parsley tea

[groupieforhire.livejournal.com]

I went off HBC in October and haven't had a "real" period since then. I had a withdrawal period right after I went off the HBC and then another a month ago when I took EC. I don't think I'm pregnant since I bled after the EC and I haven't had sex since then, but I'd like to have a period and know where I stand with everything all the same. I just drank a cup of parsley tea to perhaps help induce, and I realized that I didn't know exactly the affect of the tea in terms of the month after. That is-- if I get my period now (early December), will I get my next one at the end of the month, when I was expecting this one, or will I get it in early January? I'll be on vacation in the Caribbean for a week at the beginning of January and, while my Diva makes life fine with my period, it'd still be easier not to have it. (Of course, this might all be a moot point as I have no idea the length of my cycle, since I've been on HBC since I was 14 and hadn't gotten to a regular cycle, but we'll cross our fingers and hope for a nice 28-day one.) Thanks in advance!

Edit: To clarify, as I was slightly sleep-deprived when I wrote this, I'm wondering if parsley tea will induce my period but leave me on the same general cycle (starting from the first day of when I would have gotten my period) or if I can expect to get my period early next month as well.

Green

[thenewgoose.livejournal.com]

So early last week I noticed I had unusually chunky and kind of a light green tinted discharge. It freaked me out. Btw, this happened the day after my boyfriend, whom I'm in a monogamous relationship with, fingered me. Then I started getting itchy, too. I used 2 applicators filled with Rephresh, which is a cream meant to treat abnormal PH in the vagina. My discharge has since disappeared, but I'm still irritated down there. I wonder if it's because I used a pad those 2 days I used the Rephresh. Anyways, my vagina feels super dried out now. I read up on my symptoms and green discharge suggests an infection of some sort, maybe Trichomoniasis, which is primarily but not necessarily an STD. I'm really worried now since I thought it was only a yeast infection and I'm not sure what to do now. Has this happened to anyone before? What did you do to treat it. Thanks for the help in advance.

Cramps Vs. IUDs Vs. DivaCup

[aprilstarchild.livejournal.com]

I've had my Paraguard IUD since early August. This is my fourth period since then, and just like every other period since I got my IUD, I've had cramps so bad they made my hands shake and my skin break into a cold sweat. Just these waves of stabbing pain that came and went until the four advil I'd taken kicked in.

I didn't get them right when I started bleeding yesterday, but just this morning...maybe it was my coffee making them worse? I don't know, I drink a little coffee every morning. I thought my cramps would be better by now, and I'm worried that it isn't the case. I don't want to get it pulled, but I really don't want to keep having periods where I spend the second morning of each period breathing through cramps like I'm in labor or something.

To top it off, I just got a DivaCup. Pre-IUD, I was using Insteads. I loathe tampons (the string getting in the way of bathroom functions, the unpleasant sensation of pulling a mostly-dry one, etc.), and I have some friends who use them successfully.

I do not have an unusually small vagina that I'm aware of. I'm not unfamiliar with my anatomy in any way. But I cannot seem to get it in correctly more often than one out of a dozen times! Do they just take more practice than Insteads do? It seems tricky to keep it folded up long enough to get it in, and I have trouble giving it that turn, or pulling it out, without pinching the entrance to my vagina.

Woo, I love a community where I don't have to lj-cut this kind of thing.

pregnancy test

[bushisgonein08.livejournal.com]

i have a pregnancy test between my matresses..this shouldnt cause a problem should it?
im waiting for my period to come & im afraid that if i need to take it..that im going to get a messed up result..but i should be fine right?

pee and sex

[sylvi.livejournal.com]

Everytime i have sex with my boyfriend, we have to stop because i always feel like im going to pee! it seems to happen every single time since the first time we had sex, and it sometimes happens when i use my vibrator, although not as much. also, it feels like there's always TONS of uncomfortable pressure when he's inside of me, is there a way/angle/product that can make things go a little smoother down there? anything i can do on my own so that it's more comfortable next time? thanks in advance!

cervix hitting and periods

[chibiluv.livejournal.com]

Is it possible for your cervix to swell/shift during certain times of the month? I'm about a week away from Aunt Flo and positions that don't normally give me any problems are resulting in cervix-hitting and pain. We got creative to solve the problem, but I'm curious as to why my average at best boyfriend suddenly feels longer than most.

I need someone to settle my fears about ParaGard IUD

[h0rsegurrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm getting a ParaGard IUD later this month... I think.  I want a ParaGard because I want 10 years of almost-sterility with no hormones.  But I keep reading things like

( this )

I guess what I'm looking for is people to settle my fears.  I know I probably don't have any right to be concerned or complain, because getting the IUD is something I want.  I've done all the research I can do, and right now I'm thinking the benefits outweigh the risks, but jeez, in a month I might be saying the exact opposite, and it sounds to me like horribleness in the first 3-6 months with a ParaGard are like dying and going to hell.  If I'm going to get this thing, I'm going to be in for ten years or none at all, and  I'm not going to make my parents pay almost $500 for the thing to have it pulled after three months.  I guess what I want is people to relay some GOOD experiences with ParaGard, from the first 3-6 months, with minimal problems and minimal haywireness of bleeding and cramps.  Anyone?!

