Horribly irregular periods :(

[illumidaisy.livejournal.com]

My periods have been extremely irregular since I started when I was 13 (I'm now 20.) My body can go for months at a time - the longest being 3 months - without menstruating, and then I can have anywhere from 2-3 periods a month for months straight! Every now and then I will have that one beautiful week a month, and then the next month I will completely miss. It's irritating, but I've never really acknowledged that there might be a problem until recently.

The past year or so I've been getting debilitating cramps. There are points when I'm crouched at a 90 degree angle, unable to straighten my back without feeling as if I'm actually tearing the muscles inside of my stomach. Usually the cramps start a day before I start and last throughout the duration of my period. It's gotten so bad recently that I've started taking Loritabs to dull the pain. During the lowest stages of pain, I'm unable to lift my hands above my head - essentially stretching my stomach muscles - like when I'm washing my hair in the shower.

This also might be important - I was sexually abused as a child, and subsequently contracted genital herpes from my abuser. As far back as I can remember (age 6) I've had outbreaks. Could this be contributing to the irregularity of my periods and the severity of my cramps?

I don't have medical insurance but I'm starting to think a doctor might be necessary anyway. Any words of advice?

Whiteheads on inner thighs

[earendilsstar.livejournal.com]

So for a while now I've been getting these really small pimples on my upper inner thigh. I pop them and then a scar is left behind. So now I have all these small discolorations on my inner thigh that I'm sorta uncomfortable with. I haven't had sex in a while since I'm not in a relationship at the moment so I don't think it's sex related. I just have no idea exactly what it is. I currently do not have insurance so I'm not going to see a GYN over something like that unless I know for sure what it is and that it needs to get treated.

Thanks guys! :-)

(no subject)

[djapony.livejournal.com]

First of all I wanted to thank everyone who answered my last question regarding a LSIL pap--your information was helpful and your experiences, comforting. I am in denial and don't want to believe I potentially contracted a high risk strain of HPV from sexual contact--are there other reasons as to why one can get a LSIL result on your pap? For example, if you have sex the day before the pap exam can intercourse make the cells appear abnormal? Can you get HPV from simply touching something dirty (ie; a toilet seat that has remnants of the HPV virus on it, maybe a dirty toy?) and putting your finger in your vag? I know the last questions seem silly but I am really confused as to why I have contracted this---I have had few partners, and my boyfriends have assured me that they were clean and that they too were inexperienced when it came to partners.

Anonymous Post

[glasspumpkin.livejournal.com]

Hi! As you probably know, from time to time the VP Team makes posts on behalf of people who wish to remain anonymous or who do not have LJ accounts. This is one such post. Thanks in advance for your helpful comments!

P.S. For more info on anonymous posts, see this link.

Molly
For the VP Team
contact_vp

---

Question: Is it possible to get my period over with faster?

Background: I'm on NuvaRing. Like normal, I took the ring out on Monday and my period started up on Wednesday, just like it always does. Sometimes it'll last through Sunday. Sometimes it'll be done by Saturday afternoon. However, this time around, I'd really like to be finished and done on by Saturday, early preferably. And I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to do this now that I'm already bleeding.

I'm open to "natural" ideas as well as advice involving the NuvaRing.

Many thanks!

Vagina as tar filter?

[sparksdelcielo.livejournal.com]

Okay, this is going to sound a little bit out there but it's the only thing I can think of to make sense of this. In the last week or so I've been having brown discharge, almost like very oxidized spotting..but not. I was able to keggle quite a bit of it out today, but it looked more like flem from a really bad cold more than blood. I've thought about what in the world it could be - I'm on birth control (and near the end of the three weeks, so it's kind of unlikely for it to be really old blood), but I am taking anti-malarial drugs (I'm studying abroad), but it seems unlikely that it would cause something now after being on them for two months. My diet and water source changed radically, but again, that's two months ago, going on three. The only thing I can think of is in the last week I've been smoking socially (normally I don't, at all) and that my body is processing the chemicals and tar and trying to flush it out of my system anyway that it can. Has this happened to anyone else? Insight? I mean, I know cigarettes are bad for you (obviously), but damn. Who knew.

