yeast infection?

[--boot.livejournal.com]

Hello all, I'm a first-time poster - this is a wonderful resource!

For a few days I've had pretty severe itching and burning/general discomfort around my vulva. There  is no abnormal discharge or smell (except perhaps a slight intensification of my usual smell). The area is very swollen and inflamed, and relatively tender. My period started two days ago, and I've been using my divacup until last night when it started being too uncomfortable to insert. I don't know if this is related, but I became sexually active about two months ago, but haven't had sex in a week - several days before these symptoms started showing up. I've never had any sort of yeast or bacterial or otherwise vaginal infection, and have never had a pelvic exam or been to a gynocologist.

I will schedule a doctors appointment as soon as I can, but do you have ideas as to what this could be, and what I can do to relieve the discomfort? could this be a YI or BV, even though the symptoms don't seem to fit? I can ease the itching a little by washing with water, but I feel very dry down there after I do that, which only makes things worse.

Thanks for any input

Period lasting very long now that I've started Seasonique.

[xprivate-eyex.livejournal.com]

I just started taking Seasonique at the end of October, right after I had started my regular period (as instructed).

I am extremely forgetful and have an erratic work schedule, so I rarely take the pill at the same time every day - I generally remember to take it between 5 PM and 9 PM.

Anyway, that's just backstory in case it helps explain anything. My gynocologist told me the whole Seasonique stopping your period wouldn't really take affect until I started my second pack of pills (or the 4th month I'm taking them), so I was expecting my period to come as normal, right at the tail end or very beginning of the month.

Well, right at the end of November I started getting very, very light steaks of blood on the TP when I went to the bathroom. This lasted a few days. Then my period started lightly for a couple days, then started full force, normal-for-me perioding.

The full force bleeding started at least a week ago. This is heavy bleeding, and (forgive me) it's much...chunkier than usual. The flow shows no signs of tapering off and I'm starting to worry. I expected an irregular period after starting on birth control pills, but I expected less of a period than more of one.

Do I need to be worried? Is something going wrong in my girlybits? I thought perhaps the Seasonique, like, caused my lining to thicken which would make my period more intense or something, which seems normal enough but I'm about as far from a learned medical professional as it gets. It's already December 13th, I'd be pretty upset if I had a December-long period. :(

Does anyone have any Seasonique experience? I'd rather not have to go to the gyno if I am just being an alarmist since my financial river is running dry.

Spotting before my period, change of pattern

[amyakieran.livejournal.com]

I recently (well, the last two years or so) have started spotting before my period... actually for a good 3-5 days beforehand. I'm obviously not pregnant or else this is one veerrrry long pregnancy, hahaha. My periods are also strikingly shorter (after the spotting, 2-3 days of blood then about 3-4 days of more spotting) and less heavy than what they were 2 years ago. My cramps have been diminishing (which I admit is nice but still leaves me uneasy as this is horribly unusual for me).

Before this started, I was able to KNOW the exact moment (and even be able to check the time) that my period started. I would get a sudden urge to use the toilet, notice a light pink tinge, and the floodgates would open. I'd get horrendous cramps that first day. The second day would my heaviest, and then slowly taper off until I got brown discharge at the end. I'd get horny, get off, and that was the end of my period (7-9 days).

I have a feeling this might a progesterone thing because, in addition to all the actual bleeding things, my PMS symptoms have gotten a million trillion times worse. Now I'm completely inconsolable and literally don't move from my bed.

Since I've noticed these things, I've started getting more calcium (nettles, red raspberry, and yogurt) and more exercise. No other major changes have occurred since the change or really before. I'm not on any type of birth control. I had been on a myriad of different kinds for about 2 years but had already been off any kind for at least 9 months to a year before this started happening.

I haven't posted this at all because I am afraid diagnoses are completely against the rules, but I'm going to see a gynecologist about this next Thursday and would really like some educated guesses so that this person doesn't just shake me off (I know that spotting before periods is normal for some women, BUT NOT ME! I also don't want him/her to say, "Well maybe this is your new normal... blah blah blah," without doing any type of test or really considering it might be something more). There is a history of uterine fibroid tumors in the family, but I'm not sure if they would cause something like this. I am still regular, 29-35 days. I have never missed a period or had more than one a month. I am not worried about pregnancy at all. I just miss being able to predict how my period is going to act; this is driving me bonkers!

