I was on Yaz for 4.5 year and besides a low sex drive I never really had any other symptoms. My gyno just prescribed me the Nuva Ring. I've read a lot of bad stuff about it including weight gain and a greater chance of developing blood clots than taking the pill.

Any take on this? or the Nuva Ring in general? What other birth control pills do you guys like? Do you know if the hormones are the same for the Nuva Ring and Yaz?

Hello again. I was hoping you guys could tell me what's normal for breakthrough bleeding. I'm on Depo. I understand that the bleeding can be more than spotting, but now I'm wanting to know if dark and full of clots is normal for breakthrough bleeding?

ETA* Also, is it normal to get moody and crampy when it all begins? They are the main reasons I was so sure this was a period.

I'm not sure if I am just freaking myself out here or what but i currently am using the Nuva ring. I've been using it for the past several months and it worked wonderfully for me. Over the last month I've been getting migraines and headaches ( I used to get them as a child but they went away as I got older.) and now I am having shortness of breath. I read on the nuva ring side effects that it is a possible blood cot in the lungs..

I'm kinda freaking myself out over this and I was wondering if anyone had any advice to get me to calm down and if anyone had a blood cot in the lung before what did they do to remove it? I keep trying to find stuff online but all I am finding is things for lung cancer. =\

thank you <3

I'm currently on my 3rd pack of Yaz after switching from OTC-LO. The first month I skipped my period on purpose skipping my Placebo pills and tong straight to a new pack. The second month I had breakthrough bleeding for 2 Weeks then when I hit my placebo pills, no period. Now I'm on my 3rd pack and I'm on my 3 placebo pill and no sign of a period of breakthrough bleeding. I do have some slight cramps however. Is this normal or should I be worried about pregnancy? My boyfriend have sex usually anywhere from up too 6 times a week and he always pulls out.

Hoping to get some clarification...

I stopped taking Ocella after 3 months of use per my OBGYN. My last period (or possibly a withdrawal bleed?) was on December 17th. Normal flow. But it was mirror to my HBC's scheduling (bled all 3 months exactly on either the 17th or 18th).

Around the 27th, started to experience some major symptoms of nausea, headache and bloating/a heavy, drawing sensation in my lower abdomen and sore breasts. Said symptoms passed after a few days but started back up again full force yesterday.

Could my symptoms be withdrawal from the Ocella even though I was only taking it for 3 months? When I was taking it, I had none of the above except for some minor breast full/soreness. I have also gained, in my opinion, a significant amount of weight since stopping Ocella (10lbs.). My appetite has not changed, and I'm physically active. Will I ever lose this weight, or is it possible Ocella has changed my make-up all together? It's really infuriating!


Thank you

I just found this community from a search I did to get some answers about unusual menstrual cramps I'm experiencing. It seems pretty nifty!

So today is Day 5 of my period, which is usually the last day. I usually only have painful cramps during the first day or two, and only mild cramps for the last three days. A few hours ago I experienced sudden painful cramps that were worse than what I usually feel on the first day. They were so bad I was doubled over in Kmart from the pain and shock. I went home and took a 600 mg Ibuprofen and passed out for a couple hours. The cramps are not as bad now but it's hard to tell if this is from the Ibuprofen or not.

What do you guys think of this situation? I don't remember this happening to me before. I've had painful cramps before but never on the fifth day of my period. Is this something I should be worried about?

Sorry if this post is poorly written, I'm very sensitive to painkillers and feeling woozy! I promise my responses will be more clearheaded once it wears off.  : D

I have this nagging question that has been on my mind for a while now. Growing up, the topic of sex rarely ever came up in my house. As an only child, I didn't have older sisters to turn to and didn't feel like talking about it with my mom. I learned to masturbate probably around age 16. I learned to do it very quietly so that I wouldn't make any noise even when I climaxed. College life has also forced me to keep quiet so that roommates wouldn't hear me, etc.

I got into a sexual relationship (we never had PIV sex. Just oral) with a guy and I noticed that I was no more vocal with him either. Do you think men find it a turn-off if women aren't moaning or whatever when they're getting off? He brought me to climax almost every time we did stuff... and my breathing would get heavier and I'd try to clue him in that he was doing something I liked, but it was never natural for me to make any kind of noise that seems to be so popular in any porn I've seen.

I just wanted to get your thoughts on this! Thanks :)

I'm writing an article for our zine about alternative female health as well as alternative menstrual products.

If you were reading this zine (especially if you didn't know much about the subject), what topics would you want to read about?

Thanks! :)

Hello! I'm a new member, so please let me know if this question has been answered elsewhere. I looked in the archives, and didn't see it addressed, but I may not have been searching correctly.

A year ago, my doctor discovered a small lump during my annual pelvic exam, and ultrasound revealed that it was a fibroid. It also revealed that I additionally have a very large fibroid on the back wall of my uterus that's pressing backwards, and if it grows, it could squeeze my colon shut, which could kill me. (It's also pulling my uterus out of alignment, but that's far less of a concern to me, as I'm child-free by choice and intend to stay that way.)

