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Friday, 30 July 2010 00:00 Dr. Eva Hersh OpenWIDE

Tick Time

OpenWIDE by Eva Hersh, MD

Dear Dr. Eva,

I found a tick on my ankle and I am FREAKED OUT. I am a medical professional so I should know better. It was little, for a tick, so it might have been a deer tick. It’s been a week, no rash yet. Should I see a doctor?

Not Buggy

Dear NB,
Short answer: truly, if you have no rash, fever, joint aches or other signs of Lyme disease, what would you want your doctor to do? If we were to start every patient who gets a tick bite on 3 weeks of antibiotics, we might as well put the antibiotics in the water system. I would say-no symptoms, no treatment. Remember, if the tick was attached for less than 8 hours, there was not enough time for you to become infected. (For those who don’t already know a lot about Lyme disease, keep reading.)

Do Penises Matter? Hormones and the Brazilian Transguy

OpenWIDE by Eva Hersh, MD

For this column, I am sharing, with his permission, some correspondence with a transman in Brazil.

Dear Dr. Eva,

I’m an internet reader of your column and knowing your expertise about transsexuality, I would like you to clarify the following issue:

We all know that when men get old, occurs the andropause where men can present some symptoms like changes in mood, depression, that comes with "hot waves" and other changes as well. I am taking hormones since 2004. I have 1 shot of Sustenon each 21 days - almost once a month. I had a total hysterectomy in 2005, no other genitals surgery. In the last 2 years I have the feeling of depression and mood change lasting 1 week before my next testosterone shot. It comes with "hot waves", but what bothers me more is the mood change. Is that normal, considering that when I stay without testosterone (in the end of the cycle) I face the same problem like any other man suffering "andropause"?

Thanks for your help and sorry for the grammar.

Emiliano from Brazil, South America – 31 years old

Note to readers: The injectable testosterones sold in the US are made to last 2 weeks on average. Sustenon, the main type of testosterone prescribed in Europe and South America, is a mixture of 4 types of testosterone and is made to last 3 weeks.

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Thursday, 17 June 2010 17:00 Dr. Eva Hersh OpenWIDE

Have Safe, Fun Sex on Pride Weekend and Every Time

OpenWIDE by Eva Hersh, MD

Dear Dr. Eva,

Is it true that you can’t get syphilis from oral sex?

That’s What He Told Me

Dear He Told Me,
No, that is definitely not true. Stop believing everything he tells you!
You can’t get pregnant from oral sex, but, if no condom or dental dam is used, you can get many sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s). Some of the most common STD’s that are passed on through oral sex include herpes, warts, and…syphilis! See below.
Dr. Eva