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"July 4, 2008 Q: I am currently on birth control and I&amp;#x27;m sexually active. I&amp;#x27;m very concerned because I keep getting a brown discharge. Could this be a disease or an infection? Or is it just a side effect of my Pill? A: If you&amp;#x27;re on a new brand of birth control, this isn&amp;#x27;t an uncommon side effect. Many women have irregular spotting during the first month or two--especially if they often miss pills or take them at different times every day. This is because your body senses the decrease in hormone levels, and the lining of your uterus starts to break down and shed. If this has been going on for more than two or three months and you&amp;#x27;re taking your pills religiously, I&amp;#x27;d suggest talking to your doctor about switching to a different brand of Pill. However, there are other causes that need to be ruled out, including an infection, fibroids, endometriosis or polyps. My advice would be to see your gynecologist for an exam, just to be safe. July 3, 2008 Q: My libido is decreasing as my husband&amp;#x27;s seems to be increasing. He worries that he&amp;#x27;s the cause--he&amp;#x27;s gained about 20 pounds. Although I think I&amp;#x27;m still crazy about him, could I be that shallow? It&amp;#x27;s starting to put a strain on our marriage. Help! A: First you have to remember that in any relationship, libido decreases over time. Eventually there&amp;#x27;s going to be a cooling off of the urgency to have sex with your partner, and everyone has to expect that, at one point or another, there will be a decline. So it&amp;#x27;s important, especially in a marriage, to constantly add something new and exciting to the mix--inside and outside of the bedroom, whether it&amp;#x27;s a new sex toy or the hiking adventure you&amp;#x27;ve always dreamed about. However, it&amp;#x27;s interesting that you mention your husband&amp;#x27;s weight gain. Sure, in an ideal world, we&amp;#x27;d be physically attracted to our partners no matter how much weight they gained or how bald they became--no matter what external changes they went through. The fact of the matter is, for some people, those physical changes can be a turnoff. If his weight is bothering you, I would suggest finding activities that you and your husband can do together--physical activities that might help him get in better shape. July 2, 2008 Q: Right before my period, I get a strange odor in my vagina. What causes that? A: Our hormones fluctuate throughout the month, which causes vaginal odor to change too. Those changes tend to be very subtle, and they&amp;#x27;re unique in every woman. I can&amp;#x27;t say anyone has done any placebo-control trials, but women who are sensitive to changes in their odor often notice a sweeter smell right before ovulation. However, if the odor before your period is foul, you might have an infection, and my suggestion would be to see your doctor. July 1, 2008 Q: My sex drive is lacking, and I tend to dry out quickly. This has been an ongoing problem, but it&amp;#x27;s gotten worse recently. Lubricants don&amp;#x27;t help because I also become tighter when I feel myself getting dry, and this causes discomfort for both my husband and myself. The only medication I am on is the NuvaRing. My husband and I have a great relationship, and are compatible on so many levels--except for these sexual problems. Please help! A: The hormones in birth control, including the NuvaRing, can cause vaginal dryness (not to mention the fact that every woman naturally produces a different amount of lubrication). It&amp;#x27;s understandable that knowing that you have this tendency--and anticipating the discomfort you feel during intercourse--is affecting your desire to have sex with your husband. It seems to me that the dryness you&amp;#x27;re experiencing is due to your method of contraception--not your sex drive. My advice is to choose a different type of lubricant. For women who have a real problem with dryness, K-Y Jelly or Astroglide may not be good enough; a long-lasting silicone lubricant can better help cut down on friction. Apply the lube to the penis and also inside your vagina so you have two slippery surfaces. You may even try inserting some into your vagina by filling a clean yeast infection medicine applicator with lubricant. Spending more time on foreplay can also help. June 30, 2008 Q: This is probably a stupid question, but how do I know I&amp;#x27;m having an orgasm? A:It&amp;#x27;s definitely not a stupid question. So often what we hear in the media, what we read in books and what we see on shows like Sex and the City is such an unrealistic representation of what it is to have an orgasm. And Iive had more than one young woman in her twenties come to me and say, &amp;quot;I thought I was having an orgasm until I saw Samantha have one.&amp;quot; Samantha is a fictional character--and most of us don&amp;#x27;t experience orgasms like that. Think of it this way: Do you get pleasure? Do you feel an enjoyable sensation when you&amp;#x27;re having sex? Do you reach the point where you&amp;#x27;re happy and satisfied? Then you&amp;#x27;re probably having an orgasm. An orgasm will feel different for every woman, and can vary from one experience to the next. Physically, it is a series of rhythmic contractions--around three to 15--of the vagina, uterus and pelvic floor muscles, but not every woman experiences it in that way. For some, having an orgasm is just an aura, and for others it&amp;#x27;s purely physical. My advice is to appreciate your own experience. This column is for informational purposes only and does not constitute specific medical advice. It is not, and is not intended to be, a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment from your doctor."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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