internal methods of birth control

[sarar.livejournal.com]

I don't have and am not thinking of getting anytime in the immediate future a diaphragm/cervical cap/any other internal form of female BC but I'm curious about them because I want one SOMETIME I think...just not right now. I've heard that the diaphragm blocks the g-spot so I was thinking the cervical cap sounded more appealing but I was reading about all the internal options and they all said they MUST be coupled with spermicide for use. Is it a MUST or a strong suggestion? I thought cervical caps/diaphragms/shields/etc were barrier methods on their own and should already be effective BC so is the spermicide just a backup or is it really necessary? I mean, it's not completely necessary with condoms so it the same type of idea here? Just a backup? I've heard spermicide is a bad thing to put in your vag for a variety of reasons including the fact that it makes it easier to contract HIV, clogs pores in the vagina, can cause UTIs/yeast infections or make them easier to develop, and I'm sure there are a few others I'm forgetting. I've heard the same thing about oil based lube and it sounds logical for both cases. I'm pretty damn sure I don't want to put either of those things (oil based lube or spermicide) inside of myself if those things are the case. I won't use condoms with spermicide in them for the same reasons. My source for what info I do have about both oil based lube and spermicide was one of the employees at a fascinations but I don't want to believe anything and everything that one person tells me. Anyone care to share what they know, correct me, and/or educate me on any of this or anything you know that I don't involving these BC methods so I can have some other input? I've tried reading up a lil bit online but most of it is biased (from what I can tell), uninformative, and not exactly female body friendly.

pubic hair removal???

[kaesora.livejournal.com]

okay.

I'm only 13. My pubic hair is completely straight, and there isn't a whole lot of it, but its so incredibly irritating. i need to pull my pants and my underwear OUT before I pull them up because when anything rubs UP over my pubic hair, it pulls, and it hurts. [EDIT: my pubic hair is sensitive. its like.. pinching your eyeball. it just hurts.]

I really hate having hair down there and i was wondering if theres any special way women shave or anything to remove hair? I shave most times, but I get incredibly bad razor burn that hurts to no end.. I dont know if you need to know this or not, but I have very dry skin; would that effect it? I put lotion everywhere in the morning, and after my shower at night.

Please help. I have no idea what to do about complete hair removal.. Is there a ( okay my spelling/memory is very, VERY bad.. ) dilipidatory? I'm not sure at all the spelling on that, but its the stuff you rub on and woosh your hair falls off?

Meep. Im not scared of pain, but this razorburn is hell. So.. I'll go as far as waxing, but not going to a salon to get that done

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

- Allison

Schtuff

[http://users.livejournal.com/lemondrop_/]

Hi, I'm totally new here, but glad that I found this community.

See, when I'm on my period, I'm visited by horrid cramps and slight dizziness.

The dizziness has pretty much stopped happening, but when my period first started, even when turning my head slowly to look at something it would make me dizzy and I'd feel like passing out.

I take Midol Extra Strength and aspirin for cramps. They usually work pretty well.

I'm too afraid of doctors to go see one about any of that ... but a friend of mine told me that maybe it was blood loss or iron deficiency that was causing the dizziness. I have no idea.

Anyone know how to help with cramps other than drugs, or know what might have caused the dizziness?

Stopping use of the pill

[lurbos.livejournal.com]

This may seem like a silly question, if it is, forgive me!

It's been a few months now since I've been in a serious relationship (read: one that merits sexual activity), and the guy I'm dating now is pretty inexperienced, so I doubt anything will be happening anytime soon. Thus, I've been pondering my need to stay on my Pill. I decided to just stick with it to keep my period regular (it was pretty intensely irregular before I started the pill).

I'm in new england, so now here I find myself, stuck in my house with close to two feet of snow outside, and my prescription waiting for me at the local pharmacy! I'm supposed to start my new pack around noon today, but I don't see me leaving this house until tomorrow. So now I'm thinking "it's not like your having sex anyways, don't worry about it."

If I was to decide to just stop taking the pill, can I just quit "cold turkey"? Or is it like other medicines when they reccomend easing yourself off of them. And my next question is, if I decide to stick with it, I wont be able to get my pack until about 5pm on monday, if i take the two pills (one i missed, one for that day) is that going to make my period all funky?

thanks!

(no subject)

[taintedmelody.livejournal.com]

Hi all!

