About two weeks ago I saw a documentary called "Dawn Porter : My Breasts Could Kill Me" and have been contemplating getting a genetic test done to see if I too have the gene/s. I'm turning 26 this year and 11 years ago, when she was 46, my mother was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. They caught it early and she's fine now but I'm wondering since she is the only one in my family who has had the disease, whether I should worry about a genetic link.
Most articles I have read by people discussing getting tested for the breast cancer gene do so because 2 or more people in their family have been diagnosed with it. I realize that you can have the gene and not get the disease. I'm in Perth and after getting a referral to the hospital that does the testing, there is around a 1 year waiting time for an appointment and I don't know if it's worth getting it done since my general practitioner who is aware of my family history doesn't seem concerned. Has anyone here had the test done? And if so, what made you decide to find out?
I guess I don't know what I'm trying to say, here. I will ask, though: Does anyone here suffer from eczema or chronic dry skin? How do you deal with it? Am I alone in thinking the way I do about my skin?
Ok so as long as I can remember I've had an odor down there I remember ever since elementary school I've had it. I went to the gyn a couple of times they said there is no infection I'm 17 years old now and a virgin. The odor down there literally smells like an underarm when I get sweaty or hot like the musty smell u smell when u forget to put on deodorant and I also have alot of discharge. What can I do about this? Will home remedies work like the garlic or apple cider vinegar remedy ??
Has anybody out there had issues with bleeding through on the Nuvaring?? I started using the Nuvaring last August after terminating a pregnancy - so I haven't had a normal period since last June. My normal periods were heavy and a bit chunky at times but my periods since starting have been more like the discharge after the abortion (dark, dry, minimal) and only last about 2-3 days (usually starting 2-3 days after I take it out and stopping the minute I insert the new ring at the end of the week)....until now. Last week I started spotting the day before I was supposed to take it out and now, 3 days after putting in the new one, I'm still bleeding. It's nowhere near as heavy or painful as my old/normal period, but I've had cramps and the blood is "fresher" (red, less dried out) than it's been since I started using the ring. Is my body still adjusting to the abortion/birth control drama of last summer? Is something else going on? Should I take the ring out and just let my period go until it is done and start over in a week?
Hi and welcome to our latest edition of the Links Round Up!
For those who may not know, the LRU is a compilation of items from the past week that may be of interest to VPers and is intended to broaden the kinds of conversations we have here.
To submit articles for next week's round-up, e-mail frolicnaked@vaginapagina.com. If you have additional articles you'd like folks to know about this week, feel free to comment directly to this post.
As a reminder, in lieu of trigger warnings, I use keywords describing the themes of the piece. Please skim these before deciding to read the excerpt or click through for the full article. Outside sources are not safe spaces, and mainstream source's comments should almost always be avoided. The links I highlight don't necessarily reflect VP's views, or even my own, for that matter.
This week's round-up includes: language and mental illness, sex education for children and adults, LinkedIn and sex work, substituting "sex" for "rape," and "kangaroo care" for premature babies.
Hey VP'ers so I have a weird problem. Whenever I pee and I'm trying to finish I get this pain in my urinary tract. It's not like UTI pain, but rather a bruised/squeezed sort of pain if that makes sense. My pee isn't cloudy, there's no burning, nor smell. I can start peeing fine, but when I'm trying to finish this pain creeps up and I can still pee, but it's just slightly painful. I don't think I have a bruised clit or anything because it doesn't hurt when I masturbate. Does anyone have a clue as to what this might be? I've been drinking more pop (I normally drink tea/water) and am wondering if that is what is causing some of this pain? Does anyone have any natural remedies that might relieve some of this/make it go away? Thanks for your help!
This isn't exactly on-topic for VP, and if it's not ok to post, then mods please feel free to delete this. I have just kind of exhausted myself with searching and thought that if anyone might be able to point me in the right direction, it would be the superstars here.
