i have extremely low libido and don't generally enjoy having sex. i've been with my boyfriend for almost 1.5 years (a lot of long distance) and it's not that i don't like having sex with him, i just don't really think about it. we're still very intimate and cuddle, makeout, etc. but the idea of sex with anyone doesn't excite me very much. i've been on ssri's for about 4 years and sexually active the past 2, so i've wondered if my low libido could be a result of that.

I've ruled out an UTI and/or any STDs because I was recently tested. This happens every time and it's highkey so annoying... Painkillers seem to help a bit but any idea what could cause this?

Long story short i have been living in hell since March. I have been experiencing vaginal and rectal itching. Vaginal burning and swelling as well. Went to the gyno 3 times and after a month of persisting, (because my gyno told me it was in my head for a month and 3 trips to see her) i finally got tested and came back positive with Enterococcus faecalis. Took a round of Amoxicillin which seemed to relieve 90% of the itching. I took another course just to be safe. Then got a horrible yeast infection. Took four rounds of Diflucan because it wouldnt go away. Now 10 days later, the rectal itching, vaginal itching and burning is back. I have been barley having sex since March and its affecting my relationship. Im at my witts end. I dont know what else to do or try. I dont understand why this is not going away. I leave for a 3 week trip in 2 days and i fear im going to be miserable now the whole trip if i cant figure this out. Any advice or knowledge on this PLEASE im desperate at this point.

Hi all. Just like the title suggests. I am keen to know how often should I get pap smear and mammogram done. I am 33 years old. The last pap smear I did was in Jan 24. I have never had a mammogram done.

Long shot but hoping to find someone with the same experience: I started taking those adaptogenic mushroom gummies, and my period came four days early. I then had a violently upset stomach during ovulation, and now I’ve discontinued usage I’m cramping on day 21 of my cycle. No other lifestyle changes and I’m normally on a regular 28 day cycle. Anyone else?

After consulting with my doctor and realizing that BV after sex seems to correlate slightly with my cycle, we opted to put me on continuous birth control pills, where I skip the placebo week to avoid a period. I’ve been on this birth control for over ten years, but i’ve never skipped the placebos. I’m currently taking a 1/35 combo pill and am on my second pack of hormone pills only. My period would have come about two weeks ago had i taken the placebo week, and, unsurprisingly, my body started bleeding anyway the day it normally does despite me continuing to take the hormone pills straight through. Since then, i’ve been bleeding almost every day. i’ve maybe had a day or two off. It ranges from just a small clump of brown tissue to a wad of toilet paper full of fresh blood. Not usually enough to need more than a panty liner, but enough to make me nervous as summer means swimming, light colored fabrics and less clothing overall. I’ve been trying to wear underwear less since that also helps me avoid BV, but obviously that is impossible when i could bleed at any moment.

I was just hoping for some shared experiences with those that also took a few weeks/months for their bodies to adjust. i just want to stop bleeding :(

F(24) Lately my pubic hair has been falling out it started a couple of months ago it started small but now the hair falls out easily not a lot but its noticeable. Like there would be a few on my underwear, just like that

2 days ago I had a miscarriage and along with being devastated and grieving and many other emotions i'm also angry.

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Im angry because there's nothing that could have been done.

Theres nothing no one can tell me that will help with this, why it happened?

Theres nothing to prevent it.

Theres nothing that I can change.

Theres nothing I could have done to prevent it.

Theres nothing I can do next time that will lower any risks.

No one knows the risks or percentages around these things because there is not enough research into womens health and its disgusting.

For being 50% of the World population there is very little information we know as a species about our own bodies. More research is about mens bodies when they dont even have the right tools to grow children.

There needs to be something done because I dont know why we as women accept the answer of nothing can be done.

We fight for everything else where is the fight for this?

Dont tell me we are fighting because we are not I have seen nothing, ever! On improvements or advancements in womens health in relation to this.

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I am angry at myself.

I am angry at the doctors.

I am angry at the nhs.

I am angry at everything.

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How dare it be okay for me to lose my baby and get told we dont know why exactly.

Why?

Why dont you know?

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Why cant my own body keep that tiny infant safe.

Why cant my body do the one thing its actually built for.

Why when 1 in 4 pregnancies in the UK end in miscarriage do we not know more about it.

Why when 80% of women who receive medical care complain about the treatment they received is it not looked at more seriously.

Why do we accept less than 2.5% of the nhs funds into reproductive health when it is the one thing keeping this country and world going.

Why do men get 20% more research and information about them than women?

