Dear Yvonne,
My partner wants to keep the bathroom door open when the other is in there and doesn’t understand why it’s a problem for me. He says it’s a statement of our level of intimacy. Is keeping the door open or closed really a commentary on the intimacy of the relationship? Do you have any advice?
—Shawn

Dear Shawn,
Keeping the bathroom door closed versus open in coupledom is more of an indicator of people’s privacy norms and issues around bathroom habits, for example, taking care of bodily functions. Both are rooted in how they were raised — how their families handled bathroom privacy and self-care in that space.

While some people read the “door open” policy as more intimate, others would say it’s an intimacy killer. Every couple needs to negotiate what’s right for them and provide rationale for where they stand. I’ve found, for example, that people from large families who had to share one bathroom do not find it as big a deal to see others doing their thing as those who are not used to such circumstances. (This is not to generalize members of big families, however.)

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

These are interesting times we’re in ― to say the least. Over the past couple of weeks, we have all been concentrating on “Octomom” from California, and with new developments in the story everyday, it’s easy to see why she’s been the topic of conversation. I was following the story too, calling for an ethical investigation of the fertility clinic from day one, but with the state of our economy and the country experiencing what could be one of the most pivotal moments in American history, I want to move past that story.

I think it’s time the media starts concentrating on the changes that the Obama administration will be proposing in the future and some of the ideas that have already been approved.

Now, let’s look at the facts … The American health care system needs help! Why? Well, because it is filled with inefficiencies and overpriced operational costs.

How did it get like that? Well, it’s possible the American health care system has seen a lot of the same issues as our financial sector ― which we all know by now is quite a mess. Our financial experts have given us many explanations for the current economic crisis: Many blame the banks for recklessly handing out loans and credit, some blame the public for borrowing more money than they could ever repay, then there’s all the greedy Wall Street executives making profits off back of funds that don’t even exist, and who can forget those elaborate Ponzi schemes that went unnoticed by federal agencies for years.

Well, believe it or not, we have a lot of the same things happening in health care. We have some patients that demand every test in the book on the basis of what they’ve read or seen on television, hospitals that have been enamored with demands because of technological advances and profit margins, and doctors that have concentrated on sub-specialty service, rather than primary care and prevention.

So now, we are all looking to President Obama’s stimulus bill to see how he will resolve these problems. Some of his proposed ideas are very interesting. Electronic medical records, for instance, provide us with computerized data entry on patients, a way to track symptoms, disease processes, a way to dramatically decrease the overutilization of certain tests, minimize medical mistakes both by physicians and hospitals. And down the road, it might even decrease costs.

But many critics worry about privacy issues. I totally agree that patient confidentiality should always be protected. I remember when the new HIPPA laws came into effect under President Clinton, I could not even discuss a patient’s medical condition or get a second opinion from a colleague without getting a written consent from the patient.

But I think that before we start throwing good money in to solve the problems bad money got us into, the way previous financial stimulus plans have, we need to really understand how our current health care system is working, and address the issues that got us here in the first place.

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It’s not surprising that hospital employees would be interested in the medical records of celebrities like Maria Shriver, Farrah Fawcett, Britney Spears and George Clooney.

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But famous names may not be the only ones whose medical files are being snooped through, according to two medical experts.

Has your privacy been breached?