Does anyone know of any good (supportive, active) communities on LiveJournal for people dealing with anxiety problems?
i am on the combined pill since the beginning of this year. last month instead of taking a break, i continued onto a new pack and about halfways through the new pack on tuesday 30 april i realised i forgot to take mondays pill and i got some brown discharge and light cramps so i decided to let my period come.
on saturday 4 may i started a new pack even though i still had my period and the whole 7 day break had not passed.
on sunday 5 may (my period was really light/pretty much gone) i had unprotected sex. i don't actually remember if he came inside me or not, i was extremely drunk and blacked out and only remember parts of it. please dont judge me on this i feel like i was sexually assaulted because he didnt stop when i asked and i already have a lot of guilt.
today, 13 days later, i have brown discharge and light cramps (which feel like period cramps) in my stomach. i actually have the cramps for the past 2 days but the discharge just started today.
I posted two weeks ago about some strange brown vaginal discharge 3 days after sex. (Penetration, if you will. He did not ejaculate) It lasted about 3 days, and I only needed a pantie liner on the first day - the last 2 days it was only visable when I wiped.
Yesterday, I noticed some light pinky brown stains on my panties at the end of the day, and then again today. For what it's worth, I had sex 3 days before.
My period is very irregular, especialy lately. My last period was on April 13th (I had skipped my March period).
I took a HPT this morning and it was negative.
I'm very concerned and I don't have health insurence or a gyno. What could this be? My first worry was that it was inplantation bleeding, but it seemed too early the first time and now I've got it (albeit, lighter) two weeks later.
I'm having some rather intense cramps in my breast. This is not normal for me. I'm 43 and never really felt this before. I'm in the middle of my menstrual cycle - my period should start in a week. Any ideas about whether or not I should be worried about bigger health issues? I have no other symptoms at all, and do not have any complicating physical conditions.
As people hopefully know, VP maintainers/moderators will post anonymously for other. I'm not technically a VP maintainer (because I sometimes have to flake out and curl up under a rock for a few days), but I am also happy to help out and post for someone!
And, as the maintainers would say, Thank you for trusting VP enough to share your story. We're honored to have you here, and we hope you receive kind thoughts and the help and information you're seeking.
They'd also say, This is just a quick note to remind readers that VP has some guidelines for responding to posts about sexual abuse or assault. VP is fabulous because of its members. We appreciate your sensitivity and understanding when responding here. :)
is it safer, (it does claim this)? experiences? I like the fact a nurse fit my diaphragm, but Do find increasingly finding one who knows anything about them is getting harder and harder. So i feel increasingly unsafe or at least less sure then I would like.
I got my period last week but only bled through 1 tampon and then nothing. A couple days later, I started bleeding again. I went through a tampon and then it stopped again. Tonight, it started again. I'm not on any hormones and there is zero chance of pregnancy. Is this cause for concern?
I'm happy to say that thanks to the awesome support of this community (not necessarily directed to me, but helping me anyway lol) I think I've gotten my various vitamin deficiencies under control. The result? MORE ENERGY! I still get tired and sleepy, but not nearly to the extent of feeling like a zombie.
However, I do have to come to you all with a problem:
Pretty much every night for the past month or so I wake up between the hours of 2 and 4 am. And can't. Fall. Back. Asleep.
I don't know if it's the weather changing (yay summer!), stress (waiting on responses from interviews/job is getting stressful), or vitamin overdose (is this possible? Should I stop taking B12?) but it's driving me up the wall!
I know this is really vague, but any and all responses will be awesome.
Some possibly relevant background: I'm taking B12, Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin D, and Iron supplements as well as Mutacil (or something fibery) for my recently diagnosed IBS.
I showed a severe vitamin D deficiency a few years back, but wasn't able to follow up on it, and I was diagnosed as borderline anemic.
I can't be losing anywhere from half an hour to hour and a half hour of sleep every night. If I'm exhausted enough I still wake up at night but I can manage to fall back asleep.
