All You Wanted to Know About Sex (5 page)

Various cultures foster the myth that all first instances of hymenal penetration are painful and show bleeding. To accommodate these expectations, women often feign pain and discomfort and ensure the presence of blood stains. A woman or her mother may see to it that some blood stains are visible.

Perineum

The area between a woman’s labia and her anus is called perineum. When a woman has a baby, her perineum has to stretch until it is very thin. It might even tear or have to be cut to let the baby through. However, in the case of a man the region between the anus and scrotum is called Perinial. It is through this area that any treatment or diagnosis of the prostate is carried out.

Cervix

Cervix is the neck of the uterus and a passageway between the uterine cavity and the vagina. In a woman who has never been pregnant, the cervix is almost conical in shape. It protrudes from the uterus into the vault of the vagina. It is closed during pregnancy to contain the foetus but opens during
labour
so that the baby can leave the uterus and be pushed out through the vagina.

Fallopian Tube

There are two fallopian tubes or oviducts. They are muscular tubes, one on each side of the uterus. Every month as part of the menstrual cycle, an ovum is released by one ovary into the fallopian tube nearest to it. If a woman has sexual intercourse with a man around this time, the ovum may be fertilized by a sperm in the fallopian tube. As the ovum moves through the fallopian tube, it is most likely to encounter spermatozoa about halfway along the route to the uterus, the usual site of fertilization. However, any obstruction or lesion in fallopian tubes can be a reason of sterility.

Fimbria

The outer ends of the fallopian tubes are called fimbria. When ovulation takes place and an ovum is released, the fimbria sweep the ovum into the fallopian tube.

Ovary

Ovary is the part of female reproductive system. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. They are attached to the uterus by fibres. They are oval in shape and about 4 cm long and 1 cm wide. In girls who have reached puberty, the ovaries take it in turns to release an ovum each month and to produce female sex hormones
Oestrogen
and
Progesterone
which are responsible for some of the changes which take place during the menstrual cycle. During puberty these hormones help reproductive organs grow and develop. The ovaries stop releasing ova after the menopause.

Ovum

The female sex cell or egg cell is called ovum. An ovum is so small that it can’t be seen without a microscope. The ovum travels down the fallopian tube and if it meets a man’s sperm, it is fertilized and it lodges itself in the woman’s uterus and starts to develop into a baby. If it is not fertilized, it passes out of the woman’s vagina in her vaginal fluid. Girls are born with 4 lakhs ovas stored in their ovaries. But only about 300 to 500 are released during a woman’s fertile years between puberty and the menopause. The remaining disintegrate.

Puberty

Puberty is that point in human development when the reproductive organs start working, girls ovulate for the first time and boys can ejaculate. Secondary sex characteristics such as pubic and facial hair, enlarged breasts and genitals, begin to appear. Feelings and emotions also change during puberty.

Action of Hormones

Puberty occurs due to the action of the hormones. It starts in the brain where the hypothalamus triggers the pituitary gland to start to produce hormones. These hormones cause changes in the ovaries in girls and testes in boys.

In girls, the ovaries start to release an ovum each month causing menstruation. They also produce female sex hormones Oestrogen and Progesterone.

In the boys, the testes start to produce sperm. They also produce the male sex hormone Testosterone. These hormones help the reproductive organs and genitals to continue to develop.

The changing level of hormones also cause the appearance of so-called secondary features such as pubic and facial hair, enlarged breasts and genitals.

Biological Clock

Everyone has their own biological clock. All the changes which take place during puberty, including the growth of body hair, are caused by the release of hormones. This takes place at different times and rates for each individual. The changes occur more quickly for some and even in a different order.

Childhood to adolescence

Puberism

This term is referred to the retarded development of secondary sexual characteristics such as breasts or beard because of undersecretion of sex hormones. In many cases development may be so retarded that the individual gives the appearance of an eternal adolescent.

