My Favorite Sex Questions
By Shannon McClean
Now that I’m a Peer Health Educator, I find myself staffing information tables on every
thing from body image to safer sex. As such, I’m amazed at the confusion and dubious
advice going around about sexual health. Here are some of my favorite questions that
have come up, along with the answers that I researched. My theory is that for every' per
son who asks, there’s a bunch of other students who would also like the information.
My friend was telling me that a girl could examine her self
like a gynecologist does. Is this true?
It’s important for us women to be familiar with our genitals
on a regular basis so we know what’s normal for our body and to
take an active role in our reproductive health care. Unlike guys, get
ting a glimpse of our genitalia can be a bit tricky. If you would like
to look at your cervix between annual exams, you can buy a specu
lum at Planned Parenthood for only $2. A lot of women have trou
ble using it at first, so try it with a health care provider or partner
to begin with.
Ot: I’m 18 and I don’t want to go to the gynecologist because it
sounds embarrassing and I’ve heard that it hurts. Do I really need
to go.'
A gynecological exam, including a pap smear, is recommended after sexual activity
begins or around age 20, which ever comes first. Your health care provider may recom
mend a different standard. Pap smears are important to screen for cervical cancer and sex
ually transmitted infections (STIs). A pelvic exam should never hurt and if something feels
uncomfortable you should speak up with your clinician. At the Health Center, the practi
tioners are eager to educate students about routine procedures and personal health.
Asking the medical practitioner to show you your cervix with a mirror can make your
experience interesting. You can bring a friend or family member with you to help you feel
more comfortable.
> My boyfriend has his genitals pierced.Will this make the condom break when we have sex?
Most pierced people haven’t experienced an increase in condoms breaking, but cases
have been reported. If condoms are your only form of birth control, you might want to stop by
the Health Center and pick emergency contraception (EC) ahead of time, just in case the con
dom does fail. Emergency contraception is most effective when taken within 5 days following
unprotected intercourse. The sooner EC is taken, the more effective it is in preventing preg
nancy. If you qualify for FPEP it’s free, and if not, EC costs around $ 12. To see if you qualify for
My boyfriend has his genitals
pierced. Will this make the
condom break when we have sex?
FPEP’s free contraception services,
call 346-2770.
CI* I just got an e-mail saying that
tampons have asbestos. Is this true?
This e-mail was just another ur
ban legend. However, most tampons
you can buy at a grocery store are
made of bleached cotton and contain
synthetic chemicals such as rayon.
Consider that a woman can go
-J through an average of 10,000 tam
pons in her lifetime! And while toxic
shock syndrome triggered by tampon use is rare, it is useful to know there are options to
bleached tampons.“Instead”is a plastic cup that catches menses and looks like a diaphragm. It
can be left inside the vagina up to eight hours and be bought at most grocery stores. At many
health food stores you can find non-chlorine bleached tampons. Making your own pads with
thick fabric that can be rinsed out and reused, can save a lot of money. For more info on alter
natives to bleached tampons , check out www.bloodsisters.org.www.lunapads.com, and
www.keeper.com
If you have any questions of your own, come by the Peer Health Education office in the
Health Center, by area B, and ask a peer health educator or check out our great library on
health topics. If you want expert advice, make an appointment with a nurse practitioner or
physician by calling 346-2770.
A glimpse into the drinking patterns of the Ducks
By KyleAnn Mabey
jury, and other immediate health and social problems begin
to kick in. For some of us, four or five drinks seems like a lot
of alcohol to consume at once, but for others this may be
part of a familiar routine. Regardless of whether you can
drink that much at once, you may wonder just how com
mon binge drinking is at UO.
According to the 2002 University of Oregon
Health Center Survey, when 405 University students
were asked,“In the last two weeks how many times have
you consumed five or more drinks in one sitting?”63% an
swered “none at all.” Since the Health Center survey is a ran
dom sample that represents the entire student body, this sig
nifies that most students didn’t binge drink in the weeks
prior to the survey. For the guys, 57% hadn’t drunk enough
to be considered binge drinking and for the gals,68% hadn’t
engaged in binge drinking. The fact that the majority of stu
dents aren’t binge drinking may be surprising to those stu
dents who hang with the high risk drinkers. We tend to
align ourselves with individuals whose idea of a good time
matches our own. Students who don’t put down four or
five drinks in a sitting are probably less surprised by the fact
that most students don’t binge drink.
Even though the survey further showed that at parties,
77% UO student consumes between 0 and 4 drinks on aver
age, the perceived use is much higher.When asked how
many drinks we think most other students consume, we
think only 31% of the student body drinks less than five
drinks on our typical party night.
Feeling a little skeptical? When you think aboift it,
the survey makes sense. We tend to hang out with others
that engage in the same activities as we do. It makes sense
that the people who drink heavily tend to hang out with
others who drink just as heavily and vise versa. Plus, stu
dents who drink on the weekends, and especially the ones
who get noticeable intoxicated, typically draw more atten
Binge drinking. Until college, most of us had never heard this term. Sure we
went through D.A.R.E and various attempts at discouraging drug use, hearing over and over in
formation regarding alcoholism.We saw pamphlets on safe drinking, but still what exactly is
high risk drinking? As far as understanding different drinking behaviors that exists among stu
dents, we were pretty much left to figure it out on our own. How do we know if we or some
one we know is headed for trouble with alcohol? I considered this one of the great unsolved
health problems many college students face and so did some careful research. Here is what I
found.
Henry Weschler, director of College Alcohol Studies at the Harvard School of Public Health,
defined binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks for males, or four or more for fe
males, in one sitting. One drink consists of a 12 oz. beer, 5 oz. of wine, or one shot of hard
liquor.The term binge drinking basically refers to the level of intoxication when physical in
tion to themselves than the ones who are less rowdy.This gives the impression that there is a
lot more drinking taking place than there truly is. Even though you over hear someone talk
ing on Monday about getting wasted during the weekend, chances are many of the other
20,044 students participated in campus events, saw the latest Ben Affleck flick, went away for
the weekend, or just spent a quiet evening at home.
For most students, going to parties is a great way to meet new people and have a good
time. However for others, alcohol habits may be forming problems that could turn into a de
pendency later in life. Surrounding themselves with others in the same boat may reassure
them that their drinking is “normal”, but may in fact foster heavy drinking. If you feel that you
have a problem with alcohol, or want more information there are resources on campus that
can help .The Counseling Center is confidential, and they provide both individual and group
therapy sessions. Drop-in hours are available; the Counseling Center can be reached at 346
3227. Health Center medical practitioners are also available for consultations and medical
check ups.Appointments can be made by calling 346-2770.