Archive for the 'Men’s Health-Erectile Dysfunction' Category
Syphilis. The skin symptoms of syphilis vary depending on which stage of the infection is present. In primary syphilis, a single painless ulcer called a chancre can occur on the genitals (or other areas of the body) where infection took place. It can occur internally—for example in the vagina or on the cervix in women, or in the anus in men and women—and may not be noticed because there is no pain. There may be more than one lesion, and swelling of the lymph nodes of the groin is also common. In secondary syphilis, there can be many genital skin changes, ranging from lesions that resemble genital warts (hard, painless bumps) to skin rashes that look like flat red patches or are raised and scaly like those of psoriasis, among others. Sometimes the rashes itch. A rash that occurs on the palms and soles is characteristic of secondary syphilis. All of these skin changes will usually vanish on their own, even if the person does not receive treatment for syphilis, but the underlying infection is still present.
Warts. Genital warts are usually symptom-free bumps that can occur in the genital and anal area. They are harder than the surrounding skin and can either have a cauliflower-like appearance or be flat. They itch slightly in about 20 percent of people who have them and can bleed if scratched or picked at. They may resolve spontaneously, stay the same size, or grow slowly over time.
Yeast. Both men and women can contract yeast infections in the genital area. One type of yeast, Tinea cruris, causes a red, scaly, itchy rash in the genital area and groin, known as jock itch. Men and women can also become infected in the genitals with the fungus Candida albicans. Women who are infected may have a clumpy white discharge from the vagina. In men, the rash is often red and flaky. Men who have not been circumcised are more likely to get a fungal rash on the penis, particularly under the foreskin.
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No, sex isn’t painful for women or for men either. In fact, sex usually feels quite wonderful, provided, of course, that the two partners are considerate of each other’s feelings.
As we’ve explained, the penis gets thicker and wider when it’s erect, and the vagina is a very stretchy, elastic organ and easily expands to accommodate an erect penis. When a man is sexually aroused (‘turned on’), his penis produces a small amount of lubricating fluid. When a woman is sexually aroused, her vagina also produces lubricating fluid. These fluids help the penis slide into the vagina comfortably. In addition, the upper portion of a woman’s vagina also ‘balloons out’, or expands a bit when she’s sexually aroused, so there’s no-discomfort when the penis goes into the vagina.
If, however, a couple try to have sex before the woman is fully aroused and her vagina has begun to lubricate and expand, having sex could be uncomfortable. Trying to force a penis into a dry, unlubricated vagina can, in fact, be painful. Since men sometimes become aroused more quickly than women, it’s important for the couple to make sure that the woman has enough foreplay so she is also ready and well lubricated before the man puts his penis into the vagina. If necessary, a couple can use K-Y Jelly to increase lubrication and make sex more comfortable.
Although sex isn’t usually painful, when a woman has sex for the first time (or for the first several times), she sometimes experiences some discomfort or pain. This may happen for any number of reasons. One reason is that she may be nervous, which makes her tighten her vaginal muscles and decreases the lubrication in her vagina. Another reason is that the couple may be nervous and unsure and may be rushing things, trying to put the penis into the vagina before the woman is lubricated enough. Also, when a woman is a virgin (a person who’s never had is a certain playfulness that can happen when two people are having sex), her vaginal opening or the opening in her hymen may be rather small and tight. If the couple don’t take their time, don’t go slowly and gently, but force things, the hymen or vaginal opening can be painfully stretched or torn. This is why it is important for a couple to begin their sex lives in a relaxed, slow and gentle manner.
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Just as some boys worry about whether their penis is ‘big enough’, so girls often worry about the size of their breasts. Many girls (and women, too) wish their breasts were larger. Women with large breasts are supposed to be more feminine, more womanly or sexier than smaller-breasted women. At least, that’s the idea that you might get from all the big-breasted, glamorous women we see in advertisements, on TV and in films. But the size of a woman’s breasts doesn’t have anything to do with how feminine or sexual she is, no more than the size of a man’s penis has anything to do with how masculine or sexually powerful he is. Like a penis, breasts work equally well (produce the same amount of milk) regardless of their size.
Bras-As their breasts are developing, many girls begin to wear bras. Some wear them so that their breasts don’t jiggle round when they run or dance or play sports, which can be uncomfortable. The support the bra gives makes them feel more comfortable. Some girls wear bras because they feel self-conscious without them. Others don’t wear bras at all. It’s an individual thing, a matter of personal choice.
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Yes, most boys (and men, too) masturbate. Not all do, though. It’s normal if you do and normal if you don’t.
Some men start to masturbate when they’re children and continue throughout their lives. Some start during puberty, some don’t start until they’re older, and there are some who never masturbate.
People sometimes think that the only men who masturbate are those who haven’t started having sexual intercourse yet. They get the idea that once you start having sex, you stop masturbating. Not true. Many married men and also unmarried men, even if they’re having sexual intercourse regularly, still masturbate.