I'm taking the birth control Loestrin, and I have been on it for a few months. I'm stacking my pills so that I only have periods 4 times/year. So I take the pills for 3 months without taking placebos, and on the 3rd month, I take the placebos and have a period. I normally don't get bad acne at all. This month, I am taking the placebos and will have a period. I start taking the placebos in about 3 days. And I have terrible acne suddenly. All over my face and chest. I'm wondering...Does my body know I'm about to have a period? I thought the hormones are supposed to trick my body into not having one, so how would it know, especially since I'm not on the placebos yet and have a few more days?
Just wondering if anyone knows. More so out of curiosity.
Hi! I'm really confused as to whether or not i'm having a long period cycle or is it possible that I am pregnant? I already took two pregnancy tests. The first one was on the 36th day of my cycle and the second one was on my 44th day of my cycle. They both resulted negative. I usually have a 30-35 day period cycle so I am very confused and anxious as to why i still don't have my period. It's my 46th day now. Do you know of any ways to speed up my period? Hope you guys can help! Thanks!
I'm in the middle of my first period using a cup - a small Lunette cup to be specific. I really love the experience so far! I'm still getting used to some things, though, and I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong.
The first is that I'm not entirely sure if my cup is not popping open all the way. I feel a suction when I'm pulling it down and when I stick my finger in it seems mostly popped out, but I'm just not sure about the section pressing against my pubic bone. I'm using the pushdown method with the pushed-in part facing down, towards my rectum. That side seems to pop-out fine, but when I feel around, it feels like there's a little dent when I dig towards the top. Is that normal, or should I be finding a stronger cup that pushes back against the pubic bone more?
I'm also experiencing a bit of spotting. The cup is literally nowhere near full, so I'm wondering where it's coming from. Could it be coming from the pubic bone dent? Or could it just be gunk that was sitting below the cup?
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I have a history of urinary discomfort and I'm a little concerned about how this could affect it. I feel like there's a pressure or sudden twinges of stinging in the first hour or so that it's in, before it's really settled in I guess. I moved away from tampons to help the general health of my vagina, but I never considered that a cup might not be the best for urinary problems. Anyone else use cups and have these problems? Any suggestions?
Several months ago I posted in here an "am I pregnant" type post. The short story is I became temporarily abstinent, went off oral birth control a day after having unprotected sex (oops?), then took a pregnancy test after not getting a period for 6 weeks. It was faintly positive after about 30 seconds (well within the time limit of the test). In the week after that test I took two more and they were both negative. A week after my first positive and subsequent negatives, I had a transvaginal ultrasound that showed an empty uterus. The gynecologist offered to give me a shot that would start my period, but I decided that my period would come naturally.
I didn't have a period until 5 months after ceasing the pill, and finally getting so frustrated that I went to a GP who prescribed an oral dose of progesterone for 10 days. That did the trick, which according to internet sleuthing, meant that I hadn't been ovulating.
I've heard false positives are incredibly rare in HPTs and are usually either evaporation lines if read after the time window of an accurate result, or caused by something going on in your body that causes hCG production. Because I had two negative results following my positive, I doubt the latter could have happened. So my question is, does anyone have information regarding faulty tests? Could I have been pregnant and my body absorbed the embryo?
It was a really emotional week and I feel like I've never really gotten closure... I apologize if this is not the right forum but I have found the community members here very knowledgeable and supportive!
The story goes, I had my period for 5 weeks and went to a gynecologist. It was a very "interesting" appointment... full of jabs about my weight like "go home and eat an orange," "throw out all your junk food and replace it with vegetables," "learn how to say no to McDonald's," "take responsibility for your actions instead of trying to blame them on a disease" (when I asked about thyroid), "you caused your cycle to go off by gaining this much weight" (100 pounds in a year and a half, like I did it for fun), and "take a deep breath, drink some tea, and deal with it" (about my 15 years worth of panic attacks/anxiety and 6 years worth of PTSD). Needless to say, I won't be seeing her again.
But she did do a few useful things. She sent me for bloodwork, which I just got done yesterday. She ordered an ultrasound, which I haven't done yet. And she started me on Microgestin FE 1/20 birth control pills, which I'm now on day 14 of.
