(Former ortho evra user - new symptom though, related to BC?)

[ardat-lili.livejournal.com]

I did a quick search for relevant posts already available on vp but to no avail -

A little background...(Definitely not pregnant-I'm not sexually active and haven't been for a year+ or so) but I'm 27, and I hadn't taken birth control since I was 22 or 23, and recently started back on the patch (Ortho Evra). I had taken this birth control before, for a good 2+ years with 0 side effects or complications(when I was younger...19-23ish).

But this time I was about 8 days in..just switched to my second patch.. when I realized the previous several days I had unexplained nausea.. all day long, all night long.. no pain, no cramps, no stomach issues (diarrhea or the such)... just severe to mild nausea, but annoying enough to the point where it made me feel sick enough to not be able to focus and lose my appetite.

I have since stopped taking the medication, (2 days ago) but still have mild nausea... although it seems to not be QUITE as bad..So in essence I have felt nauseated for around 5 days now. A few days into applying the patch I also had severe itching all over my body, I attributed that to the medication as well. I'm assuming I had an allergic reaction to the patch, but does the nausea make sense? Has anyone experienced these symptoms, after having previously had no issues with the same medication? I'm confused why I could take the BC before, but now I'm having issues. And lastly, can anyone recommend a BC that is mild enough to not set off nausea, any preferences out there? Any response is appreciated. I've already made an appointment with Planned Parenthood to talk to a Dr, but that will take time as I have no health insurance and can't just call my healthcare provider.

Thank you in advance.

Tampon shelf life?

[glitterberrys.livejournal.com]

I probably should have asked this *before* using the tampon in question, but it didn't occur to me until just now...

Do tampons expire? This is a box that's been open for about three years (I came down with a nasty bout of BV not long after I bought said box and switched back to mostly pads only), hanging out under the sink. I'm not sure how damp it gets under there, but it seems like the kind of place that would, in fact, get somewhat damp. They're in their little plastic wrappers and seem fine, and the internet seems to suggest that they don't expire, but this seems a pretty long time.

Hormonal contraceptives start my period?

[takmarierah.livejournal.com]

So, I'm about to try getting an IUD. My period just started today, I found someone who's willing to give an IUD to someone who hasn't given birth (and never plans to), and I'm waiting for a call back about my appointment. I'm nearing my two-year anniversary with my first partner, a guy I could imagine spending the rest of my life with.

Here's where I'm concerned.

This past winter, around January, I had been on the pill for a year with no problems when my period arrived a week early. I kept taking the pill through it, thinking that maybe it would go away, but it didn't, and then on the off week it started up again with renewed strength. I didn't think much of it, though, until the next month when it happened again; my period started a week early and kept going even though I was still taking the pill. So that time I didn't take a week off of the pills--but it still started up again right when it would have if I had. I went to see my gynecologist, and she prescribed me a slightly stronger pill. So I go another two weeks without my period, but then it starts again, for three weeks this time. After that I have one week without my period, until pretty soon I have my period non-stop for eight weeks, not always very strong, but constant; sometimes it looked like it was going to end, only to start up again. My partner was understanding but we were both frustrated, and the whole time, summer was approaching, when we would both leave on our internships for three months.

I decided I wanted something different and more permanent, so we figured that I could try an IUD if I could find someone willing to take the legal risk of giving me one. Only, my gynecologist wanted my period to stop for a while before we tried doing it. The problem with that of course was that it wasn't stopping, no matter how much we tried increasing the dosage; finally, with a month left before I had to leave, I decided that since the pills weren't working to stop the problem, I would stop taking them. I did, and within a few days my period had stopped completely. By then, however, it was so close to the time I had to leave to go to Washington DC, we decided not to do it until after summer, since if anything went wrong I'd pretty much be SOL. My partner and I managed to have sex two or three times before we parted ways--not very well, since he doesn't function well with a condom and neither of us are really comfortable having sex while I'm on my period--and the one time I visited him I managed to use the pill without mishap, although it did start three days early. I then discontinued use until a week before I came home.

