Femme Health

My name is Maggie Koerth-Baker. I'm a journalist working with MSN.com on an article about breast cancer, specifically focusing on women who've chosen to get tested for the breast cancer genes, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2.

I'd like to speak with women who've had these tests done, turned up positive, and then had to decide what they were going to do with that information. I'm interested in talking with women who chose to get a mastectomy and those to specifically decided against that option.

For this article, you wouldn't have to have your full name in print. You would have to provide that information to my editor, so she could have it on file in case someone questioned whether or not you were real. But, if it's what you're more comfortable with, we can use just your first name or an alias in the actual article.

If you're interested in being interviewed, please let me know. You can reach me here or at my email: maggie (dot) koerth (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thank you!
M

Hi everybody, I joined this community to ask a very important question for me...

I am 19 years old, my periods started when I was about 13, and they have almost never been regular.
When they first started it was moderate-heavy bleeding, and very regular, about a month apart. Then I don't know/can't remember what happened, and they vanished for about 6 months - 1 year. When they started again they were a lot lighter, and it would come every 8 weeks or so, then about every six weeks....for a small amount of time they came every four weeks, then I missed a few months. For about the last year, my period randomly comes between 4 and 6 weeks, and I have no idea what affects it.

I try not to change my diet, but I have been on thyroxine (to treat hypothyroidism) for about the last nine months....my weight fluctuates quite a lot, and there are times where I am underweight. My breasts are two completely different sizes, one is a B cup, the other is an A, they started growing when I was about 13 also, then stopped and never bothered to try again.

I think this all may be due to a hormone imbalance; I've never been on any birth control and only recently became sexually active. I just want to know if you think I should visit a doctor, or perhaps what a doctor could do for me/similar experiences/treatment options...

Thank you, have a lovely day.

Hey everyone,
I have a problem. When I go to bed at night with my bf he always wants to have sex. We haven't had sex for more than a few months. The problem is now that I haven't a sex more than a few months it seems that I tighten up more and its hard for me to loosen up. I've tried K-Y and it doesn't seem to help all that much. I want to go back to pleasuring my bf instead of rolling over and going to bed disappointed. Any suggestions?

Women (n = 33) were more responsive to the sexually enhancing effects of ginkgo biloba than men (N = 30), with relative success rates of 91% versus 76%. Gingko biloba generally had a positive effect on all 4 phases of the sexual response cycle: desire, excitement (erection and lubrication), orgasm; and resolution (afterglow).

so does anyone know anything about ginkgo biloba vitamins making orgasms better? because i'm seriously trying to have orgasms more than like once a year, ha. i take yasmin (which i guess is one of the main reasons it's so hard for me) and i was recently prescribed to adderall xr, as well. would there be any interferences? anything else that could help?

I found this place through birthcontrol, I did not think it would necessarily be the place for me to post my question. So I hope that femmehealth is.
I have been taking Aviane (28 pill) birth control for about three months now. And this is where I need to kind of launch into an anecdote: The first month that I was taking the pill I attempted to skip the placebo week in order to skip my period (which is another story unto itself) but, naturally, it did not work. So I got my period on my first "active" week or the second month. Two weeks later I got my period during my second months placebo week which is just fine. But, it started two days early, so my period ended up lasting on and off for 9 days. During one of those "off" days, towards the end (when I thought that my period had finished) I was intimate with my boyfriend and he did ejaculate inside of me. Though we figured, not only did I just finish (and we later found out I still hadn't finished) my period but also I was on birth control so we didn't stress.
But now, not even two weeks after that period I am now having more break through bleeding though you can't really even call it that. It's coming out in this very very dark brown color and it looks like there may also be a couple clots or some kind or tissue, I'm not sure. But this has never happened for so long, at least it's never persisted for two days straight. On my regular period I do get a light brown bleeding for a couple of hours at they very beginning but then it persists into regular menstrual blood.
Also, I'm not sure if it's relevant but yesterday I had some extreme cramping but only in little flashes that lasted something from 30 seconds to a minute or so; it persisted to this morning also but I have not experienced it since. Cramping on a regular period day, for me, is no big deal; even extreme cramping isn't weird. I have also been fatigued for some time but have felt no decrease in apetite or anything like that. I'm just trying to  give as much information as possible because I'm afraid of what it might be.
Tomorrow I do plan on contacting my doctor but I cannot say she is the best at getting back in touch with her patients...so I want to see if maybe I can come up with some answers on my own.
Thanks very much all.

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Thank you in advance for taking the time to help me out Ladies.

Sorry that I have been posting alot lately... This one will be my last for a bit... okay?

I just wanted to say thanks for  everyone who posted on my last two posts. I went to the doctor today and he has referred me to an endocrinologist  and I think I am getting blood work too. 

