For Vaginas Only

You have Questions, I have Answers!

September 08, 2018 Charlsie Celestine, MD Season 1 Episode 18
For Vaginas Only
You have Questions, I have Answers!
For Vaginas Only
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Show Notes Transcript
In this episode I go through 3 questions that have been asked of me by you guys and give you some answers! Can you have unprotected sex during your period and not worry about getting pregnant? When is the right time to stop using condoms with your partner? What is going on if you are experiencing bleeding after sex? Take a listen and find out...Support the show

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speaker 0:   0:00
Hello, guys. And welcome to another episode of four vaginas. Only in this episode I thought we do something a little bit different. I have been asking you guys over my forge. I was only instagram page friends that I know etcetera to just ask me some questions Or what are some things that you would like to know You would like to hear answers on from a gynecologist, That kind of gynecologists being me, namely. And we're just gonna answer a few of those questions in this next episode. So listen to this music, and we'll get right to it. Hello, and welcome to four vaginas. Only the podcast about everything. Female. I'm your host, Dr Celestine, bringing you important information about understanding your health and body in the way you wish your doctor would actually explain it. Okay, So thank you so much for tuning into another episode of the four vaginas only podcast on this episode. I think we only get gonna get to about three of the questions that I have. I have a whole bunch that I've gotten from you guys, and I'm just gonna cover it slowly over the course of our lovely time. together, But the 1st 3 we're going to do now in this episode Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce myself Hi. To all my newcomers or people that might not know my name. I'm Dr Celestine or Dr C, which is much easier to go by. So let's jump into these questions. All right? Okay. So question number one Can I have unprotected sex during my period? You know, I've heard all the time that you can't get pregnant on your period. So there's no reason for me to use any type of protection condoms or birth control during my period because I should be fine, right? Um, not really. Uh, um the thing that I like to say about this is that first and foremost, yes, it is possible to get pregnant while you are having your period. So if you think that you're not gonna use a condom just because you don't think you can get pregnant during your period, you can be very sorely mistaken and very surprised. Sure, the probability is quite low, but it's not zero if you're fine with taking that chance. If you're in type of relationship where that doesn't matter, Um that being getting pregnant, then you know, go for it. But if you were really trying to not have a baby, then I would just stay clear of unprotected, unprotected sex in general, Really? But so here's the reason why you get pregnant during the time of your menstrual cycle. That's called Population. It's basically when you're over releases or is about to release an egg, which is usually about halfway through your cycle. Now a normal cycle is not just the time that you have your period. It's the whole entire time that leads up to your period is what we refer to as dimensional cycle. Normally, it's about 28 to 30 days per person, and halfway through the cycle is when you are ovulating and you have the highest chance of getting pregnant because you've now released that little eggs at a sperm can go into and create a baby. Okay, now, in those women who, after the time of population, they are not anywhere near sperm and and or they just, you know, the sperm doesn't reach their egg for whatever reason, and they don't have a baby. The lining of the uterus will end up shedding, and that's what leads to the bleeding of the period. Okay? And that's why if you do get pregnant and you have a baby and the egg and sperm join, they land safely in the uterus. You don't believe because that same lining builds up to create a nice little comfy home for that new forming baby. Now I say that halfway through your cycle is when you are ovulating of the highest chance of getting pregnant. Yadi Yadi. Not everybody has the same length cycle, not even for months, months Sometimes. Is that exactly the same? And some people have completely erratic menstrual cycles and period, and they don't know when it's gonna happen. That means you don't know when you're ovulating, so it's never safe to just say that because you have your period, you're away from that population time, and you shouldn't be getting pregnant because you're having your period, which is taking away that lining of the uterus. It's just not safe to say that because you truly never know. So if you really are not trying to get pregnant, I would say that it is not okay to have unprotected sex during your period Also, something else to note is that sperm can live for up to five days within the female. So just because you know, you think you're safe from a certain time period where you can't get pregnant, the sperm is still swimming around and they're still alive. And I could still possibly go into an egg that is released at any time and lead to a pregnancy. Okay, Such a something to Noah's Well, now that leads us right into the next question. When can I stop using condoms? I, you know, I just want to know if I need to use them all the time or what the deal is exactly. Now, condoms are a barrier method of birth control, meaning it's basically something that blocks skin from touching right, and that it also actually captures the sperm so that it doesn't go into the female and lead to the pregnancy. Okay, so another thing to know about condoms is it's just not as effective as other birth control methods like pills. I u d use next linens. If you want a little bit more information about those, I do have a birth control podcast episode as well, so When you're done listening to this, you can go back and learn a little bit about that. Also with condoms. Um, it's effectiveness if you break it down like this is about every 20 women out of 100 that are just using condoms will get pregnant every year because they fail. They break. You don't put him out of the right time. You know they're just not as trustworthy, but they're better than nothing. Okay, there are different types of condoms. There's the latex condoms. There's even like a condom that's made kind of out of plastic and natural animal materials as well. Um, the first to latex in plastic also protect the best against STDs. So the two big things for condoms preventing pregnancies and preventing STDs so that you can give you an idea of when it is okay to stop using condoms when you are okay with the chance of getting pregnant and when you are okay with trusting your partner enough that you don't believe you will get an STD from them. Okay, that's I mean, that's the basic gist, but we'll go into a little bit more so for one, you and your partner should both be getting tested for STDs at