Frequently Asked Questions

• Menstruation is the normal monthly flow of blood that prepares the woman’s body for pregnancy; if no pregnancy occurs, the egg and the uterine linen come out as blood.

• Menstruation is a woman’s monthly bleeding, often called her “period.”When you menstruate, your body discards the monthly buildup of the lining of your uterus (womb). Menstrual blood and tissue flow from your uterus through the small opening in your cervix and pass out of your body through your vagina.

The primary sign of menstruation is bleeding from the vagina. Additional symptoms include:

• abdominal or pelvic cramping
• Lower back pain
• Bloating and sore breasts
• Food cravings
• Mood swings and irritability
• Headache
• Fatigue

The menstrual cycle, which is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next, isn’t the same for every woman. Menstrual flow might occur every 21 to 35 days and last two to seven days. However, there could be a problem if it flows for less than 2 days or for more than 7 days.

Each month, mark the first day of your period on a calendar or in a period-tracking app. The number of days between the first day of consecutive periods is the length of your menstrual cycle. To be on the safe side, document this for at least three months.

When you know your average menstrual cycle length, you can work out when you ovulate. Ovulation happens about 14 days before your period starts. If your average menstrual cycle is 28 days, you ovulate around day 14, and your most fertile days are days 12, 13, and 14.

Tips that may help with period cramps

• Drink more water to reduce bloating.
• Fill a bottle with hot water, wrap it in a towel, and gently place it on your abdomen or lower back.
• Exercise to encourage blood flow.
• Eat and rest well.
• Get your vitamins and minerals.
• If you are in a lot of pain before or during your period and nothing helps, consult your doctor or service provider.

Menstrual hygiene refers to the practices or steps taken to maintain oneself before, during, and after menstruation by having access to menstrual hygiene products.

These hygiene practices can help you stay healthy and comfortable during your period:

• Wear lightweight, breathable clothing (such as cotton underwear). Tight fabrics can trap moisture and heat, allowing germs to thrive.
• Change your menstrual products regularly. Trapped moisture provides a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. Wearing a pad or period underwear for too long can lead to a rash or an infection.
• Keep your genital area clean.Wash the outside of your vagina and bottom every day. When you go to the bathroom, wipe from the front of your body toward the back, not the other way.
• Use unscented toilet paper, tampons, or pads. Scented hygiene products can irritate the skin and impact your natural pH balance.
• Drink enough liquids. This can help wash out your urinary tract and help prevent infections, like vaginal candidiasis.
• Track and monitor your period.Your menstrual cycle is a valuable marker for your overall health. Irregular periods can be a sign of conditions like diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and celiac disease.
• Visit a healthcare provider for your annual check-up. An annual well-woman exam is a full check-up includes a pap smear, a pelvic exam, and a breast exam. These exams are essential for good reproductive health as they can catch early signs of cancer or other health issues.
• Wash your hands before and after using menstrual products.
• Keep your under-wears clean and dry at all time.
• Bath twice a day

Pads, tampons, period underwear, and cups let you go about your normal life during your period, without getting blood on your clothes or sheets. Tampons and cups go inside your vagina, pads are worn in your underwear, and you can wear period underwear instead of regular underwear on the days you have your period.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), family planning is defined as “the ability of individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births’’.

Examples include male and female condoms, as well as the diaphragm, cervical cap, and contraceptive sponge. Short-acting hormonal methods Examples include birth control pills as well as the vaginal ring (NuvaRing), skin patch (Xulane), and contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera).

One might experience one or more of these symptoms:

• Amenorrhea
• Spotting
• Weight gain or loss
• Excessive bleeding
• Dizziness and headache

Success and failure rates of birth control pills depend on their usage, and then they’re about 91 percent effective. Both combined oral contraceptives and progestin-only pills (also known as the mini pill) have a typical failure rate of 9 percent.

All family planning methods are best depending on how your body reacts to it.

Contraceptives that are more than 99% effective:

• contraceptive implant (which lasts up to 3 years)
• intrauterine system, or IUS (up to 5 years)
• intrauterine device, or IUD, also called the coil (up to 5 to 10 years)
• Female sterilisation (permanent)
• Male sterilisation or vasectomy (permanent)

The use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts.

Using drugs or alcohol can cause dehydration-induced seizures and damage immune systems. This increases susceptibility to infection and further complications, psychotic behavior, and serious cardiovascular conditions, including heart attacks and collapsed veins.

Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, early exposure to drugs, stress, and parental guidance can greatly affect a person’s likelihood of drug use and addiction. Development, Genetic, and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life to affect addiction risk.

While there is no single or guaranteed way to prevent someone from abusing drugs or alcohol, there are things that everyone can do.

Here are the top five ways to prevent substance abuse:

1. Understand how substance abuse develops. Substance abuse starts by:

• Using addictive drugs (illicit or prescribed) for recreational purposes
• Seeking out intoxication every time you use
• Abusing prescription medication

1. Stay away from temptation and peer pressure. Avoid friends and family members who pressure you to use substances in order to develop healthy friendships and relationships.
2. Seek treatment for mental illnesses. Substance abuse and mental illness frequently coexist. If you are suffering from a mental illness like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder, you should seek professional assistance from a licensed therapist or counselor. A professional will teach you healthy coping skills to help you manage your symptoms without resorting to drugs or alcohol.
3. Investigate the risk factors. Examine your family history of mental illness and addiction; several studies have shown that this disease runs in families but can be avoided. The more you understand your biological, environmental, and physical risk factors, the more likely it is that you will be able to overcome them.
4. Maintain a healthy sense of balance in your life. When something in their lives is missing or set goals and dreams for the future. These will assist you in focusing on what you want and in realizing that drugs and alcohol will simply get in your way and prevent you from achieving your goals not working, many people turn to drugs and alcohol. Stress management skills can assist you in overcoming these life stressors and living a balanced and healthy life.

    

   Set goals and dreams for the future. These will assist you in focusing on what you want and in realizing that drugs and alcohol will simply get in your way and prevent you from achieving your goals.

Commonly used drug charts

• Alcohol
• Cannabis (Marijuana/Pot/Weed)
• Prescription medicines such as
• Pain pills(tramadol), stimulants or anxiety pills.
• Cocaine (Coke/Crack)
• Opiates
• Hallucinogens
• Inhalants
• Heroin

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus.

HIV is transmitted through contact with a person’s bodily fluids, most commonly during unprotected sex (sex without a condom or HIV medicine to prevent or treat HIV) or by sharing injection drug equipment.

You can only get HIV if you come into direct contact with certain body fluids from an HIV-positive person with a detectable viral load. These fluids are as follows:

• Blood
• Semen (cum) and pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum)
• Rectal fluids
• Vaginal fluids
• Breast milk

The only sure way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. Symptoms alone will not tell you if you have HIV.

Knowing your HIV status provides you with powerful information that allows you to act to keep yourself and your partner(s) healthy.

Also, HIV manifests itself in a variety of ways. The symptoms will not be the same for everyone. It is dependent on the individual and the stage of the disease.

The three stages of HIV and some of the symptoms people may experience are listed below.

Stage 1: Acute HIV Infection

Approximately two-thirds of people will develop a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks of HIV infection. This is the body’s normal reaction to HIV infection.

Among the flu-like symptoms are:

• Fever
• Chills
• Rash
• Night sweats
• Muscle aches
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Mouth ulcers

These symptoms can last for several days to several weeks. However, some people have no symptoms at all during the early stages of HIV. If you have any of these symptoms, don’t assume you have HIV. They may resemble those caused by other diseases. However, if you believe you have been exposed to HIV, you should get tested.

Stage 2: Clinical Latency

The virus is still multiplying at this stage, but at a very low level. At this stage, people may not feel ill or exhibit any symptoms. This is also known as chronic HIV infection.

Without HIV treatment, people can remain in this stage for 10 to 15 years, though some people progress faster.

You can live a long and healthy life if you take your HIV medication exactly as prescribed and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load. You will not transmit HIV to your HIV-negative partners through sex.

However, if your viral load is detectable, you can transmit HIV even if you have no symptoms. It is critical to visit your doctor on a regular basis to have your viral load checked.

Stage 3: AIDS

If you have HIV and are not receiving HIV treatment, the virus will eventually weaken your immune system, leading to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

This is the most advanced stage of HIV infection.

AIDS symptoms can include:

• Rapid weight loss
• Recurring fever or profuse night sweats
• Extreme and unexplained tiredness
• Prolonged swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin, or neck
• Diarrhoea that lasts for more than a week
• Sores of the mouth, anus, or genitals
• Pneumonia
• Red, brown, pink, or purplish blotches on or under the skin or inside the mouth, nose, or eyelids
• Memory loss, depression, and other neurologic disorders

Complication:

• Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
• Severe candidiasis(thrush)
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Cytomegalovirus
• Cryptococcal meningitis
• Toxoplasmosis
• Cancers
• Death

You have the option of abstaining from sex, never sharing sharp objects, and using condoms correctly every time you have sex. You may also be able to use HIV prevention medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections transmitted through sexual contact and caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

The most common STIs are:

• Syphilis
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Chlamydia
• Genital Herpes
• Gonorrhoea
• HIV and AIDS
• Chancroid
• Hepatitis (A, B, and C)
• Genital warts, etc.

