Yahoo! is shutting down Yahoo Answers, a service where users can ask anonymous people questions for advice. For some, when something happens to them in terms of sex or sexual health, they turn to Yahoo Answers for help. Yahoo!Answers served as a place where many young people felt safe asking questions, where they could anonymously ask potentially embarrassing questions that they didn’t want to ask people in their real life. In the south especially, it can often be embarrassing asking these questions when cultural norms make sex a taboo subject — and also when the town is small enough that your doctor knows your mom.
While this is a quick and anonymous way to get a response, Yahoo Answers can oftentimes be inaccurate and false, or provide information that does not pertain to you. Fact Not Fiction hopes that when young people in Mississippi have questions about sex, they will turn to a trusted expert or a doctor, rather than the internet, for advice.
We’ve rounded up some questions that have been asked on Yahoo Answers and answered them with accurate information.
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When am I supposed to get my period?
No one can say exactly when you’ll get your first menstrual period, but it will be sometime during puberty. For most girls, their first menstrual period begins about 2 years after she first starts to get breasts, often around the age of 12. But it can be as early as age 8 or as late as 15. Talk to your doctor if you have not started your period after age 15. [Source: Kids Health]
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My boyfriend said he forgot to put a condom on, am I pregnant?
If you are old enough to engage in sex, you are old enough to insist on using protection!
Please go see your health care provider to be certain that you are not pregnant, get tested for STIs and talk about birth control options.
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Should I wear two condoms to stay extra protected?
There is no evidence that wearing two condoms is more effective than wearing one.
In fact there is some belief that the friction of the two condoms rubbing together can cause them to break, making it easier to get HIV and other STDs if your partner is infected, or have an unplanned pregnancy.
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Could I be pregnant?
If you have already had your menstrual cycle since the last time you had sex, and it was normal, then you most likely are not pregnant. There are times when a woman may be pregnant and still have her cycle, but that is not very common. A urine pregnancy test can be taken if you are still concerned.
Now, if you are not trying to get pregnant, you should see your health care provider for information on birth control. Natural family planning, where you time sex around your time of ovulation can be effective but is a bit more complicated than just choosing to have sex around your menstrual cycle.
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It hurts when I take out a tampon?
The fact that it hurt when you pulled it out is because tampons are designed to expand in your body. When you pull out a dry tampon that’s only been in your vagina a short time, it can be uncomfortable. Next time, give the tampon a chance to absorb some of your menstrual flow.
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If my girlfriend sneezes after sex, will it keep her from getting pregnant?
[insert screenshot of question]
When it comes to making an important decision, trusting information from a conspiracy theory is not the best move. At Fact Not Fiction, we want you to have resources you can trust. You should be prepared with all of the resources you need beforehand so that you can have factual information at the tip of your fingers whenever you need. There’s no point in anxiously looking up questions and searching for answers when you might run into information that’s not true and that will stress you out even more.
Here are some good resources:.
- Fact Not Fiction: Ask the Expert, Sex Myths, and a Clinic Finder
- Bedsider
- CDC
- Power to Decide
At Fact Not Fiction, we want everyone to have the right information, regardless of your age, gender, sexuality, or whether or not you’re sexually active. Whatever you do, with whomever, don’t do it in the dark. And ALWAYS make sure it’s done with consent.
