help-- my gyno is forcing me off the patch!

[dizzle09.livejournal.com]

Late Thursday night, I used cvs.com to refill my OrthoEvra prescription. Friday afternoon, I got a call from the pharmacist saying that for some reason, I wasn't allowed to refill and that I should call my gynocologist. So I did, but they were already gone for the afternoon. They called me back Monday morning and told me that due to the blood clot issue, they weren't allowing any of their patients to be on the patch anymore, and that I should use condoms until I could get an appointment. I explained to her that I needed some kind of hormonal birth control right away. I was using the patch because my blood has trouble clotting and without some sort of regulation, my period will last for weeks. So she prescribed me the pill that I was on before I started the patch, just for a month until I can come in for an appointment.

What should I do? I really like the convenience of the patch, plus I have a gag reflex so strong that even something as small as a BC pill is difficult to swallow. She mentioned the NuvaRing as something we could discuss at the appointment, so maybe I'll see how that goes.

Should I switch to a different gyno, or are lots of gynos adopting a "no patch" policy lately? I thought it was kinda weird. But other than this incident, I really like my gyno. So I don't know if staying on the patch is worth it to me to leave a good gyno.

(no subject)

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

This is the link i posted in responce to lovethatlovage's inquiry about monthly periods several posts below. It's all the way on the bottom of the thread, so to maximise exposure i'm going to repost the link here.


http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/menstruation.htm



Enjoy

(no subject)

[jordypunchface.livejournal.com]

hi. i've been on depo for over a year. i was wondering if anybody else experienced your cooter smelling strange sometimes. randomly. it can be really fishy smelling sometimes. or just not normal. don't tell me to go to the doctor, because i plan on it. i just know that i've heard people say that depo affects your vagina and i wanted to know if i could get get some feedback on that. i know that when me and my ex would have a lot of sex, it would get all nasty and gross there for all that stuff being in there. so i can understand it being freaky then, but i haven't had sex in like 2 months. it's pretty embarrasing. or is it normal? i have no idea. oh crap, it's 4am. help?

Antibiotics and labial swelling

[mona-lott.livejournal.com]

Last Thursday my doctor gave me a prescription for Omnicef to treat a very bad cold/early sinus infection. Yesterday I woke up with mild pain/discomfort around my clitoris, but since it was four in the morning I simply shrugged it off, got dressed for work and went about my day. All day I felt a kind of mild burning/itching/pressure/pain kind of thing. Hard to describe, but I was very aware of it all day long. Finally at about 9:30 last night I took a looksee, and my inner labia around my clitoris were swollen and red. Today it feels slightly worse (or maybe I'm just hyperaware of it now), but I have to leave for work shortly and there's no time to check and see if it is worse or if it's just my imagination.

Side effects were listed as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (which I have, oh joy), and yeast infection. I've never had a yeast infection before so I'm not sure if that's what this is. There's no discharge, and no itching around my vagina. Everything is centered around my clitoris.

Counting today, I have five more days of antibiotics left to take. Should I keep taking them and just keep and eye on things? These were expensive pills, and I really don't want to throw them away and start something else.

Is there anything I can try or do to relieve the swelling, or make myself more comfortable? Wearing a skirt is not an option, as my job is very physical and jeans are the best thing to wear. Which really isn't helping the pressure/pain part of things, but I'm good at suffering quietly. :)

::EDIT - 5:50pm::
I just checked again after getting out of the shower, and my inner labia are completely swollen, I'm red from clitoris to anus, and I'm very, very, very itchy. I'm now leaning towards a yeast infection. Yay.

31 years without any problems whatsoever from my vagina, and now this. Joy.

should i take plan b?

[back-lit-canopy.livejournal.com]

last night i had piv sex for the first time. i am not on any hormonal birth control. my partner did not have a condom on. the sex consisted of him attempting to fit into me for several minutes, a couple minutes of actual intercourse, then he pulled out and we continued with oral sex and whatnot.

my question is, should i take an emergency contraceptive? we had sex at about 5 or 6am- am i past the window of time in which i can take it?

thanks in advance!

EDIT: he has been getting tested regularly for quite a few years, and was tested recently, and is STI/STD-free. i havn't been tested yet, but he was my first and thus far only with everything. i do plan on going on hormonal birth control as soon as i return to my town (i'm at college and it's more expensive from my university's health center than from the planned parenthood). i'm heading down to the health center later today to get plan b, just to be safe. luckily i have the best roommate/bestfriend ever and she's coming with me because it's kind of intimidating. oh- also, it was probably a one-time deal. (oh drama...)

the whole ortho-evra thing

[justlikepoetry.livejournal.com]

there seems to be a ton of controversy over ortho-evra lately, so i wanted to put up this article, as it is a very positive one. (and if someone already posted this, feel free to delete it.)

