natural lubrication

[cattylina.livejournal.com]

So this isn't a problem, per se, it's actually a really good thing, but I'm still wondering about it.

Ever since I've been sexually active, about a year now, I have had a very hard time being lubricated either by myself or with partners. I'm in a serious relationship now, and when we were first becoming sexual it was hard for me to get wet at all and we'd have to use a lot of lube. Now, 3 months into our relationship, I don't have that problem. I get wet very easily very early into foreplay.

I'm wondering if this is because maybe I switched hbc around the time we started having sex (from yaz to generess fe) or because I'm comfortable with my partner. Any thoughts? It's not a burning question or anything, I'm just curious :)

Irregular period and abdominal pain (possible cyst?)

[rebeccagrace.livejournal.com]

Hello VPers,

I'm having a weird period this cycle and I am looking for some opinions. 

I am currently TTC and had an anovulatory cycle this past month (according to my temps). The cycle lasted about 40 days, then a few weeks ago I started spotting. This happened off and on for a few weeks, then my hubby and I had sex last Friday, and I started bleeding more after that, almost like a normal period, but not quite. Later that night I started having this sort of twisting, pinching pain around the area of my right ovary, (but no menstrual cramps or sore breasts like I usually get with a period, just a sore abdomen). It's been going on since then, off and on. Also, the bleeding has become heavier, just like a normal period, over the past few days. I am not bleeding an excessive amount or anything, but the pain concerns me because I have PCOS and I am wondering if I had a cyst that ruptured when I had sex on Friday. I haven't been on any fertility meds for a few months, but when I was on Clomid this past summer it caused a few large cysts to form, even though I did ovulate on it. As far as I know they went away on their own, like my doctor said they would, but now I'm afraid I have another one that has burst this time. Should I call my doctor? Can a ruptured cyst be serious? I've never had one rupture as far as I know, so I am clueless about this. Thank you for any advice you can offer! 

Yeast infection/garlic

[bella-kitten.livejournal.com]

I haven't had a yeast infection in years and I had totally forgotten how horrible it is. :(

I've been using garlic the past two nights but nothing has changed. It is still itchy and burny and horrible.

How long should the garlic take to work? What can I do in the mean time to relieve these symptoms? I don't have insurance/money to see a doctor and I'm thinking about just caving in and buying monostat tomorrow when I go to the store.

(no subject)

[your-number1.livejournal.com]

My vag has been itching like crazy for about two weeks now, mostly when I'm ready for bed. It's only on the outside and I have no abnormal discharge or anything like that. I think I got razor burn while shaving it around the time it started itching, but shouldn't it be better by now? Is there anything I can do to relieve the itchin>

Period Symptoms

[lightsabove.livejournal.com]

I hate to ask things that have been ask multiple times, but I'm getting annoyed with my body.

( Backstory to first question )

Does your period make it easier to get sick? Are the things above period symptoms? I seem to only get them when I'm on my period.

( backstory to second question )

Should I see if I somehow have an issue with iron when I'm just on my period?

missing work because of period symptoms

[beach-justice.livejournal.com]

I'm sure we've all been there, but I'm wondering how anyone else deals with having to miss work because of period symptoms. I had horrible cramps, heavy bleeding and a headache and just couldn't bring myself to go in to work last Friday. I told them I had a migraine headache but that just seems so...fake-sick? Also, I felt like I was lying. Has anyone here ever told their employers they are having period symptoms and must miss work? Has anyone ever been reprimanded for doing so? I feel incredibly awkward thinking about telling telling my employer I am on my period and can't come in to work because I feel so rotten but I think that makes a better story than "Oh I have a headache." Just curious as to how other people handle this situation.