Factors that may increase that risk include:

• Having unprotected sex.
• Having sexual contact with multiple partners.
• Having a history of STIs.
• Being forced to engage in sexual activity.
• Misuse of alcohol or use of recreational drugs.
• Injecting drugs.
• Being young.

STIs can have a range of signs and symptoms, including no symptoms. That’s why they may go unnoticed until complications occur or a partner is diagnosed.

Signs and symptoms that might indicate an STI include:

• Sores or bumps on the genitals or in the oral or rectal area
• Painful or burning urination
• Discharge from the penis
• Unusual or odorous vaginal discharge
• Unusual vaginal bleeding
• Pain during sex
• Sore, swollen lymph nodes, particularly in the groin but sometimes more widespread
• Lower abdominal pain
• Fever
• Rash over the trunk, hands or fee

Symptoms and signs may appear a few days after exposure. However, depending on the organism causing the STI, it could take years before you notice any symptoms.

Complications could include:

• Pelvic pain
• Pregnancy complications
• Eye inflammation
• Arthritis
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Infertility
• Heart disease
• Certain cancers, such as HPV-associated cervical and rectal cancers

Prevention

There are several ways to avoid or reduce your risk of STIs

• Abstain.   The most effective way to avoid STIs is to abstain from having sex.
• Stay with one uninfected partner. Another reliable way of avoiding STIs is to stay in a long-term relationship in which both people have sex only with each other and neither partner is infected.
• Wait and test. Avoid vaginal and anal intercourse with new partners until you have both been tested for STIs. Oral sex is less risky, but use a latex condom or dental dam to prevent skin-to-skin contact between the oral and genital mucous membranes.
• Get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated early, before sexual exposure, is also effective in preventing certain types of STIs. Vaccines are available to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.
• Use condoms and dental dams consistently and correctly.
• Don’t drink alcohol excessively or use drugs.
• Communicate. Before any serious sexual contact, communicate with your partner about practicing safer sex. Be sure you specifically agree on what activities will and won’t be OK.
• Consider male circumcision.
• Consider using preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Reinfection is defined as a recurrence caused by an organism other than the one that was initially present. To avoid this, you must:

• Adhere to your prescriber’s instructions.
• complete treatment regimen
• Avoid abusing the drugs.
• Encourage your partner to get treatment.
• Abstain or use a condom during treatment.
• Discard old underwear during treatment.
• Maintain good personal and sexual hygiene.
• Report back to your facility.

Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a woman who is 19 years of age or younger.

The main contributory factors of teenage pregnancy are peer pressure, poverty, a lack of parental control or a poor parent-adolescent relationship, inadequate sex education, and social media.

The most frequently cited medical consequences of teenage pregnancy are anaemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, low birth weight, prematurity, intra-uterine growth retardation, and neonatal mortality.

The only way to avoid becoming pregnant is to avoid sexual contact. There are, however, many ways to reduce your chances of becoming pregnant if you are sexually active.

If one is sexually active, one can use condoms and birth control pills, which are less effective at preventing pregnancy when not used consistently and correctly. Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) and implants, known as Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), are the most effective types of birth control for teenagers.

Abortion is the termination of pregnancy from whatever cause before the fetus is capable of extra-uterine life.

Abortion in Ghana is legally permissible. According to Ghanaian law, abortions are legal in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality or disease, or “defilement of a female idiot,” or if they are performed to protect physical or mental health; they must be provided by registered and trained health personnel.

Abortion is an extremely safe procedure when performed under proper medical conditions.

NO, abortion cannot cause infertility because the fertility of the woman can return 4–8 weeks after the safe abortion process is completed.

Abortion care is provided by providers that are specialized in abortion and reproductive healthcare. Abortions are also provided by trained doctors, nurses, midwives and other service providers at registered facilities.

Peer pressure is the direct or indirect influence of peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests, experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person’s beliefs, values, and behavior.

The causes of peer pressure include the need to fit in, low self-esteem, fear of rejection, and at times, the need to feel safe and secure around peers.

