Rhizome2 and MusicNerd, you're both good to go.

Usually within a couple of days. Again, though, there's no way to know for sure what this is - it could be a cold sore starting or something else entirely. As Mo said, if you're concerned, your best bet is to see a doctor.

To the best of my knowledge, the only herb you need to watch out for with hormonal birth control is St. John's wort. But, it never hurts to double check with a pharmacist, as they're the people who will have the most up to date information on drug interactions.

Hey Monkey12, I've already answered your question here: http://scarleteen.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=622

Please don't double-post, it doesn't help your question get answered any faster, and is against the guidelines you agreed to when you registered. Thanks!

Having sex, all by itself, doesn't change anything about your hormones, and hormones aren't the only thing responsible for feeling turned on. It could be that you're just going through a time when your sex drive is a bit higher, which happens from time to time and isn't anything to be concerned abou...

Recently there was some research done that combined the results of a bunch of previous studies, and concluded that young people's ideas about what's "normal" can have more of an influence on their sexual activity than direct peer pressure. (The news piece is here if you're interested.) It ...

You're so welcome.

Cost doesn't matter, no. As long as a test is not expired (and there will be an expiry date printed somewhere on the packaging) and you follow the instructions that come with the test, you're all good.

STIs can be transmitted without ejaculation, absolutely. Some STIs, like herpes and HPV for example, are transmitted through skin to skin contact, not fluids. You can read up on what activities pose a risk of what STIs right here: Can I Get Pregnant, or Get or Pass On an STI From That? Different STI...

Sore or tender breasts are quite common leading up to a period, yep. Your discharge also sounds perfectly fine - many people notice that they have less discharge in the second half of their cycle (the two weeks or so before their period starts) but white or clear discharge at any time is not somethi...

I'm glad you managed to sit down and talk about this with your wife and that she's been understanding. With this friend, could you explain a bit more what exactly the issue is? Is this woman no longer friends with you, or with your wife? Is she continuing to do or say things you don't feel comfortab...

Even if your antibiotic did affect your birth control, it would not have made it completely ineffective - you would still have had some protection from it. Given that you did use a backup method (albeit not perfectly) as well, I'd say your risk of pregnancy is still fairly low, but your doctor or ph...

I love my cup. I switched from using disposable pads and tampons nearly 10 years ago, and it took a while to get the hang of using a cup, but it's been totally worth it. Tampons were okay for me, I never had any serious physical problems with using them, but the cost adds up really quickly and I was...

Hey DulceDiva, we really appreciate it when users step up to help others, but we do ask that contributions to ongoing discussions like this be constructive, and that you check in with the original poster to make sure that they're open to input from others. (Telling a partner to "grow a vagina b...

Hey suburban_witch, do you mind checking your PM ability now? And, just to make sure: are you able to see the "peer moderators" section of the boards, down at the very bottom?

I'm not aware of any data on that, and I suspect it's because anal sex isn't generally defined as a method of birth control, but as a particular sexual activity. Does that help answer your question?

Yeast generally prefers more basic environments, and semen can change the pH slightly, but the vagina is usually pretty good at regulating itself, so unless there are other contributing causes as well regular intercourse isn't likely to make a huge amount of difference.

Breast tenderness is often hormone related, and although it's common just before a period, it can happen any time - hormones don't only kick in a few days before your period, they're at work all the time and the levels can fluctuate a bit any time. It's also possible that you're having a bit of brea...

It's tough to pinpoint a reason for something like this, other than "bodies can be unpredictable," but just like when you're not taking hormonal birth control, there can be some variation in your bleeds. The pill changes your cycle in a way that prevents ovulation, but it doesn't totally o...

Hey Kabith. Sorry to hear you're having a bit of a rough time right now. A change in libido, particularly if your sexual desire is generally fairly high, can be tough to deal with and pretty disappointing. Like so many other things to do with sexuality though, it's one of those things that does tend...

You're all set, kabith.

This may seem like a very basic question, but: is having sex - any kind of sex, not just vaginal intercourse - something you feel you really want right now? Or might it be more the case (as some of what you're saying here seems to suggest) that you want to want it, or you feel like you should want it?

Well, the possible reasons for a period being a few days late and several weeks late are often similar, which is why the article doesn't really go into that in depth. Regardless, checking in with a healthcare provider never hurts.

What was missing from the article that would have helped you?

Stopping birth control can mess up your cycle, so that's one possibility, but as Ruth said, at this point it's best to check in with a healthcare provider.

You're very welcome.