Menstruation

There sure is! Per your cramps, it partially depends on why you’re having them. So, the first thing you will want to do, especially if they are severe, and if you have other menstrual issues, is to check in with your gynecologist or other reproductive health professional and make sure you don’t have…

The notion that intercourse can somehow change the menstrual cycle – unless a woman becomes pregnant or contracts certain infections – doesn’t have any factual cause or real basis. The menstrual cycle is a whole cycle, which occurs due to hormonal changes that intercourse, all by itself, can’t…

First off, kudos to you for being such a great cousin! Signs of when a person with a uterus is about to start their period vary greatly from person to person. Some people have tender breasts and cramps as you described, others have headaches or nausea, while others really have no pain or discomfort…

It’s not naive to be without information because no one gave it to you. As far as the ovulation cycle, I sure can! Start by having a look at this: On the Rag: A Guide to Menstruation. The way to know if you’re ovulating – or, more accurately, to be able to make your best guess – is to start…

It’d actually be pretty atypical for a regular period to fall on the same numeric dates for a long time. Let me explain why that is. The number of days in each calendar month is not the same: it varies from month to month. Menstrual cycles, on the other hand, when they’re regular, are a given number…

Know that as of this date, it is not medically advised for people who menstruate to use the pill to manipulate menstrual cycles and have any less than four periods (or, more accurately on the pill, withdrawal bleeds) each year. There are still no long-term studies on doing even that, and if you’re a…

Bleeding for more than two weeks at a time is a good reason to see a doctor, at least to make sure you haven’t become anemic (iron deficient) due to blood loss, and to rule out pregnancy as a cause of the bleeding if that is a possibility. It is most common for a period to last 4-6 days, but…

Generally, people who get periods can expect the unexpected with their menstrual cycles for the first 5 years of having them. Even then, it’s still common for young people to have erratic cycling into their early twenties. That means you’re normal. Even if your period has been totally well-behaved…

I just want to start by debunking something first, okay? There really is no distinction to be made between “some” intercourse and “full” intercourse. In other words, an inch or so in, is as much of intercourse as a few more. Given how much penis sizes can vary, as well as the fact that the nerve…

If you always use condoms properly – and it sure sounds like you do – then it’s reasonable to presume that you have not had a risk of pregnancy. Condoms used alone – when they are used properly and consistently – are really very, very reliable forms of birth control and STI protection…