u/Rachelcat1115

I guess I just want to not feel alone. I want to have sex a lot, I consider myself to be on the high libido end. But I’m also terrified of it too. Scared of UTI’s, scared of pregnancy, scared of STD’s, and I’m scared of penetration. I know penetration is supposed to feel good but it can also be so uncomfortable too. Like, how do women do it for real? How can they stand their male partners going fast and rough? Does that not hurt for them? It took me three attempts to have my first Pap smear last year and that was deeply unpleasant, I can’t imagine how sex will be even if I’m aroused. Plus I’m scared my body and face isn’t attractive enough to fully give into the pleasure and passion of sex.

I’ve been tempted to just get my virginity out of the way but I know I’ll probably regret it. Even if I find a guy to be in a committed relationship with, I’ll probably still always have anxiety around sex even though I’ll trust him and have a high sex drive. I don’t know, my feelings around this are weird and contradictory. Don’t know how else to explain it.

Most women who leave Reddit comments and posts always either talk about their boyfriends/husbands, exes, a friend group, an active social and sex life, and then there’s just me. Who stays at home most of the time due to extreme social anxiety, depression, trauma from bullying, being unattractive. It’s like most women are in a completely different world than I am, and I landed from another far away planet. It feels like they’re all in a special club that I wasn’t invited to. Reading them makes me feel outside the realm of normalcy, outside the realm of womanhood.

Last night I was with my parents watching some fireworks and all the people around us were couples. Gorgeous women with perfect bodies sitting with their boyfriends or husbands. Two young women came to stand beside me to see which spot would be best for a good view of the fireworks and standing next to them made me feel like a literal blob. They were skinny, perfect skin, perfect hair, crop-tops they could look attractive in because their stomachs were toned. Perfect makeup that I could only dream of doing. I couldn’t even look at them really, it was too painful. I got anxious all of a sudden wondering if anyone would look at us and think how ugly I looked standing next to them. I was glad when they eventually walked to a different spot. If only I could be that perfect looking. I can only dream.

I was gonna wait for someone I felt safe with and cared about, but I don’t think I’m worthy of that. I’m too ugly and disgusting. Tempted to just find a guy online. I’ll make sure he’s tested and I’m on birth control. It probably won’t feel that pleasant because I’m scared and have difficulty with penetration, but I don’t really care anymore. I missed out on a lot and that will affect me forever. No use waiting for Mr. Right. Besides, I’ll at least learn sexual skills this way. Don’t wanna disappoint a guy by being horrible at sex.

It sucks because I’m very sick right now being unmedicated. Like I can physically feel the brain fog and stuff if that makes sense. And my thoughts are very dark with the self hatred and self harm. But I’m terrified to go on SSRI’s because of the side effects. I also struggle with severe anxiety and OCD symptoms so that doesn’t help.

I took the Genesight test a couple years ago and most antidepressants are in the red category for me anyway, which sucks. But I especially hate the thought of sexual dysfunction, which is almost a guarantee with SSRI’s. My sexuality is important to me, it’s one of the few things I have left, not to sound dramatic. And I have an intense fear of PSSD which won’t go away no matter how much I try to calm myself down.

I really really want treatment for my illness, but my extreme fear of side effects is a major hindrance to getting treatment. Right now the only thing I feel even slightly “safe” going on is buspirone.

I see this a lot online. Whenever a woman is expressing her frustrations with being conventionally unattractive and having difficulty with dating, the comments always say the same thing. “You’re probably fat! Just lose weight! Having a great body is 50% of it!” Or something along those lines. It hurts to read those comments as a chubby woman who has tried and tried to have the “perfect” toned body but just can’t get there.

While I do agree that society does unfortunately value thinness in women in particular to an extreme, it really grinds my gears when people seem to think it’s this ultra easy and simple process to lose weight and suddenly get the “perfect” body.

First of all, there are multiple medical issues that can make it extremely difficult to lose weight and even cause weight gain. Thyroid disorders (I struggle with Hashimoto’s), hormonal disorders like PCOS, etc. And plus some medications that people take for other health issues can cause weight gain. Plus genetics play a role. Some people just have slow metabolisms. Fat distribution is different for every woman due to genetics.

Also, there’s a theory called the “set point” theory that the medical community recognizes is a real thing. Basically, your body has a set weight, and you may be able to lose weight, with great effort, but not maintain it. In fact, about 80% of people who lose weight will gain it back within 2-5 years, and most of the time it isn’t because they reverted back to their old ways and are eating unhealthily again. Their body just gets them back to the set weight they were at before.

This is true in my experience. I’ve dieted for years. I meticulously count my calories daily, though sometimes I’ll have a cheat day. I stopped exercising for a while but have recently gotten back into it, but even so, I’ve never been able to be “thin”. I’ve always been thicker, no matter what I’ve tried. And the scale takes a while to go down, and when it does a little it gets stuck again. Some women are just meant to be on the thick side, period.

Some people might recommend daily gym trips, but gym memberships and setting aside time in their day to go are a luxury that many people just don’t have.

It hurts that me being chubby might hurt my chances in the dating scene (among other things), but I just can’t be thin. I can’t. Anyone who says that’s it’s easy and simple to be thin and fit is just plain wrong and delusional. Sorry.

Just stay at home most of the time, drowning in my misery. I’m chubby, ugly, no sexual or romantic experience at all. I’m a defect and failure of a woman. I missed out on those formative experiences and I will feel the effects of that forever. I’m inferior to other women. I haven’t even started the race that everybody else has finished. I have no sex appeal at all, a guy will probably want to vomit if one ever wants to get intimate with me. I’m disgusting, worthless, a failure of a woman, a human being. I just wanna get shit faced drunk one night and go out walking. Pathetic.

Hey guys, I’d appreciate any recommendations. So a quick backstory, I’ve been struggling with recurring BV and yeast since September. Right now I’m on fluconazole once a week for two weeks again for the yeast, and I’m going to my doctor next week to discuss longer term solutions for my BV.

But I’ve read that vaginal probiotics are a great help for many as a supportive measure. The problem is I’m financially vulnerable right now and a lot of the probiotics I see are like $30 to $50 for just a month supply. I can probably afford it once, but I won’t be able to afford it for 3+ months. Do you guys know of any cheaper probiotics that work just as good? I’m desperate here. Thank you!

All the self hatred, the loneliness, the despair, the hopelessness, and low self worth would go away, even if only for a little while. I don’t even drink alcohol except for every now and then, and it’s just one drink. I just want to escape these feelings. I’m exhausted.