Moderate Dysplasia & LEEP question

[redneckpast.livejournal.com]

I was diagnosed with CIN2 in August, after an abnormal pap that showed LSIL. The doctor that diagnosed me (through Planned Parenthood) said the best course of action was "wait and see" This means follow up pap and colposcopy six months from diagnosis, then another in six more months. I thought this was quite strange for moderate dysplasia, since it has more potential to progress. Anyone else had this experience?

A LEEP was not recommended because I am under 25 (I'm 23) and it may affect fertility. According to the doctor some doctors will not preform this on me because of my age. I honestly would prefer to have a LEEP, and just get things taken care of. From what I have read, the risks to my fertilty is not that great. I wouldn't be comfortable having it done until the summer anyway since I am a full-time, first-time university student. Dealing with recovery while having to work and attend school does not sound like fun. So in a way I am playing the waiting and seeing game, anyway.

My other question is this: what does the cost of a LEEP run? I am without insurance, and Planned Parenthood does not offer this service. I know it will vary regionally, and from doctor to doctor. I guess I would just like to get a ballpark estimate from those who have had it done. I know I can probably work out a payment plan, or put it on a credit card (bad idea, sure, but if it gets my cervix in the clear...) I live in Iowa, if that means anything to anyone.

Thank you! (x-posted to hpv

still bleeding and pp

[leedlekay.livejournal.com]

so i called planned parenthood about me bleeding for 6 weeks in a row and all she said is take 3 ibuprofen's a day. what? i asked her about taking the pill for awhile and then stopping it, then she said i would only start bleeding again if i discontinued it. so are the ibuprofen's going to help? should i push to go on the pill and see if i stop bleeding? i really feel like i've been kinda cheated. i should have never went on depo. i totally regret it :(

Going off the pill was harder than I thought

[e-moo1.livejournal.com]

I posted on here a few days ago about having the cramps for weeks with an IUD but no period.  I made a "bet" that I would start on monday... well, I was wrong.  I didn't post it earlier, but I started Saturday.  WOW - did I ever start.  Today has been beyond a shadow of a doubt the most horrendously heavy and crampy period I've ever had in my life.  I was even nauseous this morning and couldn't make myself eat breakfast.  
Luckily I have a very understanding boyfriend who made me eat jello to "replenish red blood cells" - I know thats what they do in hospitals but I thought it was funny that he thought to do that for a period.  
So, with advil and jello in my stomach, I went traipsing around in a forest for class where I didn't think I was going to make it without a bathroom.  I managed but I had cup+pad protection and it was still crazy.  I know the side effects of getting a paragard are heavier bleeding and cramping, but I don't think I can blame all of it on my IUD.  Granted my uterus is throwing a hissy fit right now, but I think its just confused and going through withdrawal of HBC.  I've learned my lesson to be careful what I wish for...

what is going on

[wtfviolence.livejournal.com]

this long story will go under a
( cut! )

of bleeding and pregnancy (kind of)

[shyshutterbug.livejournal.com]

(I couldn't think of a title for this entry to save my life. Thus, it is lame. Please forgive this.)

This is kind of a weird question - not really one of "I don't know what to do," but more along the lines of "hey, my solution to this kinda sucks; does anyone have a better one?”

I'm one of the unlucky ones whose ovaries have it in for her. My periods are impossible to predict, even after almost eight continuous years on HBC (I've been on, by my count, at least a dozen different pills). When they get around to showing up, they are heavy, painful, and long. Today was, I believe, the final day of my period - which ends 19 days of continuous bleeding and cramping. This period was seven days early; the one before that was almost three months late. I've been having workups to determine the cause of my innumerable GYN problems since I was in kindergarten, and we've pretty much concluded that, save cancer, everything that can be wrong with my reproductive system is wrong with it.

