The Odds of Sexually-Transmitted Infections
May 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment
According to Self, August 2006 (page 190), your lifetime chance of contracting a sexually-transmitted disease* is greater than one in two.
The article discussed condom usage and herpes (which condoms don’t always protect against). It did not discuss what the writer defined as an STD. For example, many health-care professionals consider bacterial vaginosis to be an STD because only sexually active women get it. However, it’s not a strictly a disease but an imbalance in your vagina brought on by sexual activity.
The article’s statistic is alarming. I looked online to try and find confirmation of it and could not, yet the various articles I did find were not much more encouraging. In general, it seems that if you indulge in sexually-risky activity, your chances of contracting an STD are better than your chances of winning a hand in a Vegas casino.
The best way not to become a statistic is to reduce your risks as much as possible – strict condom usage, no intravenous-drug use, minimal number of sexual partners, no other body-fluid swapping. If you decide to go without condoms for all sexual activities, your likely odds are stated above. Always using condoms for sexual activity lowers your risks significantly. (This article did not specify if regular condom usage would alter the reported statistic, but I’m guessing it would.)
I’m not trying to gloom and doom you. Not at all. Sex is risky. Until it isn’t, the best way to reduce risk is by proper and consistent condom usage. It’s a simple concept that easily improves everyone’s overall quality of life and reduces worry.
There are many women who’ve worked in the adult industry and have never had an STD. Condoms work.
*I prefer the term infection because not everything that is sexually-transmitted is strictly a disease, but this article used the term “disease.”
Link Between Oral Sex and Oral Cancer
May 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It stands to reason that if the human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer, it could cause cancer in other parts of the body exposed to the virus. Researchers tested throat cancer patients for evidence of the virus and found it.
The most direct way of becoming infected with HPV is through unprotected sex; in this case, unprotected oral sex is the problem. A Time article summarizes the findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The men and women study participants1 completed a survey about their sexual history and those with six or more oral sex partners were 32 times more likely to have throat cancer. The other two top risk factors, smoking and alcohol, don’t increase the risk factor by more than three.
The risk of unprotected oral sex is increasing. The number of people in their 30s and 40s with throat cancer has noticeably risen over the past decade, according to a doctor interviewed in the Time article.
No More Periods
April 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It is fairly common knowledge that one can continuously use active birth control pills in order to stop having periods (under the supervision of a gynecologist). Then Seasonale came along, which shortened the menstrual cycle down to four planned periods a year. Now a new pill, Lybrel, promises to do away with periods all together.
If You Don’t Believe in Safer Sex (The Gum Game)
February 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Through Ms. Naughty’s blog, I found an article about a unique method used to teach the risks of sex. (I’m not interested in the debate over using this method in high school classrooms.)
My version of the game is simple and an excellent mental exercise. If you think safer sex guidelines are too inhibiting, try this:
Mentally picture all of your clients and the escorts they’ve seen in a room with you. A random person puts a piece of gum in their mouth, chews it for a few seconds, then hands it the next person. Do you think your clients would be eager to share that piece of gum with each other? After it’s been around the room, would you put it in your mouth and chew it?
If this grosses you out, then safer sex is for you. I cover a lot of guidelines in Book 1: The Foundation and have more references listed in the Resources.
If this doesn’t bother you; recognize that this exercise, when done in a classroom, scared school administrators so badly they wanted to test the participating teenagers for various STDs, mono and other diseases. Just from a piece of gum. It wasn’t like the kids were asked to give uncovered blowjobs, swallow, or have unprotected sex.
3 Quick Tips on Medical Testing
January 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment
This is a short, but important bit about three simple ways to protect your health when getting lab work/testing done. Speaking up or doing research is the best way you can ensure you receive quality health care.
This information is from a sidebar article in some women’s magazine (I ripped out the page months ago but it has no publisher info on it). I’m repeating the information here. I don’t intend to plagiarize; if I could find this bit online I’d just link to it.
- When getting any test done, don’t assume the lab has your doctor’s stamp of approval – she may be sending it to the lab your insurance provider requires. Ask her if she feels the lab is reliable; if she doesn’t, consider having your test sent elsewhere – especially if she is concerned about a particular symptom or condition.
- To find out if a lab has had severe or repeated problems, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/clia/.
- To get the best breast ultrasound, use facilities accredited by the American College of Radiology (www.acr.org). Also ask your doctor if the practitioner who will read your ultrasound is trained in breast imaging.