Just a quick question...

I take Diane 35 birth control (I'm Canadian)...last night I took the last pill in the package (note: there are only 21 active pills in mine, no placebo pills) and then threw up very shortly after, there is no way it could have been absorbed into my system. Now, generally I know if this had happened at any other time, I should be using an alternate form of non-hormonal birth control when having sex...but, since it was the last one anyways does it matter? Or should I still be extra cautious?

Thanks!

A rather unusual yeast question

[ravrhi.livejournal.com]

Have any of you ever gotten a yeast infection IN your hood piercing? How do you treat it? I usually use yogart and tea tree oil internally, but I am not sure it would be wise to use them externally- esp the tea tree on such a sensitive area. So what do I do!? I am itching here!

(no subject)

[affectionjunkie.livejournal.com]

so, I've had a YI since late December (caused by amoxocillin by school's health center gave me).

 ( please help - fluconazole question )

Thoughts on virginity....

[anwyn18.livejournal.com]

You know, having read this journal for a while, it occurs to me that I seem to have had a fairly rare outlook on the whole virginity and sex thing. I NEVER believed that a guy had a right to put anything inside me, and I ALWAYS beleived an orgasm was my right, not a privilege. I didn't lose my virginity because someone begged me - I waited until I was entirely ready, because I firmly beleived, and still do, that was my right.
( My thoughts on how I came to beleive this, and how we can help others to beleive it too )

Were any of the rest of you as firm as I was? Until I decided I wanted to, there was simply no way that thing was going inside me, full stop. If so, I'd be really intersted to hear how you came to have such firm views. Perhaps if we can figure out the common factors we could learn how to teach the next generation how better to protect themselves, speak up for themselves, and if nessesary, kick pushy jerks to the curb!

(no subject)

[vladazhael.livejournal.com]

"The loss of virginity is seen as a form of initiation - a change in the fundamental nature of one's being - in even the most modern, secularized societies. In many religious codes it represents an irreversible fall from a state of perfection. The virgin is unspoiled, still full of potential and, crucially in the case of a girl, whole or unbroken... While the virginity of a boy is usually a matter of trust or hearsay, that of a girl is assumed to be demonstratable (although there are many ways in which a girl may accidentally lose her physical virginity, and there are techniques dating back to ancient egypt for faking vaginal haemorrhage). Because the demonstration involves the spilling of blood, itself a ritually significant act, it is usually only the viriginity - and defloration - of women that has been transformed into public rite and spectacle."

and thus arise today's ridiculous notions and double standards of purity and respectability for women, which imprison us even in our relative enlightenment. i'm not bitter that it used to be that way, but it pisses me off that we reject so many other primitive customs as "uncivilized" and still keep this crap around.
::feminist rage::

Ladies..

[love---story.livejournal.com]

Which do you prefer a vibrator or a dildo? And why?

Also, another question for those of you that shave do you just use a regular shaver or what? I'm curious.

Thanks. :]

Stomach Cramps in Abdomen

[a-life-verbatim.livejournal.com]

I was a bit constipated early this morning and I guess I sat on the toilet a bit longer than usual. A few minutes after I left the bathroom I started getting cramps down in my abdomen, under my belly and just above my vagina (if that makes sense).

It's the part where I have stretch marks from when I lost weight. Does anyone know why I'm getting these cramps? I've gotten them before, they last about ten minutes and they're very, very strong.

Pussies: Having and Being

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

My significant other and I had a conversation about a week ago, and it's been on my mind ever since.

We were watching a random news channel on TV, and he said in reaction to one commentator or another, "What a pussy," to mean that person was weak willed and passive.

"I thought you liked pussy," I replied, "so why are you saying it like it's a bad thing?"

He saw my point but wasn't convinced. "What about people who say 'dick' when someone's being overbearing and aggressive?"

It's the same thing, I admitted, but it didn't change the fact that I was hurt to hear someone I love using "vagina slang" as a derogatory term. And it was such an offhand comment; he didn't think anything of it. He thinks I'm still being too sensitive about it.

