r/WomensHealth

I'm really embarrassed to make this post but I'm genuinely out of options. I have tried countless meds that did nothing to change my case, or my problem seemed to disappear for 2 days and started again right after some:

Flagyl pills - 1 week.
Metronidazole (Nidagel) - 1 week: second time - 2 week day and night and 6 months 2 days per week.
Boric acid with oral supplements - 1 month.
Gynalac (which gave me inflammation) - 1 week.
Vablys 2 times, span of one week each approx.
Canesten - 1 week

Seen 2 doctors and I'm desperate because of the amount of meds i took. I'm in Quebec and the system sucks so now I fear that I am stuck because I have to go for private treatments because each appointment takes so long in between and nothing works. I am already not doing so good financially because I'm a student. Soon I'm about to go to a private clinic for them to have me test for a PCR swab test for Ureaplasma/Mycoplasma that costs $159.

Any clues on what it could be? I'm sure I had the symptoms before I had any relationships. Edit: I am currently in a relationship right now, if that changes anything.

TLDR: is it weird or problematic that sometimes, if i’m not sure if i have the urge to pee or not, i will check by lightly pressing down on my bladder?

is it a bit strange or abnormal that sometimes i have to check if i actually need to pee or not, by pushing down a bit on my lower abdomen (which is obviously where my bladder is)?
sometimes i’ll be hanging out with friends and then one will say they need to go pee real quick before we leave to go somewhere else and they’ll ask if i also need to, so in order to see if i need to get up and go with them too, i will check if i have the urge by doing this and that way decide if i need to or not. they think it’s so weird and little funny that that’s how i check sometimes and so now i’m sorta wondering if this is a sign of some kind of pelvic floor dysfunction or bladder prolapse or i have no idea. i’ve been trying to ask this question on reddit but i’ve only found one person who asked this somewhere so i’m not really sure how abnormal it is.

Venting here. I (F, 39) started compounded GLP1 in 2024 via my GP after I had back surgery and got up to 170lbs. I was 5’3.5” and unable to work out or move much, so I begged my doctor to let me try it. It worked great! I lost nearly 40lbs over 8 months and was finally feeling like myself again. I was also able to start exercising without pain and made healthy choices. About a year ago, she informed me she could no longer offer compounded GLP1s but she could prescribe me brand name GLP1s for the full cost (insurance didn’t cover me). That was out of budget at the time so I declined.

I’ve done my best to keep a healthy diet and regular exercise. I’ve gotten stronger and work out almost every day. But still, I’m seeing the scale go up and clothes get tighter. I currently am 145lbs and actually “grew” half an inch so now I’m 5’4” (probably due to the back surgery).

I was much happier around 130lbs and wanted to get back on the GLP1s to prevent me from getting back up past 150lbs. I made an appointment and now do NOT qualify for the meds because my BMI is too low 🤯

They said I can come back when I gain weight.

How does this make sense?? When I was 130lbs they were willing to prescribe the meds to me to continue the program…but now that I want to return at a higher weight, they can’t allow it. Do I need to eat pizza and drink beer for the next month, totally stop exercising, just to meet their requirements? It’s absurd!

Yesterday I went to the gynecologist for the first time ever due to not having a period for the last 3 months, which is extremely concerning since this has never happened to me before.

I'm a virgin, so I knew it wasn't pregnancy related, but still I decided it was important enough to go see a professional.

Anyways, very nice doctor comes in, asks me the general mill questions etc. She asked me if I was sexually active, I said no. She then said "okay, I assume that you have been before though?"

This statement really caught me off guard. Im only 19, so I didn't think being a virgin was that big of a deal. Obviously, at least from this interaction, I'm wrong.

I was given referrals for blood work and ultrasounds, one of them being a transvaginal one, and, honestly, I'm really dreading it.

Not just the physical part, but having to speak to another person about being a virgin. I know it sounds kind of dumb, but I don't want the person performing it to be put out by being asked to be a bit easier on me. I dont usually talk about sex, so having to bring it up to a stranger is just really nerve wracking.

I wanted to know if anybody had any type of similar experience as me, or any advice on how to prepare myself mentally for the procedure.

Okay, reading that last sentence made me realize how dramatic I sound. But something like this is entirely out of my comfort zone, and the only reason why I’m agreeing to do it is to rule out anything serious.

