Friends

I just recently started on my birth control again after not being able to buy some for around a month.
I'm on my second week, but I skipped a few days on accident. I took one of the pills I skipped last night, and I'm about to take the other one...
But when I was using the restroom a few minutes ago I noticed some pink on the paper.


Is this my period? Is it safe to keep taking them to just prevent it from coming untill the white pills?

I must say that I wish I would have found this site a lot sooner. There is so much helpful information and I am so glad to see everyones posts because I can relate to a lot of you.

About six years ago ( I was 18 at the time )I was hospitalized for almost a month because of a collapsed lung. This was do to the patch that I was on at the time. I developed a blood clot and didn't know it and it broke lose from my leg and went to my lung. So for the past few years I have had to hope that I wouldn't get pregnant since I couldn't take any form of birth control. I did good with not getting pregnant up until this year. I got pregnant I would say around the end of June and had a miscarriage in the beginning of August. It was reallly rough but at the same time kind of a good thing. I found out afterwards that I would have a really rough pregnancy and it would cost a lot of money even with my insurance. So after that my OB brought up the Paragard. Being that this is my only option I decided to give it a shot.

And I must say WOW I didn't think it would be like this. I have had a really rough past few months. I got it put in Nov 20. I forgot to take the Ibuprofin like they told me and I was in a lot of pain while she put it in. I thought I was going to pass out. Well all the night at work I was having really bad pains even worse then I do with my period (I also have endemetiosis so my cramps are pretty bad). And all through the weekend the pains continued. Come to find out the reason was because my body was getting rid of the IUD. So I went back Monday had it taken out and got another one put in (I took the Ibuprofin this time). Since then I have gotten an ultrasound and its in place which is good. After that I bled and had cramps for about 2 weeks. Not to mention I was getting a really sharp pain off and on for a few days. I stopped for about a week and then started again. This time I am assuming it was my period (it was around the time I should have gotten it). Again it lasted like two weeks and was very heavy. I kept calling the Dr because I was worried something was wrong and they said no everything was fine that my body was just tying to get used to it.

Finally this week I was able to have sex for the first time in several months. I stopped bleeding however I am still having cramps. I guess its still normal but it sucks that I have to keep taking medicine to help the cramps. I am glad that I got it put in I am just waiting for my body to get back to normal.

Sorry for such the long post but I don't really have anyone to talk to that understands how I feel right now. My BF wanted me to get it out seeing how much pain I was in but I wanted this to work. I don't want to have a child right now. I am just not ready to deal with all the things I have to go through. Thanks for listening.

I decided to treat my vaginal weirdness/itchiness with a garlic clove, but as soon as I put it inside my vagina, it started to burn. Is this supposed to happen? I took it out, as it didn't feel right at all.

Another question, how do I know which type of plain yoghurt is OK to put inside? I looked in the supermarket today and most of them had no actual ingredients list. I saw one which said plain natural yoghurt, 2% fat, nothing else added. Can I assume it's OK?

I have some questions about pubic hair. I just wanted to know if it is normal to have some hair growing out of your vagina, basically it is growing out from the lips area, does everyone have this, or is it just me. If I get waxed, will they remove this hair that is growing out?

I am thinking of getting a brazilian wax through laser removed. Has anyone had this done? Can you tell me about your experience? Can someone tell me about the advantages and disadvantages?
My main reason for wanting to remove the hair is by night fall my crotch area is wet and moist and starts to get a little itchy, the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. I am hoping that by removing the hair, I won't be as wet and it will help my crotch area. Will this help?

Should I get my hair waxed first and then wait 3 to 6 months for the laser procedure?

As well as my recent itchy/sore vagina and clumpy discharge, I've found that in the last week or so, I've been going from needing to pee a little bit to needing to go really bad in a very short time. I'm not usually like this. I was in a bar last night and had to wait in line 10 mins for the bathroom and I really thought I was going to wet myself. It also feels a little strange when I do pee, like a little bit stingy, not outside but inside, as if it were my bladder. I've been tested several times for STDs and infections and the results have all been negative. Not to mention, I haven't seen my boyfriend since August. What could be causing this? Could it perhaps be a UTI or are the symptoms of that different to what I'm experiencing?

