weight gain on birth control?

[majesticarky.livejournal.com]

Can you really gain weight while on birth control pills? I'm on Yasmin and I'm gaining weight for reasons I don't understand. I asked this question on the birthcontrol community and was referenced 3 articles that say gaining weight on birth control is just an urban legend. What are peoples experiences here? I also was told that Yasmin has something to do with water retention and it can make you gain some weight.

help please! thanks : )

birth control & condoms

[contagiousxxxxx.livejournal.com]

hello all! I've read in this community for quite some time now and really admire everyone's honesty and courage.

so here's the deal. my parents have both freely expressed that it's ok for me to go on birth control and encourage me just to always practice safe sex. so yay for that, since some parents are really up tight. my question is, how do you feel about using only birth control without a condom? I'd really like your input and experience about just depending on birth control. any and all info is greatly appreciated, ladies!

super super super super light period

[ohdramatize.livejournal.com]

My question is about a current situation of mine. So on Tuesday I got a little bit of my period, but it was brown colored (I know this is often normal) which usually signals the very beginning of my period, so I put in a tampon. However, the flow was SUPER light, we're talking a few drops on the tampon, and I thought I was just spotting, so I went Wednesday and on without any tampon. Then this past Friday night, it happened again, so I thought maybe it was the real thing. So now it's Sunday night (technically Monday) and I've still got about three drops on my tampon (I know it's not good to keep wearing them but I'm afraid that it'll suddenly start and I hate pads). This can't be spotting, right? I've never heard of spotting that goes on for a day, stops, then three days. Has anyone ever had a super super super light period?

By the way, this all started about 20 days after my last period started, which is about 5-10 days earlier than usual for me.

Should I keep checking because it's going to get heavier and more normal after a day or two? Has anyone had a random super super light period that lasted a really long time (that's what I'm afraid will happen). Please help!

(no subject)

[lauraaudrey.livejournal.com]

Alrighty, so, I wasn't going to post here, but I'm hoping maybe someone can shed some sort of light, or a different view on my situation. And I'll try to be short.

Boyfriend was gone over a year with the military. He came back two weeks ago, and, though we've never had sex (I'm a virgin, he's not.), we still mess around in other ways...mostly manual stimulation...his fingers, vibrator, etc. - He did some research while he was away on the infamous G-Spot, and has mastered it quite well after some practice on me. I enjoy it a lot, and it "gets the job done" quite easily, so he does it often.

( Cut...'cause it ended up longer than I anticipated... :) )

flushing tampons

[-birkenstock.livejournal.com]

I just read in a post that you're not supposed to flush tampons. I've been flushing tampons since I started my period, my mom flushes her tampons too. I've had my period for about 10 years, I've lived in the same house for my entire period. So many of my tampons, and my moms, have gone through our pipes. We also live in a house thats about 100 years old.

Are we just asking for it by flushing tampons??? I've never heard of anyone NOT flushing them. I thought those things in public restrooms were for Pads? Why do they call my tampons flushable (on the box i think?) if I shouldn't flush them? Do you flush your tampons or throw them out? How common is it for tampons to destroy your pipes, has this happened to you or someone you know personally(not my sisters roommate at summer camps aunt had her toliet explode)?

edit* i use tampax originals regular absorbancy (the yellow ones, they used to be blue).

Thanks in advance!


edit* question answered. it depends on if you're hooked up to the sewer or have a septic tank. some people can flush tampons with no problems whatsoever.

I want to miss my period

[hoodsey.livejournal.com]

Ok, figure I should just ask... since my doctor "stepped out" for a while.

I am on Seasonale. I want to skip my period. Thing is...I already took one of the placebo pills. >_< Is it bad to take one and then go to the actives? Do I lose protection from this at all?? Plus, is it unhealthy is skip your period after not having it for 3 months?

Somebody let me know quickly before I go take my next placebo pill, just in case. ;_;

cold sores

[livian-lj.livejournal.com]

Hi! I know what I want to ask, but not sure how to explain so this may ramble a bit, please bear with me on my first real post. My live-in boyfriend has oral herpes/cold sores, with outbreaks every few months. I've never had them, nor has anyone in my family, or previous partners, and we would both like to keep things that way. We already avoid kissing, sharing drinks, and any oral-genital contact during an outbreak and for about 4-5 days after the sore is completely gone, but is there more we can do? I've read that the virus can last up to 4 hours on plastic, 2 hours on material, can anyone confirm this? Basically, I want to know if there are other couples out there who have managed to keep one partner herpes free long-term and what kind of precautions did you take? Thanks!

