Q

A

The lining of the vagina secretes a fluid that is much like the mucus produced in your nose. It serves numerous functions:

• It keeps the lining of the vagina soft and moist
• It traps dust and germs that might enter the vagina and slowly pushes them toward the entrance where they can be washed away.
• When a woman is sexually aroused, excess fluid is produced to provide lubrication for sexual intercourse.

Normal vaginal fluids will range from clear and slippery to thick and whitish, depending what part of the menstrual cycle you are currently experiencing. They should have very little odor and you should not experience any itching or burning feelings in or around your vagina.

Sometimes diseases still manage to lodge in the vagina, just as you can pick up infections in your nose. Usually a woman notices it because of unusual odor or color to her vaginal fluids, or because her vagina feels itchy. The most common cause is a yeast infection -- yes, the same family of bacteria that makes bread rise. Yeast is fairly prevelant in the environment, so it is not hard to catch it. Often when your immune system is weak, such as when you are over tired, stressed, or recovering from another disease, the bacteria get out of control.

No matter what the cause, the problem is called vaginitis. You should see your doctor if you suspect a problem. She will collect some fluid from your vagina and examine it to determine exactly what bacteria or virus is causing the problem and then prescribe the appropriate medication to combat the cause.

Q

A

Many women experience mild cramping a few days before their menstrual blood flow. The cause is the uterus contracting, which helps to encourage the shedding of the lining. However, for some women the cramping is severe -- to the point that daily activity is interrupted by the pain of the cramps. Severe menstrual cramps are called dysmenorrhea by doctors.

In the case of severe cramps, there are numerous possible causes. It could be something as simple as stress, or it could be something more severe, such as ovarian cysts, fibroids, or a disease. Because of the wide variety of causes, a woman experiencing severe cramps is encouraged to see her doctor. The type of treatment will depend on the cause found by the doctor.

Q

A

A woman's monthly cycle typically is 21 to 32 days, but numerous things can affect the cycle. Remember that a woman's cycle is regulated by a series of hormones being released. Anything interfering with those hormones will impact the cycle, such as:

• Gaining weight
• Losing weight
• Not getting enough sleep
• Stress
• Prolong, heavy exercise
• Illness

Especially during your teenage years when the cycle of your hormones is not regular, it is common to experience monthly cycles of varying lengths and to even miss a period once in a while.

Q

A

The hymen is within the vagina, about 1 to 2 inches from the exterior opening.

Q

A

During each menstrual cycle, a lining forms on the wall of the uterus, ready to receive an embryo for development. This lining is called the "endometrium." The lining begins to form shortly after the blood flow ends from the previous menstrual cycle and becomes full developed at approximately the time a woman releases an ovum. If an embryo does not imbed itself into the lining, then the lining begins to break down starting about a week after ovation and is shed, creating the next period of blood flood (or menarche).

The cycle is regulated by a complex series of hormones produced by different parts of the female reproductive system. These hormones serve as a communications system telling the various parts of the reproductive system when one part of the cycle is complete and when the next needs to begin.

Q

A

Each egg released represents a potential child that can develop during that cycle. The woman's body is ideally designed to produce one child at a time, though it can handle two, three or more with difficulty. To avoid difficulties, each ovary takes a turn releasing one egg every other month. At times, the ovaries may get their signals cross and both release an egg at the same time. This is where fraternal twins come from. Even more rare, but still possible, is for one ovary to accidentally release multiple eggs at once. These days, this often happens when a woman takes fertility drugs because she is having difficulty conceiving. It doesn't happen very often naturally.

Q

Can I get pregnant if my uterus is not straight?

A

If you look at the diagram at the top of this page, you will see that a woman's uterus normally has a bend in it. About 20% of women have their uterus bending the other way so that it is near the rectum instead of the bladder. It is called "retroversion of the uterus." This difference in position does not effect being able to become pregnant or giving birth, though some women with this condition do have severe lower back pains while carrying a child or when they have their monthly period.

I don't know what condition you have been diagnosed with, but most would not interfere with getting pregnant. The concern is usually whether you will be able to carry a child to full term and be able to give birth to the child.

Q

Hey! I'm 16. I've had my period since I was 11. My question is: how come one of my nipples has a hole in it and the other one doesn't? I think this is pretty strange. Should I go to the doctor and get it checked out? Or is there something wrong with me?

A

Even though we have two sides, the two sides do not perfectly match. Each eye, ear, arm, or leg doesn't exactly match the other -- though they come very close.

