spotting on desogen

[gloworm6.livejournal.com]

I recently started taking the bc pill desogen. I took mircette for one month in the winter but due to the emotional side effects, had to stop. I'm currently in the middle of the first pack of desogen, and the depression/moodiness hasnt been too terrible. However, the spotting has been very frustrating! It has been constant for about a week now, and seems to be getting slightly heavier. A panty liner covers it, but barely for the last day or so. I know that this is a typical side effect of bc... but do most women experience so much, and for so long? It feels abnormal to me. My period has always been very normal ever since it first began. Also, is this something that often clears up after the first pack or so? Overall, I like the pill, but cant stand having to wear a pad every day for the rest of eternity! :) I'm going to planned parenthood on Monday for an unrelated issue (repeat pap after abnormal results last time). I assume they do not mind a little spotting, as long as it's not the heaviest day of my period or anything. Has anyone had a different experience?

Thanks for any and all thoughts!

late period

[nathansbaby85.livejournal.com]

ok, i couldn't find this in the memories but its possible i over looked it. if so sorry.

I've heard that stress can delay your period. Is this true? My period is running late and im stressing really bad. Its possible i might be pregnant, but i've taken two pregnancy tests(a week apart) and both came out negative. I would go to the doctor but im currently unemployed which =no insurance and no money. Im really freaking out now would be a bad time for a baby, again unemployed and my b/f would totally spaz out.

oh and whats the best pregnancy test to use? I used the clearblue easy test.

thanks in advance. this is such a great and informative community for someone like me with no older woman to turn to for help. <3<3<3

Advice/ Question

[luvcrush12.livejournal.com]

I looked in the memories, but couldn't find much on the patch. I used to take Estrostep as my BC, but i suck at taking it on time due to college and working. So, my gyn prescribed me the patch. She seemed more interested in the ring, but the idea of it kind of freaks me out, and i had surgery (my colon taken out) so my mom is a little worried about a BC being inside of me. Anywho, Im just waiting for my period so i can start the patch, but im just wondering on some of the side effects, for those who are on the patch were, do you like the patch? I hate condoms, so im kind of scared having sex with my boyfriend without a condom, but on the patch, so any comfort advice id love! Just your overall view on it would be appriciated! If the patch doesn't work out i might try the ring, but my doctor also said something about the patch being part of some controversy..should i be worried?

Thanks again!

Any experience with YI homeopathic remedy??

[amberdoopie.livejournal.com]

Has anybody tried a homeopathic remedy for a YI, like Yeastaway (http://www.myhealthcare21.com/BO598/Yeastaway.html )??

I know that homeopathic remedies are all about like to treat like, but trying to treat a YI with something containing yeast weirds me out - I've tried one night's worth but am not sure I want to continue. I tried a homemade boric acid treatment for one night (fun to make!), but it REALLY irritated my poor labia. Perhaps this was in part due to me buying the boric acid in the gardening section? They don't have it in the pharmacies in my area. Boo. What I really want is YeastArrest (boric acid plus happy soothing ingredients), but I am too impatient to wait and order it online 'cause I can't find it in any health food store. I'm thinking of giving up for a couple days and then begging my dr for Diflucan.

Thanks for any input!

(Edited to more properly reflect boric acid's effect on my poor labia.)

Arch Foundation Assistance

[jadedgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

For those of you who have received IUD payment assistance from the Arch Foundation, what are the income requirements?? Thanks!

Apparently, we're all "pre-pregnant!"

[rule-discordia.livejournal.com]

Hello to all you wonderful ladies.

An awesome friend of mine referred me to this article this morning, and it angered us both. Apparently, according to new federal guidelines (I'm not clear on whether they're *proposed* guidelines or in-effect guidelines), whether or not we're planning to have a baby, those of us capable of conceiving should all take care of ourselves because we're all "pre-pregnant."

True, it's good to take care of yourself; true, prenatal care really needs help in the US because apparently (and I didn't know this until my friend pointed it out) we have one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the industrialized world. And I personally love babies, can't wait to have a whole litter of 'em (once I'm done with college, established in a stable home, and perhaps legally contracted with the man of my choice). But I don't think I should have to be healthy just because I am capable of conceiving; shouldn't the government be concerned about me because I am a viable citizen in my own right? Am I not more than my uterus?

