First post here. Hello everybody.

I'm 17 and I've had sex with my boyfriend six times over the past two months, and it still hurts me. I know that it's supposed to hurt a few times, and during my one and only pelvic exam the doctor told me I was incredibly tight (we actually had to stop the exam because I was in so much pain - that was a few years ago, though).

I do get aroused enough, and we use lots of lube (we've used both warming and regular). I'm generally really relaxed, as well. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it did the first time, but it still does hurt a lot, and I feel like after six times it should at least... Almost not feel bad.

The pain is just a burning or stinging feeling, mostly. We were both virgins before having sex, so I'm not sure there's an STD chance (we use condoms anyway).

I guess I'm just trying to find out how normal this is, or if I should be worried that I've got something going on down there.

Also, when I use warming lube it seems to irritate me a lot. Is this a common thing?

EDIT: Also, are you more easily irritated during your period? I had mine when we had sex today... But it was also the first time in two weeks.

Hey ladies!

So I know that directly after your period can be a fertile time in your menstrual cycle, but when would you say is THE MOST fertile time? Assuming that a cycle is 28 days long, would it be around day 14 when you should theoretically ovulate? Or am I complete bonkers? Also, when would you say is the LEAST fertile time?

The reason I ask is because I'm not on any hbc at the moment, and I'd like to track my cycle in addition to using condoms, just to be as safe as I can. :)

Thanks!

Okay, this might be a stupid question, but eh.

Never in my life have I had a light period,
its always been normal or heavy.

Last months period was normal.
This month, however, I had barely any blood,
and it ended quickly. [one-three days]
and a couple days before my period started I
had EXTREME light colored stuff coming out,
I'm not sure if it was blood, or what.

I am sexually active, but I haven't had
sex for the last...likeeee....month or so?
My partner and I are always very safe, but who knows.

So, I started my 2nd pack of birth control and my boyfriend and I finally got the PLANNED sex without a condom we had been waiting for. It was good, but hurt a little bit afterwards and I wasn't sure why. I figured it was just because I was a little dry (but ive heard birth control does that) and the sensitive skin was just mad at me.

Yesterday we had sex again, but this time used some KY warming lube, which made everything a lot better...until afterwards. It wasn't so bad that it hurt to pee, but I had to curl up in a ball for a little bit until the burning stopped. It stopped hurting after about an hour, and I figured we just used WAY too much KY for my already semi-irritated vagina's liking. I felt a little dry/sore today, but it wasn't that bad.

I just took a bath, though, and the soap I was using seemed to just irritate me some more. Its not really burning, just really sore. I'm not too worried about it, I don't think its a UTI or anything else, but it still sucks to have an obnoxiously sore vag, especially when I'm not gonna be home at all tomorrow.

Any ideas on what to do to make the sore/dryness go away?

Hi folks,

( cut for those who don't want to hear about my cervical adventures )

So, forgive me if this is TMI, but I'm just really curious and slightly worried. I have an appointment scheduled with the gyno, but for some reason I couldn't get one until the end of July.

So basically... Below the entrance to my vajayjay and above my, uh, perineum (but still on the vagina), there are some odd bumps, but at the same time, not bumps. Its hard to explain. It hurts to touch them but they don't hurt and seem to be completely unaffected during sex. They look almost like a tear, given the way the skin is, but they're bumps. I'm just clueless as to what they could be, and was wondering if anyone had experienced something like this before?

I'm not worried about STDs/STIs/whatevs. My boy doesn't cheat and neither do I, and he's the only person I've ever had sex with. I'm not his first, but I know he's clean. Plus, we've always used a condom.

