Q: I just start having sex a year ago. I really like it — but sex with men is so messy! I’ve been taking a shower immediately after sex and scrubbing my vulva and inside my vagina to get rid of the mess down there, but my friends say I’m a clean freak and I don’t need to do that. Do I need to clean up my vagina after sex, and if so, how?
I’m a sexual person. I’m also a person living with endometriosis, and the confluence of these identities has caused something of a conflict, to put it mildly.
Q: How can I tell if my boyfriend has HPV? I know that there are different strains of the virus, because my gyno told me that some give you genital warts and other types can give you cancer — this is why I get Pap smears every few years.
Q: I get pretty bad PMS symptoms, and I want to find a way to ease my crankiness, bloating, and cramps but I don’t like taking lots of pills. Are there certain foods that can help with PMS symptoms? Sometimes I’ve found that a glass of red wine helps, but maybe that’s just placebo, and an ex said he read something about dark chocolate helping and used to bring me bars of chocolate when I wasn’t feeling great — but that could have just been a cute thing he did, I never saw the research.
Q: I have oral herpes — not genital. I haven’t gotten a cold sore in a while because whenever I feel a tingle I take Valtrex, the medicine that fights herpes. I’m just concerned because it feels like every time I drink even a little or don’t sleep a ton, I feel a tingle in the same spot. I take Valtrex and it goes away. Does this mean I’m allergic to alcohol or my immune system is weak? Should I be taking Valtrex every day? Is it possible for me to pass oral herpes to other people if the virus is dormant and I don’t have an actual sore, just the tingle? Is there any risk to taking Valtrex every day/could I build a tolerance to it?
Q: I’m 24, and something really weird is going on with me. I swear to you I am getting hot flashes and night chills. My mom is going through menopause right now and my symptoms seem pretty much identical to hers — except that I’m not even 30 yet! Is it possible to get menopause early? What is going on with me! I really want to have kids and, you know, not be menopausal yet.
Q: I’ve been experiencing some weird symptoms. I recently noticed that I was gaining weight, which is unusual for me. And my brain is feeling fuzzy, like I can’t concentrate that well. I’m also getting really bad PMS, when I never used to before. I called up my mom’s best friend, who’s a doctor, and she said that I’d have to get tested but it sounds like it could be that I have too much estrogen. How is that possible? Is it something I can fix?
Q: I noticed that a few months ago, my period started getting super light. I used to bleed for like 5-6 days a month, and now I’m down to like one light day and then some spotting for half of the next. At first I was elated, but now I’m starting to get worried. Is this my body’s way of telling me that something’s wrong with my reproductive system? I really want to have kids and I’m freaked that my body is shutting down or something.
Q: I’m not gonna lie, STDs freak me out. Not the STDs that are curable, because whatever — just go to the doctor to get your pills or shot, and you’re back on the market. I mean the ones that you get and then have to live with forever. I mean no judgment on anyone who has one, but having to tell all my potential boyfriends for the rest of my life, that’s pretty intense. The thing is, I’m not actually sure which STDs are incurable. What are they, and how bad are they?
Q: I’m adopted, and I recently went out and found my birth mother. I was super upset to learn that she had died of ovarian cancer a couple years ago, and apparently her sister also has it and their mother died from it too. All sadness of not being able to meet my mother aside, I’m now freaked out. All this time I had this ticking cancer time bomb inside me that I didn’t know about. How will I know if I have it too? Like, are there any symptoms or signs of ovarian cancer I should look out for? I don’t want this hanging over my head for the rest of my life. Please help.