early ejaculation is normal, and very common, among men of all ages, particularly younger men. Premature ejaculation occurs when a guy “cums” earlier than either partner desires. There is no required or perfect timetable for ejaculation – it depends on the partners and on the particular situation. Sometimes it’s advantageous to have sex quickly – for example, when a roommate is expected home soon, or time is limited for other reasons. When a man masturbates and has limited privacy, speed can also be a real benefit. However, what works well when you’re by yourself may not be ideal when you’re hot to hook up with a partner.

By having a health care provider examine your mole, you have already taken one of the most important steps in protecting your health. Your gynecologist will be able to let you know if there is any cause for concern, and can refer you to a dermatologist if things don’t look right. Moles on or around the genitals are common in both men and women, but are usually harmless and require no treatment. As you mention, size, color and shape all play a part in identifying moles that might pose a problem. If the mole grows, changes color or bleeds, take that as a warning sign and make an appointment with a health care provider right away. Since you’ll be seeing your gynecologist annually for Pap exams, he or she can make a mole check-up part of your visit.

But since you are asking about facts and not just how things appear on the surface, you may be surprised to hear that the numbers tell a different story. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 1991 to 2005, the percentage of teens who had ever had sexual intercourse actually decreased over the past fifteen years. Huh? That’s right, recent trend data shows that there are fewer teens having sex, not the other way around. What’s more, the survey also found that more teens had abstained from sexual activity in the previous three months, fewer had four or more sexual partners in their lifetime and condom use had increased.

A. What you describe is a condition called galactorrhea (pronounced “guh-lak-tuh-ree-uh”), and is characterized by a spontaneous flow of breast milk in the absence of childbirth or a nursing child. Though uncommon, galactorrhea is most likely seen in women, but can also show up in men in rare instances. Possible causes of galactorrhea are many and may include: • Starting a new medication • Taking herbs such as nettle, fennel, thistle, anise or others • Drug use, particularly marijuana and opiates • Wearing clothing that irritates the breasts • Breast stimulation through sexual activity or very frequent self-exams

Good question; however, there is not a “one size fits all” answer because female sexual health involves many factors. Some of the factors include age, past and current health issues, number of sexual partners, method of birth control, and any history of sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy. Most medical providers (and health organizations) recommend that young women have a health exam by a gynecologist or nurse practitioner every year, particularly between the ages of 18-30 years. Gynecological exams usually include an internal and external pelvic exam (including a Pap test) plus examination of the thyroid gland and breasts. In a Pap test, the cells of the cervix (opening to the uterus) are collected and checked for abnormalities and infection. This screening test can detect early changes which might indicate the presence of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) or cervical cancer. Because cervical cancer can be detected early, and often treated successfully, many of the protocols focus on the importance of the Pap test.

The chance of pregnancy from the situation you describe is highly unlikely – but not impossible. To put this in perspective, let’s first describe the ideal situation for getting pregnant. Conception is best achieved when the penis is positioned inside the vagina during ejaculation, and when the woman is at the most fertile stage of her menstrual cycle (the days shortly before, during, or shortly after ovulation). While finger sex has a very low risk of pregnancy, you can make sexual exploration much safer for your girlfriend by washing your hands after asturbating. Use soap and water or generous amounts of hand sanitizer. This will also help reduce the chance of spreading a sexually transmitted infection between partners.

Building a healthy relationship is probably one of life’s biggest challenges, but the rewards are both defining and enduring. Clearly, there is no one way to make a relationship work, but they do share some common elements. We’ve all heard that trust and communication are essential, but the real key is finding everyday ways to establish and reinforce these connections with your partner. Think about how you convey your appreciation for each other in small acts – you may be surprised by how much they say.

Among women who use oral contraceptives (OCs) correctly and consistently (not missing any pills and following instructions perfectly) only about 3 in 1000 (0.3%) are expected to become pregnant within the first year of use. The failure rates among “typical” users in the real world (read: not perfect) are estimated to be 8 in 100 becoming pregnant (8%). Clearly, there is a big difference between perfect use and typical use. There are many highly effective brands of OCs with varying combinations of drugs in them (progestin-only versus combined pills, and monophasic versus multiphasic pills). The side effects are largely dependent on the type of OC prescribed. It is best to consult a medical provider for specific drug and brand comparisons.

Intercourse, whether through vaginal or anal penetration, is just one form of sexual intimacy. The options, as you suggest, need not be limited to these alone. Whether gay, straight, lesbian, or bisexual, many couples enjoy kissing, massage, foreplay, fantasy, frottage (the French word for body rubbing), mutual masturbation, or talking as other ways to enjoy one another and arouse the senses. While lower risk than anal sex, oral stimulation can be another satisfying option, but keep in mind that “going down” can still lead to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like herpes, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.

Given your encyclopedic knowledge of sex, do you happen to be a faithful reader of this column? If so, you already know about STIs, the Pill, premature ejaculation, menstruation, discussing sex with your partner, Gardasil, the life of sperm, where to get tested, sexual health stats on UA students and the fact that the Campus Health Pharmacy sells 100 condoms for $12.99. You may have even discovered that every SexTalk written since 2001 is archived online at www.health.arizona.edu.

A. often think of alcohol as an aphrodisiac, a sure method of arousing desire in ourselves or a partner. The truth is that alcohol is It depends on how much alcohol we’re talking about. People neither an aphrodisiac nor stimulant for sex. Having a drink or two will relax you, but getting way too relaxed may result in things not working the way you want them to. Remember that sex takes coordination even when sober, so getting intoxicated can negatively impact performance. Both males and females report an intoxicated partner is a turn-off, so you may not get anywhere – romantically speaking – if you’ve overdone it. And if you black out, you won’t even remember what happened (100,000 students between 18-24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they have consented to having sex.