Know truths about Masturbation

Masturbation is Taboo in some cultures and it is normal in many cultures. It is well known that the persons who preach against masturbation do masturbate…this is the reality.

Do boys and girls masturbate?

Yes, both do. In Western culture the girl learns from her friends or elder cousins. Thus they know the pleasure they could get from their body. Therefore, later in life they expect this pleasure from their boy friend or partner or husband. The sex is for them a team work and enjoyment.

But women from all culture expect closeness from their husbands and they are very happy with that. For many it plays a better and vital role than sex.

The Indian men could be happy. Almost all young women have no idea about this pleasure when they get married. So, the husband is the one sided boss here to satisfy, mostly, his urges. The men must learn more, otherwise if the women change with the help of all the available media, it is bad for the men.

Does masturbation cause acne or pimples?

No, it is a myth.

Does masturbation make you blind?

Also wrong.

Does masturbation cause hair growth on your palms?

No, it is a myth.

Masturbation causes sexually transmitted diseases, a myth?

Yes, it is.

Excessive masturbation leads to infertility. Is this correct?

No, it is not correct. During puberty the level of the testosterone is very high and no adverse effects are there.

Does masturbation has any effect on your brain?

No, there are no adverse effects on your brain.

Do girls masturbate?

Yes, but much later than boys.

Does everybody accept masturbation in our society?

No, many religions and religious groups do not accept this. In many cultures even today it is a taboo theme. You must know about everything. Whether one practises or not, it is his own decision.

It is very important that the wife and husband not only learn about their own body but also the body of their partner, husband/wife.

Menstrual problems and food

Menstrual problems may also be a reason for infertility in women and it is better to know about it clearly. The role of food in menstruation is explained here.

What are the menstrual problems?

At first, a few words about everything, the ovaries produce the two main female sex hormones, estrogens and progesterone. A large quantity of estrogens is produced when a girl reaches puberty, about 9-13 years old. This enables her to develop quickly into a normal young woman with the child bearing capacity. In this reproductive phase of her life, the menstruation plays a vital role.

The common problems relating her menstrual flow are:

• Pre-menstrual tension
• Painful menstruation and
• Excessive menstruation.

If there is a problem which you cannot manage alone, report and consult your doctor as early as possible.


What are the pre-menstrual tension symptoms?

Some women few days before menstruation become irritable and nervous and may also suffer from fullness in the breasts, headache, insomnia, swelling in the legs and even depression. Acne, bloating, backache, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal cramp, difficulty in concentrating and difficulty in handling stress can be also the other symptoms.

These are mainly because of hormonal imbalance and these symptoms disappear within a day of the start of the menstrual flow.

What is a painful menstruation?

Painful menstruation is a very common problem and this symptom can appear immediately before or during the menstrual flow. Some women have this pain two or three days before the flow. Here also the reason is hormonal imbalance.

What is the excessive menstrual flow?

This is common in women, some diseases like fibroids or the hormones play a role here. The excessive menstrual flow is a risk factor for anaemia.

If the menstruation stops, what are the reasons?

It is only abnormal when a woman is not pregnant or at the menopause. The main causes of menstrual stoppage are anaemia, serious emotional disturbances such as grief, worry and fear. Malformation or displacement of the womb can also be the reason. It may also happen during some sickness or after an illness. Jetlag is also one of the reasons for disturbed menstruation in air hostesses.

Does food play a role here?

There are many foods which may help here, to tell a few, calcium, manganese, fat and cholesterol.

What is the role of calcium here?

Foods rich in calcium like a glass of skimmed milk every day apart from your normal meal may help to prevent and cure mood changes and physical pain before or during your period. At the same time all other health aspects must also be considered taking more calcium and an optimum amount could be found out with the help of your dietician.

What about manganese?

The problem here is with heavy menstrual flow, just imagine the flow is almost the double amount than normal, the body loses more manganese, iron, copper, zinc and other essential elements because of increased blood loss. The cause for the heavy flow is not known. Fruits, especially pineapple, vegetables, whole grains products, nuts and seeds contain many essential elements we need including manganese.

Black or green tea has also high manganese content.

What is the role of cholesterol here?

One of the greatest threats to menstruation and reproduction is a deficiency of cholesterol in the diet as well as in your body. Even LDL or bad cholesterol is important to menstruate normally. Women who want to be slim or thin try fanatically with exercises and with diet to reduce the amount of fat in their body, thus wrecking their menstrual cycle which may even lead to temporary infertility. These women are also susceptible to fragile bones and osteoporosis in later years.