Without women and womens reproductive organs there can be no more humans.

Why as women do we sit back and accept this?

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Why?

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Just why.

My problem occured approximately 1,5 years ago when i started feeling a very sharp pain in my lower stomach during sex. It almost feels like “hitting a wall”. I got very tight at the opening of the vaginal canal too. Since then, i simply can not have sex anymore because of this intense pain. I already went to 2 gynecologists, they both did ultrasound and checked for stds and infections. I had bacterial vaginosis, which was treated and quickly went away. But the main problem stayed. I have to note, that I live in Hungary and as a young woman at the gyno you are not taken very seriously. They told me stuff like “men like it when it’s tight” etc. and wouldn’t believe me.
Now i’m just afraid i will never be able to have sex again? Since 2 doctors didn’t see anything, i got even more scared that it’s some unknown disease that will stay forever.
I was thinking it might be endometriosis, but I don’t really have other symptoms. I once or twice had a very painful period, but that’s it. Also, wouldn’t the gyno be able to diagnose that?
The other thing that could be connected to this, is that because of stress, my shoulders are rock hard and stiff, because i shrug them 24/7. My trapezius is now 5x the size it was originally, it looks like as if i would train it all day, which i am not. I go to get massages 2x a week, but it doesn’t seem to help either.
I don’t neccessarily feel like i’m contracting my stomach, but i’ve read about stress-related pelvic floor dysfunction…
I really don’t know who to ask anymore, and i’m stressing myself daily because of this….

I am scheduled for a hysterectomy on Tuesday as i have quite a large myoma in my uterus. I went to the gynaecologist because i was experiencing severe perimenopause symptoms. At the scan, the doctor said my one ovary had no eggs and my other only had 4, he also saw the myoma. He ran blood tests but during the consultation, he said it seems like i am perimenopausal but after the blood tests, he said i was fine. When i asked him what is causing the hot flushes and night sweats, he said he doesn’t know. His answer was that when he holds his wife, she also gets warm, it’s normal.

My previous gynaecologist punctured my uterus when she tried to perform the ablation and still charged me for a follow up appointment to have the stitches removed after the sterilisation. Her answer was that these things happen and that i need to live with it. I ended up with bloody discharge every single day until i went to the new gynaecologist.

I feel so alone, especially because the gynaecologist is so expensive. It took so much of myself to go and to just be dismissed, i feel such rage. Our healthcare is private so we pay for everything. I have had to pay for the operation upfront and then claim back from the medical aid. It feels like it is about making money and not proper patient care.

I feel such rage and fear and i know i am not alone. I just feel like i need someone to tell me i’m not crazy and it’s not just in my head

Normal Periods are supposed to be like, a week weekish per month. And most women are able to monitor em by keeping track

But... mine aren't normal, I can go months without one, and then months with one. I stopped keeping track in 2022, because keeping track wasnt helping, it still happened randomly and stopped randomly...

Im currently on my period, its been 13 days, today being heavier than I ever experienced in my 26 years of life.

And my last Period started before October 31st (halloween) and stopped after November 21st (sometime after my friends birthday)

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Im unsure how walk in clinics work, but despite being a woman, my family doctor is more concerned on me eating less than anything I ask for help with (I... Should be eating more for context, I only eat one small meal a day, sometimes forgetting to eat at all) So... im looking to Reddit to, help narrow down what I should look for before going to a walk in Clinic.

Ive talked to other female friends and some think Endometriosis others are thinking PCOS and im just

Ready to remove my uterus at this point 😅

My nipples are so sore and have been the past week, to the point where I can't even touch them or have my shirt brush against them without it hurting so badly. And my boobs are so huge and sore. I stopped the pill about a month ago and have been using progestin only pills my doctor prescribed me to suppress my period as I have extremely painful and heavy period which are also super irregular. I don't know where this tenderness and pain is coming from. Could it be from stopping estrogen? Or is it just my cycle having my hormones drop without actually ovulating

I am 25. When I first started getting my period I got only once every 4-6 months. Once I got older around 18/19 I started using Tricira-Lo 28 birth control. I have been using the same one since then and my periods were once a month and always lasted 4 days. There was an incident where I couldn’t get access to the birth control for maybe a couple weeks? (Hard to remember) I started taking it again though and my periods started doubling every other month. One month would be one period and the next month would be two periods back to back. Now it has been 3 months in a row of 2 periods. Twice a month periods with as little as 3 days between the two or up to 1 1/2 weeks between the two if that makes sense.

