I am very confused about "popping my cherry". I have previously read that everyone has to have their cherry popped, but then again some say that there is no skin thing. If not, than why does it hurt when you have sex for the first time or why do you bleed?

I am concerned about my period, which as of today is a week late. Although I am not the queen of regular cycles, usually I am never more than two or three days off. My boyfriend and I are sexually active, and although I'm not on any form of birth control, we have been diligent and careful and always used a condom. We are each the others first partner though, and are still very much in a "trying this out" phase. He also hasn't been able to ever get more than an inch or so in, as at that point it gets to be too uncomfortable, so we have never actually had full intercourse. The last time we tried was at the beginning of June; we used a condom, again did not get beyond a slight initial penetration, and he did not ejaculate. We haven't done anything since. I took two pregnancy tests, one two days ago and one today, and both were negative. I know that the tests can be incorrect, but I don't feel like my risk of being pregnant is too high. Still, that leaves me wondering where my period is, and I wanted to post on here to see what another opinion might be. I am also getting my annual exam next week, and I plan to talk to my gynecolgist then too. Thank you for your time with my question!

I feel a little weird asking this here because I'm 26 but I was waiting til marriage before sex so this is new to me, and everyone my age seems to have been having sex for years and I'm embarrased to talk about this stuff. This site has been a great resource for me so far - it has saved me so much embarassment of not knowing what's going on (especially embarrasing at my 'old' age!)

So I just got married about a month ago and have started having sex with my husband but it has been disappointingly unenjoyable. My expectations weren't super high because I know it takes awhile to get used to things. But before we were married we did other activities that I really enjoyed and I'd get turned on a lot. Now, however, those same things don't even turn me on anymore. From reading articles here I've realized that sex isn't going to be pleasant if I'm not turned on and it's not about me being 'too tight' or anything. My husband is making a lot of effort to be patient with me and to engage in a lot of foreplay, but it's not doing anything for me. I used to get really aroused by him stroking my nipples/clit areas, and he still is trying that beforehand. But I keep finding that I am not enjoying him touching me at all, and I just want him to stop. He tried oral sex too and I just did not like it, it felt so weird. I feel so horrible because he was so great about waiting til we were married (he has had sex before with his previous girlfriends) and I really want to share this with him now, and he is trying so hard but it's not doing anything. And I'm also really sad that I don't feel turned on because it felt so good and I don't want to have lost that! We are both frustrated, and I feel especially bad because he's had experience and I haven't, and he said he's never had issues like this with any other girls. Any advice as to how I can get more turned on, so that we can actually have sex? We've realized that we shouldn't attempt intercourse when I'm not getting into things, so I also tried pleasuring him in other ways but I'm finding that difficult too... it takes awhile and honestly my mouth/jaw get tired, and I'm worried about how to finish things (the spit/swallow debate). Right now I'm feeling like a terrible wife for not being able to pleasure my husband and also really missing the sexual pleasure I used to get. I don't regret waiting at all... but I'm impatient for things to improve and any advice would be hugely appreciated. Even just letting me know what's a normal amount of time that it takes for this to start being fun instead of stressful. Thanks!

I have been with my boyfriend for about three months and I am not sure if I'm ready to have sex. How do you really know if you're ready? We have talked about sex before and he wants to do it but I'm just not sure if I want to or not. We have done other things and have also talked about those and if it felt good for us. It was just a little bit awkward talking about it with him at first, then I got more comfortable. He's not pressuring me into doing it, I just want to make sure I'm absolutely ready because I don't want to regret it.

There is another question I would like to ask. If you have been masturbating for quite some time (by rubbing my clit), and I mean a long time, will I only be able to get pleasure from rubbing or will having sex feel good too? I have read somewhere that you can get used to one thing and only be able to feel pleasure from it. My boyfriend has fingered me, it hurt a little at first but then it didn't. It's not that I hated it, but I also didn't get pleasure from it. I'm scared that I won't be able to get pleasure from anything else other than rubbing. Please help.

My girlfriend wants to have anal sex. Is it wrong that I don't want to, or should I do it because she said she will just go and do it herself?

I am a virgin, and I really want to lose it myself before I actually have sex because it is embarassing that I still have my virginity and i'm 18. But everytime that I masterbate or try to "pop my cherry" about like 3 inches into my vagina there is like a "sheet" of skin that is hard to push through, I am not sure if it is something you are supposed to push through, or it's my "cherry", I just don't want to hurt myself breaking something I am not supposed to.

