hormonal BC and antidepressants

[tink-sweetart.livejournal.com]

I've had severe depression for most of my life. After seeing a million doctors, and trying a bunch of different medications, I finally settled on Welbutrin, 150mg. It works, but just barely... I'm still a little down, but I can function as a normal human being while taking all the shit that life throws at me.

Anyway... I just started on OTC lo, and lately it seems like life is throwing a lot more shit at me than usual, when it really isn't. I'm pretty sure the BC is lowering the Welbutrins effectiveness... has anyone ever heard of this before?

D-mannose for UTI?

[radiax.livejournal.com]

I checked the UTI FAQ, and while it is very useful and comprehensive it didn't answer my question. Hope it's okay to post this here.

D-mannose is a sugar which is said to be effective in treating UTIs. I believe it the is reason why cranberry helps with UTIs. Can anyone offer any advice or information on its use? I am considering d-mannose as an alternative to long-term low-dose antibiotics. I have had four UTIs in the past three months, and my doctor has suggested this as the next step. The side-effects of antibiotics mean I'd rather avoid taking this route.

Googling gets me many commercial sites which have testimonials, but this stuff is expensive and I don't want to waste £20 if it's just a fraud. Any links to studies on this?

Contraceptive choices?

[aphrael.livejournal.com]

Hi there! I am looking at contraceptive options at the moment, and am trying to decide what is best. I have been on the pill previously, a combination pill called Trifeme. I was on it for about 4 years, and while it was effective, I suffered from mood swings and found it hard to remember to take it every day. I have been thinking about Depo Provera, but am not sure what kind of side effects are common with that one. I have also been interested in the Nuva Ring, but I live in Australia and I am not sure it is available here.
Really, I want something that involves miminal effort and is effective, without too many side effects. If anyone who is on Depo could give me some advice on how much it costs, side effects etc, I would be incredibly grateful.

Normal vs Abnormal Discharge? o.O

[kurotennyo.livejournal.com]

( So, I have a question about discharge. >.> )

I am very tempted

[angelicalangie.livejournal.com]

I am very tempted to do this diva/moon cup thing. I am sick of the continued expense of pads not to mention the damn rash I get where it rubs (can we say stings like the dickens???) so yeah I need a little, maybe a lot of pushing and persuasion, I will be one of the few in my university (English chica here) to do this. so yeah your testimonials and reasons help.

Plucking/waxing your crotch.

[xorangejuice.livejournal.com]

I'm up late, can't sleep, and bored, which lead me to try something. A while back I made a post about getting a brazilian bikini wax, and a girl mentioned that instead of waxing she plucked all the hair in her crotchal region. I decided to give it a try which has lead to a million questions.

How many of you girls do this or have attempted this? I got like honestly, not even one sixteenth plucked and it takes foreverrrr! I can deal with the pain but it takes wayyyy too long for me. How long does it usually take?

Also, is there such a thing as an at home wax kit that's both safe and effective to use down there? Thanks for any advice/tips!

(no subject)

[megggy.livejournal.com]

so some chunky white discharge showed up yesterday so today i used monistat for the first time..i put it in at midnight and just woke up because it is burning/itching soooo bad. its 2408x worse than it was before i did anything. to ease my mind a little i looked around online and i guess this is a really common side effect and should go away shortly. well how soon is shortly?? and what can i do in the meantime so it doesnt hurt so bad??
i took ibuprofen and it seems to have helped with the itch but not the burn..at least now i can possibly get some sleep.

EDIT
*When i woke up this morning it only burned a tiny bit..definitely bearable. yay!

Periods cycles and sex

[iwannamoshnow.livejournal.com]

I was wondering if anyone also noticed this. It seems to me that when I am living or spending a lot of time with another woman our cycles line up and we end up raging at the same time.

Also, When my boyfriend and I do it doggy it feels really good for me but it always ends up making me (and sometimes him) feel raw. This includes when we use a lot of lube. Any suggestions?

gyno troubles, and discharge

[https://users.livejournal.com/-out-of-tune/]

well i have 2 questions. one is kind of hard to explain thuogh but i will try my best.

1. so im a virgin (soon to be 20) and i'm kind of conflicted. a lot of my friends who are sexually active have gone to a gyno. some have suggested that i dont have to go to a gyno since i'm not sexually active, but then i heard a few people said that i should just to make sure everythings is good down there. do i really have to go to a gyno or no? i'm not sexually active and i don't plan on it for a long time.

edit:!! my problem with this is. if i ask to go to gyno, my mom will flip out on me, worrying that im being sexual active. is there a free way of getting checked up without my parents knowing about it?

