1. Why don’t my breasts match?
Unless you\u2019ve had a boob job, most breasts aren’t perfectly matched. That\u2019s because they\u2019re made of mammary gland tissue and fat and have naturally different amounts in each, explains Glenn Updike, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Magee Women\u2019s Hospital in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
For some women, the difference is more pronounced, and it\u2019s usually a cosmetic issue. If it\u2019s embarrassing or affecting your sex life, surgery is an option.<\/p>\n
But if one breast suddenly becomes much larger than the other, it could indicate an infection or tumor, so have your gynecologist evaluate it immediately.<\/p>\n
2. Is it normal to pass gas during orgasm?
When you climax, the muscles around your genitals \u2013 including the sphincter muscle \u2013 relax, so it\u2019s not unusual for a little gas to escape, says Millicent Comrie, M.D., founder and medical director of the Long Island College Center for Women\u2019s Health in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
But even before orgasm, the in-and-out motion may trigger gas because the penis rubs against the anus through the vaginal wall, she says.<\/p>\n
If it happens frequently and is embarrassing, take an over-the-counter anti-gas medication that contains simethicone before having sex, she says.<\/p>\n
3. I had a dream about having sex with another woman. Am I gay or bisexual?
Not necessarily, says Michele Sugg, a certified sex therapist in Branford, Conn. It could mean you\u2019re attracted to women (or a particular woman), but it may signal that you\u2019re missing the close, cozy feelings of hanging with a girlfriend.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes women symbolize nurturance, love and closeness\u201d in your dreams, Sugg explains. \u201cIf you\u2019re in a relationship with a guy and you\u2019re not getting enough closeness,\u201d such a dream might mean you need more of that.<\/p>\n
Remember: An erotic dream doesn\u2019t define your sexual identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if it means you feel sexually attracted to another woman, you don\u2019t need to pigeonhole yourself,\u201d she says. \u201cMaybe you\u2019ll be attracted to women at times. There\u2019s a scale rather than being gay, straight or bi.\u201d <\/p>\n
4. Is a cold sore the same as herpes?
Cold sores don\u2019t carry the same stigma as genital herpes, but strains of the same herpes simplex virus cause cold sores on the lips (and other areas of the face, chest, even the fingers), as well as blisters around genitals.<\/p>\n
In some cases, the virus strain that causes cold sores can also cause serious eye and brain infections. About 50%-80% of American adults have oral herpes; 20% have genital herpes.<\/p>\n
Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) usually occurs above the waist (generally through kissing or sharing eating utensils), while herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) usually occurs below the waist (generally through sexual contact). But you can get either virus in either area through oral-genital contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople aren\u2019t as embarrassed to say, \u2018I get cold sores,\u2019 but fewer people are apt to bring up that they have genital herpes, although both of them could be in either place,\u201d Updike says.<\/p>\n
Genital HSV-1 actually appears to be on the rise among adolescents, Comrie says, \u201cbecause they\u2019re having oral sex instead of intercourse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are treatable, but neither is curable.<\/p>\n
5. Can certain exercises really lead to better sex?
Absolutely. For starters, a good cardiovascular routine helps build energy and stamina. Strength training and stretching can help you build muscles and improve your flexibility so you can get into \u2013 and maintain \u2013 various positions during sex.<\/p>\n
The best exercise to improve sex is the Kegel squeeze \u2013 basically strength training for your pubococcygeus (or PC) muscles, which hold up your vagina, anus, uterus, bladder and urethra.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe stronger these muscles are, the more intense your orgasms will be,\u201d says Chicago sex and relationship therapist Laura Berman, Ph.D., author of The Passion Prescription (Hyperion).<\/p>\n
To locate your PC muscles, try to stop your urine flow when you pee. Hold the squeeze for five seconds, then release. Doing 50-150 Kegel squeezes a day will help keep those muscles in good shape. Don\u2019t do Kegels regularly while urinating, because it can lead to urinary tract and bladder infections.<\/p>\n
6. Is cybersex really cheating?
Many may not consider provocative emails to be cheating. After all, they reason, you\u2019re only exchanging thoughts or fantasies, not bodily fluids.<\/p>\n
But ask yourself: Would you want your partner to read your exchanges and would he be hurt, angry or resentful if he did?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your partner wouldn\u2019t feel comfortable with what you\u2019re doing, you\u2019re probably out of bounds,\u201d Sugg says. <\/p>\n
Try to figure out what\u2019s missing from your relationship that you\u2019re looking for online. Bored with your sex life? Does your husband see you as the mother of his children while you still feel like a sex kitten? Or maybe you want to try something more risque in the bedroom?<\/p>\n
Rather than act out online, talk about it with your partner and expand your sex life together. Real sex beats the virtual kind any day.<\/p>\n
7. Will my vagina be noticeably bigger after I have a baby?
If you push a baby out through your vagina, expect some stretching.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter delivery, the vaginal opening is anywhere from 1-4 centimeters bigger than it was before,\u201d says Bruce Rosenzweig, M.D., director of urogynecology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.<\/p>\n
Whether it snaps back to pre-delivery size after your recovery depends on how big your baby was, how long you pushed, how well your obstetrician repaired any tears and whether you\u2019re diligent about doing your postpartum Kegel exercises.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you do those Kegel exercises to strengthen the vaginal muscles, the outcome is better,\u201d Comrie says.<\/p>\n
If you had an episiotomy and your OB was meticulous about sewing it up, she adds, \u201cyou could be better than before.\u201d<\/p>\n
That said, after multiple deliveries, your vagina may still feel roomier and you may want more tightening than you\u2019ll get from marathon Kegel sessions.<\/p>\n
If so, ask your gynecologist about vaginal reconstruction (aka perineoplasty or vaginoplasty), which can help lift and tighten the sagging muscles at the vagina\u2019s opening and deeper inside.<\/p>\n
8. I\u2019ve never had an orgasm during intercourse. What’s wrong with me?
\u201cIf you can\u2019t have orgasms with intercourse, you\u2019re normal,\u201d assures Stephanie Buehler, director of the Buehler Institute for sex therapy in Irvine, Calif. \u201cSometimes women get upset because their partners say, \u2018My last lover could have orgasms, so there must be something wrong with you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, assuming you don\u2019t dump him for being an insensitive cad, you\u2019re well within your rights to point out that about 70% of women don\u2019t orgasm during intercourse without direct clitoral stimulation. You can also clue him in to the fact that it\u2019s perfectly OK for one of you to lend a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cTouching your clitoris during sex really ups the chances that you\u2019ll have an orgasm,\u201d says Carol Queen, staff sexologist for the online sex toy boutique Good Vibrations (GoodVibes.com).<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve never experienced an orgasm \u2013 and about 10% of women haven’t \u2013 you might consider investing in some slippery lube (not oil, which can irritate sensitive vaginal tissues) and experiment alone. Don\u2019t get discouraged if there are no immediate fireworks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time, it might take an hour of stimulation to produce an orgasm; it might also take many tries to get comfortable with the feelings of strong arousal,\u201d Buehler says.<\/p>\n
9. Where\u2019s my G-spot?
That\u2019s the million-dollar sex question. Some researchers don\u2019t believe in the G-spot; others staunchly defend its existence but disagree about its exact location.<\/p>\n
One school of sex researchers says the G-spot is the glandular tissue around the urethra (found behind your pubic bone, about two inches inside your vagina). Others believe it\u2019s farther back, in a triangular area on the back of the bladder wall \u2013 called the trigone or T Zone \u2013 where three nerves come together.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s probably some combination of these. But if your partner\u2019s plucking the right strings, so to speak, does it matter which instrument he\u2019s playing?<\/p>\n
Need help? Read How to Find Your G-spot.<\/p>\n
10. Can anal sex give me hemorrhoids?
Not as long as you\u2019re relaxed and enjoying it, assures Ellen Barnard, a sex educator\/counselor and co-founder of A Woman\u2019s Touch in Madison, Wisc. (a-womans-touch.com).<\/p>\n
Hemorrhoids (painful swollen veins in the anal area) can result from excess pressure around your anus \u2013 say, when you\u2019re really straining to go to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
But when you use a good lubricant and the penetration feels comfortable \u2013 not forced \u2013 there\u2019s no risk of anal sex causing hemorrhoids. In fact, some sex researchers believe tush play may actually prevent hemorrhoids.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt improves the strength and flexibility of the skin and muscles so that the anus is better able to respond to pressure, rather than bulging and producing hemorrhoids,\u201d Barnard says.<\/p>\n
