When should I start seeing an OB/GYN?
Girl, you should see an OB/GYN…. Given that you are (presumably) in college, it is really time to bite the bullet and get yourself checked out. You should usually go for one of four reasons. 1) When you start having sex. 2) When you start thinking about having sex. 3) You’re 18 or older. And finally, 4) you’re having painful periods, STDs, pelvic abnormalities, or other signs that something isn’t quite right. Go immediately.
I know it can be scary and certainly no one likes going to the gynecologist. They really don’t know how to make an already awkward and sometimes uncomfortable situation even worse. “Those mean cold duck lips” and “the paper dress that makes you feel like a bunched up piece of trash” (go see the Vagina Monologues next year if you don’t get this reference) do nothing for the experience. If you take anything from this, the most important thing is going to a doctor you feel comfortable with. For many girls this means going to a female doctor or to a place they trust.
What is Plan B exactly? What are the side effects?
Plan B is the brand name for an emergency contraception pill. I am assuming that you know the basics of what it does given that you ask about side effects, but for the reader who has never watched an teen dramedy of the ABC Family variety, Plan B and others like it are pills that are to be taken after unprotected sex (or most often in cases when other birth control methods, i.e. condoms, break or malfunction). The pill has to be taken in the 72 hours after risky sex and works better the closer it is taken to the act.
This is not the “abortion” pill that old white men in suits are always arguing about. That is called an RU-486 and has much more risky side affects. No, Plan B is Levonorgestrel based, which is just a fancy word for manufactured progesterone. Progesterone is a hormone that is in most types of chemical birth control like the pill. Progesterone is a pregnancy hormone produced naturally in the first trimester. Pretty much these types of pills trick your body into already thinking its preggers. These types of pill thus will not terminate an existing pregnancy.
The side effects are usually extremely mild for this pill. Because it is a one-time use, it does not cause the weight gain or hair changes that “the regular pill” can sometimes cause. You might feel a little irritable and you should talk to a doctor if you have pre-existing hormone related problems. Some people get a little nausea or have minor period changes in that month and in rare cases abdominal pain has been reported, but it is relatively safe. The most important thing to remember is that it is super effective if taken quickly, but it’s not fool proof and should definitely not be take as a “plan A.”
Submit your questions to Miss Cassandra by emailing highbrow@34st.com.