We've adopted a "wait and see" approach, and so far, all is well, but if the big one grows, I'm going to need to get it treated, and I'd rather do it on my terms than as emergency surgery when my colon backs up. Here's the issue: I'm a bellydancer who's only recently gotten good enough to perform, and all of the treatment options I was preliminarily presented with sound like they'd stop me from dancing for months, and perhaps set my performance skills back by a year or more:

- Starving the fibroids with pellets: it's non-surgical, but the amount of pain involved sounds daunting. Prolonged abdominal pain will mean no practice or performance until the process is over, which means skill loss. Also, it's not a cure, so I might have to do it repeatedly.

- Surgically removing the fibroids: this would involve cutting through my abdominal muscles. From what I've read on bellydance recovery from a c-section, it takes anywhere from 6 to 24 months for a dancer to regain full abdominal control after having her abs cut through. Also, it's not a cure, so again, I might have to do it repeatedly.

- Hysterectomy: see above about cutting abdominal muscles. I've read that it's difficult to get a vaginal hysterectomy if you've never given birth, and I'm not sure "but I'm a bellydancer and I need my abdominals to remain intact" will convince my health insurance company to authorize the procedure if it will be more difficult/more costly. The up-side is that I will never have to have fibroid treatment again.

I'm having a follow-up pelvic ultrasound in a week, and depending on what it reveals, I may need to make a treatment decision. If we had Star Trek transporter technology, I'd just have my uterus beamed out and get it over with, since I'm not using it for anything and don't ever intend to. Are there any bellydancers (or other dancers/athletes that need agile and strong abs) in this community that have been through this and can tell me what the recovery will be like for any of the above options? I'd welcome hearing from people who've had c-sections as well, since that's probably got a similar muscular recovery time to a hysterectomy.

Thanks!

Where to start? I am currently 2 weeks into my period and there seems to be no end in sight. Sure, it had been 9 weeks since my last bleed (which was from a D&C for a molar pregnancy), so I expected it to be a bit different and perhaps a bit longer, but seriously I've had enough now. I've heard of things like Parsley for inducing periods, is there anything natural to make one stop!?  I am on Depo by the way, still have a few weeks left before the next shot is due.

Also, any ideas on an itching/soreness I have? It's currently on the inside of my labia minora. It looks red and bumpy. The exact thing happened last time I bled after the D&C about 14 days into it, just like this time. Last time it developed into the most extreme itch I've ever experienced and also spread to the entire inside of my vagina. I'm wondering if it's a hormone thing or if it's a change in the blood that I'm reacting to. I saw my doctor last time, but by the time I could get in to see her the worst of it was over and she had no idea of what it could be. These two times are the only times I've experienced anything like this. I use cloth pads, but I use them even when I'm not on my period so that can't be it (also, the fact that it's inside doesn't point to that being the cause). I wasn't using anything other than pads after the D&C either. No signs of a YI either, although I did get one last time, but that was only after all the skin from inside my vagina peeled off after the itching episode was pretty much over for a few days. I'm baffled, so any ideas would be appreciated. 
Oh, something of note, back when I used disposable pads I used to get a rash on my labia majora near the end of my period which I always put down to the disposable pads, but now I am kind of thinking it sort of fits in with the idea of hormones or reacting to the blood...

Is it normal for cycles to suddenly become much shorter? I'm 16, have had my period since I was 10 and after a year or two of irregularity it's settled down into a very regular 28-30 days long cycle. My previous period came 2 weeks early, but lasted for the normal 5 days. Now I've got my period again, and it's 1 1/2 weeks early. I'm definitely not pregnant, not on any birth control and I haven't had any major weight changes recently, so I don't know what's causing this. Is it something to be worried about or will it just settle itself down again?

The past day or so I've been feeling a kind of weird sensation in my lower abdomen area, at the level of my hips, pretty much where I would assume my ovaries to be. It's concentrated pretty much to the right center area (in the middle of my hips, but more to the right side, if that makes sense). It's not painful, and not a cramp... it just feels kind of like pressure... it's hard to describe. My period, which was totally normal, basically ended Sunday and has been kind of trickling to an end since then (also normal for me). I've never really experienced anything like this before, and while it's not painful, it just doesn't really feel "normal" to me either. Has anyone experienced anything similar? I don't have insurance so I'd like to avoid going to the doctor if not necessary... But I'm worrying about what this could be. Hopefully it's just me being overly paranoid because I recently lost my health insurance. Or is it actually something I need to worry about? I'm not sexually active so I know it's nothing to do with pregnancy. I'm also not on any kind of birth control. Thanks!

