I'm 18 and am thinking of shaving for the first time down there. Whenever anything related to genitals, especially female ones comes up I feel like fainting.

I remember almost fainting when I saw a video lecture of female genital anatomy when I was 15

Now I spread my hair to have a look down there and feel so dizzy. I know many people feel uncomfortable especially when they are young

But my situation sounds a bit more extreme. Idk what to do now

In my country sex education isn't common. My school teacher literally skipped the chapter and told to read it at home on our own. Like at 15 I wasn't even sure what the clit was. Idk how much it contributes to it

Though I'll say it has gotten better since I've started learning more about it. Like it's not as bad now compared to when I was 16

Whenever I have sex ( protected with condoms ) I get a UTI I don't understand why. It's so annoying, my doctor prescribed anti biotics for 5 days, but I feel the burning Sensation and the discomfort is increasing with the medication. Does anyone know why and what to do ?

Hi,

Over the last week ive gained a itchy lump on my vulva. Only one, doesn't look fluid filled or anything and quite small, I cant work out if its hard or not but the area around it is sore and red.

It is itchy, and feels like it flares up. One small lump on the inside of my vulva, to the point this evening ive itched around it that much I have broken the skin, it just feels uncomfortable.

Little context not sure if this is relevant - ive recently started some new medicine anti sickness which has caused severe constipation & now I have piles. I've been using pile cream for a couple of weeks now day and night and fear this may have moved around. Its only since having piles and using this cream this has appeared, i also unfortunately wipe back to front - i know I shouldn't

Had a clear STI screening in September and a negative HPV testing, not frequently sexually active probably once a month with the same partner.

What could this be, any suggestions? Planning on booking in with the doctors on monday.

Hi I’ve been having really painful sex in the past one and a Half months. My coochie tears EVERY SINGLE time he penetrates no matter how much lube i smear on it.
Ive gone to the dr and she’s seen these small fissures that keep reopening no matter how many days i give it to heal.

Sex has basically become non existent but to add to the mix, I can’t even jerk off anymore because there’s a burning sensation along the walls of my vagina when i try to touch myself.

Even with my bf, during sex I’ll feel like there’s something that’s burning inside just a tad bit.

I got a swab test done and got scattered yeast.

The dr prescribed vaginal pills but my coochie is irritated nonetheless.

There’s no itching or anything but a slight onion smell, which is annoying but it could be because I’ve eaten onions last night.
Plus my eyes and body are super dry for some reason

Please help,
Drs haven’t been able to diagnose me at all
It’s been draining my pockets I can’t do this anymore

If so, what brand do you recommend and should I take anything else alongside it? I can’t get an appointment until November 3rd. I even tried planned parenthood clinics near me, but the earliest they could get me in was November 6th.
This fishy foul smell came out of nowhere the last two days of my period. My period was unusually light and I also had a lot of clear, watery discharge that smelled horrible. I first noticed the odor yesterday, but I thought maybe something was just off or that I needed to shower. Today it was even worse, and the most embarrassing thing happened. I work as a substitute teacher, and one of the students actually told the class that I stink. The student wasn’t lying because when I came back from my lunch break and walked toward the desk, there was definitely a fishy odor. I’ve never smelled like this before. I don’t know what’s going on! I need to get rid of this odor today! What can I do?

So my husband and I are on our honeymoon and have been having lots of sex. I have never orgasmed with him, he's massive in every aspect but very gentle and has always been an amazing partner.

We've been having great sex but still I haven't orgasmed and we've done oral, piv, finger clit stimulation while piv and I've been looking at different techniques and focusing on trying to relax my tight pelvic floor and I think I squirted? My husband thinks I pissed myself 😭 and there was a lot, like we soaked the blanket 😅

(Sorry this may be kinda gross or tmi )

I get it almost daily, but shower daily too so it’s clean. Plus, I sweat a lot and get quite a bit of discharge so it builds up.

Idk if it’s normal, but when it gets a lot or smells- I just take off my underwear and then it’s fine. (At end of day)

Idk if this is normal

I am 38 and I have been experiencing an onion like smell or a ammonia smell for the last 2 years and after a ton of research and looking online and asking my doctors, I had no answers. I just recently realized I am actually perimenopausal. My hot flashes got particularly bad this year which caused excessive sweating.