(crossposted to moonbloodherbs)

Lymph Nodes

[bellenexias.livejournal.com]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the between-the-legs area is loaded with lymph nodes. Right? I have tons of bumps under the skin that feel just like the lymph nodes in my neck. I have permanent lumps in my neck from the nodes swelling and then leaving scar tissue. Is that what the bumps in my lower region are? There are lots and lots though, not just a few like my neck. Should I be worried?

***edit***

So from what I've gathered from you lovely ladies is that I should treat the nodes in my leg-attaches-to-body-area like the doctor told me to treat the nodes in my neck; if they get larger than a nickel or starting hurting bad, go back to the doctor. Thank you everyone!

oral sex after wisdom teeth removal

[lauries414.livejournal.com]

Hello,

I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth out yesterday, and I was just wondering how long after removal is it normal/painless to give oral sex (to men)?  I don't want to make my stitches rip (they're supposed to dissolve on their own) and I don't want to get a dry socket by sucking... please help!  My boyfriend is coming home soon and since we aren't having vaginal sex yet oral is about the only thing I can do to please him.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Kegel exercises for men?

[janechido.livejournal.com]

I've been with my new boyfriend now for about 3 weeks and we've got to messing about but haven't had sex yet.  First time we were fooling around I was giving him a handjob with him sitting up on a couch.   Now I've been with other guys before and obviously know that there is some cleanup involved when giving a guy a handjob which usually involves him cleaning his mess on his tummy.    Clean up was a bit more involved with my current boy.  When he ejaculated, the semen spurted a good 3-4 feet and some actually landed over his shoulder and onto my newish navy couch.  I have to say I was quite shocked at his powerful ejaculations and at first attributed this to my skillful hands.  However, next time we were fooling around a week later this time lying down on his bed, I tried to make sure I was aiming him onto his stomach and after turning on the lights after he came, a similar result in that some semen had actually landed on the headboard of the bed and all over the pillows.    I brought this up with him at how I had never seen this before and he said he practiced kegel exercises to improve his orgasms.  I had heard about this for women to strengthen their PC muscles but didn't know this was also true for boys.   Has anyone ever heard of guys who do this with similar results?

"improving" taste for oral sex

[clawbeatskin.livejournal.com]

I've read in many places that drinking pineapple juice before oral sex "improves" (clearly, I don't like the terminology, but I'd be interested in seeing if it really makes a profound difference) the taste of one's juices. However, none of the sources have ever actually said how long or soon beforehand one should drink the pineapple juice. I assume it's in the range of hours, but how many? Any experience with this?

Do I tell him?

[safarikid.livejournal.com]

This morning I discovered that I'm pregnant. The guy involved is my current friends-with-benefits and this pregnancy comes as a bit of a shock because I've been perfect with my HBC but I think it might have been affected when I was on strong medication.

I already know that I'm going to terminate the pregnancy because I a) couldn't have a child at this time and b) wouldn't want to have one with my friend. As awful as it sounds, the only reason I stick around with my friend is because of the sex. I don't particularly like him in a romantic and as such have resisted all his attempts to try and turn what we have into a relationship.

I spoke to my close girlfriend this morning who will come to my appointments with the doctor and support me through the procedure but do I need to tell my friend-with-benefits? Does he have a right to know? I'm 100% sure that if I did tell him he'd freak out and want to be a bigger part of my life than he is now, or else it'd spoil the friendship we have. Luckily I don't see him all that often so I can hide the emotional/hormonal aspects of having the procedure but I've already had an argument about the fact that one of my girlfriends thinks that I have a moral duty to tell him

Late Period When Starting HBC?