PS:  Like I said above, I've done all the research I can do and I don't want a Mirena IUD because I don't want to stop getting a period.

Cross-posted to iud_divas

Period?

[aber1crombie.livejournal.com]

I know there are always tons of posts like this, but i search in the old posts and didnt see one that answered my question. I am 19 and haven't had my period in 3 months, and not sexually active. I think that it is caused by stress because of school, i haven't had any sign of my period coming either. I have always had pretty irregular ones but not usually for 3 months. I haven't really lost any weight either. Should I be worried and go to the doctor? or is it probably just the stress and will eventually come back? Thanks for any posts. I should probably add in that I have talked to my doctor about missing my period a month here and there, about a year and a half ago, but she never seemed concerned.....which I never understood.

Could it be...Vaginismus?

[petal-abstract.livejournal.com]

( Cut for triggers and the like. )

My first time with The Sponge ....

[twentymilehike.livejournal.com]

If anyone has ever used the sponge before, please tell me if this is normal ...

Yesterday I used the sponge for the first time. Afterwards, I asked my boyfriend if he could feel it, and he said that he could feel it moving around, and that he sometimes was over it and sometimes under it (if that makes sense ...). So my first question is does it normal move around that much? and does it moving around make it less effective? I swear, when I put it in it felt like it was in the right place.

Also, since you need to leave it in for a while, I went to sleep with it in and woke up about 5 hours later with a little leakage, and an itcy clit. I went back to sleep, and when I woke up and tried to take it out ... well, basically I could barely reach it, but not enough to grab it, and I most definatley cound not find the string (which was easy enough to reach when I put it in the night before--I ended up having to have my boyfriend reach in and pull out, as he's got super long fingers :P). So, I'm also wondering if this is a common sponge experience. I just don't understand why I can't comfortably reach the end of my vagina, and why the thing was so darn hard to get out!

This Month in Women's Sexual Health News: November 2006

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hello fellow Vulva-Loving Superstars!

Welcome to our November installment of "This Month in Women's Sexual Health News." (If you're interested, you can read through the previous news posts here.) As always, our goal is to empower VP members by keeping them informed about recent advances, as well as current struggles, in the area of women's sexual health.

We're interested in hearing your thoughts on these topics as well, so if you're motivated to do so, we'd love for you to comment with your opinions!

Vulva la revolución!
Tori
For the VP Team
contact_vp
_________________________

Breast Cancer Risk Linked to Red Meat

A Harvard study of over 90,000 women indicates that younger women who eat red meat regularly may face an increased risk of one common form of breast cancer that is fueled by estrogen and progesterone. ( Read more... )

FDA Allows Silicone Breast Implants

Despite concerns from some consumer advocacy groups, the FDA has approved the use of silicone breast implants for both cosmetic and reconstructive purposes 14 years after their initial removal from the market. Though women of all ages can now opt to use silicone breast implants for reconstruction, the implants are only available for use in augmentation to women age 22 or older in order to allow natural breast development to complete. ( Read more... )

Few Americans Prefer Abstinence-Only Education

A recent study shows that regardless of personal political beliefs, Americans favor comprehensive sex education rather than an abstinence-only approach in schools. Of the 1,110 U.S. adults that were surveyed, eighty-two percent supported programs that discuss abstinence as well as methods for preventing pregnancy and STI's. Seventy percent of people who identified themselves as conservatives were also in favor of a well-rounded sex education program that discusses the use of condoms and birth control. ( Read more... )

Condom Promotion Campaigns in Africa are Successful

Two-thirds of people living with HIV do so in sub-Saharan Africa, according to one BBC report; the same region accounts for nearly three-fourths of deaths from AIDS in 2006. This makes the results of a recent study published in The Lancet especially good news. ( Read more... )

Also, check out these articles for discussion over in the VP.com Forums:
FDA Approves Green Tea Extract as a Topical Treatment for Genital Warts
Pakistan Softens Islamic Law in Favor of Rape Victims
Swingers Swap Sex Partners in Singapore

Special thanks to free_me07, psycheknot, and wingsoflace for their fabulous contributions!

If you're interested in contributing to next month's news post, feel free to email frolicnaked@vaginapagina.com. :)

Hunger at ovulation?

[speckled-hen.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone!
A bit of a random question. Two weeks before my period I become ravenously hungry for two days. Literally insatiable. Then my appetite returns to normal until the week of my period and I tend to eat more during that week.
Does anyone know why this happens? Is it ovulation (I was under the impression that because I'm overweight I wouldn't be ovulating)? Also, does this happen to anyone else? None of my friends seem to have this problem, but I seem to get it every month that it seems odd to be 'chance'.

