non-hormonal birth control

[i-depart-as-air.livejournal.com]

my husband and i have used condoms exclusively for the past 2 years or so, and we're both tired of them. i've gone to my doctor and tried to talk about other options besides hormonal birth control, which i'm incredibly leery of, but i can't get anything resembling helpful information out of him. thank you, military health professional!
so we're on the search on our own. i came across this today thanks to a helpful livejournal friend, and i'm going back and forth right now between combining that with the sponge/etc or possibly an iud. (but that slightly makes me cringe too) at this point i'd appreciate any leads you could give, i'd appreciate personal testimonies even more.

Birth Control Trial

[harpseal.livejournal.com]

I found this on Craig's List. It may be of intrest to someone. It's a Study in the Philadelphia area for non-hormonal birth control.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/etc/76217488.html

(no subject)

[phenomenaenergy.livejournal.com]

I just found out that my gyno doesnt perscribe EC and I cant get it from any other gyno or my regular doctor.

The one time that I had to get it perscribed to me they gave me a pack of birth control and made me take 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening. I got sick, but I think I might as well do that with the birth control packs I already have. Problem is, they gave me a strange birth control to take and I only have Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo.


Is there a difference?
What should I do? (Besides getting a new gyno, how worthless.)

Thanks again!

(no subject)

[skeletonkeydoor.livejournal.com]

ahhh ok so for about a day and a half now i've been having these very sharp pains around my clit that come and go with moving and whatnot. i'm wondering if there's any connection to the use of my vibrator, but i dont even use it that often. the pain lasts a few seconds and is so strong sometimes i loose my breath and have to totally stop what i'm doing. has this happened to any of you? and is there anything you did to alleviate yourself?

thank you.

Yeastie questions

[iangelofmusici.livejournal.com]

So apparently I have a yeast infection. I went to the gyno yesterday, mentioned that I have internal itching but no external itching, smell, or discharge. He checked under the microscope and returned with a prescription for Diflucan and an external cream, so I'm going to assume that it is, indeed, a yeast problem (perhaps it just hasn't gotten bad enough yet for the other symptoms? Not that I'm complaining). Over-the-counter meds have never managed to help me as far as yeast infections are concerned and I don't want to have to keep taking more and more Diflucan, so I have two questions to help make sure I get rid of it in one go:

1. How long do I have to wait before having sex again after taking the Diflucan? The pharmacist gave me the generic version, and all the packaging says is to abstain from sex while using it.. but it's only a one-time use, and I know that not having sex today but having it tomorrow would not work. So, should I wait seven days after taking it? As soon as symptoms disappear? Seven days after symptoms disappear? Something else entirely? Also, would a back-up method be recommended (I'm on the pill, guess I should have mentioned that), and for how long? Sadly, the packaging and insert really aren't very clear on any of this... :(

2. I want to make sure my boyfriend doesn't transfer it back to me, so I want him to use a cream just in case (he's showing no symptoms, but I know that people say it can be transferred back and forth anyway). After reading the packaging on the prescription cream the doctor gave me (generic of Lotrisone), it seems like it would be a very bad idea to give it to him if he doesn't actually have anything (especially since sharing prescriptions is a no-no anyway). But I can give him Monistat cream, right? The only thing I'm worried about there is that, if a medicine like Monistat can't cure my yeast infections, can it kill off any infection that he got from me??

Sorry for the long post! Thanks so much for any help!

(no subject)

[pooo0u30nw.livejournal.com]

I know this is not striclty vagina related but im not sure where else to post it, you all seem like knowledgeable ladies so i hope you can help.

I am 20, my boyfriend is 21. We enjoy a really active sex life, we're kind of kinky but also like to have 'normal' sex now and again. Over 6 months ago my boyfriend had a disturbing wet dream involving a friend of his mum, then a few weeks/months later he had one involving a random ugly 50 year old, then he had another and last night he had one about an unattractive old hooker. He is becoming really concerned about them and feels like a pervert for having such messed up dreams, i cant say its doing much for my self esteem either, no girl wants to hear her boyfriend is dreaming about sex with weird old women. However I am trying to be rational and understanding about it, i have done a bit of research and apparently the nature of wet dreams doesnt mean anything (many lads have them about their sisters or fathers) but i was wondering if any of you knew how to stop them?? I know people are gonna say we should have more sex or that he should masturbate more but he already gets as much action as needs.

Also, given his age should we see a doctor about it or just wait for his testosterone levels or whatever to settle down?

Thanks in advance.

x

not exactly another yeast infection question...

[constructingme.livejournal.com]

i was wondering if anyone who uses acidophilous to treat yeast infections has ever had a problem with it. i've been using it with great results, and i think i might have over dosed. i usually use the caps that have powder in them, but the other day i used a liquid gel and just punctured it. my yeast infection appears to be gone, but i'm itching/burning like crazy, in an allergic/irritation sort of way. i'm also a little puffier than usual in that area. did i overdo the acidophilous?

also, what is safe to use on that area for non-yeast itching? can i use hydrocortizone creams?

not vagina related...but...

[devotion666.livejournal.com]

Ok, I know it's not strictly vagina related, but it's something that I suppose most in love females have gone through.....getting to the point.... I'm scared, that after my boyfriend and I have sex for the first time; that somehow it will all change, our relationship will change, and we will forget the feelings we had from the start and center the relationship in only sex....

have any of you girls gone through this? how did you overcome that feeling?

thanks for any responses ;-)

First of thank you so much for replying, I did calm down a lot after your comments, but as some of you suggested, yesterday I spoke with my boyfriend. He was the most sweetest, comprehending thing, which basically told me not to worry, that sex was simply a "spicy" addition to everything, but that everything would still be the same, we'd keep joking, talking, fooling around, and enjoying our company, and overall, he'd keep loving me everyday a little more. It was very tranquilizing :-) So anyways, let life run its course ;-)

(no subject)

[cal-ifornia.livejournal.com]

I know sperm can live inside of you for up to 5 days, but is there anything i can do in order to ensure the chances of the sperm's survival are minimalized?? something like having a hot bath or something??? Thank you for enduring such a dumb question

Diva cup VS keep with an IUD

[dannigrl212.livejournal.com]

which should I buy?
I have a paragard IUD, and my strings wrap pretty neatly around my cervix.


what are the pros and cons of each?

x posted in IUD_divas

Not sure what this is...