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

So, this is my second month on HBC (Aviane, generic Alesse). Last month, my period came the morning of my first placebo, exactly on time. This month, my first placebo was yesterday and my period still hasn't come. I haven't missed any pills and have not taken them more than maybe half an hour late (usually it's at absolutely the same time, when the alarm goes off). So pretty close to perfect use. I'm wondering... My periods got considerably lighter when I gave up dairy, and lighter still the first month of bc (as in, I couldn't even use a regular tampon at all and had to use light). I have felt a light cramping the last day or so occasionally. Is there any way my period could disappear? Is it probably just late? I also have a really bad cold. I don't know if that would make any sort of difference.

I'm just really nervous.. I want to know what's going on. (Completely new to this.)

Thanks!

my bits smell like oatmeal after only one bowl

[pour-vrai.livejournal.com]

So it's fairly common knowledge that the way your juices taste can be affected by what you eat/drink, right? Because--okay, well, I don't know about the taste per se, but I had a big bowl of instant oatmeal last night, and today my discharge has a distinct maple & brown sugar aroma to it. This also happened a couple weeks ago, the last time I ate the oatmeal. Had it for breakfast and by afternoon I noticed the smell, which I thought I might be imagining, and which was gone by the next day.

I guess I can't really complain that my box smells like my favorite flavor of oatmeal, but wtf? I was under the impression that it took at least a short period of fairly regular consumption of whatever for the effect to become noticeable. Anyone else experience this?

performing oral

[allymcbealish.livejournal.com]

Hi.

I'm looking for tips/suggestions on how to perform oral sex on my boyfriend. Now this is not vagina related, but I'm sure some of you VP gorgeous people can help me. If you know any quality books or other sources, your input is very welcome :)

TIA.

Still having symptoms of UTI

[jackie-spies.livejournal.com]

So, my UTI infection is gone. I'm happy about that, but I still have the urge to go and a feeling of pressure so the PN wrote me a prescription for Detrol LA for a week. Well, obviously the urge to go is gone, but I still have that pressure. I'm not ovulating, and I don't have any cysts--I think my bladder is still just irritated.  I'm assuming it's going to take sometime to get my bladder back to normal, but I was wondering if it would be okay if I took Tylenol etc. for the pressure, or is there something herbal out there? Or should I just leave it alone?

Smartballs

[min-song.livejournal.com]

Has anyone tried Fun Factory's Smartballs?

http://www.funfactory.de/usa/produkte.php?produktid=216&pmenuid=10&

How have they worked for you? And do you recommend them?

IUD Insertion

[sweetp288.livejournal.com]

I got a Paragard! No more hormones! No more ridiculous mood swings! More wanting of the sex! No babies for as long as 10 years!!

Yeeeeah. All this for only my copay - $20. Thank the gods that I am fortunate enough to have reasonable insurance.

I'm posting this to hopefully counter some of the terrible accounts I'd read on the internet in my research on IUDs. I actually considered not getting one, out of fear of the *rare* complications and the pain others described. This is my personal account, and I would never mean to say that my experience is any more or less "normal" than what others have experienced.


I arrived at the doctor's office expecting:

1)not to get inserted yesterday, because when I scheduled my initial appointment the nurse said they would do an initial exam and then schedule an insertion date
2)to have to put up a fight to get it because I am young, unmarried (though in a stable monogamous relationship), and have never been pregnant. I'm aware not all doctors have gotten up to speed on IUDs being safe to use regardless and know folks who have been told "no" by their doctors

Instead, right when the nurse walked me back, she said "I've already gotten all the stuff for your IUD out. First we'll do you're exam and then we'll do the insertion." Needless to say, I was surprised, but kind of thankful that I didn't have much time to anticipate/stress over the, as I had read, excruciating insertion.

My gyno is AWESOME - which is a kind twist of fate considering I selected her off my insurance's website, simply because she is located two minutes from my house. When I met her, she struck up a conversation about yoga (because I teach it) with me. Then she proceeded to talk about how awesome IUDs are, and how her 23-year-old daughter has one and loves it! She talked about how perfect a candidate I am and explained, in detail, how she was going to do it and what I was going to feel during each step. I was so giddy over how pleased I was with my choice of doctor that it made the whole experience very easy. The insertion itself was relatively painless, except some pinching and cramping at the exact times in the process my doctor prepared me for. More than anything it was uncomfortable.

