So... I'm at my partners for the holiday week, and, as is probably fairly normal for such things when partners are living far enough from each other that visits are relatively infrequent (We're talking a week out of a month or thereabouts) we had a ton of sex on the 25th and 26th. By the end of the last session I was a little sore (think I had some minor subcutaneous damage from pressure to either side of the clitoral structure) which is normal and fine, but I noticed a lumpy thing, kinda like a lymph node, maybe the size of a small pearl onion and about that texture, to one side of that structure, kinda in/under the labia majora. It had disappeared 2 hours later when I went to poke at it, but it made me realize how incomplete sex ed is. I had fairly comprehensive sex ed, in high school and at church, but we never really covered the internal structures that aren't directly related to reproduction. I've known about uteri and fallopian tubes since I was a young'n but, apparently you learn new stuff every day. Yay, wiki.

My hypothesis is that the lump was the Skene's gland, which appears to work by filtering plasma from the blood, and that it was hard and swollen because there was a back log of filtered blood materials (platelets, leukocytes, that sort of thing) that hadn't been fed back into the blood stream.

Did anybody else know about this Skene's gland? How did you discover it existed? Am I the only one that's gotten this onion-lump thing? I'm mostly just stupid curious, and looking for a sense of what the 'common knowledge' is and some reassurance that I'm not a freak for not having known about this thing that's been in my body for 28 years.

chime on in, I'm v. v. curious.

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I woke up this morning with some slight discomfort if I put pressure on my crotch area. I can feel a small bump underneath the skin on the left inner labia lip. It's colorless, and I can't really see it if I look with a mirror, I can just feel it. It only hurts if I put pressure on it.

I know it's not an STD or anything...I've been married for a year and a half and my husband and I were both virgins when we met. We haven't really even had sex for the past week or two because we've been at my parents for the holidays. These are the only possible reasons I can come up with:

-A few days ago we did TRY to have sex. I have an IUD, but we were using condoms for easy cleanup since I don't have my own bathroom at my parents. We were using Lifestyle Skins, which we have never used before. Also, the lube on them dried out pretty quickly and it was really dry so we stopped and didn't finish. Could it be irritation from that?

-I used a new Lush Bath bomb last night. And I probably didn't rinse off as well as I should have because my parents tub and shower are in separate bathrooms, so I didn't rinse off in the shower like I normally would.

-I was wearing fairly tight pants yesterday and went shopping in a really crowded, hot mall. So I was probably sweating some.

I've never had anything like this, so if anyone has any idea what it is, please let me know. Thank you all so much.

We get the "What is this bump?" post here a lot. Sometimes there are multiple ones in a day. I can understand why this happens; there are worries about STIs, even for people who couldn't be infected, and describing a bump requires a subjective process. You never know if your bump is truly similar to the one in the post before yours, so you err on the side of caution. That's totally understandable. Hey, I've even been there. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from making a post about a lesion because I'll always be happy to help to the fullest of my capacity, but I do want to talk about what you can do if you find a lesion.

I am not a gynecologist or a specialist in skin care. No, I can't provide scientific citations for anything I say here. I have done a lot of research throughout my life, and much of what I know has been picked up through books, being a hormonal teenager prone ONLY to huge cysts, and articles. Nothing I write here is intended to be medical advice.

Pimples can occur anywhere on the external part of the body, including the anus and the internal and external vulva. You should never pop a pimple. I'll explain why below. You should never attempt to pop a lesion of unknown origin, especially if you believe you're at risk for a sexually transmitted illness.

- How can I tell if this is a pimple or something else?:

That's the tough part. Deciding whether to visit a doctor is a big deal. Who has the time or the money to go to a doctor only to be told, "Yep, that's a pimple." However, only a doctor can give you a proper diagnosis. When you make a post, we can help you distinguish between a pimple and a contagious lesion, but we can't diagnose you. You'll have to visit your doctor for a swab and blood work. That's why we're happy to help. Visiting Google Images to see what various lesions may look may help. I'm uncomfortable giving general guidelines for how to distinguish between the two, as this post is meant for generic, broad information.