2. there is a discharge, not even a discharge but it seems to be caught between the lips (i dont know the correct term). it's brownish, and i thought it was just caught up skin but i just want to make sure. its only in the lips, should i have to worry about it, or just clean it up everytime i see it?

thanks to those who answer!

Finally gave up on the pill; Nuvaring is my last hope...

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

I recently switched to Nuvaring after giving up on the pill. I tried 3 different pills (Yasmin, OTC-lo, and Ortho-Cyclen) and could not deal with the terrible moods and weight gain (I gained nearly 10 pounds as a result of all 3 pills, despite eating healthy). Since switching to Nuvaring a month ago, I've noticed that my moods have slightly improved and my weight has seemed to stabilize, though I have not lost any of it. I'd really like to lose this weight as soon as possible; I'm not very tall, so it really shows up on me. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Were you able to lose weight while on the ring? If so, how long did it take to lose weight after going off the pill? My gyno said that I could still be experiencing effects from the pills I took, and that could be why I haven't dropped any weight as of yet. Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. :)

x-posted

sick and discharge

[colorlikesparks.livejournal.com]

this may sound like an odd question. but you know when you are sick and you have tons of mucus in your mouth/throat/nose....is it possible for it to also come in your discharge?!. i've been pretty sick for a few days now and have noticed that i am having a LOT of discharge. and not just my regular whitish kind, but like clear mucusy kind and a lot of it. i'm pretty certain that it has to do with my being sick but i just wanted to make sure. it doesn't smell or anything like that, there i just a ton of it.

A little late taking the BC pill..

[burningashes.livejournal.com]

I take my pill at noon everyday without fail--of course, except yesterday. I slept right through my alarm and ended up taking it two and a half hours late. I had unprotected (in the barrier method sense) sex with my boyfriend last night, ejaculation occured inside of me. I was also on the last day of my period, very light spotting--that day having been my SECOND active pill of my NEW pill pack. My question is, do you think I'm in need of getting some EC, or should I be fine? Thank you ladies!

PID

[skookyspry.livejournal.com]

Three months ago, during my period, I was diagnosed with Pelvic Inflamitory Disease. The infection came from a regular bacterial infection. My doctor gave me antibiotics and the next day i ended up going to the hospitol. After a week or so, i felt better but as soon as my next period came... the infection came back. I have been tested for STD's and there are none, ive had 3 ultrasounds and a wide range of tests. Well i start my period this week, and sure enough im in pain again and feeling sick. I go back to my doctor tomarrow and we have decided the next step was a laparoscopy. I'm really scared about this. The infection ( unless something else is wrong) wont go away. The chances of it doing damage increase with every infection.Has anyone here ever had something like this? I'm sorry if its already been talked about, i checked and couldnt find anything. I'm really freaked out about this, so if anyone has any advice that would be great.
thank you!

Holy problem!

[smith-smith.livejournal.com]

I'm a lesbian.

I've had sex with a guy one time.

I only did it so then maybe I would liked being fingered... but I still don't like it!

I don't want to do anymore penises.. but I would like to enjoy having a girl finger me. Well, and maybe a dildo one day or something, who knows, who knows.

I don't even like the hole to be touched... I cringe and it just ruins the whole experience...

Is there some fucking secret to wanting stuff up there?

I'm fine with tampons only because pads are disgusting.

I wonder if it's all in my head?

When I masturbate I don't finger myself, I do the clitoral stimulaaaaationnnn... I've tried it before, but my finger up in there did nothing but make me want to pee after a while.

I just want to know if there's an easy way to go about this, haha

crazy cramps, normal or no?

[https://users.livejournal.com/-out-of-tune/]

thanks to everyone that answered my post about the gyno/virgin question but now i have another.

a few people that answered my post said i should go if my period cycles are off or unusual.

so im a little confused as to what is unusual periods.

so lets say i dont take any advil or anything before my periods start.

i get kind of get bad cramps, light headed, short breathing and queesy in the stomach.

but this only happens only one day out of the 5-6 day period time i have. and it only happens for maybe an hour or two.

however if i do take advil prior, i usually dont get any cramps at all.

should i really get this checked out?

eating disorder/bladder infection correlation?