Wierd Smell With Sex

[liquorlyles.livejournal.com]

Why is it that whenever my S/O comes home and we have sex for the whole 2 weeks hes home, I begin to smell kind of funky? He even notices it, but its not until I begin having sex again that I start to smell ...quite gross. The smell won't go away for anything either. I wash and wash and wash and it goes away for the most part but its still faintly there. Its kind of embarrassing because the only time I even want him going down on me (and he wants to go down on me) is right after I shower. We've both fully acknowledged this problem is when I'm sexually active....if I'm just using my vibrator it doesn't smell wierd?

Hes STD-free. He has monthly STD checks and we've been sexually active together for 2 years and its happened ever since I lost my virginity. Is this normal? Should I bring it up to my gyno? (Its my first annual check up today)

pro choice website?

[rawbery79.livejournal.com]

Hey all,

I'm looking for a website I saw on here (I think) ages ago. It ended in .net or .org and it had stories about women who had had abortions and didn't regret it. Not regretting it kind of was the theme of the website. I remember it was posted in response to a letter someone was writing to a pro-life speaker. If anyone knows what I am talking about, that would be great! Google hasn't been much help.

"Tit zits" and breast reduction/breast feeding

[rule-discordia.livejournal.com]

Hi all....I have a somewhat strange question...not about the vagina, but about the northerly girly bits.

In the last two years, I have gained quite a bit of weight--about 80 pounds, as a matter of fact--and my breasts have, of course, gotten bigger, growing from a C to nearly a DD. They are rather getting in the way now. ^_^ I have noticed that since gaining so much weight, I have had an almost constant breakout of pimples and blackheads on them, mainly on the undersides and around the cleavage (right where they show if I wear low-cut shirts...darn). They bother me so I pop them or remove them, but the scars stay for a really long time. Have any of you had problems like this? How do you control the breakouts and get rid of the scars? Since getting fat I hate to be naked for my boyfriend, but I'd like to at least be proud of my breasts again. :*(

Also, I've been mulling over the thought of a breast reduction--I know that even though I'm working out I'll never get rid of the extra jiggle. But I had heard that after having work done, you can't breast feed anymore. This is disturbing to both me and my boyfriend, because we both want kids and we both want them breast-fed. Anybody know about this?

I always appreciate your frankness and your inspirational comments.

the girl with the hair..

[mutt182.livejournal.com]

I posted last week about my worry over the new facial hair that started growing around my ears, and people did make me feel better, but since I only described it and didn't actually post it I guess I still feel a little unsure..

( so this posts comes with a photo )

gyno did no pap smear at 21

[jasminekitty.livejournal.com]

My 21-year-old sister told me that she saw a gyno over the summer and the gyno said she didn't need a pap smear because she wasn't sexually active. Now, I was totally told that women should start getting them at 18. Through the Planned Parenthood site, the VP archives and the links in said archives I learned that it had gone up to 21 or 3 years after starting sexual activity (that's another change. I was told women should pap smears within a year).

First question, does anyone know why they made these changes? Were health insurance companies whining about all these paps that showed no problesm? (Sorry, I'm cynical when it comes to health care in the US.)

Second, why did she tell my sister she didn't need one? Does anyone know of a reputable source that says something different? Does anyone understand what a pap specifically can find in a person who is sexually inactive? I mean just the pap part of the exam, not the "tummy massage" or anything. What can cause abnormal or precancerous cells other than HPV? Should I be sketched out by this doc? This is my gyno, too, and while I was happy with her at first, I'm less happy after meeting my amazing docture at college and after this incident. There was another incident, too.* Should I encourage my sister to get a second opinion? My sis said that Mom was relieved when she found out she didn't need a Pap (relieved to hear that Terry is not sexually active or having other probles or whatever, I guess). I would have been upset. And suspicious. Like I am now. Has anyone else been told this?

Thanks for any help!

*just incase I've piqued any curiousity. The other incident was a couple years ago. I had a surge of tremendous pain in the middle of having sex. After the surge was a really bad cramping sensation that didn't go away and had me crying. We went to the emergency room. The ER docs said that I had probably ruptured a cyst (there was fluid and blood) and no cyst felt inside. When I followed up with my gyno she told me yeah yeah and put me on the pill. Then I talked to my doctor at school (not the newer one I love, but one I liked) said it didn't make sense and that he had most likely hit my cervix hard. :/ Anyway, that's just a sidenote.

early period

[sensation-rag.livejournal.com]

Can your period come on early due to stress? I've been very stressed last week and Dracula's teabag started brewing almost TWO WEEKS EARLY! Fortunately it's pretty light and not very painful.

