Scarleteen

Hi guys, I've been a bit anxious about this as of late (I'll finally have more days free next week, though, and I'll be going to therapy! I'm actually excited for it!), so I just thought I'd ask. In high school (over 5-6 years ago), I remember noticing my stomach looked hairy. There were a few dark, long black hairs on my otherwise very blonde-haired stomach that I'd just pluck. I used to be self-conscious about it, then sort of just forgot I suppose. This past month, I've noticed that my stomach hair looks darker, and there seems to be more of it. It's mostly fuzz, aside from my 'treasure trail', where there is slightly more. It looks as if it's growing 'upwards' (as in I'm getting more hair up and away from my pubic region). I'm worried that this indicates something is wrong. I can't get the idea of PCOS out of my head, but then again, I always think I have some incurable disease (being a bit of a hypochondriac is something I'm looking to get help with next week). I can't really remember my periods - I always remember them coming the week after the week I was expecting it, or masturbating and making it come early. I don't think it exceeded 35 days by very much, but none the less. I've also had recent skin changes - from very dry to oily, but I've also been sick and been on antibiotics, so I'm not sure if that's to blame.

I am on the pill, and have been since 2013, and I know this limits whether I could get tested for PCOS for peace of mind. So I was more/ or less just wondering - can an increase in hair just be a part of ageing? Is it just something that can happen to women without something being wrong (Dr. Google always thinks there's something wrong so I'm avoiding it).I'm more worried about it in case it indicates a problem, or if it gets substantially worse. Right now, it's just hair, and I'm just anxious.

Hi aj,

While we certainly can't say for sure what the cause is, you're right that often changes to body hair, or to skin, or to lots of other things are just part of our bodies changing as we age. So those changes are generally not cause for concern, just part of getting older.

That's really all I wanted to know. It's really not that much hair - it's just that I've noticed it more now. It looks darker in more sorts of light now (where as it didn't so much before). So even a bit more body hair can just be natural? I really hate how a lot of websites are phrasing it as if no woman's body hair changes without a hormonal issue behind it.

Besides, if it were a hormonal issue, could changes occur while I've been on the pill?

Yep, getting an increasing amount of body hair in one's 20s and older is pretty common

I remember a while back Heather said in a thread somewhere that often our world neglects to mention that our bodies are in a permanent, life-long state of change. For sure, more changes happen during puberty and generally a lot faster, but not only does puberty potentially last a lot longer than people often imagine, the end of puberty isn't the end of change. Our bodies are always changing! Getting more body hair, and having the hair become darker and/or thicker, is very common. It's also more common for women to have some hair on the belly than most people realise

Oh, also, from your first post of the thread: masturbation or any other sexual activity can't cause a period to start earlier. Perhaps by a few hours if muscular contractions move the fluid and lining that's already being shed faster out of the uterus, but other than that physical effect, sexual activity doesn't change your cycle (apart from, of course, if someone becomes pregnant in that cycle). A cycle length of around 35 days is absolutely fine: the whole "28 days" thing is an average across all menstruating humans, and some people will have cycles shorter than that and some longer.

And you're right, too: sometimes being ill - and some medications - can make our bodies be a bit peculiar in various ways for a while. You'd just need to give it a few months to recover and settle down again (and obviously, following any medical advice) before really wondering about what's going on

Thank you, Redskies, that's really quite comforting! I thought to myself that it's really not that much hair, so I couldn't see why it would have to indicate a problem. Good to know that it's more than likely just part of life! That definitely needs to be a message that's spread around more.

Thank you for clarifying! I knew I heard that the muscle contractions could affect it, but I guess I got the time wrong. If that's the case, my period definitely would have been around 35 days, so that's comforting to know as well!

Thanks so much!

You're very welcome!

I was so glad to read in your other thread that your physical health is much improved. That's excellent news

Thanks very much! I am too, haha.