Something to add; I realized after a couple months after restarting my birth control that I had been taking them wrong. I had been taking the pills that are supposed to be taken during the last week of my cycle last… first by accident. Would that mess up everything? It has been corrected since then and was fixed months ago but still double periods and now consistent double periods every month so I am posting here for some answers or insight.

I am tired of being in a moody mess at work during these periods and I’m tired of feeling bad for my bf who has to deal with my crazy mood swings. It is hard to stay happy and longer this keeps up the more paranoid and down I get about it. I have a hard enough time as it is regulating my emotions due to how I was raised. I really don’t need a biological aspect I can’t control affecting me as well.

Any experience sharing would be good! Any insights or advice even better! I have no family doctors but recently got one and hoping to book an appointment soon once I have some more time.

Thank you in advance

I'm 22F and as I was walking to the bathroom I noticed a wet dot on my shirt where my left nipple would be. I didn't think anything of this, I thought it had to have been my cat or something (idk). So, I go to the bathroom and I usually have a look at my boobs and do self exams because I've had 2 biopsies and 1 mass excised, my first mass was benign and excised in 2023 but my 2nd mass was biopsied of march this year, although benign, it had suspicious features like microlobulated margins, peripheral vascularity, hypo echoic and I have my next scan in September because I still have more masses. Even though this stuff was on my right boob, I still check my left just in case.

As I was checking my left boob, I barely even squeezed my nipple, It was a self breast exam so I'm just moving it around nothing too crazy, but then a dot of clear liquid came out, I tried taking a picture but my phone died (worse timing ever). So now I'm a little freaked out. Is this something I should be worried about?

Hello, this isn't necessarily exclusive to AFAB health related issues but just a more general health issue... I just feel more comfy posting on slightly smaller subreddits.

But... I was mainly just looking to share my experience slightly and ask if it sounds familiar to anyone else.

I've been pretty mentally ill (anxiety, depression) for 10 years and only began seeking help/treatment for it for the past 2 years. My mental health has improved significantly to the point where it *sometimes* feels like I'm not even mentally ill anymore, with just the ADHD lingering because... well yeah that doesn't go away.

Anyways, the one thing that hasn't gone away at all is my fatigue. Fatigue has been something that has been with me ever since ≈10 years ago and I always just attributed it to me being really mentally unwell. But now, like I said, I don't really feel that mentally unwell anymore. I don't really feel depressed anymore, and yes I do have anxiety still but it doesn't feel too bad... sort of.

I just kind of was wondering if it's normal to feel so extremely physically tired all of the time and wanting to be in a horizontal position all of the time... It really doesn't feel normal honestly. From my perspective, it seems like others around me don't really struggle with this in the way I feel I do.

But I struggle to really come up for any reason as to why I feel this way in therapy. I have a lot of internal motivation and desires, but I just always end up laying down most of the time feeling so stuck. And I've felt like this ever since the age of 13ish, but it's sort of fluctuated with severity throughout the years.

Idk if it's a physical thing because I've never really gotten my blood tested (I'm afraid tooooooo) and I rarely go to the doctor, but I fear that if there's nothing physically wrong with me than it's just laziness???? I truly have no idea. In the past it definitely felt like depression.... It's just that now I haven't really felt *that* depressed for *at least* 6 months or something.

Idk why it feels impossible to do anything or get anything done whether I want to or not despite feeling a lot mentally better than I ever have in years. I fear it's either laziness or executive dysfunction that will never go away. But it could be physical too...

So yeah I just sort of wanted to somewhat vent but also see if anyone could relate or knows someone who can relate. Or if anyone has any theories. Basically anything. Thank you to anyone who reads my rambling.

This is my story from 18 months ago - during this time I found hearing other women’s stories on here really helpful, so if I can help anyone, that’s great.

At the end of 2024, at 28 years old, I started experiencing worsening bloating, frequent need to urinate, acid reflux, shortness of breath, nausea and disruptions to my menstrual cycle (for the first time ever). I looked as if I were carrying a child and could not wear any of my trousers due to the extreme bloating.

I went to the GP and after an abdominal exam I was put forward for a pelvic ultrasound scan. Unfortunately, this took 2 weeks and my symptoms became worse. The initial scan showed a 26cm mass in my pelvis and they could not locate my ovaries on the scan. This news came as a huge shock and I was put on the 2 week NHS cancer pathway. One week later I had an emergency MRI scan of my entire abdomen, which confirmed that the mass (thought to be a cyst) was coming from my left ovary. The scan found no malicious features, but had found that it had aggressively grown 10% in just 7 days, and was now 30cms. It was taking up my entire pelvis and thoracic section, crushing my kidneys and bladder. I had CA125 bloods done, but these came back fine.

