Naturally this conversation took a muff dive as we discussed "to trim or not to trim".......the bush vs. the hedge.
There are a few different ways to smooth things over down there.....shaving, waxing, plucking (Ouch!) laser therapy, trimming and the less popular but also less risky, depilatory (hair removal) creams. Shaving is the most common way to clear the runway, however it may irritate and inflame the hair follicles potentially leaving open wounds, a conduit for infection.
According to a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 60 percent of women had at least one health complication incurred from pubic hair removal, typically epidermal abrasion (invisible cuts to the skin), laceration, rashes and ingrown hairs. It was also shown to cause severe skin irritation and infections. The lesson here? Ladybits need tender loving care.
Waxing one's way back to pre-pubesecent wonder is efficient but hurts like heck! Worse than that, there is evidence that it is dangerous and women are at risk of boils and sexually transmitted infections. Just ask Emily Gibson, director of the health centre at Western Washington University who launched an appeal to put a stop to the trend of pubic hair removal because of these risks.
Laser removal is growing in popularity and is now offered by technicians in medi spas rather than physicians. Know that your ladybits are at risk of being burned, ladies. Lawsuits claimed against non-physician operators increased by 78% over a one year period according to one recent study.
Hair removal creams contain chemicals however do appear to be less irritating if you can bear the scent which has improved over the years. Don't be in a hurry to bare all. Ensure that anyone who goes at it with a wand, wax or any other device is trained in the procedure and also in dealing with your skin type.
To trim or not to trim? That is the question and may be the answer too. Ladies, you can still have that sought after neatness without baring it all. Tidy things up "down there" by trimming instead of a full hair removal as it will ensure your hair follicles remain intact. If you decide to shave, then, take your time and use proper shaving products.
So why would a woman be so happy to remove her hedge when pubic hair is there to “absorb moisture and drain it away from areas that aren’t exposed?” If there’s no hair, the skin is more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections like herpes and genital warts which can be passed onto one's partner.
So I scratch my head when I hear that a full bush is a deal breaker for many men who prefer that smooth pre-adolescent Barbie doll look. Many women derive a great deal of pleasure from oral sex so they often succumb (submit?) to this particular male grooming request.
An entire generation of women believe there is something gross and downright wrong about a woman with a bush. This belief may have its roots in pornography. Even pubic hair goes grey, another popular reason for "Edward Scissorhanding" the hedge. There are dyes for pubic hair, but that's another blog. Still some women find the clean shaven look empowering, one way to exhibit feminine power. Talk about the feminine mystique.
Fashion trends come and go and the clean shaven look is just that, in for now, out before you know it.
Maureen McGrath is a women’s health expert and hosts the Sunday Night Sex Show on News Talk 980 CKNW. She is creator of the blog 50ShadesofPink.ca and has a clinical practice in North Vancouver, British Columbia. She's thrilled with her hedge trimming.
Vaginal Dryness? Painful Sex? Light Bladder Leakage? Lichen Sclerosis? For information about vaginal rejuvenation, Mona Lisa Touch might be for you. Please visit Mona Lisa Touch
]]>The vagina is a hollow muscular organ that receives pleasure and also gives life as this is the first pathway through which most lives travel. The vagina is like a self-cleaning oven, so there is never a need to buy soap or vagina wash. The vagina takes care of herself.
The clitoris is tucked underneath a hood connected to the vagina. The clitoris serves no other purpose than for ultimate pleasure. The clitoris comes in many sizes, no two are alike (much like vaginas), but all are beautiful. When healthy, vaginas are pink and lubricated with good turgor and elasticity. The elasticity is what allows for the receipt of the penis for penetrative heterosexual sex or even more impressive, the birth of a baby. Lubrication and stretching are key.
You can see the vagina is vital to our lives and yet we rarely discuss it. It is important to know that estrogen is the hormone regulator of the vagina which means it keeps all of these processes in play. When the estrogen receptors in the vagina decrease after the birth of a baby, or when a woman is on the pill, or in menopause, vaginal dryness may set in, elasticity decreases, and the pleasure may plummet. If estrogen is lacking, a woman may take longer to experience orgasm.
That is why it is just as important to moisturize your vagina as it is your face! I recommend women use a personal moisturizer like RepaGyn a hormone-free ovule that is inserted into the vagina to maintain vaginal lubrication and keep vaginal tissues youthful. We are trying to keep everything else youthful these days (hello botox and fillers for our fine lines and wrinkles) and the same holds true for the vagina.