How often do boys masturbate?
This depends on the boy. Some-masturbate several times a day, some once or twice a day and some once or twice a week. Some boys masturbate more often or less often than this, and some never masturbate.
Do girls masturbate?
Yes, girls and women also masturbate. Women don’t, of course, ejaculate sperm like men do, but their genitals may feel very wet when they masturbate. This is because glands in the vulva and vagina give off fluids when a female becomes sexually aroused. Some women’s glands produce a sudden gush of fluid just as they’re having an orgasm, but this is not an ejaculation of the type men have.
According to studies done by sex researchers, boys are more likely to masturbate than girls. But many of these studies were done ten or twenty years ago. Today it’s considered more acceptable for girls to know about and talk about their bodies, so many experts feel that nowadays the number of girls who masturbate (or are willing to admit that they masturbate) may be much higher.
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Some boys and girls develop stretch marks, purplish or white lines on their skin, during puberty. This is fairly rare, but it does occur. It happens because the skin is stretched too much during rapid growth and it loses its elasticity, or stretchiness. (Other things, such as taking certain
medications, being pregnant or gaining a lot of weight can also cause stretch marks.) Many times these marks will fade or get less noticeable as a person gets older, but they may never disappear completely.
Breast changes-We usually think of breast change as something that happens to girls because during puberty their breasts begin to grow and develop. Although boys’ breasts don’t change as dramatically as girls’ do, there are certain changes in your breasts that you may notice at this time in your life. For one thing, the areola, the ring of coloured flesh round your nipple, may get wider and darker. The nipple may also get a bit larger.
You may notice that your breasts feel tender or sore. Many boys notice a flat, button-like bump under one or both nipples. If this happens to you and you don’t know that it’s perfectly normal, it can be a bit alarming. As one man told us:
I had these bumps under my nipples. I thought I had cancer or something.
Harold, age 34
Even though these lumps can be uncomfortable or even painful, they aren’t anything to worry about. It’s just a reaction to the new hormones your body is making. Eventually, the lumps and soreness will go away. It’s perfectly normal and not a sign that you have cancer or any other disease. (Men, by the way, only rarely get cancer of the breast, and young boys almost never do.)
Out of every 100 boys between 50 and 85 will experience some swelling of the breasts as they go through puberty. This swelling is more noticeable in some boys than in others. The swelling may be accompanied by soreness. There may also be lumps, of the type described above, under one or both breasts. This swelling can last from a few months to a year or two.
Although this, too, is a normal and natural change – and even though it happens to more than half of the boys going through puberty – boys really worry about it. Over the years we’ve had a lot of questions about this in the question box in our classes. Boys worry because they think they’re going to start to grow breasts and turn into girls. One man who had quite a bit of breast swelling during puberty told us how he felt:
It was like I was growing breasts, and mine were even bigger than some of the girls’! I got teased about it all the time. I was really afraid that I was turning into a girl, that someone had made this big mistake and I really was a girl. I thought my penis was maybe going to fall off or something and I’d grow breasts and have to wear a bra. I’d heard all sorts of wild stories about boys who turned out to be women and had breasts and penises. But I didn’t know anyone I could ask about it.
By the time I was in secondary school my chest looked normal.
My breasts had gone away. I wish I’d known that it was going to be OK because I really worried about it for a while.
Tom, age 40
You may notice that your breasts are swelling, and you may have the same kind of worries Tom had. Relax – we promise, you won’t turn into a girl! Usually within about a year to a year and a half the swelling will go away.
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A lot of boys want to know if there is any way that they can tell exactly how tall they will be when they are grown up. Unfortunately, there isn’t, but there are some clues that may help you make a rough guess. How tall you are usually has to do with your family. If both your parents are tall, chances are you will be too. If both your parents are short, you will probably be short. This is not a hard and fast rule, though – there are lots and lots of exceptions.
The tallest man who ever lived was 2.7 m (8 ft 11 in) tall, and the shortest was only 674 mm
(26 ½ in). But these were unusual cases; 95 out of 100 men will be between 1.62 and 1.87 m (5 ft 4 in-6 ft 2 in) tall. The average is 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) tall.
By the way, don’t make the mistake of thinking that boys who are on the short side before puberty will be shorter than other men when they reach their adult height. It is true that many boys who are short before puberty are short as adults, but this is not always the case. As one man said:
When I was 13, I was the second-to-the-shortest person in the class, but over the summer I shot up. By the time school started in the autumn, I was just about the tallest boy in the class.
John,age 26
No one can say for sure which boys will end up being taller than average and which ones will end up being shorter than average – or, for that matter, which ones will end up being about average. But we do know that by the age of 10 the average boy will have grown to 78 per cent of his adult height and that by the age of 14 the average boy will have grown to 91.5 per cent of his adult height. (Per cent means ‘part of a hundred’. A boy who reached his full height would have reached 100 per cent of his adult height. A boy who had reached half his full height would have reached 50 per cent of his adult height.)
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