They took 2 days to stop my period, and my period was gone for 5 gloriously wonderful days. And then I started cramping like a full period and spotting light brown, with the occasional light red. I called the doctor's office and talked to the nurse, she said it's normal. My questions then are:
a) Is it normal for it to last 7 days? How long should I expect this cramping and light brown to continue? At what point will something be changed (different pill or different dose or whatever) if it doesn't stop?
b) Is it normal for birth control pills to help panic/anxiety? I still worry, get anxious, etc. but I haven't had a single panic attack in the 2 weeks I've been on this stuff. I normally pass out at bloodwork, and while I was scared as heck - I didn't actually panic. It's very weird, but I'm totally not complaining.
c) Can I get a transvaginal ultrasound to check for cysts in my ovaries while I'm cramping and having this light brown blood? Or do I have to wait for it to be over?
[LJ is being kind of weird right now, I keep getting errors when I try to load or post to journals. While writing this post I hit preview, and it posted instead of previewed. I tried to edit and it deleted instead of edited. Oy. Sorry to the mods for that little mess.]
I've only been taking Alesse for a month and it's been great for past problems that make me reluctant about taking HBC (mood disturbances, fatigue, weight gain, reduced libido) and it would be my perfect pill, except it's made my skin and hair go wild. It's even improved genital sensation for me, which is the opposite of the other pills I've tried. The acne I'm getting under control, but at the rate I'm getting new, dark body hair over the course of this month, I'm going to look like a caveman in 6 if I keep taking it. I'm already on 100mg of spironolactone from my dermatologist which is an antiandrogen so I'd hate to see what Alesse would have done to me *without* it. I could tough out the greasies on my face, but as soon as I saw the dark hair on the back of my thighs and started picking neck hairs I was done. I'm on my placebo week now and seeing my GP about switching brands but my question is whether this new body hair is here to stay. Is not taking the Alesse any more enough to make the hair go away or is it one of those things where once it's triggered in your body, you're stuck with it? Higher spiro doses and the very antiandrogenic bcps are what make me depressed/fatigued/etc so that's not a very pleasant option for me if so :( I don't know whether switching to a similar pill like Loestrin would keep me down the same path of getting visibly worse over little time, but it's frustrating that Alesse still ticks so many of the right boxes - it's just that one huge, screaming dealbreaker.
And I don't know what to do with that. I mean, yes -- I've contacted the legislators who've supported the bill, my own legislators, and any other legislators I think will listen. But I also fear that -- if these are the public words and official acts of people we've elected to help and safeguard -- this is just the tip of a very big iceberg.
How have you, or people you know, worked to confront anti-gay and anti-trans prejudices? What suggestions do you, or they, have for others looking to do so?
Practical question: Has anyone tried some of these, homemade or store-bought?
Also: I've heard some people say online that applying probiotics directly to the vagina isn't helpful. Does anyone know why that would be, since if part of one's problem in a YI is that there isn't enough good bacteria, putting more right in the area wouldn't help?
I tried to get in to see a doctor, but it seems like all of the gynecologists around here are booked for about a month out. Anyway, this is the first time that this has ever happened to me, but I have a tender, hard lump on my labia minora.
I read about Bartholin's gland cysts and abscesses, but mine is definitely up higher/more forward than that (like, closer to my clitoris area as opposed to at my vaginal canal...not that it's anywhere near my clitoris - I'm just trying to explain where on my labia minora it is, if that makes sense)...so it's not really anywhere near the area of the Bartholin's glands.
Anyway, it just started as a hard bump that I noticed this morning while washing in the shower. I noticed that the area felt tender, and it didn't take me long to find this when I started feeling around. Since then, it seems to have gotten larger and more pronounced. It might be just slightly smaller than the size of a pea right now, and it's tender to the touch and when I sit certain ways.
It seems like it's under the skin, because the skin doesn't seem abraded or abnormal...maybe just stretched out to accommodate the lump.
