Ask Pat

Talk to your doctor. Sometimes a mild diuretic helps with water retention but often-dietary changes work well too. Limit your salt and caffeine intake because both cause increased PMS symptoms especially the breast tenderness.

Periods can be irregular for lots of reasons. Stress, medication, travel can all effect your period. If your next period is abnormal, talk to your doctor.

It is highly unlikely this would delay your period in any way. Many things effect the time you begin having your period, but if you are concerned always check with your health care provider. There is never a reason to douche for future reference.

Not aware of any negative effects that would result from the scenario presented. Yes. No.

It is not uncommon to take several months for someone to get pregnant. I have no idea why your period would only last one day, maybe it wasn't really a period. You might want to do a pregnancy test or see a health care provider about it for further evaluation.

Ovulation dates vary from woman to woman. Most women tend to ovulate about 14 days before their period begins. If a woman has a 28 day cycle, then this would mean she ovulates about 14 days after the first day of her last period. If her cycle is shorter than 28 days, then she would ovulate sooner, if her cycle is normally longer than 28 days, she would ovulate later. Keep in mind though, that ovulation dates can vary from month to month, so it is often difficult for women, especially those who are young and have irregular cycles, to know exactly when they are ovulating.

No, you do not have to change it every time you go to the bathroom. The hole where urine comes from is not the same as the hole that the tampon is in.

As the average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days (starting with the first day of one period and ending with the first day of the next menstrual period), most women ovulate 2 weeks before menstrual flow. At this time, some women experience minor discomfort in their lower abdomen, spotting, or bleeding, while others do not experience any symptoms at all. A woman is generally most fertile (able to become pregnant) a few days before, during, and after ovulation.

When a young woman reaches puberty, she begins to ovulate - a process in which a mature egg cell (also called an ovum), ready for fertilization by a sperm cell, is released from one of the ovaries (two female reproductive organs located in the pelvis). If the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell as it travels down the fallopian tube, then pregnancy occurs and it becomes attached to the lining of the uterus until the placenta (an organ, shaped like a flat cake, that only grows during pregnancy and provides a metabolic interchange between the fetus and mother) develops. If the egg does not become fertilized as it travels down the fallopian tube on its way to the uterus, the endometrium (lining of the uterus) is shed and passes through the vagina (the passageway through which fluid passes out of the body during menstrual periods; also called the birth canal), a process called menstruation.

This could be TMJ symptoms it is even possible that extraction of the wisdom teeth may be beneficial (though this is certainly not guaranteed!). Limited opening, pain on chewing, popping or crackling of the jaw joint can all be symptoms of an inflamed tempromandibular joint or damage to the tissues in this area. Have the wisdom teeth out, and perhaps discuss your symptoms with the oral surgeon or dentist at that time. S/he may refer you to a specialist for follow-up of the TMD symptoms or s/he may make recommendations to you at that time, based on observation of your condition. In the meantime, avoid chewing gum - perhaps cut back to a soft diet for several weeks. Avoid opening your jaw too wide if it has been stressed, it may need some time and a gentle, therapeutic approach to gradually return you to your normal opening limit. Seek professional help from either a dentist or physical therapist. Good luck.

This sounds like a very difficult and confusing situation. Ideally, it would be better to deal first with your current girlfriend and not involve a third person. If you think that there is enough feeling and commitment in the relationship to warrant working on it, you might choose to see a counselor together. Perhaps there are specific changes that could be made in the relationship to make it fulfilling and satisfying for you. If you are sure that your feelings for her cannot be revived, she deserves to know rather than continue to think that the two of you have a future together. It rarely works to continue a relationship when you realize that you don't love the person any longer and postponing any decision usually ends up causing more pain rather than less. It would probably cause less pain and confusion for all of you if you wait to take any action on approaching the other woman until your current relationship is settled. It is very easy to idealize someone before actually being in a relationship with her.

Yes, this behavior could indicate a compulsion or it could be a sign of another disorder called Trichotillomania. I would probably not think of this pattern as "normal cosmetic behavior," in part because she loses track of time while engaging in it. However, sometimes people play with their hair (or even pull hair) as an anxious habit or during times of stress. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. In this case, hair pulling could be a compulsive action since it is repetitive behavior, especially if she "can't stop" (i.e., feels compelled to perform). However, there are several other criteria necessary to diagnose such behavior as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For instance, the person must feel driven to perform the behavior according to quite rigid rules and/or in response to an obsession. Simply put, an obsession is a persistent, intrusive, inappropriate, and anxiety-provoking thought that's more than just excessive worry about real-life problems and that the person has trouble suppressing. In addition, for OCD, the person must be attempting to reduce or prevent the obsessive distress by performing the compulsive behavior. So, your girlfriend's repetitive hair pulling that seems "driven" to you might even be what many would call a compulsive habit but fall short of qualifying as OCD. Trichotillomania is a pattern of recurrent hair pulling that results in noticeable hair loss. Typically, this pattern would also include an increasing tension or sense of urgency prior to the hair pulling, or when a person is resisting the urge, and an experience of relief, gratification, and/or pleasure when pulling the hair out. For diagnosis of trichotillomania, the person must also experience significant distress or difficulty in social, work, or other areas of functioning. Bottom line: If this behavior causes emotional distress, results in physical/medical problems (e.g., infections, rash, etc.), or significantly interferes with your girlfriend's every day functioning in any way, I'd be concerned and want to encourage her to talk with a mental health counselor or medical provider about the problem. Otherwise, this may be one of those "quirks" you have to accept or tolerate if you stay in the relationship.

No, digital (as in the digits of your hands and feet, not cyber) or manual stimulation will not prolong your period. It is possible however to chafe the soft tissue of your vagina causing irritation and bleeding.

I apologize that you are disappointed in the topics of the New Responses; however these are determined by the questions asked by students themselves. As for the week that is in reference, possibly the students had more concerns regarding sexual activities. However, if you look closely at the eleven questions answered this week you will se that only five are in relation to sex, and the remaining questions are concerning the topics of emotional health, insurance questions, allergies, body figure and hair. I hope that you continue to read the New Responses, because you will be pleasantly surprised about the variety of topics discussed. Thank you for using Ask Pat!

Thank you for taking the time to present you concern. By social anxiety, I am going to assume you mean social phobia which is a psychological/clinical term we use for people who have a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others or who fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing. Situations that involve a person being evaluated would be particularly threatening. What you can tell your parents and friends is that social phobia is one of a number of anxiety disorders and that their lack of understanding and support will only make you more anxious. Fortunately, talk therapy is very helpful in helping a person with social phobia and I strongly suggest that you come to the University Counseling Center in the basement of the Clark Building, C-Wing, Room C-036 to schedule an appointment to see one of the counselors. In more severe cases, medication is usually warranted and helpful and the counselor at the Center can make a formal referral for you to see a psychiatrist if this is deemed necessary. Remember, your student fees have already paid for a number of free sessions for therapy and for the visit to see the psychiatrist on campus. Take care and I wish you the best in whatever decision you make.