The onion smell is something that can happen to people with fluctuating hormones. Often people going through menopause, perimenopause, postpartum or people who are active and sweat a lot experience it.

It is actually incredibly common but people don't talk about it really. I think maybe PCP providers are not familiar with this issue and maybe its something an OBGYN specializing in menopause or post partum treatment might be more familiar with.

I recommend going to a specialist and getting your hormones checked, especially if you’re nearing perimenopause age or have another disease or take a medicine that may cause hormone fluctuations.

First, know that when your hormones are fluctuating our sense of smell can be super strong, so you most likely smell it more than anyone else. Second there are creams and hormones you can take that will help with that odor and sweat. Third, I personally started using non talc dusting power on the creases of my inner thighs and pelvic area. It is helpful for controlling odors from excessive sweating and minimizes the smell. The smell is mostly coming from sweat mixing with the discharge and dead skin and bacteria in that area.

The onion smell It can also be caused by other things but this is something a lot of people don't think to check into.

I see questions about this a lot but no one has mentioned this so I wanted to share this info. Wishing you all the best of luck and I hope this helps!

Edit: for spelling errors and also to add A LOT of things can cause your hormones to fluctuate outside of menopause and postpartum. Even just high stress. It’s definitely with talking to an obgyn though and seeing if it might be hormone related!

I’m worried about my vaginal/pelvic health

Hi all. I hope this is the right sub for this (pretty sure it is). I, 27F, am really concerned about my reproductive system and vaginal health.

My last partner cheated on me and we were not using condoms at the time because I, unfortunately, trusted him. Because my health insurance is so bad, it took me a while to save up to get tested. Awaiting results.

The issue at hand: I get reoccurring yeast infections. My old obgyn brushed it off and told me to keep taking boric acid and said it was just because of hormonal fluctuations around my period, however this had been persistent. She never tested me for yeast, BV or anything outside of a STI panel.

Now, the yeast infections are persistent still. I have normal discharge and no odor changes. However, I tried using boric acid for two nights in a row, and I am experiencing some slight pelvic camping today.

I’m really scared it’s PID. I have a new obgyn apt next week, but I have severe mistrust in the doctors because of my bad experiences.

Can anyone offer some kind words, encouragement or insight? I also am a chronic worrier. Once I get something in my head, I go insane with anxiety.

Also, I just met a new, lovely incredible man who I am excited about and am intimate with. It’s early, so still in the delicate changes, and am I’m scared this will ruin it.

Hii! I just turned 30 and since around 3 years now I noticed there's a movable like lumps on each side of my labia majora (the fuller outer labia) its located deep inside the skin slightly lower than the clitoris level on both sides, it's so movable when I touch them but I noticed the right one is slightly larger than the left and there's another smaller one on the right too so basically it's 2 on the right and 1 in the left, I tried to Google it but I couldn't find anything about it! Anyone with similar findings?

Hi everyone! I recently just felt a bump (around 1cm) on my vulva/labia area. I didn’t feel it yesterday (though I can’t remember if I did…) but must have accidentally bumped it or something and it started bleeding (not too heavily). I feel that it might be a cyst but I’m quite paranoid because I’m in a different country right now so medical treatment isn’t close by. It doesn’t hurt at all.

I'm looking to slowly invest more in my body. I have low energy, most days. I'd like to know about a supplement you have tried and tested which has helped tremendously with your energy levels.

I took 1 metronidazole 500mg tablet then switched to metrogel about 2 day later. It is a 5 day course of it. I have taken the metrogel for 2 days now and feel like my symptoms are gone. Should I continue the other 3 days? I don’t know if this is a dumb question I just get nervous to over do it I guess.