So...what is this, and what can I do? Will it get a lot worse?
I guess just a little bit more background on me: I'm 26 years old and I'm married, with no kids yet. My husband and I are monogamous.
Oh, and I also think I have a yeast infection. I have been getting progressively itchier for weeks now, and I think I've been smelling kind of bread-like for a few days now. My discharge is thick and white today, so it seems like it's getting worse. What can I use to get rid of it? I'm mostly worried that if I use Monistat, it will somehow interfere with my Paragard (copper) IUD.
So for the last couple weeks, I have been having one day U.T.I.s. the symptoms are common ones but it only lasts the day and then it's gone. Also, for the last week and a half, my lower back has been extremely sore. Not like period cramps, but like my bones/muscles are sore or something. What could this be?
Hi and welcome to our latest edition of the Links Round Up! Also, happy Mother's Day to moms and other folks celebrating!
For those who may not know, the LRU is a compilation of items from the past week that may be of interest to VPers and is intended to broaden the kinds of conversations we have here.
To submit articles for next week's round-up, e-mail frolicnaked@vaginapagina.com. If you have additional articles you'd like folks to know about this week, feel free to comment directly to this post.
As a reminder, in lieu of trigger warnings, I use keywords describing the themes of the piece. Please skim these before deciding to read the excerpt or click through for the full article. Outside sources are not safe spaces, and mainstream source's comments should almost always be avoided. The links I highlight don't necessarily reflect VP's views, or even my own, for that matter.
This week's round-up includes: abstinence education and rape survivors, adoptees finding birth parents, sperm cells created from a female embryo, survivors and masturbation, and the pursuit of thinness.
Sorry to spam the community with posts, but I'm really concerned about the cramping I'm having today. It's day 4 after my surgical abortion, and I'm having severe cramps. Like 7-8 out of 10 on the pain scale, even with ibuprofen. I had almost no cramping until now, and other than passing a smallish clot yesterday, I've had no bleeding or clots, just tiny specks here and there of what looks like lining. I know there's something called "3-5 day syndrome" that is supposed to happen after an abortion, where you're suddenly hit with increased cramping and bleeding, along with clots, but everything I've read about it emphasizes bleeding and clots, neither of which I have. Just the cramping. Anyone know what could be going on? I'm worried that maybe something is blocking my cervix or something, but I don't know if that's a valid concern.
Hey VP! I Googled this without a lot of helpful results, so hopefully some of you guys could help me out. Some background info: I'm a 20 year old cis female, and I've been on Trinessa since I was 14. My periods have been like clockwork while on BC til now. Last month when I had my period, it was more like spotting than an actual period. I also had some weird symptoms during it and for a week afterwards(nausea, extreme food cravings, super heightened sex drive, constipation). I was about to take a pregnancy test, but I missed 2 light blue pills and started bleeding. I've missed pills without bleeding before, but I thought it would stop once I got back on track with my pills. It didn't. For a week it seemed like I was having a normal period, then it lessened to light spotting and hasn't stopped since. I took my first placebo pill yesterday, so the spotting has gotten heavier. I also got this dull pain in my lower right abdomen accompanied by slight nausea. At first I was freaking out thinking it was appendicitis, but the nausea went away and I also developed a pain on the left side that felt the same. The pain is in a specific spot and if I press on it, it feels like a bruise. Not super painful or anything, but it hurts a little bit. Could it be ovary pain? And if so, why? I'm wondering if there could be some sort of health issue because I've never ever had a messed up cycle on BC before. Or am I worrying about nothing? Thanx in advance for the advice!