some point in the relationship. Before you even think about having unprotected or condom less sex, STDs are rampant out there, guys. There is a high risk of herpes chlamydia. There's 1.6 million cases of chlamydia that were reported in 2016 27,000 cases of syphilis in the United States. HPV is pretty rampant. It's actually the most commonly sexually transmitted sexually transmitted disease in the United States. And with herpes people, a lot of people don't even know that they have it, and they could be transmitting it to others. So cities are a big deal. If you are in a committed relationship, you trust each other or you've gotten tested and you know you feel like it's the right time to not use condoms. Then that's up to you. As your doctor, I really are as a doctor in general. I'm really not any of your doctors, I don't think, but I would love to be. But as a doctor in general, I can't tell you when is okay. You have to be okay with the risks. That's the biggest thing. So the baby part, we kind of already talked about a little bit with the unprotected sex question during your period. Um, unprotected sex leads to babies. I hate, we will come to me and they they're having their sexually active and they tell me they're not using condoms and they're not using birth control. And the my next question is always so you're trying to get pregnant, and then they tell me No, because that can't be true. That can't be true. If you were having sex without using some type of birth control, you're trying to get pregnant. I mean, you might not think you are, but that's what can happen. So you have to be okay with that risk. In addition to the STDs, like HIV, herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, HPV, etcetera. And also, the decision to stop using condoms has to be mutual and consensual. Do not let your partner talk you into it when you're not ready. Um, or do not do it with somebody. Thio, I feel like you have to have a close look. Do that to have a closer bond with them or, you know any of those reasons you really have to be okay with the risk of pregnancy, trust them or be OK with the risk of acquiring an STD. And both parties have to be okay with not using the condom. That's the bottom line for that moving on. Okay, so this next question, um, it can be quite broad, but I'm gonna try to narrow it down to cover most of the answer. But like anything that I talk about on my podcast on my instagram page or whatever you need to make sure that you are having the conversation with your doctor for vaginas only in the information that I give you guys here is really only a stepping stone to the knowledge that you can get when you talk to your own doctor about these problems as well. And hopefully you'll come equipped with a little more information that I am able to give you through this platform. So with that being said, I have bleeding almost every single time I have sex. What could that be? This happens quite a bit, and there are ah broad range of reasons as to why it can be happening. The most concerning reason is cervical cancer. Okay, I have a whole podcast episode on Paps mirrors and the HPV virus and cervical cancer, so you can go back to that to reference for a little bit more information. But that's just one of the signs that of cervical cancer is bleeding after sex. Now, with that being said, I would say that's not the most common cause, but it is the most serious, so it's probably the one that your doctor will want to rule out first. There are a lot of other causes for bleeding after sex, which can be a little bit more common than that. Sometimes you can have a little Paula Paula little overgrowth of tissue on your cervix or within the cervix that's located inside the vagina, that when it's touched, it can bleed. Also, Sometimes the service could be friable or have a little tissue overgrowth on it that bleeds very easily, and that can happen as well. Sometimes I see it when people start birth control pills for the first time, and that kind of changes how the cervix behaves. So it takes a little while for it to get used to the new jolt of hormone, which can cause a little bit of bleeding. Sometimes it can be an infection such as chlamydia, gonorrhea or another STD that can cause bleeding after sex as well. Also, I see in older women who are menopausal are not making enough. Estrogen and the skin of the vagina gets very thin and contain are easily younger. Women can also have tears in their vagina as well. From an adequate lubrication and things like that, it can also be a sign of pregnancy. Sometimes in early pregnancy you have some irregular bleeding or spotting, and that might be something that your physician might check for a swell. So there's a multitude of things. So, yes, I started with cervical cancer, which I know some people hate when I do that, because it's the scariest one. But really, you want to rule out the scariest thing first, even if it might be the least likely, because it's the most serious right, and then we can get to all the other ones that can be easily treated. So those are just a few reasons why it might be happening. I can't personally tell you, I don't know each of you. I don't know each of your stories, So like I said, I urge you if this is happening to you to see your doctor as soon as possible so you could make sure that we're identifying the problem and coming to a solution and helping you, you know, get better. And that's a wrap on the three questions Should you have or can you have unprotected sex during your period and not worry about getting pregnant? My answer to that is no, Um, when can I stop using condoms? Are you okay with having a baby? Are you okay with potentially getting an STD? Do both people I want to do that are both okay with that. Those questions need to ask yourself before you before you stop using condoms and bleeding after sex. Yes, there are some serious causes, but there are also some not so serious causes. And either way, it's important for you to have this conversation with your doctor and find out what might be going on with you personally. So thank you guys. So much for listening to another episode of four vaginas only. Please don't forget to keep sending me your questions. Anything that you would want to be answered. Anything you wanna ask Gynecologists feel free to ask me. It's completely anonymous. Nobody has to know that it's you unless you want me to, I suppose, and I am happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability. But just keep in mind that I am not a substitute for your own physician and the majority of you I don't know personally and you're not my patient. So it's hard for me that you just don't take away from this as this is exactly what I have. And that's just it. Because, Dr Celestine said, still, make sure you either find an OBE giant in your area or see the one that you already go to and ask them these questions and come prepped with some of the knowledge that I dropped here today. All right, thank you again for listening for vaginas only. Catch me on Instagram at four vaginas only Facebook group as well with the same name, and I will be talking to you guys again soon