So, I had a hardcore nap this afternoon- I passed out at 1:30, woke up two hours later in the same position I zonked out in, and because of that, my left arm felt like a sack of bricks and it felt like I pulled something in my shoulder. Later on, after I got to work at 5, I noticed that my left boob was sore too- I secretly pushed on it to feel for lumps and didn't find any, thank god (I hope my co-worker didn't think I was groping myself, haha), but it was sore whenever I reached over to grab something, and it's sore whenever I lean down. It feels like the one time I accidentally pulled a muscle under my boob (like, close to the ribcage, between my boob and my ribs, not literally underneath my breasts) doing... something, I can't remember what. Also, I stupidly wore the too-tight bra I have today, which squishes the girls too much. Could the combination of a bad bra and sleeping in an odd position join forces to make my poor left boob miserable? It's not overheated or anything, so I don't think it's an infection... no weird marks or anything... Also, does anyone have any ideas on how to lessen the pain? I took a hot bath and soaked in the water for a while, making sure I didn't put any weight on that arm, and it feels a little bit better... but not much. :( It's days like these I wish I was an A cup. XD

Today I went to Planned Parenthood to get my IUD consult (which went well by the way! My appointment for insertion is the 17th!). Although I arrived around 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork and things, I didn't get into my appointment before 12:30 (my appt. was at noon). That's fine, I don't mind waiting. What did annoy me was that one of the other patients, a 17 year old girl had brought her mother, her brother and her boyfriend. Her brother and boyfriend were probably around 16 or 17. And they were so annoying.

They spent a fair amount of time saying the word "vagina" for no reason, and reading aloud from a birth control pamphlet. Then, as another patient was called back into the doctor's office, they were trying to talk to her, and just being generally disrespectful to everyone around. It took a lot for me not to tell them to shut up. I get it, teenage boys are insensitive a fair amount of the time, but PP isn't the place to act like jerks. And the mom wasn't doing anything to shut them up either, she just kept trying call people on the public phone.

Have you ever had a situation like this? Is there ever a good way to handle it?

At one point the boys were messing with the "please wait here until someone is available to assit you" sign, and got yelled at by the staff.

Sorry for the rant. I hope you guys don't mind.

Hi everyone,

For the sake of my anonymity I have created a journal specifically to make this post, so please don't think I'm trolling or anything like that, I'm really not. This is just kind of personal.

I have recently been diagnosed with an STI, chlamydia to be precise. I have a fair idea where it came from, my boyfriend knows, as does everyone else who needs to know. I was given zithromax (single dose - 2 pills) two weeks ago and took it. I went back to the doctors a week later for a follow up check and to have my IUD removed. She gave me the zithromax again, saying that because I had a foreign object at my cervix, the antibiotics may not have been 100% effective the first time. I took the second dose exactly a week ago. I'm working under the assumption that I am now cleared of the infection.

My boyfriend went to the doctors a week ago. He had a test but has not gotten the results yet. He is assuming that because I tested positive, he would too, and there's no point in getting the results because of this assumption. He was given the other medication for the STI, doxy something (I can't remember the name but it's the one that comes with all the weird stuff - you have to stay out of the sun, you can't lay down for 30 minutes after taking it, have to drink an entire glass of water with it, etc). His doctor said that some strains are becoming resistant to zithromax and the doxy one would be more effective. He has taken the pills for their full course of one week.

Our problem is, when can we start having sex again? I've been reading up on the internet about it and the general rule is to not have sex until a week after being treated. I guess then that I'm okay, seeing as I was first treated 2 weeks ago, and it has been a week since I took the second dose of zithromax, but my boyfriend has only just 2 days ago finished taking his course of antibiotics. Does that mean he was treated 2 days ago, or does the "one week after treatment" refer to one week after he first started taking the medication?

We don't plan to have sex without a condom until we both go for follow up checks to make sure we are both clear, but this leads to another problem. We've never had an STI before, ever, so we don't know much about this kind of thing. If there is a chance that he isn't completely clear yet, will condoms be effective? I asked my doctor if we could have sex with a condom, and she said that yes, it should be okay. But when my boyfriend and I actually started discussing it, we realised we really had no idea.. What if he touches his penis before putting the condom on and then touches the outside of the condom? Can that spread the infection? If I touch his penis and then touch myself, can that spread it? I read that in women the infection is around the cervix, but we both have absolutely no idea where the infection is in men.