[skeletonkeydoor.livejournal.com]

hi everyone. i have been struggling with bulimia for about a year. last night i ate a lot and decided to not throw up for once in hopes to try and cure myself. well this morning i woke with horrid stomach pains, so terrible that i almost passed out on the toilet because of the pain from bowel movements. after that i have been experiencing severe sharp pains in my abdomen and when i pee i feel extreme pressure on my bladder. the pain will not go away and i have trouble walking upright. going to the doctor is not feasible right now and i'm very worried. i've had these bizarre sharp pains in my bladder even before my eating disorder that have left me bed ridden for about three days before it goes away, so maybe i'm just crazy about thinking that they are related, i don't know. i'm wondering if anyone has experienced pain such as this before and what they did to alleviate it if so. i've been taking cystex pills and drinking cranberry juice and water.
thank you ahead of time for any comments or advice you may have.

bloodstain

[stillaworm.livejournal.com]

Ok, for those embarassing (but always eventual) period stains that you get on your panties, what do you girls find works best for getting the bloodstain out? Thanks.

Labiaplasty and Vaginoplasty

[theboleynorchid.livejournal.com]

Hi, ladies (and gents).

I am considering some plastic surgery. It won't be any time soon, as I want to wait and see if I have kids. But, the stuff I am considering is labiaplasty and vaginoplasty. Right now I am morbidly obese, and it shows in my girl parts. Enlarged mons and thick labia. This makes sex difficult and makes clothes hard to wear and sometimes painful. I am also considering breast uplifting and reduction (if I don't lose some boob while I lose weight). I was curious if any of you have done these surgeries or know someone who has, and if the ends justified the means, and any other backstory?

I totally understand loving myself and accepting myself. I don't hate how I look now. It is just unhealthy (the weight) and painful (the weight and girly bits that are too big). So, no lectures, just some advice and stories, please!

Inflammation of "inner lip"

[mousygirlblu.livejournal.com]

Recently, almost two weeks ago, I suspected I had some kind of infection or STD, so I got tested. Found out I had a yeast infection (my STD results came out all negative). I recieved antifungal cream, and after a week while the itching was noticibly much less, there still was some itching. I also noticed that one side of my "inner lips" (excuse my ignorance of what is properly named, I'm not very good with looking at diagrams, but perhaps the correct word would be "labium minus") seemed to be especially larger than the other side. It does seem itchy, but I'm not sure if it is normal to be inflamed due to me not having very much self control with itching or rubbing myself... I also notice after sex it is reasonably sore around the "vestibular fossa" (looking at this diagram: http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/cancer/sgog/assets/Vulva.jpg) area of my vagina. This is possibly from rough sex I think, but it seems a bit itchy also. I don't know if all the itch is a mind thing either, it is possible.
I cannot seem to find any information on after affects of yeast infections, or if a certain antifungal cream could make this happen, or if following the urge to itch would cause one of my inner lips of my vagina to be so inflamed... For being tested for STDs, getting the pap smear and whatnot it would eliminate the possibility of an STD or the like. Perhaps just a lingering yeast infection?
I'm confused and was seeing if there are any similar cases with people and what they did. I looked in the archives on yeast infections but none mentioned any sort of inflammation or seemed relevant to what is occuring to me in particular

stretching the vagina/cervix

[profusion.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! I had my first exam today (I had to get a prescription for BC) and she said my cervix was "nice and tight!". I've never had sex or use tampons, so that's probably normal.

But she advised me on trying to stretch it out by using tampons. I know I should, and I plan on attempting to do so in the future. But in the mean time, are there any ways to stretch out that particular area? I've heard of doing the splits everyday lol.

I looked this up in a search engine but only found stuff about it stretching during pregnancy!

Help!

Much love ladies <3

Spotting? Discolored Discharge from BV?

[--redtape.livejournal.com]

So I recently had BV (bacterial vaginitis/osis) due to me taking out my NuvaRing too much or something. I got the BV right after I put my first ring in and noticed the nasty smell, etc, but no discharge. I think I've got it taken care of... the smell is plenty gone, but wait -- I have brown discharge.

I noticed the brown discharge around the day of my gyno appointment to get medicine and I thought it may have been due to the bacterial infection, as if it were a nasty one since I had kind of went a long time before I went to see a doctor.

Ever since I could remember, I've always had a TON of discharge, so much that it was basically oozing at random times all day and was super annoying. Ever since I got the Ring, I've noticed almost none, which is a plus.

But now I have a little and it's brown. I know that birth control can cause spotting, and it did for the first week or so I was on it. Then it went away and I discovered I had a BV. No discharge at all, no spotting, nothing. A week or two after the spotting stopped, and now I have brown discharge and I'm not sure what it's from.

Is it reoccuring spotting from the Ring or is it a result of BV?

nuvaring prices

[megggy.livejournal.com]

i just found out that with my new insurance my nuvaring will cost $40..thats pretty steep for me..its $25 with my current insurance. is there any way to tell if it would be cheaper at planned parenthood, without actually going there? like if i just call can they tell me, or do they have to check with my insurance and all that stuff before they can give me an answer? i really like the nuvaring but i dont know if i can afford an extra $40 every month >:/

and when i do call planned parenthood, should i tell them i have insurance? or do they not care if you use your insurance or not?

sorry for so many posts recently, i've just started taking advantage of vaginapagina!

a note of caution

[ncsu-lady.livejournal.com]

Ladies on hormonal birth control ~

I know the topic often comes up with antibiotics about whether to use a backup method but I wanted to share the experience that has happened to me today. I take the drug Topamax daily for migraines (it is also prescribed for seizures). Just a little background, I take my pills continously for 9 weeks on, 1 week off due to endometriosis though I am sexually active with my fiance and this is our only form of birth control as I am quite good at taking my pill at bedtime.
Anyway, I knew this was NOT an antibiotic and also thoroughly read the pharmacy sheet and noted nothing about birth control being affected. I noticed breakthrough bleeding with my pills worsening in the last few months but attributed this to my endo. To make a long and unfortuantely for me painful story short, my neurologist mentioned in passing today that 'Topamax can interfere with the estrogen in the pill.' Once I returned home I searched on Drugs.com and found that Topamax may decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. Talk to your doctor about other birth control options to prevent unintended pregnancy. (source: http://www.drugs.com/topamax.html)

I have basiclly been having unprotected sex since July and been totally unaware of it. Two pharmacies did not tell me and neither did my neurologist nor my gyn, both of whom are well aware of my drug list as well as my chronic illnesses.

Please let my story help you, and check *all* drugs given yourself (not just antibiotics) and do NOT rely on others to tell you. I really thought I had done everything right but you can do a better job apparently with your own computer than expect the pharmacist to put a sticker on your pill bottle.

x-posted

Silly question, maybe.

[oh--------brad.livejournal.com]

Okay so. I'm a virgin and stuff, but I don't know if that matters.
In the shower I wash my vagina with Olay soap.
Should I use something else?
Is this okay?

And another:
My bum breaks out when I'm on my period, because tampons scare the willies out of me, so I only use pads.
How can I prevent the painful pimples all over my poor hiney?
Is there a secret to using tampons?

[Female] Anatomy and [Female] Masturbation

[bluesuitcase.livejournal.com]

1. If my belly-button was 'North,' what is that little extremely stretchy piece of skin hanging down south of my clitoris?

2. The only way I've been able to achieve an orgasm has been by 'riding' a blanket or stuffed animal whilst wearing jeans/underwear. I've tried everything else - shower heads, fingering, clitoral stimulation, my boyfriend giving me a 'hand job' above underwear - but nothing has worked. I don't want to 'get involved' with vibrators/toys, and my boyfriend and I plan on bypassing undergarmets in a month or so. Any suggestions/techniques you recommend? I am extremely sexually frustrated!

Thanks!

[cross-posted]

first time toy buyer

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

hello all!

i am excited and nervous about tomorrow, when i will make the trip to buy my first vibrator.

i have a long term boyfriend but sex seems to be painful due to my rather tight vagina.

does anyone have any good reviews about virbators that were easy to use and helped loosen you up a bit?

i'm looking for a small jelly style one .. i just want something to help prepare for sex.

any help?

thanks :)

holy g-spot orgasm batman!

[lovethatlovage.livejournal.com]

i'm able to orgasm clitorally very easily, and recently i've dicovered the g-spot orgasm/female ejaculation. i've only every ejaculated while masturbating, never with a partner.

question:
1) i never "squirt" whenver i have a g-spot orgasm, the fluid just kind of flows out (almost like urine). i'm sure that this isn't urine, i can drain my bladder completely before hand and still gush buckets of fluid when i orgasm. it can soak through a freakin towel. is this anyone elses experience?

2) the ejaculate def. has a smell. i've almost always heard it described as being odorless. mine doesn't smell bad, it almost smells..nutty and sweet (weird description, but that's all i came up with). it might almost smell a little like urine, if you look at it that way.

3) has anyone has experience with the male perception of female ejaculation. i think it's really cool, but i'm concerned that a guy would think it's gross. not that i really care, if a guy want to define my orgasm as "gross" than that's his problem. i'm just interested in what men typically think.

i think being able to "cum" in man's face is a funny concept. take that bukkake.