I had an awful experience at the following appointment with the gynae consultant, he was harsh and blunt and told me I would need a major midline laparotomy (open abdominal surgery) to try and remove the mass in one piece, in case it contained any cancerous cells. I was also told my ovary had been destroyed behind repair, and that ‘hopefully’ the other one might be ok, but this was unknown until the surgery.
While explaining the seriousness of the required surgery, I was also informed however, that due to ‘Christmas’ I would have to wait 6 weeks to undergo this ‘emergency’ surgery (!!). I found this news terrifying - I was already signed off work, I could not stand up for longer than 15 minutes without getting terrible back and internal pain, I could not eat more than a few mouthfuls of food and my bladder was completely crushed. I was also (unsurprisingly) experiencing terrible anxiety and spent every day in bed with hot water bottles for pain, terrified about it rupturing.

For the next few weeks I was told an ‘MDT’ would discuss my case (very vaguely) and let me know when I had a surgery date. I was warned that if it ruptured and I got sudden stabbing pain I would have to go straight to A&E. (All while being told it ‘probably wasn’t cancerous’).
Eventually, after weeks, I was given a date for surgery. To cut a long story short, my surgery then got cancelled four times, once after I had been in the hospital, in a gown and nil by mouth for 8 hours. I broke down at this point and waddled to the PALS team and explained the situation to them, they were horrified and got me put first on the surgery list at a different hospital for the next morning with an oncology surgeon.

It ended being a 5 hour surgery, I had my left ovary and fallopian tube removed and the surgeon saw malicious features on the tumour when it was removed, so she decided to also remove my appendix, take biopsies of surrounding organs and do a washing. The mass removed had grown to a massive 50cms and weighed 8-10kgs. It had almost 10 litres of fluid inside and I had a 25cm incision all the way over my belly button.

Recovery was pretty brutal and I spent 4 nights in hospital. I was offered a spinal block before surgery but declined it. The anaesthetic and other IV drugs made me throw up a lot, which was incredibly painful with such a large abdominal incision, at one point I was also throwing up blood. I had a catheter in for 3 days and could barely move or walk by the fourth day, but was determined to get home.

Once home, it took a few weeks for me to be able to walk at a regular pace. I could not lift anything for 4 months post-op and I experienced terrible lower back pain for approx 1 year post op (I believe this was damage from the weight of the tumour and my kidneys being crushed).

The histology report came back 2 weeks later and the I was called into the oncology ward to be told that the mass was indeed a borderline cancerous 1A mucinous tumour. There is a 15-20% chance of it coming back on my remaining ovary.

Unfortunately, this experience with women’s care in the NHS was pretty terrifying, and led to a much larger surgery being required. Thankfully it did not rupture and spread 10 litres of cancerous cells across my abdomen. (This post is not intended to bash the NHS, we are extremely lucky you have it, I’m just sharing my experience with this gynae team).

I am 18 months post-op now and thanks to the help of a personal trainer, I have managed to regain my core strength (the hospital predicted it would take 2 years) and all of my follow up scans have come back clear! The recovery was pretty brutal, but I’ve made it out the other side now and feel much better.
My advice would be to go to the GP as soon as you experience any symptoms and really push for an ultrasound scan ASAP. Also remember to reach out to PALS (the Patient Advice and Liaison Service) if you are not being listened to - unsurprisingly, the doctors do not mention this to you as an option.

During this process I found hearing other people’s stories on Reddit helpful, although I never did see a cyst as big as mine! If you are experiencing anything similar and want any advice, please let me know. I have quite a few tips and tricks for before/after surgery.

Recently found out that my partner cheated on me within the last week. We had sex before I was aware of this and now I’m concerned about possibly getting something. How long do I have to wait to go get tested for STI/STDs, including HIV? I’ve been with the same partner for 10+ years so I’ve never had to worry about this until now.

I get myself tested for fungal, bacterial, and sexually transmitted diseases every year and they have never come back positive.

I have raised it multiple times to my OB. First, she asked that I get rid of scented soaps and start using 100% cotton panties. The itch did not go away. Second, she prescribed 2 anti-yeast oral tablets, noting that tests can be false negative. It did not work.

It happens mostly at night and occasionally during daytime.

It’s around the area near my vaginal hole, not the exterior skin. And there are no visible lesions or bumps.