Granted, it's not a good thing to be called a dick, either, but I currently specifically dislike "pussy" for several reasons:

1) The idea that if someone is a "pussy," he (since I've heard it used almost exclusively when referring to males) has feminine characteristics and is therefore undesirable.
2) The idea that passivity and lack of will are inherently feminine characteristics.
3) The danger that if people view the word pussy with negative connotations, they will come to view actual pussies (vaginas, not kitties) negatively. Too few people recognize that language is a framework for thinking. They do not know the power language has over them.

pill and pregnancy.

[https://users.livejournal.com/----sign/]

so, i just finished the last pill of my first package of ortho tricyclen lo.
the first week i had horrible mood swings.
the second i was really achy.
and then now i'm fine.
my real question lies here.
since this past week i've been on the placebo pill, does it mean the pill isn't actually working? my boyfriend and i had sex last night and he came inside me and i'm getting kind of scared.

edit-
thanks a ton for the info.

Drinking alcohol while on the pill

[blackperson.livejournal.com]

This is weird but I just wanted to ask the group.

My boyfriend and I go out drinking a lot. Before we started dating, I wasn't on the pill regularly but when we became serious I decided it was time.

Anyway, back in the day I could hold my liquor. I was LEGENDARY. My roommate and I still talk about the night of 36 shots. I was still going strong (Can you tell I'm proud?). But the point is whenever I go drinking now, I'm gone after 3 or 4 drinks. 6 and I'm done for the night. And I feel more drunk than I should after that many. He suggested maybe the pill was a factor (because I don't take any other pills) but I wasn't sure.

Is there any research about how the pill effect alcohol tolerance?

oh, Divacup

[ophelia-cat.livejournal.com]

Hey guys.

I just bought a diva cup and tried it out for the first time. Once "installed" it was very very comfortable. But getting it in and out was nerve-wracking. I had a hard time slipping it in, and an equally hard time getting a grip on the stem to yank it out.

I'm a rather small person.

Do I just need to practice?

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to this?

Thanks very much in advance.

pill query

[im-sassy.livejournal.com]

hello! i have a few questions about the pill. i was on loestrin FE for a while and i loved it. i got it through planned parenthood and last time i went, they had stopped carrying that kind. the doctor i spoke to said that nordette would be most like loestrin fe but for some reason she wanted to put me on ortho tri-cyclen. i'm on that now and it is giving me all sorts of side effects. i called a different planned parenthood location to see if they carried my original kind, but i guess all of the ones in los angeles have the same options. my question is, how can i find out which pills are most like the one i was on? should i try a different loestrin? the nordette? i feel like the doctor put me on ortho tri-cyclen because it was the hot new one, or they had a lot of stock or something because she didn't give me any reason why i should take that one over the one that would likely have suited me better.
is it safe to say that if i find a pill with the same levels of progesterone and whatever else, that it will react the same? i was so happy with my pill and now i feel like i have to start all over again, and i want to request something rather than having the doctor just shoot in the dark. i'd like to have some input.
thanks!

GirlNation

[kayleighraven.livejournal.com]

I thought this was appropriate to the community, but mods feel free to delete if you wish.

There is a new forum for women (men are welcome too!) at >>>GirlNation.org<<<. We discuss topics from sexuality to women's health to feminism and politics. Quite a few boards are only visible when you're registered so come check us out!

ok this might be a stupid question...

[boboobooo.livejournal.com]

but plz bare with me...i didn't have sex with my bf...the question here is; y is my period 3days late? knowing u never had sex and even if u fooled around with ur bf and no cum went even inside u or even near ur vagina, is it normal to be that late? can it be cuz there isn't an egg for the month or cuz of the weather changing? i know this might sound stupid but i'm worried, i know i shouldn't be that worried if i didn't have sex but it still freaks me out cuz my period has never been this late b4...can any1 plz give me any advice.

~A

Strange lump in vagina

[http://users.livejournal.com/_evening_rain_/]

Hi,

I just joined this community, but I've been reading it on and off out of general interest in women's health. :) My boyfriend and I recently discovered a lump in my vagina - he has better access to it than I do because of physical restrictions. Anyway, it's on the left hand side, and there's a fleshy tip, followed by a ridge and a hard base - according to his description. It's about two inches long. I can only reach it when I'm squatting. I thought it could be my cervix if my vagina was crooked and the cervix was particularly protruding, but I don't think it's deep enough. I've noticed an imbalance in that area before so there's a chance this thing has been growing for a while (perhaps even a year). Normally it doesn't hurt, but we just had a poke around in there to get a better idea of the lump and the area is a little achy now. There hasn't been any other abnormality, vaginal or otherwise. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday for a general checkup, during which I'm going to ask about this, but I don't know if I can get it examined right there and then. In the meantime, I'd greatly appreciate any ideas you might have about this, I'm pretty worried. Thanks! :)

ETA : Thanks for your replies! I didn't know about the cervix moving around during the cycle. We did another "examination" in the light of this information and it turns out this thing must be my cervix because there really isn't anything beyond it. So, it's just very low, it seems. And since it's on the left, I must have a crooked vagina.

