What Works For My Body, Part One
An Intro To A Series Of Health Posts
(And a special message for the guys!)
My blog about birth control alternatives is one of the most read, most commented-on articles on my site. I’m grateful to all of you who take the time to read the various musings of my mind, but I’m especially glad that my birth control blog gets some of the most traffic, despite its rather explicit content. I feel that the more we can frankly discuss matters that pertain to sex and health, the more we can self-educate and learn from one another, keeping our bodies healthy and our decisions informed.
Readers have been asking me what I’ve learned about hormone-free birth control since publishing that post two years ago. They’ve also inquired about other health issues I’ve mentioned in past blogs, such as acne, TMJ, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Rather than replying in the comments sections, which I started doing before I realized how very long my responses would be, I decided to write separate follow-up blogs for each topic. These blogs all fall under the category of health, so I’ve written them under the same title—“What Works For My Body,” as what I’ll be writing is evidently subjective—and I’ve divided them into multiple parts. Figured it would be less overwhelming and more organized this way.
It’s probably apparent by now that most of the following posts in this multi-part series will be geared toward women’s health. However, I’d like to take a minute to address my male readers…
First of all, gentlemen, I send you a virtual kiss just for getting this far! I know a lot of you have been raised to avoid girly issues since before the word ‘cooties’ was invented, but that’s changing. As more of you are living with your girlfriends, sometimes having several cohabitating relationships before getting married, you’ve become increasingly exposed to what goes on inside the mysterious yet beautiful bodies you love having sex with. (Unless you're gay. Hi!) I applaud the solidarity I’ve found in the willingness of my generation’s males to share responsibility in women’s health, going above and beyond bringing over soup when we girls are having bad cramps (which still gets you big time brownie points!). A lot of men from my parents’ generation, despite witnessing the women’s movement of the 1970’s, still blush at the mention of a girl’s period. Nowadays, my girl friends and I have partners who unflinchingly help us with everything from dislodging stuck tampons to reminding us to pee after intercourse so we won’t get a UTI. We are immensely grateful for your support, and ladies, let’s not take these guys for granted!
I think it’s a sign of beneficial progress when both sexes can talk with each other about their reproductive health in a mutually respectful and straightforward manner. Therefore, I don't flinch from discussing material that some might consider TMI, or too personal for a public space. We need to be less afraid of using graphic, anatomical language if we’re going to evolve into a more equal and enlightened society.
That said, ladies I'm looking forward to sharing with you what I've discovered about my health that has helped me, as well as hearing what you've learned through your experiences. Gentlemen, I hope you'll keep reading, because a) I'm tired of meeting guys who somehow have no idea what ovulation is; and b) you just might learn something new that could be helpful to any girls you might want to impress one day. I know I'm turned on by guys who know my body. ;) Seriously, though, educated men are hot.
I'll begin with the ever-pressing topic of birth control...