I ended up taking an allergy pill, so I didn't ask about it my recent attacks and they usually like you to stick to one problem (at least they did at my last doctor's clinic).... I felt that the other issue was something that needed to be addressed sooner, but I think I will go back soon and ask to be tested for allergies. Right now I am cleaning up the house, so hopefully it will lessen my reactions to whatever I am reacting to.

Thank You ♥

 Besides being a female and it being health related, this probably doesn't belong here, but I can't find an answer...

 I have a really stupid question:

Can you get allergic to something that you never was allergic to before? My sister and I moved into this apartment and I have been having allergy type problems (puffy/watery eyes, sneezing and coughing/sore throat) since we got here.

To my knowledge, I don't have allergies. I lived here before (the province, not this apartment complex) and never had a problem with allergies or anything. But one day it was smokey and it was really bad, and today my sister's cat (we have had since it was a kitten) came up to me, woke me up and was I was petting it and I had a sneezing fit that lasted like 10 minutes... 

I did crack and buy allergy medications, and they work a little bit, but I don't see a vast improvement with them. I also don't like taking medication when I have no clue what the underlining cause is, and the fact that the purpose of this medication is to supress the immune system doesn't make me feel comfortable either... 

The only other thing besides allergies that I could think of would be black mold. But I cannot find the source anywhere if it truly is it. My mother had black mold in her basement and I did have this sort of reaction to it, but you could visably see it - and before I even moved here my sister washed the place down top to bottom using bleach, so if it was black mold, it should be dead...? So I dunno...  

My last post was in late Febuary! (Link). Anway, I went back to my Gyno and he had totally forgotten about me T-T And so nothing was accomplished. I still believe I may have cushing's but nothing has been done and I have been moodier, still gaining weight though I have changed my diet (I have even stopped drinking pop for the most part and drink plenty of water now, YAY!) for the better and pedal my bum or walk everywhere I go (and I go... it annoys the heck out of my family since they never know where I am getting lost, whether or not I have my phone on me or  whether I am dead in a ditch somewhere... ) I STILL haven't had a period, get tired easily, I still have insulin resistance (to my knowledge) and all the fun problems I had before... But there is some good news: I am in another city! I can see another doctor! 

Which is where my dilemia begins... I am looking at seeing a doctor, but I don't really what I should say. I really want to get tested for cushing's but how do I go about asking for that? I bet I would get a look if I walked into the doctor's office, sat down and said "I think I have cushing's, I want to be tested!"... I probably would get a placibo and sent on my merry way... to have the same problems as my past doctors.. 

Do I just go through my history and then ask politely when I finish listing my hundreds of pages of history tell him I would like to get tested for cushing's? I am not very good with first impressions and haven't had a chance to actually talk to a doctor in awhile... 

BIGUERLAI SLIMMING TEA Has anyone heard of this?.. i'm just wondering if it is good or bad to the health because my close friend is using it right now.. i think this can bought in a drug store.. i dunno exactly.. anyways, this tea works like a laxative..

hi.. i would just like to ask on what bra i'm going to wear whenever i play basketball.. you see, i'm going to try out for our basketball team.. and i was wondering if i'm still gonna use a bra under the sports bra or just the sports bra.. thnx.. hehe.. ^^

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/05/14/ep.women.mistakes/index.html

"Several studies have shown that women's medical problems are more likely to be interpreted as emotional issues or complaining."

I have been saying that for YEARS!

Throughout my life I've been plagued by UTIs. My docs have suggested that I might have a short urethra and have suggested that I be sure to urinate before and after sex. I've been on so many courses of antibiotics that I was eventually prescribed a prophylactic dose of antibiotic to take after sex (if I couldn't pee). I've tried cranberry juice, Emergency - anything to raise the acidity of bladder, but nothing has worked to stave off the on-going issue.

Recently I visited Pharmica where one of their NDs suggested Mannus Root powder to be taken daily. Apparently it bonds to e-coli bacteria and flushes it out of your system with your urine. I was all ready to give it a try when I noticed that a small jar was $30+!! At a teaspoon a night, it wouldn't be long before I would need more so I thought I'd first ask if anyone has had good results from this product before I make the investment.

I have been on the birth control Loestrin24 FE ever since I had a miscarriage in the first trimester in late November.

Since I have been on the birth control I have experienced lighter and shorter periods with no cramps, as advertized. They usually last only 3 days.

However, I got my period about 6 days ago now. I had minor cramps on the first and second day which was odd, because I haven't had any since I started the pill. My period lasted 5 days which I also found unusual since I've started the pill, but it slowed down last night and this morning to the usual brown discharge as if it were ending. Then suddenly this evening it started up again with some clotting and it's gotten a bit heavy again. I've never had a period nearly stop and start again and rarely, even before I was on the pill, has my period ever lasted a week or more.

I did notice today a bit of lower back pain before I started bleeding heavier again. It reminded me of when I miscarried. But if this is the 6th day of symptoms, wouldn't the back pain from a miscarriage have happened already? I have not noticed any unusually large amounts of clotting nor the amount of blood I had during my first miscarriage in any of the 6 days this has been going on.