Basically, I'm climbing the walls here and ready to jump him the moment his back is turned, but we just don't want to reinfect each other and ping pong this STI over and over. Any help or advice would be really really appreciated.

Thanks!

In case anyone is interested, I came across a blog today by a woman who is switching from HBC to FAM after 11 years.  Here's the website. 

about a month ago i felt like i was getting a UTI. i'm very prone to UTI's (especially when i'm using condoms during sex, which my boyfriend and i are at the moment) so i wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. i got some AZO and went to planned parenthood the next day. since my pee was orange, they had to send the sample to the lab. the dr. wrote me a prescription and i was on my way. my symptoms were gone after a day and then i was completely fine. the next week i went in for STI screening. they said that my test results came back from the lab culture and there was nothing showing that i had a UTI. which i found to be kind of weird since the antibiotics seemed to stop the symptoms. i got a nuva ring while i was there and have been on that for about 3 weeks. throughout the month i've had a few random burning pees. but sometimes that just happens when i'm a little dehydrated so i chalked it up to that.

well, last night my boyfriend came home after a 3 week vacation. when he was fingering me it hurt a little bit. i could feel the nuva ring pushing into me and it was uncomfortable (i have a very shallow vagina). i took the nuva ring out and we had sex. it burned a little at first but then everything was great. until he pulled out of me to switch positions and it was BURNING LIKE HELL. i couldn't go on anymore. i went to the bathroom to pee and i almost cried because it hurt so bad. after a little bit of icing and laying there i was fine. this morning i woke up fine and my boyfriend went down on me with no pain. he fingered me gingerly (hahahaha word choice too good to change) with one finger and it didn't burn. i peed afterwards and it didn't burn at all. i've been completely fine since but we are both pretty terrified to try any penetration now! i'm pretty sure this is not a lubrication issue because i was incredibly wet all throughout the sex and foreplay.

any ideas? a yeast infection maybe? i don't really have any other symptoms but i have noticed that i've been a little itchy lately. i'm thinking of inserting an acidophilus pill tonight and waiting a couple days to have sex and see if it's gotten any better.

also... could this be from the nuva-ring, do you think? we thought that maybe he might've cut me up a little with the nuva-ring and then irritated it with the sex but i'm not sure.

and finally... do you think this warrants a trip to the doctor? i won't be able to go to planned parenthood until monday and i don't have health insurance.

thanks in advance!

The last few days have been pretty horrid. I have just been diagnosed with Herpes and have been so so ill this week with flu like symptoms and of course i have the sores which are making me cry and shuffle around. I feel low, confused and quite alone. Does anyone have any rays of hope for me? Don't sugar coat it...i can be brave!

Hi friends!


I've been on Ortho-Tri-Cyclin LO for 4 months now I guess and for the most part everything has been going as planned.  I'm a Monday start, and the last week (the "period") week of my pills starts on Monday 7/7.  I am getting married on Saturday 7/12.  I usually don't start till like Wednesday or Thursday of my "period" week, and at the moment don't remember how my flow is by Saturday.  I've not skipped my week ever, but am seriously considering just starting my new pack when I should be on my "peroid" week.  I tried calling my GYN today, but her office is closed for the 4th holiday.   So, advice.. should I skip to the new pack?  What might happen if I do? 


Thanks for the help!  I'm currently going crazy making sure I have everything in order for the wedding.. why did I choose to get married 1200 miles away from where I live?!!

Hello everyone :) I'm new to the community. Just joined and loved reading past topics. I have a couple of my own.