I have recently been prescribed a 10 day course of antibiotics. I am aware that antibiotics affect HBC pills, but i forgot to ask about the contraceptive injection. My doctor has a history of not telling me about drug interactions (eg that some anti-epileptic drugs affect HBC) and it just occured to me that I am unsure whether antibiotics change the effectiveness of depo-provera as a contraceptive method. I tried to google it and I could only find anecdotal reports, so any help valued, thanks.

Hello again! I posted last night asking about IUDs since I had surgery today and my doc wanted to insert one while I was out. Mods, I apologize if this post is too soon after my last, and if you'd prefer, I'll be happy to cut and paste this into that post and then delete this one.

I had a laparoscopy, hymenotomy, and IUD insertion this morning at 9. The goal was to find out if I had endometriosis, which I do. My doc said that on a scale of 1-10 my endo is at an 8, it's so bad. I'm 19, NP, and only been with one guy - for almost 4 years. It's a little depressing, but I figured I had it all these years, and this confirmed it. Being that this is my first surgery, I was so proud of myself for not being nervous! I was only nervous about the IV, but it was fine. I really enjoyed getting knocked out, and being out of it. Lol! I found out I may have an irregular heartbeat when they checked my pulse/blood pressure/etc, so they did an EKG while I was out. I don't know the results and probably won't until January 7th, my next appointment.

At first, I asked my doctor to insert the IUD only if I did have endo, and if I didn't, then to not insert it. I finally settled with inserting it no matter what, because even if I didn't have endo, I'd still have cramps. So I am now a proud diva! :) She put in a Mirena. I'm not sure what to name it yet. So far, no problems other than minor cramps and a small amount of bleeding, but I was prescribed Tylenol 3, which is amazing.

Anyway, I wanted to thank those who commented. I read the posts I hadn't replied to after the surgery, but I wanted you to know I did indeed read them, and appreciated every post. :) Your advice really helped and I feel better than I thought I would!

Also, I have pics of my insides affected by endo, so if anybody would like to see them and/or hear my surgery story, feel free to ask and I'll update this entry with it. It went swell and took an hour and a half for everything, and it was overall a very pleasant experience! I had no problems whatsoever and would do it again. If any of you live in the Sacramento area, I would highly, highly recommend my doctor, Bethelen Johnson. She works at Sutter in Davis and knows her stuff about endo and IUDs, and was the one who recommended the IUD to me initially. :)

I have been reading the little things on the side about discharge but I dont really fit all of the symptoms. I have a mildly not quite itchy not quite burning feeling mostly felt a night when I go to sleep. I also have a lot of goo. Its not thick like a paste but not thin, kinda like hair conditioner or semen. the goo itself is off white. Its not chunky I am also noticing a slight smell. Its not fishy but more like sweaty/sex smell?

Im just not sure whats going on, I havent really ever had an issue with my bits. I am on the second pack of birth control pills and I didnt take the placebos. This has just started when as I was taking the pills. I havent ever took pills before. I was on the depo previously with no problems. I havent had a period in over 1 1/2 years. Could the pill be cleaning out my vag? I let my bf ejaculate in me, could it be all the semen coming out?

also I have noticed increase in having to pee. Could adderall cause this? I just started that the same time.


Any insight? Im pretty new so anything could help. I have never had a yeast infection, urine infection or STD. the only thing that has ever happened to me was a swollen glad.

I have only had one sex partner in 2 years.

 Hi, this is my first time to this site; I have been looking for something like this for days. I am 21, have never been pregnant and had paragard inserted on October 6th.  I had been on the pill for about 3 years before I switched to paragard.  I had my first period on November 9th and everything was normal.  My last one was due on December 6th (if you count by 28 days) and no signs of it yet.  I haven't had any cramping or spotting this month.  I know everyone is different but I was wondering if its normal or anyone else has had irregular/late periods on paragard.  Thanks for any help!

My usual posts to VP tend to be outbreaks of pre-period hysteria. But this time I'm in need of advice on another matter entirely.

( long, family difficulties, may be triggering )

I desperately need advice!

