Embarrassing problems

Love is in the air………

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It’s Valentine’s Day on the 14th February and many people will be thinking about the L word.

Fuzzy feelings and the glow created by cards and poetry can lead to other things, and it is very easy to get carried away and forget the C word – contraception. Or an accident may befall the wearer of a condom and it may tear or fall off at the wrong moment.

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It is at this point that Emergency Contraception should be considered and we can provide it to you free of charge. If you are under 25 you can also get it free from pharmacies.

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Emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), often called the ‘morning after pill’ comes in two forms:❤ The first must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and works best if taken within 24 hours. It consists of one tablet of a hormone called progestogen and can prevent ovulation (release of an egg) which will stop pregnancy occurring. It may also make the lining of the uterus (womb) unsuitable for pregnancy to develop. It is not an abortion, and will not affect your future fertility.

❤ The second is also a tablet, called ellaOne. It is licensed to be given 72-120 hours after unprotected sex. This one needs to be prescribed by a doctor.

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There are many old wives tales about the morning after pill, but it can be taken more than once in a cycle if necessary, and will not stop you having a baby when you want one.

EHC is not 100% effective and its efficacy is dependent on where you are in your cycle. A copper coil (IUD) is the only sure method of preventing pregnancy. We can fit these at SHS and this will be discussed when you attend for your EHC.

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Taking EHC is not as effective as using regular contraception such as the pill, the implant or the copper coil. We offer a wide range of contraception at Students’ Health Service. Please book in to see us and have a chat about the range of contraception that is available.

There is a lot of information on the internet, much of which is not true or causes anxiety. NHS sites will give you the correct information and enable you to make a decision about what would be best for you. The following site is very easy to use, gives information about emergency contraception and regular methods, and the leaflets are the same as we use at Students’ Health Service:

www.fpa.org.uk

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The unwelcome memento…

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Welcome to a new academic year at university!

Many of you will have enjoyed Freshers week or simply seeing your friends back in Bristol again..…perhaps there has been a bit more celebration than study? Alcohol can contribute to risk-taking behaviour that could lead to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

A survey of 16 – 24-year-olds (Define 2008) found that after drinking alcohol

 •            One in seven have had unsafe sex (i.e. Not using a condom)

•             One in five had sex and later wished they hadn’t

•             One in 10 were unable to remember whether they had sex the night before

•             Many (40%) agreed that they would be more likely to have casual sex

How many of you are nodding in agreement..?

Worryingly, Public Health England (PHE) published data in June that showed that new sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses rose 5% in 2012 to almost half a million….HALF A MILLION!!!!

Although in part due to improvements in data collection, the high STI rates in England suggest too many people are still putting themselves at risk through unsafe sex, especially young adults, and men who have sex with men (MSM). Does this include you?

Chlamydia remained the most commonly diagnosed STI (46%), but considerable numbers of genital warts (16%) and genital herpes (7%) cases were also reported last year. New gonorrhoea diagnoses rose 21%. Those aged under 25 experienced the highest STI rates, contributing 64% chlamydia and 54% of genital warts diagnoses in heterosexuals in 2012.

But “I don’t have any symptoms……so I am ok…..right?”

Wrong!

50% of men and 70-80% of women don’t get symptoms at all with Chlamydia infection.

You have up to a 1 in 10 chance of testing positive to Chlamydia!

 That’s why the National Chlamydia Screening Programme exists- its target is to control Chlamydia and its complications, which can include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women and epididymitis in men.

The advice is that sexually active under 25 year olds should be screened for Chlamydia EVERY year, and on change of sexual partner. Over the age of 25 you should still seek a test following any change in partner.

 

So “how can I reduce my chances of picking up an STI?”  Well, you could just stay home and study, but if that isn’t appealing then consider the following options.

 Recalling that many people with infections are unaware of their status, as they don’t have any symptoms (and therefore cant warn you), the best advice is therefore to  –

  • Reduce the number of sexual partners  you have
  • Avoiding overlapping sexual relationships
  • Always use a condom when having sex with casual and new partners
  • Get tested regularly if you’re in one of the higher risk groups (eg MSM)
  • Get screened for chlamydia every year (if aged under 25) and on change of sexual partner.

 

You can access testing through the Students’ Health Service- see the contraception and sexual health section on our website for more details. You can also pick up a self-testing kit for Chlamydia (and it also tests for Gonorrhoea too) in the practice- they are on the windowsills along the corridors and in the waiting room.

So make sure it’s a memorable start to the new academic year…for all the right reasons and that your not left with an unwelcome memento of that big night out!

Awkward Ailments

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It must be twenty years since a group of us sat in a tutorial at medical school, being encouraged by our Sexual Health tutor to tell the group of all the euphemisms for ‘genitals’ that we had ever heard of.

The group moved from embarrassment (willy/ winkie), to giggle fits (woo-woo/ tuppence), to deep concentration (John Thomas?)  as we all took up the challenge. The tutorial was a success, and the colourful discussion helped us to take embarrassment out of the equation when dealing with other people’s awkward or disconcerting health complaints.

Here at Student Health we see lots of things that you might feel are embarrassing to mention, but you can be fairly sure we will have seen most of them before. And if we haven’t, well, we like a medical challenge.

The message for this blog is to reassure you that it is better to seek advice for the things that are worrying you, such as bumps on your private bits, as very occasionally they can prove to be a bit more serious, and the sooner we check them out the better. Scrotal or testicular lumps are a classic, with men of all ages being reluctant to seek a medical opinion, but it is vital that you do. If further tests are needed then a non invasive ultrasound scan will be arranged, and that really doesn’t hurt a bit, but can be life saving.

For the ladies, we are used to dealing with issues varying from the after effects of intimate waxing/ hair removal (rashes, infections, folliculitis), to ‘lost’ tampons (our nurses will retrieve them if you can’t), and itchy/ sore vulvas. One of the most effective ways to avoid the latter is to wash only with water, or possibly aqueous cream as a soap substitute, but never to use soaps/ shower gels/ bath oils/ wet wipes etc as they cause havoc with delicate skin.

Piercings are another notorious source of infections in nipples/ genitals, and need careful looking after, or removal, if not settling, as much deeper infection could follow. See us if you are concerned.

And a blog about embarrassing problems wouldn’t be complete without mentioning wee and poo, so if you noticed blood, or pain, or other significant changes when evacuating either of these, then please make an appointment with a nurse or doctor to discuss it. They usually turn out to be caused by minor ailments, but can occasionally be a sign of something more worrying.

So don’t let embarrassment damage your health! The doctors and nurses at Students Health service are here to help, and reassure you. We’ve seen it all before, and if we haven’t, then well done on making our day more interesting!