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Questions from previous months

 

JULY 2010

What are the chances that I will get pregnant

if do not protect myself during sexual intercourse?

If you don’t protect yourself with a contraceptive method during sexual intercourse, there is a significant chance that you will get pregnant.

The potential for getting pregnant is different for every woman. It depends on where you are in your menstrual cycle when you have sexual intercourse.  There are times when you are more fertile than others. In addition, some women are more fertile than others.


In adolescence your body is changing and your hormones are still unstable.  This can cause you to ovulate more frequently. 

If you decide to engage in sexual activity, you should be aware that there are many easy to get contraceptive methods that can help you prevent a pregnancy.


These are the most highly recommended contraceptive methods for teens:

1.    Hormonal methods:   These methods prevent the egg from being released from the ovary.  They may also prevent sperm from moving up into the fallopian tubes (where the egg is released) or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. 

Among the hormonal methods are pills, contraceptive injections, skin patches, skin implants and vaginal rings that release hormones.

2.     Barrier methods:  These methods prevent the sperm from entering the vagina or from moving up into the uterus and fallopian tubes.  The most common of these methods is the male condom.  There are also female condoms and intra-uterine devices (IUDS) for women.

Hormonal methods (pills, injections) and condoms are available in pharmacies or public health centers.


REMEMBER: even though there are several contraceptive methods that you can use, the condom is the only one (besides abstinence) that will protect you against Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).


Do not believe false myths — like that a woman will not get pregnant the first time she has sex. This is NOT true.


I congratulate you for looking for scientific and professional information. 

If you want more information about any of these contraceptive methods, you can look for them in the Health Topics

 

What can I do to not get so jealous? Sometimes I have

problems with my boyfriend/girlfriend because of it.

A healthy relationship is based on trust, mutual respect and communication. Jealousy is an indication that you feel insecure about your boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s love.  It indicates a lack of trust on your part.


It is important to analyze if your boy/girlfriend’s behavior has provoked the mistrust.  If this is the case you should ask yourself if it is worthwhile to stay in a relationship where betrayal and a lack of loyalty are present.  On the other hand, you should ask yourself if the jealousy is caused by your own insecurities and personal fears.


There are many things you need to dedicate time to.  Besides your boy/girlfriend, you have a family, friends, hobbies and responsibilities. Dedicating time to other things and respecting your own time and your friend’s time to attend other business is part of the respect that a healthy relationship should have. You can not pretend that she/he will be thinking of you 24 hours a day.  

 

The most important thing in these situations is to talk about your feelings. Tell the other person what you feel and analyze if there are, or are not, good reasons to feel the way you do.  Many times when you feel jealous it is because you cannot find a way to let him/her know that you would like more attention or because you do not understand the way the other person shows his/her love.  If you talk and agree about the attention you want, you might resolve the problem.


If your jealousy is based on your desire to be the center of the other person’s attention, you need to recognize that this behavior is not healthy.  Identify the moments when you react with jealousy so that you can plan ahead of time how you will react.  If you have thought ahead about how to behave, when the moment comes, it will be easier for you to change your behavior and respond differently.


At the beginning it will not be easy, but don’t give up.  Changing a behavior takes hard work and perseverance. With time you will feel better.

 

Is masturbation good or bad? Does it have consequense?

From a physical or medical point-of-view, masturbation does not cause any damage to your body or your mind. There are many myths related to masturbation, such as that it produces mental weakness, grows hair on your hands, disfigures your penis, causes loss of memory, burns out neuron, causes frigidity in women, etc.  All of these are lies.

From a psychological or emotional point-of-view, every person can determine, according to his or her own values, if masturbation is an acceptable or unacceptable practice. There are people who do not worry about masturbation and enjoy it; there are others who feel guilty. It is not worth doing it if you are going to feel ashamed or guilty. The same is true not only about masturbation, but also about other sexual behaviors. There is no good reason to engage in the practices if you are going to feel dirty or ashamed of your actions.

Remember that your sexuality is to be enjoyed. 


How can I stop smoking?

I am on an environment where everyone smokes.

 Congratulations! It is a healthy decision to try to control this high risk behavior. You cannot change the environment that surrounds you, but you can change your own behavior and enjoy greater wellness.


It is very important to be clean about what you want to achieve. Remember that if you want to change, you need to practice daily. You can reflect on how you feel about your progress toward your goal and the changes your health and body are experiencing (like fresher breath, the taste of food and so on).


Here are some steps you can follow:


1.    Ask for help from your school, health center or church. With good resources such as self-help groups, it will be easier to stop smoking.

2.    Define a specific date when you will stop smoking.

3.    Write down your motivations and your reasons for wanting to stop smoking.

4.    Every time you feel the desire to smoke, substitute the cigarette with a walk, exercise, or any other behavior that relaxes you (such as reading, listening to music, good conversation, etc).

5.    Choose a person who will support you – a friend or a relative.

6.    Practice healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle by participating in activities that require physical effort and support your quality of life (sports, setting daily goals, studying, learning a new language, playing an instrument, etc).

7.    KEEP YOURSELF BUSY! A good choice would be to get involve in a community service project
 
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