This is going to get long. I've suffered from what I was told were fluid-filled cysts bursting nearly every cycle since 2009. The first time it happened, I had been in pain all day (which was normal, horrible cramps sometimes causing me to miss school have been a thing since I got my period at 11) and was grocery shopping when I felt like a shaken can of soda had been opened in my pelvic area. It hurt and there was pressure at the upper right edge of my pubic area. I went to the emergency room without insurance, and a very kind and caring doctor examined me and told me it was probably non-dangerous cysts and to deal with it, because surgery can reduce chances of ever having children. I can also remember being young, before ever having my first period, and having a lump in the spot mentioned above. It swells up occasionally and looks like there's a ping pong ball under my skin. I used to relieve the pain and pressure of it by pushing that lump back in (probably not a great idea, really). This lump still shows up often and is irritated by doing anything other than laying relatively flat on my back or left side (pain and lump are always on the right side). The last several months, my period isn't a "normal" trickle of blood, but a huge gush every 45 minutes or so. The gush will soak a pad (I can't use tampons the first few days because it hurts too much) and leave a pool of blood on top of that. It's not just when I stand up or get out of bed, but even at work (waiting tables) it will gush like that. I typically have longer cycles, and have regularly missed months (skipped January 3 years in a row), but the past six months or so, I have a big, gushing period mid-month (usually starts the 16th or so) that lasts 5-7 days, and then a week to ten days after that ends, I have another couple of days of random gushes. This past month, I had my 5-7 day period, then a week of nothing, then two days of random gushes, then a few days of nothing, and then dark brown awful smelling thicker blood gushes for about a week. I'm only 23 and I desperately want to have children someday. I don't have insurance and can't afford to go in for a diagnosis that I can't do anything about. I have a mental health diagnosis that hasn't meshed well with HBC pills in the past. The shot caused incredible headaches, spotting, weight gain, and mood swings. Mirena was a nightmare, causing 6 weeks of steady bleeding before it worked its way out of me; I went to the ER once and found out it was out of place, my body was pushing it out and the doctor told me I'd basically been in labor for several days/weeks (and that pain wasn't unbearable compared to what I've dealt with otherwise). When my "cysts" act up, everything goes black, I lean against a wall or grab the counter, and hold my breath. This pain happens at least one week out of the month. Somewhat unrelated, the women in my family have a multitude of feminine health issues. My dad's sisters both had hysterectomies for fibroids in their late 20s/early 30s. My mom had cervical pre-cancer at 27.
If you read all of that, thank you. I hope I didn't gross you out. What I'm looking for is some advice or support. I tried to talk to my boyfriend about it and he thinks I shouldn't worry. "It might be as simple as a vitamin deficiency" he says. I'm scared that I won't ever be able to have children, and/or that I'll have years of pain to endure just to wait until I can have children and then a hysterectomy.
As the title says, it's been two months since my last period, and I have no idea whats going on! I havent really had any PMS symptoms these last two months. My PMS symptoms are usually weakness, tender breasts, and i break out a lot - but none of that has happened.
The only thing I can think of is a suppliment ive been taking that has some pretty prominent antiestrogen properties. I took it for one month (which explained the first missed period) and have been off it for one month. I also started a new brand of HBC at the beginning of this month. Also, i've been pretty damn stressed these last few months and have been feeling quite depressed, which also could have contributed.
In the first month I was worried I could be pregnant, but in the last few months ive only had sex 3 or 4 times, all protected AND while i was on HBC. Obviously I know thats no guarantee, but that mixed with no real symptoms in the last two months has made me not too worried about that, though i may take a test next week to be sure.
Just thought i'd ask everyone elses opinions - should I be really worried?
Hello all! I'm on a 28-day pill (Aviane) and want to plan on skipping a period sometime soon in order to avoid being on the rag at Bonnaroo. Ordinarily I would be starting a placebo week tomorrow, but that means my next placebo week would line up with Bonnaroo. I typically start bleeding late in the day on Wednesday and continue through the following Monday or Tuesday. We'll be starting out on our Bonnaroo road trip on the morning of Wednesday, June 12th, and returning sometime during the day of Tuesday, June 18th.
Problem is, I've never tried skipping a period before, so I can't really predict exactly how my body will react to it.
