That sounds like a rough situation, wildprincess. It's hard to see someone you care about struggling, and it sounds like your boyfriend has a lot on his plate right now, so like you said it's not surprising that he's stressed. Unfortunately, this isn't really something you can fix. Letting him know ...

Hi myriad, and welcome to the boards. First of all, try not to be too hard on yourself (I realize that's easier said than done!). You're far from the only one to have made mistakes in a relationship, or to keep going over the "what-ifs" and feeling like there's something you could have don...

There have been a few studies that suggest that this might be the case, but other research that shows no difference. Basically, to the best of my knowledge, it's possible but the jury is still out. If it's something you're concerned about, then the best person to talk to would be your doctor: they'l...

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 again, cityofthedead. It sounds like you're doing pretty much all the right things when it comes to trying to find potential sexual partners, and I can understand your frustration that what you're doing isn't working. However, that's just what happens sometimes, to everyone. Regardless of how old...

Hi Bellyboy, this area of the boards is for staff replies only. To make it easier for us to keep track of things, too, we ask that if you have a question you start your own thread. You can do that in this section of the boards if you're only looking for responses from staffers, or in one of the area...

Sometimes light bleeding can make discharge look brown, and a bit of bleeding can happen from too much friction during sex; it's also not unusual for discharge to be brownish just before your period starts or just as its ending. (You can read more about what's normal in terms of discharge here: Hono...

Sometimes bodies are unpredictable that way! Glad you have something to treat it with if it does happen again though.

Hi, hammarangel. Since you did take a pill within a few hours of when you were supposed to start your new pack, and (I'm assuming) have been continuing to take pills, you should have some level of protection, although it's difficult to say how much. If you wanted to take emergency contraception (the...

You're very welcome.

That's understandable. If you're using the pill for pregnancy prevention, and you aren't comfortable relying on it alone for protection during this pack, you can always use a backup method like condoms (two methods are always better than one anyways, and condoms as a bonus are the only method that a...

If that's the advice you got from the pharmacist, then you can trust your pill will be okay. It's their job to make sure that people's medications are still effective and working the way they're supposed to. :) If you're worried about something getting into the package where it was torn, you can alw...

I don't know where you're getting your information, but when condoms are used properly, their effectiveness rate is far higher than 82% - they're actually around 98% effective with perfect use, and they are really the only method where you can know at the time that they were used properly. You can r...

Welcome to the boards, Flyaway. It can definitely be surprising and sometimes stressful when our bodies do something we don't expect, but it does happen sometimes during sex (whether that's masturbation or with a partner), and unexpected fluids are a part of sex. If you don't want this to happen aga...

You're welcome.

Yep, it's possible but unlikely.

Sex during a period can result in pregnancy, although it is less likely than at other times during the menstrual cycle. In order for pregnancy to happen, it's not just sperm that are needed: there has to be an egg there to fertilize in the first place, which doesn't happen during a period (but which...

It's possible: illness itself can also affect your cycle. However, withdrawal bleeds also frequently don't show up until a few days into your placebo week, and that can vary from month to month as well. Plenty of folks using the pill don't get their withdrawal bleed until three or four or even five ...

Glad to hear it!

That works. If it does get more serious, though, it would be a good idea to check in with your doctor again.

With your grandmother, if she does find out, a good first response would probably be to state simply that you bought these items with your own money, and that what kind of underwear you wear is your choice.

If it's possible, I would get another opinion. Ongoing pain is something that should be taken seriously by a healthcare provider, not dismissed, so if the doctors you've seen haven't thoroughly investigated the cause of this pain then it's time to find another doctor.

It's not always clear why some people have side effects on one type of pill but not another. These days, all pills contain pretty low doses of hormones, and the differences among brands are negligible, so while a higher dose may stop the spotting and cramping, it may not. Per the effectiveness rate,...

I've had a Mirena IUD for a couple of years now, and personally, I love it. I can't say anything about the insertion - for various reasons I had it inserted under twilight sedation and I don't remember anything about the procedure - but after the first few days of mild cramps and bleeding, I haven't...

A full-length mirror is the only way I've ever found to check for panty lines! As for your grandmother finding out, you would have a better idea than we would what her reaction would be likely to be, and what kinds of responses would defuse the situation. I'm guessing she'd likely not be happy, but ...