It is possible with correct food, enough exercises and with normal menstrual cycle you can be slim, the simple thing to achieve this is, you must know only how to do that.

Are carbohydrates, including sugar and chocolates a cure or cause for pre-menstrual symptoms?

Many women feel less depression, confusion, fatigue, tension and anger and it may be because carbohydrates produce higher amount of serotonin, a neurotransmitter which can elevate the mood. The main reason is relaxation. So do not deny a craving for carbohydrates including chocolates, sweets and desserts during your period. This is also good to reduce cramp and sluggishness.

Small portion, but often, in two to three hours can do well, but try to find out which is good for you to get relief from your suffering.

What about coffee?

If you have pre-menstrual symptoms which upset your life, give up coffee and other beverages with caffeine for few months to see whether it helps you. But, one to two cups a day may not bring problems and if you drink more, reduce it to one cup. Here the information from the women is very contradictory, sometimes it helps and sometimes, it does not.

What about smoking?

Stop it immediately, it helps you surely. Even in India 2.6% of the women do smoke.

What about alcohol?

It is advisable not to drink alcohol because pain, headache and cramp are not in a line with alcohol consumption. It may help in small amount in postmenopausal women only.

What about processed foods?

It is better to avoid all the processed foods.

What about having an ‘all fruits day’ in a week?

It is generally good for your health which can also have influence in your menstrual cycle, do not forget to eat bananas because you need calories to do your normal work.

Are there home remedies for this problem?

There are several home remedies for this problem as follows:

Sesame seeds
Coriander seeds
Ginger
Parsley
Papaya
Bengal gram
Banana flower
Mango bark
Ashoka tree bark
Indian barberry

These may help in menstruation problems, try slowly to find out the correct one and the amount needed for your problems or consult your doctor or dietician.

In my own experience many women in the child bearing age drink less water. It is a must to drink, three to four litre water per day. If they sweat more, they have to drink more. 70% of the fluid intake must be pure drinking water and it does always good.

Female Infertility

Primary infertility is the inability to conceive a child after regular intercourse for at least one year. Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to achieve a second pregnancy. Women and men are equally affected here.

For woman’s fertility, her reproductive organs must be healthy and functional. The causes of infertility in women may be physical or emotional. Healthy egg and sperm must be there in the fallopian tubes for a possible union to conceive a child.

The causes of female infertility include:

• Ovulation disorders
• Fallopian tube problems
• Endometriosis
• Cysts in the ovary
• Pelvic infection
• Poor nutrition
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Egg quality
• Hormone imbalance
• Tumour
• Uterine problems
• Fibroids – tumour in the uterus
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Life style – smoking, alcohol and drugs abuse
• age

The failure to produce ripe eggs is the most common cause of female infertility. Excessive weight loss, stress, even slight hormone imbalances, thyroid problems. Irregular menstrual periods or no periods are the signs of this problem.

Inflammation or any other of the fallopian tube makes it blocked and the egg cannot move from ovary to the uterus.

Endometriosis is a condition when the tissue of the uterine lining grows excessively outside the ovaries or in the lining of the abdomen near uterus and fallopian tubes. This can prevent the period and inflammation is the result. Women with endometriosis have usually pelvic pain and infertility. Other symptoms are painful menstrual cramps, pain during sexual intercourse, heavy bleeding and unusual spotting.

Ovarian cysts may indicate advanced endometriosis and it affects fertility.

Excess androgen hormone production can produce many tiny cysts in the ovaries which prevent the production of mature egg. Here the symptoms include acne, irregular or absent periods and weight gain.

A woman’s peak fertility is in her early 20s. After the age of 35 the ability to produce eggs declines. After the age of 40, the chance of conceiving decreases.

Life style must be changed first with healthy food and less stress. There must be enough physical activity.

With personal interviews of both partners taking into consideration of the health history, sexual habits and menstrual cycle your doctor has to diagnose infertility.

Measurement of basal body temperature each morning over months is important to know exactly about ovulation.

Along with normal blood parameters the levels of the hormones luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, 17beta-estradiol and progesterone should also be estimated.

Fertility drugs and surgery are the possible treatments apart from other techniques.

Multiple pregnancy, low birth weight, birth defects, infection, bleeding and enlarged ovaries may be the possible complications.

Next: The role of food in fertility