If it feels right, then it's okay! But if you are doing it because you feel like you have to, that's putting pressure on yourself. Everyone has different things that work for them, and there's no right or wrong way to masturbate. Insertion doesn't work for many people and that's just as okay. Do you...

Hi Eclipse, welcome to the boards! Glad you found us. I gotta say, I relate to what you're saying as I went through a very similar experience up until my early 20s. It can be frustrating, but I actually found that when I stopped overthinking and trying and worrying about it, I found what worked. Eve...

Hi SillyMcGoof_, It's normal to have kinks and to feel a bit ashamed of them, especially at your age. Without knowing what you're referring to, I'd say it doesn't make you a bad person and it's not abnormal as long as you're not hurting anyone and the kink (whether you're participating or watching) ...

No worries, what you're saying makes sense and is valid. Do you want to talk more about it?

Hi there! Vulvas can look pretty different from person to person when it comes to things like our clitoral hood and labia, so it's okay if you feel yours is different from most diagrams and photos you've seen. There's nothing wrong with it, and you shouldn't feel insecure about it, although it's a v...

Thank you for sharing, and I'm sending you so many positive vibes! You're right, it can, so that certainly doesn't help. I do think doing work around trauma in counseling would be good, as well as maybe some pelvic floor therapy. Is that something you'd be willing to look into?

That's more for a longer lasting rub than what the nurse did, also probably with more pressure applied. The quick "rubbing" she did, which was wiping the blood off, won't affect the effectiveness of the injection.

A rule of thumb some people use is '7 days after the expected start', but many people have irregular cycles so there's not an exact number or formula. In your case if 30 is typical and 33 is your longest "normal" cycle then 37 seems like an appropriate marker. There are so many variables u...

Hi lostandconfused, just jumping in here to check if you wanted to talk about anything specific from the polyamory guide - if you have any questions about it or anything like that, just let me know! And is this anxiety something you've had a chance to talk about with a mental health professional? It...

Hi Juliaho90, we can't flat out tell you that for sure there is absolutely NO risk, but the risk here is extremely minimal. Have you told your counselor about this, and if so what did they say about it?

Hi! Sure - there's info about it here, if you scroll down about halfway. I will say, implantation bleeding is not common, and usually happens around the time of your normal period time. It's usually around 2 weeks after conception, so 18 days *could* be it maybe, but it's unlikely.

Hi Theansweris42, hope it's okay if I jump in! I agree with Sam that there isn't anything wrong with YOU here, and it's normal to have fluctuating friendships/friend groups, especially at your age. It doesn't mean it doesn't suck, though, and it's understandable that you're feeling a bit down. When ...

I LOVE the idea of sewing your clothes into something new, it's a great way to upcycle them! Regardless, whatever you decide to do with them would be valid. You said the things you usually did to feel sexy or sexually empowered don't quite work as well anymore, and I wonder if it's time to try eithe...

Hi Raffles, welcome back. I am so sorry to hear about your wrist bones, ugh, how frustrating! Are you able to still go to work and do other things, or are you on leave? You know--sometimes things get a lot worse before they get better, it's like bad thing after bad thing happens and we feel like we ...

Hi jojomo, welcome to the boards! I hear that you're super conflicted between different feelings, beliefs, and thoughts. This is normal as we grow up around certain stereotypes and stigmas that can be hard to break out of. They can become engraved into our brain since we're young and it takes active...

Great! Please keep us posted if you aren't able to receive care or if anything changes. <3

It's not embarassing, and we're here for you. Self harm is outside our scope since we are not mental health professionals, and I want to make sure you get the proper support. Do you have mental health resources you can utilize to help you in those moments? If not, that's something we can help you fi...

*Adding on re: privacy concerns, we've also got a great advice column on this! Again, let me know if this is helpful or you have more questions: How can I masturbate without my parents knowing?

Hi there, welcome to the boards. You know, young people interested in BDSM is actually a common topic we get on here, so before I give my own advice, I recommend looking around on the boards (you can use the search bar to find something more specific) and read other people's threads on this. It migh...

Hi MusicNerd! I don't really have much to add, just wanted to hop in and agree with everything Heather (and everyone else) has said so far. I've found that for myself the sweet spot of being comfortable in a sexual encounter/relationship + enjoying it at the fullest is when I'm a combination of conf...

Personally I didn't realize I could choose my pronouns until I was in my early or mid 20s. That's when I decided she/her isn't the only fit, and I'm okay with any pronouns. I usually tell people my pronouns are she/they because those feel the most comfortable, but I really don't care/mind what prono...

Hi Anne, This sounds incredibly frustrating, I'm sorry it's been such a difficult experience to get to orgasm. The good news is you've found a way (albeit complicated and tedious) and perhaps more importantly, you've found other ways to masturbate that feel good but haven't gotten you to the point o...

Hi Estobawk, I was wondering if either of the articles Val sent were helpful? I don't want to overwhelm you with readings, but you mentioned you were browsing our site and couldn't find much, so I want to send a couple more pieces that I think have useful info in them: Embracing Newbiehood: How to A...

A good place to start is this advice column: I'm having doubts about my relationships; am I doing this right?
Does any of that resonate with you?

Hi there, welcome to the boards. I'm really sorry that you went through all that, your ex sounds like he's not a great person, so I'm glad you got out of that situation. Having nightmares can happen when you go though trauma, and being manipulated into sex and everything else he did would certainly ...