BREAST TALK: PAIN

I was studying for my exams when I leaned back to stretch out my arms and noticed a sudden pain. I stretched again to pinpoint the location of the pain and realised it was coming from my boobs. I tentatively prodded one of them and winced; it was sore and tender all over! Of course the first thoughts running through my head were something along the lines of 'OMG I have cancer', 'I'm going to die', 'What if they get chopped off' etc. etc. I have a tendency to overreact when I don't know what's wrong. 

However, as I later found out through research and consulting a doctor, breast pain is very common and there are a range of reasons why it could happen. 

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc., breast pain is any discomfort, tenderness or pain in the breast or underarm region. It is important to note that breast pain is generally NOT a sign of breast cancer. 

Breast pain is also called 'mastalgia' and it's really common. According to California Pacific Medical Center, breast pain affects 50% - 70% of women. The pain is categorised as either cyclical or non cyclical. 

• Cyclical pain is associated with your menstrual cycle. Pain linked with the menstrual cycle tends to lessen during or after your period. 
• Non cyclical pain can have many causes, including injury to the breast. Sometimes non cyclical pain can come from surrounding muscles or tissues rather than the breast. Non cyclical  pain is much less common than cyclical pain. 

To find out whether your pain is cyclical or non cyclical, you just have to keep a log of your periods and record when you feel pain. After a few cycles, the pattern will become clear and you'll know whether it's to do with your period, or if it's due to other factors. 

Reasons for breast pain include: 

Puberty in girls (and boys, they have breasts too remember), menstruation and PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), pregnancy, menopause, certain medications, stress and lumpy breasts due to fibrocystic tissue. 

Sometimes breast pain can be caused by something as simple as wearing the wrong bra, and this can also contribute to back pain. Make sure to pop into your nearest undergarment store and get sized correctly; it's usually a service that's offered for free (but if not, pretend you're going to buy a few bras so you can find out your correct size anyway!) 

Ultimately, if you have persistent breast pain, you should see your doctor. It's always wise to inform your doctor about any sudden changes in your body and if you're worried then make an appointment; it's better to be safe than sorry. 

If you do go to get checked out, the doctor will generally do a physical examination on you and may order a mammogram which is an x-ray of the breasts to find out what's going on. 

As it turned out, my breast pain was due to the stress of my exams. I made sure to wear a good bra for their duration and avoided banging into things, with the result being that the pain was completely gone about a week after the last exam finished. 

Sources: 

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-pain

http://www.healthline.com/symptom/breast-pain

CONTRACEPTION TALK: CONDOMS

This method is about 98% effective. 

A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases (STDs - such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV). It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner. 

This is generally the most common form of contraception, and you should aim to have a few handy just in case some impromptu rolling in the sack occurs. The best place to store them is probably a bedside locker, that way they're easily accessible, yet out of the way as well. One of the worst places to keep them, and so many men in particular are guilty of this, is your wallet. A wallet takes a beating in its life, that is it bends constantly with movement or when a man sits down; not to mention the friction from opening and closing the wallet between transactions. It can cause a condom to deteriorate and you may not be able to tell if you look at the condom, though small tears and holes could be present, rendering it useless.

Also, make sure to check the expiry date on the condom as this can elude some people, resulting in STDs or unwanted pregnancy. 

Here is a great video on how to put on a condom correctly

SEMEN TALK: TO SWALLOW OR NOT TO SWALLOW?

I refuse to eat cauliflower. They're tasteless and they look like an alien/mushroom hybrid of some kind. They're just icky! Many people find themselves repulsed by certain foods, and no amount of nagging from parents is going to get it down your throat. The same can be said for semen, though I'm assuming your parents won't be encouraging you to eat that! It's a bit of a gray area, but the majority of women that I've talked to find semen 'icky', the same view as my feelings for cauliflower, although admittedly not the same ball park. 

At some point in your life, you may find yourself staring down a penis that's about to ejaculate. Several thoughts could be running through your head. For instance, what if it gets in my eye? What if it tastes bad? Do I spit it out? Do I swallow it? Can I get pregnant if I swallow it? (The answer to the last one is NO by the way, just to clear it up). 

Surprisingly, semen may have quite a few health benefits. According to News Medical, there are mixed reports regarding the benefits of consuming semen. Some studies suggest that absorption of semen past the vaginal mucus membrane lining its inner walls has positive effects like reducing depression and reducing the likelihood of breast cancer. 

Women who have chronic morning sickness may be suffering this because of the presence of antibodies that destroy the proteins or antigens present in her sexual partner's semen. Having oral sex and swallowing the semen of her partner may help make the pregnancy safer and more successful as the woman is swallowing her partner's antigens. It sounds crazy but when you think it over it starts to make sense. The body is attacking something it isn't familiar with. Maybe a few shots of semen throughout the pregnancy, or even a few weeks before if it's planned, could help with that. 

There are some possible dangers to ingesting semen, however, as semen can contain several viruses that may be sexually transmitted past bodily fluids from an infected man. The most common examples are HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, herpes and chlamydia. If you've decided that you want to swallow the semen of your partner, you need to be sure that they are STD free, otherwise you're taking a risk. Things like a cut in your mouth, or bleeding gums from flossing could be ideal entry-ways for STDs to sneak in and wreak havoc. 

Whether you spit or you swallow, or you give oral sex with the aid of a condom, just make sure you're being safe and that nobody is making you do something you don't want to. Swallowing semen can be pleasant for some, and unpleasant for others, but it doesn't make you any less of a sexual partner if you decide it's not for you.