Read Ebook: Woman Her Sex and Love Life by Robinson William J William Josephus

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I am not preaching to you. But I am not an extremist nor a hypocrite. I am advocating neither asceticism nor licentiousness. One is as bad, or almost as bad, as the other.

What I am trying to do is to inculcate in your minds, if possible, a sane, well-balanced view of all things sexual.

For I believe that wrong, perverted views of the physiology and hygiene of the sex act and of sex morality, that is, the proper relationship of the sexes, are responsible for untold misery, for incalculable suffering. Both sexes suffer, but the female sex suffers more. The woman always pays more. This is due to her natural disabilities , to her age-long repression, to the fact that she must be sought but never seek, and to her economic dependence.

PUBERTY

Physical Changes in Puberty--Physical Changes in the Genital Organs and in the Rest of the Body--Psychic Changes--Puberty and Adolescence--Nubility.

Puberty is the most wonderful, the most significant period in a girl's life. Important as it is in a boy's life and development, it is still more so in a girl's. At this period there are often laid the foundations which either make or mar the girl's future life.

The meaning of the word puberty is maturity. It is the period at which the girl and the boy reach sexual maturity; in other words, the period at which the sex glands of the boy begin to generate spermatozoa, and the sex glands of the girl begin to mature and expel eggs or ova; with the girl puberty is marked by an additional phenomenon, which has no analogue in the boy, namely, menstruation.

And so the first apparent physical sign of puberty in a girl is the gradual appearance of hair in the armpits, on the mons Veneris and the labia majora. But all the genital organs are undergoing rapid development; the vulva, the vagina, the uterus and the ovaries become larger, and the ovaries which up to that time were elaborating an internal secretion only, now also begin to manufacture ova; in other words, the monthly process of ovulation is begun. Synchronously with the process of ovulation, there commences the monthly function of menstruation. The breasts also increase in size, assume the characteristic contour, develop their glandular substance, and become capable of secreting milk for the use of any possible offspring. During this period of development they are often very sensitive to the touch or feel painful without being touched.

But not only the genital organs undergo growth and development--the entire body participates in the process. The growth in height is the most rapid at this period; the greatest growth takes place in the limbs--legs and arms. The pelvis becomes broader, and the chest or thorax also becomes broader and larger. The muscles become larger and rounder and finally give the girl the beautiful womanly form.

Girls of a highly sensitive or so-called "nervous" temperament, especially if there is "nervousness" in the family, must be particularly looked after. For it is during the years of puberty and adolescence that any neurotic traits are apt to develop and become emphasized. It is also the period when bad sexual habits are apt to develop, and the careful mother will devote special attention to her girls in their years of puberty, and guard them as much as possible against physical and emotional shocks.

The age of puberty in girls is by many writers considered as synonymous or synchronous with the onset of menstruation, which in this country in the majority of cases occurs between the ages of thirteen and fourteen. The year of gradual development before the onset of menstruation is by some referred to as the pre-pubertal year; and the first year after the onset of menstruation is the post-pubertal year. The period from puberty to full sexual maturity is called adolescence, and this term is applied generally to the period between thirteen and eighteen. For at eighteen the boy and the girl have reached full maturity. Mentally we acquire things as long as we live, and even physically the body gets larger for some years after eighteen. But sexually both boys and girls are fully mature at eighteen, though in order to become parents it is best, for various reasons, to wait to the ages of twenty or twenty-five.

MENSTRUATION

Definition of Menstruation--Where Menstrual Blood Comes From--Age of Menstruation--Age of Cessation of Menstruation--Duration--Amount--Regularity and Irregularity.

Where does the menstrual blood come from? The menstrual blood comes from the inside of the womb. Every month, for a few days prior to menstruation, the inside lining of the womb becomes congested and its bloodvessels become distended with blood. If the woman has sexual intercourse and pregnancy happens to take place, then this extra blood is used to nourish and develop the new child; but if no pregnancy takes place, that extra blood exudes from the bloodvessels and is discharged from the uterus into the vagina, and from there to the outside, where it is caught on cotton, sanitary napkins or some other pad.

ABNORMALITIES OF MENSTRUATION

Disorders of Menstruation--Menorrhagia--Metrorrhagia--Amenorrhea-- Vicarious Menstruation--Dysmenorrhea of Organic and of Nervous Origin.

