stringy discharge + YI, question mark?

[running-farmer.livejournal.com]

hey everyone! ( here is some backstory )

so that is the backstory. here is what happened today: i started laying down some translucent, sorta-white-but-mostly-clear discharge. it's stringy and gooey in nature - like egg whites. sometimes there are globs almost the size of a quarter, which is actually really fascinating to me. it smells/tastes like it did before i started getting YIs all the time, kind of tangy and sour. am i ovulating? or does this qualify for cottage cheese discharge? would i know if i had cottage cheese discharge? i'm kind of clueless when it comes to FAM (i have never been able to find my cervix and my body likes to wonk out and skip periods sometimes). for reference, my last period started on september 13th. monthlyinfo thinks i'm not ovulating yet but i think that might be because i involuntarily skipped a period three months ago and its calendar went awry.

basically, what is my vagina doing and should i be doing something differently? thanks so much!

Everyday Bodies Wants YOU!

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hi, all!

First off, in case you missed it, check out the latest installment of our Everyday Vulvas project.

We'd like to post another installment, but in order to do so, we need a few more pics.

If you've contributed recently or are interested in contributing, check out the following info:

1) We're currently accepting submissions of vulva pics, and we'd love to have yours. For more details on how to contribute, check here.

2) If you did submit your pic prior to our reminder post on 9/6, there's a chance your pic went to a nonexistent email address. If you think this might apply to you, we apologize for the error and encourage you to submit again.

Thanks!
Tori
For the VP Team
contact_vp

September 26: World Contraception Day

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Fun fact, y'all. Today (at least, it's still today in my time zone) is the third annual World Contraception Day.

This year's theme, Your Life, Your Voice: Talk Contraception, is designed to help young people talk about contraception. This covers talking to people in order to get complete information about contraception as well as talking to partners about using contraception.

I'll admit, I have some questions regarding the rest of the linked site (so please do not take this post as an endorsement of the site as a whole) -- but the general "talk about it" message is one I think is pretty fabulous. Techniques that encourage people to have open dialogues about contraception -- not to treat it like it's perpetually an inappropriate topic -- are good in my book.

For me, I wish it hadn't taken me so long to access accurate information about my full range of contraceptive options. My religiously based sex ed classes, which didn't give unbiased information about anything, focused mostly on the pill and condoms. My first safer sex discussions -- one at my university's health center, another at the local Planned Parenthood -- talked about the pill and condoms. Discussions among my friends centered around the pill and condoms. It is, I think, understandable that I started thinking about contraception in terms of The Pill And Condoms.

Which, there's certainly nothing wrong with the pill or condoms, but they don't work for everyone, and they didn't work for me. I remember surreptitiously searching around online -- this was before the existence of VP -- and feeling kind of... weird and crazy, like I was looking for evidence of alien zombie Republican conspiracy theories rather than information about my own reproductive health.

Even after I found FAM and purchased Taking Charge of Your Fertility, I was very hesitant to tell people about it. There was so little mainstream information about it that I was afraid people were going to judge me (and, to a lesser extent, my partner) for using it. And they did. I got a lot of:

1) "Why don't you just use condoms?"
2) "You know what they call people who use the rhythm method? Parents."
3) "You can get the pill at Planned Parenthood. You know that, right?"
4) "When you get pregnant, don't come crying to me."

And other things that implied I was ignorant and/or irresponsible for choosing to use anything other than The Big Two.

Never mind that what I needed was not judgment but rather access to both accurate information and open dialogue about different contraceptive methods. Never mind that populations have different and complex contraceptive needs, and that no two methods -- hell, no ten methods -- are going to fit the needs of every couple or individual. Never mind that judging me for a contraceptive choice did little to change that choice -- but a lot to make me feel scared of talking about it with others, including my health care providers.

So, yeah. I'm a big proponent of making sure that conversations about contraception are comprehensive, honest, and nonjudgmental. I'm sure one can always find exceptions, but people are overwhelmingly able to make good choices for themselves when they're able to ask questions and equip themselves with the proper information.

sti question+BCP question

[jackcat7.livejournal.com]

I had sex with someone new 3 weeks ago. We rubbed genitals for a few minutes, I was wet but I was wearing a tampon so no penetration was involved. I also gave him oral beforehand. When we had sex we used a condom and he didn't finish or anything. How worried should I be about STI's? It was a dumb choice I made while me and my boyfriend were on break. Now we're back together and we've had sex without a condom and the thought of me possibly exposing him to something is freaking me out. I know I didn't have anything at the time because I was tested a few months before and have only had one partner and he has only had me as a partner as well.

