What is HONEYMOONITIS?
- Honeymoonitis, Honeymooncystitis, honeymoon cystitis, honeymoon disease, honeymoon bladder, honeymoon syndrome. (http://www.honeymooncystitis.com/)
- Vaginal soreness that occurs after a night of rough sex, a marathon session of sex, or sex with a very well-endowed man. Sometimes associated with UTIs. The term stems from being sore from all the sex you supposedly get on your honeymoon. (urbandictionary.com)
- Often occurs as a result of frequent or prolonged sexual activity, as would typically be expected in the honeymoon period of a marriage. (http://www.honeymooncystitis.com/)
- Basically, it is a bacterial infection affecting the urethra and/or the bladder. There are many ways bacteria can get to the “pee hole”, so let’s avoid that, shall we?
- There’s lots of technical jargon I could offer, but basically it is a painful, stinging vagina that doesn’t enjoy sex- not what you want on your honeymoon!

Why do I care?
- I had to go to the doctor on my honeymoon to be informed- I think others should be informed before they go on their honeymoon.
- I had to stop having sex on my honeymoon for a few days- what newly married couple wants to do that?
- Prevention is much easier and less painful than treatment- I think others should be equipped with information to prevent this pain before it starts…
- I have had multiple friends who had the same experiences as I did- uniformed, painful sex on the honeymoon, doctors visits on the homeymoon, etc.

The need to educate others- especially in conservative culture
- When dealing with women who have saved themselves for their husbands, there is a definite lack of knowledge of sexual matters, and even talking about it has somehow seemed dirty (although good godly sex should never be viewed as dirty) up until the point of marriage- leaving us entering into it a bit naïve.
- When the couple has saved the sexual act until marriage, there is such built up (good) sexual tension that it most often leads to a marathon of sex on the honeymoon- introducing a sexual environment unique to that time, that while they may never again experience this, they still should know how to make the most of it, and avoid its possible downfalls.

How I have chosen to inform others (and hope others will use this information too)
- I have taken it upon myself to inform some friends of this through a fun, informative, very practical bachelorette party gift- a honeymoonitis prevention kit/ informative lesson all in one!
- Start with a card defining honeymoonitis and its symptoms as described above.
Use each of the items below as a gift with a note attached explaining various good practices for avoiding “honeymoonitis” on the honeymoon. I make a little card putting the instruction on the outside and then when you open it, there is the explanation on the inside.

The necessary ingredients to a good gift:

1. Cranberry Juice:
“Drink CRANBERRY JUICE and lots of it- its make-up helps prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder.”
*definitely a good preventative measure, while its use as a treatment is debatable

2. Water Bottle:
“Drink 8-10 glasses of WATER a day- the more you drink, the more you pee, helping to continually flush out the bladder of any potentially harmful bacteria.”
*important to note here is that just drinking water isn’t enough, you have to pee… “holding it” is not a good strategy as it gives bacteria time to multiply

3. Toilet Paper:
“Urinate immediately after sex- this helps flush out any bacteria that may have entered the urethra before it has time to multiply or reach the bladder”
*also, it is always important to be in the practice of wiping from front to back- to avoid contaminating the urethra with e. coli found in the anus.

4. Cotton Underwear:
“Wear COTTON- breathable cotton creates an environment more difficult for bacteria to grow in”

5. Bath Soaps/Scrubber:
“Only insert CLEAN things- a dirty finger, penis, or other object can introduce bacteria to the urethra, so clean up beforehand- and have fun with it!”
*fragrance free, soft, natural products are best yet again… just to be safe, avoid others to prevent any possible negative reactions to such products while on the honeymoon.
**the uncircumcised penis holds bacteria even more so than the circumcised penis, so be extra sure to wash up in this case.

6. Yogurt:
“Eat YOGURT and lots of it- probiotics not only help fight off bad bacteria, but provide good bacteria that helps balance the vagina and avoid yeast infections- yet another unwanted honeymoon guest”
*this is especially important if a UTI is contracted and antibiotics are taken. It sucks to get rid of one bother, just to create another.
**$ SAVER: buy a small yogurt as it will most likely sit out for a while during the party and probably go bad, so don’t spend too much on a big one…

7. Lube:
“Use LUBE- vaginal tearing and rawness from lack of proper lubrication is not only painful, but encourages the growth of bacteria”
*water based lubricants are easier on the system as are frangrance free, chemical free… while there are many “fun” ones out there, try sticking to the healthiest, most natural ones

8. Foreplay game/toy:
“Take your time getting ready- the more foreplay you do, the more natural lubricant you create, helping prevent tearing and rawness, which not only hurts but encourages bacterial growth”
*Urinary Pain Relief (or some sort of over the counter help): “Just in case- for when preventative measures are just not enough”

Other good additions:
1. Pregnancy Test:
“Just because- it’s always good to have one around”
* $ SAVER: the dollar tree sells these for just $1! They aren’t fancy, but they do the job, and for $1 who can complain! You gotta make these gifts affordable…

2. Wash Cloths:
“Keep these by the bed- if you don’t know why, you’ll figure it out quickly”

3. Trimmer:
“To look nice down there- because you now have reason to and SHOULD consider how you look down there”

4. Vagisil:
“For the itch- just in case”

5. Condoms:
“No explanation necessary”

6. Book: There are so many options out there, and you will have to know your friend well in order to choose the right one.

Good sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeymoon_cystitis
http://www.honeymooncystitis.com/
http://honeymoons.about.com/cs/femalebody1/a/cystitis.htm
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Features/20080225170653/Article/index_html