The lead up to Christmas sometimes seems like an endless series of boozy Christmas parties.

While the silly season can be just plain old good fun, it can also bring some unwanted gifts. Here’s our quick guide to what you don’t want for Christmas this year.

UNWANTED PREGNANCY

How long has it been since you thought about the contraception you’re using? Are you even using any? Things can get totally out-of-control this time of year and some methods don’t stand up so well to the “silly-season” test.

Let’s take the pill, for example: with various parties, hangovers, sleep-ins and general disruption of normal routines it’s easy to miss a few. The pill can also be less effective if it’s not properly absorbed, like if it were vomited up perhaps (not that THAT ever happens).

The effectiveness of the pill, diaphragms, “natural” methods (eg. fertility awareness) and condoms depends greatly on user diligence. It’s all too easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment after a few tipples of Christmas spirit and “forget” to use a condom, am I right? (Come on, surely I’m not Robinson Crusoe here!)

“Set and forget” methods are more forgiving, things like implants, injections, vaginal rings and IUD’s.

If you’re not 100% reliable then perhaps it’s time to discuss a new method of contraception with your doctor. In coming months I will also post an update on the various types of contraception currently available, so watch this space.

THRUSH

Most women will get thrush at some time during their reproductive years, and for a small percentage it is almost an ever-present problem. It only occurs in estrogenised women, ie. those having periods or getting medical estrogens such as HRT.

Thrush is an overgrowth of a naturally-occurring fungal organism called Candida which may cause a thick white discharge and vulval itching or irritation. It’s more common with certain conditions such as diabetes and pregnancy, and is more likely to occur whilst taking antibiotics or around menstruation time.

Basically, things that cause an imbalance of vaginal flora contribute to the risk of thrush, especially now when most of our immune systems are hammered by eating poorly, drinking too much alcohol and getting overtired.

If you do notice symptoms that you think might be thrush you can buy anti fungal creams or single-dose oral treatments over the counter from a chemist. Bear in mind though that around half of women who think they have thrush get the diagnosis wrong, so if symptoms persist do consult a doctor.

STI’s (Sexually Transmitted Infections)

Use condoms. Use condoms. Use condoms. No, seriously… use condoms.

Carry them in your handbag regardless of whether you expect to get “lucky”. Hand them out to your friends who look like getting “lucky”. If you do accidentally have sex with someone new without a condom then I recommend having an STI check shortly thereafter.

Women can carry infections such as Chlamydia without symptoms, placing them at risk of serious problems like infertility. Chlamydia is on the rise in our urban communities even amongst older people but it’s easily detected with a simple urine test and easily treated with a single dose of antibiotics.

You might feel sheepish about the one-night-stand without a condom, but not finding and treating the STI afterwards could be SO much worse… so don’t be shy, get tested! Clinics such as the Canberra Sexual Health Centre provide an excellent, confidential testing service which is bulk-billed, and many doctors will bulk-bill younger or disadvantaged clients too.

OBESITY

I’m sure no-one will be shocked to hear that the over-eating and drinking associated with Christmas often causes weight gain. This might not be a big deal if you habitually exercise or watch your diet and can lose it again relatively easily.

Unfortunately the general trend for most adults in this country is to get progressively heavier over time, with festive binges just compounding the problem.

The internet is loaded with great diet damage-control tips but for the most part we already know what we have to do… it just takes a little forethought, planning and “won’t” power. But most importantly, when you do slip up and have a big splurge don’t make things worse by throwing all restraint out the window for a few weeks! Now, while we’re talking about obesity…

DIABETES

There’s a diabetes epidemic in our community which you may know is strongly associated with obesity. What you may NOT know is that the disease is reversible if detected early enough, often simply by losing some weight. Even a modest weight loss can make a world of difference.

If you have a strong family history of adult-onset (type 2) diabetes, especially if you are overweight, regular blood tests to detect the early signs of disease may give you the opportunity to turn things around.

ALCOHOLISM 

The negative effects of alcohol are widely documented, yet our culture expects and virtually encourages excessive alcohol consumption during the festive season.

Drinking responsibly can be pleasurable and enhance your party experience but where do we draw the line of “excess”? Everybody sets the bar a little differently according to their own habits, experiences and physical tolerance of alcohol.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for safe consumption recommend limiting regular alcohol intake to no more that two standard drinks per day, with several alcohol free days per week. They also recommend no more than four standard drinks on any single occasion (binge drinking).

So before you reach for the wine bottle again why not reflect on how much you’ve already had today/ this week/ this month… is it gradually creeping up? When was your last alcohol-free-day?

Merry Christmas ladies!

Image of ‘woman passed out…‘ via Shutterstock