While women are often deemed to be the “fairer” sex, recent studies have proved that women are in fact stronger. And not just when in comes to pain tolerance (demonstrated during child birth), but women genetically have stronger immune systems.

It turns out that the Y-chromosome is exactly why the “manflu” exists. X-chromosomes have microRNAs (a cousin of DNA!), the microRNAs “silence” immunity genes on the male X-chromosome. As women have two X-chromosomes, when immunity genes are “silenced” the other one plays back up. Just like a good friend. See, sisterhood is even ingrained in our chromosomes.

Okay, so what does this science mumbo-jumbo really mean? Basically, as with many biological mysteries, it boils down to one thing. Women have babies and therefore need to protect them. While motherhood is probably far from your mind (unless you’re thinking about how to prevent it!), you can thank the genetic gods that this is why you fight off infections better than the men in your life.

According to Dr. Eleanor Fish, a professor from the University of Toronto, she says that the difference in immune systems between men and women has likely evolved, as when it comes to survival of the species, women are more likely to survive. Because let’s face it, in order to keep a species alive, it takes more women to push out babies, then it does men to impregnate them.

The only issue with women’s advanced immune systems is that we are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases (aka when your body attacks its own cells). So let’s just all try and stay healthy and prevent sickness in the future.

Vaginas.

We all know what they are. We (ladies) all have them. We know what they’re for and why they’re there. But do we know how to keep them healthy? Sure, we know the parts. We know we should bathe. We know wet bathing suits are bad and vaginal infections are worse, and condoms are very, very good.  But do we know how to ward those off? And what we can do to prevent them? I’m not so sure. So I did a little research, and came up with five little known facts about the ways to keep your vajajay healthy. Have a look; you just might learn something.

1. Wear cotton underwear. Tight underwear, especially nylon or lycra, can irritate your vagina and keep the moisture in. But cotton underwear breathes, which allows your vajayjay to breathe, and allows air to circulate. Not only does this help maintain good skin around the area but it also helped to prevent a buildup of sweat and oil which can lead to infections.

2. Never spray it with perfume or body spritzer. These things will irritate your vagina and can lead to an infection. It’s as simple as that. So no scented lotions in or on that area. No perfumes. No body sprays. Not even scented soaps.The best thing you can do to make your vagina smell nice, or rather not smell at all, is clean it with clear, soapless water.

3. Keep your stress level down. Like in any situation, stress is bad. It can lead to a diminished immune system and changes in your vaginal ph level, which, once again, can lead to all sort of infections. So there’s another reason not to stress the small things in life, right?

4. Eat some yogurt. Believe it or not your vagina is full of bacteria. But don’t freak out, because it’s the good kind of bacteria, lactobacilli, the kind of bacteria that gets rid of the bad kind of bacteria. And these lactobacilli are also found in yogurt. So if your immune system is down, or you’re feeling kind of stressed, or you just feel like giving your vagina a little boost, eat some yogurt. Think of it as back up for the good guys.

5. Keep yourself clean but not that clean. A lot of vaginal infections are the result of improper hygiene. When sweat and oils build up they fester and result in infection. So make sure not to neglect your vajajay when you’re in the shower. Wash with water, but not with soaps, and especially not with anything scented. And never douche. This outdated practice does more harm than good, and can lead to the unhealthy altering of your body’s ph levels.

Want to know more about what’s going on down there? Check out the ultimate guide to your vagina.

Women are responsible for 2/3 of the work done worldwide but earn only 10% of the income and 1% of the property.

Each year 70 million girls are deprived of a basic education and 60 million girls are assaulted on their way to school.

1 in 4 women are victims are domestic violence. And every week 2 women in the UK are killed by a current or former partner.

I know this now. But I didn’t know it before Daniel Craig dressed up as a woman and stood in front of a black backdrop and was told this information.

Are we equal, he was asked.

But I have a different question for CollegeCandy readers. Why did it take Daniel Craig dressing up like a woman to get people to notice this? March 8 is International Women’s Day and I didn’t know that, either. And I know it’s Women’s History month because CollegeCandy told me it is. But what about the rest of the world? What about every other day? Why are we not more aware of the fact that women have yet to be able to hear the question “are we equals?” and answer “yes”?

It’s because we don’t hear these facts. It’s because we don’t know the statistics. It’s because we don’t think anything else needs to be done. We think that women are already equal. That we fought the good fight years ago and now it’s over, and the world is changed. But is it really? Think about the statistics. Think about the stereotypes. Think about everything going on in the news right now. Think about the stats and the numbers and the basic facts.

We think that we can stop asking the question, but we can’t. Because until those statistics I now know about, and you now know about, have changed, have drastically declined, then we’re not equal. Not even close.

More than just about anything else, apparently.

