Question of the Week
Each year, the Health Education team reaches thousands of people through outreach and presentations. We get a lot of questions from folks. Each week, we’ll post a question that we’ve been asked recently so that everyone who visits our site can get the answer.
Have a question yourself? Send it to us at diane.brown@longbeach.gov - maybe your question will make it on the site.
Week of July 27, 2009
Q: Is it normal to bleed after a Pap smear?
A: Good question…and if you’ve had bleeding after a pap smear before, you’re not alone. It is common that a woman will bleed or have light spotting after a pap smear. When having a pap smear, the doctor uses an instrument called a speculum to open the vagina and then scrapes the walls of the cervix to test the cervical cells. In this process, little blood vessels can break in the walls of the cervix, which can cause light spotting.
However, in rare cases, spotting can also signal the presence of an infection, especially chlamydia or gonorrhea. Chlamydia or gonorrhea can cause the blood vessels in the cervix to swell, so when you’re getting a pap smear they become more likely to rupture and bleed. When getting your annual pap smear, therefore, it’s not a bad idea to ask your doctor to check for chlamydia and gonorrhea too!
Week of July 20, 2009
Q: Can a guy cum and pee at the same time?
A: Some people may wonder if urine and semen can come out of the penis at the same time. While it seems like this might happen, it can’t. Urine and semen are stored in different parts of the male’s body. Urine, which is stored in the bladder, cannot be released at the same time as semen because when a man ejaculates, a valve (door) closes within the tube that carries fluids out of the penis (called the urethra) that stops urine from being able to leave until after a man ejaculates.
Week of July 13, 2009
Q: Does wearing two condoms give you double the protection?
A: No, adding more layers won't help. The truth is, wearing two condoms make sex even more risky. Using two (or more!) condoms can cause a lot of friction between the two, and increase the likelihood that one or both condoms may break. Better to stick with one condom. Do you know the correct way to use condoms? Check out www.lbyouth411.com/youth411/manage_question.aspx to learn how.
Week of June 1, 2009:
Q: Is it possible to break your penis?
A: There are no actual bones in a penis, so it isn't possible to break it. However, the cracking sound, intense pain, and immediate swelling and bruising that occurs when a guy has an injury to his penis may remind us of the fractures that occur in bones.
Penis "fractures" usually occur when the penis strikes the pubic bone of a partner during rigorous sexual activity. Rolling over in bed with an erect penis in the middle of the night has also been implicated as a way to cause this injury. If this happens to a guy, he should see a doctor right away.
Week of May 25, 2009:
Q: Is it true that when gay boys have sex, they go blind?
A: While there are a lot of myths out there about sex, this one was a first for us. Individuals may have plenty of reasons for not having sex - infections, unintended pregnancy, want to know partner better, would like to be in a monogamous relationship (just to name a few) - but going blind from sex isn't an issue for ANYONE - gay, straight, or bisexual.