As far as I can see, I've got three options: 1. Skip my upcoming placebo week and start a new pack tomorrow. I'll end up with my period right before Bonnaroo, so I'm a little concerned about it being heavier/longer than usual due to skipping this one. 2. Take these placebos as usual and then skip the placebo week that would fall on top of Bonnaroo. This seems risky since I could easily experience spotting or worse if my body decides it doesn't really want to skip a period. 3. Split the difference by skipping my upcoming placebo week, but then not taking a full three weeks of active pills - maybe take another one week of active pills, then a week of placebos, and then I would end up taking five weeks of actives after that. (Or vice versa - an extra two weeks now, then a placebo week, and then four weeks of actives.)
What are anybody's thoughts as to what would be my "safest" option?
I've been having lots of problems with my lady parts the past few weeks. I will start by saying I'm on hormonal birth control for menstrual regularity, and in the past two weeks switched from Yaz to Levora because I'd heard Yaz had a lot of risks. Now I'm reading Levora may as well. Oh boy. Please help me, vp.
10 years ago, I was diagnosed by Dr. Goldstein at the Center for Vulvovaginal Disorders in Washington, DC as having vulvar vestibulitis. I had an appointment with him today at his NYC office and he updated my diagnosis to congenital neuronal proliferation vulvodynia, or too many nerves in the vestibular area. The only cure for this is vulvar vestibulectomy with vaginal advancement, which, if I decide to do it, will cost about $12K out of pocket (Dr. Goldstein does not participate in any insurance plans). Has anyone here had this surgery? If so, what types of side effects, if any, have you experienced? How long after the surgery were you able to resume your normal sex life? Was the sex entirely pain-free or was there still some pain with penetration? I would really like to know in as much detail as you're willing to share, either in comments or via PM. Your help is very much appreciated.
EDIT: Thanks to everyone for their input. To clarify, I have seen 3 other gyn's and 2 psychotherapists since my initial diagnosis and have attempted to treat the issue with the following: Lidocaine 2% gel/as needed Lidocaine 5% gel/as needed Elavil 50mg/d Atarax 50mg/d Vaginal dilators I have also had a biopsy done for lichens sclerosis, which came back negative.
My husband told me to not worry about the expense of the surgery, but to figure out if this is an avenue I want to pursue.
During the exam, which my husband attended, we were able to see a very clear definition on the labia minora between the area with normal amount of nerve endings and the area that is over-saturated with them.
Dr. Goldstein does not participate in any insurance plans as a matter of course, and did not 10 years ago. I am only 36 hours out from the updated diagnosis and treatment recommendation, so I'm still doing research, including trying to track down other doctors in the NYC area that are able to perform this surgery. I will also be trying capsaicin this weekend as well. Please continue to share your advice, either by commenting or in a PM.
Is it okay to use an all water douche, just squirt some water up there. I only want to use it after my period or really messy sex. I don't need it for smell, just to feel cleaner.
Hey everyone. My apologies if a similar question has been answered. If so, just direct me to the link. I didn't see anything soooo....
for the past three days I have been having white, extremely watery discharge. Lots of it. I can feel it coming out and sometimes it completely soaks my underwear so bad that I have to change them in the middle of the day. Also, when it dries on my underwear, it changes between white and yellow and makes my underwear "crunchy", which is really unusual for me. There really isn't a "bad" odor; there is an odor, but it's a slightly stronger smell of what I usually smell like. (Not sure if this is a warning sign or not.)
A little background info that might help: I'm 18, and in the past week I've slept with three different partners, two of which did not wear condoms (but also, neither of them were even close to ejaculating when we stopped).
I've never been to a gynecologist, which is the only reason I'm hesitant to go right away. What do you all think? What could this be, and should I go see one?
My partner and I were having sex last night and we only use condoms as our birth control. I do not take hormonal pills or anything. The condom failed pretty epically. When he pulled out, I felt something drip on my thigh and immediately I knew we were fucked. He pulled out and the condom was inside my vagina still hanging out sort of, and there was semen on my genitals, lots of it. I don't know if the semen got inside my vagina. Maybe. We don't know how it possibly slipped off. We are SO responsible and use condoms perfectly every single time
I am sure I ovulated a few days ago. I'd bet a lot of money on that. I had stretchy cervical mucus, higher libido, etc. Yesterday was day 18 of my cycles which are usually 29 days long. I am expecting my period May 19.
can someone give me any insight? I don't know if I will become pregnant. I sure hope not. I have decided against Plan B because it seems to prevent ovulation, and I am certain I HAVE ovulated. However I know there is a small chance of pregnancy.
