Category: health

5 truths about… Contraception.

A topic that many feel uneasy about. Taboo. Not to be discussed in public. But why? Humans are one of the few species that have intercourse for pleasure as well as mating to produce offspring. Which leads us to contraception, something you should always be armed with, just in case you’re not leaving the club on your own (or wherever you might find yourself!)

I decided to myth bust some facts, and show you guys that it’s not something to feel ashamed about talking about! Have a look through and see if you learn anything new!

  1. Sexual intercourse with condoms ~ruins~ his experience. While it’s true that guys might feel different sensations, it’s not something that would change the experience as much as they claim. Can he feel it when a condom breaks during sex ? Usually most men have no clue if that has happened so I’d always point that one out. And any guy that gives you an excuse about not using one doesn’t respect you as he should. I’ve come across some of these types, and they’re only suitable for ignoring!
  2. You don’t need contraception if you’re sleeping with a female partner. Ladies, it might now be nice to admit but guys don’t pass all of the STI’s, otherwise they wouldn’t be transmitted to as many people (stats say that Chlamydia is more common than the cold in the UK). Women can access femidoms /dams (female condoms) from pharmacies, chemist and sexual health clinics.
  3. You only need protection for intercourse. Sexually transmitted infections like HPV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis can be transmitted through any genital contact, so don’t ignore safe sex just because you’re doing “everything but” — everyone understands that it’s not as “cool” (whilst you’re at the age you discuss these things) but it’s better to be STI free!
  4. Contraception (excluding condoms) makes you put on weight.  We don’t know of any research that shows the pill or most other types of contraception to be associated with weight gain. There is one format of contraception that has been associated with weight gain and this is Depo Provera, the injection. I myself have had the injection and found that it didn’t put on as much weight as I thought it may, and that weight shifted once I stopped having that format of contraception. If you’re worried about weight gain on contraception then I’d advised you contact your GP or local family planning clinic.
  5. Emergency contraception HAS to be used “the morning after” unprotected sex. Emergency contraception is often known as the “morning after pill” – but it’s not a very helpful or accurate term. There are actually THREE formats of emergency contraception and only two are in the format of pills/tablets. The most common emergency contraception is Levonelle. This can be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse, although they advise it is more effective the quicker you take it. ellaOne and the emergency IUD (cooper IUD) can be effective up to 5 days. Remember that sperm have a life span (once ejaculated) of SEVEN days! Emergency contraception is available for free from GPs, and often most pharmacies including Boots, Superdrug, TESCO etc, will provide you with one for free. However should you need to pay for this the price is round about £25.00 for the one tablet. Emergency contraceptive tablets may make the patient feel nauseous, this should subside within 24 hours, should the patient vomit, the contraception would be unsuccessful and alternative methods would need to be used.

     

 

Hope these have helped a little! Let me know in the comments below if you’d like more on sex, relationships, love etc!

 

 

CA x

 

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“Am I Crazy?” II

So I published the first chronicle. What did you think? A brief introduction into what on Earth is going on in my little bean head. To be fair to you, I’m still not fully sure. All I know is that my brain isn’t coping quite as well as I’d wanted it to right now so I’m being brave and seeking help (again).

I wanted to blog every step because I think it’s important. I think it’s really important that regardless of my gender, age, ethnicity and whatever other features they want to base mental health stats on, people can read something and think “yeah I agree” or “I had that feeling earlier” or better yet, sees that it is a struggle for someone else but that you can get help, and does so.

Let’s start with the obviously big elephant in the room, depression. Some throw the word like it’s the same as being sad, and it used to infuriate me until I realised that it’s by no fault of their own that they have never understood what depression is and the fact that it’s not just one emotion and definitely not just being sad. I’ve watched videos about how depression is a black dog that follows you around like your shadow or a big black cloud that follows you around. That’s not my interpretation though.

I think it is whatever the hell it wants to be. Sometimes I forget I have it. That sounds crazy in itself right? The medical definition of depression is “prolonged low mood for a period of two weeks or more” so naturally you’d be right to think you kind of have to be sad 24/7? Right? Not always. Depression is different for each person.

It’s smiling and joining in, hiding away and declining contact.

It’s eating very little if at all and it’s eating so much you make yourself nauseous or physically sick.

It’s not getting out of bed for days on end and it’s bounding our straight away just to make someone else happy.

Depression manifests itself in many ways and we can’t always prevent the illness. But we can show people we love them. We can hug and talk and laugh and all those things we find so trivial on a day to day basis. Because those things are the things that might bring someone away from the edge, further from the trigger, you get where I’m going with this…

My depression is up and down. Some days I hate everything and I starve (unintentionally) myself and stay in bed. Other days I’m happy to do everything for everyone else, some days I’m strong and I think “I’m gonna be selfish today like all my doctors have always told me” and then I feel guilty. Food can be a curse as your appetite is like a yo-yo so you never know where you stand.

My other pain in the ass attribute to my depression is insomnia. Isn’t insomnia a b*tch?! I mean seriously, who invited her to the party.

Insomnia is my worst friend. I say friend because she’s incredibly loyal to me and she rarely lets me down. But she is a complete nightmare and I severely dislike her presence. Thank you sweet baby Jesus for David Attenborough, that’s all I can say.

Like a perfect set of twins, depression has a sibling that likes to pop in every now and again. You’ll find that a fair few people who have depression also have anxiety. Anxiety has a whole umbrella of different types and I couldn’t possibly speak for those who have different types of anxiety to myself. I have mixed anxiety and usually I am trigger by crowds, waiting, confrontation, shouting and clinical spaces (to name a few). My hands are pretty much permanently clammy and I have headaches quite a lot. One of my main physical symptoms is a wonderful stammer and I live up to the phrase “cat got your tongue”. As many do, I’ll get the knotting in my stomach, sweats, hot and cold flushes and fight or flight response when entering an anxiety attack, if I don’t respond to my body then I hyperventilate and enter panic.

Despite having regular anxiety attacks I have only had one panic in three weeks (woo!) and I’m pretty good at hiding things in public or removing myself/avoidance. But I realised that doing that can’t always be the answer and so I’m going back for help.

Due to recent events I believe my PTSD has flared resulting in the anxiety and depression being bad. Talking therapies help me to process and programme my brain (talk therapies are brilliant if you’re an analytical person) so fingers crossed when I see the team in March I can have another referral to a higher level MH practitioner and have this as my last stay in the system.

I will update further once I have attended an appointment but until then, “Am I Crazy?” Chronicles part II is complete.

CA x