sexual health

Is this a semen allergy?

pumpkin
asks:
I'm seventeen. My boyfriend and I have been sexually active for five months. We always used condoms, and sex was great. We used lube and had tons of foreplay. No complaints. About a month ago, I went on the pill, and suddenly that all changed. The sex itself was better then ever. But after he comes in me, it burns the inside of my vagina like crazy. It only happens when he comes in me....

How do I tell my Mom I might be pregnant?

bxtinej
asks:
My partner and I have been together for about 6 months now. He's 17 and I'm 16. We have unprotected sex sometimes, and I think I might have gotten pregnant. I won't be able to tell until next week, but I'm kind of crampy and bloated already. I don't know if those signs are too early to be pregnancy symptoms or not, but I have no clue how to tell my mom I am pregnant if I am....

My new IUD

Nearly two years ago, I started thinking about getting an IUD instead of continuing to take the birth control pills that had served me well for more than half a decade. I had always liked the idea of being free of synthetic hormones while still being confident that I wouldn’t get pregnant. The thought of getting an IUD floated around in the back of my mind, but I was satisfied enough with my pill that I wasn’t jumping at the chance to change my routine.

A few months ago, though, something changed.

Three on Getting to the Bottom of Things

Ariana11
asks:
So my boyfriend of 9 months was asking me about anal sex. We only ever done oral sex, so when he brought up anal I was a little scared. We both decided to at least see if it could work. We were at his house and I got on my knees and he slowly went in. At first if hurt then it didn't. All in all we only did this for about 7 seconds then we stopped....

I feel dirty and irresponsible because of genital herpes

fairies
asks:
I'm 20 and have been with my partner for about two and a half years. We have a great relationship and are happy together. However, two years ago, when we first started sleeping together, I contracted genital herpes, even though we used condoms. I was a virgin before I slept with him so I knew it had come from him....

Three on Going With the Flow

Anonymous
asks:
I am going on a graduation-required 28 day backpacking trip. It is likely that this will happen to fall around my period. What is the best way to work with your period when backpacking? Pads are out of the question, as they are not so great for letting your pelvic area "breathe" during exercise. Tampons...meh....