period

It's Smart to Chart

Submitted by Heather Corinna on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 00:31.

What's charting? It's a woman taking and keeping notes about her menstrual and fertility cycles.


How do I deal with the results of a medical trauma or abuse?

malia asks:

Hi, I'm sixteen and about four months ago I was treated at the hospital for severe anemia due to over excessive menstruation. While I was there, I had to have a pelvic exam done, and I'm already really shy, and I've never been touched like that or even have had a boyfriend. So the doctor (who was a man) was about to do it, but I was so scared he had to physically spread my legs apart. Then he put the speculum in and did whatever, but he had to push through the hymen, and it hurt pretty badly. It seemed like he didn't care at all how I was doing, or anything. Now I cringe when people mention sex or anything like it because it reminds me of him and the pain and embarrassment. How am I ever going to trust a man enough again to let him get close, and how can I block this event out of my head?

Periods and flushing?

stina54 asks:

Hi, I'm 14-years old and I have a few questions.
1) OK so I first got my period about a year and a half ago, but they come really randomly. When is it probably going to develop a pattern?
2) So last night I had an itch, so I scratched my vagina. A few minutes later I realized that about a half hour earlier, when I went to the bathroom, I flushed the toilet AFTER I washed my hands. Earlier that day, there was a teenage guy over my house that probably did use that bathroom. I also live with my teenage brother and he always uses that bathroom. Is it possible that I could have gotten an STD or even pregnant? I'm really scared and I'm freaking out right now.

That First Period Talk

Submitted by Heather Corinna on Fri, 04/10/2009 - 16:59.

Yesterday, after working my second job at the clinic, I was effectively kidnapped by my co-worker Gigi and her ten-year-old daughter Sophia, whom I adore. She calls herself Big Sophia around me, my pug (scroll down this page for a visual) being Little Sofia. We wound up driving from their place to my neighborhood for dinner, which is a pretty long haul.


Is it safe for him to taste my menstrual blood?

theredmarker asks:

I know having your partner finger you during your period is perfectly safe (while a little messy), but I do have another concern: my boyfriend often puts that finger in his mouth to taste the fluid after he's done fingering. So I was wondering, is it safe to do that while on your period? Like, are there any health risks involved with ingesting the blood? Now I do realize this would be a very small amount of blood, but I'm just curious.

Period MIA: Is There A Risk?

Anonymous asks:

My girlfriend stopped having her periods but she hasn't had sex and it's been two years since her last period. If we have unprotected sex is there still an opportunity for her to get pregnant?

Do you have to have your period first in order to get pregnant?

rose5 asks:

Can I get pregnant even though I did not get periods yet?

Three questions after abortion and one after miscarriage

yellow_hat asks:

I had a surgical abortion at 10 weeks in February. Besides the abortion, I have never been to an OB-GYN, but because I am getting married in May, I would like to go soon. Since it is likely that I will move and never go back to this particular OB-GYN, is it necessary that I tell her about my abortion? Will she be able to tell during the examination? I've read that the cervical opening looks more like a slit than a circle after it has been fully dilated, but I doubt I was fully dilated for the procedure. I don't want to lie or be tricky, and I know it is best to tell a doctor everything about your medical history, but since this will likely be a one-time visit with a doctor I know very little about (ex. pro-life or pro-choice), I would really prefer to avoid the topic if at all possible. Thanks!

I am 14 and don't have my period yet. Am i normal?

sunita_sitaldas asks:

Im 14 and still dont have menstruation .... Is something wrong with me cause I feel abnormal . My friends always tease me and I have already visited a doctor but she said she'll have to see my V..... but I refused .. I also have scoliosis .. does that affect or dalay my menstruation?/ PLS HELP ME ...

I, Being Born Woman and Suppressed

Menstrual suppression is becoming increasingly popular, and has been widely promoted for women. For some, especially women with reproductive health issues which are helped by suppressing periods, it's an obvious boon, and some using it electively also report it to be a blessing. But what about the health risks? What about the attitudes informing that choice which cheerlead suppression by maligning menstruation? What about the benefits, emotional and physical, our periods can offer us? An opinionated, no-holds-barred look at the whole works and a paean to the period, no matter what a woman chooses to do with it.

The Period During Pregnancy Misunderstanding

GG asks:

My Mom got her period for about four months into her pregnancy of my baby sister. So I wanted to know if a woman can still be pregnant if she gets her period? Or is that just an uncommon thing?

Bloghopping: June/July 2008

Submitted by Heather Corinna on Thu, 07/03/2008 - 18:27.

  • The teen booklet that Madeline and Suzanne over at Lunapdas have been working on for years with my help, as well as help and contributions from Inga Muscio, Sarah Mundy, Emira Mears and Dr. Jerilynn Prior is finally done, and is a gorgeous, fantastic, radical, groovy slice of awesome. Yay!


What Are Menstrual Cups?

Looking for an alternative to tampons or pads? A user asks about menstrual cups, and we give her -- and you -- the scoop.

Quick Hits: Twenty-One Kinds of No

Anonymous asks:

Does anal sex make your hips and bottom larger?

Negative pregnancy tests, but where's my period?

tiinks asks:

I haven't had my period for two months now (the last time I had my period was March 16). My b.f. and I fooled around but nothing happened, if you know what I mean. I then took 2 pregnancy tests and they both came out negative. At the end of April, I went to the pediatrician and they did a pregnancy test too (I don't know if they did it by blood or by urine). All the tests came out negative, but my period hasn't come yet and I just want to know what it could possibly be! I feel like I'm going to get my period, yet it just wont come. PLEASE HELP!