Dysmenorrhea can range from mild to severe cramps in the lower abdomen, pulling pains at the inner thighs, backache, fainting, nausea, actual vomiting, hot and cold flashes, diarrhea, or dizziness with headaches. Prostaglandins are hormones made in abundance during menstruation.…
Specific micro-organisms inhabit the mouth, just as they inhabit other body orifices (openings). They rarely cause problems within their natural ecology. If they are transmitted to other orifices, they can cause infection. One typical example is a harmless bacteria of…
Think of the reproductive system as two cycles. The first occurs in the ovary; an egg is matured and released at ovulation. The second is in the uterus. The lining, which is called the endometrium, builds up for pregnancy each…
Douching is a procedure of vaginal irritation in which fluid in a bag is permitted to run through a tube, entering the vagina under slight pressure and ballooning it out slightly. As the fluid runs out or is expelled through…
The ovaries have a lifetime supply of egg follicles from birth. These ripen into eggs, which can be fertilized to produce pregnancy. By age 30, the eggs have been present for some time. In problems of fertility, the quality of…
Estrogen Production It is important that control is kept over sexual development. If the ovaries produce too much or too little estrogen, it would have a disastrous effect on feminization. So FSH (and LH) are produced under negative feedback controls.…
The lining walls of the vagina are thick, being made up of 20 to 40 layers of cells. These overlap like the tiles on a roof. They are similar to skin cells (epithelial), but with no hair follicles, sweat, or…
Fat cells absorb and release the female hormone estrogen. In women who are overweight, estrogen is not only produced by the ovaries, but also from the extra fat cells in other parts of the body. This release of extra estrogen…
High risk sexual behaviour includes: Sex is paid for. The constant change of heterosexual partners. Heterosexual anal sex is unprotected. Sex with an intravenous drug user. “Tough” sex causes lesions, bruises, bleeding. Male sex (anal homosexual intercourse). AIDS is transmitted…
The signal to start puberty comes from the hypothalamus in the brain. It comes when the hypothalamus reaches a certain degree of maturity. In girls, this level of maturity is weight-related. On average, a plumper girl will start puberty earlier…