Your nipples actually have multiple holes back to the mammary glands which produce the milk for your eventual babies. Since these passages aren't in general use, they are pressed closed by the skin surrounding them -- a good thing since you don't want bacteria getting into the mammary glands and causing an infection. A few of the passageways may be naturally larger and more visible, but it doesn't mean the others don't exist. The suction of a nursing child pulls the milk from the glands to the surface, regardless of the size of the opening.

Unless there is pain, an oozing discharge, or a growing lump in your breast, there is no need to see a doctor about this.

Q

Ashley (age 16)

Hi, I have small bumps on my vagina, but I have not had any sexual intercourse with a guy except kissing. What are these small bumps?

A

The vulva (the outer area) and the vagina are not smooth areas of the body. There are folds and bumps along the surface.

The lumps can be vaginal cysts which will eventually fade away. The vagina produces various oils and fluids and the glands can at time become clogged, just as they do on your outer skin, producing something much like acne. These lumps are not painful and don't require any treatment.

A sore or painful lump might indicate an infection in a gland. While these sometimes resolve themselves on their own, it might require a doctor to lance the wounded area to drain the infection.

Since you haven't been sexually involved, we can almost rule out genital warts (HPV). However, the virus that produces warts is commonly found and can be present even when you are not sexually involved. If the lumps have a "cauliflower" look or feel, it is best to have a doctor look at them and if it is warts have them removed. Warts have been linked with cancer in later years of life.

Q

(age 12)

I am 11 and I have found "blood" in my underwear it was only a VERY small amount not much not half as much as many sites have said is this my period?

A

You are experiencing a period. The blood doesn't come all at once; generally it is spread over a three to five day period. It builds up and then tapers off, so usually the second day is the heaviest flow. That can be fortunate as it gives you a chance to get a pad in place before the flow becomes greater. What you likely saw mention on websites is the total amount of blood and not the amount found in a portion of the day. When you first begin to have periods, the amount will vary a lot from month to month. Early on you might miss a month, or you might only get a small amount, or you might have a heavy blood flow. Much depends on your hormones, but they are fluctuating because you have completed maturing yet.

Q

Amber (age 14)

Hi, I'm 14 almost 15. I started like 3 months ago. The weird thing is that I keep having my period every other week. And they last for 10 to 13 days! I want to know if that is normal or not?

A

Menstruation at the beginning is often unstable. Your body needs a bit of time to figure out how much hormones to release and when to release them. The distance between periods is measured from start to start. So if you are saying that you have a period that lasts 10 to 13 days and then two weeks later you have another period starting, then the distance between the periods is 24 to 27 days, which is fairly normal. But if you are saying that your periods are starting 14 days apart and lasting 10 to 13 days, that is that you are not bleeding on 1 to 4 days between periods, this is unusually short. Having a fourteen day cycle is not unusual, especially in you teenage years, but combined with a long period of bleeding is a cause for concern.

The general rule is that any period of bleeding that lasts longer than say eight to ten days should be check by your doctor. Depending on the amount of blood that is being lost, there is strong concerns that the level of iron in your body might drop too low and make you very ill. The doctor will want to look for reasons why the bleeding is lasting so long. It can be an early indication of some severe diseases.

Hopefully, the doctor might find nothing to be alarmed about in your situation. If so, she might prescribe something to help your body stop bleeding after a menstruation period, or she might give you something to stabilize your hormones until you are a bit more mature.

Meanwhile, make sure you eat plenty of iron-rich foods each day to make up for what you are losing.

Q

Samantha

How do you prevent your vaginal lips from changing color, such as brown? Or is that genetic?

A

The color of the vulva (the vaginal lips) will change colors during puberty due to the changes in your hormones. There isn't anything that you can do about it. In very rare instances, a change in skin color on the vulva can indicate a serious problem in your body. Doctors recommend that any noticeable skin color change that lasts for more than two weeks be checked just to make sure it isn't one of the serious problems. Most likely it is normal, but it is better to be safe.

Q

Michelle (age 15)

I'm 15 and I discharge constantly. Before my period and after it as well. It seems like it never stops! Is this normal?

A

Assuming that the amount is small and doesn't have much of an odor, the answer is "yes, it is normal." The lining of your vagina constantly produces a mucus that keeps the lining moist and aids in keeping things like dust and germs out of your vagina. The mucus traps the particles and as it flows toward the opening, it sweeps them out.

Generally the amount is small, but some women have heavier flows than other women. One cause is the amount of progesterone that you produce. The more progesterone you have, the heavier the vagina fluids are produced. If a woman is taking birth control pills, these can produce heavier flows because progesterone is one of the ingredients in the pills.