So remember ladies, when you head to the drugstore to get a moisturizer for your skin in these dry cold days of winter, pick up some RepaGyn at the drugstore because it is available over the counter for your flower, I mean hoo-hoo, ladybits, VAGINA! If you would like me to send you RepaGyn samples, please email me at [email protected]
]]>
WHAT:
This event has the power to transform Women’s health!
Maureen McGrath, Host of the Sunday Night Sex Show on CKNW, is bringing “Hot Flash Havoc”, the award-winning documentary to three venues in Greater Vancouver. The evenings include a wine reception, screening of the world-renowned film, followed by health presentations and a Q&A session with expert panelists. Lynda Steele, CKNW radio host, will also join McGrath in Vancouver.
WHEN & WHERE:
Hot Flash in The City will be held in 3 cities, in 3 days, from 6pm to 9:30pm:
November 17 at Kay Meek Theatre in West Vancouver
November 18 at Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam
November 19 at Scotiabank Theatre in Vancouver
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Hot Flash Havoc is an entertaining, enlightening, and profound film, a crash course on what women need to know about menopause. Check out the trailer:
MORE INFO/PURCHASE TICKETS:
Eventbrite: hotflashinthecity2015.eventbrite.ca
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashInTheCity/
Menopause can be a challenging time for many women. The long list of common symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, bladder leaks, vaginal dryness, recurrent urinary tract infections and low libido, present quality of life and relationship issues for women. “There is so much confusion about hormones for example systemic vs. localized estrogen for vaginal atrophy a common health concern for many women that may lead to low libido at menopause, and many women suffer in silence,” said McGrath.
Many treatment options for common concerns at this time of life like vaginal dryness and dyspareunia (painful sex) will be available at the event, including hormone-free treatments like Gynatrof, by Tyros BioPharma, the lead sponsor of these vital women’s health events where men are welcome too. McGrath will review common male sexual health issues like erectile dysfunction, testosterone and premature ejaculation. “It is important men and women understand men’s sexual concerns common at this time of life too,” McGrath said.
]]>I could not help but wonder if this woman would not still be a virgin had she had a better understanding of her "lady bits." I explained to her gently that her uterus was her womb, it was likely her vagina that had lost it’s elasticity and (as she put it) “dried up” due to the decreased estrogen receptors in the vagina (actually the urogenital tract which may also lead to bladder urgency and leakage) associated with menopause.
Many women do not have a good understanding of their reproductive organs which is why we need to open up the dialogue and educate women (and men) about sexuality. I wondered if the reason that this woman led a sexless life was because she did not have enough knowledge about her "lady bits." Clearly, lady bit education is needed to increase our understanding about the vagina which comes from the Latin word meaning “sheath for sword.”
THE VAGINA
No two vaginas are alike but they are all powerful. The vagina is a strong hollow muscular organ with the innate ability (albeit rare) to clamp down on a penis, making it impossible for the penis to extricate itself. Talk about girl power. In essence, it is the centre of sexuality and the soul of our sensuality.
Here are a few things you may not know about the vagina:
- Estrogen is the hormone regulator of the vagina which helps it to be elastic and so it can stretch to accommodate a penis or a baby’s head. Estrogen balances the pH of a woman’s vagina and also helps to prevent infection.
- There are more than 8,000 nerves in the clitoris which is twice as many as the penis! This is where sexual sensation is felt and when nerves are bathed in estrogen they are more sensitive and sex is more satisfying.
- The controversial and elusive G-spot is located in the anterior wall of the vagina. Most women cannot experience orgasm during intercourse and therefore require clitoral stimulation to experience the big "O."
- Vaginas are like self-cleaning ovens designed to remain clean with natural secretions or vaginal discharge. There is no need and, in fact, a woman should not use perfumed soaps or gels to wash her vagina as this may upset the natural balance of the vagina and lead to irritation. Coloured, flavoured, or tingly lubricants may also irritate a woman's lady bits.
VAGINAL HEALTH & VAGINAL DRYNESS
The vagina needs care like any other organ in the body. The vagina can become dry at different times during a woman’s life like when she is on the pill, breastfeeding, peri-menopause, menopause and beyond. Vaginal dryness does not spell death for the vagina and does not mean the end of sex for women.
I always say, it is just as important to moisturize your vagina as it is your face. There are many non-hormonal treatments like personal moisturizers and lubricants women may use and of course low dose vaginal estrogen is another treatment if needed.
Having an understanding of your lady bits, especially your vagina, is important to health and sexuality and getting back to the bedroom! For more education on vaginal health and vaginal dryness, check out my video with Canadian Health & Family: Understanding and Managing Vaginal Dryness.