Thanks in advance!

had a period, took the NuvaRing out, another period...

[craftyredhead.livejournal.com]

Hi folks,

This is my first post on here, hope some of you can tell me your experiences...

I'm 38, and went on the NuvaRing a month and a half ago. The last time i'd been on hormonal birth control was in my 20s, and it made me crazy. I had hoped maybe that being older/advances in BC would allow me to be on BC without going crazy, but it didn't happen. The Ring made me into a LUNATIC, horrible mood swings, foggy thinking, puffiness, constant cravings for sweets, etc. It was horrible.

Well, that's not what this post is about. I had taken out the ring after 3 weeks, gotten my regular period, then put it back in. But four days after that, I'd had enough, and removed it. I had hoped that since I had removed it so close to having a period, I wouldn't get another period, but sure enough, a few days after I removed it, i got another period. So here's my question: do I count this one as a REAL period? Or is this "breakthrough" bleeding now? I'm going to be using a barrier method from now on, and maybe trying to practice the FAM method, so I need to know when to start counting. This period has been the same flow as usual, but the blood looks a little...different.

I'm going to ask my doctor when I go to get fitted for a diaphragm tomorrow, just wondering if any of you have any experiences like this.

Loosening Up?

[cheaaanon.livejournal.com]

Okay, like the subject says, I need some help loosening up...down there. This is the prologue, the actual question starts in bold down a little ways. (I apologize in advance for any awkward references. I'm not quite as ...comfortable with myself just yet as the other posters. I hope it comes in time :[). Seriously, my vag is so tight I can't get the smallest size tampon in correctly. I just had my first gyno exam, and it hurt really bad. I believe the speculum size she used was 'pediatric', but I'm not sure if that's correct or not (could someone point me to a link of speculum sizes/with pics?). Anyway, she slid it in and I'm not sure what it was but it just hurt, bad. I don't remember if it felt like it was pushing against my cervix or whatnot, but it just...hurt. She didn't open it, even, cause I was in tears and she didn't wanna push it. Then, she said she was going to do a pelvic exam, and that I would feel one finger being inserted and she was going to push around on my lower abdomen, as a pelvic exam goes.

I don't know if she didn't use lube or what but oh my god that HURT. I felt ridiculously stretched and that's stupid because hello...a finger is no where near as big as penis (ithyphallophobia in my future? idk.) But afterwards I was walking funny and I just felt split in two. It HURT. But I know I'm going to have to go back, so I have been trying to get okay with the idea and maybe loosen up so i can get a real exam (for the record, I am 18 years old and I've never been sexually active with another person in any way, and although I have masturbated quite a lot, I've never truly 'fingered' myself. I have attempted to insert a finger but it was too awkward and hurt too much.) So when I was in the tub the other night, figuring the water would help ease my finger in...it (being my middle finger) slid in easier, but it still hurt. I attempted to move it around in a circle, to maybe feel around, and I think I felt a bone or something? Whatever, I can't find a picture of what it might have been. I didn't feel any pleasure whatsoever from having the finger in there.

Anyway, to get to my question: I've just started a particularly heavy period, and I am SICK of PADS. They make me feel dirty + like a baby wearing a diper. I hate it, and would much rather to use a tampon. However, when I get the small ones with the plastic applicator, I can slide in as far as the applicator, but then when I attempt to push the actual tampon out, it won't go. The applicator just slides out, and I know that's not how it's supposed to work. Basically, I can't get my tampon past the entrance of my vagina. At first, I thought that might work, but no, not at all. I couldn't move and I definitely 'felt it', and that's not how it's supposed to work. When I press the tube, I'm met with so much resistance (possibly from dryness?) that it's impossible to get it to go further. I don't know what I need to do differently...angle it differently? More force? Please help me loosen my cootch up so I can feel less nasty during these awful times :(

Tampons while in shower = ftw as opposed to bleeding out :[ i hate college :(:( how embarrassing :(

ps; reading through the memories, i see playtex slim fits are the most popular for girls that are beginners (i cannot see myself using one without an applicator. shoving my finger up in there through that bloody mess = o hello no.) Opinions? Playtest Slim Fits = best route?

chest pain on alesse

[venuseros.livejournal.com]

i hope this isn't a silly question...but what exactly constitutes as dangerous chest pain when on birth control? lately i've noticed some dull aches particularly around the left side of my chest...it's more annoying than painful, and it comes and goes. this is only my second month on alesse and the first time i've noticed any kind of chest pain. it isn't an all over pain...usually it feels like it's just in one spot, almost like when you have a stitch between your ribs. it usually goes away when i take deeper breaths, so maybe that's what it is?

any information from you guys would he helpful. i'm a healthy weight and a non-smoker, and my family has no history of heart attacks or blood clots, so i'm hesitant to say it could be a possible blood clot.

porn sites? funniest sex phrase?

[nightdrivee.livejournal.com]

A) Best porn sites.

B) Funniest thing you've ever said during sex?