March 9, 2005 Time to Put Some ‘O’ _ ‘Becoming Orgasmic teaches women the art of orgasm GRAPHIC CONTRIBUTED Ladies, it is time to make some noise. Becoming Orgasmic: A Sexual and Personal Growth Program for Women offers women step-by-step instructions on how to de ia. reach an orgasm. Nothing like a Good Prodding Br DENISE BRUNSDON THE McGiit Datty (MCGILL UNIVERSITY) Whenever I go in for a pap smear, as soon as I’ve opened my legs, my doctor says, “Whoa, nice cobwebs.” I appreciate a good pap smear joke; there aren’t many. In fact, I think my doctor may know the only one, which is baffling, given the extent of all that people find funny. Is there nothing humorous about being prodded with a large, metal, foreign object? I've got to say, if people can find STIs, testicular cancer and clubbed feet funny then they can certainly laugh at a good vaginal prodding. For a while, I thought that the awk- - wardness people experienced oe have more to do with the term “pap smear” itself and less to do with the act it describes. It certainly sounds gross. Pap smear. Pap smear. Pap ssss- meear. _ It may be a disagreeable word, but we use plenty of disagreeable words in everyday language. Enchilada, ne an, crispy — I could go on. Personally, I think pap smears aren’t joked about because they’re rarely - talked about. And I think they ’re rarely talked about because most young women don’t get them. Getting an annual pap smear, a test that checks for changes in the cells of a womans cervix, is the best way to pre- vent cervical cancer, which affects 1,300 Canadian women per year. Even though pap smears have been proven to reduce the fatality of cervi- cal cancer by 74 per cent — detecting it before it spreads to other parts of the body, statistics show that over 40 per cent of young Canadian women aged eighteen to twenty-four have not had a test during the last three years. Studies show that, on average, 15 per cent of Canadian women have never had a pap smear at all. Women should begin getting pap smears as soon as they become sexual- ly active. Once a woman begins hav- ing sex, her chances of developing cer- vical cancer significantly increase, par- ticularly if she has had multiple part- ners or sex with a man who has also had sex with a woman with cervical cancer. I’m not exactly sure what is so frightening about pap smears. Not enough time? It only takes a fifteen minute appointment. Not enough money? It’s covered by most insurance plans. Afraid the speculum will be too cold? Get your heartless doctor to warm it up. I certainly hope women aren’t uncomfortable with the concept of a pap smear. In all reality, having sex is a much bigger deal than having a pap smear. If you’ ready to let that chronic stoner at the Habs game get at your goods in the back of the nose- bleeds, you should damn well be ready to let your doctor get at your goods in a sanitized examination room. Even women who are not sexually * active should still begin regular exam- inations once they are 21 years old. Look at it this way, it’s probably the closest thing to action you’ve had in a while. The procedure is simple and, although a bit uncomfortable, never painful. Feet go in stirrups, a device is gently inserted to hold open the entrance of the vagina and a little swab of cells is taken. It takes no time at all — unless, of course, your doctor is telling jokes. Br Lauren Kronick THE LINK (CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY) The authors _ of Becoming Orgasmic: A Sexual and Personal Growth Program for Women want women to scream, moan, groan and sigh. Unfortunately for many women, these noises aren’t a regular part of their lives. For those who feel they could use a little literary inspiration, Julia R. Heiman and Joseph Lopiccolo penned Becoming Orgasmic. The “sexual and personal growth pro- gram” part of this book is basically what it reads — step-by-step instruc- tions to reaching orgasm when turned on. Becoming Orgasmic is successful in covering many of the different ways women can achieve this peak, from self-pleasuring, sex with a male part- ner and lesbian sex. The book is writ- _ ten in a detailed and clear format, without too many esoteric scientific terms, so readers can follow the direc- tions with ease. For more visually oriented learncrs, illustrations are placed throughout the book. They help guide the reader through the steps of all the “exercises” that are suggested. Each caters to the lifestyle needs and status of different women — the single girl, the career woman and the homemaker are some examples. A common problem for many women is that they are too shy to explore their bodies, Heiman and Page 9 into Your Life Lopiccolo hope women will feel more comfortable after having read the first two chapters called Getting Involved and Getting to Know Yourself. Becoming Orgasmic also focuses on the appreciation of the self: Heiman and Lopiccolo write that a woman necds to feel confident and reach a high comfort level, mentally and phys- ically, before she can start to experi- ment with masturbation. A chapter on vibrator usage. encourages women who feel uncomfortable exploring with their direct touch to take advantage of the technological resources that are offered through scx shops. As the woman becomes familiar with her erogenous zones, she is encouraged to share her sexual discoveries with her partner so that she can climax with them. Special issues such as-sexual health and its response to the female life cycle are also covered to offer some addi- tional viewpoints on how a woman’s body reacts to orgasm as she ages. Further reading and online resources are also listed in case the reader wish- es to continue her journey on the road to orgasmic cuphoria. Heiman and Lopiccolo hope to suc- ceed in getting millions of women off through reading this book. They want to let women know that feeling com- fortable with yourself is the best way to start off on the road to reaching the big OF Interested ina Career in Science? Learn more about becoming a Medical Laboratory Technologist by visiting our booth at upcoming Career Fairs: UNBC “Northworks” March 9th from 9:00 - 3:00 CNC “Path to Your Future’ March 16th from 9:00 - 3:30 Programs offered at BCIT and NAIT (approx. BO weeks) A rewarding and challenging career with a starting wage of $24.55/hour Or visit Www.csmis.org under “career information"