Are they preventing you from dating anyone? Or are they more in the vein of not letting you go out at all right now?

Then I'd wait until you've got more availability. With not being sure you could go out, is that a schedule issue or does it have more to do with your home situation?

There are a ton of possible reasons why the U.S has the culture around sexuality that it does, but two that come to mind for me are how we've decided to view young people and how enmeshed religious values are. If you look at places like the Netherlands, which have a very different approach to sexual...

It may help to know that when a condom has a hole or a tear, that hole will be noticeable. So if the condom had a hole in it, you would have seen it.

Gotcha. Then a good first step would be to say something like, "hey, you seem really cool, and I'd like to get to know you more. How about meeting me for coffee/ice cream/whatever this weekend?" Since it sounds like you're interested in her romantically, you'd also want to be clear that th...

Hi Kittypink,

Is this someone you know pretty well, or are at least somewhat acquainted with? Or does approaching her mean approaching someone more in the stranger category?

Hi Abicelo, There isn't a way for us to say for certain if you were sexually assaulted as a child, especially since there's not an incident of assault or abuse that you're remembering. All we have is a list of other factors that could be the result of abuse but could also be the result of other phys...

Yes, if two people want to engage in mutually enjoyable sexual relationship and are being careful about things like STIs and birth control, then that's something they get to do.

I can't speak for everyone who put those laws in place, but a big part of it is preventing people from producing and circulating child pornography (at least as far as sexting laws focusing on young people). That's a good thing to prevent, but those laws do pose the risk of catching young people tryi...

With the "undoing sexual shame" article, focusing on step two and step three right now sounds like it's the best fit for you. That means doing some soul-searching to figure out where some of those feelings of guilt originated, like with your family or your religion. It also means stepping ...

Hi Kindascared, There's a ton of stuff going on her for you, so it's no wonder that you're feeling down and emotional. You're dealing with a lot of big things all at once, and it doesn't sound like you're getting much support in dealing with them. With dating and relationships, plenty of people have...

You're welcome, and glad to hear you're feeling better

Gynecological exams are never really pleasant, but you're right that the pain you experienced is not the norm. It's possible there is something going on that makes the exam more painful than average. Too, at this point you've now had two bad experiences, which is (understandably) going to make you a...

Hi MxSid, This does sound like a really tough place for you to be in, and for him to be in as well. The fact that he felt comfortable enough with you to tell you this and explain how it made him feel is brave on his part, and it sounds like you received it without blaming him and, instead, taking re...

I was talking with a friend about some of the activities the GSA at my high school did, and they mentioned that those activities (like having a "drag day") would never have flown at their school. That made me wonder: what are the LGBTQA clubs or spaces at y'all's schools like, if they're t...

It certainly sounds like your friend was not grasping what kind of support you needed in that moment, which sucks. Something it might help to remember is that people can make promises like that and completely intend to do. But, and this is often true when a relationship has only been going on for a ...

It sounds like this article might be helpful right about now: You're Not Pregnant. Why Do You think You Are? . It might give you some insight into the source of those "what ifs."

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...

Hi Cassidy, You mentioned in your other post that your period was late. Periods can be late for all sorts of reasons, which you can read about here: M.I.A or, Dude, Where's My Period? Too, a few days late or early is pretty normal cycle variation. Periods won't always come exactly when we expect the...

There's really no way to know that, unfortunately. Everybody's body will react a little differently, both to starting the pill and to taking Plan B, but cycle weirdness is something to prepare yourself for the next month or two at least.

For most people who start the pill either on the first day of their period or the first Sunday after a period, any brand of combination pill will likely be effective after seven days of use, but here at Scarleteen, as many other credible sources suggest, we advise users to give their pills one full ...

It's very normal in a break-up to feel that kind of back and forth in your emotions. Even when a break-up is for the best, there are still going to be things you miss about the other person. That can lead to those random moments of really missing them. As time goes on, the feelings of missing them b...

Pretty much any drug store or grocery store is going to have tampons available. As long as you have some money of your own and a way to get to a store, it should be easy to get them. Can I ask why your parents will not let you get tampons yet?

Hi Fadedpassion, Every body will react a little differently to the pill. So, for some people it will make their periods lighter, but for you it sounds like they don't. That doesn't mean your pill isn't working, and as long as you've been taking it correctly and consistently, you can assume you're pr...

Hi Zaphod,

Yes, since there was more than 48 hours between taking the pill on Saturday and remembering on Tuesday, that would mean this counted as two missed pills. As for skipping your withdrawal week, we recommend people only do that if they have consulted with their healthcare provider about it.