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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 1 AN OWNER'S MANUAL

Chapter 1 THE MIND: Why V Health Starts Here

• A short history of the Vs
• The power of positive thinking

Chapter 2 THE VULVA: A road map to the external genitalia

• Learning what's what
• Vulvar self-exam
• PLUS: Labial Enhancement

Chapter 3 THE VAGINA: Demystifying the amazing "secret" organ

• V is for versatile
• What's where
• A design marvel
• Vaginal secretions
• The all-important V bacteria
• So what's "normal" discharge?
• PLUS: Kegels, the Essential Inner Exercise; The G-Spot: Fact or Fiction?; Normal Bacteria in a Healthy Vagina

Chapter 4 AT DIFFERENT AGES: V changes throughout the life cycle

• Prenatal and newborn
• Childhood
• Puberty and reproductive years
• Pregnancy and postpartum
• Perimenopause
• Menopause
• A controversial rite of passage
• PLUS: Common Questions: Newborn, Childhood, Puberty, Pregnancy, Perimenopausal Symptoms; Common Questions: Menopause

Chapter 5 V SMARTS: Everyday habits that make a difference

• Tampons
• Pads
• Panty liners
• Alternative protection
• Underwear
• Douching
• Hair removal
• Other V styles
• PLUS: The Heart of V Health: Ten Rules to Remember; Tampon Absorbency; More Tampon Dangers to Discount; Guilty or Not Guilty? The Truth About Common Tampon Concerns; Does Your Tampon Feel Right?; Instead of Douching

Chapter 6 SEX MATTERS: V health facts for sexually active women

• First, desire
• Stage 1: excitement (arousal)
• Stage 2: plateau
• Stage 3: orgasm
• Stage 4: resolution
• Masturbation and V health
• Passion's pests
• Safer sex
• Birth control and V health
• PLUS: Lubricant Lowdown; Do Women Ejaculate?; Vibrating with Care; At-a-Glance Guide to STDs; Contraception and V Considerations

PART II WHEN YOU NEED HELP

Chapter 7 THE MOST BOTHERSOME SYMPTOMS: Possible causes and cures

• Odor
• Itching
• Unusual discharge
• Dryness
• PLUS: Odors That Talk; Itch Relief Dos and Don'ts; Common Vulvar Irritants and Allergens

Chapter 8 NOW WHAT? How to proceed when there's trouble

• Why you can't tell by looking
• Evaluating your symptoms
• Why telephone diagnosis doesn't work
• Which doctor to see
• PLUS: Warning Signs Not to Ignore; Don't Believe These Medical Myths

Chapter 9 THE IDEAL V EXAM: What to say, what to expect, and a guide to tests

• Why timing is everything
• The vulvovaginal history
• The pelvic exam
• Three important in-office tests Other testing methods
• Vulvar biopsy
• The Pap test
• PLUS: How to Talk to Your Gyn; Nagging Little Questions About Pelvic Exams; The Silent STDs Worth a Routine Test; Common Questions: Pap tests; All About AGUS; The First V Exam

PART III PROBLEM AND ANSWER GUIDE

Chapter 10 YEAST INFECTIONS: Separating the truths from the popular beliefs

• What is yeast?
• Symptoms of a yeast infection
• What causes yeast?
• Diagnosing a yeast infection
• Self-diagnosing a yeast infection
• A yeast infection action plan
• Steps to controlling recurrent yeast
• Complicated yeast
• PLUS: For Immediate Relief; Are You at Risk?; Common Questions: Sex and yeast; Can Yogurt Prevent Yeast Infections?; Common Questions: OTC yeast treatments; Natural Remedies; Simple Yeast or Complex Yeast?; Is There a Yeast Hideout?

Chapter 11 BV: The leading cause of vaginal complaints

• What is Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)?
• What causes BV?
• Why treatment is important
• Diagnosing BV
• Treating BV
• When BV recurs
• PLUS: Is It Yeast or BV?; Treatments for Bacterial Vaginosis

Chapter 12 TRICH: The STD that causes vaginitis

• What is trich?
• Diagnosing trich
• Treating trich
• Treating resistant cases
• PLUS: When a Pap Smear Finds Trich

Chapter 13 VAG ITCH, CONTINUED: Lesser-known sources of vaginitis

• The estrogen-loss vaginitis: atrophic vaginitis
• Strep vaginitis
• Mobiluncus vaginitis
• The mystery vaginitis: desquamative inflammatory vaginitis (DIV)
• The discounted problem: lactobacillus overgrowth
• PLUS: A Mobiluncus Success Story; A DIV Success Story

Chapter 14 COULD YOU BE ALLERGIC? Surprising irritants that trigger the body to attack

• What is allergy?
• Allergy to semen
• Other V allergies
• Allergy to latex
• PLUS: A Semen Allergy Success Story; The Mystery Allergy: Hives

Chapter 15 WHEN SKIN GETS SICK: The vulva sees these skin conditions too

• What to know about cortisone
• Eczema/dermatitis/lichen simplex chronicus (LSC)
• Lichen sclerosus (LS)
• Psoriasis
• Lichen planus (LP)
• Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)
• PLUS: Steroid Safety; The Leading Vulvar Irritants; Handle with Care: Hygiene Help for Women with Vulvar Skin Disease; LS Success Stories; An LP Success Story; Detecting HS Early

Chapter 16 V BUMPS AND COLOR CHANGES: Should you be alarmed? Usually not

• Common small bumps
• Less common small bumps
• Really rare small bumps
• Common large bumps
• Uncommon large bumps
• Conditions with a red color
• Conditions with a white color
• Common dark discolorations
• Rare dark discolorations
• Ulcers

Chapter 17 "IT HURTS": New insights into the V pain syndrome vulvodynia

• Pain theory
• Vestibulodynia (VBD)
• Vulvodynia (VVD)
• PLUS: Ask Yourself: Clues to Vestibulodynia; What to Rule Out First; The Q-tip Test; High-Oxalate Foods to Avoid; Tricyclic Antidepressants and Their Side Effects; Don't Let Side Effects Stop You!; Common Questions: Vestibulectomy; A VBD Success Story; A Vulvodynia Success Story

Chapter 18 SEXUAL HEALING: Help for coping with painful intercourse

• Causes of painful sex
• The downward spiral
• The partner's pain
• A coping plan
• Pregnancy and vulvodynia
• Vaginismus
• A word about Viagra and friends
• PLUS: Common Questions: Vulvodynia and Sex; Sex Pain and the Single Woman; The Clitoris's New Best Friend?

Chapter 19 BLADDER PAIN: Feeling the burn that could be UTI or IC

• What is a urinary tract infection (UTI)?
• Interstitial cystitis (IC)
• PLUS: It's Back! Which Kind of UTI Is It?; Treatment Courses for Bladder Infection; What About Cranberry Juice?; Three Urinary Problems That Aren't Infections; A Promising New Test; Avoid These Foods If You Have IC

Chapter 20 THE LIFETIME VIRUS: Living with genital herpes

• How herpes works
• The big question
• What symptoms are like
• Getting a diagnosis
• Treating first infections
• Treating recurrent infections
• A special case: herpes and pregnancy
• PLUS: A Herpes Success Story; The Bottom Line If You Have Herpes; The Bottom Line If You Don't Have Herpes

Chapter 21 THE CRAFTY VIRUS: HPV causes warts, abnormal Paps, cervical cancer— and nothing

• Warts from HPV
• Diagnosing warts
• Treating warts
• HPV and Pap smears
• HPV and cervical precancer (CIN)
• Treating CIN
• PLUS: Risk Factors for HPV; Treatments That Destroy or Remove Warts; A Genital Warts Success Story; New HPV Testing; You're More Likely to Develop CIN If . . . ; An HPV Success Story; The Last Word: Be HPV-Savvy

Chapter 22 V CANCER AND PRECANCER: Reassuring facts about uncommon conditions

• Vulvar precancer (VIN)
• Younger VIN, older VIN
• Diagnosing VIN
• Vulvar cancer
• Paget's disease
• Vaginal precancer (VAIN)
• Vaginal cancer
• PLUS: Pregnancy and VIN; If You've Been Exposed to DES

Chapter 23 V IS FOR VOICE: Some parting thoughts

• What I want you to do
• Advancing V care

Read Chapter 10: Yeast Infections

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