Seconding what Iwanthelp said about it not being too late to report. She also made some very good points about all of his behaviour being part of the pattern of abuse: abusers are generally not horrible all the time, and manipulating your feelings is very, very common, which is why so many people wh...

The tampon should be inserted into the vagina all the way - it shouldn't still be sticking out of the vaginal entrance - but other than that you have to experiment a bit to see what's comfortable for you.

There is no one way, and what people find pleasurable really varies. Some folks enjoy having their nipples pinched or rubbed, for example, whereas someone else might prefer having their breasts massaged. The only way to find out what you like is to experiment with different kinds of touch and see wh...

That really varies from person to person. What feels like too much for one person might be just right for someone else. The important thing is that both you and your partner(s) are happy with how much sex you're having, and that you don't feel it's interfering with the rest of your life (if you're s...

Vulvas are pretty much always a bit damp: that's just how they are, kind of like the inside of your mouth is always wet. Too, the vagina makes its own lubrication during arousal, so the vulva and vagina will generally become even more moist during masturbation than they may be the rest of the time. ...

capablehippie asked a really good question! Sometimes, when you're trying to figure out how to deal with a new situation, it can help to narrow down a bit (if you can) what it is about that new situation that scares you, and then come up with some possible solutions. So, for example, if you're worri...

(tolerantteen, this part of the boards is for staff and volunteer replies only. Thanks!) Anonymous, whether or not you are still a virgin depends on how you define virginity for yourself. Virginity isn't a physical thing, it's an idea, and people's definitions of it vary. There's more on that here: ...

Hi again PJ. I'm sorry to hear that this is affecting your confidence! The good news is, the average time it takes someone with a penis to reach orgasm is only a couple of minutes, so you might not actually be 'early' at all. And, even if it takes you less time than that, there's no rule that says s...

To add to the excellent advice that notwhybuthow gave you: everyone who's sexually active should ideally be getting tested at least once a year. Testing is part of sexual healthcare, so if you're not up to date with that then now is a good time to get it done. (And if your boyfriend isn't up to date...

As for what to use, something that's easy to wash off is probably your best bet: a liquid eyeliner pen could be good, as it's simple to get rid of with soap and water (or a bit of makeup remover if you have it). The ink from markers - like the ones kids use for coloring - is also usually pretty easy...

I don't have periods right now because of my IUD, but up until a couple of years ago I used cloth pads combined with a menstrual cup, and I loved them. So comfy! It did take me a while to figure out how absorbent they were and how long I could wear them before they needed to be changed, and I found ...

Is there one person you pushed away who you might be able to reach out to and connect with again? Even with something like saying "hi" to them at school, if they're someone you see there, can be a starting point.

Wanting some support from someone else in your life is totally understandable, especially if it feels like you've been very alone without anyone else to turn to.

Do you have any good friends you might be able to open up to a bit?

Social media isn't necessarily a bad way to reach out and reconnect with someone you've lost touch with. It can be pretty great for that, actually, because it's quite informal a lot of the time: an easy way to drop someone a line and just say "hi, I know we haven't spoken for a while but I was ...

I totally hear you on the distance thing - I lived in a similarly spread out city until recently and it definitely made seeing friends more difficult. An irregular schedule doesn't help either, and neither does the shift towards not talking on the phone. It's a bummer too that you've tried talking t...

That's understandable. What do you think you would like to do about it, if anything?

It definitely sucks to lose contact with a friend, especially if they were someone who helped you through some difficult stuff. Do you still have any contact information for her? Maybe you could send her an email or text and just say hi.

I'm glad you're feeling reassured. As far as worrying about whether your boyfriend is spending time with his friend, do you have things that you can do to distract yourself? Other things to focus on when you're not together to keep your mind off that worry?

Like Iwanthelp said, one of the possible reasons it feels like consent is because when abuse goes on for a while, it becomes your normal, even though it absolutely isn't normal. That's part of why abuse is so difficult to deal with and can be so difficult to leave: it really messes with your sense o...

Yep, it's totally normal. Orgasms won't always feel the same way; sometimes they're really intense, other times not so much. Too, when you're relatively new to any kind of sex (masturbation or with a partner), things can feel more intense just because it's a new sensation. On top of that, if you are...

Hi Atonement, it's good to see you again. :) And congrats on the new house: what a big, wonderful thing! I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling isolated, though, and that the house has stirred up a lot of difficult stuff along with the good. Unfortunately, feeling isolated isn't the kind of thing ...

What do you think would happen if you told your counselor everything your cousin's been doing to you? What do you think she would do?

The answer to whether or not amoxicillin affects the pill is: probably not. (Sorry, I know that's likely not the clear answer you were hoping for!) The research that's been done up to now indicates that while it's very unlikely that most antibiotics interfere with the pill, the number of people incl...

I'm still not sure I fully understand what happened, and if the counsellor did not tell you ahead of time that they were going to speak to anyone about the incident with your aunt, then it's understandable you're upset. Even when a report legally has to be made, the person whose safety or wellbeing ...

I just want to make sure I understand properly what happened: the counselor you spoke to reported the incident with your aunt, and then told your grandmother that you reported it yourself? Or the counsellor just spoke to your grandmother?