Links and resources for newlyweds

[fushigi-na-chou.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who is newly married (about a month now). They were both virgins til their honeymoon, which I think is sweet (and good on 'em for having the endurance to wait 8D;). When she was newly engaged, we discussed a little about some things she might expect in the bedroom (all in generalized terms of course), and ways she could make herself comfortable with her own body and sexuality, and with the idea of sex in general (since she's not generally one to talk about these things). I shared with her this community, and also the Vagina Pagina site. She's checked out another similar site as well (I think it's got clitoris in the url or page name? I can't remember :x). What I'm wondering is if there are any further links that would be helpful for newlyweds as they discover their sex life together.

Thanks so much in advance everyone! :D

Bartholin cysts

[trinity85.livejournal.com]

So, I'm pretty sure that I have two Bartholin cysts right now, being that I have one hard lump on each side of the lower entrance to my vagina. The one on the right showed up last Wednesday and I wasn't too concerned about it at first because I've had a cyst in that area before and it went away on its own in a day or two. But this one hasn't gone away. In fact, it's only gotten bigger (it's about the size of a large grape) and is causing me pain. Then, last Saturday, a cyst appeared on the left side. This one is smaller and less painful but it's very annoying to have two at the same time.

I've read up about Bartholin cysts online and have tried home remedies like taking sitz baths but nothing has helped. Now I'm afraid that they aren't going away and I'll have to call a doctor to have them drained. It makes me cringe just thinking about it. I don't know what caused this to happen to me. I was just at the gyno a couple weeks ago because I had a yeast infection. And it seems like right after that cleared up, the first cyst showed up. I just can't catch a break down there.

Anyway, I was just wondering if there was anything else I could do to try to make these things go away. Has anyone else gone through something similar? I really don't want to go back to the doctor. I'm working 2 retail jobs right now and I really can't afford to take any time off this month but my health insurance runs out on the 31st. :(

Very small hard lump down there

[nueva-alba.livejournal.com]

Hi there,

So a few months ago, while shaving, I felt a lump on the outer lips down there. It's literally tiny, sometimes it's hard to feel it at all. A few days ago, I was trying to have a better look at it. It's quite far back on the lips, which makes it harder to see clearly, especially because it is so small. I'm not positive, but I thought it was more flesh-coloured when I first noticed it, only now it looks quite dark. It's not sore or itchy or anything, it's just there.

Now I'm panicking that I have genital warts or something. I am sexually active with my boyfriend of almost 10 months, I am the first person he's had any form of sexual contact with and we always use a condom. Before that, I had had sex with one other person, about 14 months ago and we also used a condom.

This little lump is the only thing there, there's not a cluser of them or anything. It's very raised, but smooth and it's literally tiny. Any idea what it could be?

I've also been suffering from what I believe is BV for the best part of three years. I haven't taken any antibiotics because I don't like them, plus the side effects and the low success rate of them for treating BV puts me off them completely. Instead I've just been trying a lot of natural remedies, all which are effective if I keep up with them on a daily basis. I know it's highly unlikely, but my BV wouldn't have caused this little lump, would it?

I'm also pretty much petrified of the doctors, to the point where the only time I am ever there (no matter how ill I am) is for my checkups when my BC prescription is due (and even that causes a great deal of anxiety). Ideally, I would like to avoid going there at all costs if it's possible. Can any of you suggest what this may be?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Late BC and Pregnancy Risks

[bluvalentine.livejournal.com]

Hi VP

Last week I wrote a post about a bad experience I had ( http://vaginapagina.livejournal.com/20368811.html?view=238539435#t238539435 ). The support I received from everyone was so helpful. I appreciate it so much.

Unfortunately I'm still stressing out. While a couple of posters said pregnancy was unlikely, I'm literally sick with the thought of it. What's compounding the stress is the fact that I've messed up my birth control habits. Twice during this cycle of pills, I have forgotten to take my pill at my scheduled time and have instead taken it 8-10 hours later, in the morning when I realized I had forgotten it. Has this diminished the chances of the BC working?

I feel like I sound crazy, since the man did not ejaculate on/near me and he did not fully penetrate me, but the stress from the thought of pregnancy has been indescribable. My breasts have been achy and I have been feeling cramping since that day as well. I can't remember if my breasts were sore before the encounter... it's a strong possibility they were, but my brain is so muddled since that night I'm not sure. I am very sensitive to BC and have had some reactions to it (this is only my 3rd month on the pill) but I can't ever remember the cramps I've gotten the past week or so. Part of me thinks all this is related to stress, but again I'm not sure. 

(no subject)

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

MY PERIOD STARTED! Appointment tomorrow 25 hours after first bleed for 2nd mirena attempt.
she isn't giving me misoprostol but I'm going to take my Xanax, and she will numb me from the start, any suggestions? WISH ME LUCK! Should I still take the primrose and borage oil tonight and tomorrow morning?

Probable UTI

[funkyfresh.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! I searched in the memories for something regarding my question... found a few things similar, but not exactly what I'm looking for. Forgive me if this is overkill.

My boyfriend and I had some rather passionate, drunk sex last night. When we finished, I knew I had to pee, but... well i was drunk, lazy and content lying with him.

I woke up this morning with an extremely full bladder and my first though was "shit." In immediately went to pee and, I don't care what my doctor says (UTIs don't produce an odor in urine... pssht) I knew upon the smell that I was in the beginnings of a UTI. So i popped about 4 cranberry pills, downed a bottle of water, and went back to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later, tried to pee and only got a few painful drips. I downed a few more cranberry pills, another bottle of water, and also bought some Ocean Spray 100% cranberry juice. I had a glass of the juice and laid back down.

It's nowbeen a few hours since, and i just went to pee and i was able to pee more, my bladder doesn't feel full, I dont have the urgency to pee, and it didn't hurt. Is it safe to say i killed the infection before it got bad? I'm trying to avoid antibiotics if i can, but will absolutely take them if needed.

So, is it possible to kill the infection if caught within/less than 24 hours of symptoms without antibiotics?

(Sorry if there are typos and such, I'm on a new phone that won't let me edit without messing everything up)

Thanks for any and all input!

ok to stop taking birth control following emergency contraception?

[tinyblackswan.livejournal.com]

this is a follow up to this post because only one person responded to me (thank you) and I still desperately need help (this journal is my only hope really...)

so, I took my regular birth control as plan b 11 and a half hours after the condom broke. I took 4 pills then another 4 pills 12 hours later. As I wrote in the other post, I had been on the pill for 8 days before this happened, but I skipped one pill so I was one pill behind and I forgot to take a pill the night this happened.

I really, really, cannot cope with waiting or taking a pregnancy test. If I'm pregnant, I'm dead. It costs something like almost a thousand dollars to get an abortion in this country. I have no money and no one to help me.

my last period was November 15th.

My question is- should I keep taking my regular birth control, or stop it to induce a withdrawal bleed? (I am not likely to be having any more sex in the foreseeable future) Will that empty my whole uterus and get rid of whatever might be happening in there? or is it possible to have a withdrawal bleed and still be pregnant at the end of it? I really need to see some blood right now to prove to myself I'm not pregnant. I'm sorry if I sound insane but I am completely freaking out. I'm hoping the emergency birth control worked because I feel depressed, weepy and crampy. But I need to know for sure.

My main worry is... If I stop taking my regular birth control, am I going to start ovulating and maybe become pregnant after the fact from sperm hanging around inside me?

Hi, it's me again.

[psycho-lola.livejournal.com]

Yesterday I experienced strange, clear sticky discharge, to the extent where it went through my clothes a bit (sorry if this is TMI...). I am sexually active, although I use condoms and have just started using spermicide too. I've also had my period twice this month, but I think that might be due to taking Plan B, a week worth's of HBC (stopped because I just can't stand it), and what I thought was a beginning of a UTI and weird greenish discharge (which I think it because of the spermicide, as it had the same odor) but went away. Anyone experienced this before?

Anonymous post: Difficulty with penetration

[also-warriors.livejournal.com]

Greetings, fellow Superstars! As you probably know, from time to time the VP Team makes posts on behalf of people who wish to remain anonymous or who do not have LJ accounts. This is one such post. Thanks in advance for your helpful comments. :)

P.S. For more info on anonymous posts, see this link.

