Hi catcatdog, and welcome to Scarleteen! Echoing what Heather said, I want to thank you for sharing what you're going through on here. I don't know if this feels true at all, but sometimes it can help just to get it out out loud or on paper or on screen. I'm sorry that it feels like your mom would h...

Hi coolcats, I'm sorry to hear you're having this problem! When the librarians told you that they weren't happy with you, did they say what specifically about it they didn't like? It's possible that there's another explanation for what was happening (such as the library's policies about bringing in ...

Hi there cannawizard, and welcome to Scarleteen. You may still experience growth (as lots of people's bodies continue to grow and change throughout even their early 20's). This is a very common concern for young people who have penises - do they look okay, are they big enough, are they attractive en...

Hi noaccount, I'm so sorry that things feel this way. It sounds like pretty painful, and like it's felt this way for a long time. I read a while back that you have a love for one of my favorite books (Kate Bornstein's Hello Cruel World), and I just wanted to say that I'm glad for all the times that ...

I just wanted to say that I have to head out for the night as it's the end of my shift, but there will most likely be folks in tomorrow, and I'll try to check back in as well. Hope you're taking good care of yourself. <3

Hi yooitzleo, I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling that way. Breakups can be really, really tough, especially if they're making you question how you feel about yourself or whether you're good enough. The reality is, though, that even though you might feel really awful now, the fact that you're valu...

Hi there lostnote, and welcome to Scarleteen! The first thing that I want to say is that there is no hard rule that says that by age 14 you should be experiencing arousal and attraction to others. While some of your peers might be experiencing those feelings and talking about them, I'm willing to be...

Hi angie, We can't really diagnose things, because we're not doctors and this is the internet. But there are a whole lot of things that might cause a little bit of discoloration in the mouth or throat, many of which are totally benign and might go away on their own. (Like being dehydrated! Or having...

Hi Confused female, I'm sorry to hear that this is coming up for you - navigating tampon stuff for the first time can be hard and confusing, even without the pressure of feeling like you might be missing out on something if you're not able to make it happen. Like other folks have said above, the mor...

Hi there Wulfie, and welcome to Scarleteen! As far as I know, there isn't any conclusive research that validates the whole "cycles syncing up" concept. Lots of people talk about it culturally/anecdotally, but it's not replicable, so it can't really be supported by scientific evidence. (The...

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 straightlines, I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you. It's totally understandable that you're feeling upset afterwards, because what this person did was violate your boundaries and perform sexual acts without your consent. Like you said, you weren't giving any kind of positive and enthus...

Hi there tiniestghost, I have good news for you! The likelihood that what you've spotted is something serious is very low, especially since you haven't been sexually active before. I'm not a doctor and I can't diagnose things over the internet, but if I had to guess, what you saw was probably some r...

Hi there sytrybaby, and welcome to Scarleteen! What you're describing is definitely normal. People can experience spotting throughout their cycle outside of the menstrual period, for a variety of reasons (hormonal changes, stress, etc). As long as you aren't experiencing any other concerning symptom...

Hi there nutmeg,

Your pills should be just fine. It would take a lot more exposure to heat (the equivalent of baking them in the oven) to lessen their effectiveness.

Hope this helps!

Hi Yunlad, If you look at the article I linked you to, the effectiveness rate for withdrawal method + condom use, you'll see that the listed effectiveness is 99.92% effective with perfect use - 96.2% effective with typical use. So the likelihood of getting pregnant from that is very low, but not imp...

Hi Sara, I'm sorry to hear that it feels like they're blackmailing you. Can you say more about what they're doing that's making you feel this way? As for how to convince them, I'm not sure that there is a sure-fire way to make them see your point of view if they're determined to do their own thing. ...

Hi there Sara, I'm so sorry to hear that you're dealing with this right now. It's so not okay for your ex to have manipulated you like this and used your relationships with your family members to get back at you. When you say that your parents are judging you, what do you mean exactly? That they are...

Hi there yunlad, I'm sorry in advance for the long answer! The short answer is that an ovulation test is not really an exact instrument the way that you're trying to use it. Ovulation tests detect levels of a chemical called LH (luteinizing hormone), which tend to spike just before someone is about ...

Hi there ghostwriter13, In this scenario it's usually recommended to start a new pack, because 5 days without that consistent level of hormones in your body has already disrupted your cycle a bit. It's possible that you may even start a "withdrawal bleed" at the 3rd or 4th day because that...

Hi Anna,

You've already been linked to Can I Get Pregnant, or Get or Pass On An STI From That?, which has the answer to your question.

It sounds a bit like the pharmacist was doing what they usually do, which is relying on the pretty strict clinical indications for the drug formulations. Ultimately your doctor is the one who you have the relationship with, and the better sense of whether or not she has your health and best interest...

Hi there Heathella, We tend to defer to medical professionals when it comes to diagnosing and treating issues like this, so if your school nurse and mom both think that it looks like pinkeye, then it probably is. In terms of your question, whether or not it could be a risk for contracting chlamydia ...

Hi there Thesk, Usually if there's enough semen leakage to cause a risk, you'll be able to see and feel it outside of the condom. But again, as Sian said, if you leave a finger to two fingers' width of space in the tip of the condom when you put it on, it will be much less likely for the semen to sp...

Hi AlexP, and welcome to Scarleteen. There's nothing wrong with thinking about BDSM and other sexual situations, whether or not you've been sexual with someone else or not. There are a whole lot of sexual preferences out there, and part of growing up and experiencing sexuality with others is about f...