The amount also varies through the month in accordance to your hormone levels. And the consistency will change from thin to thick.

A healthy discharge from the vagina is usually whitish in color, though it will dry yellow on panties. It has an odor that varies with your monthly cycle, but it should not be noticeable if you bathe regularly.

However, if you have itching, burning, or soreness in the vaginal area, or if there is a noticeable increase in your discharge, or the smell of the discharge becomes strong, then it is possible that you picked up an infection. Any change in the color of the discharge should also send you to the doctor for a checkup.

Q

(age 12)

The last time I remember having my period come was 5/31/07, and it hasn't come yet. The date is 7/16/07, right now. I can promise you that I did not do anything to make me pregnant. But I'm worried if I am, or if there is something wrong with me. Could you tell me what could be the reason of my delayed period? I might not sure if that was my last period (5/31/07 - 6/05/07) . But that's the last on I remember. Along with you telling me why my period is delayed, could you tell me what I could do so that it comes regularly? My period started when I was 10, and now I'm 12, I might have diabetes, I have asthma and I exercise 20 minutes everyday. could any of those be the reasons? Please tell me all that's possible. thank you. And like I said, I did not do anything that would make me pregnant. I promise. Thanks again.

A

The only way you could get pregnant is if sperm from a boy got into your vagina. It doesn't matter how it gets there, but it is a must before even the thought of pregnancy should enter your mind.

It is very common for teenage girls to miss a period once in a while. Your hormones have not settled down into a steady rhythm at this point, so it is easy to get out of sync once in a while. In addition, a woman's period is affect by the amount of body fat she is carrying. If you get too thin, such as from not eating well or by very heavy exercising, you won't have a period. In this particular case, the lack of a period is a warning sign that the body is under too much stress. Coaches of female athletes have to aware of these things because it can affect the long term health of the athlete. But at twenty minutes of exercise a day, you are nowhere close to over doing you exercise.

A general rule of thumb is missing a period once in a while is no cause for alarm (though you can expect your next period to be extra heavy). Missing two in a row should get your attention. Miss three in a row and you need to see a doctor as soon as you can.

Q

Vanessa (age 20)

I am a 20 year old woman, but I'm confused about my development of my breasts.  They aren't that perky, and they seem to hang down.  I don't have any fullness underneath the nipple.  And my nipples and breasts point out to the side.  According  to the Tanner Stages,  I should have full, smooth, adult breasts, but they seem as if they are in puberty, and I took the Tanner Stage Calculator and it said I was at stage 4.8.  I just want to know if there is something wrong because my breasts don't look like a normal adult woman.

A

Just as everyone's face don't look exactly alike, neither does everyone's body. The descriptions in the Tanner Stage Calculator are generalizations, but they don't apply to every single person. It is possible that your breasts will not fill fully out until after having your first child. It doesn't sound as if there is anything wrong or that your body is unusual in any way.

Q

Stefanny (age 17)

My clitoris is darker than my usual skin color. What does this mean?

A

Nothing in particular. Generally people refer to the hood of the clitoris as the clitoris and it's color tends to be the same tone as the rest of your skin. However, it can vary and is still normal. The clitoris itself is a bit darker because there is more blood flow that at area. The blood flow allows the clitoris to stand out a bit when a woman is sexually aroused, but this same blood flow underneath the skin makes the clitoris look several shades darker than the rest of the skin.

Q

Jennifer

The doctors tell me I only have one ovary. I have a child already. Do all women have two ovaries or can you be born with just one and still have a child?

A

In general, women are born with two ovaries, but due to genetic defects, it is possible to be born with only one ovary. A woman can also lose an ovary because of disease, cancer, damage from a cyst.

Nothing prevents a woman with only one ovary from having children. In the normal operation of the body, one ovary releases one egg per month. With two ovaries, they alternate every other month. If that pattern remained with only one ovary, it would simply mean that it might take up to twice as long to become pregnant as a woman who has two ovaries.

However, becoming pregnant is more of a probability question. A woman can become pregnant on the very first time of having sex, or after many times. The average for a healthy husband and wife is 85 couples out of 100 will conceive a child in one year of regularly having sex. If we simply halve that value, it would mean you would have a 43 out of 100 chance of having a child in one year of trying, which is still fairly good odds.

But the human body is fairly resilient. It is possible that because the other ovary is missing that your remaining ovary is taking up some or all of the slack. Thus, you might not see any impact on your ability to have a child versus another woman who has two ovaries.