For those who may be curious, I'll describe the steps. First, she described the whole process. Then, she examined me and the position of my uterus. She gave me a local anesthetic to my cervix which numbed the point she had to grab with a tool. Then, she used a tool to measure the depth of my uterus, so she could adjust the IUD accordingly. During this, I felt mild cramping. It took her a minute or two to prepare the IUD itself, and then inserted it. Once again, I felt some cramping, and I could feel my body begin to move into that "something uncomfortable is being done to me - must protect!" mode. However, with some deep breathing and calming thoughts, I was fine.

About 10 minutes after I left the office, the adrenaline (I'm guessing) wore off, and I cramped like never before. I won't downplay the cramps - they were the worst I've ever experienced. This, however, is coming from an individual who RARELY gets cramps, and therefore am probably more sensitive to them (i.e., if you're used to cramps, they may not seem that bad). I loaded up on ibuprofen, took 45 minutes with a heating pad to try and sleep it off, and then went to work.

Key points: Make sure you find a knowledgeable doctor who makes you feel comfortable. The actual insertion IMO may not be that awful. So for those of you whom getting an IUD is a feasible option, don't let the process scare you!

Antibiotics / Plan B and what to do with my regular birth control?

[tormented-s0ul.livejournal.com]

So, I have a UTI. I get them frequently enough that I recognize them on the first day. Since I have them a few times a year, I have a ready supply of antibiotics to take... but it just crossed my mind that hey, wait a second.

I am currently on Yasmin, and do not use condoms with my fiancé. We had sex on Wednesday. UTI on Thursday (coincidence? I think not) I would take the antibiotics... but since it is so close to sex date, I worry about getting pregnant. That is where the Plan B comes in. I have it on hand as well... but I am VERY hesitant to take it. I have taken it in the past, and I am one of those girls who winds up throwing up and being sick as a dog for the next 4 or so days.

So, my questions are... If I can hold off the effects of my UTI for a little longer, and NOT take the Plan B, (which I would much, much rather do), around what day can I start taking the antibiotics?

Or if I can't hold out, and end up taking the stupid thing, what do I do with my regular birth control? The Plan B makes me have a period the next week, and that throws off my packet. Should I just chuck out that pack and start a new one?

Any advice/help/whatever is much appreciated!

Sex positions and orgasms...

[firesorceress.livejournal.com]

( Cut in case this is tmi...don't want to get anyone at work in trouble. Ha ha... )

Possibly Pregnant/Pain

[buggy8.livejournal.com]

So, I've been off the pill for 7 months now, and i've been trying to get pregnant. I'm a week late and i've never been this late since i've been off the pill and I haven't received my period. I felt like I might be getting cramps but it wasn't amounting to anything. I took a pregnancy test yesterday and it said negative, from my webmd ovulation calendar, if i were pregnant, it'd only be about 3 weeks in. Today, I'm having this pain in like my pelvic area that I don't remember having before....I've been tired, no more than usual though, my feet were swollen the other day, but no nauseousness, no tender breasts....Could i be pregnant even still?

thyroid, hair loss?

[rasoriana.livejournal.com]

while not related to vaginal health, i know that several of you are being treated for hypothyroidism and i wanted to ask if any of you experienced hair loss as a result of taking medicine.

i'm on 25 mg synthroid for hypothyroidism and i can't quite tell if i'm losing hair. i've always shed lots of hair but i have thick hair so it's not noticable/normal. i'm particularly paranoid about hair loss because my sister who is only 24 has been losing a significant amount of hair (i can see her scalp in many areas).

i'm trying to figure out if i'm losing my hair and whether or not its genetic or the result of treatment. i'm going to ask my doctor next time i see him. thanks in advance.

more DIY questions

[dreamseer09.livejournal.com]

hey all,
well anyway i masturbate regularily and very happily but i do have a few problems. I always use my vibrators or clit stimulators because i feel they are just better in general haha:)
however i love going quite fast with  but i always find when im close to climaxing and at a furious pace i just cant keep goiNG quite that fast. Its not that its sore or tiring but its like i just dont have the abilitly to come and work the vibe at the same time haha and ot leads too less amazing orgamism:(
anyone else experience this sorta thing? any suggestions on how to get over the hill shall we say:)

also.. after i masturbate i ALWAYS want either want a smoke or chocolate! This never happens after sex (well maybe a smoke)so i was just wondering do any of you know the reason why??