Lindsay’s on major lockdown in rehab.

Wait, she’s pregnant?!

Who decides what constitutes fashion??

Fabulous leopard accessories for less.

Baby animals make my heart melt. Melllllt.

Snooki’s writing a book, but who is going to read it?

8 essential vitamins for us ladies.

Maaajor cuteness at TJ Maxx/Marshall’s right now!

When your mom wants to be cool….. (AKA, Dina Lohan Syndrome)

Shia Labeouf’s got beef with who?!

5 steps to being a sexier new you!

Kanye kicked ASS on SNL this weekend!

Are you a working student? Here’s some motivation to keep on keepin’ on.

There may be a way….

According to Women’s Health magazine, it’s possible to burn 400 calories in 15 minutes. Now, if you’re a regular gym-attendee like me, and have spent 30 minutes on the treadmill only to burn 300 calories, this may seem simply impossible. According to WH columnist and physiologist Amy Dixon, however, it’s all about a special workout called the superset, in which you complete two fitness moves back to back without resting.

Not only do supersets cause a serious metabolic spike, they’ll cause you to continue burning fat and calories at a higher rate for up to 16 hours after your workout is over, according to researchers at Colorado State University. All you have to do is complete these exercises twice a week using weights that make it almost impossible for you to finish your last rep.

Here are three of Dixon’s moves. Visit Women’s Health to see all six moves with accompanying pictures. Bye, bye belly flab, hello Miami sun!

Dixon’s first move is called the Leapfrog, and all you need is an exercise step. Start with your feet planted on the ground, jump up onto the step and bend your knees as you land, and then jump back onto the ground (lowering your heels first and your toes second). Continue for sixty seconds.

The second move is called the “Bosu Burpie Pushup,” and all you need is a bosu ball—a blow up exercise ball with a hard, flat bottom (your campus gym should have these!). Place the ball upside down, so that the dome is on the floor and you’re holding onto the base. With your hands on the base, jump back into the plank position, suck in your stomach, and lower into a push up. Then jump back up. Do this 12 to 15 times.

The third move is called the “Power Knee Tap and Touch.” To start, stand to the right of your exercise step. Swinging your left arm to help propel your body, jump onto the step with your left food, and bring your right thigh to hip height. When you land, with both feet touching the floor, immediately lower your left leg into a lunge. Stand up and repeat for thirty seconds before repeating the entire movement with your other leg.

Incorporate this superset workout into your weekly routine and you’ll see results fast. And if you don’t quite get those 6-pack abs you were hoping for before Spring Break (Amy Dixon isn’t God, you know!), you’ll definitely see them come summer.

Attempting to lose weight can be seriously stressful when you feel like you have to follow a laundry list of rules—don’t eat after 7 pm, banish white flour, etc., etc.—in addition to hitting the dreaded treadmill and the stinky weight-room. According to Women’s Health magazine, however, it’s possible to shed pounds successfully without listening to every piece of diet advice that gets thrown around (or, you know, printed in Women’s Health).

What are the diet rules you can break?

Eat many small meals a day instead of three big meals:

Many people insist that eating small portions throughout the day instead of stuffing your face with three big meals will lead to weight-loss by revving your metabolism and keeping it going from morning until night. But Women’s Health points out that if you’re eating multiple times a day, you’re running the risk of consuming more calories than you might if you stuck to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack. Instead, make sure that mealtimes are defined by fiber-rich foods and lean proteins (those will fill you up without packing in the calorie), and leave the daylong grazing to the farm animals.

Brown rice and whole wheat breads and pastas are better than their evil white flour twins:

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your pasta is white as long as you’re consuming the recommended six ounces of carbohydrates each day. Women’s Health says that a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that people on high-carb diets were slimmer than their carb-banning counterparts even when they consumed “bad carbs.” While you should make sure that half of your daily carbohydrate intake comes from whole grains, white bread isn’t going to lead to weight gain any more than whole-wheat bread if you keep your portion sizes small.

Don’t eat after dark:

Women’s Health quotes doctor Ann G. Kulze, who explains that the body handles calories in the same exact way no matter what time they’re consumed. Figure out how many calories you should be consuming each day – this number depends on your age, height and activity level – and stick to it. To make sure that you have enough energy to fuel your daily activities, you should spread out caloric intake throughout the day. But if you eat two cookies at 9 p.m., you’re not going to gain any more weight than you would if you ate them at 6.

Ban desserts:

Putting foods on the do-not-touch list only makes you want them more and can lead to binges. Eating dessert is okay as long as you tweak your diet accordingly, which means eating less for dinner and picking desserts like chocolate-dipped fruit and sorbets instead of ice-cream sundaes. Women’s Health points out that restaurant dessert portions are often ridiculously large and high in calories—an Applebee’s chocolate chip cookie sundae, for example, contains 1,620 calories, more than many people should be consuming all day long! The magazine also suggests re-thinking the traditional idea of dessert when you want to indulge. Your after dinner treat doesn’t need to be chocolate; a craving for something sweet can be met in the form of a yogurt and cereal parfait.