11. Why don\u2019t my privates look like a centerfold\u2019s?
Beyond the extensive airbrushing magazine photos undergo, the hard truth is that even if you started with a nice, tight package, child birthing changes everything. Once you push a couple of 8-10 pound babies through the birth canal, things down there won’t look the same.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Rosenzweig says, some women\u2019s vaginas sag so much that they complain of discomfort while walking.<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, age is another culprit. You don\u2019t expect to look like the pouty-lipped young things in Clearasil ads when you\u2019re 45, right? Well, just as the lips around your mouth can thin with age, so can the ones in your southern hemisphere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen lose fat in that area, the elasticity and tone of the tissue decreases and the inner vaginal lips droop,\u201d explains Dolores Kent, M.D., a Beverly Hills ob-gyn and cosmetic surgeon.<\/p>\n
Some \u201chave their vaginas done\u201d because vaginal changes cause medical problems or make sex uncomfortable, but Kent says that 85% of the women who come to her for such procedures are worried about aesthetics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve seen the men\u2019s magazines and feel their vulvas aren\u2019t pretty,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
12. If I\u2019m uncomfortable with how I smell down there, can I change it?
Sure, but you\u2019re probably worrying needlessly, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. \u201cMost of the women who come in saying, \u2018I smell really bad,\u2019 smell fine,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re concerned, see your gynecologist because strong odor (and discharge) is a sign of a bacterial infection. If there\u2019s no infection and you\u2019re still worried, avoiding spicy or pungent foods may help, Rosenzweig says.<\/p>\n
Minkin recommends an over-the-counter product called Rephresh that rebalances the vagina\u2019s pH and makes you more fragrant.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t use douches or feminine sprays. They can irritate and can alter the vagina\u2019s natural flora, which increases your risk of getting an infection and mask an existing one.<\/p>\n
13. Do I have a greater risk for infection if my genitals are pierced?
\u201cIt\u2019s not a great idea to have foreign objects around your genitalia because areas that are prone to moisture and intimate contact are very attractive to bacteria,\u201d Rosenzweig says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you have great hygiene and a normal immune system, a genital piercing isn\u2019t going to increase your risk for yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, some people always have a little redness or irritation around pierced areas, even when they\u2019re in ho-hum spots like ears, noses or navels. So, if your piercing seems perpetually inflamed, take it out.<\/p>\n
14. If I’ve been diagnosed with HPV once in the past, do I still have it? Am I still at risk for cervical cancer?
If you\u2019ve had sex, you\u2019ve probably bumped into human papilloma virus (HPV) \u2013 about 80% of sexually active people have been exposed to at least one of the 30 known HPV strains.<\/p>\n
But in most cases \u2013 90% \u2013 the infection clears up on its own. Odds are, you won\u2019t even realize you had it. Most HPV viruses come and go without notice, but about 10 strains can increase your risk of developing cervical cancer.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re under 26, consider getting the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, which protects against the four main strains of HPV responsible for about 70% of cervical cancers. (This goes for men too.) Also, protect yourself with routine Pap tests, which look for changes in the cervix that could eventually become cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know why some women develop cervical cancer and others don\u2019t,\u201d says Thomas Herzog, M.D., director of the gynecologic oncology at Columbia University in New York City. \u201cBut there are millions of women with HPV and more than 11,000 cases of cervical cancer in the U.S. each year, so if you\u2019re screened regularly, it\u2019s very unlikely you\u2019ll develop cervical cancer. And if you did it would be caught extremely early and likely completely cured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most women over 30 who\u2019ve had three consecutive normal Pap tests are advised to get screenings only every two to three years. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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More: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We rounded up sexual health experts to weigh in on subjects that women are often too red-faced to discuss with their gynecologists or girlfriends. Read on to get the lowdown on what\u2019s really going on down under<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-345416","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n