Reproductive health science knowledge promotion

Reproductive health has never been a "private matter that needs to be cared about only if you have sex or prepare for pregnancy", nor is it a course that needs to be made up after getting sick. It is a required health course throughout the entire life cycle from adolescence to old age - clinical data shows that more than 90% of common problems in the reproductive system can be avoided in advance through daily scientific care and regular screening. There is no need to delay running to the hospital until they become serious.

Last week when I was attending a clinic, I met a 16-year-old girl. She was wrapped in a school uniform and hiding behind her mother. After holding it in for a long time, she said that her private parts had been itchy for almost half a month. I was embarrassed to say that I secretly bought a lotion in the supermarket that promoted "sterilization and anti-itching". After a week of washing, the pain was so bad that I couldn't sit still at school. After the examination, it was found that the vaginal flora was severely imbalanced. The little girl kept crying, asking whether she had "done something bad to get this disease."

Harm, don’t think this is a mistake only children make. I have seen working women in their thirties who also felt that discomfort in their private parts was “unhygienic.” They used lotion to rinse their private parts every day, and eventually developed recurring fungal vaginitis, which took more than half a year to heal. When it comes to private parts care, in fact, there is no completely unified "standard answer" in the academic community. Traditional gynecological clinical practice has always advocated "washing the vulva with warm water every day is enough, and never wash the inside of the vagina." This is indeed suitable for the vast majority of healthy people; but in recent years, there have also been studies on evidence-based medicine. , if you have a history of dysbiosis or have an active sexual life, you can occasionally use a compliant weakly acidic vulva care solution for cleaning under the guidance of a doctor. There is no need to kill all care products with a stick. There are two core principles: don’t flush the inside of the vagina blindly, and don’t buy three-no products.

There is also the HPV vaccine that everyone asks about most. In the past, people always said that "you don't need to take it if you have sex" and "it is useless after giving birth to a baby." I met a 38-year-old mother of her second child a while ago. She hesitated for almost half a year before asking. She said that she had already passed the "optimal age for vaccination" and whether it would be a waste of money to take it. In fact, now the nine-valent HPV vaccine has been extended to ages 9-45. Even if you have had sexual intercourse or have even been infected with a certain type of HPV, vaccination can protect against other uninfected high-risk subtypes and reduce the recurrence probability of infected subtypes. How can there be any "waste"?

Oh, yes, don’t always think that reproductive health is a woman’s business. Last week, a young man accompanied his wife for a pre-pregnancy check-up, and the sperm motility was checked by the way. The results were so bad that he was confused. He said he didn’t feel any discomfort at all. After asking, I found out that he works as a programmer and sits for more than ten hours a day. He likes to drink iced milk tea and play skewers after get off work, and he stays up late playing games until two or three o'clock. These habits are all "invisible killers" of sperm vitality. There are also many male compatriots who have been deceived by the publicity that "the foreskin must be circumcised". In fact, this is not absolute - if they are usually clean and have no inflammation or urinary discomfort, there is no need to undergo that surgery. Only if balanitis or phimosis occurs repeatedly, surgery is recommended.

There are also many people who think that "you won't have such problems when you get older." Last month, a 62-year-old aunt came here and said that she always felt dry and painful private parts after menopause and suffered from repeated urinary tract infections. I'm sorry to say that she had endured it for five or six years. After a checkup, it was found to be atrophic vaginitis caused by the drop in estrogen levels after menopause. She used topical estrogen ointment to treat the problem, and it improved in two weeks. The aunt later came to me specifically to tell me, if I had known it was so simple, why would I have suffered for so many years. There are also prostate problems in middle-aged and elderly men. Don’t always think that frequent urination and urgency are “normal as you get older.” Get a PSA (prostate specific antigen) check every year. Early detection of problems and early intervention can improve your quality of life.

When it comes to the most controversial aspect, it must be the choice of contraceptive method. In the past, some people always believed in the "seven before and eight after" safe periods for contraception. I just had sex with a girl last month, and she had sex during the safe period. She unexpectedly got pregnant and had an abortion. Her eyes were swollen from crying. In fact, the failure rate of safe periods for contraception is as high as 25%. Women's ovulation is greatly affected by emotions, stress, and work schedules, so it is not that "accurate" at all. Some people think that taking emergency contraceptive pills once will cause infertility. This is not an exaggeration. Taking them once in a while will not cause permanent harm. However, its hormone content is 8 times that of regular short-acting contraceptive pills. It is best not to take it more than three times a year, as it can easily disrupt the menstrual cycle. As for the short-acting contraceptive pills that many people talk about, the estrogen content of the new generation of products has dropped to very low levels. Not only can the contraceptive success rate reach over 99%, it can also regulate menstruation, improve dysmenorrhea and acne. As long as there are no high-risk factors for blood clots, it can be used for a long time under the guidance of a doctor. There is no need to hide away when you hear the word "hormone".

I have been practicing clinical obstetrics and gynecology for almost 15 years, and I have seen too many big problems caused by "embarrassment", "feeling ashamed" and "thinking it is a trivial matter". In fact, reproductive health is nothing shameful. Just like seeing a doctor when you have a cold or fever, brushing your teeth and washing your face every day, they are all common health needs. Don’t think that you don’t take it seriously when you are young, and don’t think that you don’t need to care about it when you are older. Take some time every year to have a specialist physical examination. If you feel uncomfortable, just ask the doctor openly. It will be more effective than any folk remedies.