Eli
For the VP Team
contact_vp

---

I'm a 21-year-old PIV-virgin. Fiance and I are hoping to change that, however, we've faced a number of difficulties getting there. The current difficulty is this: He is above-average in size, whereas I'm the opposite. I've experimented with roughly-lifesize toys; even after orgasm, and allowing for adjusting positions (to the extent that this is possible when I'm the one wielding the toy), the maximum depth of penetration I've managed to achieve is 4 inches. After this, I feel something bumping up against me inside (I'm assuming against the cervix; it's uncomfortable and not entirely pleasant) as well as increased resistance to the toy. Mind you, this has all been solo experimentation - we're long-distance right now. Is it possible that reaching orgasm (a significant struggle in and of itself) is not necessarily an indication that I'm aroused enough for the '4 inch limit' to be good data?

Can you tell I'm a scientist yet?

At any rate, while I welcome information, I'm also looking to figure out more things I can try, to get a better handle on what exactly is going on inside my body and how best to extend the depth of penetration I can accept. I'm grateful for any advice.

Pre-Period Spotting with IUD

[descent2madness.livejournal.com]

Hello my lovelies,

I have had Dexter (my Flexi-T 300) for a little over six months now. Up until last month, I couldn't have been more pleased with how things were going (my sex drive came back, I'm losing weight and my migraines are gone) but now I'm getting this annoying spotting that starts six/seven days before my period is due. I'm pretty regular (which was a pleasant surprise), with a 28 day cycle but now on day 22 or 23, I'm starting to spot and carrying through til the true bleeding starts. It's annoying. I've tried vitamin E and it doesn't seem to do much and I don't want to have to swallow ibuprofen like candy every month.

I went to my local natural health store to find myself some shepard's purse and yarrow. They looked at me like I was nuts and said they'd have to special order it for me. I figured what the hell and ordered a box of yarrow tea and one of shepard's purse tea. Any recommendations as to dosing/frequency/when should I start taking it/any other help?

Thanks all!

x-posted to iud_divas

Help Please....

[raikourai.livejournal.com]

Hi Everyone!

I'm quite new here and also this will be me first post with an additional worry of mine. So that is one reason why i'm posting; but the other one is that i feel like this is a really nice community.
A bit of an additional information about me would be that my nickname is KTO, i'm  19 and i moved away from my home country because of my university studies. Also i'm definately not the most experienced person especialy when it comes to sex life, since i actually started living a regular sex life few months ago, when i got together with my boyfriend.

So the problem part would be that last thursday my boyfriend got all crazy about me, but he didn't have protection, neither me. Despite that fact we still slept together, and he ejaculated on my back. After he told me that he is quite experienced in this since he didn't use protection with his ex gf while they have been together for 5 years, and that she didn't get pregnant. But still the fact that we did it without protection is really bothering me, and i'm afraid that i might have gotten pregnant. I should mention that i don't take contraception pills, because my gyno didn't recommend to take them yet. But when i get back to my country i'm definately going to take a visit to my gyno.

The second part of my worry is that i hesitated to take the day after pill, since my period is already bad (comes all over the place, and is never on time) and i got the information about that the day after pill would make it even worse. Eventually though i took the pill today morning. I know the 3 days have passed, and i should have taken them earlier, but my fear towards that i would totally ruin my hormone system way bigger than i thought. I heard that the day after pill gives an effect right away, and has bad side effects like throwing up and starting my period, but for me nothing happened. I mean no feeling sick, my period hasn't started, nothing.

I'm really gatting scared that why is that? Could that be a reason that these pills have different effect on everyone, and that might be the reason why nothing happened yet? Could that be that i might be pregnant? Also what to do in a situation like this? Should i just wait?
Please i'd really need your help, because i'm scared and really puzzled about this, and don't want to get pregnant.

Thanks in advance
KTO