Actually, #3 good advice for any test – find out if the person examining your specimen or scan is experienced and reads that type of test regularly.
Girls, bug your doctors with your questions. In modern American medicine, the squeaky wheel gets taken care of.
World AIDS Day
November 30, 2006 | Leave a Comment
December 1 is World AIDS Day. It’s not a moment to celebrate, but rather a moment for reflection.
For years I thought the focus on AIDS was excessive. I began researching right before I became an escort and even more so during the writing of Book 1: The Foundation. The disease is terrible and worth every bit of attention it brings. At the moment, the only real weapons we have are prevention and education.
Women and AIDS
Because of the sexual physiology of women, we’re always at a higher risk for sexually-transmitted HIV/AIDS than men during heterosexual sex. Although there are great new medicines that allow someone with AIDS to live a longer, more productive life; not everyone has access to these drugs. Not getting becoming infected is better than having to worry about your health-care access.
An article on AIDS in the December 2006 Glamour (page 166) reports that experts estimate 250,000 people in the U.S. currently have AIDS but don’t know it [italics mine]. Women’s rate of infection is rising and make up 27 percent of new infections in the U.S. (infection rates differ from country to country).
U.S. Escorts and AIDS
Although the article didn’t discuss the issue of sex work, it’s highly probably that there are some escorts who are infected and don’t know it. A working escort with AIDS faces serious legal issues, puts all her sexual partners at risk, and jeopardizes her own future.
Getting tested is the only way to know for sure what’s going on in your body. After testing comes education. Learning about the real risks and real effects of the disease will bring about the awareness that can save your life.
Simple Prevention
Condoms, condoms, condoms. I can’t say it enough. Also, don’t mix bodily fluids and don’t use share needles of any kind. But for most women in most situations, using condoms is the key.
Using condoms for oral sex is recommended as well. The HIV/AIDS virus can enter sores or cuts in the mouth which gives it direct access to your bloodstream. And don’t forget that HIV/AIDS is not the only sexually-transmitted infection out there. Plenty of other diseases are easily transmitted through oral sex. Thought most of them can be cured, they deplete your immune system which could leave you more susceptible to HIV/AIDS infection if you encounter the virus.
Condoms. They work.
Getting Tested
There are a number of options for getting tested, which you can read about here. If you’re in the L.A. area, you could always use the AIM HealthCare Clinic. Or any Planned Parenthood offers testing. Your local gay community will often have clinics as well.
Many states are phasing out totally anonymous testing so you may want to ask questions before you test just to make sure of what’s happening to your information (this is good advice for any medical situation).
Some tests still take a few days or even a couple weeks for results. There’s a new test which is supposed to give results in under an hour. Make sure to ask what test you will receive.
Even if you’re worried about your result, you have a much better chance of successfully living with AIDS if you discover the disease sooner than later. Your sexual partners and your future self will thank you.
For More Reading
UNAIDS.org is where I’ve done a lot of my HIV/AIDS research. The big picture, the world of AIDS, is presented on this site and it’s heartbreaking. The site also contains a lot of medical research and studies.
The CDC is a good basic site to learn about all sorts of diseases. It currently has a special page for World AIDS Day, so take a look.
Avert.org is another, high-level site devoted to HIV/AIDS. It also has a special World AIDS Day page, with pictures of victims of AIDS. It’s well worth taking a few minutes to read.
I’m not an AIDS activist…
I’m just someone whose eyes have been opened.
This is not to say that I renounce my former work as an escort. I don’t. Nor do I believe the job is too risky for other women. I don’t.
I believe that too many women, escorts and non-escorts, are taking risks out of ignorance. Not everyone will beat the odds. I hate to think a lack of knowledge led to the destruction of a life in a country where there’s free and easy access to knowledge all around us.
I valued my future when I worked as an escort. I took the precautions to make sure I’d reach my future. And I’m here.
I want every other escort to be able to say the same.
More on the HPV Vaccine
October 23, 2006 | Leave a Comment
The November 2006 issue of Glamour (page 114) has a short Q&A about the newly-released HPV vaccine, the vaccine that will prevent HPV-caused cervical cancer. I’ve summarized it here since I could not find the entire article online (I feel this is important information to be shared).
Two basic facts about HPV
About the vaccine
According to Glamour, the current vaccine blocks the two strains that cause the majority of cervical cancer, along with two strains that cause genital warts. A vaccine scheduled for approval in 2007 could offer better cancer protection but no protection against warts.
