Tips and thoughts

Sore After Sex: Why It Happens, How Long It Lasts, and What Helps

Sore after sex? Usually friction on tissue that wasn't moist enough, a long session or a product your skin didn't like. Why it happens, how long soreness lasts, swollen labia,...

Does Birth Control Cause Vaginal Dryness? Plus Stress, Antihistamines and Other Causes

The pill and the shot can lower free estrogen and testosterone enough to leave you drier. Stress, antihistamines, antidepressants and antibiotics can too. How to tell which one is yours...

Can Antibiotics Cause a Yeast Infection or BV? What Helps After a Course

Antibiotics thin out the Lactobacillus that keeps yeast and BV bacteria in check. Why it happens, how common it is, how to tell yeast from BV, and what actually helps...

Can You Use Lube While Pregnant? What's Safe, What to Skip, and Why Dryness Happens

Yes, lube is safe in most pregnancies. What to look for (water-based, glycerin-free, low osmolality, pH 4-5), what to skip (oils, warming and flavored lubes), and why vaginal dryness during...

Itching after sex: lube, condom or semen allergy, or yeast and BV?

Itching after sex is most often irritation or an allergy to something that touched your skin: lube, condoms, spermicide or semen. How to tell a reaction from yeast, BV or...

Burning pee after sex: irritation, a UTI, or an STI?

Burning pee after sex is usually irritated skin from friction, dryness or a lube, condom or spermicide, not a UTI. How to tell irritation, a UTI and an STI apart...

Can You Have Sex With a UTI? Is It Contagious, and How Long Should You Wait?

You can have sex with a UTI, and it isn't contagious like an STI, but it can make symptoms worse. Why, how long to wait, sex on antibiotics, and how...

Silicone Lube vs Water Based: Which Is Safer for Your Vaginal Microbiome?

Water-based or silicone lube? Both can be gentle or harsh. What matters is osmolality, pH and additives. Here is how they compare for the vaginal microbiome, condoms, toys and cleanup.

Why does my discharge smell like ammonia? Ammonia vs metallic smell down there, and what each means

An ammonia smell down there usually comes from urine or sweat broken down by skin bacteria, not from the vagina itself. Less often it is BV or trichomoniasis. A metallic...

Brown discharge or bleeding after sex: friction, old blood, or a reason to get checked

Brown discharge or spotting after sex is usually old blood from friction, dryness or a sensitive cervix. What causes it, what helps, and the signs that mean you should get...

White Buildup Under the Clitoral Hood or in Labia Folds: What It Is and How to Clean It

That white, pasty buildup under the clitoral hood or between the labia is normal. What it is, why it smells, how to clean it gently, and when it is yeast,...

Pad rash: why pads cause it, how to treat it, and when it's something else

Pad rash is irritant contact dermatitis from heat, moisture, friction and blood or urine on vulvar skin, occasionally an allergy to fragrance or adhesive. What it looks like, why pads...

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