Hi CasWasHere, Unless you've recently started a new medication that could have sexual side effects, I suspect this isn't a underlying medical issue and is more some combination of maybe being in a rut with masturbation and/or being in a headspace that makes it less pleasurable overall. When you've t...

Hi Grayyyson,

Do you notice this same tightness in your chest or light headedness at other times?

Hi archanana, While I'm glad you've been having a good conversation with Latha, I do want to note that help with conception is not something we can help you with on our direct services. So if you're looking for support on this, you'll want to try a gynecologist, midwife, doula, other fertility/pregn...

Hi bob.duncan, It's more common for a penis to have some degree of curve (called congenital curvature ) rather than not, so the fact that it's shaped this way isn't in and of itself cause for concern, though it does sound like yours is on the "more curved" end of the scale. That being said...

Thanks for those details! You know, it's okay if you don't fully know how you feel about it; thinks like fantasy and desire can be kind of sticky and don't always stay in defined boxes. Too, as you're already realizing and doing, we don't have to engage with a given fantasy. And sometimes we may eng...

I'm so glad my reply was helpful! If you end up needing more support down the line, about this or other topics, we're happy to talk with you about them.

Hi Nat, So, one approach here might be to have a bigger conversation with your mom about the boundaries that would work for you both when talking about sex. I say that because, even when we have a pretty open and comfortable relationship with a parent, there can still be things it's okay not to disc...

Hi Brendie, As long as the condom did not break or come off, then you can assume it did its job. Too, since you didn't ejaculate, you can also assume you had the amount of protection offered by withdrawal on top of the amount from the condom. That being said, if the condom keeps doing that, that sug...

Hi Kittylemon0, Can I ask if you've taken time to explore what fantasies you might like outside of these ones? It may be that widening the scope of what you fantasize about can help you out in those moments where you don't want to engage with these ones. Too, is it mostly that you're afraid that the...

You're very welcome!

Hi Chicka08, I want to start by saying that I'm so sorry your date chose to assault you. I feel like an important distinction here is that while sexual assault involves sexual contact, it's a very different thing from consensual sex, to the point that we, and many other people, don't consider it sex...

Hi thedarkestnight, It's absolutely okay to talk about all this here, and I want to start by saying that what this person did really wasn't okay, and that I'm sorry your first partner turned out to be someone who behaves this way. For what it's worth, what you're describing does meet the definition ...

Got it, thank you for those details! The good news is, those are all parts of communication that can be learned and practiced. We have a few different articles that I think can act as starting places for learning them, and give you some tips on how to practice them in smaller ways so that the first ...

Hi forest_wave, Those are all really good questions! One helpful starting place for the ones about casual sex in particular is this article of ours, which goes over the different ways a casual, sexual relationship can look and the things to keep in mind when navigating one: https://www.scarleteen.co...

Hi Nat, There are for sure some things you could try to help these conversations be a little easier for both of you (and if she's open to it, there are some great books out there that can help her feel more confident in navigating them from her end). But before we dive into that, can you give me a s...

I do think it's sound to recognize that illness is just one of those realities of life that can be mitigated or treated, but not prevented entirely. And weighing whether we're comfortable facing the risks of being sexual with another person is part of figuring out if/how we want to be sexual with ot...

Yep, I'm American, and my source for that is how John Hopkins describes the procedure.

Having had the vaccine does decrease the risk that a pap test would come back abnormal, as you've taken a step that makes it less likely that you'll have the strains of HPV that can cause one.

Hi Jay27,

It's a pretty low percentage of pap smears that come back as irregular in the first place. But even if you did get one that then required further investigation, it's standard to have some form of anesthetic during a cervical biopsy.

You're welcome!

Hi rahul39, So, it sounds like the main issue here is that you have some misconceptions about what sperm can and cannot survive. If there is sperm present in pre-ejaculate (which may not always be the case; sperm is more likely to be present in pre-ejaculate if someone has ejaculated recently and no...

How would you say the rest of your body feels right before or right after you notice the pleasure stopping and the throbbing starting? Do you still feel tensed, or do you feel relaxed?

I'm glad Willa and Heather we're able to help you out! And I hope the conversation with your mom goes well.

In addition to what Willa said, do you feel like you can talk with the guys about what happened and how you're feeling?

Hi Nat, It sounds like you're already making strides in figuring out both what sets off that dysphoria and what helps alleviate it, and that at least some of the things that set it off--like not having lube--are relatively easy to solve for. With comparing yourself to cis girls, are there specific t...

Hi jumbomumbo, Can you say a little more about what those expectations are you feel you have to live up to? Are they tied to the shaming messages you got growing up, or to something else? Too, when you think about being in some other place and THAT giving you the freedom to express yourself as you w...