[beautifulearth.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reading...I'm not sure how to explain this, but I will try my best.

Sometimes after I urinate, I notice what looks like a discharge in the toilet. It is not much or thick at all. It is white and just looks like small pieces that are floating(I apologize for being so graphic). I don't have any problems that I know of...no pain, unusual vaginal discharge, etc. On a side note, I am std free. Just wondering if anyone would have any idea about what is going on?

Thank you again!

Kidney infection?

[jill1780.livejournal.com]

Has anyone here had a kidney infection I think I might have one but I'm not sure. If you have how do you know you have one? I had UTI I few months ago and it never completely went away

traditional UTI treatments?

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know what women in Ye Olden Days used to do about UTIs? As far as I know, cranberry can possibly prevent them, and AZO can treat the pain, but only antibiotics can knock 'em out. I always hear that untreated UTIs can spread to the kidneys and do major damage--they are not something to be trifled with. Now, how many women here have a had UTI in their lives? LOTS of us. Would we all have died from them if we lived before antibiotics? Were women constantly dying of kidney infections or what? Seems like a pretty silly thing to die from; like if our short urethras left us vulnerable to deadly infection, evolution would have found a way to "fix" that. I mean, poop bacteria has been around as long as we have, and hygiene was probably worse back then to boot. Maybe we're just wussies now compared to our foremothers? Maybe the dangers of UTIs are overstated? Maybe there was some "nuclear option" (heh) herbal cure that they used to use? What's the deal?

(no subject)

[meth.livejournal.com]

Ok! So I made my boyfriend go get me some Monistat 1 with the cream in it for my yeast beast today. So, I just inserted the 'egg'-pill thing, and I'm about to go to bed. I heard some women complain about Monistat being harsh because of the medicine that's jam-packed in there. Would I be affected by this since I'm going to bed?

Alittle background, I started getting itchyness and swolleness around my vagina about 2 days ago. For about a week, I've had a rancid smell around that area. Not so much the discharge, but around my vagina and labia. I looked on the Monistat package and it said if the discharge has a smell, fever, chills, etc, I should see a doctor. Having none of the serious symptoms, I decided I would use it.

So my question is, should I go see a doctor sometime in the next week? I have exams all next week, so I'm going to be pretty busy. And the Planned Parenthood by me stopped walk-ins for exams. But would I need an exam for a yeast infection to find if it is something more serious, like BV?

Thank you so much! :)

Contribute to scarleteen.com book!

[just-a-duck.livejournal.com]

http://www.scarleteen.com/bookquotes.html

Dear Readers,
For the sexuality guide I am in the process of EDITING and completing, expected to be on the shelves by Spring of 2006 and published by Cleis Press, I am in need of quotes/short paragraphs on various sexuality and relationship issues and topics from you: the readers in your teens and early twenties (preferably men and women both, between the ages of 16 and 21) for whom the book is written. Quotes from you, in your own words, on some of the topics of the book will help other readers to feel comfort in shared experience as well as to see a diversity of experience they might not have expected. Your own words will also be helpful in clueing in parents and other adults reading the book to the reality of young adult experience with sexuality. Lastly, these replies will also be helpful in future book adaptations, additional book projects and ongoing development to the Scarleteen site.

There are a lot of questions below, so write a little (or a lot) about whichever of these topics/questions as you like: if only one really speaks to you and seems like something you want to share experiences with, that's absolutely fine. The questions are there not because you should try and answer all of them, but to give you ideas of what areas you might feel inclined to talk about. If you just want to talk generally about a topic, not the individual questions posed, go right ahead. If you have a particular story you want to tell about your experiences with sexuality, even if it's not included in one of the questions, tell it. What I'm really looking for here are your own stories: usable, conversational quotes, not dry data to compile for a survey. So, for example, the following answer about masturbation:

"I started masturbating when I was ten. I don't feel ashamed about it. I'm not always sure what to do, and it's hard to find privacy sometimes, but it makes me feel good about my body, and makes me feel good, period. I haven't been able to talk to my partner about it yet though: it feels strange to bring it up."

-- is the sort of thing I'm looking for, rather than something like --

"I masturbate. I started at 10. I like it."

It's very important that you answer these honestly, not in a way you think makes you look or sound good, or is what you think I want to hear. Your experiences -- whatever they have been -- are what are important here. So, even if something you think should be positive has been negative for you, be honest. If you're embarrassed to say something, know that your email nor these sheets will be shared with ANYONE save myself and my assistant unless a quote is used: if you're more comfortable being more anonymous than just your first name, feel free to give yourself a different name than yours. If a quote is published, only the first name given, your age and possibly your gender will be printed.

In sending in quotes, you are giving permission for publication of your words in the book, authored by myself, and your work may be edited for clarity, readability or relevance. Please email replies/answers before June 6th to: stbook@scarleteen.com. Users can also post replies via the message boards here. Feel free to print and/or distribute this survey to students, friends, siblings, school or community groups, other online communities and the like. A plain text version of the questionnaire to print can be downloaded here. The more replies I receive, the better represented young adults can be as a group.


Thank you!
Heather Corinna, Founder, Scarleteen

( questions )