Sex-iversity is a question and answer column designed to provide important information and answers to questions regarding sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, sexually transmitted infections and reproductive rights. Voiced by Julia Kristan, a member of the Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX) group here at the University of Massachusetts, and an active volunteer for the Everywoman’s Center on campus, the column is intended to help educate the university community about reproductive health, rights, legislation and responsibilities. Much of the statistical information provided in this column derives from research done through and obtained by Planned Parenthood and its national affiliates.

Q. I’ve been moody and feeling depressed lately, and my friends think there’s something really wrong with me. I don’t drink much and I get enough to sleep and eat everyday. The only prescription I take is birth control pills; could this be causing my problems?

A. Yes, birth control has been linked with exacerbating or causing depression. I strongly recommend you visit the doctor who put you on birth control and perhaps visit your primary care physician as well. People with tendencies toward or family histories of depression need to be monitored carefully on birth control. Depression is a serious side effect of hormonal birth control that often gets ignored.

A visit to a doctor who knows your history should be able to pinpoint causes of your recent depression. Ask your doctor plenty of questions. You’re worth more than the four minutes they usually spend on patients. You could even bring a friend or relative with you for moral support, and two people remember facts better than just one.

Q. My roommate was telling me that douching is necessary. My mom told me that it was not only unnecessary but that it can be harmful. Who is right?

A. Your mom is correct on this one. Douching has been linked in several studies to vaginal infection, higher rates of HIV and other STD infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, pre-term delivery and even cervical cancer. It is thought that douching upsets the natural pH and microbiotic balance in the vagina, allowing foreign viruses to more easily infect a woman.

Your roommate is a part of the nearly 40 percent of women who douche in America, and perhaps in the 20 percent that does so on a regular basis. Women’s bodies are often portrayed as a problem in need of fixing in our society. Between 1,001 “discrete” tampons and pads to choose from, to a multitude of feminine deodorant sprays, one might easily get the impression that menstruation is a disease and that your normal vaginal odor is in dire need of being covered up. Although advertising will lead you to believe that your vagina is a vile body part that needs to be cleaned regularly, this isn’t the case. The vagina is a self-cleansing work of bodily art.

Advertising purports douching as a necessary cleansing agent to be used after sex, menstruation or whenever you want that “clean and fresh” feeling. Douching does not help reduce the chance of becoming pregnant by washing out sperm. Menstruation is a healthy and natural shedding of the uterine lining, and when the lining is completely shed, the vagina will clean itself. For a clean and fresh feeling, try a shower or bath and use a gentle, unscented soap on the outside of the vagina.

This leads to another point. If you have stronger, unpleasant odors, or itching, burning and/or pain, it might be time to see a doctor. There is a wide range of healthy and natural vaginal odors. However, your body will tell you when there is something wrong by giving off a different odor or discharge. If you suspect that something is amiss, see a doctor and get treatment as soon as possible. It might be a yeast infection or symptoms of an STD. Couple your personal hygiene and self-monitoring with regular STD-testing for those illnesses which do not have any visible symptoms.

Coming in the next weeks:
Male contraceptives – Science fiction or science fact?
Depo-Provera – What you should know before taking this drug.

Questions? Comments? E-mail [email protected] with subject “Sex-iversity.” Confidentiality is always respected.