Hey Animallover, I had actually missed your other thread, which I just caught up on. You shared that your boyfriend has explicitly said "he wouldn't be with you if it wasn't for sex." Which is not okay to say to anyone, and does a lot to pressure anyone into having sex. On top of that, giv...

Gotcha! And when you have not been wanting to have sex, have you felt comfortable voicing that and has that been listened to? As you're probably aware, there will be (many!) times in any relationship when only one person is wanting to be sexual. And how's it been going with emotional communication? ...

Hey BuddyBoi, Wow a lot of different conflicting thoughts happening for you right now! As I read your post I was struck by how many different thoughts you seem to feel torn between--Maybe you don't want a relationship and just want casual sex but will your family judge you? Maybe you are really inte...

Hey silva0, I am so inspired by the steps you have taken: to listen to yourself, take care of yourself, be brave enough to reach out for support, and begin the healing process. It's not easy! And I am so glad that your family, many of your friends, and also your boss have been supportive and/or you ...

Hey Angela, Good to hear from you! No pressure at all to respond or respond at length--whatever is helpful to you :) I know you have a lot on your plate right now! Hope it's okay I'm popping in. Heather and Sam are off for the night and I'm here. Though as Heather mentioned, they are gonna check in ...

Are you choosing to begin masturbating because you are feeling aroused? Or for another reason? Like boredom, feeling like you are supposed to, etc?

Hey Naughty_Shatz, Totally! It can be really scary when make ourselves vulnerable to people who we are close to. It requires a lot of bravery, which I know you have! Sometimes it helps to write things out before chatting with the other person. To get your thoughts organized and/or to have something ...

Hey jellyfish, Welcome to the boards! I'm glad you felt comfortable checking-in with your doctor about this. It can be scary to ask adults personal questions like that! Also glad you found this resource :) In general, a lot of people say that you know when you have an orgasm. So if you are not sure ...

Hey phantomdog, Welcome to the boards! I'm glad you felt comfortable checking-in with your mom about this! We can't diagnose things over the computer, so I think going to a healthcare provider sounds like a great plan. Since you are feeling pretty stressed about this right now, why not go ahead and ...

Talking with your therapist about all this sounds like a great plan! Good luck

Hey anomaly, Welcome to the boards :) I'm gonna start by addressing some logistics of HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine is covered by insurance for people up to age 26, so you are still very much in that age-group! For people over 15, this is the timing: You get 3 shots. The process needs to take at leas...

We will not answer ANY questions about pregnancy fear or anxiety in our direct services from users who are not pregnant or who are not or have not otherwise been directly involved with an actual pregnancy. Please do not post this kind of question. If you are seeing this text, and your thread is loc...

What do you think Rajaman? Your thoughts are most important here!

(If you are wanting to read a Scarleteen piece on porn, check out: Making Sense of Sexual Media.)

Hey Sarah, Welcome to the boards :) So the Depo-Provera is one of the three most effective forms of birth control (the other two being the IUD and the Implant). The shot is 97% effective with typical use and 99.7% with perfect use. When combined with a second method (withdrawal or "pulling out&...

Hi Kapena, Heather brought up some really important things, like a safety plan, strategies for protecting and taking care of yourself, how cycles of abuse work, etc. I will let you reply about that when you get a chance! I just wanted to pop in to say I am so sorry to hear about all this. Having to ...

Hey Animallover,

I wanted to check-in to ask if you have talked with your boyfriend yet, and if so, what came up in that conversation? And how are you feeling now?

Thinking of you!

So great to read everyone's responses, old and new. Bikinksterboy thanks for bumping this thread.

I have learned how to better listen to my desires (Am I wanting to be sexual? Am I not wanting to be sexual? If I am, what am I desiring?) and communicate that to my partner.

For me it's first and foremost my friends! I was reflecting the other day that I think a big thing I look for in friends are people who are comfortable talking about subjects that other people might find embarrassing/over-sharey/too personal etc. Especially when it comes to bodies. I have managed to...

Yes to second what Heather said, if you want to keep us updated, we'd love that!

And to clarify: these message boards are probably the best place for that. You could continue posting in this thread, or start a new one, whichever you prefer.

Hey roxfoxreal, Welcome to the boards :) There is nothing wrong with safely sending sexual words or pictures--it doesn't make you bad and it doesn't make you a "slut" (a completely arbitrary term used to make women feel bad). A lot of us are taught to have a lot of shame attached to our se...

Hi PrettyUgly, I'm so sorry to hear about your sexual assault :( You have shown real bravery in sharing your experience here and reaching out for support! You know your family best and it sounds like you feel like they are safe people to share this with. But I understand how scary it must feel. We n...

Hi homeostasis, I'm glad you are checking in becuase you are right that your partner putting food up your anus likely may not be safe! Here are a few basic rules of putting an object in your body, specifically in your anus, taken from D.I.Y. Sex Toys: Self-Love Edition . - Any and all objects should...

Hi Bo, Welcome to the boards :) I'm glad you found us! Sometimes our bodies know things before our minds are fully aware of it. It sounds like that's what's happening with you right now. In your mind you are feeling ready to have sex with this person, but your body is letting you know you are actual...

Hi Animallover, Hope it's okay that I'm jumping in. There is a lot that you shared that I want to respond to. I am going to number things to make it easier to follow/respond to. But no pressure to reply to all of it! You can reply to whatever feels most important to talk about right now. 1. It makes...

Do and your partner generally want to have sex the same amount? Do you want to have sex more than your partner? Or less? In what other ways are you and your partner similar or different in regards to preferences, like when you have sex, or how long sex lasts. When differences arise, how do you commu...