Stretch/Growth Marks...

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

This probably doesn't seem entirely relevant, but with an explanation it might...

I have stretch marks on the inside of my thighs, and they are also on the my butt. I guess they're completely normal, but I've heard different things and guess I just need to know the actual facts. Are stretch marks and growth marks the same thing? Can either fade at all, is there anything that helps them to? I went from a size zero to a size 3/5 in about a year, and I'm thinking that's what must have caused them. They seem to change color, from white-ish to purple-ish/blue...

Would exercising more help? I'm insecure about them, especially during sex or oral. I always feel more comfortable with the lights off, but I want to get over that.

Does anyone else have them in the same areas or more? Have any attempts to get rid of them worked?

Thank you.

Doctors, diseases, and why they suck.

[kitty--butler.livejournal.com]

I was until recently under the impression that pap smears tested for HPV - that is, that if a pap smear came back 'normal' then it meant that I did not have HPV. Is this the way other people see it too? I'm sure I've read on here many times that the purpose of a pap smear is to test for HPV. I did not realise that this is not necessarily true. When I got the results back from my pap smear last week, they were normal, and I asked the doctor if that meant I did not have HPV. She said that they don't actually test for HPV, they test for HPV changes - so if you have something unusual or potentially problematic then they tell you about it, otherwise you are 'normal' though you could still have HPV [and most likely do since 80% of people do]. If you specifically ask for it they will test for HPV but its an expensive test you have to pay a lot more for.

Not that it really matters since having non-symptomatic and non-cancerous HPV is not really a problem but all these people going around thinking they may be one of the lucky 20% who do not have it... well, that may not be the case.

Also, one time I got an STD test and when the results came back the doctor said they were all negative, and I could have left it at that and gone away thinking I was all okay. But then when I asked what they had tested for she admitted that they had forgotten to test for HIV. I've been tested since and don't have it, but if I did have it and hadn't asked I could have been HIV positive all this time and been going around telling people that I was sti-free.

UGH. The moral of the story is, don't accept what doctors say at face value. They often leave out important facts.

Yasmin

[acid-faeries.livejournal.com]

I was prescribed Yasmin today. My first time taking a birth control.

I've been following the instruction to set it up for when I start taking it, but when exactly do I take it? My period started yesterday, and I think it says to take it the following Sunday. Is this correct?

And does anyone know if Planned Parenthood offers birth control at a cheaper price? I'm paying $40 a month and can't really afford it.

adventures in the bathroom with my DivaCup

[sunshinesounds.livejournal.com]

Okay. I got my Diva last week,and I'm pretty excited to use it. My red self is due to make a appearance sometime in the next few days,so I'm happy.


However.....I have tried to insert the thing and.....it won't go in. I have followed the instructions,and I know I am angling it towards my tailbone. But every time....it makes this weird squelching noise and won't go in any further. Like, it's flat,not open at all,and not in far enough either. But no matter what I do, it doesn't want to go in. :(

Questions:

Will this change once I actually get my period? Like,will my muscles be easier to deal with?[I don't have a hymen so I know it's not that.]
Are there any exercises I can do to,um, make it easier?[I'm not really into guys,so that's not exactly an option. :D] Like, widen myself? I know it recomends kegels to make yourself tighter,but is there anything you can do to make yourself wider? apart from just general practise and useage of the Diva?

Sorry if I don't make any sense.

xo
Kirie

BC pill OD?

[xfondlemybumx.livejournal.com]

Just out of curiosity (no i dont do this), what would happen if you took 2 combination birthcontrol pills a day instead of 1?

Menstrual Cup: Extended Use?

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

So I'm experiencing some mid-cycle spotting, enough that use of my cup will make my life easier. (Checking into causes of that is a separate matter.)

But I'm a bit concerned about using my cup (probably my Mooncup instead of my Diva, for any of those who remember me) for -- potentially -- weeks on end. If the spotting keeps up and if I get my actual period on time, I see myself needing panty protection for slightly over 3 weeks.

I've checked the memories and the cups' respective websites and have found nothing to indicate adverse effects. I've also emailed the companies, but they might not tell me as quickly as you do, and they might not give me exactly what I want to know:

First, are serious side effects possible from using a menstrual cup for extended periods of time? Second, what "inconvenience-like" side effects, if any, have you experienced from using a menstrual cup for more than the course of your standard period?

Thanks!

Cross posted to menstrual_cups and vaginapagina.