Hey so I just joined to ask if anyone has the same problem see I’m a white girl and my vagina is brown and “saggy” but I don’t get it cause I’ll see porn on here and it’ll be people with the same vagina as mine and there will be comments like “she’s been ran through.” Or “disgusting slut.” Cause like I’m a virgin I don’t get it is there anything I can do to lighten it up?????

I have ADHD and hormonal issues and for the longest time I couldn't get a single doctor to take me seriously. I had symptoms, I had patterns, I had years of data in my own head and I would walk into appointments and walk out with nothing.What I eventually realized (10+ years of feeling dismissed) is that the way I was describing symptoms and the way doctors process them are completely different languages. I'd say "I feel exhausted all the time." They're listening for duration, frequency, what makes it worse, what it's ruling out. When I started showing up with everything organized with timeline, labs in context, one specific ask appointments started going differently. Not because my symptoms changed. Because I stopped hoping they'd connect the dots and started connecting them for them.I've started helping other women do the same thing before appointments, especially women dealing with thyroid issues, PCOS, hormonal stuff, and chronic conditions that tend to get dismissed. If you have an appointment coming up and you're tired of leaving with nothing, DM me.

The system isn't going to fix itself. But we can get better at making it work for us in the meantime!!

So I went and saw my primary care doctor today. I thought it was a yeast infection because I was having a lot of itching and burning but it didn't have the discharge. She informed me that she suspected it was BV and we did the testing and it confirmed it. So I started antibiotics today. I just took the first dose. However this itching is brutal. I thought itching from yeast infections was bad. It was so bad that My best friend asked if I needed to pee because I couldn't sit still. I told him no it's because of this. What can I do to help with this itching. I need to get some sleep but every time I try I am just so itchy. Please help

Hi all,

I'm almost 19 now. Even when im aroused i cant insert anything, my finger tip doesnt even go in, it just pushes the flesh back and ive tried different positions, it just hurts. I also feel my pelvic bone ending right where my vag slit ends too.

I looked at a mirror and couldnt find any hole either. I do get my period (every month, for maximum 2 days) so there has to be a hole, but even when im aroused i cant find anything.

I also took a picture to get a closer look. right below my clit theres flesh and then a slight dip (assuming thats the pee hole) and then a big ball (same color as my flesh) bulging out and then the flesh connects back to my skin.

I went to the obgyn when i was 17 (and I talked about this sometime ago on a sub but then got a lot of rude comments)

Buuut anyways, I went to the obgyn because one day a lot of brown liquid gushed out (i wasnt on my period), and even now sometimes i just have clear liquids leaking out (which arent like any types of discharge i get).

I told the gyn about it and how im also unable to find a hole let alone insert anything. The only thing she told me was when you get married, it'll be fine (she didnt have a look or anything).

Since then i've moved countries but im still not confident enough to go to a gyn again unfortunately.

and also pretty desperate to find a hole lol, any help?

On a trip to Japan recently I noticed a big difference in my period symptoms while using US Always pads vs. a random convenience store brand I had picked up there. When wearing the Always, my cramps were awful and the flow was quite heavy. Switching to the Japanese brand, I noticed my flow was much lighter and cramps were almost nonexistent. I’m not trying to tinfoil hat here and demonize the American pads by default, but I wanted to see if anyone had similar experiences with Asian pads or any other country’s in comparison to American ones. Any insight on what could be causing this would be much appreciated as well!

Hi! I am 17, and recently had sex on Sunday.

It was my first time, and unfortunately, the boy who I engaged in the act with “does not like using condoms,” so we did not use one. I know that’s not the smartest idea for me to go through with, but I am getting tested in a couple weeks, so it’ll all be handled, and I’ll make sure not to do that again.

Maybe this information could be crucial to the advice im looking for, so that’s why I am telling you, but on to my main point, ever since then (today is Wednesday), my vagina has been REALLY sore. He went really hard, and forced his way in instead of partaking in more foreplay since this was our second attempt at trying to get him to fit inside of me completely.

This hurt a LOT, and even though he was trying to comfort me, he never really tried to slow down, even once intercourse started. This did feel good the more we went on, but the next day, I realized he should’ve gone slower.

Monday morning, I woke up with nothing besides a lower abdominal stomach ache.