and
oddly i keep having the crazy really hot fantasies about my english teacher who i really dont find attractive normally! anyone have experience with this either? im not used to my fantasies being real people haha

thanks all
hope your all well
XD
xxx

Pain

[rose-may2000.livejournal.com]

Ok so a while back like over a month ago, i thought i might have gotten a infection from having sex with my boyfriend.I was thinking maybe a bladder infection or something. The pain started off dull and having had a bladder infection twice before just thought id go to the docs.  But then it was more   in what i believe to be my ovaries. It was extremely painful but didnt last long and then it was gone.Mostly just one night and then part of one day a couple days later.It was pretty intense. I tried not to breathe or move.  So my mom thought it might be a cyst? Either way the pain was gone so i skipped sitting in a waiting room for 2 hours at a my walkin docs. Last night well this morning ;) I had sex with him again and now im in some extreme pain. Its right across where my hip bones are and deep if that makes sense. Its like an ache that wont go away. Its also starting to make me feel nausous. Theres isnt a different postion that makes this comfortable. Its constant. its not changing in the way i feel but i think my pain tolerance is starting to. deteriorate. Im on nuva ring, not sure if that makes a difference. From reading this site, i know that  sometimes your partner can hit um your cervix or something?? i dont really know. Does anyone have an ideas? 

(no subject)

[cleo1946.livejournal.com]

Hey, so I'm looking to upgrade to a Diva cup. But I'm fairly clueless.

I found this one, does it look good to you guys (price/quality wise)?
How long does the cup last?
How long do the pads last?
What's the clean up process?
Will it be easy to stick the cup in?

Any testimonials would be great! I'd love to hear from people who aren't selling the stuff.

Thanks.

male condoms & female condoms, other questions

[chelsearar.livejournal.com]

Hello VPers!

I am the president of CHOICE, which is Vassar College's Campus Health Organization for Information, Contraception and Education. I've posted here before asking some questions for my group, and now I have a few more.

Our main function on campus is providing free safer sex supplies (male condoms, dental dams, lube, female condoms, gloves, finger cots) to the Vassar community.

We're getting ready to replenish our stock for next semester, and we're thinking about switching up the condoms we offer. We used to get Durex Extra Sensitive, but are thinking of getting Lifestyles ultra sensitive (I think that is what it's called). Does anyone have anything really positive or really negative to say about either of these brands?

Also, would anyone mind sharing their experiences with female condoms? We recently had a woman approach one of our members who wanted to know about people's experiences with them, but myself & others in the group have never personally tried them, so we don't have anything of our own to share.

And finally... I'd appreciate sex/sexuality book & video recommendations (including porn), and if you know of any good (and cheap!) sex & sexuality educators/writers/whatevers (or are one), let me know! We're always looking for good speakers and events to bring to campus. We're specifically looking for people who could come in April.

I hope this is all ok. I can't think of a better place to ask these questions, as everyone here is always so open and honest and helpful.

thanks a lot,
Chelsea

Tips on how to finally orgasm? (Also, opinions on when a "good time" to lose it is)

[hastoknow.livejournal.com]

I have an issue...):

When I'm fooling around with the boy, for some reason I can't orgasm. It definitely feels amazing, and there are so many times where I feel like I'm REALLY close to orgasm, but for some reason I can never actually get there.

I don't really masturbate, so I don't know if I can orgasm by myself.

Advice? :\!!


And on a side note, sometimes when he's fingering me, it feels awesome, and sometimes it hurts. Why?

ETA:

Also I was wondering what y'all thought about this: My roommate (who is a gay guy) and I were talking about virginity. I'm a virgin, and my roommate was convinced that I should get rid of it asap, especially if I didn't really love the person I was seeing, because (as he said) "chances are slim you're actually going to give it up to the person you stay with for the rest of your life" and "no matter what, you'll be attached to the person you give it up to, so it's better to do it with someone you like less so that the heartbreak is less intense"

Opinions?