The Origin of AIDS

The origin of AIDS and HIV has puzzled scientists ever since the illness first came to light in the early 1980s. For over twenty years it has been the subject of fierce debate and the cause of countless arguments, with everything from a promiscuous flight attendant to a suspect vaccine programmed being blamed. So what is the truth? Just where did AIDS come from?

The first recognized cases of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s (more about this period can be found on our history page). A number of gay men in New York and California suddenly began to develop rare opportunistic infections and cancers that seemed stubbornly resistant to any treatment. At this time, AIDS did not yet have a name, but it quickly became obvious that all the men were suffering from a common syndrome.

The discovery of HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, was made soon after. While some were initially resistant to acknowledge the connection (and indeed some remain so today), there is now clear evidence to prove that HIV causes AIDS. So, in order to find the source of AIDS, it is necessary to look for the origin of HIV, and find out How, When and Where HIV first began to cause disease in human



To Know more about AIDS and HIV please visit this link: and see it for your self
http://www.avert.org/origins.htm

"The Famale Condom"

New generation are eager to try something new,,, which lead theme to some mistake...
A universal truth about young youth of today. But is it safe for a young generation especially with
the female to try this:

Come to think of it....
some of the doctors today are very concern about this that's why they were
able to make this "FEMALE CONDOM"
But whats this all about:

The FC female condom has been available in Europe since 1992 and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993. It is available in many countries, at least in limited quantities, throughout the world. This female condom carries various brand names in different countries including Reality, Femidom, Dominique, Femy, Myfemy, Protectiv’ and Care.

The FC female condom is a polyurethane sheath or pouch about 17 cm (6.5 inches) in length. At each end there is a flexible ring. At the closed end of the sheath, the flexible ring is inserted into the vagina to hold the female condom in place. At the other open end of the sheath, the ring stays outside the vulva at the entrance to the vagina. This ring acts as a guide during penetration and it also stops the sheath bunching up inside the vagina.

There is silicone-based lubricant on the inside of the condom, but additional lubrication can be used. The condom does not contain spermicide.

VA w.o.w. Condom Feminine( For Female)

The VA w.o.w. Condom Feminine (or VA for short) has been distributed as part of HIV prevention efforts in South Africa since 2004. More recently it has become available in Brazil, Indonesia and through government clinics in Portugal. Having gained the “CE mark” for European marketing, its manufacturer plans to expand its availability in European shops and clinics. One more trial is needed before the product can gain FDA approval for sale in the USA.

Like most male condoms, the VA is made of latex. When not stretched it is much shorter than the FC – around 9 cm (3.5 inches) – though it is highly elastic. It has a rounded triangular frame at the open end and a sponge inside the closed end, which helps to anchor it inside the vagina.

The VA is lubricated and does not contain spermicide. Oil-based lubricants should not be used with this female condom as they can damage latex.

How do you use the female condom?

Open the package carefully. Choose a position that is comfortable for insertion - squat, raise one leg, sit or lie down. Make sure the condom is lubricated enough.

If you are using the FC or FC2 female condom, make sure the inner ring is at the closed end of the sheath, and hold the sheath with the open end hanging down. Squeeze the inner ring with thumb and middle finger (so it becomes long and narrow), and then insert the inner ring and sheath into the vaginal opening. Gently insert the inner ring into the vagina and feel it go up. Place the index finger inside the condom and push the inner ring as far as it will go. Make sure the condom is inserted straight, and is not twisted inside the vagina. The outer ring should remain on the outside of the vagina.

To begin inserting the VA, hold the sponge and frame close together and place the closed end in front of the vagina. Use two fingers to push the closed end containing the sponge inside the vagina as far as it will go. Make sure the sponge is opened up flat once it has been inserted. The frame should remain on the outside of the vagina.

The penis should be guided into the condom in order to ensure that the penis does not slip into the vagina outside the condom. Use enough lubricant so that the condom stays in place during sex. The female condom should not be used at the same time as a male condom because the friction between the two condoms may cause the condoms to break.

If the condom slips during intercourse, or if it enters the vagina, then you should stop immediately and take the female condom out. Then insert a new one and add extra lubricant to the opening of the sheath or on the penis.