Tuesday morning, I woke up with even more stomach pain, a bloated stomach, and I bled quite a bit. The bleeding stopped after about an hour, but the stomach pain lingered into today (Wednesday).

The pain today is much more tolerable, but I am still bloated, and my vagina is really sore.

Could this pain be from my period that is approaching next Tuesday, or is this all in relation to the rough intercourse?

Any advice helps since I am not very comfortable coming to my mother with this since she does not know I am sexually active…

NOTABLE INFORMATION: I do not have any change in discharge (it is still clear, with no odor), my vagina didn’t experience any changes in smell, I peed about 3 hours after sex and showered following after that while cleaning around my vulva with only water, no extreme bleeding, and there are no bumps or physical changes to the appearance of my labia/downstairs region in general.

Hello,

Sorry I’m not sure if this fits here, but I’m so miserable and desperate for answers. I’m F25, and I’ve been getting bad flu-like symptoms every 4-5 weeks, lasting at least one week. It ALWAYS starts the same way, very tired for a day, which i tend to just assume it’s from gym training, but then the tiredness doesn’t go and I immediately get hit with a sore throat and bad dehydration even with taking electrolytes. I get flu symptoms soon after for at least 7 days (coughing either dry or productive, headache, exhaustion, tired legs, shakes and weakness, breathlessness even with inhalers for mild asthma that i take every day, and warm head and chest).
I recover and then get hit again the following month. I THINK this has started in September, when i was sick for 2 weeks during/immediately following a traumatising and sudden breakup with my ex when I found out he was entertaining other women. I also had to move to another gym from the gym that I loved, and was applying for jobs after finishing my dissertation. I was sick a little bit in oct, then had a break before getting VERY sick for 2 weeks needing antibiotics when I went through a second and final breakup with my ex. I did however get sick badly before this I believe every other month or so, but not bad enough to disrupt my life as it is right now.

I have been on allergy meds since 2021 when i got diagnosed with allergy to high grade grass and weed mix, and an immunoglobulin E count of 307. This was 5 years ago though. I train Muay thai 4x a week and lift weights when i can, but lately I’ve been too sick and it ends up being maybe 3x Muay thai a week no lifting when im healthy, though others at the gym train even more than me. My diet is very clean, but when I get sick like this i do think “what’s the point” and eat fast food as well as home cooked. I wear a mask on public transport, but now don’t even commute to work as it would drain me, **I literally only go to the gym, food shopping, and seeing friends maybe once every other week**, and still get sick this often. My room is all clean, we have no carpets and removed things that could store dust, no mould, and i bought an air humidifier last week.

I have had two blood tests, nothing standing out - the first only showed slightly low b12 and ferritin which the GP has given me some supplements for, and high creatinine but I think this is because I’m so dehydrated when I get sick. The second test was for diabetes and acute glandular fever, both negative. I plan to ask for an ANA test tomorrow, but I’ve been reading up on ME/CFS which feels possible as does a reactivating Epstein barr (maybe from when I overexert in gym by doing double sessions? Is this possible?). My Vit D and thyroid are completely fine. I had Covid in 2021 and I think glandular fever in 2020, but wasn’t tested. I do weigh a lot (90kg) and struggle to lose weight, am 5’9, if that could be relevant - though I have thought it’s just muscle from when I lifted weights the past 2 years.

I just really want to know what this is. It disrupts my life so badly. My mum is convinced it’s because I have a negative mindset and I need to go on more walks (but I try to tell her that I’m a very happy person, but getting my life and training reset every few weeks would make anyone depressed). I can’t envision myself living like this for even another few months, i cry so much when I get bedridden and I take so many precautions to avoid crowds and keep my hands clean all the time. Has anyone please had something like this?

Thank you for reading if you got this far

Ladies be very careful and aware. I can't believe I did this. I feel so ashamed. For months I've been having BV symptoms and trying to treat it. I became frustrated overtime and embarrassed. Today as I was shaving my area, I stumbled across a tampon. I couldn't believe it.

I was able to take it out. I have been faithfully taking probiotics and eating yogurt and taking care of my downstairs so I think I'm fine. But OMG this whole time that's what it was. Ladies be sure to check and make sure you don't have a tampon still in there.