Rejoicing

[secretidentity5.livejournal.com]

I've never been so happy to get my period. Even the first time, when my mom immediately treated me to a movie and made whatever I wanted to eat all day, it still wasn't a happy occasion, because I was still a scared, depressed little kid.

But a few weeks ago I got my first BC perscription, and I've been biting my nails waiting to be able to start taking them, scared that I would once again be several days late and have to wait until february to start on my pills.

I just thought I'd share the joy of being able, for once, to see my period as something other than a fun-killer.

a friend in need of advice...

[lunabelle.livejournal.com]

Genitle Worts (HPV)
My friend and I are just wondering...
what are the ways it can be transmitted?
We know its through the blood stream... but can you get it from oral sex?
Pretty sure that you can still get it with using a condom..

any tips or info would be great!
Thanks ladies!!

Just curious...

[scarsnsouvenirs.livejournal.com]

I feel slightly guilty posting this question when there are girls with serious questions about vaginal abnormalities (or normalities), pregnancy fears, and BC conundrums. But once my mind gets going, it doesn't stop. I lie in bed with my boyfriend, and rather than saying something "normal" like, "I'll love you forever," I say things like, "What if your neighbor's dog fell off their balcony and ended up on yours, and then it was looking in the window? Would you feed it, or what?" So, that said...

I was thinking: When the hymen breaks, what exactly happens to it? Does the flap of skin just hang there? Is it completely detached? Does it magically disintegrate? Know what I mean?

About breasts, not vaginas.

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

Woman Promotes the Right to Go Topless (or: Boobies are scary! But only women's boobies.)

( Read the entire article at the link above or here behind the cut. )

off BC, want back on... no period!

[http://users.livejournal.com/-glass-/]

ok... i checked the archives here and FAQs at the birth control community, but i wasn't finding what i was looking for.

i was taking birth control, and i didn't this past month because i never got a refill of them. i've had sex, and with a condom. my period always came on a friday, and it's not showing up.

my question isn't if i'm pregnant, it's if you stopped taking your pill, did your period go wonky, or did you still get it on time?

i've been known to have pretty irregular periods. i could go fifty days without one, or i could go three months without one. having it every month was fantastic, and i really want to start again, but it's hard when i don't have my period.

being sunday night, it's just two days late... but of course i'm paranoid.

(no subject)

[everglow.livejournal.com]

So I have a question about my friend we've been having sex everyday I cum in her when we do. She takes the pill everyday at the same time but today after I came in her she has an acheing pain just above her pelvic bone where she thinks her uterus is and she's never had this feeling before and it's uncomfortable and it hurts and doesn't know why it's happening, anyone ever have this feeling before or any idea what it is? If it contiues she'll go to the doctor but for now she's just curious. thanks

(no subject)

[quatre-vingts.livejournal.com]

I checked the entries like a good vulva lovin' superstar and didn't find anything on these questions, but if I missed something, kindly direct me there!

Hokay, so:

-My period is usually heavier at the beginning and lighter towards the end--the blood is barely coating the inside of my softcup by the day I put my patch back on (today). However, this time 'round, it's the opposite--the flow has been moderate since it began Wednesday, but today it's been quite heavy, not any heavier than my heaviest days on normal periods though. ANYWAY. I'm not worried or anything, just curious to know what sort of things can affect heaviness of flow like that.

-Where's the cheapest place to buy a Diva Cup (to ship to the United States)?

menstruation-related rant

[oh-loverrr.livejournal.com]

i need to rant, vagina buddies, about the fact that i haven't STOPPED bleeding since september 2004.