To remove the condom, twist the outer ring or frame gently and then pull the condom out keeping the sperm inside. Wrap the condom in the package or in tissue and throw it away. Do not put it into the toilet. It is generally recommended that the female condom should not be reused.

The female condom may feel unfamiliar at first. The female condom may feel different and some people find it difficult to insert. Some women find that with time and practice using the female condom becomes easier and easier.

What are the benefits?

• Opportunity for women to share the responsibility for the condoms with their partners
• A woman may be able to use the female condom if her partner refuses to use the male condom
• The female condom will protect against most STDs and pregnancy if used correctly
• The FC or FC2 female condom can be inserted up to 8 hours before intercourse so as not to interfere with the moment
  
• The FC and FC2 female condoms are made of polyurethane and nitrile, which are less likely to cause an allergic reaction than latex. These materials can be used with oil-based as well as water-based lubricants. No special storage requirements are needed because polyurethane and nitrile are not affected by changes in temperature and dampness. In addition, these materials are thin and conduct heat well, so sensation is preserved.

What are the disadvantages?

• The outer ring or frame is visible outside the vagina, which can make some women feel self-conscious
• The FC and FC2 female condoms can make noises during intercourse (adding more lubricant can lessen this problem)
• Some women find the female condom hard to insert and to remove
• It has a higher failure rate in preventing pregnancy than non-barrier methods such as the pill
• It is relatively expensive and relatively limited in availability in some countries
• It is recommended that the female condom be used only once

Can I reuse the female condom?

It is believed that limited availability and high cost have led some women to reuse female condoms in some countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends use of a new male or female condom for every act of intercourse for those people who use condoms for pregnancy prevention and/or STD/HIV prevention.

WHO does not recommend or promote reuse of female condoms but has released a document together with guidelines and advice for programme managers who may consider reuse of FC female condoms in local settings.¹ There are no guidelines for reusing VA and FC2 female condoms.

Using the female condom for anal sex

Some people use the female condom for anal sex. Although it can work effectively, it is difficult to use and can be painful. There is also the risk of rectal bleeding which increases the risk of contracting HIV. So it’s better to use the male condom for anal sex with plenty of lubricant NOT containing Nonoxynol 9.

Support for the female condom

WHO and UNAIDS are encouraging wider access to the female condom as a method of preventing both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Many governments and non-governmental organisations provide female condoms for free or at subsidised prices as part of their HIV prevention and family planning programmes.

Worldwide use and availability

The female condom is used in public health programmes in more than 90 countries and is commercially marketed directly to consumers in ten countries.² It is quite widely used in some places where it is actively promoted, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and Brazil. However in many parts of the world it is hardly available at all.

In 2007, the makers of the FC female condom sold around 25.9 million units worldwide, up from 14 million in 2005.³ Many of these condoms were purchased by donor agencies such as USAID and UNFPA. The VA currently sells in much smaller quantities. Altogether, female condoms account for only around 0.2% of global condom use.

In 2005, nearly two thirds of all female condoms were used in Africa, while the next largest shares went to North America and Europe. Asia accounted for less than 1% of the global total in 2005, though figures for later years may be higher due to growth in India.⁴

Future of the female condom

Vending machines for both male and female condoms in France

The two female condom manufacturers hope that demand for their products will grow substantially in the near future. However both are small companies with limited promotional resources, and it remains to be seen whether FC2 or VA will prove much more popular than the original female condom – even if they are cheaper.

New female condoms are being developed by the non-governmental organisation PATH and by a Belgian company called MEDITEAM. These are still a long way from becoming widely available and their future prospects are uncertain.⁵

The benefits of expanding female condom use could be very great. A study in 2006 found that countrywide distribution (equivalent to 10% of condom sales) of the FC2 female condom in Brazil and South Africa would be “useful and cost-effective” for preventing HIV. The cost savings could be greatly increased if 300 million FC2s were acquired through a global purchasing mechanism, which would cut the price per condom by two thirds.⁶

Wider use of the female condom in developing countries depends on the commitment of governments and other major donors. To achieve its full potential, much greater efforts need to be made worldwide to promote the female condom, to make it more accessible and acceptable.

"The Importance of Condom"

Carried with my curiosity i was eager to write this article..Whats the important of condom anyway
here some of my gathered information on how condoms help and protect everyone from HIV and a lot more:

Pregnancy, HIV, AIDS, STDs are all caused from unprotected sex, and it is rare to meet someone who doesn't know a story of a person who has had something unfortunate happen to them because of a slip they made in the bedroom.