Birth Control Use

[ratatusk.livejournal.com]

I just started using the birth control pill (Aleese) and I have a couple generic questions that weren't answered anywhere else.

-How much lee way do you have when taking the pill? I know you're suppose to take it at the same time every day, but does it have to be at the exact same time or is it alright if it's fifteen (an arbitrary number) minutes off?

-How soon is the pill effective? For instance, are you able to (hypothetically) have sex without any other form of contraceptive days after taking the first pill or do you have to wait a certain amount of time?

Thanks!

Hag Rags as DivaCup backup

[tea-and-jam.livejournal.com]

Has anybody here ordered from hag rags? I just placed a fairly large order, and I'm ecstatic. I have a divacup, but I always forget to empty it so it overflows and my panties get bloody and my periods have been irregular due to stress and medication and I refuse to use commercial menstual products so I've been looking into cloth pads for awhile and these seemed the cheapest. Any experiences with them? devievery time, or in general? cloth pads in general? thanks so much

PCOS and an IUD?

[theboleynorchid.livejournal.com]

Hi!

I was recently diagnosed with PCOS, and I am being treated with Metformin (glucophage). I've had it about 3 years now, though my doctors never caught it. I actually did by looking up my symptoms and asking about it. Anyhow, I have intentions of getting an IUD within the next month or so. I am currently on microgestin for birth control, and have been for about two years now, though I've been on BC for 7 years. I am 21 and over weight, like severely. Will the IUD pose an issue with my PCOS? Will it help at all? I know my doctor warned me about heavier and more painful periods with an IUD, but currently I am having NO period, so I kind of welcome that. Any ideas, suggestions, insights?

x-posted in vaginapagina and iud_divas

EDIT: To clarify, I will be going off the microgestin and will be getting the paraguard (copper t380a), not the mirena. I am prediabetic, so losing weight is key. The hormones keep me from doing that. We're hoping that with metformin and being off hormones, with exercise and diet, we can help me lose weight, clear up PCOS symptoms, and keep me from becoming diabetic.

(no subject)

[releko.livejournal.com]

hey there ladies. i'm a new member so i figured i'd give you some of my stats:

( newbie stats )

PVC & sex toys...

[live-momma.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine sent me this article, and I thought some here might be interested. The article is quite lengthy, so here's the link and an excerpt:

Naughty by Nature
Ever thought about the toxins in your sex toys?
By Emily Gertz
06 Dec 2005

...Many popular erotic toys are made of polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) -- plastics long decried by eco-activists for the toxins released during their manufacture and disposal -- and softened with phthalates, a controversial family of chemicals. These include invitingly soft "jelly" or "cyberskin" items, which have grown popular in the last decade or so, says Carol Queen, Ph.D., "staff sexologist" for the San Francisco-based adult toy boutique Good Vibrations. "It's actually difficult for a store today to carry plenty of items and yet avoid PVC," Queen says. "Its use has gotten pretty ubiquitous among the large purveyors, because it's cheap and easy to work with."

In recent years, testing has revealed the potentially serious health impacts of phthalates. Studies on rats and mice suggest that exposure could cause cancer and damage the reproductive system. Minute levels of some phthalates have been linked to sperm damage in men, and this year, two published studies linked phthalate exposure in the womb and through breast milk to male reproductive issues.

A study in 2000 by German chemist Hans Ulrich Krieg found that 10 dangerous chemicals gassed out of some sex toys available in Europe, including diethylhexyl phthalates. Some had phthalate concentrations as high as 243,000 parts per million -- a number characterized as "off the charts" by Davis Baltz of the health advocacy group Commonweal. "We were really shocked," Krieg told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Marketplace in a 2001 report on the sex-toy industry. "I have been doing this analysis of consumer goods for more than 10 years, and I've never seen such high results."

The danger, says Baltz, is that heat, agitation, and extended shelf life can accelerate the leaching of phthalates. "In addition, [phthalates are] lipophilic, meaning they are drawn to fat," he says. "If they come into contact with solutions or substances that have lipid content, the fat could actually help draw the phthalates out of the plastic." Janice Cripe, a former buyer for Blowfish -- a Bay Area-based online company whose motto is "Good Products for Great Sex" -- confirms the instability of jelly toys: "They would leak," she says. "They'd leach this sort of oily stuff. They would turn milky" and had a "kind of plasticky, rubbery odor." She stopped ordering many jelly toys during her time at Blowfish, even though their lower prices made them popular...

