12 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
LIFESTYLE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2002
Female genitalia: more than just a vagina
Men have penises; women have vaginas.
SEX
Most people figured this out when they were young.
But it's not quite right. Sure, men have penises and women have vaginas, but there's a lot more stuff down there that rarely gets the mention it deserves.
For instance, while women do have vaginas, they also have vulvas, clitorises, labia (both majora and minora) and other interesting parts. In fact, if a woman is standing in front of you naked, you're not even seeing her vagina, you're seeing her vulva. Taking a look at the vagina requires spreading the inner and outer vaginal lips and getting a slightly closer look. And without the use of a speculum, or your fingers and a flashlight, you'll only see the vaginal opening. So, if the vagina is inside of a woman, what in the world is all that stuff on the outside?
Meghan Bainum mbainum@kansan.com
Let's take it from the top.
The fleshy mound on the top of the vulva, which is usually covered with hair unless it's been removed, is called the mons pubis. A little pressure on the mons can create a lot of pleasure.
From there, at the top of the vulva, is the holy grail of pleasure for many women, the
clitoris. Covering the clitoris is a little bit of skin called the clitoral hood. Women's clitorises come in a variety of sizes — some easier to find than others — and should be approached with care. While some women like people to establish direct contact with their clitorises, either with hand, tongue or anything else, others prefer a more handsoff approach and might enjoy having the area around the clitoris rubbed more than the "little girl" herself.
From the clitoris, we come to a more easily visible part of the vulva, the vaginal lips. While the outer lips often have hair on them, the inner lips usually do not. Other than this, there is no set guideline for what vaginal lips should look like. Some women have larger inner lips than outer,
for others it is the opposite. Playing around with the inner lips, like gently tugging on them, can cause fantastic feelings for some females.
According to the Guide to Getting It On, by Paul Joannides, playing with the inner lips is a good way to indirectly stimulate an extra-sensitive clitoris.
Chilling out below the clitoris and above the vaginal opening is the urethra. It's difficult to spot the urethra, as it is a small opening. The larger opening below the urethra is called the vaginal opening. Although close together, inserting a penis — or almost anything else for that matter — into the urethra is almost impossible. It's way too small.
According to Joannides, some remarkable changes take place when the vagina gets ready for action. While the first third gets narrower, the back part of the vagina expands. In fact, Joannides says the aroused vagina can double in length, a feat not even the penis can claim. The front of the vagina is more sensitive to touch and the back tends to respond better to pressure.
The vagina isn't the only part that changes when called to duty. The vaginal
Source:The Guide to Getting it On!
lips often become deeper in color because of increased blood flow to the area.The tip of the clitoris also swells, making the little bugger easier to find. But watch out.Many women's clitorises actually retract when an orgasm is imminent.
Just as every woman is different, so is every vulva, clitoris and vagina.
Viva la vulva!
The way a woman smells, tastes and likes her stuff stimulated will almost always be unique.
Breast cancer a threat for all ages and genders
HEALTH
The thought of breast cancer plagues some of us everyday, whether it is a mother, sister, or our own bodies that the disease has stricken. For the rest of us, October is the time to become more conscious of the cancer during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Leslie Kimmel
llimmel@kansan.com
While some of us might take this time to help others, the idea of breast cancer affecting us might be far from our minds. According to a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Survey, almost 60 percent of women don't think they need to be concerned about the disease.
But there is no reason why anyone male or female, young or old—should not be aware of how to detect and prevent breast cancer.
But those of us who have no reported background of the disease shouldn't push the issue out of sight. The ACS found that
The American Cancer Society (ACS) found that having one first-degree family member - a mother, sister or daughter with the cancer - approximately doubled the risk of inheriting it. Having breast cancer strike two family members increases the risk five times.
So the excuse that "my mom never had it, so I never will" definitely does not apply to breast cancer. The cancer can develop in anyone as early as their 20s and 30s, so it's a good idea to go through the steps of early detection no matter what your family medical background looks like.
80 percent of breast cancer cases occur in women without family histories of the disease.
And this goes for the other half of the population as well. The ACS estimates women are about 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer than men, but men aren't liberated from the disease. Because most men aren't diagnosed with the disease until they have reached the age of 65, the best way to protect against it is through
--early detection. Early detection allows for quicker and more successful treatment. Men should talk to their doctors about the best way to detect breast cancer. Women can immediately begin fighting the disease by following three steps throughout their lives.
Practice breast self-examinations. These should occur every month starting at age 20. At the same time each month, feel your breasts in a circular motion with the pads of your fingers. It you detect any thickness, lumps or other changes, contact your health care provider.
See your doctor for clinical breast exams. These should happen at least once every three years for women older than 20, and every year for women older than 40.
Schedule regular screening mammograms. These should begin at age 40 and occur every year, but if you have a family history of breast cancer it is a good idea to start screening earlier.
Even though you might be doing your part once a month to detect the disease, you can still do more to lower your risk. Researchers have found some connections between certain lifestyles and the development of cancer. At any age, simple changes in your day-to-day life can help lower the risk of developing breast and other cancers.
Limit intake of fats and red meats. Breast cancer is found more in populations with high-fat diets than in populations with low-fat diets. This might be because fat tissue can change some hormones into estrogen, which can increase the chances of developing the disease.
Exercise regularly. Strenuous exercise in childhood followed by moderate exercise in adulthood might also lower the risk of developing breast cancer.
Watch how much you drink. There is a clear connection between alcohol consumption and the development of breast cancer. The ACS finds that women who drink more than two alcoholic drinks per day have 1.5 times the risk of non-drinkers.
Breast cancer can affect all of us without affecting our own bodies. It is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of death for American women. But through early detection and prevention, it is possible for breast cancer to drop from the ranks of our
top killers.