I don’t want to hear about why I should just take birth control. I don’t want to.

Hi so I woke up with my armpit hurting and I started to feel around and I felt a small bump inside and it hurts if I press down on it and I’m a hypochondriac so I’m overthinking and thinking it’s cancer, what is it and what do I do? Should I avoid wear deodorant? but I don’t wanna smell. Please help😞

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Hi all, I'm F20 and have a few questions. I'm embarrassed to be doing this, but.

My period has lasted for 3 weeks, going on four. Not just spotting, but actual blood. It's also been black, almost tarry. Is this normal?

EDITED TO ADD: I'm on birth control and have been since I was about 13. This is the fourth type I've tried due to side effects and/or inefficiency. I have an obgyn but she's booked up until September. I also have a family history of cysts but have never had any myself, to my knowledge.

About a week ago I drank a strong coffee on an empty stomach after not having caffeine for a long time, and ever since then I’ve been having severe symptoms that honestly feel like a panic attack that never stopped.
It started with a racing heart, chest tightness, shortness of breath, feeling like I couldn’t breathe or swallow properly, shakiness, nausea, adrenaline surges, twitching, and just this overwhelming feeling that something was seriously wrong with my body. The weird part is it doesn’t even feel mental. It feels completely physical.
Now it’s been a full week and I still have these symptoms every day. Once or twice a day I suddenly get hit with intense episodes again. Even small things like walking down stairs, standing up too fast, or slight movement can make me short of breath and trigger it.
I genuinely thought I had a heart problem, so I got scans, tests, chest x rays, etc. and they told me everything looked normal. Then I went to my doctor and he said it could be an issue with my nervous system or hypothalamus being overstimulated.
I honestly don’t know what to do because it feels like I triggered something in my body that won’t go away. It’s ruining my quality of life at this point because every day feels like being stuck in fight or flight.
Has anyone else experienced something like this after caffeine or stress? Did it eventually go away? I feel really alone in this.

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To all the women out there, Are you happy with your body???? I weigh 55kgs and I am 5ft. I just feel so terrible about my body. Nobody has said anything to me about this but I feel so bad and terrible about my own body.

I am 21 yrs and all my friends are in so good shape and me!!!! I have saddle bags, lower tummy, big thighs with fat and saddle bags and my hands are with fat and I have big round face (potato face) and I feel like I don't have proper body shape, I look like some ginger maybe (body shape), and I have receding hairline and got specs and full dark circles with fair skin tone and have scars and pimple on my face and I got huge neck hump (which I hate), no one has ever complained or taunted me about all this. These are things I have noticed in myself and I am doing nothing. I have become more lazy and I feel like let's become more fat and ugly and let ppl hate me idk, something rubbish things like this come to my mind and I feel I should become fat and fat and ugly..... I don't fit into normal clothes, they don't look good on me, like sleeveless and shorts and crop tops. I look like baby elephant when I try on such clothes. How do I get over all this. All the time I search how to get over these, watch some videos and repeat the same unhealthy habits.

Help in the sense ,I need emotional support and how you over came if you went through this

I'm kind of scared that I have a yeast infection but I don't know if I should be worried because I don't have any of the usual symptoms except for my discharge looking like cottage cheese. i also don't know if it's bc my period is coming up but my discharge has never looked like that. do yeast infections go away on their own? should I be worried ?

Hey everyone,
So I’m a 25F virgin and I just attended the appointment for my first ever smear test.

I was already feeling extremely nervous because not only have I never had penetrative sex before I haven’t done ANYTHING but as soon as the nurse inserted the speculum into my vagina it hurt, everyone told me it was a little uncomfortable but not painful. I panicked, I cried and stopped the procedure. It’s even uncomfortable, painful even for me to insert a tampon so I use pads instead.

I bled afterwards and the test was not even completed.
I guess I’m posting this to see if it’s normal ? Or looking to validate my experience? I don’t know but that was quite a traumatic experience.

About a week ago I started getting vaginal itching, white discharge, redness, skin irritation and splitting. I ended up going into an urgent care, and the doctor said it was most likely BV, but took a swab sample for a lab to confirm. He also gave me a script for metrogel to treat.

The medication has been working, as I’m about 95% better now, but they just called me with the lab test results saying that everything came back clear.

How is that even a thing?