Asking Someone Out

Asking someone out is a normal yet nerve-racking experience. As a young person, you may not have developed sexual or romantic feelings for another individual before, and you may be uncertain of how to approach a person of interest.  Asking someone out can become a big ordeal because you may begin to ask yourself questions…

Paraphilia

The term paraphilia is approximately 100 years old, but its meaning and definition vary.¹ The word itself can be broken down into two parts; the first part of the word ‘para-’ means beyond, abnormal, or irregular and the second part ‘-philia’ means love. The term itself acts as a clinical and scientific umbrella term that…

The Pap Smear

A Pap smear, also known as a Papanicolaou test or Pap test, is a procedure that checks for abnormal cells on the cervix.1 It is named after George Papanicolaou, M.D., who is credited for developing the Pap smear.2 The Pap smear drastically transformed how early cervical cancer can be detected in females.2 The cervix is…

Breast Self-Exam

Performing breast self-exams on a regular basis can help detect breast abnormalities at an early stage. Adult females (ages 20 and older) should perform breast self-exams (BSE) at least once per month. Regularly performing breast exams can help you become familiar with the look and feel of your breasts so that you can more easily…

Female Genital Self-Exam

Performing regular genital exams can help you better understand your body and learn what is normal for it. These exams can show you the physical changes that occur throughout the menstrual cycle. Regular self-exams are important because they increase the likelihood of discovering physical changes and abnormalities. This is important so that any changes can…