Now here I am, back home in Wisconsin, about to get one of the Mirena IUDs--possibly as soon as tomorrow--and my period started five days before the end of my active pills. I'm nervous that when I get the IUD, my period might not stop again, and that I'll be stuck for the three months or whatever waiting to see if it'll stop, unable to have sex with my partner after we've already been separated for so long. My doctor's never heard of this happening before, I have no family history of this, and my ultrasound I had back in spring came back normal. I don't know what my options would be if this doesn't work.

I don't usually worry about things, but I'm worried about this.

Couple of questions here

[thisbloodismine.livejournal.com]

1.  Are there any other ways to tell if a girl is a virgin besides having a hymen that is still intact? 

2. What are the best (cheapest, most discreet) sites to order sex toys from? 

3. Are there any effective ways to get rid of excess discharge? I tend to have quite a bit, it doesn't have an unusual smell, but it still makes me uncomfortable. 

4. Last but not least, how normal is it too experience vaginal mucus on a semi-regular basis all throughout the month? I've been experiencing this for the past few months. It's a normal color, sort of white or clear, but again just tends to make me uncomfortable. Is there any way to reduce these occurances? 

Thank you in advance for any info!

Vaginal itching

[kymberly316.livejournal.com]

I have had persistent vaginal itching, mainly at night, for over a year. I have been tested for everything twice (once at the start and again 6months ago) and all of them came out negative for any infections. I was also tested for allergies and changed to hypoallergenic soaps and detergents, to no avail. I was also tested for pinworms and that came out negative too. I wear only cotton underwear and loose fitting pants. All the over the counter creams and several prescriptions have not helped

I was diagnosed with vulvodynia/vaginal vestibulitis about 4 years ago. I am not currently sexually active. Could the itching be related to the vulvodynia? How do I make it go away?!

(no subject)

[taniableu.livejournal.com]

I'm considering Implanon and was chatting to a friend about it. She is 6 months into her second implanon and she said she was getting side effects - mainly moodiness, with the rod, so her Dr also prescribed her the minipill to take.

I've been googling mini pill and implanon, but I'm not finding much.

Is her Dr making a good clinical decision to prescribe her the pill while she still has the implanon in?

Nausea and Headache

[kaylomags.livejournal.com]

This is probably not going to make much sense but if you can help please do.
* I got my period 7/31 and it was a normal 6 day. Around day 4 of my period I started the nuvaring. I was having trouble with it after 3 days and took it out.
* I then started bleeding the 7th which lasted like 3 days but heavy. Now I don't know which bleedy times to count to figure out my ovulation.
* I woke up this morning to splitting head syndrome and horrid nausea. My nausea has lessened a little bit but not completely. I think it would be too soon for a HPT going by either date but I'm not sure.
*When I was pregnant before I felt like this probably like 4 days after the sex in question.
So my questions are Which time would I could for my ovulation and what are the chances I'm actually pregnant?

Sudden hair loss, HBC the culprit?

[may-third.livejournal.com]

Ahhh! VPers! I have insanely thick hair and all of the sudden, seemingly out of no where, it's falling out all over the place! Every time I run my hands through my hair, brush it, or shower and wash it, at least 10 hairs seem to be coming out. In the shower it's worse. I had been off HBC for a while and had 4 or 5 fine, regular periods and didn't notice anything...But then I went back on it last month and ever since it seems like I'm shedding a profuse amount of hair. I read in a health magazine that losing 40 or so hairs a day or enough to fill up a shower drain is considered normal for the hair cycle, but this is abnormal for me and it's freaking me out. It might be the HBC, or the fact that I've been wearing my hear up in a bun/braid/ponytail a lot more lately. Have any of you had experiences with shedding a lot? I guess I just need some peace of mind, I've read online a few places that HBC can cause hair loss but I need to be reassured D: Also since starting my HBC again, my scalp has been itchy. The itchiness just started within these past 2 weeks or so...Hormones, WTF?! Is it most likely hormones? The fact that I haven't been getting enough iron lately? I dunno! It's really starting to weird me out though. My hair doesn't LOOK like it's thinning, it's not noticeable by any means when you just look at me...but I seem to be shedding so much. :( Any anecdotal info/suggestions about what I could do would be greatly appreciated.