Negative peer pressure is frequently associated with influencing bullying behaviors, drinking, drug use, and negative body image, all of which are detrimental to the well-being of a child or young person. The consequences of such behaviors can be a loss of self-confidence and self-worth, as well as a withdrawal from family and friends.

Strategies that can help handle negative peer pressure

• Pay attention to how you feel.
• Plan ahead.
• Talk to the person who is pressuring you, let him or her know how it makes you feel, and tell the person to stop.
• Have a secret code to communicate with parents.
• Give an excuse.

Have friends with similar values and beliefs.

Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves. We tend to feel better about ourselves and about life in general when we have healthy self-esteem. It improves our ability to deal with life’s ups and downs.

When we have low self-esteem, we tend to see ourselves and our lives in a negative and critical light. We also feel less capable of dealing with life’s challenges.

When a person is assertive in expressing his or her needs and opinions, this is a sign of healthy self-esteem. Self-assured in his or her ability to make decisions. Capable of forming secure and honest relationships and ending unhealthy ones. Expectations should be realistic; neither oneself nor others should be overly critical.

Other ways to improve low self-esteem

• Recognize what you’re good at.
• Build positive relationships.
• Be kind to yourself.
• Learn to be assertive.
• Start saying “no.”
• Give yourself a challenge.

If you have low self-esteem, you may avoid social situations, stop trying new things, and avoid things that are difficult for you.
Avoiding challenging and difficult situations may make you feel safer in the short term.
This can backfire in the long run because it reinforces your underlying doubts and fears. It instils the unhelpful belief that the only way to cope is to avoid things.
Living with low self-esteem can be detrimental to your mental health and lead to issues such as depression and anxiety.
As a coping mechanism, you may develop unhelpful habits, such as smoking and drinking excessively.

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is defined as violence committed against a person based on his or her gender or sex. E.g Rape, defilement

It is the use of violence, coercion, threats, deception, cultural expectations, or economic means to force another person to do something against his or her will.

Tips to Prevent Gender-Based Violence and Inequality

• Educate yourself on the root causes of violence.
• Interrupt sexist and discriminatory language.
• Be critical and ask questions.
• Interrupt abuse.
• Stop sexual harassment.
• Develop an action plan.
• Stop victim-blaming.
• Stop the rape culture.

Girls and young women from poor, rural, or indigenous communities, those who are or are perceived to be LGBTIQ+, those with disabilities, and girls and women who speak out about political, social, and cultural issues, as well as gender inequality, are more vulnerable to violence.

Report all cases of rape, sexual assault, or any form of violence to a local police station or call the toll-free Crime Stop number: 086 00 10111, the Yenkasa Contact Center, Orange Support, etc.

Personal hygiene involves those practices performed by an individual to care for their bodily health and wellbeing through cleanliness.

Good personal hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself from getting infectious diseases such as the flu and the cold. Washing your hands with soap removes germs that can make you ill. Maintaining good personal hygiene will also help prevent you from spreading diseases to other people.

Touching other people, getting faeces (poo) on your hands, handling contaminated food, or coming into contact with dirty surfaces or objects can all spread germs that cause many diseases. Infectious diseases are among the conditions that can arise as a result of poor personal hygiene.

Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one’s own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm.

Many factors influence the frequency of masturbation, including one’s resistance to sexual tension, hormone levels influencing sexual arousal, sexual habits, peer influences, health, and one’s culturally formed attitude toward masturbation.

There simply isn’t enough data to answer this question, so there isn’t any connection between the two. A ‘normal’ masturbation routine should have no effect on the factors that cause premature ejaculation.

Premature ejaculation can be caused by a variety of factors, including depression, anxiety, and trauma, as well as genetics and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Masturbation has no serious negative consequences. However, If they are too rough, some people may experience chafing or tender skin, but this usually heals in a few days. If men masturbate frequently in a short period of time, they may develop a minor swelling of the penis known as an oedema. This swelling usually goes away in a few days.

Other possible side effects are:

• Guilt
• Decreased sexual sensitivity
• Prostate cancer
• Disrupting daily life

Changing masturbation habits, like any other compulsive or addictive behavior, begins with recognizing the problem, deciding to make healthy changes, and seeking help:

• Find a therapist
• Acknowledge feelings of guilt or shame
• Keep busy with other activities
• Limit the time you spend alone
• Take care of your body
• Develop strategies to break unhealthy behavioural patterns
• Find a support group
• Stop watching porn
• Wear extra clothes
• Be patient with yourself