itchy clitoral area

[suddenlysecret.livejournal.com]

Aaah I only just posted the other day but I already have another question :(
the area around my clitoris/where my inner labia just begins is pretty damn itchy, and I'm not sure why. I'm at my bf's and there's no mirrors I can use to get a look, I've had him look and he said he couldn't see any redness or bumps or swelling or anything. When I rub at it cause of the itchyness, it starts to hurt as well, mainly along what I think is my clitoris (it's hard to define exactly where the pain is)
I haven't had sex or anything for a long while, I'm pretty sure I don't have a urinary tract infection because it isn't burning when I pee, and I'm assuming it's probably not a yeast infection becasue nowhere else is itching and I'm not having any strange odour. What could it be?
Update- me and my bf just both had another look with a torch as well (haha) but still couldn't see anything at all that seemed out of the ordinary

discharge, small spots of blood on underwear. AAAHHH!

[spoonah.livejournal.com]

OOOOOKKKK so, I posted yesterday about some mild pain and discomfort around my inner and outer labia. There was redness, its slightly swollen and it burns and itches. There is now more white discharge coming out and I'll be just walking around and actually be able to feel even more coming out to the point where my underwear is pretty damp. And last night there were tiny spots of blood on my underwear and when I looked, the inside of one of my lips actually had a tiny cut that was bleeding and I don't know wtf is going on. I've looked on some other forums and other women have gotten these during a really bad yeast infection but I still don't know. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon but I'm really just want some piece of mind. I'm actually really depressed about this right meow, my poor vagina :( Thanks for any advice or help you can give me.

Research: Managing Wellness through Internet Communities (reminder!)

[bumc-anthro.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone! This is a reminder post for the study that I am doing with VP. If you've already completed the survey, you can disregard this notice. A big, huge THANK YOU to all of the people who've already done the survey - I have masses of awesome data to sift through, and I'm so thankful to everyone who was generous and forthcoming with their stories. Those of you who volunteered for follow-ups will be contacted very shortly.

On to the info! My name is Meryl. I'm a medical anthropologist at Boston University Medical Center, and I'm doing research on how people use the internet to help them manage their health. I chose VP for this project because I believe the internet helps people gain agency and become empowered with knowledge about their own bodies, and I can't think of a community that better exemplifies those beliefs.

I'd like to ask you to fill out a little anonymous survey to help me with this project. It's mainly about your use of VP and how you combine the internet with other methods to take care of yourself. It's not a very long survey, and I hope it won't take you more than 15 minutes to complete- quite possibly much less. If you want to, you can also participate in an extra email or phone interview, but that part is totally optional. You need to be 13 or over to participate in the survey, and 18 or older to be interviewed.

This research study has been approved and sponsored by the Boston University School of Medicine. I also asked permission from VP's moderators before I began to develop the study, and they have given me the go-ahead to do so. Additionally, they've been able to look at and approve my survey questions.

( A more formal recruitment notice is under the cut. )

So if you'd like to take the survey, just click here or go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/vp2 .

If you have any questions at all, I'd love to answer them. At the request of the medical ethics board, it would be preferable if you sent me a PM instead of commenting here - nobody besides you is to know whether you decide to participate, and to comply with VP's rules I can't screen comments. However, if you don't care that others know you are participating, commenting here with questions is still fine. There will probably be one more reminder post before the end of the data-gathering period.

Thanks so much. I'm so grateful to all participants, and really to all the members of this community. I'm a member myself with my regular LJ, and I know it's helped me. I hope through this research I can discover how it's helped you, too.

Between period spotting

[jajikimbap.livejournal.com]

I already did a search on this through the community search thing plus looked through Vulvapedia, but haven't been able to find an answer that deals specifically with my situation.

Earlier today after I did some high intensity cardio at the gym, I came home with strong cramps, I could feel it lower than my belly, which I where I usually feel period cramps. Since period cramps also makes me go poo, that's what I did, lol. When I went to wipe I noticed there was some normal clear discharge plus a spot or two of bright red blood. Alarmed, I wiped again, and out came some stringy, red bloody snot with more spots of blood. I wiped several times and that same, stringy red snot kept on coming out. My cramps went away right after that though.

My last period ended June 28th, my period always comes every 24-28 days with no spotting at all so this came as a bit of a surprise. Cardio has never given me cramps like that before either. I'm not on birth control, so it's not the cause of that, but my husband and I had some pretty rough sex about a week ago :)

Does anyone have any idea if this is just regular spotting or something I should be concerned about? Is it possible that the sex may be causing me to spot? If this spotting keeps up, I'm probably going to see a doctor about it...

Confused and concerned about PMS symptoms.