The vaccine is recommended for women ages 11-26. Since the idea of the vaccine is prevention (it is not a cure), younger women who may not have been exposed to the virus will benefit most. Sexually active women in their late 20s are assumed to have been exposed to the virus already, in which case prevention by proper condom usage and detection through regular Pap smears are recommended. But feel free to ask your doctor about the vaccine even if you’re 27 or older. There are exceptions to every rule.
Even if you get the vaccine, this doesn’t mean you can skip condom usage or regular Pap smears. The vaccine protects against the two strains of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancer, not all cervical cancer. Detection is still the best tool to surviving this very deadly cancer.
Health insurance will probably cover your costs if you’re under 27. If you’re not covered by your insurance, expect to pay around $360 for the series of three shots.
Help other women get vaccinated
Cervical cancer (not breast cancer) is the number-one deadliest cancer for women in developing countries because they don’t have access to health services like regular Pap smears (and Pap smears are the only way of detecting this particular cancer as it develops). Since countless women could be saved by the new vaccine, you can make a donation to help. PATH.org is an international health organization that will put your funds to good use. Read about their HPV vaccine program here.
Get Tested for Bacterial Vaginosis
October 2, 2006 | Leave a Comment
In a short piece from page 110 of the May 2003 Glamour, women are advised to ask their gynecologist to test for bacterial vaginosis (BV) with every visit. Half the women with BV don’t have symptoms. Left untreated it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and cause premature delivery if you’re pregnant. The article recommended the POCkit BV quadro, an in-office test covered by most insurance plans that has a 98 percent accuracy rate.
(my comments below)
BV is treatable with a short dose of antibiotics. But you can never be immune, which is why it’s important to be tested every time you go in for an exam.
BV is not a disease, per se; it’s an imbalance in the natural yeast and bacteria within the vagina. Sexual activity is generally blamed for the infections, but some women are more prone to these imbalances than others. Douching can also cause BV (by creating an imbalance within the vagina), and there are other possible causes that aren’t yet pinpointed.
For more information on BV, read the CDC page. One book that explores BV (and other problems) in-depth is The V Book by Elizabeth G. Stewart and Paula Spencer.
Walking and Your Heart Rate
September 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Although I discuss appearance in-depth in the first book (The Foundation), I don’t harangue escorts on dieting or working out. Being healthy and presenting a polished appearance is far more important to your happiness and attracting good clients.
But for those who may want a simple idea for working out, here are a few tips.
You probably already know the state of your health and body. A realistic assessment with a mirror and a flight of stairs will tell you if you’re in good condition, need to lose weight or improve your aerobic function.
If you decide you want to shed some weight or improve your aerobic capacity, then more physical activity is a must. A simple way to do this is by walking. It works for European women. It will work for you too.
But if your life doesn’t allow you to spend all day walking from place to place, you’ll need to hit the gym. For your activity to be effective, you must sustain your target heart rate for 30 minutes (or more), anywhere from 3-6 times a week. This means you’ll spend 10-15 minutes warming up and reaching your target heart rate, at least 30 minutes sustaining it, plus another 15 minutes or so to properly cool down and stretch. (I said walking was a simple way to exercise, not a fast way!)
Reaching your target heart rate is very important because that’s what really burns calories while strengthening your heart and lungs. Walking for 45 minutes a day won’t build a whole lot of muscle, although you will become toned. Lifting weights for 45 minutes a day will build lean muscle (most women don’t “bulk” up).
Finding your target heart rate is half the battle. Here’s a detailed article. It explains everything I’ve had a trainer explain to me. The math required to find your target heart rate is easy. The catch is that you have to remember your heart zones and keep monitoring your heart rate while working out.
This means you will need to periodically stop and take your pulse or you will have to buy a gadget. Heart-rate monitors can get expensive, but I found a monitor that straps on my wrist (like a watch) and tells me my heart rate at the push of a button. It cost about $40 from Target.
The second half of the battle is finding the time to work out! It’s not easy. I’ve been on good schedules, then life gets in the way and I lose my workout time. Going to the gym on a regular basis is boring (except for some classes). The way I look at it? It’s me time! I can totally zone out or I can think about problems. Whichever. My body is getting healthier and I get a time-out from the day.
If you’re new to working out, then a program of walking probably won’t get you in shape to be a swimwear model. But it will have very good, and visible, effects on your body with just a few weeks of dedication.
Being active makes the body happy, naturally. It’s what we’re meant to do. And feeling better about yourself is a great, indulgent reason to work out.
