2019-11-01 Cosmopolitan

(lily) #1
DUDES
WANNA
KNOW
Is it okay that
I don’t want sex
all the time?
Absolutely! Every-
one has varying set
points libido-wise,
so “all the time”
differs per person.
That said,
if you’ve never
experienced a drop
in desire like
this before, talk it
through with your
doctor to find out
what’s going on.

I think I can feel my
girlfriend’s IUD with
my penis. Possible?
Yes, you could be
feeling the string—
particularly if it’s a
hormonal IUD, which
has a firmer string
than the copper
one. If it was cut too
short, you might feel
some light poking.
But if you’re jabbing
into hard plastic, it
might mean the tip
of the actual IUD has
shifted out of place.
Not only is this very
painful for you, but
it also makes the IUD
less effective for your
girlfriend. Stop hav-
ing sex, and get your
partner to an MD.

If my GF needs lube,
does that mean she’s
not that into me?
Wetness isn’t a
yardstick to measure
how good or bad
sex is or how
attracted a woman is
to you. She could be
having the best time,
but for a variety
of reasons (like med-
ications or some-
thing that happened
that day), she just
isn’t getting wet. Ask
her what turns her
on, and treat lube
like it’s your friend.

info on how this might
affect your body.
There are the typical
risks of surgery—but
then there’s also the
chance that sex might
feel different for you
afterward, as the
inner labia are sexu-
ally responsive organs
with specialized sen-
sory nerves. Consider
this: Reducing the size

OB-GYN AND
PAIN-MEDICINE
PHYSICIAN
Author of
The Vagina Bible

DR

.

GUNTER

More than 50 percent of
women have labia minora
that protrude farther than
their labia majora.

FRO


M^
LEF


T:^
GA


LLE


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ST


OC


K;^


CL
AIR


E^ B


EN


OI
ST/


November 2019 Cosmopolitan 85

of the labia for cos-
metic reasons is the
same as reducing the
size of the penis for
appearances.

I’ve heard that eat-
ing sugar affects my
vag in weird ways,
like causing yeast
infections. True?!
A Unless you have dia-
betes, it’s not likely.
Yeast infections are
biologically quite com-

plex, and the reason
yeast overgrows for
some women and not
others isn’t well under-
stood. What we do
know is that they can’t
be kick-started via
anything you eat (even
if you’ve been snack-
ing on a boatload of
candy). That said, if
any foods come into
physical contact with
your vagina (like if the
whipped cream you
used during foreplay
accidentally makes its
way inside you), that
can lead to irritation
that could be mistaken

cancer develops.
There is no way for
your body to “know”
when cells are becom-
ing cancerous. My
take? Don’t just
unfollow this influ-
encer. Block them,
keep seeing your
gynecologist for regu-
lar cervical-cancer
screenings, and get
the HPV vaccine if you
haven’t already.

Can Kegel balls
really give me
stronger orgasms
and make sex better
for my partner?
A Sooo, here’s the
thing: Kegel exer-
cises are meant to
treat incontinence or
prolapse (a condi-
tion in which your pel-
vic organs or vagina
droop down). If you
aren’t dealing with
those but still want to
give an exerciser a
try, you do you. Just
know there’s no good
science that shows a
“ripped” pelvic floor
leads to better sex or
epic climaxes. You
can also focus on stuff
that does work, like
experimenting with
masturbation or talk-
ing to your partner
about trying some-
thing new.

for a yeast infection or
even cause infections.

An influencer I fol-
low says I don’t need
Pap smears because
my body will know if
something is wrong.
Is she right?
A Wow, not only is
this bad advice, but
it’s also harmful and
deadly inaccurate.
A cervical-cancer
screening (which
includes a Pap smear
and/or HPV test) is
one of the greatest
advances in modern
medicine because it
detects precancer-
ous cells or high-risk
HPV before full-blown

Th
ing

sth

ataredelicate:
myvaginale
cos
ys
tem
an
d

als
o
my
fe
iel
gn
.s
Free download pdf