( Read more... )

i'm normally at peace with my vagina. i love her and accept her and all of her idiosyncracies. but i'm growing tired of this bleeding issue. i suppose i need some advice and guidance and support in general.

thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for responding. :-*

V-Day

[cookieavalanche.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure many of you know of this, but the time is coming around again-- it's time to start planning for V-Day and there are ample opportunities to take action on this day. V-Day is generally held on or around Valentines Day (Feb. 14th).

V-Day is not just about the Vagina Monologues, although it was started by Eve Ensler and often involves Vagina Monologues performances. V-Day is a global movement to take creative actions and educate people concerning violence against women and girls. Here's a website about V-Day. And here's an LJ community set up to talk about it and discuss plans and get inspired: v_day.

Whether it be performing a play or protest, handing out leafeletts by yourself or with a group, organizing and holding a vigil in your city, holding fundraisers for domestic abuse and rape crisis shelters, making a website, talking to people, or whatever other creative action you think of, V-Day is a really great opportinuty to take symbolic and pratical stands against feminized violence. It is a chance to stand in solidarity with others, locally, nationally, and abroad, who also want to end violence against women.

There are lots of creative things that groups and individuals can do on V-Day. Even just hanging up fliers around your city or town to organize vigil can be incredibly powerful-- we did something similar in my town and it was really great, and the newspapers got involved.

I'm writing this to encourage everybody to try and do something for V-Day, whether it be a huge group action or just wearing a slogan on your shirt, or something in between. Please pass on the word.

cross-posted to feminist, veg_feminism, ecofeminism, womens_studies, vaginapagina. Thank you!

does progestin BC (IUD) cause peeing problems?!

[sulingsi.livejournal.com]

hi there!
thanks for all your gyno horror stories and good gyno stories, they were funny and sad and very interesting.
all right, now i have a different question. often i get these ideas into my head and suddenly i just become obsessed with them and decide that is what i'm going to do. today this happened to me, in regard to getting an IUD. suddenly i have decided to make an appointment with my gyno for a consult about getting an IUD, although i haven't had any kids.

here's my question. i have problems with urinary urgency which i've always had, but had seemed to get worse in the past year, worse at some times than others. i had a workup for interstitial cystitis, but i haven't had a UTI-like pain in months. i think it's my nuvaring! now, i love my nuvaring, don't get me wrong. i love it so much i would keep it even if it were causing my peeing problems. but then i realized an IUD might be cheaper, easier, and not have that effect. the mirena IUD would be the one i'm trying for, and it releases progestin, from what i've read. will the progestin have the same effect on my bladder as the nuvaring might be having? i guess what i'm asking is, i've heard people say that all kinds of hormonal BC have given them peeing troubles, but what about progestin only types? i've been to iud_divas, i'll post there if no luck here.

p.s. i also can't find a website that shows exactly what the percentage of women with no children who get perforation or expel in the first year with a mirena is, so if anyone has a link, that would be great.

(no subject)

[l-c-h-a-n.livejournal.com]

**Cross-posted on sexadvice**

Okay, I've been having this problem for a while now, but I'm not always sure if it's really a problem or not.
About a year ago I had the shot. I had two doses (Depo-Provera) each lasting three months. Towards the end of the six months that I had been taking it, I started bleeding from my vagina, and not in the normal, "Yes, I'm having my period today" kind of way. Real blood. A little while before that, I was having sex with my boyfriend and my vagina began to hurt. Like stinging really bad. The blood didn't happen for about a week afterwards, but I was rushed to the hospital by my mother. They did a pelvic exam and said everything was normal.
The problem is I still have that stinging pain occasionally, and most certainly if we do it more than twice. Is this just something I'll have to get used to? (No marathon sex for me!)

I now use the NuvaRing thanks to the advice given on sexadvice and I love it. I reccomend it to any woman who doesn't mind poking around downstairs every month.

Thanks for your help.

(no subject)

[kragey.livejournal.com]

1. I'm looking for personal stories of women here who have used Seasonale, since I trust you all and my friend and I may soon be going on it. What are the side effects you've experienced [breast enlargement, acne, weight gain, etcetera]? Does it really give you only 4 light periods a year, and are they at all predictable?

2. If I wanted to have ONE and only ONE of my ovaries removed, could I still have children?

3. Is it possible to have your hymen surgically removed? Because mine is very thick and only has one tiny hole for menstruating out of; even my gyno has mentioned the oddity of it, and I've actually started calling it "The Berlin Wall". T_T