Nuvaring: 3 hours out of vag per ring, not per day

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

Per the NuvaRing pamphlet (http://www.nuvaring.com/Authfiles/Images/309_103003.pdf), it seems that it is not safe to leave the ring out for more than 3 hours per three weeks of use.

You must check to be sure that you are not pregnant if:
1. you miss a period and NuvaRing® was out of the vagina for more than three hours during the three weeks of ring use

This means that for each ring, you can have up to three hours of ring-out-of-vag time. This is contrary to advice I've seen given here in the past, so I wanted to draw your attention to it.

Happy ring-ing! :)

xp to birthcontrol, vaginapagina, womenhealth and nuva_ring

Odd pain during sex

[lostboy-tootles.livejournal.com]

Okay, I know this is a really common topic, but I couldn't find anything in the archives that really helped at all.

I've been sleeping (exclusively) with the same guy for... 8-9 months? (We've been sleeping together a year, dating for 7 months, but I was with a couple of other guys back last spring.) We've been long-distance since he went back to school this fall and I didn't. I never had much trouble back when we were together every night. We could go at it 2-3 times and I might have some trouble if I got dry, but mostly I was fine.

But recently-ish, it's gotten to where sex really hurts. Not at first (hurts cause I've gotten tight, but that goes away almost immediately), but towards the end. And if we try to go at it again, there's no way. It's not a lack of lubrication, because we've used astroglide and it made pretty much no difference. It started out where I could go maybe twice and start to have trouble towards the end. Now it's gotten to the point where I can barely handle once, and the attempt Saturday night (early v-day celebration) to go the second time was absolutely impossible. It hurt WAY too much.

The pain is sort of a burning, right at the entrance to my vagina, not deep inside. And it won't just go away if we stop. It can last for a while afterwards (maybe 15-30 minutes? give or take, it's been longer), and nothing, not peeing, rinsing with cold water, or anything I can think of, helps. Just have to ignore it till it goes away.

It's driving me nuts. First because with the long-distance thing I wanted to take advantage of every chance we got, now because I'm thinking about breaking up with him and I don't want to have this be an issue in future relationships. Any help?

(Oh, and meant to mention, we used to use condoms (since we weren't exclusive), but since we became exclusive we've all but stopped because we don't much like them. We're both STI-free.)

EDIT: Also, this last time, I was really, really itchy (awkward at church, lemme tell ya) the whole next day. I usually have a little itchiness, but this was just ridiculous. Probably not related, but it bothered me.

uterine wall thickness?

[maandusa.livejournal.com]

i looked in the archives, and didn't see an answer to this (although i must admit, there's a lot to look through, and i'm sort of sleepy at the moment.

does anyone know what the average normal uterine wall thickness is? i know it varies during the cycle, but what sort of range is it? i've found measurements for the length, width, and depth of the average uterus, but nothing specific about the wall thickness. i'm not sure if "depth" is supposed to indicate the "front to back" measurement on the inside cavity, or if it is the overall thickness of the entire organ...

anyone have any ideas or information?

Yay ovulation!

[kayleighraven.livejournal.com]

I've been having real trouble with heavy periods since my IUD insertion but it seems to be having the bonus effect of letting me appreciate my cycle more. I've not really been one to keep track of these things before - I signed up with mymonthlycycles.com ages ago but I've just used it to calculate when my period is next due. But yesterday and today I've had major food cravings - anything and everything - and I've been hungry no matter what I've eaten. This morning I felt a brief, sharp cramp down there and when I looked up where I'm at in my cycle I realised what it was.
I felt myself ovulate!

It's ridiculous how cool I feel - it's like "ooh, my body's working the way it should - go uterus!"

Just thought I'd share this with those who might appreciate it :)

another shaving question

[asfishlovewater.livejournal.com]

right, so i've been totally smooth "down there" for a while now. i just prefer it that way. usually, it's no problem for me. a few bumps or itching every now and again, but nothing memorable. the last two times i've shaved, i've had some problems. two times ago, i only got to the top half (just the things you can get to without contorting your body). i ended up bleeding in spots and got some crazy razor burn. i used the same sensitive skin shave gel i usually use and used a razor i had only used once before. so i waited for a few days, and tried again. brand new razor. this time, it hurt to shave. i bleed more and the razor burn was awful. and afterwards, i noticed that the shave left lots of stubble. i tried to put a little lotion on it (no scent or perfume) and it burned worse than nair. it's been a few days and i still have some itching. it also looks like i have some little pimples or scabs or something?

i can't figure out what went wrong. i did things just the way i always have. i'm not terribly concerned right now, but i do want to get a clean shave!

any ideas, wise ladies?

much love!