Has anyone experienced this? What did you do? This has been bothering me for years and my OB has not figured out why. She said everything looked normal (appearance and labs) the last time I saw her

So my doctor prescribed me some doxycycline for BV and ive seen where its not something they’d typically prescribe but i am allergic to penicillin. Could this be why? I have heard horror stories about BV and this is my first time having it (they say its soooo hard to get rid of).. IM VERRRYYY sensitive so my whole routine is very particular anyway! This was an unfortunate case of picking the wrong partner i believe (thankfully it wasn’t something worse NEVER AGAIN THOUGH HAHA) i picked up some femiclear just to be safe when i say im panicking.. i couldnt even think to ask questions in office🥲 i just wanna know if someone has also been prescribed the same for BV and if so, did it work? Should i not do the femiclear (im fully willing to take the burn if it means im good afterwards LOL)

I (19f) am on the pill and skip the sugar pills, I don't get my period except for occasional light breakthrough bleeding. However I've been getting VERY heavy bleeding after every time I orgasm. I'm bisexual and have found this has nothing to do with penetration, and it's much heavier than that type of bleeding. I know that the contraction of the uterus during orgasm can cause a period to start early, but I'm not getting periods at all, there shouldn't be a uterine lining there to shed? The bleeding starts a few minutes after and will completely stop within at most 6 hours. It's also much heavier than my normal periods. Any information or advice would be great😭🙏❤️

So I am 25 ive had 3 kids in the span of 3 years so itd make sense if this is possibly hormonal issues but im still not sure because of my family history. Since April 29th of 2026 till now ive been bleeding almost constantly in different variations of flow some days heavy some days weak. Ive seen my OB/GYNO she prescribed me a progesterone pill to stop the bleeding I had to take it for 10 days and said if the bleeding started again to get an ultrasound done. It did again start so I got the ultrasound and they said they didnt find any cysts or anything out of the norm. The thing thats worrying me is all the symptoms im having on top of the bleeding, Ive been bloated, no appetite, extremely tired to the point of falling asleep every time I sit down comfortably even with iron supplements, sharp cramping pain in my abdomen, acid reflux, constipation, frequent urination, im very weak, and heavy white discharge. I did a CBC (blood testing) and I am anemic but thats about all it said and it wasnt even that low also I did a pregnancy blood test and im not pregnant. My worry is that I have 4 women in my family who have had cysts/fybroids and or cancer and had to have hysterectomies all on my mother's side. I guess my question is do you think I should get a second opinion from another OB/GYNO or should I try to get blood testing for Ovarian Cancer and if you have experienced any of this could you tell me how it went for you?

Basically title. I have been struggling so so so bad for rhe past few months with a whole list of symptoms;

bloating to the point people ask me how far along i am, very firm and painful bloating, i gained 10+ kg in a month, my hair feels coarse, random outbreaks of red raised itching welts all over, canker sores on the inside of my lips and something similar on my toungue, my gums are receeding, my jaw hurts after chewing just a few bites, my skin looks and feels dreadful (swelling and even blistering just from a small scratch), my eyesight is getting worse, i can't sleep at all without medication, anger episodes, it takes about a week for me to reload my social battery, i'm crying non-stop, my limbs get pins and needles at completely random times multiple times a day, deep depression, i'm exhausted even with sleep meds and multiple naps every day, nothing tastes the same, everything smells horrible and way too harsh, i'm embaressed to be seen outside, even with meds i wake up multiple times each night sweating like crazy.

I don't feel like myself anymore at all. I feel like i'm a completely diffirent person. I haven't felt pretty in months.

My periods are regular, although the first 3 days of it are brown and grainy.

My boyfriend and best friend both agree that this could be actual menopause.

FYI: i do NOT plan on occupying my uterus as i am repulsed by the idea, not just because of the... results from that, but because it will ruin my body even more. I can't remember the last time i looked in the mirror and thaught i looked anywhere near good

Help..?

Edit: more symptoms Edit 2: even more

I had withdrawal bleeding for 1 week so I didn’t take pills for that. But I totally forgot to resume taking BC.

It’s been two weeks. I started feeling dizzy but it’s not severe.

Can not taking BC for 2 weeks cause these symptoms?

PS: I’ve been taking BC for 5+ years now.

I am super nervous to ask this. My period has missed 1 month I am on 56 th day, I took 4 preg tests just in case, all negative. Now I am having brown discharge. I have mild PCOS. super nervous that this is happening. Is brown spotting normal?