Q

Kristi (age 15)

Hi! I had my period when I was 12 going on 13. I had it for more than a year, then it suddenly stopped. Now I am 15 and a half and I am a bit worried. I was checked by the doctor and he says everything is good. When I was 13 I wanted to stay thin so I exercised a lot at that time. I also turned vegetarian, but now I am eating a good amount of fats and I even gained a bit of weight. I am a healthy size and I really want to see my period again. What should I do so I can get back my period?

A

The general rule is that a woman to stop having her menstrual periods for more than three months should see a doctor. It is not healthy for a woman to go without her periods. Since it wasn't determined as to why your periods stopped, I can't guess as to what you need to do to get them to start again. If your regular doctor can't find anything wrong, find another doctor.

Q

Demi (age 35)

I've found some thing big as little finger in my vigina. A friend said it could be the ovary tube sagging. It doesn't hurt at all, but it does scare me. Please help. Thank you

A

What you are describing is a vaginal polyp. It is like a polyp that people sometimes get in their colons. However, vaginal polyps are rarely cancerous. It can easily be removed by a surgeon. He will then likely do a biopsy just to make sure it isn't cancerous.

Vaginal polyps can reoccur, so having them removed won't stop new ones from forming.

Q

Hi. I am 22. My vagina looks very blackish like it is covered with dirt. I am a fair girl and my whole vagina looks awkward. the blackish color appears at the joining of my thighs and some part of my buttocks. Its been like it for years. I don't have any other irritation or itching in those areas. Is there anything I can do to remove that color.

A

The outer areas of your genitals is called the vulva. The vagina is the interior part that you cannot see.

The vulva contains more pigment producing cells per square inch than the rest of your skin. It is these cells that cause you to tan when exposed to the sun. Even though the skin of the vulva is not normally exposed to the sun, the cells will produce pigment in response to hormonal changes, which is why some women's vulva become darker in color after puberty. Events like pregnancy may also cause a change in color as pregnancy also effects your hormones.

The tinting is perfectly normal and not uncommon. The only time it ought to be of concern is if the coloration or texture of the skin suddenly changes. In such cases you should see a dermatologist who can determine the cause of the change.

Q

Is it normal for a woman to see her menstruation for more than seven days? And if not what may be the cause of that happening?

A

The typical menstruation period lasts five days or less. But there are some variations depending on how your hormones are fluctuating at the moment. Bleeding that lasts more than seven days can be a concern, especially if it has happened more than once. Some possible causes are:

• Uterine fibroids. These are benign tumors that sometimes appear in the uterine walls. Though called tumors because they are growths, they are not cancerous.
• Uterine cysts. These are fluid filled sacs which develop on the walls of the uterus.
• Uterine polyps
• Uterine cancer
• Miscarriage
• When a woman reaches her late forties and early fifties, she experiences pre-menopause symptoms. The steady cycle of hormones begin to change and the result is irregular periods and periods that last longer than usual.

While some causes are of little concern, it is a symptom of some serious problems, thus if you are experiencing menstruating that lasts longer than seven days it is safest to see your gynecologist about it.

Q

I am 22 years old. I have regular period cycles and my period date is 26th of every month; otherwise there is a delay of one or two days. The periods happen one day before or one day after. But now I don't have my periods until the 7th. I am doing regular exercise. Will it effect my periods or my cycle? Please help me, I am worried.

A

The number of days between your periods will vary from time to time. It changes most when you are a teenager and then becomes more steady during your adult years. The fact that your periods have been coming steadily near a particular day of the month is unusual, especially considering that the number of days in a month vary between 28 and 31 days. All that has happened is that one of your periods went a little longer or a little shorter than before and on the calendar you slid a few days. It is nothing to worry about. The only time you should have a concern if you miss your period complete several months in a row.

Q

Jessica

Hi! I was just wondering, is it not good for your breasts to wear a bra while you are sleeping at night? Will it make your breasts not grow as big?

A

The size of your breast will be determined by the genes you inherited from your parents and the amount of fat your body is storing. The greater bulk of your breasts is actually fat tissue, needed to give the milk glands a ready supply of energy to create milk after you have a baby. Wearing a bra does not impact the size of your breasts positively nor negatively. Its one aid is that there are fibers in your breasts to hold them up. After a long while, those fibers get stretched and breasts begin to sag. A bra takes some of the pressure off the fibers, which in turn delays the sagging.

Many women wear a bra to help shape their form. Some of those bras might not be comfortable to wear while laying down in bed, but a sports bra, which has no metal or wires within, would work if you felt more comfortable wearing something. Basically, what you wear at night in the privacy of your own room is your decision.