8 things women should do after sex for good hygiene

Even if you really don’t feel like getting out of bed, practicing these good habits after sex could save you from very unsexy consequences.

DECEMBER 31, 2018

Practicing good post-coital (after sex) hygiene in the long run, will help you to ward off infections and germs that may create bigger health issues.

It might be tempting to skip that part and fall straight to sleep, but that window right after intercourse is when you want to take action in order to ensure that no undesirable bacteria can fester, especially where you can’t reach.

There are many things you can do to clean up, but here are the most important in the list of things you should do.

1. Pee, even if you don’t feel a need to

Outside molecules, including bacteria, can enter the urethra, your urinary tube, very easily during sex, putting you at risk of contracting a urinary tract infection.

The best way to flush out those harmful intruders is by peeing, even if you don’t feel a compelling urge to do so.

If you really have nothing to pee, drink a glass of water and enjoy a short, but romantic cuddle session, then use the bathroom.

If you still need more time, there are other things you can tend to first in your cleanup routine.

2. Wash yourself

A full shower will take care of most aspects of your post-coital cleanup checklist.

Avoid using overly hot or overly cold water, as your private parts will still be tender from your intimate activities.

Use mild soap. There is no need for anything extra perfumed, or even feminine washes, which can actually damage the pH in your vaginal tube.

There are a lot of products that you’ll find in pharmacies that are marketed as helping you to “keep fresh”.

These are things like wipes and sprays that are made with harsh chemicals like detergents, perfumes or lotions, which are actually unsuitable for your skin and can cause a rash or other skin problems. Also avoid scented pads and tampons.

If you don’t take a full shower, do a gentle rinse with warm water instead, or use a clean wet towel to wipe every part of your body that might be exposed to bacteria.

The best way to clean up after sex is to take a full shower; but if you’re too lazy to, at least give your body a quick wet wipe-down before sleeping. — AFP

3. Gargle with mouthwash

Also, swish with mouthwash to eradicate germs and bacteria in your mouth.

Enjoy the foreplay, but don’t forget the cleanup after. Certain sexually transmitted infections, like chlamydia and gonorrhea (yuck!), can occur in the mouth as well.

Mouthwash in particular, is most effective in killing bacteria for this purpose.

With brushing, you might just end up transferring the germs onto your toothbrush, and obviously, you do not want that.

Gargle for about 15-20 seconds, spit, then rinse away those icky germs with water.

4. Wash your toys

While it is perfectly normal to use toys and lubrication to help with intercourse, these too must be washed.

All you need is some soap and warm water to eliminate most of the germs. If you want to be extra diligent, some silicone toys can be boiled to kill off the germs.

For anything that is powered with a battery or has some sort of mechanism, read the manufacturer’s instructions before immersing in water or subjecting it to germ-killing temperatures.

5. Douching is a no-no

This is one thing on my list that you should not do in your cleanup routine.

The practice of douching is a misguided and old-fashioned method that is now discouraged, as it has been found that douching can lead to more infections, rather than eliminate them.

The vagina has its own self-cleansing mechanism, which includes good bacteria that help to keep the pH levels healthy and balanced.

Rarely does the vagina require any additional help in keeping clean. Do your part in keeping the outside area of your private region clean, but the vagina will take care of itself.

Gargling with mouthwash, as seen in this filepic, is more effective in getting rid of sexually-transmitted infections in the mouth than brushing your teeth.

6. Change into clean clothes and new underwear

In the course of being intimate with your partner, you can hardly be expected to be mindful of what’s happening to your clothes.

Body fluids that stain your underwear and clothes will develop bacteria, so those clothes are probably not something you would want to wear again – toss them right into the laundry basket and pick some fresh new garments to wear.

It is a good idea to toss the bedsheets into the wash as well.

7. Notice any changes or discomfort

Your body should return to normal quite soon after intercourse.

Note any changes, such as lesions, sensations or bumps, and monitor them.

If these physical changes, or any discomfort you feel, becomes worse or does not go away within reasonable time, it’s best to see a doctor for your symptoms.

Write down where you initially felt the discomfort, or what you noticed about physical symptoms, such as whether the size changed, the pain intensified, etc.

I recommend writing these down immediately, as you may not remember them later.

8. Get tested

Ideally, you should know about your partner’s sexual health before jumping into bed with them.

This is a discussion to have with your partner even if it is an uncomfortable topic to bring up.

If you still can’t be sure about the health of your partner, pay attention to symptoms like bumps, pain or sores around your genitals, or unusual discharge.

It’s always a good thing to get an STD (sexually-transmitted disease) test just to be sure, scary as it might be.

The test itself is not painful, but of course, the fear of getting positive results is more daunting.

That’s why, ideally, your sexual partner should be someone trustworthy and loyal, who will not put you at risk of contracting an unwanted STD, and vice versa.

