Brazil Hands out Nearly Half Billion Condoms

Brazil's government says it handed out nearly a half-billion free condoms last year — a record for the nation's campaign to reduce AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
    Brazil's Health Ministry says it distributed 493 million condoms last year. That's 2 1/2 condoms for every person in Latin America's largest nation. They cost the government about $19 million. The ministry says the Brazilian government buys and distributes more condoms than any other nation. About 90 percent of all condoms used in Brazil are provided by the government.The federal government distributes the condoms, with some going to states and municipalities to be handed out in various programs including in Brazil's schools.

 

via @abcnews.com

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Urination Problems

Pain and difficulty with urination are common conditions in both men and women. But urination problems may be a sign of more serious problems. Follow this chart for more information about these symptoms and their care.

SYMPTOMS		DIAGNOSIS		SELF-CARE
1. Do you have pain or burning with urination?		Go to Question 7.**
2. Is your urine cloudy?		Go to Question 5.*
3. Do you have a fever and/or backache?		Pain and fever may be caused by an infection of the kidneys called PYELONEPHRITIS.		See your doctor right away.
4. Do you have sharp, knife-like, intense pains in your back or groin?		You may have a KIDNEY STONE or another serious problem.		EMERGENCY See your doctor or go to the emergency room right away.
		You may have a BLADDER INFECTION or a more serious problem with the KIDNEYS.		See your doctor right away. Left untreated, problems with your kidneys may cause blood poisoning.
*5. Are you a man, and do you have an ache under your scrotum?		You may have PROSTATITIS, an infection of the prostate gland.		See your doctor.
6. Are you a man, and do you have a discharge from the tip of your penis?		These may be symptoms of an INFECTION such as URETHRITIS or a SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION, such as GONORRHEA.		See your doctor right away.
**7. Do you have the urge to urinate after just using the restroom, and are you only urinating small amounts at a time?		Your symptoms may be caused by an infection in the bladder, called CYSTITIS, or from an irritation of the bladder, called INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS, or from a KIDNEY STONE stuck in the bladder, or a chemical in the urine.		See your doctor.
8. Are you producing more urine than usual?		Go to Question 10.***
9. Have you been losing weight, drinking lots of fluids and/or have a history of diabetes in the family?		You may have DIABETES, a condition in which your body lacks insulin or doesn't use it in the right way.		See your doctor.
		You may be taking a medicine that can cause increased urination. Drinking liquids containing caffeine can also cause increased urination.		You may want to check with your doctor. If you drink caffeinated beverages, try decreasing the amount you drink.
***10. Are you a woman, and do you leak urine when you cough or sneeze?		Your symptoms may be from a weakness in the bladder due to childbirth or aging. This weakness causes STRESS INCONTINENCE.		Absorbent protection may be helpful. Kegel exercises may help strengthen muscles that support the bladder. See your doctor.
11. Are you a man, and do you leak or dribble urine after you urinate, or do you have problems starting the urine stream, or do you wake many times at night to urinate?		You may have a problem with your PROSTATE GLAND. Your symptoms may be caused by a benign (non-cancerous) ENLARGEMENT or a more serious condition such as INFECTION or CANCER.		See your doctor.
12. Do you have blood in your urine?		You may have a KIDNEY STONE, a TUMOR in the kidney or bladder, a BLADDER INFECTION, TRAUMA to your kidney, or possibly a BLEEDING DISORDER.		See your doctor right away.
For more information, please talk to your doctor. If you think the problem is serious, call your doctor right away.

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Facts about Intercourse during Menstruation

         Sex during periods is a matter of personal preference and cultural beliefs. Medically, it is safe to have sex during your period as long as you don't use it as a ticket to have unprotected sex.
       Deciding to have sexual intercourse requires knowledge about both the male and female reproductive systems, STDS, and birth control. Sex can become even more complicated when it comes to deciding when and where to do the deed; in particular, you may find that you or your partner want to have sex during your menstrual period. But is sex during your period safe? Here are some answers to a few of the most common questions regarding period sex. 

Is it Safe To Have Sex During Your Period?
Many men and women worry that having sexual intercourse during a woman's period is unhealthy. Though frowned upon in many cultures and faiths, sexual intercourse during menstruation is entirely normal and completely healthy.
Worries about this act generally stem from societal misconceptions about menstrual blood: most girls are taught from a young age that their menstrual blood is unclean and "dirty," and therefore should be hidden and contained at all times. However, menstrual blood is an entirely natural bodily fluid, and does not in anyway affect a man's penis or a woman's reproductive tract. As long as you are engaging in safe and protected sexual intercourse, it is entirely alright for you and your partner to have sex during your period.

