unresponsive clitoris during sex?

[redsredux.livejournal.com]

Hi all,

My husband and I are relatively new to the sex bit. We were virgins when we met, and although we had sex occasionally when we were dating, for the last 6 months of our engagement we were celibate. During the time when we were having sex it was enjoyable for both of us; I have never orgasmed during PIV, but I found it satisfying anyway. 

Now that we're post wedding and having sex again -- although, I will admit, not very often -- I'm having a really hard time enjoying it. I mean, the penetration does feel good when I'm fully aroused (important, since hubby hasn't quite grasped the concept of foreplay, urgh), but I'd like to try manual stimulation of my clit to try and bring myself closer to orgasm. Or, frankly, just to enjoy the sensation.

The problem is that regardless of how aroused or unaroused I am before we begin sexing, once he's in me my clit becomes completely non-responsive. I feel like the whole area around my vagina is soooo stretched, the tissue itself, and most of the vulval (made up word, horray!) area too. Including my clit, which instead of being a lovely bulb of nerves and awesome, suddenly just feels like regular tissue.

I'm frustrated and disappointed by this, because, obviously, I'd really like to enjoy PIV more. Do you think it's a "we're still newbies" thing (although it was like this before, too) or something else? I'm sort of at a loss as to how to improve this. 

Before I call the doctor *again*

[luluah.livejournal.com]

Hello, my lovelies!
So.. the dreaded "infection". I has a scared it might have returned. The past couple of days I have had a very slight itching around my clitoris along with a dull pain "up there" and this morning after I showered I cleaned a couple of fingers and prodded around only to pull them out and find a thick snot-like discharge - it was comparable to someone blowing their nose after they have been in a hot shower for a little while. The discharge was in a thick strand and it draped over my finger tips. When I smelled my fingers, they had a slight onion-y scent, along with something else. Unfortunately, I am not in-tuned with my cervix to know which discharges are normal and which are not (this is something I'm looking very much into, does anyone have any idea where I can start? A mirror? What about a speculum? Where do I get one of those?) and so I am afraid the infection might have returned. I started my period on the second of this month and finished Monday, the 8th. I've not had sex since the middle of August, although I will next week when I see my boyfriend for a weekend and I don't want to have an infection when it's time for lovin'! Should I call my doctor to get a three day teraconazole or is this perfectly normal?
Thanks, vagpagers!
Edit: I COMPLETELY forgot to mention that for the past 4 days I've been coughing and feeling icky from a cold. Would this have anything to do with it?

Tea for menstrual cramps

[xx-socold-xx.livejournal.com]

I've known that raspberry leaf tea is effective at treating menstrual cramps--I drink a few cups on the first day of my period and it greatly helps me.

Lately, i've been getting into other natural treatments (preferably teas) that will help my cramps so I don't have to take Vicodin every month (they are that bad). I've been reading that cramp bark is effective at treating cramps, as well as chamomile. Can anyone confirm either of these? Does anyone know any other herbs/plants that do so?

Are they safe to all mix together? Say, I could make a tea that is part raspberry leaves, part cramp bark, and part chamomile. Would it be safe to drink, and would it potentially be stronger than just one of them?

Thanks!

Ready for some answers...

[medievalluck89.livejournal.com]

Hello everyone: I'm new to this community but have been posting on the IUD divas community since getting a Paragard IUD in June. Overall I seem to be one big bundle of reproductive problems, and this weekend I've reached my breaking point in terms of tolerating them. Tomorrow I'm making an appointment to see my MD and hopefully get referred to an OBGYN. I just want some advice on questions to ask when I go.

Brief History:
I am 23yrs old, nulliparous, and monogamous. Both of us are STD free and very happy with our physical relationship. I had my 1st period when I was 11 years old, followed by a few years of heavy, painful, irregular periods. Sometimes they would come every other month, sometimes twice a month. By the time I was 16, they were becoming infrequent, and by the time I was 18, they were gone altogether. I had one or two episodes of spotting between 18 and 21. I was exercising a lot and stressed out with college, so an OBGYN took some hormone levels which showed low estrogen/progesterone and high androgens. She gave me a course of progesterone and, after I had a day or two of withdrawl bleeding, put me on Yasmin.
I stayed on Yasmin until I was 23 and learned that my family has a history of blood clots. I went off the pill in May and had the Paragard inserted in June.

The Problem (s):
Since having the IUD inserted (during my first off-the-pill period), I have been spotting, spotting, spotting. Sometimes it is heavier, but most days I go through about 2 "light days" pads. There have been a few times where the flow increased for several days (enough to use 2-3 regular tampons/day) and afterward I had 3-5 days without spotting, but it always starts up again. In September I got frustrated and went to my MD - she put me on a course of Prometrium to induce a full withdrawal bleed and hopefully hit "reset" on my cycle. Unfortunately, I had an adverse reaction to that and ended up in the emergency room thinking I had a blood clot (dizziness, slurred speech, altered mentation, poor coordination), so I did not complete the full course, but I did have about 3 weeks after that where I did not bleed.
Overall I have not had the heavy flow or bad cramps that people talk about with Paragard, but I do get intense, pinpoint pain periodically over where I think my left ovary is. This is about 6-7/10 pain and I try to manage it with heat, ibuprofen, and decreased activity.

This Weekend:
Friday I randomly stopped bleeding. That night I had VERY sharp, BAD pain in my abdomen, just below where my sternum/breastbone ends. It was not a strained muscle and didn't feel better or worse if I changed position. It came on before dinner and increased to about 7-8/10 pain, staying for 2(ish) hours. The doctor on call said it could be a gallstone or gastritis, and to try to take some Tums - come in to the ER if that doesn't help. Of course, right after I got off the phone with her, the pain decreased. I took some Tums after that and it didn't come back. Then today I had the mother of all cramps over that region of the left ovary (?). It started at 9am and went until 2pm. I would rate it at 7/10 pain and nothing seemed to make it better (changing position, taking ibuprofen, using heat, drinking tea). It was bad enough that it sent my back muscles into spasm. It didn't feel the same as the pain I had on Friday, but could they be related? I'm still not bleeding (don't know if that's a good thing or not!)

What do you think the odds are that I have problems with gallstones? With PCOS (I am very height weight proportionate)? Are there other things I should ask my MD about? I'm sick of dealing with these issues and I DON'T think they are IUD related. Since the Paragard is in place and does not have any hormones, I think this is just my body doing its own thing. Ugh.

Weakness, lightheadedness during period

[cellared.livejournal.com]

( This is a post about blood! )

D: Thoughts? I get kind of anxious about this.

emotional pain

[starry3yedgrl.livejournal.com]

I've been having discomfort/pain during sex for about two years now.  The pain is at the very entrance of my vagina, and after sex it burns when I pee, as though there are cuts that the urine is burning.  I've been to several doctors, none of the suggestions they give helps.  At the time that the discomfort began my husband and I were having some issues, and he eventually moved out some months later so we could figure things out between us (we were not married yet at this time).  ( Cut for length.... )