BV - getting rid of the smell?

[miss--kay.livejournal.com]

I have this fishy smell and I figured I have BV.
I just called my doctor and he doesn't have any appointments until the 29th.
Is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell?

in between periodlike symptoms

[laurenish23.livejournal.com]

this is my first post in this community, and i have a problem. my period is usually at the end of the month, right around the 26th, i'm not very regular and i'm not on the pill. i haven't been sexually active for about 2 months now, and the one occasion i've had sex since then, i used a condom. now yesterday evening, i noticed a discharge, much like that of the last day of my period. its continued into today and gotten slightly heavier. my period is still roughly 2 weeks away, any clue as to what this is about?

EDIT: also, i've had some cramps. not my typical period cramps but they're still there.

cramps/tampons question

[essos.livejournal.com]

I hardly ever use tampons because a)they're not the healthiest things in the world and b) they cause me to be crampier than usual. Are the two related? What is it about a tampon that would cause me to experience more cramps?

Thanks.

Quick newbie birth control question (Kariva)

[komichi.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm just starting birth control (28 day Kariva), and I can't find a good answer for this...

Basically, Kariva has 26 active pills, and 2 inactive. However, following the 2 sugar pills are 5 estrogen (rather than the normal progesterone-estrogen mix). Should I expect a 2-3 day period, or does the estrogen not make much difference and thus expect a full period?

beer/ yeasties?

[skeletonkeydoor.livejournal.com]

can drinking beer cause yeast infections? or be irritating to the vagina? i've been having dry itchy vag problems a lot lately and i'm sposed to drink tonight with a few friends but i'm not sure if it could affect my problem or not. what do you think?

sex toy?

[elmofrog.livejournal.com]

About six months ago I happened upon a website that had a sex toy that looked like the arm of a chair with a dildo strapped to it. The arm like thing went between your knees and you sat on it. I cannot find this website again and wanted to know if anyone on here has heard of it. I've searched all over online for things like seat dildo, vibrator seat, sex seat, etc and cant find it. Can anyone help?

Nervous question ;o;

[thecrimsondrago.livejournal.com]

Okay..here we go again:

( query )

Short but sweet..but yeah, it's making me really nervous. I couldn't remember whether or not you show the signs of ovulation or yeah, you guys get the idea. :x

My first gyno experience.

[shes--atiger.livejournal.com]

I'm 17, have been sexually active since I was 13, have had 6 partners since then, and currently in a monogamous long-term relationship with my boyfriend and I was his first. I figured it was time I go, because I was finally able to convince my dad that it was important, also because a few of my parters didn't use condoms, and I was raped when I was 15 [he doesn't know that, though].

I get to the office, sign in, and pay for my services [$135]. Wait in the waiting room awhile, and watch pregnant girls come and go. Most of them were young.

They call me in, I go back to a room with an exam chair, and a bunch of little instruments and such on the table beside it. The nurse asks me questions about my period, how regular it is, when the last time I had it was, and tells me how to put the gown thing on and leaves.

I put said gown thing on, and I wasn't sure if I did it right so I fucked with it until the doctor came in. I felt..odd...being all nakie just chillin. She's all "HI IM DR. VORA!" and I'm sitting there naked, covered in a crappily made paper gown. She asked me more questions like when I became sexually active, how many partners I've had, what birth control method I'm currently using, etc.

Then she had me move my positioning and lay down. She checked my boobays for lumps [none, woot!] and moved me again. I guess she used some lube on the speculum, but I didn't notice until afterwards. It didn't hurt at all, and she walked me through the process. The thing that scraped my cervix was uncomfortable, but it was over soon so whatever. She told me it was all over, and I was like woot. It was less than 5 minutes. She also told me that my vag is normal and healthy and clean and doesn't smell funny :D hahah. She said I have no obvious STD's or problems, but my cervical stuff is going to the lab to make sure I don't have cervical cancer, or anything like that. I have to wait to get my birth control until my test results come back. My next appointment is January 10th at 3:30 :]

After that we went to another building and I had blood taken [to test for HIV/AIDS] and a urine sample to also be tested for my pee problem :[ I don't think it's a UTI anymore as much as it is Interstitial Cystitis . Taking my blood didn't hurt, even though the needle was huge. The doctor kept complimenting my makeup. He was kind of weird but nice.