Benefits of having sex during menstruation:

• Sex may help relieve pre or post menstrual symptoms if you get an orgasm
• Endorphins released during an orgasm are natural painkillers and mood lifters, which can allay cramps, headaches, mild depression, and irritability associated with periods
• Some women also claim enjoying sex more when they are menstruating because of the feelings of fullness in the pelvic and genital areas

Can sex during periods result in pregnancy?
Chances of pregnancy during periods are minimal. However, if you strictly want to avoid pregnancy it is advisable to use an adequate birth-control method each time you have intercourse, including during periods. Though the chances of pregnancy during periods are very low, they are not entirely absent because the sperm can survive in the body for a few days and there is a small chance that an early ovulation will cause pregnancy.

Will contact with menstrual blood cause sexually-transmitted diseases (STD)?
Menstrual blood is nothing but normal human blood mixed with tissues lining the uterus. Contact with menstrual blood is not harmful in any way. If your partner has a STD, you have a high chance of contracting it and you should be using a condom during intercourse, both during periods and otherwise.

Does sex during periods cause HIV infection?
Sex during periods cannot cause HIV infection unless one of the partners is HIV infected. Unprotected intercourse with an HIV infected partner can cause HIV infection, regardless of periods. The only connection between HIV and sex during periods is that the chances of HIV transmission from an HIV infected person to his/ her partner are higher if they have sex during periods. If you have the slightest concern about HIV infection, the thumb rule is to use a condom regardless of periods.

Risks in having sex during periods:

• The likelihood of an HIV-infected woman’s passing the infection to her male partner is higher during her periods
• A woman’s chances of contracting an infection, (for e.g. herpes) from her male partner, are higher during her periods.
• Sex during menstruation puts a woman at higher risk of pelvic inflammatory disease
• A woman is also more likely to pass on other blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis- B or C to a partner during her period
• A woman is more likely to develop yeast or bacterial infections like candidiasis or bacterial vaginosis because the vagina's pH during menstruation is less acidic.

Will contact with menstrual blood harm the penis?
No, menstrual blood will not harm the penis in any way. The worries and concerns about menstrual blood stem from the fact that we have been socially conditioned to see it as a dirty fluid. Scientifically, menstrual fluid is a mix of blood and tissues that line the uterus every month to prepare it for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, the tissue is shed because it is no longer required.

 Can sex during periods injure the uterus?
No, sex during periods cannot injure the uterus. There is a common perception that the mouth of the uterus opens up during periods and the penis can poke into it and hurt the uterus. This is not correct. Menstrual flood oozes out of a very small opening in the mouth of the uterus. The penis can never poke in through this opening.

Is sex during periods a perversion?
You would be happy to know that a large number of couples have sex during periods. From the medical standpoint, sex during periods is absolutely normal. So if you too indulge in it, there is absolutely no need to feel guilty or anxious.

Will sex during periods stop bleeding?
Some women do notice that their periods stop within a day or so of sexual intercourse. This does not mean that the menstrual blood has been pushed back into the uterus and is unable to flow out. It happens primarily because sexual intercourse causes uterine contractions that expel the menstrual fluids and tissue faster, thus causing the bleeding to stop sooner than usual.

Will sex during periods relieve menstrual cramps?
Yes, some women do experience a decrease in menstrual cramps if they have sexual intercourse. This can happen because of multiple factors. On one hand, orgasm causes the release of some chemicals in the body that have pain allaying properties. Some scientists also believe that this happens because excess cramp causing chemicals called prostaglandins get used up.

Is it OK to have oral sex during periods?
Yes, from the health perspective it is ok to have oral sex during periods. It is advisable to use a dental dam if you have oral sex with a menstruating female partner.

 Should I remove my tampon before having sex during periods?
Yes, always remember to remove your tampon before having sex during periods. If you do not do this there is a chance that the tampon will get pushed up in your vagina and if it is left there for a prolonged period, it can cause infection.


Source:
Healthcare Magic http://www.healthcaremagic.com/articles/Sex-during-menstruation/7408
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Have-Sex-During-Menstruation-29289186
http://www.health-niche.com/tag/sex-menstruation/
http://www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/sex-during-your-period.aspx
http://www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/101/specialist/berman/oral-sex-during-menstruation.aspx 
Oral Sex During Menstruation?  http://www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/101/specialist/berman/oral-sex-during-menstruation.aspx

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