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Q: I’ve heard that vaginal lubricants carry health risks. Should I worry if I use them?
A: Vaginal lubricants have been linked to fertility problems and vaginal infections, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re at risk. If you’re trying to get pregnant, definitely steer clear because these products can render sperm immotile, which can decrease your chances of conception.

Not trying to get knocked up? Then it’s fine to use a water-based lubricant, but avoid the oil-based ones because they don’t wash away easily and can create a breeding ground for bacteria.

If you’re prone to yeast infections, don’t use any vaginal lubricant that contains glycerin (a sugar-based compound that can trigger or feed a yeast infection). Perfumed, flavored, and warming lubricants have also been shown to increase the risk of urinary tract and vaginal infections. Your best lubricant options are Liquid Silk, Maximus, and Slippery Stuff, which are all water-based and glycerin-free.

Q: Ever since I gave birth to my second baby two months ago, I haven’t been able to reach orgasm during sex. Am I doing something wrong? What’s going on?
A: There are several common physiological reasons why you may be experiencing postchildbirth-orgasm difficulties. Widening of the vagina during delivery and strain to the pelvic floor during pregnancy and childbirth can stretch the main sensory nerves to the genital area. As a result, many women have a temporary loss of sensation in this region during and after pregnancy. Also, enduring a prolonged or traumatic labor and/or delivering a large baby can damage the pelvic-floor muscles and nerves, causing numbness and feelings of vaginal looseness, both of which can affect the ability to have an orgasm.

For help restoring vaginal tone and sensation, try doing Kegel exercises; other remedies that might help include biofeedback (using sensors to monitor pelvic-floor-muscle contractions in order to zero in on the muscles that need to be worked on during Kegel exercises) and stimulation therapy (using electrical currents to contract pelvic-floor muscles so you can learn to duplicate the exercises on your own).

There’s another possible reason you may be having trouble reaching orgasm: low testosterone levels. This is quite common postpartum and can diminish libido and cause orgasmic difficulty. Testosterone-replacement therapy (prescribed in the form of a cream or gel patch applied to the skin, or given as a pill or injection) can be effective. However, because of the potential risks and side effects (and the impact that it can have on nursing) it’s important to thoroughly discuss this option with
your doctor.

Remember: It’s crucial to give yourself plenty of time to return to a comfortable sex life after having a baby. Every woman is different, so don’t feel like there’s a set time frame for when you’re supposed to be ready for sex again.

If your orgasm problems persist, speak to your gynecologist; she can have your hormone levels checked and recommend medical and alternative therapies that can help you get back on track.

Q: Lately, I have zero sex drive. Could it be my antidepressant? If so, what can I do about it without going off my meds completely?
A: This is a tricky one to call. Depression itself can dampen sexual desire, but so can some of the medications that are used to treat the condition. The biggest potential culprits are antidepressants in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) group, like Zoloft and Prozac, which can have an impact on two of the body’s primary arousal-related chemicals—nitric oxide and dopamine. By inhibiting the production of nitric oxide, SSRIs can hinder vaginal blood-flow and lubrication, decreasing arousal. These medications also reduce the body’s dopamine activity, which can lead to lower libido and orgasmic dysfunction.

But there’s no reason you should have to put up with a diminished sex drive. Talk to your doctor about any sexual symptoms you’re having and ask her about possible remedies that might work for you, including switching antidepressants, adjusting your current dosage, or periodically taking brief (one- to two-day) medication holidays.

 
Jennifer Berman, MD, is director of the Berman Women’s Wellness Center and author of For Women Only.

Find out more about Jennifer at Bermansexualhealth.com. And send your questions to AskHealth@health.com.

You can burn 65 percent more calories simply by cutting your mile-walking time from 17 minutes to 13 minutes—and a strong core can make it easy to walk that distance in less time. Here’s a core-strengthening move from Dixie Stanforth, MS, an American Council on Exercise spokeswoman who teaches kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin; do this exercise two to three times a week.

Side plank
(for core, upper back, shoulders)
Lie on your left side with your body in a straight line from head to toe, right foot on top of left foot, left forearm on floor for support, and right arm extended toward ceiling. Contract abs and lift hips upward; hold 10–30 seconds. Lower, rest a few seconds; then repeat on right side to complete 1 rep. Work up to 3 reps. (To make the move easier, bend your legs.)

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If your feet could talk, they’d tell you there’s a lot more to keeping them content than the occasional pedicure or foot massage. (Then again, if you’ve stepped into the wrong shoe today, they may already be screaming.) Those 26 small bones in each foot can take a lot of abuse, carrying your body weight while being cooped up in a hot, confining, and often uncomfortable (although occasionally supercute) stiletto. And even one little blister on your big toe is enough to leave you wincing. To the rescue comes our guide, packed with all you need to choose the perfect pair for everything you do. Don’t go shoe shopping this fall without it!

Seema Ram-Charitar, DPM, is a New York City–based podiatrist and the spokeswoman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. She’s a former model, too—and she really loves her shoes. Here, her simple rules for finding your perfect fit.

1. The later, the better.
Your feet swell to their largest size as blood pools in them by the end of the day, which makes this the best time to shop. Go too early, and you risk getting a pair that’ll be too tight.

2. Get measured every time.
Pregnancy, weight gain, and age can cause your feet to lengthen and broaden; your arches can change, too. Also, if one of your feet is bigger than the other (as is the case for lots of people), buy shoes in the size of the larger foot. For sports shoes, leave a finger’s width of space between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe for toe movement and thicker socks.

3. Try them on.
Sizes differ by brand (and even within the same brand). Ask the salesperson to bring your normal size as well as a half-size larger and smaller.

