HOW TO DEAL WITH REACTIONS TO SEX AND CONTRACEPTION: START WITH CHEMICALS
If you suspect toiletries, cosmetics, or personal hygiene products as a cause of reactions following sexual activity, your best course of action is to use nothing in the genital area and to use the absolute minimum on the rest of your body and hair. In particular, stop using any douches, deodorants, perfume, talcum or home medicines on the genitals. Do this for a while and see if things improve. To use the absolute minimum on the rest of your body, stop using toiletries, cosmetics, aftershave and perfume.
Wash your genitals, upper thighs, and neck, face and hands after sexual intercourse. Wash your face, neck and hands and any other part of the body that needs it after kissing and petting. Use filtered or bottled water if you are sensitive to water.
Bathing the genitals in salt water can help relieve symptoms. Drinking alkali salts can also help reduce or stop reactions, and relieve cystitis. >FIRST AID AND HOME MEDICINE for information on how to take alkali salts.
If this does not improve things greatly, the next step is for your partner to follow suit. (If your partner is happy to co-operate, you can do this from the outset.) If you have no regular sexual partner, the only thing you may be able to achieve is for him or her to wash or shower before you touch, but that can be difficult to organise.
The third step is to change to laundry agents (for clothes and bedding) which are much less likely to cause sensitivity, and for you and your partner both to use these if possible. It helps to wash underwear just in plain water, or water plus sodium bicarbonate, and to wear loose-fitting pure cotton underwear. Women often benefit from avoiding wearing tights.
If you suspect sanitary protection, stop using tampons and use sanitary towels instead. If these still upset you, use muslin nappies or cloths. > PERSONAL HYGIENE on how to use. You could also stop using lavatory paper for a while to see if it helps. *375\117\8*
ADULT CHILDREN OF HEART PATIENTS: THE COST OF TRIANGLES
ADULT CHILDREN OF HEART PATIENTS: RENEE AND ADAM’S HISTORY
ADULT CHILDREN OF HEART PATIENTS: WHAT PARENTS CAN DO TO HELP