I am 23. I got diagnosed with PCOS when I was 17. They put me on Metformin and it started messing with my liver and kidneys and I had horrible migranes... anyway, they had to take me off of it. Some of you that have PCOS have mentioned going back and checking hormones and such, I havent talked about it with my GYN since we decided to stop the Metformin. Is it something I'm supposed to check up on every year? I dont have any large cysts that need removing, and since I got diagnosed I lost 120 lbs and many of the symptoms have went away. Can PCOS kind of fade? Or do the symptoms just fade?

I also read up on the pimples or cysts, boils, whatever people have on their labia or around there... I have something like that, two actually on my outer labia, but they HAVE heads. They look like little whiteheads that are just too deep to get. They stick out and they're hard to the touch. I've tried to pop them but it just hurts really bad. I've read that everyone says they go away, but I've had these for years. Never thought to get them checked out cuz they're so small and haven't grown, and during my check ups my GYN hasn't said anything so I didnt think anything of it. Is it anything serious enough to worry about?

Also, (last thing, I swear) about 3 weeks ago, my fiance and I were having sex. Without sharing too much detail, he slipped out and I landed with the tip of him against my clit and I landed hard... hurt like... I dont even know how to describe it. The pain faded after a bit and so we tried to finish, but when we felt down there, there was a pool of blood everywhere. He was covered in it and it was running down my legs at a pretty fast pace. Kinda freaked us both out. I guess when I was coming down on him, I tore the inside labia on both sides, on one side going from just under my clit down almost to my bum, and the other side about half as long. It also looked like the center split around my pee-hole but I think it was just agitated. Anyway... sorry for the gruesome details. Took a while for it to stop bleeding, after all was said and done, one of his towels was completely soaked and his bed looked like a murder scene. I refused to go to the ER just cuz I really didnt think his penis could tear me like it did. I called my GYN the next day and he said I should have gotten stitches but it was too late by then so keep it clean and come in if it gets infected. It's been 3 weeks, it looks healed, it doesnt burn when I go to the bathroom or shower anymore, and so now my fiance and I are wondering if it's safe to have intercourse again. There are still slits where I was split, but I dont think they're going to heal closed. I don't know the normal "heal" time for down there, so I was just wondering, for those of you that have had surgery or any kind of injury down there, how long your heal time was. I just dont want to re-open anything and go through that experience again. That was the scariest thing I've been through so far, I'll tell you that haha.

Anyway, sorry. I tend to talk a lot. If any of you have any answers or advice, please share. You all are very informative and I think could really help me out.

OH! One more thing. Those of you using NuvaRing. I know the package says if you have it out longer than 3 hours, you're not fully protected until a week of using it again... It likes to catch on my fiance and come out with him during intercourse and afterwards I usually just forget to put it back in until the next morning when I see it on the bedside table and I go rinse it off and put it back. My friend who used it said she's kept it out overnight and her GYN says she's covered still if she just puts it back the next morning, they just give the 3 hour limit so you dont go a full day without using it and expect the same kind of coverage. What have you guys heard or experienced?

I just got back from my new OB/GYN, and she diagnosed something that I've been wondering about for a while. 

Apparently, I have a Vaginal Septum.  For those of you who don't know what this is, check here: http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/vaginal-septum.html.

I know I shouldn't be concerned because of this, but after reading some stuff online, I kind of am.  I've been pregnant before, but I haven't ever delivered a baby.  I don't see how this could interfere with subsequent pregnancies, but I am concerned that I won't be able to deliver my child naturally in the future.  She said that it would just tear, no big deal, but I can't help but worry.  She still looked kind of confused

Does anyone have any further information on this?  Any similar experiences?  Anything at all?

Thanks in advance <3


x-posted

Hello! I just joined this community after lurking for... oh, I don't know, forever. :)

As for a bit of history: I am 17 years old. I am on bcp (femcon), and therefore do not use condoms when I have sex. I am pretty good when it comes to taking my pill on time; usually within the same 30-minute time period (I am a pretty busy woman, so I can't exactly sit around to take it 3:00 on the dot.)