In many girls and women menstruation is a perfectly normal, physiological process. They suffer no discomfort whatever from it. They suffer no pains, no headache, no irritability, they have no admonition of its onset, until they feel the blood oozing or trickling out. But, unfortunately, this is true only of a small percentage. The majority of women have some unpleasant symptoms. Some have a headache for a day or two, some complain of a dragging down sensation, some are irritable, feel depressed or quarrelsome; some have no appetite, no ambition, no desire for work or company, while some girls have such severe pains and cramps that they are obliged to go to bed for a day or two and call in medical aid.

As to the percentage of dysmenorrhea, a recent statistical examination of 4,000 women showed that dysmenorrhea of some degree was present in over one-half, namely, 52 per cent.

THE HYGIENE OF MENSTRUATION

Lack of Cleanliness During Menstrual Period--Superstitious Beliefs--Hygiene of Menstruation.

The womb is congested during the period, is larger and heavier than normal, and it is then that there is often laid the foundation for some future uterine disease, the well-known "womb trouble," or "female disease." It is not necessary that work be given up altogether, but there certainly should be less of it and there should be as much rest as possible. For delicate and sensitive girls it is always best to stay away from school during the first and second days. Speaking again of the average and not the exception, it is best that dancing, bicycle riding, horseback riding, rowing, and other athletic exercises be given up altogether during the menses. Automobile riding and railroad and carriage travelling prove injurious in some instances, greatly increasing the flow of blood. But these are the exceptions at the other extreme.

FECUNDATION OR FERTILIZATION

Fecundation or Fertilization--Process of Fecundation--When the Ovum Matures--Fate of Ovum When no Intercourse Has Taken Place--Entrance of Spermatozoa as Result of Intercourse--The Spermatozoa in Search of the Ovum--Rapidity of Movements of Spermatozoa--Absorption of Spermatozo?n by Ovum--Activity of Impregnated Ovum in Finding Place to Develop--Pregnancy in the Fallopian Tube and Its Dangers--Twin Pregnancy--Passivity of Ovum and Activity of Spermatozo?n Foretell the Contrasting R?les of the Man and the Woman Throughout Life.

Fecundation and fertilization are important terms to remember. They stand for the most important phenomenon in the living world. Without it there would be no plants and no animals, excepting a few very low forms of no importance, and of course no human beings.

What becomes of all the other spermatozoa? They perish. Only one is needed. But in the ovum that has been impregnated, and which is now called an embryo, a feverish activity commences. First of all it looks for a fixed place of abode. If the ovum happened to be in the uterus when the spermatozo?n met and entered it, it remains there. It becomes attached to some spot in the lining of the womb and there it grows and develops, until at the end of nine months it has reached its full growth, and the womb opens and it comes out into the outside world. If the ovum is in the Fallopian tube when the spermatozo?n meets it, as is usually the case, it travels down to the uterus, and fixes itself there.

I might mention here that the moment the ovum is impregnated, i.e., joined by a spermatozo?n, it is called technically a zygote; it is also called embryo, and this name is applied to it until the age of five or six weeks. Some use the term embryo up to two or three months. After that, until it is born, it is called fetus.

A study of the development of the embryo and the formation of the various organs from one single cell, the ovum, vitalized or fecundated by another single cell, the spermatozo?n, is the most wonderful and most fascinating of all studies. But that belongs to the domain of Embryology, which is a separate science.

FOOTNOTES:

Hair-like appendages.

Each ovum has one germinal vesicle; occasionally one ovum may contain two germinal vesicles; and from the impregnation of such an ovum a twin pregnancy may result.

PREGNANCY

Period of Pregnancy in Human Female--Physiologic Process of Pregnancy--Growth of Embryo from Moment of Conception--Pregnant Woman Provides Nourishment for Two--Her Excreting Organs Must Work for Two.

A simple way is to count back three months and add seven days. For instance, a woman's last menstruation occurred on April 4th; counting back three months gives you January 4th; add seven days and you get January 11th, the probable date of delivery. The first day of the last menstruation was December 30th; counting back three months gives you September 30th; add seven days and you get October 6th, the probable date of delivery. The presence of a short month like February may be disregarded, as the calculation is not absolutely, but only approximately correct.

The period at which the child's movements begin to be felt by the mother is termed Quickening. It usually occurs at the middle of the pregnancy, between the 16th and 18th week.

DR. ELY'S TABLE FOR CALCULATING THE DATE OF CONFINEMENT

FOOTNOTES:

For instance, in rabbits one month, in dogs two months, in sheep five months, in cows nine months, in horses eleven months.