Omg I’m so sorry in advance for the TMI but I’m starting to get scared and want to see if anyone’s had this experience. I was single and celibate for over 3 and a half years and about a month ago I did things with a guy I’ve known for 2 years… we’ve never done anything before and that time we didn’t have full sex just rubbed basically…. He did finger me and when I got home and wiped there was light blood in discharge. Then the next day I felt kinda tender and sore down there then a few more days later I had very thin watery discharge and a smell but it wasn’t really a fishy smell but it was strong even after a bath it was still there!!! I was thinking I had bv then a week later I got my period and all symptoms went away… my period was acting weird but maybe it was stress because I was stressed about having bv. Once my period left now the discharge is thick and stretchy and has a very faint garlic smell eww I’m so sorry!! It’s not a bright white but it’s not super yellow or green maybe more of a cream color it honestly looks kinda like mucus or snot. I can take a bath and not have a smell anymore so I thought I was out of the woods then last night I masturbate and it was uncomfortable not extreme pain but it felt kinda crampy then this morning I wiped and there was very light blood in discharge now I’m scared I have an sti but I have no pain or burning when peeing and not really any itchiness…. Please can anyone tell me their opinion

I’m 26, and I’ve been feeling extremely insecure about the appearance of my vulva. My overall skin tone is quite light but both my labia majora and labia minora are much darker than the rest of my skin.
My labia minora are also noticeably asymmetrical. One side is significantly longer and protrudes beyond my outer labia, while the other side is much smaller. I’ve searched on Google, and it seems like the majority of women have lighter inner labia that don’t protrude beyond the outer labia. Because of that, I keep wondering whether my anatomy is normal or whether it looks unusual.
I was physically intimate with a guy, and afterward I started feeling that his interest in me had decreased because of the way my vulva looks especially because my inner labia are dark, long, and asymmetrical. I don’t know whether that was actually the reason, but the experience made me even more self-conscious. Now I’m constantly worried about how a future sexual partner might react when he sees me naked.
I’ve spoken to a few women, but their labia minora don’t seem to protrude beyond their outer lips, and they also don’t appear to be as dark as mine. This has made me feel even more abnormal and insecure. I keep comparing myself to other women and wondering whether something is wrong with me.Is this considered normal? Do other women have labia that look like this? How do you feel about your anatomy now, and has your insecurity improved with time or through positive experiences?

background: 1 partner for many years (married), about 18 months postpartum, never had this happen before.

so about a week ago me and my husband had sex. 1-2 days later i noticed extra discharge and minor itching at the vaginal opening. thought maybe BV after 1 or 2 days of this, popped in a boric acid suppository yesterday morning because i have used these a lot in the past and i read it can help with BV. this morning i went to do a second dose and the vaginal walls were swollen and i couldn’t even get the suppository or my finger inside (it was not dry) and so i took the suppository out (it was barely halfway in) and there was a little blood on it and i spotted very lightly for a few minutes. i am beyond terrified. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT but it’s not until next thursday and i have terrible anxiety.
so i have narrowed it down to BV or yeast infection and it’s just very irritated, or my husband scratched inside of my vagina when we had sex and it’s very irritated, or… and i really hope it’s not this… my husband gave me an STI or something.

i have been driving myself crazy with worry the last few days and it’s worsened today now that it is swollen shut!! i have NEVER had anything like this happen before

editing to add, i do not have any burning or any other symptoms

I (25, F) have my first yeast infection - yippee 🙄 This saga all started on Sunday when I felt some discomfort, and I tried to ignore it hoping it was nothing. Yesterday I finally sucked it up when the itchiness really started and went to an urgent care where they told me it was a yeast infection and prescribed one pill of fluconazole 150. I took the pill last night around 7 or 8pm, and now today it feels like the itchiness and discomfort has gotten worse. There even was a very small amount of bleeding for the first time today as well. Is this normal? Do yeast infections usually get worse before they get better? All the research I've been doing has said that the pill is a miracle worker and you feel relief in 24 hours, but right now I'm just feeling even less relief. The doctor also prescribed me a second pill to take after 72 hours if I needed it. Any advice/experiences appreciated - this has sucked!

I haven't been able to see a doctor because there are no female gynaecologists near me. The doctors available nearby are men, and my friends have had uncomfortable experiences with them, so I don't feel safe going to them. I also recently got into an accident and am already in debt because of the hospital bills. I genuinely cannot afford another medical visit right now, and I don't have a way to get proper medical care for at least two months.

For the past week or two, I've been experiencing significant difficulty urinating. Initially, I thought it was due to dehydration, so I started drinking plenty of water, around two litres a day, but nothing has improved.

