Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ask TSL.
Today is a special one because we have a professional with us,
it is a topic that we are not equipped to do because,
it's about sexual health.
You know sometimes when we are in the heat of the moment,
we are not like thinking about the long term health effects,
on ourselves and our partners as well,
so that's why we have a doctor here.
There is a lot of like doubts and misconceptions,
that people have,
and a lot of the time,
time they are too paiseh to ask a real doctor,
so they end up just googling,
which can open up a lot of fake news.
So, today we are gonna debunk,
all the misconceptions once and for all.
And with that,
let’s welcome doctor Eugena Tay!
Yay!
- Thank you for coming. - Thank you for having me.
I’m a family physician with a focus in,
women’s health and sexual health.
In my daily work life,
I see patients from all walks of life,
of all ages,
ages for a variety of medical reasons.
Such as,
contraception counselling,
sexually transmitted illnesses,
vaccinations,
cancer screening,
menstrual disorders, and so on.
So, the first question is,
is it possible,
to get pregnant if there is no insertion,
but the private areas are close together?
So, it is possible,
to get pregnant,
even if there is no insertion,
but the chances are very slim¹.
It can happen sometimes,
if the male genitals,
is very near to the female genitals,
or if the male ejaculates very near,
to the female genital region¹.
However, like I mentioned,
the chances are very slim,
simply because,
sperms can’t live out of the body,
for a very long time¹.
I read this Reddit thread,
this dude got this girl pregnant,
in a hot tub.
Is it true?
Do you think its true?
I would say that's probably very unlikely?
Also because of the hot tub environment,
the temperature.
That's why they say shouldn't put laptop on the...
If not you're cooking...
Okay next question is,
is it true,
that having unprotected sex,
before your period is relatively safe (from getting pregnant)?
Let me just stop it right there,
anything unprotected is not safe what the heck!
Doctor, what is your chime in?
I mean, if a lady is not ready to fall pregnant,
she's not at that phase of her life,
where she wants to fall pregnant,
protection should always be used.
It's also because sometimes,
you may not be able to predict,
when exactly you're going to ovulate.
And sperms can actually live in the body,
usually it doesn't live that long,
but it can be up to five days².
They can airbnb inside?
That's so long!
Oh my god this is bad news…
It's not safe for people to use,
the calculation or tracking method?
Usually I recommend that only for,
people who are at that phase of their life,
where they can afford to fall pregnant,
like if it happens they are okay to accept it.
How high are the chances of condoms breaking,
during sexual activity?
If it does,
do you need to go to a doctor immediately?
Generally, it's a very reliable form of contraception.
It's not foolproof.
It can slip off, it can break, tear.
In those sorts of situations,
the most important thing to do,
would be to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Because very often,
we would need to give,
some form of emergency contraception.
So the next question is,
can you still get STDs or STIs,
even if you’re fully protected?
So honestly,
I don’t know what is the difference between STIs,
or STDs.
STIs stand for sexually transmitted infections,
whereas STDs stand for sexually transmitted diseases.
But essentially,
there are sexually transmitted infections,
that don’t end up becoming diseases.
One example is HPV, Human papillomavirus,
where the person may have the virus,
but eventually after some time,
the body may clear it off on its own,
and it may not progress and lead to a disease.
HPV is one of those that may be transmitted,
even when condoms are being used.
So even when there’s protection being used.
Oh so it's like, the around?
Yeah, cause what happens is,
it can be transmitted through skin-to-skin genital contact.
What if its genital,
and mouth?
Yes.
Oh god!
Like that I just wear the whole condom on my whole body!
So on the topic of HPV,
what exactly is HPV?
It is virus that's actually very common,
amongst sexually active individuals (about 80%).
As long as they have been sexually active,
at some point in their lives,
hey may be infected with HPV.
What?!
That sounds so bad!
So, you said sexually active right?
So if you’re a virgin?
Will you have?
HPV can also be spread through skin-to-skin genital contact.
So, even if there is no penetration,
a person can still have HPV.
If somebody is infected with HPV,
what's the impact on their health?
For most people,
HPV may not cause any,
issues or even any symptoms, visible symptoms.
And very often it can go away on its own,
after some time, after some years.
But for some individuals,
it may actually lead to other serious medical problems.
We’re talking about things like,
cervical cancers for females,
vagina cancers,
vulva cancers.
And for both males and females,
genital warts as well as even anal cancers.
So what are the things we can do to prevent HPV?
There is HPV vaccination that's available,
for females,
we should undergo our regular,
cervical cancer screenings.
The best time to take the vaccination is actually,
before starting sexual activity.
Because that would confer the most protection,
in the event that subsequently,
you have partners that you come into contact with,
who are carrying the virus,
hen you would very likely be protected.
How common is HPV and when is it deadly?
HPV is a common virus.
It can lead to some very serious medical problems.
We’re talking about cancers.