I am not now nor have I ever been sexually active, and I highly doubt I will become so for at least the next several years. However, I've been thinking more and more lately about how many women rely on getting their periods as their surefire indicator that they aren't pregnant, and how, with my cycle as unreliable as it is, I will not have that indicator.

Now, granted, I have no intention of having unprotected sex until I feel ready and able to handle the potential consequences of doing so, and given my preexisting conditions, it may be difficult for me to conceive even when I try to, let alone while actively trying to prevent it. But I’ve heard way, way too many stories that end in “...but I got pregnant anyway” to not be wary of trusting my chosen methods to work as intended without the reassurance of a bleed.

(I just realized that I probably sound batshit paranoid, especially for someone for whom pregnancy is not an immediate concern. Please forgive that. I work for an abortion provider, so I think about unintended pregnancies and how to prevent them...er, slightly more than the average person, lol.)

The only real solution to this that I can come up with is to take a pregnancy test every month and ensure it comes out negative. I’m not necessarily opposed to doing so; as I said, I work in gynecology and probably will very long-term, so my access to pregnancy tests is reasonably unrestricted. However, I’d prefer to avoid the panic of doing so once a month until menopause – and if, for whatever reason, I stopped working in gynecology, that’s something that could get really expensive really fast.

So, my question would be: for those of you with hopelessly wacked-out periods like me who can’t rely on a bleed for anything, how do you reassure yourself that you’re not pregnant?

(Good Lord, did this post make any sense? So sorry if it didn’t; it strikes me as a little discombobulated. Feel free to ask me for clarification of just what in the world I’m talking about, lol.)

Nifty Website

[inkydragon.livejournal.com]

I was just urged to post this here...linked from naturalbirth originally.

http://mybeautifulcervix.googlepages.com/ is a photo blog of a woman's cervix throughout her cycle. The pictures are beautiful, very up-close, and incredibly interesting. Hope you enjoy!

UTI or YI maybe?

[xhabitualshine.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I have this tickly feeling in my vagina.

I had some serious UTIs when I was much much younger, but I ended up having an operation and since then haven't had many problems.

It's not an itch like a YI, and it doesn't smell specifically "fishy".
But the smell is a bit different than normal and stronger.

I also feel like I'm kindof...leaking. Just a little bit just dribbling out of me =/ It's getting very annoying.
I also have to pee about twice as often as I usually do.

I was at the doctor's recently but didn't bring it up because last time this happened I paniced and told my mom, and she took me to the doctors, I got a bunch of tests done and there was nothing wrong. And then it went away maybe a day later.

But this has continued for a few days now and I'm scared it's getting worse.

Any ideas what it is or what I should do or anything?


Also, my boyfriend had his face down there a  bit before I realized there might be something wrong, am I going to make him sick D=?

birth control, bad skin and anti-depressants

[https://users.livejournal.com/-babylemonade-/]

Hello there,

I used to have really bad skin and was in need of new birth control after the injection started causing me some problems, so i went over to a high progesterone pill (Dianette). As well as protecting me against pregnancy it cleared my skin up great however it left me extremely emotional and aggressive. I was going through a tough time anyway (a bereavement, finishing my masters degree, faced losing my house, no money etc) but i felt the pill was sending me over the edge (and my poor SO who was one the recieving end of all my aggression). I knew i had to come of Dianette for the sake of my sanity so i moved 'down' to Microgynon.

Sadly the move down to Microgynon didn't have the marked effect on my emotions which i hoped it would. So after talks with my GP we agreed I should try a small dose of Prozac to counteract the negative side affects of my pill.

I've been on Prozac for over 6 months now and I really dont wanna stay on it forever. Can anyone suggest what I should do next? I dont wanna come off progesterone pills altogether as my skin flares up and gets sore but at the same time i dont wanna be on one so strong it stops me being able to manage my emotions.

If anyone has found themselves in a similar situation or know of any birth control that also keeps pesky spots at bay I'd love to hear from you.

Many thanks!