Sorry if this post is hard to follow or confusing. I'm exhausted and Ive been travelling all day.
I got my period at age 12 and for the last 14 years have had a relatively good relationship with aunt flow. Cramps the first day or two but it's able to be controlled with OTC medicine.
I was regular from the beginning with a cycle of 29-33 days. It's more normal for me to late then early. No HBC or pregnancy scares.
I've been through some EXTREME stress lately and the first month was 1 week+ early, the second 1 week+ late, and the last month [on time] but had it for one day. Now I've spotting light to dark brown blood for the past 2 weeks.
For the last 6 months, I've been suffering from vulvar redness and irritation (and what feels like inflammation), no itchiness or discharge. It seems to be only external, as the inside of the vagina is light pink and healthy looking. It's basically just the skin around the area inside the labia that looks irritated and "angry". Some days worse than others, and sometimes it gets lighter pink and healthy looking, but usually not for long. Sometimes it hurts to sit and exercising or moving around too much irritates the area even more it seems. Sex is sometimes painful at times, which sucks because me and my husband have recently started trying to conceive. I've been to doctors, gyn's and naturopaths and I can't seem to figure out the culprit. I know it's not yeast as I've been treated for that and nothing has changed. I've switched to scent free laundry detergent for my underwear, and I don't use any soap down there. It does seem to get worse before & after my period. Could it be my diet? Could sugar be the culprit? I do have a sweet tooth, but considering I didn't think it was yeast, I wasn't sure if that mattered. I've been trying to eat alot of fruit and veges just to prep my body for pregnancy and just to be more healthy in general. I guess I'm just frustrated and not sure where to turn. My husband is supportive, but I know he's getting tired of hearing me complain about the same thing all the time. None of my friends can relate because they've never experienced anything like this, and even my doctors don't seem to know what to tell me. They just keep prescribing creams. Anyone had anything like this happen before? I'm super frustrated :( Thanks in advance!
I've been having this issue for a few years now. I thought it had gone away, but it seems to be back. Basically, I get this intermittent pelvic pain, generally on either side of my abdomen where (I think) my ovaries are.
It started a few years ago as a kind of mild 'pulling' sensation. I'd just get it every now and then, while walking around or whatever. It concerned me because my GP had treated me for 'maybe chlamydia' a few years earlier (loooong story - I had lots of discharge, she thought it could be chlamydia and treated me without testing, which means I didn't know and will never know if I had it or not) and I've worried since that I may have had PID. Later that year, the same year the pain started, I went to the clinic to get checked out because I seemed to have a neverending yeast infection. The doctor gave me a pelvic exam and as I found it quite painful, he decided I had PID and gave me antibiotics. I was totally freaked out by this. I was later told by a doctor in the same clinic that it was unlikely I'd had PID and that it was probably just irritation, but I was referred for an ultrasound to investigate. The ultrasound was clear except for polycystic ovaries - something I didn't know I had. I've had further ultrasounds which have concluded that there's nothing abnormal there, as far as they know, except for my ovaries being polycystic and larger than normal.
So everything was fine for quite a while, but lately, I've been having pain during sex. The most recent time, when my partner entered me, I felt quite sharp pain on the right hand side which lasted for a few thrusts and then went away. The rest of the sex was painless and fine, but I had some cramp-type pain afterwards in the same area.
Any idea what it could be? Can PCO cause pain? I've asked my doctors and they never seem to be very clear about it. It would 'make sense' if it were the PCO, as the pain seems to be on either side of my abdomen and I know that my ovaries are enlarged.
___x_redefine
confused.