How do y'all feel about this? I'm a little P.O.d!

::storms off grumbling about the stupid religious right that's running her country::

Body Sugaring

[petable.livejournal.com]

I was really intrigued by some posts on body sugaring a few weeks ago.

I am currently on exchange in France and can't make the stuff myself so I've been looking for something I can buy online that will produce the same results.

I found this site: http://www.folica.com/Moom_Sugaring_H_d260.html 

I was hoping maybe you ladies would have some advice or reviews? Maybe there's another site I haven't found? Anything really. 

Oh, and I would be using this for my happy trail. Which makes me not so happy. And continues all the way up to between my boobs. Uck. 

Thanks so much!

new partner, sex issues...

[inkedmamajama.livejournal.com]

so ive finally found a man that im totally in love with...and its mutual. its great. but the issue is...

he only wants to go down on me when ive just taken a shower. now i love cleanliness, but i dont think just cause im not freshly showered that it should be an issue. in fact in my 30 years of being alive and my 16 years of being orally active ive never experienced this. and it sucks becaue he is the one. any advice? ive started using my daughters diaper wipes to clean after going tothe bathroom-but it seems only a shower will signal my man that its time to 'get down'. :(

longer then normal periods, still safe with the pill?

[celestialstarco.livejournal.com]

Uh oh, fun times...

Now, I recently went off to get some birth control in the form of the pill... the nice lady asked me if my periods were regular and about 29 days. Feeling really stupid for not checking, I nodded and said yes, just a couple of days longer then 29, but fairly regular.

Ended up checking my calander and counting the days... and I get my period every 33-40 days.

Would I still be right to take the pill? And would it still be effective? Am I still fine to take it?

Because I really, really do not feel like having a little bundle of joy about...

Birth Control Dilemma

[zeenith.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone!

I recently moved, so I still need to get my BCP from my old pharmacy. My mother was supposed to mail them to me in time to start my new pack, but things got busy for her and she sent them late. I was supposed to start them last Friday, and I just received them today (Wednesday).

Now, I really loved the schedule I was on--I would always get my period on a Monday. My question is, if I want to catch up to my old schedule, what should I do? If I take two pills a day for the next few days, I can be caught up by Sunday...is that dangerous to do? Should I just suck it up and take them the way I'm supposed to?

I'm not worried about being protected this month (no boyfriend at the moment), so that's not an issue.

New Diva Cup! Any other removal tactics? Traveling without clean water tips?

[fieldsclaphands.livejournal.com]

So I bought myself a Diva Cup on Sunday and I've been thrilled ever since. I was excited to the point that I took the cup out of the packaging on the ride back and embarassed my brother as I suctioned it to my face for the rest of the trip (it left a bright red ring on my cheek). My roommate also commented how it looked like a bell, to which I pretended to ring it and said, "Ding ding! Period's here!". It seems I have become a full-fledged Diva Dork.

I've had two dry runs so far and they've both gone relatively well, the second time being much easier. I've found that my nails need to be shorter because, damn, they can pinch. I've also found that the C-fold just doesn't work for me, but the punch-down is awesome. I was actually expecting the silicone to be a bit flimsier, but I've gotten used to how to hold it. I haven't been able to spin it while it's in, but I suspect that it will be easier once I have my period and am more wet down there.

I haven't quite mastered removal as of yet, mainly because I don't know of the most comfortable angle to insert my finger in. What works for you guys? Do you go from the front, side, or back? And do you guys typically break the seal by pulling on the top of the cup? Is there another way of breaking the seal besides pulling the top of the cup down? My biggest thing is that I can hardly get up there to reach the top of the cup. If there was a way to break the seal without having to tip the cup drastically, I'd really love to know.