]]>I said stoicism is left at the menopausal door. No room for that at this time of life, to which she laughed. Marilyn went on to explain that she no longer had a trusted physician to care for her. As it turns out, she had tried a multitude of therapies from “natural” treatments to herbs and vitamins, none of which worked. She did not know where to turn next.
She was also upset because she was practically a newlywed as she and Rob had married just five years prior when she had none of these symptoms. When I asked her if she was sexually active, she started to cry. I really felt so bad at this point. Marilyn said she just had no libido and that was lost long before the stoicism disappeared.
She told me how she so loved her husband but seemed to have lost all lust for him; this worried her, in part, because he was fifteen years younger and she thought she might lose him to a younger woman (or another woman) because he loved sex (that makes him different from every other man?). I secretly smiled because she had managed to scoop up such a young buck, but I quickly realized that it was my job to help her keep him. She was quite right and there was a risk he might cheat, if he were the type.
ESTROGEN LOSS & MENOPAUSE
I explained that estrogen was the hormone regulator of every organ in the body from hair to skin, brain to bowels, heart to vagina and everything in between. When estrogen levels decrease after menopause it is not uncommon for women to experience:
- Dry hair and skin
- A foggy mind
- Sluggish bowels
- Leg pains
- Vaginal dryness
- And yes, LOW LIBIDO!
MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
All of these symptoms were impacting Marilyn’s personal and professional life. It was time Marilyn went to see a women’s health doctor who specializes in menopause. She agreed. I could help her with her vaginal dryness issues and to that end suggested that she use a personal moisturizer such as Gynatrof®, which is a hormone-free gel available over the counter and approved by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist of Canada for the condition of Vaginal Atrophy. It is a good place to begin given the dryness, burning and itching she was experiencing.
For more management/treatment options for vaginal dryness, click here!
GET EDUCATED!
I also suggested that she attend the upcoming “Hot Flash in The City” event being held in three cities in West Vancouver on November 17, Coquitlam on November 18 and Vancouver on November 19, 2015.
Hot Flash in the City is an educational, entertaining evening aimed at helping women (and men!) understand hormones, menopause, sexual health and the impact on intimacy and relationships.
For more information about the events go to: EventBrite.ca/HotFlashInTheCity
]]>
I ask all patients if they are sexually active and if they are enjoying a great sex life with each other, then more power to them. Delving deeper, I inquire about their experience with orgasms by asking these questions:
- Do you experience orgasms?
- If so, do you experience orgasms easily?
- Are your orgasms experienced exclusively with solo sex or do you experience them with a partner?
Women are usually very happy to discuss intimate issues with someone who understands them as a health issue. Low libido is a measure of how well people feel about their physical, emotional, hormonal and relational health.
There are many contributing factors to low libido including advancing age, vaginal health issues like dryness, atrophy and/or laxity. Lifestyle, stressors, body image, loss, financial problems, depression, medication and relationship issues may also contribute.
These are complex issues because they involve a woman’s hormones, head and heart. It is important to get to the bottom of these issues. Speaking to your health care provider about low libido accompanied by a low mood or depression is important.
Estrogen is the hormone regulator of the vagina. When the estrogen levels drop in the vagina during perimenopause, it may cause dryness and this may lead to painful sex. Click here to learn about treatment options for vaginal dryness. Left untreated, vaginal dryness may progress to a condition that affects 50% of postmenopausal women, which is vaginal atrophy.
Vaginal laxity, otherwise known as decreased vaginal tightness, may lead to a decrease in sexual sensitivity after childbirth. More than stretch marks or weight gain, vaginal laxity is the number one concern, women have about their physical changes after delivery.
So you can see, head, heart and hormone levels are inter-related. In Lulu’s case, her low mood prevented her from exercising. As it turned out, her vaginal dryness and laxity led to low libido. She was drinking 3-4 alcoholic drinks daily, not only a depressant but a libido leveler too.
Eliminating alcohol, exercise and dealing with her vaginal dryness (she used RepaGyn®) was great place to start. After about one month of her new lifestyle, she started feeling better. Her hot flashes reduced and she was sleeping better.
The next step was to begin a dialogue with her husband about their issues and perhaps seek counselling. I also encouraged her to see her family physician who could manage her low mood and vaginal laxity issues. Sexual health, heart and hormonal problems may wreak havoc on a woman’s life and relationship, but there are many options for treatment. Lulu is off to a great start in getting back to the bedroom.
]]>