It would be ideal to know the condition of your partners sexual health before having sex with them. HIV, for example, can be tested for with the self-test kit seen in this filepic.

Final words

When you are pregnant, it is even more critical to take extra care and follow the steps above.

You can safely have intercourse when you are pregnant, but you do run the risk of being more prone to infections.

Take care of your basic personal hygiene post-intercourse, and you’ll be able to avoid many problems later on.

https://www.star2.com/health/2018/12/31/women-health-after-sex/

Bowel cancer: How much red meat is safe to eat to avoid risking the deadly disease?

BOWEL cancer: Research has shown eating too much red and processed meat may increase the risk of developing bowel cancer. But how much is ‘too much’?

By KAROLINA KAMINSKA

PUBLISHED: 13:19, Mon, Dec 31, 2018 | UPDATED: 17:09, Mon, Dec 31, 2018

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with around 42,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

The exact cause of bowel cancer it still unknown, but there are several risk factors which increase the chance of developing the disease.

According to the NHS, a “large body” of evidence suggests a diet high in red and processed meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer.

“But eating a lot of red and processed meat probably increases your risk of bowel cancer.”

Processed meat refers to meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives.

One group of preservatives used in the production of processed meat is nitrates, which some UK politicians have recently called on the government to remove from food.

This is because it is believed the nitrates in processed meats can produce carcinogenic nitrosamines, which may lead to bowel cancer.

Processed meat includes things like sausages, bacon, ham, deli meats like salami, canned meat such as corned beef, sliced lunch meats like chicken and turkey slices and pâté.

Eating too much red and processed meat may cause bowel cancer (Image: Getty Images

So how much red and processed meat is safe to eat?

The NHS and Department of Health advise eating no more than 70g of red and processed meat per day.

They recommend cutting down by eating smaller portions, eating those meats less often, or swapping them for alternatives.

If you eat more than 90g of red or processed meat on a certain day, ensure you eat less on the following days so the average amount per day does not exceed 70g.

To put this into perspective, 90g of red meat equates to three thin-cut slices of roast lamb, beef or pork, each about the size of half a slice of bread.

UK adults are advised to eat no more than 70g of red or processed meat a day (Image: Getty Images)

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK (Image: Getty Images)

Food that can increase risk of bowel cancer

Wed, June 21, 2017

Bowel cancer: Foods that can increase your risk of developing the killer disease.

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A grilled 8oz beef steak equates to 163g, while a cooked breakfast containing two sausages and two rashers of bacon is around 130g.

A 5oz rump steaks weighs about 102g, while a large done kebab is 130g and a quarter-pound beef burger is 78g.

One slice of ham equates to 23g, while a slice of black pudding is 30g and a thin slice of corned beef is 38g.

Other factors which may increase the risk of bowel cancer include smoking, being overweight and drinking large amounts of alcohol.

People who are physically inactive are also at a higher risk of developing the disease, as are those who have a family history of it.

Almost 18 in 20 cases of bowel cancer in the UK are diagnosed in people over the age of 60, according to the NHS.

RELATED ARTICLES

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https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1065430/bowel-cancer-causes-red-processed-meat-colon-how-much

Prostate hope for millions of over-50s: Radical five-minute 'steaming' treatment cures embarrassing condition WITHOUT surgery

• Two million men in Britain have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate 
• Problem commonly causes repetitive night-time visits to the bathroom
• The five-minute procedure to shrink the gland cuts the need for surgery
• Health watchdogs are expected to give it the green light for routine NHS use

By BEN SPENCER MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:08 GMT, 20 August 2018 | UPDATED: 09:38 GMT, 21 August 2018

A radical new steam treatment could offer hope to millions of middle-aged men who suffer with an enlarged prostate.

The five-minute procedure to shrink the gland cuts the need for surgery and comes with minimal side effects.

Health watchdogs are expected to give it the green light for routine NHS use tomorrow.

Two million men in Britain have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate – but it is thought to affect as many as half of all men over the age of 50, and 60 per cent of those over 60.

The problem commonly causes repetitive night-time visits to the bathroom, but many men find that having rushed out of bed, they cannot urinate after all.

The new treatment – which involves injecting an enlarged prostate with jets of steam – avoids the severe impacts of invasive operations that can often spell an early end to a man's sex life.

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The five-minute procedure to shrink the gland cuts the need for surgery and comes with minimal side effects. Pictured: How the treatment works

An enlarged prostate is not linked to cancer and does not increase the risk of getting prostate cancer – yet the symptoms can be similar, so most men with the problem are tested to make sure their prostate is not cancerous.

It is caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia, in which an overgrown prostate presses into the bladder and blocks the urethra, the vessel through which it empties.