Condoms are particularly important on one night stands or with people that you don't know their sexual history. If you are in a relationship and you are considering stopping using a condom, it is highly recommended that both partners get checks to ensure a clean bill of health. Accidents can always happen when using condoms, however the chances are in your favor that pregnancy and STDs will not be caught if you do use a condom.

Just one head job with no condom or vaginal dam can result in a lifetime of carrying a disease. Just one sex encounter with no condom can result in carrying a disease for a lifetime. Sharing sex toys with no protection and with people you don't know can lead to carrying diseases for a lifetime. And no condom can mean pregnancy.

Condoms can be expected to provide different levels of risk reduction for different STDs. There is no definitive study about condom effectiveness for all STDs. Definitive data are lacking on the degree of risk reduction that latex condoms provide for some STDs; for others, the evidence is considered inconclusive. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “It is important to note that the lack of data about the level of condom effectiveness indicates that more research is needed—not that latex condoms do not work.”...We should always be aware
when it come in using condoms, it i also important that a condoms should be check before
using it in sexual intercourse..

WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU TAKE
(IF ANY)?????
Take age isn’t a factor in determining whether
The pill is right for you,but as you get older ,
your chance of getting pregnant decreases,
while risk factor for cardiovascular problem
or stroke increase.As a result, may woman opt
for children birth control in their late 30’s and 40’s.
There is no extract formula for determining for which
birth control pill is best for you-every woman respond
differently to different pills.
And while drugs manufacturers may claim
their pills are best, essentially all oral contraceptives
work equivalently well,says Dr. Gerson Weiss,
professor and chirman, Obtetrics Gybecology and women’s
Health Department, Bew Jersey Medical School.
The main rule of thumb is to choose the lowest-dose

pill that gives you good cycle
Control"
For example , you should brave no breakthrough bleeding

or spotting while using it.

Reducing side effects

The amount of hormones in oral conraceptive has dropped
Significantly for the past 40 years, so today pills have fewer side affect.
However.
To reduce your chance of breast tenderness,nausea
Bloating or headache,try a low-dose pill. Woman who have
problem with estrogen can also consider the minipill
Though slightly less effective, minipills, are less likely to
produce side effect such as headache and nausea, With
miniplls the most common side effects are spotting and
erratic bleeding patterns.

If the pill makes you nauseous,
try taking it with a meal or snack
Also, give your body a few months to adjust
To the pill before you stop taking it or switch
to differen type,most side effects go away with time.

If after three months you’re still experiencing
side effects like significant mood changes.
you may want to try a pill with different progestin.Some
woman become depressed on certain progestins and another
type may alleviate the problem.

If nausea, h eadach es or bloating….
Persist consider as pill with less estrogen or different combination
Of estrogen and progestin.

WHO SHOULDN’T TAKE PILL?????

“If you smoke, especially if you’re over 35, don’t take the pill”
says Dr. Anne Davis, assistant and professor of clinical obstetric
and gynecology at the Columbia University in New York.
You also shouldn’t use oral contraceptives if you’ve had a heart attack,
a stroke , a blood clot in your leg or your chest or
have uncontrolled high blood pressure .
Women with serious liver disease, serious to advanced diabetes or
family history of blood clots should also consider alternatives
methods of contraception.


"A woman taking pill"

THE
"PILL"
IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU???

This year marks the 48th
anniversary of the birth control pills-
America:s most popular form of the contraception for woman under 35. But with more than 30 different pill formulas available today, how do you choose the right one for you???

PILL BASIC:


Birth control pills are divided into two basic type: combination pills, which contains both estrogen and progestin, and progestin only pills, commonly called minipilis.Through oral contraception offers no protection against HIV or other STD’s, the combination pill is 99.9 percent effective
and the minipilis is 99.5 in preventing pregnancy when used properly. Comination pills either contain and constant dose of hormones or are phasic; wich means that the amount of progestin and estrogen in each pill change to mimic the natural menstrual cycle more closely. Most combination pills are available in 21 day and 28-day packaging.With a 21 day pill, you skip the pill for seven days after finishing each packet. On a 28 day regimen, you take a pill everyday.