Also, I'm traveling to India for three weeks, beginning next week, and going to be in areas where the water isn't sanitary, mostly in the Himalayas. I'll also be getting my period while there and having my first trial run. I read in the pamphlet that it would be alright to clean my cup with rubbing alcohol. Would this be alright to do every day of my period? Would it possibly have a negative interaction with my vagina? Do you guys have any other tips for traveling with a diva cup?

x-posted to vaginapagina and menstrual_cups

Menstrual Cups rule

[teasailor.livejournal.com]

(I posted this in menstrual_cups but I'm posting here too because I'm hoping this helps to convert you all to the best menstual product, ever)

So yesterday started the first day of my first full cycle with the Divacup. When I received my Diva last month, it only came in time for the last day of my period, so while I got some good experience with a light flow (insertion and removal came easily to me), I didn't really get it for the whole cycle. I've been now keeping a little journal of my menstrual cycles (how much I'm bleeding, and since I have a cup, I can acurrately measure how much I'm bleeding down to the mL), and generally anything regarding my womanly parts (aka infections and etc). I think it's good to know how frequent (if at all), I'm getting infections.

Anyways, since I usually start my periods on a Tuesday (Sunday being the first day without my HBC) I put my Diva in that morning at around 9:30am before heading to class. I ended up taking it out twice during school, because the stem was bothering me (I haven't cut it yet). The second time I actually went to the least populated bathroom on campus so that I could go out of the stall and wash my Divacup, since the first time I checked it I didn't wash it...just cleaned it off with toilet paper and it felt dirty (I'm just not ready to wash it in front of people). Well, by the time I was ready for bed, I bled only a three of four drops total, but it was awesome to be able to put it in before my period started, so there would be no unexpected leaks. Since I hardly ever use pads, I almost always ruin my underwear. It was also amazing to not have to carry around a bunch of lousy products that make my life miserable anyways.

This morning, I woke up to NO leaks, and a quarter filled cup. I was so excited. No leaks, no messy pads, no ruined sheets, and no having to set an alarm in the middle of the night to get up and change my tampon. I feel so liberated and free. Plus, I finally got the insertion down, so that the stem no longer bothers me. I was going to cut it, but I decided to wait a little bit longer.

This may just be the most valuable purchase I have ever made. You couldn't pay to EVER go back to tampons and pads. I'm currently trying to convert my entire friends list, lol.

lo estrin

[stenodork.livejournal.com]

i just saw a commercial for lo estrin, a BCP that shortens your periods.
does anyone know anything about it?

weird skin & birth control questions

[iluilu.livejournal.com]

hi! I just joined this community & I think it's really awsome that a place like this exists to ask all those kindof awkward questions! its so useful. i wish i'd known about it before. so thankyou!

okay, i have two questions...

# 1 - i just noticed, right below the opening (and just above my butt hole - the skin that gets pulled tight and streached while having sex) is really kindof rough & bumpy. not just on that flat smooth skin called the "perinium" or sometrhing though.. kindof still on the opening at the bottom.
it sounds really bad to write.. but its actually not very noticable at all.
i'm not sure whether its competely normal & ive just never noticed it before or if theres something wrong?
does anybody else have this or has anyone heard of something like it before?
i could post a picture ... but obviously i'm a little bit shy & would prefer not to haha. its probably just normal anyway.

i had a gyno check up about a month ago - they werent very good, i live in china so it wasnt an english as a first language doctor and they just took swabs and told me there was not a problem without really looking around i thought? they didnt seem to understand the idea of me wanting to see a doctor without actually having a "problem". but anyways, they didnt notice or mention the skin thing.

# 2 - my boyfriend & i sometimes have sex while i have my period (neither of us really mind). i don't seem to bleed very heavily or anything so it's not really messy..
but i was wondering about my birth control because you are not surposed to take it on the days that you have your period does this make is dangerous to have sex on these days too? and if i did end up having sex (sometimes things just happen!) should i be taking it anyway?

thanks for your help!

Period sex and sugar pills...

[boomchicka-ah.livejournal.com]

Although I'm on birth control and it really doesn't matter that much....

Is it true that you are less likely to get pregnant if you have sex while on your period?
Also.
What about the fact that you're only on the sugar pills? Your still protected, am I correct?

bearing down like holding pee?

