The Llama Ledger - Bard College at Simon's Rock's Student Newspaper

Premedicine major Kat Corcoran and creative writing major Dan Copulsky once participated in a market research study about condoms. The Llama Sutra delights in answering your questions about sex and relationships, which can be sent to sutra@llamaledger.com, through this form (no need to provide any personal information), or placed in the box in the snack bar. Questions will be published anonymously.

How many sexual positions are there?

The Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian work on love and sex, includes eighty-four sexual positions. The Perfumed Garden, an ancient Arabic text, describes eleven. Kinsey broke it down into six primary positions. And the Wikipedia page “list of sex positions” explains over a hundred.

It depends a little on whether you’re interested only in positions involving vaginal penetration, or if you’re interested in positions for other sexual activities too. For example, 69, in which partners perform oral sex on one another simultaneously, is a well known and popular position for non-penetrative sex.

But, really, there is no limit. All sorts of minor differences on the arrangement of the two (or more!) bodies could be considered new positions. And people have probably already figured out, and named, uncountable variations.

If you’re trying to imagine the possibilities, though, Kinsey might be a good place to start. His six categories are man on top, woman on top, side by side, rear entry, standing, and sitting/kneeling.

The missionary position, often considered the most standard, is one in which the woman lies on her back and the man is on top. Many variations involve the placement of legs: the man’s may be outside the woman’s, the woman’s may fold around the man’s back, or the woman’s may be lifted or bent.

The man can also lie on his back and the woman can sit on top, placing her legs on each side and facing either towards or away from him. Or the man can sit too and the woman can sit on his lap. Or the two can take a spooning position, the man behind the woman, both lying on their sides.

These positions can also be performed by two women, if one wears a strap-on dildo, and many of them can also be used for anal sex, both between a man and woman or between two men. There are also innumerable positions for oral and manual sex. And all sorts of other possibilities are added by additional participants.

What are alternative menstrual products?

Many people find tampons and disposable pads uncomfortable. Some have allergies to chemicals used in the manufacturing process while others are worried about toxic shock syndrome (associated with tampons, not pads). A lot of people are bothered by the drying caused by tampons and the diaper feeling of wearing a pad.

Others have no problems like this but are concerned with the environmental waste produced by the manufacture and disposal of tampons and pads. Disposable pads and tampons are also expensive over time. But several alternatives are available.

Cloth pads look a lot like disposable pads, but can be washed and reused. They are made from soft, absorbent materials, and usually backed with a water resistant material to prevent leaks. Wearing a cloth pad can still feel bulky, but because they are not plastic, they do not feel like diapers. Most people find that cloth pads do not smell as strongly as disposable pads while remaining just as absorbent.

Many people are discouraged by the extra care required. To keep pads unstained, they should be soaked in cold water after use, but they can then be thrown in a washing machine and dried in a drier. If staining is not a concern, they can go straight in the washing machine.

Many people on www.etsy.com sell pads in a variety of cute patterns for a few dollars each. The co-op in town also sometimes carries a particular brand of cloth pad, but these tend to be very expensive. Though this costs more at first, cloth pads usually last for several years, so they end up costing significantly less than disposable pads. Alternately, you could make some with scraps of fabric for free. The internet is full of patterns.

Sea sponge tampons are essentially reusable tampons. A sponge is inserted into the vagina, left for several hours, removed, rinsed out, and reinserted. Boiling at the end of a cycle kills bacteria. They typically last about six months before needing to be replaced. They’re usually sold in packs of two for $10 to $15 each, and can be purchased over the internet and in some health food stores. Some people have gotten toxic shock syndrome with sea sponge tampons.

A menstrual cup is a bell-shaped silicone or rubber cup which is inserted into the vagina and catches menstrual blood. It holds approximately 20mL of fluid, where the average woman loses 35mL of fluid during an entire period. It is recommended that the menstrual cup be emptied and cleaned every twelve hours, and most people do not need to empty it more frequently than that.

Menstrual cups are not absorbent, so they do not cause a dry feeling, and can be inserted in anticipation of a period without causing discomfort. No cases of menstrual cups causing toxic shock syndrome have ever been reported.

Menstrual cups have a circumference of approximately two inches, and while they are folded smaller for insertion, women who are not sexually active may have a difficult time. Also, menstrual cups don’t come with applicators, so insertion requires that you put your fingers in your vagina while menstruating, which some people aren’t okay with.

Menstrual cups cost $30 and last for about ten years if properly cared for, making them very cost effective. DivaCup, a popular silicone cup in the US, can be purchased at the co-op. A number of other cups are available, so it might be worth doing some research. Cups also all come in sizes for women who have given birth and women who haven’t, something to pay attention to when purchasing one.

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