I've been reading Scarleteen since I was at least 16, and the vital knowledge has kept me safe thus far... UNFORTUNATELY after getting through high school and college completely unscathed and mostly responsible, I finally dropped my guard for a nice, geeky, Christian boy who'd never kissed a girl EVER. And now I have oral herpes. I'm pissed. Really, really pissed. One day he greeted me with a kiss and when he pulled back I noticed his lips were a bit on the gross side. When he said, "Oh, I just have a cold sore," I completely freaked. Apparently his whole family caught it from his parents and they never made it clear to them that A) Cold sores/Fever blisters ARE Herpes and B) they can be spread to others. They act like it's completely normal. The last time I went to his house I saw a BULK sized bottle of Lysine on the kitchen sink. When my boyfriend asked his mom about why they never warned him, she replied that I was simply overreacting and that I should get over it.

I want to know how I can get through this without hating him and his generally very nice family. He's a great guy, and he didn't do it on purpose (I've never met anyone who has), but I'm just so pissed at him and at myself. I feel dirty, ashamed, and like I should have known better.

Thanks,
Newly Blistered Sister

To shave or not to shave? Rather a drama queen way to ask a question but there it is. My boyfriend wants to have oral sex with me, and I am fine with that, but he is asking if I can shave my hair down there. Now I thought that was a bad idea, because I remember hearing something about the hair being a ventilation system for you and helps prevent infection. However, I would like to do something but what? Trim? Or is shaving really not that bad? What is healthiest?

I am a teenager and think I may have UI and that could be from a UTI but what should I do to treat it/make it go away as it is affecting daily routine? I have not visited any doctor as I am embarrassed to tell my parents about this possible problem. Do I need to see a doctor, if so how should I tell about this condition to my parents as I can't go on my own? What is the typical process during a doctor's visit for UI or UTI? Will it include a full body exam, because I feel nervous and sensitive to that, especially with someone else in the room with me (e.g. parents). What should I do about this? Can this be cured without need of going to a doctor?

What causes a yeast infection and how can I prevent one?

I did it for the fist time and it was horrible, my partner just went fast and hard and deep until he was done and I wasn't even aroused well...my private is huge now and I do not feel sex with my current partner, it's been three months now, could a person be ripped or torn unnatural although it's a vagina and made for sex with a man? Do I just need to wait a long time before doing it again? Is there a such thing as being torn or ripped and heal back and not get back the natural elasticity of my vagina? I mean I had to dig into my skin bite my fingers and hold my breath from the pain, I don't think that is normal.....help please I'm very worried about this!

I am 23 years old and I am extremely self conscious about vaginal odor. I don't like my boyfriend to perform oral sex because I am so worried that I smell bad. I scrub and scrub my genitals in the shower but an hour later the smell is back. When I asked my OB/GYN about it he said that he would check me for STD's but never explained anything to me. I haven't had an STD ever and I have had this since I was 13, what is it? How do I know if its normal? Please help!

My friend got Chlamydia and got treated for it. Then about two months later it came back again. Do you think the medication didn't work or do you think he cheated on his girlfriend?

After I've washed, my genitals are odor free but only for a few hours. I'm not sporty, so why is this?

I just had unprotected sex for like 5 mins on the last day of my period, and my partner had pre-cum before we had sex, is there a highly risk that I can get pregnant?

Alright, so me and my boyfriend had sex for the first time yesterday. It was my first time ever having sex, but I was confident about it. We used a condom and he is very safe about it. As well, during sex he does not have an orgasm and will pull out for my comfort of mind. He makes sure there are no holes in them and uses them how he is told. However, I have a few questions.
1) How protective is a condom?
2) As another precaution, I made sure that he ejaculated BEFORE we engaged in sex at all. This we did in the morning at about 8:00AM and had sex at around 3:30PM. What are the chances of pregnancy using this method as well as a condom and pulling out?
3) I am making sure I start going on the pill or the patch, but do not know much about either. Which is more recommended and why?

I know that I seem paranoid taking so many precautions, but I do not want to continue having sex until I have made sure of as many contraceptive ideas as possible.

One of the ways to help prevent cervical cancer and/or HPV infection is by taking a vaccination with HPV vaccine. I read it somewhere and it says that ideally females should get the vaccine before they are sexually active. This is because the vaccine is most effective in women/girls who have not yet acquired any of the HPV types covered by the vaccine. I'm just wondering, what if the female had sex only once and no protection was used and the guy did not ejaculate into the vagina. In other words, the female is sexually active. Well, if she had sex even once, its still considered as sexually active right? So what if the female is sexually active, like how I described it? Is there any difference? I mean, the female can still take the vaccination but is there any side effects or its the same as a female who is not sexually active since they guy did not ejaculate? thank you (: