Women's Health: Answers To 10 Embarrassing Questions Every Woman Asks About Her Health
Women have to adapt to their bodies’ ever-changing health transformations, so it comes as no surprise when they have questions. BuzzFeed produced a video to address the top seven questions women have about their health, and we’ve added a few more to cover all the main concerns women have about the ins and outs of their bodies and ways to keep them beautiful and healthy.
10 Health Concerns By Women
1. Is it normal to have hair on my boobs?
Hair actually covers every inch of the body except for the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyelids, and lips, which makes it perfectly normal to have hair on your breasts and around the nipples. This fine layer of hair provides warmth and protection for the skin and grows more quickly in the summer than the winter time, making it more noticeable to many women, according to Women’s Health.
2. Can I get a tampon stuck inside me?
The tampon would have to be pretty large to become lodged inside the vagina’s cannel after you’ve inserted it. If it’s uncomfortable, remove it immediately and use a pad for extra protection. Otherwise, the tampon will stay right where you’ve inserted it. What’s at the other end of the tunnel? The opening to your cervix. However, only blood and semen can pass in and out, as it’s simply too small for a tampon to pass through, according to the National Health Service.
3. Has my tampon been in too long?
First off, tampons should be worn for eight hours at most. Then it needs to be switched out with a fresh one. Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare, life-threatening complication that was first caused by superabsorbent tampons. However, manufacturers no longer sell those certain types, so there is little to fear. It causes dizziness, high fever, headache, muscle ache, and a sunburn-like rash. TSS is caused by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) infections or the streptococcus (strep) bacteria, according to Mayo Clinic.
4. Am I supposed to shave my butt hair?
Body hair is all over, and the hair growing around your anus is part of the pubic hair region. Young women are the largest groups of those seeking to remove hair in the area. Originally, it was a trend set by ancient Egyptians and Greek prostitutes who removed the hair for hygiene reasons, which became a clear sign of their profession. However, pubic hair removal only became popular in the last 30 years in part because of the trend in the increased access to viewing women in the porn industry. Just because shaving down there has become more of a social norm, doesn’t mean you are “supposed” to shave, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Although it’s a personal choice, it can cause a lot of itching, burning, and even rashes if not performed properly.
5. What’s a yeast infection?
Yeast infections, also known as candidiasis, are common fungal infections, which occur in warm, moist parts of the body. It’s no surprise the vagina is a frequent host of such infection and small amount of yeast are always harbored in the vagina, but if there’s an imbalance and too much yeast grows, an infection can occur. About 75 percent of women have one during their lives, and half of those women have had two or more. Avoid underwear that’s too tight, keep your blood sugar lower, and maintain daily hygiene practices to steer clear, according to Women’s Health.
6. Does my vagina get looser with age or the more I have sex?
Vaginas are very elastic and, no, they don’t become looser with age or as sexual partners add up. After sex, the vaginal muscle tissue naturally contracts and tightens again. The loosening during sex and tightening afterward is a constant cycle that will occur no matter how many times a woman has sex. In fact, the vagina canal gets smaller and dryer as you age, so it’s not really the elasticity you have to worry about, even after a natural birth. However, if women have children later in life (30 years old or later), there is a greater likelihood of some stretching, which is where kegel exercises come in handy, according to Women’s Health.
7. Do all women queef?
Yes, air can become trapped in the canal during sex no matter who you are. When a woman is aroused during sex, her vagina expands and excess air can enter. The air exits when the vagina contracts back to normal post sex and the vibration of the air passing out of the vagina is the queef, according to SexInfo by the University of California, Santa Barbara.
8. How often am I supposed to wash my body and hair?
Hygiene is key to keeping away disease, infections, bacteria, and bad smells. Shower or bathe every two out of three days, or some people who don’t sweat a lot can get away with every other day. By not showering every day, you give your skin a chance to maintain its hormone, oil, and pH balances. Each and every time you shower, it’s important to scrub with a wash cloth in order to get off dirt and dead skin. Hair on the other hand needs to be washed three times per week. The scalp bathes the hair in natural, healthy oils, but it needs to be moisturized, hydrated, and also cleaned from dirt buildup. Those with more of an oily scalp need to wash more frequently, according to Women’s Health Magazine.
9. My cycle has changed, but I’m not pregnant. What's going on?
When you skip your regularly scheduled flow twice in a row and you know you’re not pregnant, there is something occurring on a biological level. Stress can stop or slow ovulation so you won’t menstruate so you should try and relax, practice yoga or breathing exercises. It’s important to note, if you work out or diet excessively, low body-fat levels can create problems for your reproductive health short- and long-term, according to WebMD.
10. Why is there so much hair on my brush?
Your hair follicles follow a cyclical three-phase pattern throughout your life of growth and stop. During the anagen phase, approximately 85 percent of all hair grows for two to six years. After one year, the hair has grown roughly 10 centimeters. In the next phase, the catagen transitional stage, the hair follicles shrink about one-sixth of their normal length, which lasts for one to two weeks long. Finally, during the telogen phase, the hair doesn’t grow and it rests for approximately five to six weeks until it re-enters the anagen phase. If you don’t think it’s your normal hair loss cycle, it could be due to stress, pregnancy, too much vitamin A or B, lack of protein, hereditary baldness, medications, or even autoimmune-related hair loss, in which you should see your doctor, according to Health Media.