[timeofmylife587.livejournal.com]

Hello superstars! I have some questions that I hope I can get answered.

For about a year now, I've been experiencing some strange kind of vertigo/off balance problems and some serious anxiety issues.

Why is this important? In the past few months that I've been living with my boyfriend, he says that my symptoms seem to get a LOT worse right before I get my period.

I end up with the following problems:

-Serious depression, to the point where I feel like I'm going to die. Not suicidal thoughts, just a really strong doom and gloom certainty that I'm going to die.
-Massive panic attacks. I have anxiety in general, but it gets ridiculous during this time.
-Off balance to the point of not wanting to get up and do anything for fear of falling over.
-Some of the time, I end up crying over absolutely nothing, or while I'm watching a TV show.
-Super super tired, sleeping twelve hours and wanting to go back to bed.
-Conversely, I also end up with insomnia, not being able to turn my brain off until I'm so exhausted that I fall asleep and sleep for excessive amounts of time.
-Trouble concentrating, not to the point of being incoherent, but it's noticeable nonetheless.
-Sometimes cramps, sometimes none.
-Small areas of pain in my abdominal area, that usually go away when I pass gas or go to the bathroom.
-Diarrhea, more often then not.

It gets in the way of my life so much so that I don't shower, I barely eat, I don't sleep well, I neglect my relationship, I neglect my house...

All this generally happens a week or so before I get my period, and once my period starts, the symptoms all but disappear. They never go away completely, but they back down to a point where I can go about my life and actually get things done. This wouldn't bother me so much if my periods weren't completely irregular, so I can never tell when I'm going to get my period. I've tried tracking it on an online tracker, which helps a little bit, but I always seem to be surprised by the symptoms regardless. My shortest cycle length was about 22 days, and my longest was 46.

I've been to Planned Parenthood, thinking that maybe it was a hormonal imbalance or something, and I told the doctor my symptoms. She didn't really seem too concerned, and she prescribed me some Lutera to see if that would regulate my period and maybe regulate my symptoms as well. She also wants me to go back and have some blood tests done to check my thyroid and my blood sugar levels. I've been on the BC for a month now, and this past cycle was the worst I've ever had. I started bleeding today, and I'm feeling better already but I still have one active pill to take before the inactive ones. I know it takes about three months for the body to get used to the BC, but I was hoping I would see a more immediate change.

Basically I'm just asking for some support and some advice. What do you think it could be? Is it possible the BC is making it worse, or should I stick it out the three months and see if it gets better?

TIA superstars, you guys rock so hard! :D

ETA: When I was in the office, I had a quick-prick blood test done and the doctor had told me that my iron was high. It had been right after my period ended as well, so I'm fairly certain that it isn't an iron deficiency or anemia.

UTI test

[estrellafugaz85.livejournal.com]

Hey,

I got tested for a UTI today but realised that it hadn't been an hour since I peed (as they requested), just 45-50 mins. It came back negative - is not waiting a full hour likely to have anything to do with the results?

Another question I have is: how likely is it to catch stuff from sharing towels? I'm furious right now as my towel went missing and I found it in my flatmate's room. I generally keep it in my room, as I'm so paranoid about these things, but it was getting damp and gross like that in the heat and I figured nobody would actually think it was OK to use someone else's towel, but apparently I was wrong. It makes me wonder how many other times she's used it. I don't remember it ever not being how I left it, folded in half neatly over the metal towel holder but you never know.

Bloating/Water Retention...

[whiterabit.livejournal.com]

So I have been on Yaz for about 18 months now. I only get my period for one day but during that one day I retain water so severe I cannot wear pants comfortably. I am talking a good two inches my stomach swells while on my period for this one day.

It's quite painful, as in my stomach hurts to lay on due to being so swollen. This isn't normal. How can I help this painful side effect??


I know I should avoid salty foods, but I need more than that. How can I help the swelling go down??

Asanas & the Pelvic Floor, Part 4: Mountain Pose

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

I know, I know. Anyone familiar with mountain pose is already thinking, "Lolwut? This is standing. What does standing have to do with my vag?"

The answer, in two parts:

1. The pelvic floor is not just the vagina.


2. A lot.

I mean, vaginae are great and all -- I'm a fan! -- but the pelvic floor muscles support and connect to all sorts of other "down there" fun (the bladder, the uterus, the low back, etc.). And just like elements of easy pose can be incorporated whenever we're sitting, so can elements of tadasana be incorporated whenever we're standing. And on any given day, I am probably on my feet as much as I am on my butt.

It's also worth noting that there are some societal forces/pressures/factors/whatever that can lead us away from a balanced tadasana, which may then create pain and pelvic floor weakness.

( So this thing? It's not 'just' standing. )