u/Chemical-Fee-2600

I (20F) have been having vaginal issues for the last couple of years. It seems I’ve tested negative for pretty much everything (UTI, BV, STDs/STIs, etc…) and they still can’t figure out what’s going on. The pain is bearable but it’s still super annoying. Just makes me feel like no one is taking me seriously. I bet if I was coming into the doctor as a male patient they’d take me seriously. I’m not looking for a diagnosis or anything, just to share my frustration at our healthcare system.

I 20F have been in a relationship with my boyfriend 20M for 8 months now. Things have been pretty happy, but there’s one thing my boyfriend does that really hurts my feelings. I feel like I can never tell a story or a fact without him butting in and correcting me on something. For example, earlier I was telling him about the menarche and spermarche puberty milestones because I’m in the adolescence section of my childhood psychology class. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but before I finished he cut me off and said what I told him couldn’t be right because it sounded wrong. Now, my boyfriend is brilliant. He gets fantastic grades in a tough major and I completely trust his judgement. But, I know this is out of his area of expertise. A lot of what I share with him are things I learn in my classes, and he makes a point to either question it or say that what I’m sharing with him is obvious. I study psychology and he’s never even taken a psych gen ed. It makes me feel so stupid that he doesn’t trust my judgement on things.

This also happens on the emotional front too. A few months ago I had to go to the gynecologist in order to get swabbed. I was horrified about having the speculum inserted in me, as I’ve never had to go through a procedure that intimate before. My boyfriend really brushed me off and told me that it didn’t matter, and that I was freaking out over nothing. It just feels like no matter what, he’s dismissive of my thoughts and opinions on things.

I’ve told him all this, about me feeling less than when he talks to me this way, and he’s apologized and said he would do better. But it feels like he hasn’t tried. Am I being too sensitive about the way my boyfriend talks to me? I really appreciate his knowledge, but I don’t feel heard when I try to share something with him. How do I go about talking with him again so that he’ll understand how I feel?