It sounds like taking a bit of time away could be useful. It helps that you'll be traveling, but did you want some help maybe talking to her about not being in contact as much even when you get back if you feel like you want some more time?

Do you think it would be helpful to scale back the amount of contact you have with her for the time being?

You may have already had your appointment (and hopefully it went well if that's the case!) but for future reference, you can always phone the doctor's office and ask about things like this. Usually if it's going to be a problem they're happy to reschedule your appointment.

Feelings aren't something you can just switch off or make disappear, but what you do have control over is what you do with those feelings: whether you act on them in some way or not. Just having feelings isn't going to ruin your friendship - because emotions aren't something other people know about ...

Insomnia isn't a side effect of the pill that I'm aware of, but given how serious yours is and how much it's impacting your life, it's worth checking in with a doctor about (and you can ask if it has any connection to the pill while you're there). Per STIs, if you and your partner have never had any...

Hope it makes a difference! (It's not going to fix your cramps entirely, of course, but it can't hurt - just keep in mind that it may not make a huge difference in how you feel, and you'll still want to have a good healthcare provider do some more digging into why your periods are so painful and wha...

It can be really difficult to feel very strongly about someone but at the same time be unsure if they're a good fit for you as a partner (and to be honest, it doesn't sound like this person is treating you very well). We have a piece that you might want to take a look at as you think about whether o...

There's a lot of pretty awful messaging in our culture about sexuality, even for folks who didn't grow up in a strongly religious environment, so it's not surprising that you have some level of internalized shame. Is sexuality something you feel like you can talk to your therapist about? Per your re...

Realizing in hindsight that you may have made a choice that wasn't great for you can be a bummer, definitely. You mention that you're on medication for anxiety: are you also seeing a therapist or counsellor? Do you have any strategies that help ease your worries when you're feeling particularly anxi...

With the combined pill (two kinds of hormones) a pill isn't considered late until it's been at least 12 hours past the time you would normally take it. However, based on your past posts it sounds like you also use condoms, so even if your pill's effectiveness was compromised you'd still be very well...

Sorry, I should have explained that sugar comment better! Refined sugar is white or brown sugar, basically: the kind of sugar you'd usually use in baking or to sweeten coffee or tea. (Unfortunately, that Snapple peach tea probably has a lot of sugar in it - and some caffeine too - unless it's the di...

As long as the condom didn't break or slip off, and it was used for all genital contact, then you can trust that it worked. Using condoms past their expiry date doesn't mean they'll always break, just that it's more likely, which is why you always want to check the expiry date before you use them.

Hi, FairyEve. I'm not sure that there's a term for what you're describing, and it isn't something I've run across before. Your feelings about your uterus are certainly understandable, however, given that you don't want to get pregnant or give birth, and that it's been a cause of significant physical...

You've mentioned recently that you're all up to date with your sexual healthcare and STI testing, so it's likely this is just a side effect of this particular pill for you. If it bothers you though, you can certainly ask your doctor about it. Can I ask, too, why you're still having sex when it seems...

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 cruelandunusual, in your other thread you mentioned having sex without a condom when you were drunk. It sounds like that's not something you're comfortable with, and if you'd like to talk about how to make choices that you do feel more comfortable with in the future, we can definitely do that here.

There's no set amount of time you have to know someone before having sex, and everyone is different in that regard. Some people feel comfortable having sex with someone they've just met, other people prefer to get to know the person better. Sometimes it varies: with one person you might feel totally...

Friends are pretty important too. :) It might help to keep in mind as well that just because someone says 'no' when you ask them out, it doesn't mean they're rejecting you as a person, or that they don't like you at all: it could be that they're just not interested in dating anyone right now, or tha...

Having a better idea of your wants and limits is great. Do you feel like you have a better idea of what you might do in the future to express those limits to a partner, and stick to them? If you haven't seen them already, by the way, we have a couple of articles that might come in handy: Be a Blabbe...

Got it: thanks for clarifying. So, the deal with asking anybody out, any time, is that 'no' is always a possibility, unfortunately. That's just the way life goes; we can never guarantee that people will respond the way we'd like them to. (I don't think hearing 'no' as an answer when you'd really muc...

Welcome to the boards, LonelyAndSad. Can you identify anything specific that's making you nervous about asking her out? For example, you're worried she might say no, or you're concerned about the practicalities of a long-distance relationship (since it sounds like you live in different countries)? T...

Was condom use something you discussed with your partner last time? I ask because it sounds like there may not have been a lot of communication about what you both were comfortable with (like using/not using condoms) and making those limits clear before anything sexual happens is one way to prevent ...

Okay. A few things to look for would be thinner condoms (like Trojan Ultra Thin or Lifestyles Sheer Pleasure), without any bumps or ridges on the outside since you know you don't like those. Some folks find that non-latex (polyurethane or polyisoprene) condoms feel better because of the way they con...

The needles used in acupuncture are much slimmer than the ones used to give shots or draw blood, so it could still be worth trying, but it's up to you. Going back to the diet, too, it may be worth trying to make just a few small changes to see if that makes any difference. Cutting down on caffeine a...

Welcome to the boards, Curious_Partner. First off, you're right that stress could be a part of this: our emotional state can have a big impact on sexual response, and while for some folks that means difficulty reaching orgasm, for others it means reaching orgasm sooner. So, you might find that when ...