On the other hand it can also lead to things like,
genital warts,
which are some growths at the genital areas.
It can be raised or flat,
big or small,
sometimes it even appears like a cauliflower shape.
Oh my god.
- Never again. - I can never eat cauliflower again.
Since HPV is seemingly quite common,
are there any telltale signs that we have it?
Is it like something visible?
So for some, there may not be any symptoms at all,
and that’s also why it's so easily spread.
While others, sometimes they may have symptoms,
genital warts is one of those things,
that they may sometimes find.
On the other hand,
when it comes to things like cancers,
sometimes there may not be symptoms,
in the early stages,
and therefore it’s very important for,
individuals to go for their regular screenings.
There is something called pap smears,
where we collect some cells from the cervix area,
and to look for any changes to the cells,
that have been caused by HPV.
If these changes are not detected early,
sometimes it can later lead to cancers.
For guys don’t have?
Like a swab or anything?
Unfortunately for males at this stage,
there is no routine screening for HPV.
Generally, pap smears are not painful,
they can be a little bit uncomfortable for the female,
but it is a very quick procedure,
that is done in the doctor’s office.
It's a process where we use a,
small flexible brush,
to collect some cells,
some samples from the cervix region.
Where is the cervix, is it like high up?
So the cervix is at the,
base or the neck of the uterus,
so it's essentially the part that,
connects the vagina canal to the uterus.
If my boyfriend/partner,
and I are both monogamous,
will we still get STDs?
The best practice actually is,
before entering a relationship,
or after you have ended a relationship,
to actually do your sexual health check.
he reason for this is because,
it’s not uncommon for either individual to,
bring forward illnesses from previous relationships,
if they didn’t get screened or checked,
after they ended the relationship,
simply because some people may not have any symptoms.
Instead of emotional baggage,
they also bring like sexual health baggage!
They dabao the STDs, STIs..
Like they are pokedex of STDs…
Is there a way to prevent UTIs after sex?
Like I read a lot of facts like,
always pee after,
and also like when you feel like you are,
developing one then you start spamming cranberry juice.
It is very important actually,
to pass urine after sexual activity.
And we’re talking about shortly after sexual activity,
like within 15 minutes or so.
Essentially the bacteria that may have,
been introduced to that area during sexual activity,
would get flushed out.
Along with that,
there are other things that,
you can try and do to prevent yourself from having urinary infections,
that would include things like,
drinking a lot of water on a daily basis.
For females after going to the bathroom,
always remember to,
wipe from the front then to the back.
So its not so much cranberry juice,
but just drinking fluids so that you will pass urine?
Yes.
To try and flush out,
because infections tend to occur,
if bacteria is there and it’s a stagnant environment.
But coming to the topic of the cranberry juice,
or cranberry products,
as far as I know,
there aren't enough evidence,
to support that it actually truly works.
So the next question is,
why is it important for men to be protected from HPV too?
There are many different strains of HPV,
some strains are known to,
be more likely to cause certain illnesses.
Also for males,
apart from protecting yourself from some of these problems,
that HPV causes,
but also so that you can protect,
your partner as well.
Is there a top tip for couples,
to start discussing about sexual history?
Because some of them might be offended,
they’ll be like,
“wah you think I’m not clean!”
It is best to have a very open discussion with your partner.
It is a fact that a lot of times,
people may not be aware that,
they may be carrying some sort of illnesses.
Sometimes it’s easier to,
get yourself screened and tested first,
and then after that,
you can encourage your partner to go and do the same.
Or you two together just like,
“let’s go for lunch…”
Date idea!
It's a date idea!
Is the HPV vaccine like similar?
Do people have to be scared that it will be painful?
Generally, it's just like any other injection.
So it goes into your arm,
there might be some aches for a few days.
In the best case scenario,
people would be willing to open up,
about their sexual history,
and go get tested if need be,
but what if someone encounters someone being very defensive,
and saying like,
i'm clean,
if you don’t trust me then that’s your business,
but I won’t get tested.
There's this saying,
'Pics or it didn't happen.'
Obviously right, if,
I was dating somebody who,
is not truthful about their sexual history,
like that girl be sus.
So what you should always,
try to use protection,
and we’re talking about some form of barrier protection,
Sometimes you may even want to just,
not engage in sexual activity with this person.
Better to be safe than sorry.
Yeah.
Thank you for watching this episode of Ask TSL.
Thank you MSD Pharma Singapore for making this video possible,
and Doctor Eugena Tay for,
educating us about sexual health and HPV protection.
If you’d like to find out more about HPV,
as well as the necessary protection,
not only for yourself,
but also your loved ones,
check out itsyourlife.sg.
I say again.
It's not our life, it's your life.sg.
And your partner’s life!
And as usual,
if you liked this video don’t forget to like, share and subscribe,
ring the notification bell,
and watch all our other videos over there!
Bye!