I have two partners in my life who I dated for a period of time, remained friends with once the relationship ended, and then started a relationship again after some time (2 years for one, 5 for the other) had passed. Each step of that process has looked very different for these two people, and neith...

This is something we can't know for sure, not being there, but it could be that this was a direct result of fingering. Vaginal tissue is very delicate, and even if your nails are trimmed, fingers and hands can have rough or sharp callouses or cuticles that can cause small cuts or abrasions. If you w...

Getting into the end-of-year holiday season means, for many of us, more time spent with family. This can be great, but it can also be stressful, if we're spending a lot of time with family members who pry about relationships, criticize our bodies or choices, or say sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. t...

I don't think discussing the spotting would be productive as there's no way we or any of our users can tell you what might be causing it. You have a doctor's appointment coming soon, and that's going to be the best time to bring this up. In addition, Heather did set a limit with you yesterday about ...

Hi Breeze, this area is for staff & volunteer replies only. But I think this is a conversation that might be good to have elsewhere on the forums if y'all want to do that! I think this is definitely a helpful discussion to have. :) Martin, the big thing I want to leave you with is that women are...

It doesn't matter that the two incidents happened close to each other, as neither would impact your bc's effectiveness.

It's hard to know what this might be without a physical examination. If you notice unusual discharge or odors, or the pain persists for a few more days, it's probably best to go ahead and see if you can bump up your doctor's appointment to go in a bit earlier. Otherwise, if you find that it goes awa...

Hi Kia, It is definitely the case that you don't need sexual or relationship experience with women to be Officially Bisexual - and I want to emphasize that! Your sexuality is about your desires and feelings more than it's about the sex you have. It's common, I think, for people to do a lot of thinki...

Fender, if you haven't seen this article I think it might be worth reading through while you're waiting for that appointment: Self-Care When It's Scary

It could be that what you're seeing right now is the beginning of your withdrawal bleed (which is what we call your "period" when you're on hormonal birth control). Whether it's that or something else we really can't know; the reason Heather suggested you contact a doctor if you're worried...

I think it's understandable to feel conflicted about liking something in the context of sex or an intimate relationship that would be scary or inappropriate in other situations, or that you know other people wouldn't enjoy. But sexual tastes vary, and what you like isn't something you can really con...

I'm curious about how y'all have handled situations in which you needed to put the brakes on, so to speak, during or around sexual intimacy with a partner. Maybe you wanted to ask a partner to take a break from a certain kind of sex, or back up after agreeing to sex that felt not-so-great (emotional...

I have a very clear memory of this! When I was about 7 years old, I was hiking with my mom and older brother on a very hot day. The trail ended at a park that had a wading pool, and when we went splashing around in it, my brother took his shirt off first. I wanted to take mine off, because I was rea...

Happy to help! Best of luck.

In theory, the same sorts of things that make a period later could make it earlier. And sometimes you'll be earlier or later for no reason you can really know at all. It's possible to make guesses as to why a period might come at a time other than when it was expected, but sometimes the answer is ju...

If you were actively pressing open, bleeding areas of lips together (not just chapped lips), it could be possible, but kissing really isn't a way that HIV is known to be transmitted. I think focusing on really unlikely edge-cases like this is just going to make your anxiety worse, especially since y...

No form of birth control is entirely guaranteed to work 100% of the time, so yes it's possible to become pregnant without ejaculation, when on the pill. But we're talking winning-the-lottery levels of possibility. This article has a rundown of the effectiveness of various birth control methods when ...

I actually just got back from the tattoo parlor, so the experience is fresh in my mind! I've had a good bit of tattoo work done; most of mine are larger pieces that have taken several sessions to complete. In terms of pain, everyone experiences it differently. Having a friend to have a distracting c...

It's definitely helpful when someone asks first before making personal contact.

It could be that you're experiencing, or about to experience, some breast growth; breast tenderness or soreness can be a sign of that. We can't say for sure what's causing the pain, though. You can certainly take an over the counter painkiller, or try hot baths or compresses, to see if that helps wi...

You're welcome!

Hi gnarly, While you're a little bit outside of our target age group here, I don't think advice I'd give about dating changes that much from one age to another. Honestly, I think most dating guides are going to fall short because they set up rules about what certain words or actions "mean"...

Spotting isn't a sign of anything going wrong with the pill; it's just something that can happen as a side effect, even after the first few months, and isn't a sign of decreased effectiveness. And yes, one of the ways the pill works is to prevent ovulation, and as that article states the pill is wor...

I think some of this will just come with time as you experiment and learn what works for you - we can't really tell you what you'll find arousing, or how to make masturbation feel good, because those things are so personal and not universal. I think giving yourself the time and space to learn these ...

Honestly, I think the only way you can really know where you stand with this person and what sort of relationship, if any, she's interested in is to talk with her about it. It could be that her being mean to you and not seeking you out as much is a sign that she's looking for a little more space, or...