Hi Amthyst, I'm sorry to hear that you've had a family member deny that part of you. I've had that same thing happen between me and my mom, and can also relate to being able to talk through these things with my therapist. Did her saying this to you make you feel invalidated, or just bad/hurt in gene...

Hi CatHaru26, Since you've described light bleeding and no pain during sex (unless you're already sore), I think it's safe to let it heal on its own while you and your partner take a little break and try other things. This will especially be good for you since it sounds like this is stressing you ou...

Hi KurtisC, Great question! So you're not exactly wrong, on both timeline and fetal development. But the external genitalia (and internal reproductive system) of a fetus is neither male nor female before the sex hormones are triggered. They resemble something in between, and certain structures that ...

Hi Skylar 7593, I'm really sorry to hear that you're feeling this way. I can personally relate to your struggle with feeling guilt and discomfort around masturbation, so I know what you're going through is tough. Let's see if we can talk this out, going in the order of your points: So first, I hear ...

I hear that nervousness you're feeling, but I'm glad it's more of a good, 'first-time' nervousness rather than a bad kind of nervousness. Because you and your boyfriend sound like you're on the same page and are good communicators, I think you'll be fine. I totally agree with Mo! Because you're navi...

That's awesome that you and your boyfriend are able to take that time to process and talk things out with each other!

Glad to help, as always. Don't be afraid to come back to this thread if you want to talk through the experience.

Hi Hel! It's good to hear that you and your boyfriend are making progress in exploring your desires together. Have the two of you had a chance to talk about those former experiences and what works for you? Is your boyfriend also thinking about ways to advance the conversation? If figuring out how to...

Hi QU210054, Thanks for reaching out! What specific aspects are you looking for? I can absolutely recommend you some resources, including ones we have on this site, but I don't know that you'll find a site exactly like Scarleteen's for this topic because of its sensitivity. Hopefully we can find som...

Glad to know my response was helpful : )))

Hi Edheraen,

Good luck! We look forward to hearing your update if you want to continue navigating this health journey with us!

Hi space egg! It totally makes sense to ask about this here. Let's talk about it! Washing your hands before masturbating definitely helps to prevent any unwanted substances from making contact with your genitals. I'm imagining an unfortunate scenario where a person starts getting intimate after eati...

I actually have a playlist with a ton of LGBTQ+ artists on it! Newbies like MNEK, Troye Sivan, Hayley Kiyoko, etc. I've also been getting into Dorian Electra, Rina Sawayama, Arca...(can you tell I like pop music?) But I also have a couple of songs in my back pocket that are meaningful to me as a que...

I just looked up SU varsity jacket and I'm very jealous!

It's hard for me to say whether I have a favorite outfit right now. I'm kind of going through a style crisis. I think I need to get some new combat boots, then I'll make 'em part of my favorite outfit

As a person who doesn't define sex so rigidly, I consider 'sex' to be any intimate act that I would not want a family member to walk in on.

Hi Sabine, First of all I'm sorry about your breakup, and about your problems on social media. I hope you're okay. I don't want to stress you further, but here's Instagram's page about what to do if someone shares intimate photos of you - just in case. https://help.instagram.com/1769410010008691?hel...

I see where you're coming from. My comments were just coming from the assumption that now that your world has "opened up," you were maybe a little fresh to some of this stuff. My bad! To more accurately address your original question, I don't think it's wrong or weird for an adult to consu...

It may be possible to book a virtual appointment with a doctor and receive a referral for a medical abortion if in-clinic abortions aren't available. I recommend checking Planned Parenthood's website to locate your nearest abortion clinic (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/abortion-access?) and to l...

Besides social media and Zoom, I love to window-shop online, so I frequent Etsy, Colourpop, and HipsandCurves (plus-sized lingerie) p often

Hi bikinksterboy, I can see where you're coming from. I was one of those kids that didn't wait, and as an adult, I regard those decisions with a bit of shame and regret. It's weird reconciling this idea that, having surpassed the last 24 hours you spent as a minor to the first second you spend as a ...

I remember what it was like to be a young teen, constantly faced with negative messaging about my body and wondering when love would find me, if it would find me at all. Full disclosure: I'm 21, 5'4, and my weight fluctuates around 350-370 lbs. I'm a bit of a self-love realist: when people make loft...

Perhaps this situation is less of a "should I leave?" and more of a "how do I go about expanding my options?" Whenever I have friends that question whether they should stick with something, their concerns are often with how their future will be affected by leaving their current t...

I got tested for the first time recently! I'm not sexually active but I wanted to have those documented negatives :3

I remember when I was really young, I would get aroused from imagining scenarios in which another person and I would vaguely embrace. I was too young to know what sex was or to even conceive of my body as being in a state of arousal. I just gradually explored things mentally and physically that piqu...

If you prefer tampons over pads and don't like the absorbant-ness of them, I would suggest trying something like a menstrual cup or disk. I use a menstrual disk and I like it much more than tampons. Less discomfort from being dried-out by the absorbency :) You can find reviews on Youtube. Hopefully ...

Hi nessa1125, This is super relatable to me. I'm currently in my 20s and still haven't had sex. I've never even kissed someone before. As I've gotten older, a few things have become super clear to me. Part of my lack of experience in romance comes from my own self-image, social ability, and the way ...