- Why and how do pimples form? Why should I not pop them?:

Pimples, otherwise known as cysts, are basically infections of the sebaceous glands. The follicles release oils, but the oils turn rancid and waxen. They can't come out, and the follicle can't clean itself. An infection begins. When a follicle gets infected, our skin stupidly begins to reproduce cells, which traps the infection. Think about all the differences between black heads, white heads, and cysts (big and small). In that order, the reason for their appearance and demeanor is due to how much skin can be reproduced to cover them. The cysts develop the most skin cells, and, as the infection grows, it pushes out on the cell walls, causing expansion and death. The more you squeeze a cyst, the deeper into the skin you're pushing the infection, thereby making it worse. Really, the only pimples you should attempt to extract yourself are blackheads, because they're not usually infected. An infected black head turns into a whitehead.

- What can I do to clear this pimple up?

The healing time for cysts is dependent upon a number of variables. They can take anywhere from a week to half a year to clear up. Sometimes the pus never goes away, so the infection dies, but a pimple is prone to coming back in the same area. It's not uncommon for a cyst to recur in the same place. It's always a good idea to try to verify what your lesion could be. If it could, indeed, be a sexually transmitted illness, and you'd like a diagnosis, waiting to see if "the pimple" goes away could reduce your chances of a proper diagnosis. Always ask your doctor if they check the blood for viruses. I've heard of some doctors doing swabs. Even though I know my fair share about STIs, I do not know how to treat them or take care of them.

This advice is designed to interfere with a possibly contagious lesion as little as possible until the possibility of an STI can be eliminated.

1. Wear breathable cotton underwear.
2. Do not apply warm compresses. Yes, the people who tell you that it will pull the infection to the surface are right. This is unnecessary, however, because you shouldn't pop the pimple.
3. Do not apply any topical treatments, especially ones intended to dehydrate the skin tissue such as benzoyl peroxide, unless it has been cleared by a doctor.
4. Epsom salts may provide pain relief.
5. Avoid touching the pimple.

- Wait! You didn't answer my question!:

I apologize. Since I have no formal training in the treatment of pimples, I don't know everything. If you have a question, feel free to ask in the comments. I can't guarantee that I'll have an answer, but I will try my best to find an answer for you.

(I'm in a rush now, so sorry for any errors!)

I'm back again with yet another question. Here is the deal: I started my period December 14. I also started back on HBC (the pill, ortho-cyclin) on the same day after a six month break from it. I have yet to stop bleeding. Should I be worried or is this just my body reacting to the HBC? I am only on it until I (assuming my PAP was normal and everything is good to go) get my IUD (which I am super stoked about!). It isn't a super heavy flow, but it is enough to start getting on my nerves after all this time. Does anyone have any insight for me? I really don't want this to somehow interfere with my getting my IUD because I have wanted it for so long. I hate HBC because all the adverse effects it has on my, and would be very upset if this became a problem. Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Oh and if it is relevant at all, I have never bled for this long before. I'm also experiencing some mild cramping.

is hbc like some skin products where i need to give it 1-3 months for my body to adjust?
I am on my first pack of yaz and I've been spotting for 2 weeks now..even since my natural period was due..i'll be going into the non active pills soon..so hopefully soon after that my body will get with it.
also my boobs have been sore 24/7...is this a side effect..or could they be growing a little because of the hbc?! =/

is there any danger to spotting this long..or longer? if it lasts into the second pack i plan to add more iron rich foods to my diet in case.


also what is the general thought for overweight women on the pill? It didn't seem to be a concern to my doctor when she prescribed my yaz..so i'm not worried about it..i've just read a lot of mixed articles.

thanks so much vp!

So I have never stacked my bc before and I am due to get my period either friday or saturday. My 1 year is this friday and i thought about stacking my bc just for this month.  I would go back on my normal pill routine after this month is over.

Is this safe to do? Would I be at any risk?

I posted the same thing last month, but this month it's even worse. I went to the bathroom and a lot of blood came out, but when I looked down into the toilet, there were loads and loads of little dark specks stuck to the inside of the toilet, after all the blood had run down into the water. It looked really strange. People said they were blood clots, but I don't remember having this in the past. Is it normal?