My roommate recently told me a story. It was a bit graphic in nature, so I won’t share the dirty details here, but it involved her, her boyfriend, and an orgasm so intense she actually experienced female ejaculation.  Yeah, maybe we share a little too much information.

I was intrigued. (And slightly interested in borrowing that BF for myself…)

Female ejaculation is an elusive experience held by many men to be the epitome of female orgasm.  Why? Because it’s viewed as proof of an orgasm, a job well done. Women don’t have to worry about whether our partner enjoyed himself or not – there’s something sticky to prove it. But men aren’t as lucky; most of us can convincingly fake an orgasm if need be, and men realize this.

Squirting, or female ejaculation, however, can’t be faked. It is also something new and exciting and who doesn’t want to experience a new level of physical pleasure?

As enticing as it may be, female ejaculation is still an experience most us only hear stories about or see in porn…or Sex and The City. There’s debate about whether it even exists. I don’t doubt it exists, but my question is how, how often, and for whom? In my entire internet search, I couldn’t find one trustworthy medical site with an article on female ejaculation. The best I could do was livestrong.org (weird, I know), which says:

“Female ejaculation is thought to be a release of fluid from the Skene’s glands…  The Skene’s gland is similar to the prostate gland in guys. It produces a fluid that is similar to the chemical composition of prostatic fluid, the fluid that makes up the majority of semen. Some women may produce greater amounts of fluid from these glands than others, which explains why some women release a large amount of fluid during an orgasm while others do not… Not all women have the capability of ejaculating and those who do cannot each time they have intercourse. It is also not something that takes place every time a female experiences an orgasm.”

Great. So not only is the information hard to find, but the news isn’t so great, either. Some of us can do it and some of us cannot? Those of us who can do it can’t do it every time?  And there is no way of knowing how to make it happen?!

Despite the lack of scientific information, however, there are an abundance of first-hand accounts (like this one).  There are also guides like this one, claiming that any woman can learn how to ejaculate. But I’m skeptical; I’ve had plenty of g-spot stimulation in my life and never felt like I might explode. I have, however, had plenty of insanely intense orgasms. And that’s gonna have to be good enough for now.

Staying on any kind of workout schedule (or just schedule, for that matter) is close to impossible in college. With each day comes different classes, meetings, part time jobs, social engagements and perhaps most importantly, happy hours. Trying to adhere to the same gym or running time is an unlikely feat for most of us, not to mention the fact that when I’m presented with the choice between a sweat session or a sipping session, more often than not, the cocktails win. Wah wah.

But, a great way to stay motivated and keep your activity levels up is to train for a race! I know this sounds a bit intimidating at first, but let me tell you from personal experience (I ran my first half-marathon last year), it’s totally doable and well-worth it. Knowing that I was going to be sweating out 13.1 miles at a specific date gave me the extra boost to get out of bed in the morning or squeeze in a run whenever I could. I was able to drop a few lbs, improve my overall fitness, raise money for a charity and still go out with my friends at night all at the same time!

Don’t worry, you don’t need to jump right into a half-marathon. There are a number of distances that are great starting points. Consider a 5K (about 3 miles) or a 10K (6.2 miles) to get the ball rolling. Not sure where to look? Check out Running in the USA, which has perhaps the largest database of available races. You can search by state, month and distance. Most have some type of theme, which adds to the fun and you usually get a free t-shirt. And, I mean, what college student doesn’t need another free shirt (especially Greeks, who are seriously lacking in the themed clothing department)?

In terms of training programs, a few websites I like are womenshealthmag.com which has a wide variety of resources for beginners to the more advanced, and runnersworld.com where you can actually enter in some basic info and get a customized program for free. To find new running routes in your campus town, go to mapmyrun.com where you can enter your own or search through others’ favorite routes.

To be dead honest, I didn’t follow a very strict training regime. I just made sure to run consistently at least three weekdays, and then take a longer run on the weekend. I started out with three miles during the week, and five on the weekend, gradually working up to six miles during the week and ten miles on the last weekend before my race. AND, contrary to what most people think, I never had to give up going out or partaking in a cocktail (or two). Now, don’t get me wrong, everyone is different in terms of training habits, but I just want to stress that training for a race and still having a social life is possible! I’ve done it!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, I raised over $1,000 for charity while running. If you want to run for a cause (other than operation-get-rid-of-muffin top), here are a few options to check out: teamintraining.org, stjudeheroes.org, and determination.acsevents.org.