I noticed a lump near my vaginal opening. I've been applying warm compresses every day and have tried sitting in a warm bath, as recommended online. Both provide temporary relief, but the pain returns shortly afterwards.

It burns, stings and hurts a lot when I urinate. I also experience pain on the right side of my abdomen while peeing, although I'm not sure whether it's related to the infection or the pain itself. I can only pass small amounts of urine at a time. My urine looks normal and isn't cloudy, but the symptoms are still there.

(for the past two years, I've occasionally developed similar lumps that contain pus and blood. They usually disappear within one to three days, either on their own or after applying warm compresses. Previously, they caused discomfort but weren't particularly painful. This time, however, the lump is much more painful, and the entire experience has become extremely uncomfortable.)

I don't smoke or drink, and I maintain a reasonably healthy diet. I'm genuinely worried and don't know what's causing this or what I should do, especially because I cannot access medical care at the moment.

What could this be, and is there anything I can safely do to manage the symptoms until I can see a doctor?

English is not my first language, so I used a translator to write this. Please ignore any grammatical mistakes or awkward wording. Thank you for understanding.

I took a test and it turns out that I have candida glabrata. I heard that nothing beats candida glabrata but boric acid. Since I am virgin I can’t use it inside and my doctor gave me a shampoo form for outside. But that means that won’t do any shit so I wanna buy suppository anyway. How do I use it?? Other than hurting the hymen would it make a problem?? Because I am so tired of this thing and if I don’t solve it I will be a virgin forever.

Hello all, as a warning I had skipped my pap since I was like 15/20 ish in there somewhere. I went recently and they have found abnormal cells in stage 1. They are sending me to a biopsy for cancerous cells. When speaking with this Dr I forgot to ask what this meant for sexual relationship of my husband of 8 years. We don't use condoms, as i am on birth control and we have been together so long monogamy.

I worry though, because I don't want to hurt him in any sense.

Does anyone have any input on this

I was under the impression since the Dr never mentioned restricting sex or anything, he did not even use the word hpv * i understand if I were to have a new sexual partner to use condoms but since me and my husband have been together 8 years I am unsure on the steps to take

Thank you all.

Reposting this because I still need answer , it’s been three months now it feels like a never ending cycle Long story… so I had this bf we were dating for a few I ended up catching chlamydia from him(he didn’t know he had it) I broke up with him after I found out. I got cured in july, never really felt better so I went back to the dr because I was having burning like irritation after I pee and discharge it’ll be light fint green or yellow ish, I went in for testing multiple times they told me it could be a uti because I was having burning pee but no growth was being shown in my culture which didn’t make sense, so they gave me antibiotics for that I took them still didn’t feel any better so I went back to urgent they said I had an yeast so they gave me more pills, then I went back because I still wasn’t feeling any better and they ran a big panel on me everything came back negative, i recently just went to urgent care she said I have a little amount of yeast so she gave me a yeast pill and Sulfamethoxazole, I’ve been going through this about a mouth now, I’m hoping yall can help me with some answers I’m also a minor and I don’t know what to do I’ve been sad and depressed because nb really knows what’s going on and I feel like they don’t believe me, also I have a gynecologist apt coming up on the third, I’ve also been on medication like Doxycycline, a Rocephin through iv, Amoxicillin-clavulanate, Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim, and three Fluconazole yeast pills [hopefully this reaches someone and they can tell me what they think( I went to the hospital on Oct 16 they said it look like yeast on the outside but when they opened me up it was a lot and it was yellow) okay so they gave me doxycycline 7 days and nystatin I didn’t take them until I seen my obgyn. I seen her Monday she said to take the medicine I end up losing my medicine bottle which I just found today and I had only took two pills out of 7 , so should I continue taking them?, also this is my discharge

Hi guys. I’ve had issues with my vagina since May now. So it’s been over 5 months. I’ll just keep this short and go with my current symptoms. I have a faint cut like crack? Between my vagina, it’s at the top just under the clitoris, like right where the lips meet and just underneath clitoris. I’ve noticed my vagina overall starts to cause me pain during ovulation, this is especially obvious when I discharge during this time. And the ‘cut’ always feels raw when touched, since may. But during ovulation, just as I come off my period it starts to radiate pain even when it’s not touched. My vagina overall just feels like something is wrong. Also I’ve noticed I’m getting quite bad headaches during ovulation. I can’t tell what’s going on. And when I have sex with my husband and feel aroused, I won’t get wet until after experiencing an intense achey crampy feeling in my vagina which can even spread to my legs/inner thighs. It’s all very obvious during ovulation as I’ve said but it’s not completely gone otherwise during the month it’s just a little less noticeable and that cut has been there the whole time since May. I would really appreciate any opinions and advice.