My period ended over a week ago. (If that's relevant) Occasionally, once a month or so, I have a lot of discharge. But most of the time, it's a fairly "normal" amount. Today while out shopping, I soaked through my panties. My jeans were ever so slightly damp.  It was quite a gross and uncomfortable feeling, though. So I went to the restroom and cleaned up (just wiped really well) and then folded up some tissue and put it in my panties til I could get home and change. (I was at Publix - if this matters. Their tissue definitely isn't Angel Soft.) It was at least 45 minutes before I removed the tissue from my britches. No problems at that time and there was no remaining tissue on my crotch. I still had lots of discharge.  Now about 1.5 hours since removing the tissue - my labia (near my clit) is insanely ITCHY. Yes, I scratched it. I thought maybe because my pubes are growing back (I do a bald shave on my labia) maybe it was just prickly and stabbing [more] senstive skin due to excess moisture and became irritated. So I shaved it back down -  which I needed to do anyway.  After I did that, I noticed about 3 small bumps - welt like. Just tiny little welts. Could this just be an irritation from the tissue or maybe i'm getting a yeast infection? After writing this all out, my vagina has calmed down and is no longer itching. For now. What gives?

I have been pouring over everything ever written in this group. Thank you very much to everyone who has shared their story - it has really helped me to make a decision to get an IUD. I haven't read about anyone who has my particular health problems - so I wanted to share my story in case it might help anyone.

My history:  I am 31, engaged to be married in a year, never been pregnant. I have been on the generic version of OrthoNovum 7/7/7 for more than 8 years. I have experienced some side-effects (20+ lbs of weight gain, decrease in libido, moodiness, etc). But I haven't had any significant problems with it until this past year - I have begun to have 5-7-day long migraine headaches during my period. They start like clockwork on the first day of the placebo pills and last often until the end of my period. The headaches are often excruciating, to the point where I have experienced nausea and have had to call off work. 

I am also insulin resistant (and have been since well before I ever began taking BCP). My condition is also often called metabolic syndrome - which is a fancy way of saying "pre-diabetic." Without diet and drug management of my insulin levels I experience hypoglycemic symptoms which include severe swings in blood sugar, moodiness, sleep problems, trouble focusing, shakiness, etc. It is treated with Glucophage/Metformin, which helps to regulate the way the liver processes sugars.

During my research, I saw that Mirena comes with a warning that it may cause blood sugar problems. It seems that the levonorgestrel can affect metabolism and can cause some to have hypoglycemic symptoms.  So I feel like the only birth control option for me is Paragard.

I had a first consultation with RN on Thursday of this week regarding IUD's. She of course recommended Mirena to help manage my headaches, but my endocrinologist doesn't recommend I try anything with the levonorgestrel. So I have an appointment on Monday afternoon to have a Paragard "installed". I'm a little nervous about withdrawal from quitting the BCP, and about the cramping/heavy periods from the Paragard. But considering the alternative (being rendered useless for 7 days because of headaches) I think I can stick it out.

My girlfriend's period is extremely heavy, she usualy goes threw a box of tampons and is in so much pain....I know period's differ and they can be heavy and light but is this much normal? She goes threw a tampon like every 3 hours.

Thanks

After numerous tries, I finally have a paragard.  I wanted a paragard because the list of potentional side effects is way shorter, and I desperately need to lose some weight.

I went out to karaoke last night, so this morning I looked and felt my best. But honestly it was no where near as bad as I had it in my head.  I was in and out of the office in 30 minutes.

There was sort of a constant dull pain as the doctor was working on me which got more intense when he was putting things in.  I just made sure to breathe and attempted to talk about innocuous matters in order to calm down.  Not the worst pain in my life, but definitely unpleasant.  He said I would spot for the next couple of days from the stuff he put on my cervix. 

I would describe the cramping afterwords as like a bad period.  After about 4 hours they're mostly gone. Every so often I've been getting a particularly strong one but the frequency has decreased.  My boyfriend spooned with me for a while.  Also this might be TMI but every so often he would kiss my ear and play with my breasts which I actually found kind of helpful. It was really nice to feel something pleasurable, and it seemed to lessen the cramps. I've taken a lot of ibuprofen, used a heating pad, and drank some tea.  

I'll report back on the sex issue and my Diva cup when events arise.  Thanks all!  The info from this community has been amazing.

Hey everyone! Happy Friday!

Here is my question...

This is my first month on Nuva Ring and so far it's been good. Technically my 3 weeks are over tomorrow. I've read on here and on other sites that some women leave their ring in for 4 weeks so they quickly become on a 5 week cycle.

My question is if I forget to take it out tomorrow (Saturday) and take it out Sunday instead will I have thrown myself completely off or will everything be fine, I may have cramps tomorrow and from now on Sunday will be my day-o-ring in/out?