Hope you take this information and run with it! Sorry, I couldn’t resist…

Talking sex with your doctor isn’t always easy. Whether you are afraid she or he will judge you,  you just don’t feel comfortable sharing the intimate details of your life between the sheets, or you can’t think straight with a speculum between your legs, many people get tight lipped in the doctor’s office. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions.

After so many of you wrote in to ask Dr. Lissa Rankin questions during CollegeCandy’s STD Awareness Day, we thought we’d bring her back more regularly. So, every Thursday she will be answering your questions. The ones you couldn’t ask your doctor in person and didn’t really trust the Yahoo community to answer for you. Just leave your questions in the comments, or send em over to us. (We’ll keep it all anonymous for you.) Dr. Lissa will answer anything – really, anything – about sex and other lady things. Don’t be shy; she’s waiting for ya!

Q: I feel very uncomfortable with all things sex. I am not very experienced and get really nervous when the opportunity arises. How can I fix that?

A: To answer your question completely, I would want to know more about you. Why are you uncomfortable with all things sex?  Is it because you’re young and inexperienced, or have you had past experiences, such as rape or sexual molestation, that rock your foundations and understandably lead to uncomfortable feelings regarding sex?  And how is your relationship with your sexual partner?  Many people are uncomfortable with sexual activity when they don’t know or trust their partner well.  Are you uncomfortable because you don’t really understand your body? Or are you having pain?  There are many reasons why someone might feel uncomfortable with sex.  Sometimes, those feelings arise to protect you and are worth honoring. But sometimes, they get in the way of sexual bliss and can cause problems.

To help you more, I would need to know the answers to some of those questions.  If you’ve had sexual experiences in the past that are sabotaging your sex life, please see a therapist.  You deserve to process those experiences now, or they will continue to plague you.  If you’re in an unsafe relationship currently, get out.  Your body might be trying to tell you something.  But if you’re in a safe, loving relationship and your past isn’t a problem, here are 10 Tips To Help You Relax Into Your Sexuality.

1.    Take the Pretty Pink Pussy Tour. The first step to getting rid of nervousness during sex is to know and love your body.  If you’re subconsciously shamed by your body, your body and mind will rebel and put up red flags during sexual activity.  Educate yourself, and love yourself.

2.    Do a body blessing every night before you go to sleep. Close your eyes and scan through your body parts, starting at the top of your head and working downwards.  As you approach each body part, pay attention to any negative thoughts that come into your mind, such as “I hate my fat ass.”  Turn it around into an affirmation, such as “Thank you, Bottom, for cushioning me when I sit.”  Do this all the way down to your toes.

3.    Try relaxation exercises before you engage in sexual activity.  Take a warm bath or have your partner massage you.  Close your eyes and take a few very deep, cleansing breaths together. Light candles and incense- whatever it takes to help you relax.

4.    Go slow. If you’re feeling uncomfortable or nervous during sex, perhaps you’re not ready.  If your partner is truly caring, he or she will not pressure you into anything you’re not ready to do.  Give yourself permission to set the pace.

5.    Masturbate.  If other sexual activities make you nervous, try pleasuring yourself instead.  The more you can relax into your own sexuality, the more you can comfortably share it with someone else. If you’re able to masturbate by yourself without feeling uncomfortable, try masturbating together.  That way, you have control of the whole experience, but doing it together can be highly stimulating for both of you.  Once you graduate from that step, you may find yourself less uncomfortable with other sexual activities.

6.    Breath deeply during sexual activity. Deep breathing relaxes your muscles and alters your mind.  Pay attention to your breathing throughout the whole experience. Sounds silly, but it really might help.

7.    Be silly.  Sometimes sex can be so serious, and what better way to release the nervousness than to laugh.  Laughing releases endorphins and stimulates the body in a whole host of ways.  Try some laughter yoga exercises, such as this one: stick your thumbs in your ears and stick your tongue out at each other. Now laugh out loud as hard as you can.  Sounds goofy, I know, but try it! I swear it works.

8.    Talk about how you feel.  Don’t be nervous in silence. If that’s how you’re feeling, share your thoughts with your partner.  And if you don’t feel comfortable sharing with your partner, talk to a girlfriend. It’s honest, and it’s okay. Don’t judge yourself for your nervousness.  In time, this too shall pass.

9.    Acknowledge your fears. What is making you nervous? Write your answers in your journal.

10.    Pat yourself on the back for being brave enough to ask this question. It’s very empowering to gather information, and feeling empowered can make you feel more secure in vulnerable situations, such as during sex.  Other empowering activities include engaging in challenging exercise, donating your time to a charity or campaign you believe in, and making smart health choices.  Anything you can do to increase your sense of empowerment will follow you into the bedroom.

Hope that helps!

[Photo courtesy of Aprille on Flickr.]