Sex Ed

Q: I had sex a couple weeks ago and the condom broke. We only figured it out after. When I talked to my friends about it a few days later, they told me I should have taken the morning after pill, but that now it’s too late. Now my body is feeling all weird, and I’m totally stressed I might be pregnant … but maybe I’m just being paranoid. Is there a way to know without going to the doctor? Are there, like, symptoms of early pregnancy you can detect before a missed period? I know I should go to the gyno to ake the test but I’m so nervous and I really don’t want to have to explain all this.

Q: My doctor just told me I tested positive for Hepatitis C. I’m in complete shock. How did this happen? He said that I need to see a specialist to get treatment, that I can get cured even, but I can’t wrap my head around this. I live such a safe life, how did I get this disease? Do I have to tell my sexual partners that I have it? I heard that the treatment feels terrible and you have to take it for a whole year, is that true? If I don’t get treated, is it going to kill me? I’m so freaked out right now.

Q: I got diagnosed with HPV a bit ago but just got my first bout of warts. I’m wondering what to do — do they go away on their own? Is there something I can do at home to take care of them, like something over the counter or a home remedy that makes genital warts disappear? My doctor said if I got any warts to come back to the clinic and she’d burn them off, which kinda freaks me out. I’d rather not go to the doctor if I can do this myself.

Q: My boyfriend and I love smoking weed. I personally love the way it makes me feel (particularly during sex). However, I read that smoking cigarettes can mess with women’s ability to get pregnant, and I’m wondering if marijuana is similarly bad for fertility. We’re not trying to have a kid right now, but we have discussed it for the future and I don’t want something we’re doing now to hinder that potential future goal.

Q: My mom sent me a scary email the other day about how her doctor friend told her if I get an STD I’ll never be able to have kids. That freaked me out because I definitely see being a mom in my future, and I don’t want my decisions now to impact that future. So is it true? Can STDs affect your fertility?

Q: I’ve been dealing with some intense itchiness for five days now. I have this rash all over my skin that has gross pimples and redness. I’m super worried it’s an STD because I slept with a new guy a few weeks ago and now I’m having an itchy gross freakout. I didn’t notice a rash on him but it was dark and I wasn’t really paying attention to his skin because, you know, I was hooking up. But now I feel terrible and it’s not going away. I Googled it and it looks like it might be scabies! What is that and what do I do?

Q: I have questions about testing. I just got out of a long-term monogamous relationship where I didn’t really have to think about testing, but now that I’m single I realize I don’t know how often to get tested. I’m chatting with all these guys on dating sites and I want to get out there, but I also want to be safe and be able to tell them real information about being clean. Do I need to get tested before each new person if we’re using condoms?

Q: I’m newly single and loving it! However, I must confess I’m a bit rusty on how to protect myself from STDs. I was monogamous with my ex for five years and I’m on the pill, so after we got tested we stopped using condoms. Now I’m free and on the prowl, but I want to make sure I’m taking care of myself. Yes, I know I should use condoms, but if I’m hooking up with different people, is there anything else I should be doing to protect myself from STDs? I want to have fun but I don’t want to end up with baby or a disease!

Q: My vagina hurts so much all the time. It’s been going on for a while now and I don’t have an infection or anything — I went to my doctor and she gave me a full STD panel and checked my vagina for yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis. So if it’s not an infection, what could it be? I have to do something, this is awful. I can’t handle it. Sex hurts, everything hurts, I’m going absolutely insane.

Q: I’m tired of using tampons and pads — it’s so much waste. I’m an environmentalist! I’ve been thinking about getting a menstrual cup, but honestly, I’m a little wary of it. I’m kind of a clean freak. I like how tampons and pads come all pre-wrapped and sanitized, which is bad for the environment, but feels more secure that I won’t get an infection. How do I make sure that my menstrual cup is safe and sanitary when I’m using it? Is it actually going to be clean?