Node on cervix?

[moonstrucky.livejournal.com]

I was doing a cervical check last night, and I felt a hard little node, almost like a bead, right at the os. Ideas? I've never felt that before, and I do cervical checks kind of frequently (as we're trying to get pregnant, and then after ovulation I just get curious.) I'm on day 23 of a 29 day cycle, 7 days past ovulation, if it makes any difference.

Vaginal Contraceptive Film

[patsrockmybosox.livejournal.com]

I recently found out that I need to have heart surgery.  My doctor(s) have literally banned me from getting pregnant until after surgery, which is still about 6 months away.  Even then, if it will probably be another couple of months AFTER that until I'm physically ready/able to have sex again.  I'm on HBC (Apri), but the doctor is very strongly suggesting that my boyfriend and I also use a barrier method to ensure that I don't get pregnant.  We've tried condoms, but they have left both of us frustrated and unsatisfied. 

Our original plan was just to wait it out, but we're also both open to trying other options if it means we can have some semblance of normalcy amidst the ridiculousness this whole situation has created.

A friend recommended that I try a vaginal contraceptive film, but it's something I've never even heard of until she brought it up.  Does anyone have any experiences with it? I like that it would allow us to be pretty spontaneous, but does it have a taste/odor? Can my boyfriend orally or manually please me AFTER I've inserted it, or should I only be using it before insertion?  Are there side effects (burning, irritation, etc)?

Any information you can offer is greatly appreciated!


x-posted to birthcontrol & vaginapagina

Probiotic Page of Wiki Joy!

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Just another announcement post, this time letting you know we now have a page on probiotics in the Vulvapedia. You can find it linked from the pages on yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, and urinary tract infections.

Many thanks to archangelbeth for her research and authorship on this one!

If you have questions or comments about the page, you're welcome to head over to contact_vp -- specifically, this post -- to discuss them. :)

leg pain?

[in-pieces.livejournal.com]

backstory-ish:

25, I've been on ortho tri-cyclen since I was 18, I'm a smoker (between 1/4 - 1/2 pack daily, sometimes less) and I have anxiety, hence the post. (I guess I moreso need reassurance, even though I already called my mom and she tried to reassure me)

right now I have leg pain in my left leg. Its in the back of my calf, and sometimes feels like it goes down to my foot. Its sort of a throbb-y type of pain. (I guess it also is going up around to the front of my knee, like right now). Its not red, there doesn't appear to be any swelling. I have no shortness of breath, and I don't feel "unwell". I'm sure that the pain is just a twisted nerve or pulled muscle, but of course because I am on HBC and a smoker, plus with my anxiety, I immediately go "crap is this what a blood clot feels like????"

My grandma had a blood clot in her lung many years back, as a result of being on estrogen. Last month, I went to the doctor because I was having a weird pain in my back, radiating towards my ribs, and it would hurt if I took a deep breath. They did a chest x-ray and then I had a blood test to check for a risk of blood clots. It came back completely negative.

Again, I'm not having any problems breathing, and its just this weird pain in my leg, that really came up out of nowhere, I didn't seem to have any pain earlier today, and I was running errands all day, it seemed like it came up suddenly (but it could be that i've been sitting awkwardly on a chair with my laptop and my cat?) The only other thing I can think of is that I was doing some hula hooping today and was working a bit on leg/knee hooping, which is pretty much where the pain is, but the fact that the pain is also to my foot is kind of worrisome.

With my anxiety - basically I'm worried that of course i'm going to go to bed and just, die. of course.

So what do you think VPers? See how it feels in the morning to make an assessment? If I were to go anywhere now I'd have to go to the ER, and probably feel really stupid, as my mom already made me feel when I called her.