Changes in Girls During Puberty

Girls grow a lot over a short period of time during puberty when the pituitary gland sends growth hormones around the body, but it varies from person to person. The breasts develop. Around the genitals pubic hair grows. Hair also grows under the arms and legs. Girls start to have periods at about 13 years of age. They sweat more especially around the genitals and under arms. Face changes shape. The voice gets a bit deeper, muscles get bigger and change shape. The uterus become pear shaped. Clitoris grows and becomes more sensitive.

Changes in Boys During Puberty

A number of changes take place in boys. The testes get bigger and start to produce sperm. Scrotum gets darker and changes texture. Penis grows and becomes more sensitive. Now boys have more and more erections. They have wet dreams. Pubic hair grows around genital and may also have a line of hair growing from genital area to navel. Hair also grows under arms and on face. More body hair grows. Voice breaks wavering between high and low notes. Boys sweat more especially around their genitals and under their arms. Muscles get bigger and change shape.

All these changes don’t happen overnight. A common age for girls to start puberty is 11 and for boys it is 13. But it differs from person to person.

After puberty the adolescence starts when dependence and immaturity gradually give way to independence and maturity. It is a time of emotional stress and strain, identity crisis, change in sexual characteristics and body image, experimentation with different sex roles and different self concepts and high sex interest. It is time of life when a girl changes into a young woman and a boy change into a young man.

Menstruation and Menopause

Menstruation

The monthly discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus of a woman is called menstruation. It is absolutely normal and healthy and not a sign that something is wrong. A girl begins to menstruate when she begins pubery. This can be any time between the age of 9 and 18. The average age is about 13. The beginning of menstruation is determined by the release of hormones according to the particular girl’s own internal timetable, regardless of when other girls start.

Menstruation generally happens every month between puberty and menopause but not while the woman is pregnant or breast feeding.

Menstruation occurs because sex hormones make the
Endometrium
grow thicker and get soft and spongy, ready to receive, a fertilized ovum. If no ovum is fertilized, the thickened endometrium is not needed, so it breaks away from the uterus and passes out of the vagina together with a little blood during menstrual period. It is also called menses or monthly period.

Endometrium is a specialised form of mucous membrane that lines the uterus. It is divided into two main types of tissue. One is the
parsfunctionalis
, which is shed during menstruation, and the
pars basilis
which is not shed and serves as the base for the proliferation of cells for the layers of
parsfunctionalis
that develop during the next menstrual cycle.

Menstruating women need to use sanitary towels, pads or tampons to soak up the menstrual flow. After menstruation, the endometrium starts to thicken again and the whole menstrual cycle repeats itself.

Many girls and women have no problems when they menstruate. But some get an ache or cramp-like pain in their lower abdomen before and during menstruation. Some girls and women also get sore breasts, have headache and feel tired, irritated or depressed before they menstruate. Some women and girls have the same problems everytime, whenever they have their menstrual period.

Premenstrual Tension

Some women have same problems every time they have their menstrual period. The problems usually start a week or two before menstruation. They vary from woman to woman but include things like depression, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, feeling dizzy, putting on weight, feeling bloated, sore breast, and a craving for starchy and sweet things. The problems usually go away after the menstrual period starts and then come back again before the next one starts.

When once you have started to menstruate regularly you will soon learn to recognise tell-tale signs in yourself which mean the next period is on its way.

Duration of Menstrual Period

A menstrual period usually lasts between two to eight days and happens once a month. Normal menstrual discharge lasts from 3 to 5 days. Average bleeding period is four days and the amount of blood discharged varies from one to five ounces.

If you have indulged in unprotected sexual intercourse and your menstrual period stops, you might be pregnant and should see a doctor. About 50% women do not menstruate while they are nursing the baby at the breast.

Menstrual Cycle

A monthly process in which the female reproductive organs get ready for the possibility of pregnancy. The main events in the menstrual cycle are ovulation, the thickening of the endometrium and menstruation. The length of the menstrual cycle can be anything from 20 to 36 days. But the average cycle is about 28 days long. Over 70% of all women menstruate approximately every twenty eight days. Remaining 28% experience considerable variations from the average.