So anyway, in the past few days I have noticed a dark line that runs from my vulva to my belly button. I have tried googling what it could possibly be, and all I have found was a wikipedia article on linea negra. Now, I am 99.99% sure that I am not pregnant, for I had an ultrasound the previous week for suspected endometriosis and looking at the screen there was nothing visible.

So what in the hell could this possibly be?

ETA: I was actually just switched to Femcon from Yaz. Could it be the change in hormones doing this?

I've been taking Kariva for about three months now. Two weeks ago I had a dark brown discharge for about four days. I thought it was spotting so I didn't worry too much about it. Well last Sunday I started taking the last row of pills thinking my period would start the next day as it normally does, well it's Wednesday and there has been no period.

I'm not sure what's going on. I take my pill every night at the same time, so I haven't missed a pill or messed anything up. The last time I had sex was three weeks ago and then I went on vacation. I'm going to be seeing my boyfriend today, and I'm just wondering what I should do.

Should I buy a pregnancy test? I was researching online and I found that my birth control may have "failed" me. So I'm honestly not sure what to do. Is it normal to miss a period while on the pill?

I have a small, hard bump on one of my outer labia...it's actually something under the skin. It's not even the size of a pea but it's concerning me. I would say that it resembles one of those deep pimples we have all gotten at some point. It feels like there is something hard in there and I have tried to pop it but I can't and squeezing it is only making it more sore. There isn't a "head" on it that I can see either.

I DO have HSV-1 on my genitals but this doesn't look like a typical outbreak to me and I have no other bumps besides this one.

I was at the OBGYN yesterday for a pap and I pointed it out to the nurse practicioner who performed the exam and she agreed that it was probably the beginnings of a HSV outbreak since that's what I assumed it would be.

Now I really don't think so since it has not changed since yesterday morning (which is when I first noticed it) even with all the squeezing, it just looks more red.

I am really nervous about what this could be and since it is a holiday weekend I could not get back into the doctor's until Monday at least.

Of course I am thinking vulvar cancer.

Can anyone shed some light on what this might be?

ETA: After googling (bad I know) I am afraid it could be MRSA. What are the chances of this?

This entry actually has two questions. I hope that's ok.

1) When my sister was pregnant her doctor told her that Irish Spring bar soap would irritate the vagina because it is a deodorant soap and she should use bar soaps like Dove or Caress. My question is is that only for pregnant women or for women in general? Because to be honest, I LOVE Irish Spring. I even wrote a poem about it when I was in junior high. Lol. If anyone knows anything about this please tell me.

2) My second question is one that came to me yesterday. You see, I just joined this community a couple of days ago so I've been perusing the FAQ's and looking at back posts and I came upon the Everyday Bodies project. I first want to say that was a beautiful and brilliant thing. It's wonderful to see so many women with regular, non cosmetically altered NORMAL lady parts. It was truly touching. But(and you knew this was coming) as I searched through the EBP I noticed the lack of WOC in the pictures. I am a WOC and though it was great to see other saggy boobies and hairy vah-jj's, I didn't see many brown ones and so I wasn't completely connected. My question is are there many WOC around now that were here doing the EBP(I know it was a while back) and if so, why were the submissions by the WOC so few and far between? I'm not saying there weren't any, because there were. But only a handful. And not in every category.

Answers to either of these questions would be appreciated. Thanks.

I've looked all over the internet to try to find an answer or possible explanation for this without much luck so I hope somebody here might know what the deal is.

Basically, my problem is that whenever I get turned on, I experience pain that feels like it's coming from around the opening of my vagina.  It only happens when I first become aroused and only lasts for a few minutes (probably less than five) before it stops.  I still lubricate normally during arousal and it doesn't have any other effect.  I've been sexually active for 3+ years, but this only started happening within the last year or two.  The pain isn't excrucating and isn't so bad that it makes me avoid sexual activity, it's just really uncomfortable.  I can deal with it, but more than anything I'd really just like to know why it happens, what causes it, and why it just started happening one day when it hasn't always been like that.