[stenodork.livejournal.com]

i went to the gyno recently, and with a couple fingers in my vag, she asked me to bear down like i'm holding my pee.

when i didn't know what she was talking about and tried moving something, she told me i need to work on it.

i dont know what to do!
help!

sorry i keep posting.

Natural Tampons

[queenofdelosers.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone. I am interested in natural cotton tampons - tampons made from cotton fields where pesticides were not used and where no chlorine bleach has been added to the tampon.

So far I have found Natracare tampons. The website says that you can buy them at Wholefoods as well as some other stores like Wholefoods. However, the nearest Wholefoods to where I live is a good 2 hour drive. So that doesn't really work so well with my monthly needs.

So my questions are these: has anyone used Natracare's tampons before? Has anyone ordered them from an online distributor such as drugstore.com? What are some similar products that might be available at Eckerd or CVS?

Thanks!

Tampon leakage

[sugarcane-moon.livejournal.com]

I'm wearing a super-absorbency tampon and it's still leaking, to the point where I also have to wear a standard absorbency pad. This has never happened to me before, and I'm wondering if it's anything I need to be concerned about.

Also, are there any suggestions for better protection? I can't use ultra-super tampons, they're too uncomfortable.

first time pelvic

[alisonic510.livejournal.com]

so tomorrow i have a doctor's appointment.
i've been on the pill for about six months, and during all of those six months i've been sexually active.

you see, i've been lying to my doctor the whole time-i've said i've needed the pills strictly for my period problems, NOT because i'm having sex. but i've been having sex..i hope i'm making since so far.

but tomorrow, my mom is making me tell the doctor i'm having sex. she says 'if i'm old enough to have sex, i'm old enough for the pap smear'.

so what i'm wondering is: any first time pap smear advice? does it hurt? EXACTLY what happens? and how bad of an idea is it to get it done while "under the influence"..? i'm freaking out, i don't want this ugly lady down there!!

someone help?

Smell Issue

[yuhoo.livejournal.com]

I know simular questions have been asked about odor and all of that lovely stuff and I searched the memories but nothing seem to answer my particular question. If it is there and I just totally missed it feel free to delete this.

( Odor That Will Not Go Away )

Questions about STD/STI testing.

[althea]

I'm just posting this in the hope that someone might be able to set my mind at ease or give me some advice or something to help me make it until tomorrow.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about a bump on my cervix. I finally got in to see my doctor, and she took a swab and sent it out to test for HPV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. She said, though, that given my history (only one sexual partner since I became sexually active at seventeen; he's now my husband), I'm at low risk for STDs. I get that, but my husband *wasn't* a virgin the first time we had sex, so low risk isn't the same as no risk. Whatever. At this point, I think I'd be happy if it's just HPV and I don't have to worry about anything more serious.

Anyway, my doctor said she should have the results back in a week, so by tomorrow. What I'm wondering in the meantime is if anyone here can tell me:

( questions )

I'm sorry this is so incoherent. I just needed to ask these things of people who are both knowledgeable and supportive. And to vent a bit, I guess.

burning discharge with period

[modernlovemyway.livejournal.com]

i posted a month ago about a burning/stining sensation in the beginning of my period. and it's back again since my period is starting. last month i paid more atttention, and i noticed it also stung at the entrance to my vagina (where is always stings) at the end of my period/first few days after. i think i've solved the question of where it's coming from: i only really feel the stinging sensation with the darker/brown blood discharge, which i get in the beginning and end of my period.

why is it i only get this sensation with that particular type of discharge? is there something about this discharge that is making it sting? i'm ususually pretty acidic to begin with, but my normal discharge never stings.

i don't go to the gyno til august, and my family doctor has never said anything was wrong with this since it seems a lot of women get this kid of feelying to feel this stingining so it's not anything major. it's just annoying, and i'm wondering if there's any way to stop it or make the stinging less or something.

just some stats: 21 years old, sexually active (but not for 2 months since it's a LDR), negative for all STDs, no yeast infection, on OTC for over 2.5 years, taking allegra and lexapro too.