Normal vaginal discharge is usually white or clear and thick, sticky, creamy, or wet in consistency. If it has an odor, it is usually very mild and not foul smelling. In most cases, a woman’s normal vaginal discharge isn’t irritating and does not cause itching. Some women feel alarmed by the amount of discharge they have, but the amount
may vary from woman to woman as well as at different points in a menstrual cycle. Often, women are encouraged to douche to rid this discharge. Because the discharge is normal, douching is totally
unnecessary.

Good hygiene, with soap and water will keep you feeling fresh.

“What’s the deal with discharge?”

It’s normal for the amount of vaginal discharge you have to vary from day to day, depending on where you are in your cycle and what’s normal for you. Some days it might seem like you don’t have any,
while other days your underwear might be wet with discharge all day.

So when should you worry about your discharge? Healthy discharge tends to be clear or white.
It can have a mild odor and can vary in thickness throughout your menstrual cycle. If your discharge is bloody (and it’s not your period), foamy, itchy, yellow or has a very strong odor, it can be a sign of an STI or other infection (like bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection.) A doc will be able to tell whether your discharge is caused by an infection or not.

“I was giving off a whiteish yellowish discharge for a couple of days then it went away. What could that mean?”

It is normal for women to have a vaginal discharge. If the discharge has a bad odor, causes itching or burning, becomes a greenish/gray color, you should see your care provider.

The post What Does This Discharge Mean? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

The easy answer is that the ring, like other birth control products, tricks the body into thinking that it is pregnant. This “trickery” occurs when the hormones in the ring (progestin and estrogen) are absorbed into the bloodstream from the walls of the vagina and keeps the ovaries from releasing eggs. The hormones also cause the cervical mucus to thicken, which keeps sperm from meeting with and fertilizing an egg. When the ring is removed, the body thinks that an egg was not fertilized and sheds the lining of the uterus. And so the cycle begins again with the reinsertion of a ring.

The post How Does The Ring Work? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“My boyfriend and I were messing around and ended up grinding against each other in our underwear. Could pre-cum get through the fabric and get me pregnant? I’m a virgin and slightly paranoid about pregnancy.”

To answer your question, you are not likely to get pregnant from the activities that you are describing. The more important conversation is how old are you and your boyfriend and have you talked about using birth control. I want to encourage you to make an appointment with a health care provider who can give you information on birth control and can also provide information on protection from sexually transmitted infections.

“I was giving my boyfriend a hand job and this watery stuff seeped out of his penis every now and then. Apparently it got on my arm and he thought it was spit, so he wiped it off. After that he started fingering me. I googled whether I could get pregnant from this since his hands may have touched it, but I can’t get a straight answer. What do you guys say?”

It is highly unlikely that you will become pregnant from the situation you describe. However, you should see a health care provider to discuss birth control options to prevent an unintended pregnancy.

The post Pre-Cum + Pregnancy appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“Are there any STIs you can’t get tested for?”

When you get tested for STIs it doesn’t mean you’re getting tested for all STIs. Usually when you get tested, your provider will test you for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and maybe HIV.

You might wanna get HPV testing if you have a cervix, or you may just get Pap tests, which look for problems caused by HPV.  If you’ve got a penis, you can’t get tested for HPV, but you can get vaccinated.

If you think you’ve been exposed to another STD or have symptoms, talk with your doctor or nurse — they’ll let you know what tests you might need.

The post Are there any STIs you can’t get tested for? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“Will drinking affect my birth control?”

Great question! Let’s break this down:

• Alcohol won’t affect the way the IUD, implant, ring or patch works.
• Alcohol doesn’t change the effectiveness of the shot.
• Alcohol will only affect the pill if you throw it up because of drinking, or you drink so much that you forget to take it. (Drinking that much alcohol can be dangerous, so please be careful and be smart.)

Even though alcohol doesn’t mess with your birth control, mixing alcohol and sexual activities can be dangerous. Alcohol can cloud your judgment and make you do things you normally wouldn’t do sober (consent = a must). It can also make you forget to use a condom (or use one incorrectly), which can leave you susceptible to STIs and unplanned pregnancy.

The post Drinking + Birth Control appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

These birth control methods don’t protect against STIs, so you should double up with condoms, too. (Get free condoms at a MS Health Dept. Clinic near you by using our Health Center locator!)

The post What’s the most effective type of birth control? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“Is it possible to “flush out” sperm after you have sex to help prevent pregnancy?”

It may seem like using the bathroom or washing down there after sex may “flush out” sperm and reduce your chance of pregnancy, but that’s not the case.

Your urethra and vagina are two different holes. Peeing after sex won’t rinse sperm out of the vagina, because you don’t pee out of your vagina.

When someone ejaculates, they release millions and millions of sperm, and it only takes one to cause a pregnancy. If there’s already an egg in the fallopian tubes, sperm may fertilize it. If not, sperm hang out for up to six days waiting for an egg. There’s really nothing you can do to get every sperm out of your vagina and other reproductive organs once ejaculate is in there. Washing, peeing, douching or using spermicide after unprotected sex won’t help prevent pregnancy.

The only thing that can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex is emergency contraception. You can take EC up to five days after unprotected sex. If you’re having vaginal sex you should use a birth control method to help prevent pregnancy along with condoms to help prevent STIs.

The post Can You Flush Out Sperm? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“What if my partner said he would use a condom, but then didn’t?”

What your partner did was not honest – especially if that’s something you asked him to do. Consent is about communication, trust and respect – and it’s important to get consent in every situation – whether it’s agreeing to sexual activity, or agreeing to use a condom.

Your experiences and feelings are yours and yours only. Just know that the feelings you have about what happened matter.

It might make you feel better to talk with someone you are close with or trust – like a doctor, friend or teacher.

The post Condom Dishonesty appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“I have a friend who isn’t on any birth control. She and her boyfriend have recently been having a lot of unprotected sex. She recently has been having a lot of trouble eating things such as bread and milk because they give her an upset stomach. Can an early pregnancy cause symptoms like that?“

Early pregnancy can indeed cause a change in women’s diet. Some women find foods intolerable, may crave other foods, or may experience nausea / vomiting. Encourage your friend to see her health care provider.

The post Weird Food Intolerance = Pregnancy? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

You should see a health care provider as soon as you can. If you are pregnant, you will need to start prenatal care. If you find that you are not pregnant, this would be a great time to discover your birth control options to prevent an unintended pregnancy.

Hope this helps.

The post Period Scare appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.