THE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY

Smooth Course of Pregnancy in Some Women--Pregnancy and Parturition May be Made Normal Processes Through Education in True Hygiene--Morning Sickness and Its Treatment--Necessity for Medical Advice in Pernicious Vomiting--Anorexia--Bulimia--Aversion Towards Certain Foods--Peculiar Cravings--Tendency to Constipation Aggravated by Pregnancy--Dietary Measures in Constipation--Rectal Injections in Constipation--Laxatives--Cause of Frequent Desire to Urinate During First Two or Three and Last Months of Pregnancy-- Treatment of Frequent Urination--Cause of Piles During Pregnancy and Their Treatment--Cause of Itching of External Genitals During Pregnancy and Treatment--Cause of Varicose Veins and Treatment-- Liver Spots.

We saw that in some women menstruation runs a perfectly smooth course, free from any disagreeable symptoms. The same is true of pregnancy. It is remarkable how smooth and easy the entire course is with some women. Many women know that they are pregnant only because of the non-appearance of the monthly periods; and even in the later months they feel no discomfort, attending to all their work and pleasures as usual; and even childbirth is a trifling matter with them. Unfortunately the number of such women is not very large, and, because of our confined, unnatural, often exhausting way of living, is becoming smaller and smaller. There is no question that the civilized, refined woman has a harder ordeal in pregnancy and childbirth than has her primitive sister. We confidently hope that this will not be so in the future; we expect the time to come when true hygiene will be an integral part of the education and the life of every girl, and then pregnancy and parturition may become even easier processes than they are in the primitive races. But the time is not yet; and in the meantime our young women have a good deal to go through.

Swelling of the feet should be at once attended to. It may be a trifling matter due only to pressure of the womb; then again it may be due to some kidney trouble. The physician will determine the true cause and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

WHEN TO ENGAGE A PHYSICIAN

Necessity for the Pregnant Woman Immediately Placing Herself Under Care of Physician and Remaining Under His Care During Entire Period.

The disorders and disturbances described above are, with the exception of pernicious vomiting, of a minor nature. They are annoying, may cause considerable discomfort and suffering, but they do not endanger the life of the woman or of the child. Occasionally, however, fortunately not very often, the kidneys become affected, and for this condition treatment by a physician is absolutely necessary. In fact, the correct and safe thing for a woman to do is to consult a physician as soon as she knows she is pregnant, and have him take care of her during the entire pregnancy. Some women engage a physician during the eighth or ninth month and this is decidedly wrong, because it may then be too late to correct certain troubles which if taken at the outset could have been easily cured; while many troubles in the hands of a competent physician can be prevented altogether. I must therefore reiterate: every woman should engage a physician from the beginning of her pregnancy, or at least during the third or fourth and certainly not later than the fifth month. He will examine the urine every month and make sure that the kidneys are in order, he will make sure that the child is in a normal position, and will prevent a host of other ills.

This is not a special treatise on the management of pregnancy, and therefore minute details are out of place. Besides, to the details the physician will attend. But some hints regarding diet and general hygiene will prove useful.

If everything is satisfactory, if there is no severe vomiting, kidney trouble, etc., the usual mixed diet may continue. The only changes I would make are the following: Drink plenty of hot water during entire course of pregnancy: a glass or two in the morning, two or three glasses in the afternoon, the same at night. From six to twelve glasses may be consumed. Also plenty of milk, buttermilk and fermented milk. Plenty of fruit and vegetables. Meat only once a day. For the tendency to constipation, whole wheat bread, rye bread, bread baked of bran or bran with cream.

As to exercise, either extreme must be avoided. Some women think that as soon as they become pregnant, they must not move a muscle; they are to be put in a glass case, and kept there to the day of delivery. Other women, on the other hand, of the ultramodern type, indulge in strenuous exercise and go out on long fatiguing walks up to the last day. Either extreme is injurious. The right way is moderate exercise, and short, non-fatiguing walks.

Bathing may be kept up to the day of delivery. But warm baths, particularly during the last two or three months, are preferable to cold baths.

THE SIZE OF THE FETUS

Approximately Correct Measurements and Weight of Fetus at End of Each Month of Pregnancy.

Men and women are always interested to know how large the fetus is and how far it is developed during the various months of pregnancy. Absolutely exact measurements cannot be given, but the following approximate measurements are correct:

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