Monique Rainford
Dear Doctor:
I'm not from your island but a regular reader. My problem is that my boyfriend is accusing me of cheating on him, which isn't so, because he is claiming that my vagina isn't tight anymore. I would like to know what could be the cause or reason for my vagina not being tight.
Dear Reader:
A decrease in the tightness of the vagina may occur after child birth via a vaginal delivery. However, as a woman gets aroused during sexual activity, her vagina increases in both the width and length. If a woman is not aroused, she will not achieve the maximal increase in vaginal size.
Therefore, in your case, the decrease in tightness could be due to a normal response to arousal. That being said, there are certain muscles that affect the tightening of the vaginal opening. These are the same muscles that a woman uses to stop her flow of urine.
Like other muscles, they can be strengthened with exercise. These exercises are called Kegel exercises. You can try to squeeze these muscles about five to 10 times per day for about 10 seconds. Exercising these muscles both before and during intercourse may make it more pleasurable for both you and your partner. You can explain to your boyfriend that the decrease in the tightness of your vagina has nothing to do with cheating and may well be due to you becoming more relaxed and enjoying intercourse with him more.
Why is there so much pain after sex?
Dear Doctor:
I have a big problem that I am fretting about. I am 18 and whenever my boyfriend and l have sex and I pass my urine, it hurts a lot but after a while the pain is gone. Is this serious.
Dear Reader:
The pain that you are experiencing could be due to a urinary tract infection (UTI). This is an infection which occurs in any or all parts of the urinary tract which include the bladder, the kidneys, the ureters (the tubes which lead from the kidney to the bladder) and the urethra (the tube through which the bladder empties).
The most common type of UTI is a bladder infection or cystitis. The symptoms of a UTI may include pain or burning with urination (dysuria), pelvic pain, blood or pus in the urine, frequent urination, a strong urge to urinate, back pain or fever.
UTIs are more common in women than in men. Sexual activity and pregnancy increases a woman's risk of acquiring this type of infection. A UTI can be treated with antibiotics. However, a sexually transmitted infection can also be the cause of your symptoms. Therefore, it is very important to be seen by a physician and get the appropriate tests and treatment.
Pregnant, eating dirt
Dear Doctor:
Good day. I am 31 years old and 24 weeks pregnant. The thing is this doctor, I find myself eating dirt at least five times per day.
(1) Will this harm the baby?
(2) If yes, in what way?
Dear Reader:
The problem you have is known as pica. It is fairly common among pregnant women. People with pica eat items such as dirt, clay, ice, chalk, paper and cloth which have no nutritional value.
Pica could be a sign that you have anemia (commonly known locally as weak blood). This type of anemia is usually due to insufficient body stores of the mineral iron.
This condition can be harmful to your pregnancy because the dirt may have germs that are unsafe for you to ingest and may cause infection. The dirt may also contain poisons in the environment that could be harmful to you and the baby. Dirt can sometimes cause blockage of the intestines, which is a very serious condition.
I recommend that you see your doctor, be checked for iron deficiency anemia and try to get help to treat this problem.
Dr. Monique Rainford is a consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist. Email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