Would it be ok for only him to get tested and go from there?

Now, I just started taking the pill. I started it in the middle of my cycle and I have started cramping. Is this normal for the first pack or could it be related to possibly catching anything?

Favorite Pubic Hair Trimmers?

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Mine is near death.

First, I am incredibly proud of myself for noticing this before I attempted to trim my pubic hair this afternoon. I am not walking around with half my hair trimmed and the other half curly. This pleases me.

Second, I will be wanting to replace it. I know others can, but I've never been able to trim myself evenly with scissors. I have this, and while there are things I like about it, there are things that make me think I'd rather try a different trimmer this time.

I liked:

1) It was reasonably long lasting. I'm just about at the 2 year mark with it, and I have to admit -- I took pretty horrendous care of it along the way. I have no doubts that my lack of care substantially contributed to its demise, and frankly, I'm a little surprised it's lasted this long.

2) The angled head is about fourteen different kinds of awesome. This is the first trimmer I've had where it's actually been easy for me to trim the "sides" of things -- the insides and outsides of my labia majora, my inner thighs, etc. -- without having to contort either my pelvis or my wrist into uncomfortable positions.

What was not so hot:

1) I feel like it has a hard a hard time trimming thicker hair. I'm averagely hairy, but this trimmer tugs at and gets tangled in the hair on my mons pubis pretty much every time I use it, even when the hair is already pretty short. If I can avoid that in the future, that is, well, better.

2) It's hard to turn on. Specifically, I think the head and the main device aren't correctly aligned. So sometimes, when the main device is switched on and the motor is running, the actual trimming blades aren't doing any kind of vibrating. Because of this, sometimes it takes 5 or 6 tries to turn on, which is a little on the annoying side.

Favorite trimmers, anyone?

ETA: I went to Target today and ended up with this because it was cordless, well reviewed on Amazon, and nine bucks.

If I'm going to be wrong, I'd rather be wrong for $9 than for $20 or $30.

Cervix Position pics?

[hellgamatic.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm trying to be more comprehensive in my FAM usage. Currently I temp and check cervical fluid, but I want to start checking my cervical position and I just don't understand what "high" and "low" mean in terms of my actual body. Can someone draw me some side-view crappy MS paint pics or something? I've been confused about this from the get-go (been using FAM for over a year).

Thanks in advance!

2nd trimester abortion questions

[anonymous-use.livejournal.com]

Cut because of possible triggers

( Read more... )

birth control pill right for me?

[un-solved.livejournal.com]

I want to take the pill as a contraception but have some issues with my body and doubt it would receive them well. Of, course I need to to talk to a doctor about that and will definitely do that but I have never been to a gynecologist and would like go into my first exam prepared so that I don't miss anything.

1)I'm overweight, I heard that you can gain weight while on the pill? I would like to know exactly how common that is? Is it possible to loose weight while on it?

2)I get migraines, but not with aura. It's not that bad then (to take BCP), is it?

3) I have a very high sex drive that is actually compatible with my SO and I read that it can happen that my sex drive might change/drop. I don't know how to form a question, really but... I can't wrap my mind around how that would express itself. As in, would I just not be able to get wet enough or would it actually change me mentally? Because from where I'm standing, that would kinda scare me. I want sex pretty much all the time (when I'm not sick or sleepy etc of course) and the libido change because of birth control would... make me not think about sex and want to have it anymore?

4) Since I have sex often, it would be very inconvenient if I would bleed constantly while on the pill. I've never had spotting or any other form of bleeding other than my period when I was supposed to get it. I think that a little spotting wouldn't be that bad but, do any of you actually have/had problems with the pill so much so that you had period bleeding for a long time?

I imagine a lot of this is very much dependent on my own body but can any of you relate to my concerns and maybe help me at least rule out any type of pill? All I know is that I would prefer not to be on the Nuva Ring, for various reasons.

Oh, I'm 19 (live in Germany) and have a fairly regular cycle :)

Empowerment

[kwaniesiam.livejournal.com]

I've seen this mentioned a lot in this community. From various members, in the EVB project, advertised for various products, etc. and it got me thinking. What exactly does empowerment mean to you? It could be sexual, as a woman/man/insert gender identity here, with your partner, what have you. I'm just interested in hearing stores about what empowerment means to you, in what ways, and how its helped you in various ways.

I know personally that EVB has helped me so much to feel more comfortable about myself and realize that people really do come in different shapes and sizes, and that nothing is abnormal about any of it. VP as a whole has also been very empowering because its a safe, open place to discuss all aspects of this nature. Not many people really get that oppurtunity for various reasons, and I'm thankful I found this community.