Sex Ed

Q: I’ll just come right out and say it — I’m not great at taking my birth control pill. I love the way the hormones make my skin nice and my boobs bigger, but I forget enough doses that I’ve had to take Plan B a couple of times and just get generally stressed over messing up and ending up pregnant. I’ve looked into some of the options that are longer-lasting than 24 hours, and I gotta say I don’t really want anything up me (other than someone else!), so the ring and IUD are out for now. I’m interested in the shot, but I don’t know much about it. Do I do the birth control shot myself? I’ve never given myself a shot before, that seems hard. Is it safe? Basically, is this an option I should consider?

We all know by now that sex isn’t safe — not completely, that is. That’s right, no method of contraception is 100 percent effective, and don’t even get me started on how difficult it is to completely protect yourself against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), some of which you can get without actually having sex (since they’re transmitted by skin-to-skin contact). Yet despite these realities, nearly everyone decides, at least a few times in their lives, to have an encounter with the body of another person that could be defined as “sexual”. And when they do, they have to decide what makes them personally feel safe enough to do it.

Q: I’m a total water baby, I love love LOVE swimming! And since I don’t live by the beach, that means pools all summer long. But sometimes I feel like it’s messing with my vaginal balance — I start feeling itchy all the time down there. Is it the chlorine, or just being in water all day?

Q: I’m going on vacation soon, and I’ve been thinking about getting a bikini wax. I’ve actually never waxed before — I usually just shave the parts of my pubes that poke out of my bikini — but this year, I think I wanna go wild and get a Brazilian. But before I do I want to know … are there any health risks to getting a bikini wax I should know about? Is it really safe?

Q: People are always telling me that I’m lucky because lesbians can’t get sexually transmitted diseases, but I feel like that’s definitely not true. However, I’m kinda unclear about what I CAN get, and how I can get it. Like, how risky is oral sex (receiving and giving) without a dental dam? And what about if I finger someone and then end up touching myself later on while we’re having sex? Basically, what STDs am I at risk for when having sex with women, and how do I protect myself (and my lovers)?

Q: I know that vaginas discharge stuff (not really sure what it is to be honest) and that it’s normal. But I’ve been recently discharging a lot. Like a lot a lot. I routinely soak my panties and have started wearing a liner every day. Is that normal? Or is there something I should be doing about it?

Q: I don’t like birth control, so my partner and I use the pull out method right now. My cycles are fairly regular (28-30 day range). What I’m wondering is — if I know I’m in the week before my period or I’m on my period, how big of a risk am I taking if he doesn’t pull out during those weeks? Is that what people mean when they say the rhythm method?

Q: I went to my gynecologist for my regular pap smear the other day, and I just got a call from the nurse saying I should come in for a follow-up because my pap came back abnormal . What does that mean?! What’s wrong with me? I’m freaking out that I’m really sick or something.

Q: So I’m in my late twenties, and am totally not ready to have a kid yet. But I keep hearing about how fertility declines with age, and that’s freaking me out a bit because I probably wanna have kids later! How do I know if I’m fertile? Am I more likely to be fertile later because I got my period way late, when I was 16? How can I protect my fertility now so I can have babies later, when I’m ready?

Q: I’m worried something’s wrong with me. I’m not feeling so great — I think I have a rash in my vagina. I thought I might have an STD because it happens after I have sex, but I got tested and everything came back negative. I was at a party the other day and overheard one of my friends talking about how she just found out she is allergic to latex, and I thought wow … maybe that’s what’s happening to me. How can I find out if that’s what’s going on, and what can I do about it?