Anyway, it was a good experience. Not any pain, really, and I finally got all my tests done :] I'm pleased. Many of the girls I talk to told me I was really smart and that they were proud of me for taking the initiative, and not being scared to go. Some of the girls are in their 20's and have never been, even though they're active!

I hope everything comes back good :]

Relationships, sex and body image.

[orangewrath.livejournal.com]

I’m not so sure where to begin with this, but some might see this as being too off topic. I know that this is a women’s health community, and that is just what I need help with. Although, I think anyone (setting gender aside) would be hurt by something like this. I’ll put it under a cut and mods, if you feel that it doesn’t apply, delete please, or ask me to do so.

Some background info: I’ve been dating Dan for a little over six months now. I’ve known him since early Middle School days and we’ve always had some sort of weird connection with each other. We go to the same high school, he’s a junior and I’m a sophomore.

( Cut for length. )

I want to have sex with him. I’ve enjoyed it so much. I can’t help like feeling it was somewhat a lie now. It’s my fault for not knowing how he feels now, I haven’t had the confidence to ask him about it. But how could I explain to him that I want to have sex with him, even after this, but I can’t seem to bring myself to even want to because of how he has and might still feel? I’m at such a loss for words. After writing this long and dragged out entry, I’m going to go and talk to him.

Ladies, please, help me. I can’t seem to bring myself over this one. I'm not even sure what I'm asking help for. I know that I'd like to feel like I love myself, but that seems like something only I can do. I should really speak with him about this, shouldn't I?

A thanks for my previous post.

[orangewrath.livejournal.com]

I would like to thank everyone that has commented. Especially the ones that completely disagree with what I've done. Now I, too, feel like I put him on the spot. I asked a "loaded" question as someone said and I got a truthful answer. What got me was that he said would like it better. I completely understand that everyone has their preferences, but it's accepting someone's body and loving them for who they are, to the fullest, that counts in this situation. He flat out told me that and apologized. Something I can, of course, live with. Yes, I am aware that I am more sensitive than most, but unlike some of you have misunderstood that I am a big girl now (in high school or not) and I can believe in myself and love myself. If I don't love myself, how can I love someone else?

I'm in love with Dan. I have been since I can remember. It was one of those times where you don't even realize you fell in love. Scariest, or no? I'm so willing to work through anything that comes our way because it is worth it. Whether it be my fault or his.

It was a rough patch that I'm going to have to get over. I feel so much better already. Thank you so much, ladies.

"You're so tight, baby." "Yeah, TELL me about it."

[wolfychan.livejournal.com]

Alright, here's a fun vagina problem and I hope I didn't miss a FAQ about it, but: is there anything to do when your vagina is just too damn tight? I've been able to have sex with men and dildos, but almost always uncomfortably. I don't know if I'm actually anatomically too small (which seems unlikely, every other part of my anatomy is pretty average size) or if I just don't know how to relax the muscles, but I feel like I'm just barely able to take one finger before it starts to hurt. Even besides hurting me, stuff just doesn't fit, to the point where it makes my male partners physically uncomfortable sometimes.

Is there... anything I can do? (And please don't say "consider activities besides intercourse," because I've considered them and more, believe me, but I would really really like to fuck too.) I know it's possible, vaginas are places where whole hands can go in and babies can come out, but I'm not even asking that much. I just want to have sex. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance if you can help me.

Childbirth recovery

[monkeyfriends.livejournal.com]

Since having my son, almost 8 weeks ago, I've had vaginal/Rectal problems. I originally thought I had a prolapsed uterus, because it felt like my uterus was falling out. Every time I would sit on the toilet I felt all this pressure, also if I squat on the floor, or walk for a long time. But, at my 4 week checkup my doctor said my uterus and cervix were all in place. She acted like I was just paranoid.

It might be relevant to mention that I tore while giving birth and had to get stiches. But again, she said that was all healed.

But, still, everytime I have to have a bowel movement, or even urinate, I have to press on my vaginal area because the pressure is so strong and painful. Anyone experience this? what is it?

I dont want to have sex because my vagina is sore all the time. I've only done it twice since giving birth. I feel terrible for my bf.

I can't continue with this pain. I walked in the mall for only an hour today and felt like I absolutely had to sit down because I had the terrible pressure in my vagina.

Also, I seem to have bad bowel movements now. I either have terrible diarrhea or I have painful hard bowel movements. Might this be related?