Thanks!

p.s. I don't plan on doing this every month to screw myself up... tomorrow is a big day and I'd rather not run around with my period. Plus, Sunday is an easier day to remember for me than Saturday.... so we're really only talking about leaving it in longer this one time.

Per here, I was scheduled to have Day 1 of my period coincide with my cross-country holiday flight.

The good news: that is not happening, at least not to the full extent of the awful that I had feared.

The less good news: my period is here now.

While this could mean that I've misread my fertility signs, I really don't think this is the case. Cervical fluid, cervical position, and waking temps all pointed to ovulation on December 7.

Adding this to my other recent cycles, it's looking like I now have a very consistent 11 day luteal phase. That's not abnormal in itself, but it's a not-small shift from the very consistent 15 day luteal phase I had about 4 years ago, before I started on hormonal birth control.

I'm not concerned about the shorter luteal phase; in fact, since it lessens the duration of my PMS experience, I am all for it. I am, however, curious as to what may have caused such a substantial reduction in my luteal phase. The two factors that seem most obvious to me are time/age and HBC use, but I don't know if there's any evidence that these can actually affect luteal phases.

Thoughts?

I'm getting desperate.... Basically I am currently having my fifth period since October 12-ish. Yes, I've had 5 periods in 2 months.

On top of that, I've had this relentless yeast infection since early last summer... tried various things like vinegar douching, the usual monostat cream stuff.... even the garlic.

I've been living in Madrid for 3 months now, so I'm still somewhat new here. I went to a clinic that another american english teacher like myself recommended. I went this past monday. All they did was take a culture and give me an appointment to return on January 19 for a sonogram I guess (ecografía). So great, I get to wait for a month. I'll probably bleed to death by then, considering my periods seem to only get more frequent. :(

I would have asked to be put on birth control but the people there were in such a hurry and the doctor who saw me was rude to me, so I didn't bother asking. I've been on birth control in the past. I got off it about a year and 3 months ago or so. My period was sort of irregular at first, but then it adjusted to being off birth control and was regular for awhile. I'm so effing sick of getting my period all the time that now I'd love to get back on it ASAP, not have to wait until Jan 19 to see the doctor who was a jerk to me anyway.

To sum up, these are my questions if anyone can help me with any of them-

1. Why am I all of a sudden getting my period every 1-2 weeks? PLEASE DON'T SAY STRESS. OK, I am not any more stressed/depressed than I've been in other times, seriously. I'm sick of people suggesting stress or depression, though I know that can be a cause.

2. Does garlic induce periods??!?!?! I've noticed that the two times I tried the garlic (I put it in over night), I literally started bleeding the next day. But I've been getting such frequent periods it's hard to tell if those times were just a coincidence.

3. Is this on-going YI related to my frequent periods?

4. And finally, do any of you happen to know any good OBGYN clinics in Madrid (that accept MAPFRE insurance)? VPs so big I figure maybe someone here knows... :)

Well after 5 years with my IUD, I got it removed and re-inserted. It HURT like hell. I fainted afterwards and felt like I'd been kicked by a horse.

However, the strings are in a much better place, they haven't hurt my husband once as opposed to 5 years of being stabbed during intercourse.

Want the fabulous news? Because my body was used to one and I only occasionally spotted, I bled heavily for 2 days and spotted for a week. That's it! I was worried I'd go back to a year of constant spotting like I had with the first one.

Very pleased. I had posted earlier about the time frame for a vasectomy to be considered safe and to be 100% it is a full 12 months post surgery to ensure it hasn't grown back. The husband is getting one in a few days.

can anyone tell me if I have ovulated by my chart? I know its a little hard to see or understand, so I will explain a little. I was on a very long period for over 3 months until November. My doctor prescribed me provera November 11 to stop the bleeding, and I had to take it for 12 days. I stopped bleeding completely by the end of the 12 days which was the 23. I started spotting very lightly the 24, so I started taking my temps as my doctor asked me too. I stopped spotting the 29 of November. I've been taking my temps until today because I go see my doctor in the morning. Here's my chart, and here's my temps from the 24-November to 17-December. Please help. ( Picture )

I was eating some nutted ice cream when my alarm went off and in the confusion (I know, I know. What confusion, right?) I chomped on my pill. What I got from a cursory googling was that this is bad and that the pill loses its effectiveness in such a circumstance. Is that true?