Is it possible that this could be an affect from my birth control, that maybe it's promise of lighter periods has caused my body to have to overhaul or something? I actually went to my gyno for an annual exam on the second day of this period and he didn't seem to notice anything unusual if I did start a miscarriage all those days ago.

Thanks for any help you can offer...

Hello everyone!

I would like to believe that the reason femmehealth has been extra quiet lately is that everyone in the community is healthy, happy and completely comfortable but I konw that sometimes it can be a little off-putting to be the one who breaks the silence in a social setting. To encourage converation in the community, I'm going to start posting some discussion topics again. If you have suggestion for discussion topics, please feel free to mention them in comments here or on any post labeled "discussion post". You are also welcome to make your own discussion posts--please to be sure to put "discussion post" in the subject line.

This topic for this post is menstrual charting. Do you chart your menstrual cycle? If you do, do you use a paper calendar or an online calendar or a spreadsheet or electronic program? Do you record your entire menstrual cycle or just your period? What inspired you to start tracking your cycle--are you trying to conceive, maybe, or do you use Natural Family Planning as a form of birth control?

When I was a girl, I first started tracking my period because like many young girls my period was irregular and I was trying to figure out if there was some sort of pattern so I wouldn't always be surprised when my period finally arrived. After my period had become regular, I still kept loose track of my cycle to help me avoid unplanned pregnancy, but I was really incosistent about it. Until a few years ago, I never had a serious problem with PMS or period-related health issues, but over time I realized that my PMS sympoms were getting worse and worse. Since one of the issues I have with PMS is severe moodiness that makes me feel like I'm losing my mind and often causes me to fall into extended crying jags for no good reason, it struck me at some point that if I started keeping tracking of my periods I might be able to predict when I'd start having these issues and prepare a plan of dealing with them. I use an online service called My Monthly Cycles to help me record my cycle and it's been a really great resource for me. There are a lot of other online menstrual calendars out there so if you're interested in going that route, there's bound to be one that would work for you.

I don't record what's going on with my body every day; I mark the days of my period when it arrives and what symptoms are bugging me that day--bloatedness or headahce or muscle pain, etc. If I'm having unusual or unusually painful PMS issues, I record those, too. One of the interesting things I"ve discovered is that my cycle is definitely as consistent as I always thought it was, but the length of my cycle is a full two days shorter than I'd previously thought. At some point, obviously, it shifted. This is good info and has been useful for me.

Now it's your turn to share your experiences with charting your cycle.

About a week ago I got diagnosed with a UTI. I get these frequently, and this time they put me on what I have decided was a very evil antibiotic called Macrobid. It gave me really nasty side effects.

Anyway, I just finished the course of them last night, but after taking this for a day or two I noticed I had some vaginal itching, which eventually turned into pain and I noticed that I have some swelling now along with the pain. It's been going on for about 4 or 5 days now. The skin is really, really dry and instead of itching now, it's painful. I had sex last night and this morning and sex was incredibly painful.

I thought it was a yeast infection from the antibiotic, but I haven't really noticed any discharge at all. Can you get a yeast infection and not have discharge or strong odor?

Then I was thinking it could be something like Chlamydia, but since it started when I took my antibiotics it seemed like the two are more than likely linked.

Does anyone have any idea what these symptoms may be?

I'm not sure if this question fits in this community but I'm not sure where else to ask! I'm not seeing my doctor again until late summer, and I want to start doing something about this noooow.

I've cracked my knuckles for as long as I can remember. It's subconscious at this point. I really want to stop, though! I've noticed increasing knuckle pain (aches, sometimes sharp pains) that may or may not be related, and it gets so much worse when it's cold outside. Today I feel like I've sprained my right pointer finger because I couldn't get it to crack, now it just aches. It even hurts to type this.

So, how do I go about breaking a habit like this that is almost entirely unconscious? I've been doing it for years and years. I feel a little overwhelmed!

Thanks for any advice!

Hello everyone -

I've been on HBC for the past 6 years. It has regulated my period so much so that I know when I'm going to get it to the hour. 3 months ago, my gyno switched me to Ortho-Tri Lo from Ortho Tri. For the first 2 months, my period was normal. Now...this week, something funky is going on. My period always came between 3-4pm on Wednesday of my placebo week. This week, I started getting cramps Monday morning and had a full blown period by Monday evening. I use a menstrual cup so I am able to monitor my flow. Normally by this time on Friday I'm running pretty light. I noticed my cup felt heavy and it was more than half full. Wha??? Starting from Monday night, this is my 4th day and every month for the past 6 years my period is over and done with at this point.

I didn't take any pills earlier or later than normal. I've had no changes in medication, diet, weight, stress, etc etc etc. Everything has been pretty normal and I've been healthy. What's going on? Is my body adjusting to the lower hormone levels or is it just an off month? Has anyone experienced this before? Any advice would be helpful!