4. Dress for success.
Bring or wear the socks or hose you plan to pair with the shoes.

5. Go with your gut.
You’ll know within minutes if a shoe is right for you. If it’s even a bit uncomfortable now, it will feel exponentially worse as time goes on.

Turns out what’s good for your face is definitely good for your feet. Think microdermabrasion, fillers, exfoliation—even purifying masks! Here are our picks for beautiful feet:

1. Perk up tired feet with The Body Shop’s Peppermint Purifying Foot Mask ($17). It contains clay to absorb toxins from your skin and make your feet superclean. Plus, this mask refreshes with peppermint oil.

2. Avon Foot Works’ Watermelon Exfoliating Foot Scrub ($3.99), made from watermelon-seed powder and extract, will leave your feet extrasoft and smelling delicious, too.

3. Soothe cracked heels (which can lead to infections, if not treated) with True Blue Spa’s Heel of Approval ($15; Bath and BodyWorks). It contains glycolic acid, which will help tackle any dead skin cells, and shea butter to provide deep-down moisture.

4. After a long day in heels, treat your feet to Dr. Weil for Origins’ The Way of the Bath Matcha Tea Soak ($45). With antioxidants and Japanese sea salts, it’s sure to refresh your feet. (It won’t hurt your sanity, either.)

5. If your soles snag on the sheets when you slide into bed, buff away calluses and dry skin with the Artemis Woman Pedi-Buffer ($19.99), a pedicure “power tool” that uses a rotating tip made of aluminum oxide crystals.

6. Soak up some sweat (your feet produce about 1 cup of perspiration a day) with Earth Therapeutics’ Portable Clean + Cool Foot Wipes ($5.99 for 15 sheets), made with antibacterial tea tree oil and cooling mint.

OK, we broke a few rules here. Not all of our picks are the recommended heel height. But where we’ve cheated, it was for a good reason: Even the high heels and superflats offer cushioning and support—and, of course, great style.

OK, admit it: You’re more likely to be up on the hot new nail polish color (it’s gold) for fall than you are to know what kind of arch you have or the mechanics of how you walk. But how your feet are built has a lot to do with what kind of shoes you can comfortably wear. Here’s what you need to know.

The all-important arch
When you walk your dog or run for a cab, that curved area on the inside of each foot between the ball and heel is almost solely responsible for supporting your body weight—and then some. Arches range from pancake-flat to sky-high, and wearing the wrong shoes for yours can be a big reason why certain pairs feel like a dream and others, a nightmare.

“If you have high arches and wear shoes designed for low arches, you’re likely to strain the ligaments and tendons on the outsides of your feet and you may even develop back pain,” says Stephen Pribut, DPM, past president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. “If you have low arches, you won’t get the support you need in shoes designed for high-arched feet, so you could wind up with problems like plantar fasciitis and tendinitis.” To find out what type of arch you have, take our quick test (below), then follow Pribut’s advice on what to look for on your next shoe shopping spree.

If your arch is high … you have very rigid and inflexible feet. And when you walk, you’re likely to land on the outsides of your feet without rolling inward (known to podiatrists as underpronation or supination), which can lead to plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, and knee problems, if you pick unsupportive or noncushioned shoes. You may also notice that the soles of your old shoes are worn down along the outsides.

Shoe rules: You need neutral-cushioned shoes. Look for curved, C-shaped soles and squeeze the heel areas—your ideal shoes should feel stiff, not mushy like the back of a ballet shoe. Also avoid very flat shoes, and look for cushioning under the balls of the feet and a small heel lift.

If your arch is normal … your feet will feel comfy with shoes that provide some arch support.

Shoe rules: Look for semi­curved soles, and stick with the types of shoes that have been comfortable for you in the past. Avoid the extremes: Skip superhigh heels, ballet-style flats, and any shoes you can either roll up in a ball or not bend at all.

Next page: If your arch is low …

The fixes for four common foot issues may be as simple as re-lacing your shoes.

<< Tops of your feet are sore
Problem: Shoes rub tops of your feet, causing irritation or blisters; common in people with high arches.

The fix: Skip lacing. Lace around (not over) the problem area to relieve pressure.

Too-tight toes>>
Problem: Your toes feel restricted.

The fix: Double laces. Tying the shoe in two places lets you make it looser at the forefoot. You’ll need two laces for each shoe. Start from the bottom with one lace; tie a bow in the middle. Then use the second lace, starting from the eyelets above the bow of the first lace; tie a bow at the top. Experiment until you get the right fit.

<<Sore arch
Problem: Shoes feel too tight on the tops of your feet.

The fix: Parallel lacing. Don’t cross laces over each other after each eyelet—alternate going up and across to the next eyelet like a ladder.

Loose heel>>
Problem: Your heels slip up and down.

The fix: Heel loops. Lace each shoe normally, but at the mouth use side holes (often left empty) to run lace up and out to create a small loop. (Don’t cross over tongue, just run lace under and up through next hole.) Then take ends of lace, cross to opposite side, and run lace up through these loops; pull to tighten.

Expert Lisa Halbower-Fenton knows healthy shoes when she sees them—she’s a former shoe designer and engineer for Reebok and Nike. Here, her picks.

Your favorite yoga or running shoes may not be your favorite for long if exercise leaves them malodorous. Here are our tips on how to staunch the stench:

• Wear socks made pri­marily of thin wool (we like SmartWool, Tekosocks, and Darn Tough Vermont), which wick sweat but won’t smell like other synthetics.
• Add antimicrobial sock liners with carbon filters.
• Remove sock liners after each outing and sprinkle a small amount of baking soda inside each shoe.
• Wipe shoes clean with a damp cloth, and scrub with a toothbrush and gentle detergent. Never put them in the washer or dryer.
• To dry, stuff with newspapers to retain shape.