In extreme cases, men find they cannot urinate, leading to a dangerous build-up of toxins that can cause severe kidney problems. Every year more than 18,000 men undergo a painful operation to relieve the problem, which involves removing part of the prostate. However the vast majority with the condition avoid surgery because of fears over side effects.

While the operation – called transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) – is effective, it can lead to loss of sexual function, bleeding and incontinence.

The steam treatment, called Rezum, simply shrinks the prostate with few side effects. The procedure, performed under local anaesthetic and sedation, involves injecting nine-second bursts of steam into the prostate, via a thin tube inserted into the urethra.

The steam is injected at 1cm intervals, killing enough prostate tissue to shrink the enlarged gland.

Surgeons at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have trialled the procedure on 150 men, with remarkable results.

Professor Hashim Ahmed, a consultant urological surgeon at Imperial, said other hospitals are poised to roll out the treatment as soon as they get the okay from health watchdog NICE.

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An enlarged prostate is not linked to cancer and does not increase the risk of getting prostate cancer – yet the symptoms can be similar, so most men with the problem are tested to make sure their prostate is not cancerous 

'A huge group of men could benefit from this treatment,' he said. Experts believe it will in time completely replace TURP. But they also think many more men who until now have been reluctant to undergo an operation will take up the steam option. Professor Ahmed said: 'There is a large group of men who are so worried about the side effects of an operation that they are suffering without treatment, or relying on drugs and their side effects.'

He said the Rezum treatment – which is made by US firm NxThera – could save the NHS money.

'It frees up huge NHS resources because you need much less theatre time,' he said. 'You are also opening up tens of thousands of days of bed occupation around the country.'

Conventional TURP operations take 90 minutes in surgery and an average of three days of recovery time in an NHS bed. The Rezum treatment, in comparison, takes just five minutes.

Professor Ahmed said: 'From arriving in theatre to leaving again is taking no more than 15 minutes. And it is a day case – there is no need to take an NHS bed.' The Rezum procedure costs the NHS about £2,000 – roughly the same as TURP – but taking into account theatre time and no need for a bed it could save the health service millions. Privately it costs about £5,000, compared to £6,000 for TURP.

Professor Ahmed and Professor Richard Hindley of Hampshire Hospitals, who performed the first Rezum procedure in Basingstoke last year, have compiled the results of their first 80 patients to receive the treatment.

On average their patients' prostates shrunk by 36 per cent – a comparable result to TURP. But remarkably, the side effects have been minimal.

Professor Ahmed said: 'We have seen zero incontinence and virtually zero impotence. And you get a quicker recover, meaning you can get back to work and get on with your life.'

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Two million men in Britain have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate – but it is thought to affect as many as half of all men over the age of 50, and 60 per cent of those over 60 

For patients who receive TURP, in comparison, roughly 10 per cent are left with erectile problems and 2 per cent have permanent urinary incontinence.

Roughly 65 per cent are also left with ejaculation problems – for Rezum it is about 5 per cent.

Professor Ahmed stressed there are some disadvantages of the steam treatment. He said: 'It is not instant – it might take three to eight weeks to see the benefit, it is a slow burn.'

The technology may also be unsuitable for men with the largest prostates – who would be better off having a high-tech laser surgery treatment.

Rezum is the latest in a series of non-surgical options for enlarged prostates to emerge in the last year.

Another treatment involves blocking the blood supply to the prostate by injecting tiny plastic beads into an artery.

Professor Hindley, who does his academic work at the University of Winchester, added: 'This could be a game-changer for the NHS. You can do five or six cases in half a day.'

 

'Steaming operation has helped me sleep': Patient who suffered from condition for two decades now has relief 

For the last two decades Chris Allard has put up with a medical complaint that affects most men his age.

‘About 20 years ago I started noticing I had joined the “first in last out” club at the toilet,’ the 71-year-old said. ‘But I just put up with it.’

Things got so bad he was waking up three times a night to go to the loo. Mr Allard, who ran a kitchen and bathroom fitting business until retirement, suffered from an enlarged prostate. 

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For the last two decades Chris Allard (pictured with his wife Chris) has put up with a medical complaint that affects most men his age. But after the treatment, his 'symptoms have dramatically reduced'

A decade ago he was given drugs to counter the problem – but stopped taking them because they made him drowsy. Eventually things got so bad he needed treatment.

His doctor proposed surgery, but Mr Allard was concerned about possible side effects on sexual performance and incontinence.

He approached Hashing Ahmed, a surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital, who was trialling the Rezum therapy, in which steam is injected into the prostate.

‘I was sedated and I felt no physical discomfort at all,’ he said. ‘The symptoms have dramatically reduced. I don’t need to go to the toilet as often… And that really helps with my sleep.’  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6080191/Breakthrough-five-minute-steaming-treatment-cures-embarrassing-prostate-condition-without-surgery.html