My mom just bought me a load of very expensive ginseng supplements, which I've read can interact with HBC (I'm on Aviane which is a generic version of the estrogen pill). Does anyone know what these effects are?? I feel really guilty not taking the ginseng since it was so pricey. :P

Hey guys,
I'm pretty scared right now. I shaved for the first time today in a few months and I have a few pimple like spots. I get cold sores and this doesn't really feel like it nor is it in clusters. I have been looking online to see what genital herpes looks like and this doesn't really look like the graphic photos I've seen. I really am a paranoid person and I know you guys are not doctors but maybe you can help. I have included some links of pictures of what I'm experiencing because for some reason my lj- cut does not want to work and I'm feeling frantic. Please let me know what you think. Thank you thank you thank you. 

 i47.tinypic.com/5ybygp.jpg
i46.tinypic.com/33yp2te.jpg
i49.tinypic.com/1t27t3.jpg
i46.tinypic.com/2z5vvi0.jpg

Hey - So I grew up being told that I'd get TSS (or whatever it's called) if i wore a tampon to bed. Now I hear that you can have one in for up to 8 hours? I never sleep more than 8 hours, so is it okay to wear tampons to bed now? I just got new fleece sheets, so it'd be really awesome if I didn't stain them! Thanks!

Hello, first time posting here.

So usually my period is very consistent and on schedule (last few days of the month and sometimes going into the first few days of the following month). I started my period November 28 and lasted about 5 days - nothing unusual.

But then I got my period around December 12th (give or take a few days) which was right before finals week started so I figured I might of been a little stressed out from that which induced a period.

Today (January 5th) I started my period again.
so I'm trying to figure out why I've had three periods in a short amount of time.  At the moment I'm not any more stressed out than usual.  I don't think my diet has changed much - maybe I might be eating a little more because of the holidays. but I don't really think I'm eating that much more than I usually do.

So I'm thinking stress most likely caused this (even though when I've been more stressed out in the past I didn't have more periods than usual), but it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.
Are there any other things that can cause more frequent periods like this? and should I be worried?


some info about me: I'm 21 years old, not sexually active (so that rules out pregnancy/miscarriage), and not on any birth control.

Thanks in advance.

Today in yoga we were about to do a shoulder stand and the teacher told us not to do it if we were menstruating. I couldn't figure out why. Is there a medical reason not to spend too much time upside down while menstruating?

I've been taking Estelle HBC (I'm in Australia) for about 2 years now, mainly to help clear up my skin and make my periods a bit lighter. But one thing that I'm finding extremely frustrating is how long it takes for my period to come. I take my last pill on a Friday around 6pm; it's now Wednesday morning and STILL no period. How come? is this normal? I usually will either get it sometime today or even tomorrow. My period normally lasts maybe 3 days. It's just strange because I have to start my next pack on Saturday night - is that OK to do when I'm in the middle of my period?

Hi, I have somewhat of a question to ask all of you! It's kind of hard to phrase so I will just go right in, hopefully you all can follow along.
So as background info to my question, it should be worth noting that I am 18 and have been in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend of 2 and a half years and we intend on staying together/getting married if our situations work out to our advantage. I've been on and off birth control since I was 16. I first went on depo for 9 months, then went off for about 9 months, then went on Lutera, which I've been on since June of 2009. We always practice 'safe' sex (That is, consistent use of birth control + withdrawal).
Now, my mother found my birth control pills approximately 3 weeks ago. She wasn't surprised but at the same time didn't know I was having sex. She acted supportive and told me to just practice safe sex and she would be happy. After that, she told my Dad. He proceeded to treat me like a child and then tried to have the 'sex talk' with my boyfriend and me. Also, it's worth noting that every time I told him I was going to my boyfriends house, he asked if his parents were there, which is extremely out of character.
During the 'sex talk' he had with my boyfriend and me, he treated the idea of sex with this...almost fearful sort of attitude. He kept saying that I was gonna have a baby and that I wouldn't be able to do anything and that it would all be terrible.
What I don't quite understand is why 'older' people don't trust birth control? I'm on birth control and use the withdrawal method, so I don't have any fear of pregnancy. At all.
I heard him talking with my 20 year old brother about sex this morning, and he said the same thing. It's like he doesn't understand the concept of birth control.
It's almost humorous that my dad would have the sex talk with me after I had already been having sex for two years.

So now that I've rambled on about my back story, here's my question. Why is is that some people don't trust birth control? And why is it that parents have such a fearful view of sex? I think it's beautiful and it's something I have educated myself on without either of my parents help. Why must it be something looked down upon?
I don't know if I will get any of these questions answered but it certainly helped getting all of this out. Thanks :)

So... I think I have a reoccuring YI. At least, I think thats what it is. I got tested for STIs a while back and came up positive for chlamydia (sp?) but everything else came back fine, so I don't know if it's possible it's another type of bacteria-related issue? I'm going to get this checked out. I was on antibiotics for YEARS for my acne and I'm wondering if this messed up my ph levels? My real question is, realistically... I might not be able to get an appointment for a few weeks. Would it be okay if I treated this YI (or at least, thats what I think it is), for now, and still go in? Or would that defeat the whole purpose? Even if it it clears up, could they still tell if there was an issue with yeast? Is there anything I can do to keep my PH levels in check? Maybe I should do some home remedies? I've always used the creams but I think I've built up a tolerance to them, tbh. I use them and it seems to come back a month or two months later. I just dont think I can go a few weeks with this mess. Grrr.

Another question... (I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question, but I think it is). I came out of an emotionally abusive and destructive relationship a little over eight months ago and I'm having trouble regaining my sense of self. Could any of you recommend any good empowering literature, particularly directed towards females? (I'm in therapy and am exploring medication right now)

Thank you.