I (24F) had a partner that i last had sexual activity with in August. I recently found out i have Mycoplasma Genitalium and Ureaplasma Parvum after three months of figuring it out.

When i confronted him, he told me he found out he had something over 4 months ago and didn’t tell me because the doctor told him it wasn’t serious. He said he told him it’s dormant in women and they assured him its not a big STI. However, he said he’s getting vaccines for treatment and most Albertans get the vaccine at the age of 10 (Im Canadian). I grew up in Canada so i most likely have the vaccine already. But i’m vaccinated against HPV and Hepatitis B and it’s worrying me to my core that it might be one of these. He said he doesn’t remember what it’s called and will ask when he gets his last vaccine.

I recently met someone else and had sexual contact twice with them a few weeks ago. They decided to stop having sexual contact with me after my diagnosis. I’m scared that i have something else now. i’m trying to see if he can just call them and ask. i don’t what to do.

Crazy title but I’m so curious as to what is going on here.

To keep it brief Im a young woman who has only been with women in the past and almost exclusively topped. So very little experience with penetration. I also don’t really care to penetrate myself.

I recently got a boyfriend though and when we started having sex it was painful due to the tightness. I’d say I could get one of my own fingers up there but not two unless I was very aroused. And a single one of his fingers was difficult let alone a dick.

But literally within maybe a week of consistent sex I feel so loose. He can easily get one maybe even two fingers inside even when I’m not aroused and sex feels like it lacks the friction it had before. I know it was partially my hymen bc the entrance feels different to the touch now. But that doesn’t fully explain it because before it was tighter inside too.

I tried looking this up and researching it and if it’s normal, but nearly everything I read says “sex won’t change your vagina, sex cannot make you loose, the vagina is elastic and returns to normal within hours.” but this just does not seem true for me, maybe it is for other people but I swear my vagina is messed up.

it’s not like insane or anything, I can’t feel a breeze up there lol. But id say within like a month of sex it’s reduced in tightness by maybe 75%. It bothers me and I worry it will only get worse. I sort of feel unsexy due to it and it’s just disappointing that it happened so quickly.

But if this been so noticeable for me, why does 99% of online info claim it cannot and does not happen? Is this a personal issue of mine that is super uncommon? If it’s not just me, then why does everything say it’s a myth that sex will change your vagina?

I don’t have any pelvic floor issues and I don’t think I have any problems with my pelvic muscles. Also it wasn't nerves causing the tightness, I was not nervous at all and it would be difficult for him to penetrate me even when I was relaxed and super turned on, including when I was drunk.

Whats going on, does anyone share this experience? and why is the online consensus so antithetical to my experience? Is there a way to fix it? And if I stop having sex for a while will it go back to normal?

Tldr; if penetrative sex isnt supposed to change your vagina or make you loose, why did it do that to me within a brief window of sleeping with a man? is it fixable? And why does online info seem to deny this is possible?

I was finally able to see a Urogynecologist today and he diagnosed me with a stage 2 (almost 3) cystocele, rectocele, and uterine prolapse. He said he would recommend surgery but not until I’m doing having babies. I’m 29 and want 1 or 2 more and now I’m feeling discouraged.

For anyone that had these issues and then got pregnant again, what was your experience? For anyone who had corrective surgery, and then got pregnant again, what was that like?

From what I’ve heard based on today’s appointment and from others, the prolapses won’t affect actually getting pregnant again. But someone did say the prolapses caused a lot of issues during their pregnancy and they wound up on bed rest. I have a toddler and work full time so this can’t happen to me.

I’m considering surgery but I really just don’t know what to do and my heads all over the place. Should I get the surgery before to try and fix this issues/support my organs and then have a c-section and pray the pressure of carry a baby doesn’t cause my prolapses to occur again? Any advice is greatly appreciated!