I get UTIs often enough that, when I switched insurance, they won't cover it anymore. Probably about 3-6 times per year, maybe more. So having to pay for treatment out of pocket gives me a little extra incentive to try to avoid them. I've heard pretty much everything (how to wipe, peeing after sex, staying hydrated, cranberry juice) and I thought I figured out what caused mine (prolonged or vigorous sex, especially with a condom) but apparently not, seeing as how I think I am getting another one, this time from less than five minutes of mild sex in the shower (after fully cleaning and rinsing off). I think I may have been developing mild symptoms before that though, so it could have just aggravated it.

Argh. Is there no way to keep this from happening? I'm self employed and highly budget conscious, and if I have to pay for a clinic visit and drugs multiple times a year, that will add up. I *can* do it, there is money put aside for medical expenses, but it's annoying to shell out all the money if I could just prevent it instead.

So Christmas night I'm hooking up with this really hot guy who I was excited that he was into me in return, since I had my eye on him for awhile. We had both been drinking. We were just kissing and touching since I wasn't ready to sleep with him yet. But I was kissing his chest and stomach and coming into contact with his penis but not putting it in my mouth. You know, just playing around.

And then he asked me to bite it... what? lmao

I don't mean to be a 12 year old about it but it was something NO guy had ever said to me... I was always under the impression that teeth near the penis was always a bad idea. So, um, I bit him! lol! I guess he was kinda into it? For some reason now that I do not remember, I also ended up slapping him across the face, playfully but kind of hard nonetheless (I am coming to realize when I'm hooking up drunk I'm like 50% more likely to slap a guy in the face) and in return he got on top of me and wrapped his fingers around my neck as though he was going to choke me.

Look, I'm pretty vanilla in sex, I don't need excessive position switching or anything kinky to have a great time. So if this is a taste (no pun intended) of what I should expect from this guy should we ever do it, I'm guessing it's going to be... different.

Please give me any comments you have about this.

And also, has a guy ever wanted you to bite it? lol

Not sure if anyone remembers me, but I've been having problems with sex for the past 2 years. It never wanted to work and caused me immense amounts of pain whenever I'd try. I researched and was considering vaginismus or something similar, but my gyno told me I was just "tighter" than a lot of people and I should try to get myself used to something by using..candles.

Anyway, I don't know how it happened, but it's working. One night my boyfriend wanted to try again, so we did, and after an initial amount of pain, it worked. For the first time in 2 years, he was able to get all the way inside me. Of course, it left me sore and hurting a bit because I wasn't used to it at all, but we've had sex ~10 other times since then and it's getting better. Last night I only had a tiny bit of pain at the initial penetration and everything else was perfect.

So woo, I'm not broken. I do have a question though--we've tried it in a few different positions, and my g-spot has been stimulated *too much* in every position we've tried besides missionary. I couldn't stand being on top (which I really was eager to try) because of how it was hitting my g-spot. It was wayyyy too sensitive. Is that normal..? Anyone else experience that? Are there positions (for beginners!) that we can try that might be a little more comfortable for me, for now?

I was wondering if anybody here has an IUD? I am aware there are copper ones as well as hormonal ones. I feel strange putting metal into my body.. but I am 100% against hormonal birth control ever since I have been on the pill. How do the hormonal IUDs work? Do they prevent ovulation?

I'm interested in other forms of non hormonal birth control I can combine with my FAM to be more effective. My significant other wants to basically have sex every day/every other day so abstaining for my fertile period is a no go.. and I'm allergic to latex and we don't feel like wasting money on more expensive alternative condoms. Plus, he doesn't like using them anyway. For the past 6 months we have successfully used FAM with withdrawal but I'd rather use something more reliable than withdrawal.


Also.. I should add that I am only 20 and never been pregnant. Would they even let me get an IUD?

Ok so I recently started nuva ring, this is my 2nd week, and me and my boyfriend decided to have sex with it for the first time. After having sex I felt a slight burning so i went to the bathroom checked it out and i realised that my left labia was red swollen and extremely tender! I put ice on it but it did nothing for the swelling, although it did take some of the pain away. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on? (i read it could be from roughness but this does not seem likely) Does it have anything t do with the nuvaring? How can i get the swelling to go down? Please help! Thanks!