I've read your article on vaginal secretion several times but I'm still confused. All of my symptoms of my discharge point to normal except the smell. I have to constantly spray perfume (not down there) on myself because I'm afraid that everyone around me has to deal with this very strong smell, almost like urine. I'm not sure what to do. I try to keep clean in the shower and I'm a virgin so I don't think I have an STD but it's getting to the point where it is really becoming a pain and I'm so self-concious whenever I'm around people. Occasionally it will also feel like my vagina is just dripping wet. I look and there is some discharge but not enough to warrant feeling like I just had an accident. I can be walking around and then all of a sudden it just hits me. It's terrible.

Do I have some sort of infection that I need a prescription for or do I just have really bad vaginal secretions?

My boyfriend and I were feeling very heated last night, so he decided to finger me. I was fine with that, obviously, because he asked if I wanted it and I said yes. We've decided we want to have sex but are both worried about the pain. And last night, he wanted to explore, and I told him go ahead. He tried to stick his finger in "the hole" and it hurt, very badly. I'm a pretty tight girl, and he had trouble getting even his pointer finger in. Now, it's the next morning and it's still a little achy. Did I get my "cherry popped"? Is my first time with him going to hurt badly because I'm so tight? I'm nervous, help!

My girlfriend and I have been having sex for over 2 years now, but she is still very "tight", and really has to get into the mood before I can penetrate. It's almost as though we're having sex for the first time, every time. Sounds romantic, but it's a bit annoying for both of us (and she finds it painful if I accidentally push too quickly). With my ex I could slip a finger inside her without any hesitation, of course I would never mention that to my girlfriend. Once we're into it, there's no problem with going harder and faster, it's just that initial thrust. Is this normal? By being so gentle the first time have we possibly never broken her hymen? Otherwise, if we have sex more frequently, rather than maybe once a week/fortnight/month (for now we both still live at home with our parents) will she likely open up a bit more?

I just recently found this site and I am grat3ful that I did. I'm about four to five days late with my period and I'm freaking out. My cycle is normally 28 days, and it's been that way for a year now. I have been stressed out this month because of my finals, graduation, and college stuff, so I know it's a possibility that stress is causing this, but I'm still freaking out. I am sexually active, but my boyfriend and I are always careful. We always use protection, we even check to see if the condom had broken or not. And it wasn't. I keep getting stomach aches, and I haven't been getting any cramps, which are normally a sign to me that I'm about to get my period, or any other symptoms that I normally get. I'm just not sure what's going on and I would really just like some advice on what to do or not to do.

I have a rather embarassing question but I really need help. When having anal sex with my boyfriend, after he inserts it and all it comes to a point where it is almost like it will NOT go any further. It's like his penis is hitting a wall of some sort and it really hurts. I am very relaxed before we start so the initial penetration is not a problem at all, it's just that there is something stopping his penis from going all the way in. what is causing this and what can I do about this?

I was supposed to get my period about 2 weeks ago and although my periods are never exact and to the day, they usually aren't that late. But about 4 days ago I started getting brown spotting, like old blood, which sometimes signals the begginning of my cycle, so I was quite relieved. But I've been getting this exact same brown spotting for the past 4 days and it's really confusing and worrying me. The only sign of any actual flow I've had is right after I went for a run yesterday and there was just a tiny tiny bit of actual red color. I took a thorough biology course and I know a lot about the menstrual cycle and pregnancy and all the hormones involved and that knowledge is making me paranoid I think (and I'm already a worry wart by nature). I just can't figure out, hormone-wise, why I wouldn't be shedding my endometrium, unless my progesterone levels haven't in fact dropped - indicating pregnancy. I am still a proud virgin at 18, but about 2 and a half weeks ago my boyfriend and I fooled around. He didn't ejaculate anywhere near me. The only thing I'm worried about is that maybe his semen (or pre-cum) got on one of our hands and it came into contact with me, and I know that even then, the chances of the 100 odd sperm actually making it all the way to my fallopian tubes is slim to none, (especially since he didn't finger me, and that I most likely had already finished ovulating by then considering I was supposed to get my period any day, at the time). It's just worrying me because my periods have never done anything odd like this, and on top of that, that was the first time I've fooled around before. Coincidence?? I'm just wondering if you have any alternate conclusions, which I hope are more plausible than mine, for this prolongued brown spotting. It'd be nice to have my mind at ease :)

And I just wanted to add that even though I'm not a regular to this site, I have been using it for the past 4 years when I have any questions and you're always so quick to reply and non-judgemental. I appreciate it and it's great to know that everytime I need questions answered I have somewhere to go!