It seems like the general consensus online is that vaginal orgasms are somehow superior, yet my experience has been quite the opposite. Because I began exploring my own body at such a young age, my pleasure has almost always been centered around clitoral stimulation; consequently, if I don't reach that specific peak, I’m left with this lingering sense of being "unfinished." While a vaginal orgasm is certainly lovely and carries its own intense quality, it feels like something I could easily follow up with, whereas once a clitoral orgasm hits, I feel utterly spent and hollowed out.
The shape and volume of one's breasts are ultimately dictated by the shifting hormonal tides within a woman's body. In my own experience, I notice every single fluctuation—from the peak of ovulation through the onset of PMS and into my period; they feel entirely different once my cycle finally concludes.
I’ve noticed the same thing—my left breast is slightly larger than the right. It isn't a massive difference, but it's enough that I can definitely tell. This has been my reality since puberty actually began; the left side simply took the lead in development early on. During a recent checkup, my doctor ran an ultrasound and discovered that the left side actually contains three distinct, clear cysts sitting right next to each other, whereas the tissue in my right breast appears perfectly normal and glandular.
In a standard American dictionary, you’ll find "corpulent" defined as someone possessing a large frame—essentially being heavy-set, stout, or rather bulky. The term "corpulence" itself refers to the state of being overweight or having a substantial physical presence.
Though, if I’m being honest, when people speak colloquially in everyday American conversation, they tend to use the concept more to describe anyone who stands out simply because of their imposing physical stature.
Sophia Bishop48 said:Well, if you ask me, that's definitely "safe protection" when you have absolutely zero libido left... Now I’m just sitting here feeling frustrated. :S
Believe me, I went through the exact same thought process... You are 100% protected from an unplanned pregnancy, and you're also pretty much protected from having any actual sex at all, haha.
Maybe try a different brand of pill; perhaps a different formula would sit better with your system..... As for me, I solved my little dilemma by simply walking away from them entirely, and honestly, I wouldn't touch them again if my life depended on it because the side effects just kept getting progressively worse.....
And quite frankly, a good condom is the way to go: it takes him a bit longer to finish, I don't deal with constant infections (which I suffered from incessantly while on the pill), and I no longer live in fear every single month wondering whether my period is actually going to show up or not....
It all comes down to the pill. I was on Dianoval for a full year, and by the end of it, my libido had completely vanished, not to mention the constant issues with vaginal dryness and how painful intimacy became. When you aren't ovulating, your sex drive naturally takes a hit... it might be temporary for some, but in my experience, it wasn't. The longer I stayed on those hormones, the more my desire just withered away.
To be honest, I haven't even reached school age in my memory; I can't pinpoint the exact timeline, but I know for certain I hadn't started yet. My nephew is three years older than me, and his daughter—my niece—is six years ahead of me. So, if I was roughly five or six at the time, he would have been nine and she would have been twelve. In hindsight, they were certainly more aware and far more mature than I was back then. For most of this time, I’ve actually carried the weight of self-blame, praying to God that they believe I simply don't remember, just because I was such a small child compared to them.
As a child, I was possessed by a multitude of grand, sweeping ambitions—among them, the naive dream of marrying a prince and spending my days within the gilded walls of a castle. It was a charmingly foolish fantasy, until the cold, unforgiving weight of reality finally set in and shattered those illusions. It serves as a sobering reminder to approach life with a bit more pragmatism: strive for goals that actually align with your true capabilities and the practical means at your disposal.
I was wondering if someone might be able to shed some light on what an elevated white blood cell count actually signifies. Everything else in my blood work and urinalysis came back within the standard range—even my sedimentation rate sits at 5-8, which is slightly below the typical 10-20 benchmark—but my leukocytes are just a bit higher than they should be. It isn't a massive spike, but it is noticeable. My doctor at the Mayo Clinic is stumped as well; he couldn't pinpoint a specific cause, so he’s sent me off to get various swabs and a urine culture done. Personally, I feel perfectly fine, which only adds to the confusion. Does anyone have any insight into what might be going on here?
I was wondering if anyone might be able to suggest some kind of herbal tea or perhaps something similar on a natural basis to help treat and prevent ovarian inflammation?
Brandon Reyes6 said:So you just had a bad experience with condoms Well, I was with a partner for two years—two whole years—where we didn't use protection, and they were breaking, and I ended up contracting HPV. So, really, you can't determine anything with any certainty regarding whether someone is infected or not unless your guy is strictly innocent, can you?
I understand that feeling. I was with my partner for eight years, and back when I was on the pill, I dealt with constant inflammation and infections. That’s why I always advocate for using high-quality condoms... though I suppose there's some truth to what people say about being more relaxed on birth control since you don't have to constantly worry or plan everything out. But if you ask me, based on everything I went through, I am never touching the pill again.
but that wasn't really me talking—personally, I find sex is better on the pill because I’m just not constantly worrying about everything, which is a huge plus... though I didn't exactly feel this massive surge in desire or anything... I don't know...
I think we might have had a bit of a misunderstanding here... You mentioned your libido was staying steady, or perhaps someone else brought it up, but in my experience, mine plummeted straight down to zero. On top of that, intimacy became physically painful and frankly unbearable due to vaginal dryness. If I had stuck with the MM, I would have ended up having to find someone else just to satisfy the physical side of things.🤣 🤣
brightbear said:No, pay attention—I’ve been on them for four years. I took an eight-month break, and I’ve dealt with clear ovaries too. I’ve switched up two different types, so I definitely have some real-world experience under my belt. (And honestly, that’s exactly what the OP was looking for) It doesn't count as "experience" if someone takes them for two months and then quits.
With birth control, it’s always the same story—you’ve got the girls who hate them and the ones who are totally thrilled... just like me. I don't see why anyone would insist on only highlighting the negative experiences?
I wasn't talking about how you feel while you're taking them; I meant the difficulty of getting pregnant once you stop.
There are probably plenty of women out there who feel totally fine on the pill, but in my experience, there seem to be more people facing complications. Honestly, I used to think I was doing great on them too; at one point, I even thought I’d stick with them past the recommended year. But once I finally quit, I realized just how much better I felt. While I was on them, I felt heavy, sluggish, and constantly exhausted.
And honestly, I envy you having a libido... for me, that vanished along with everything else, and it was one of the primary reasons I decided to get off them for good.
Hermina, you’re just reading back things you’ve heard elsewhere rather than speaking from actual experience; what we’re doing here is talking through the things we have personally lived through...
I went in for an ultrasound after my first real period following the pills, and it turns out I didn't ovulate that month, which led to my cycle being twenty days late. Then there was one month where it arrived right when I expected it—assuming I actually ovulated during that cycle—only for it to skip again the very next month...
I was on them for a full year, mind you; it was my doctor's recommendation, so I wasn't just experimenting on my own accord.
brightbear said:You really have to draw a line between women who were already dealing with issues before they ever touched a pill—things like oily hair, acne, or cysts, which basically means their hormones were already a mess—and women who are perfectly healthy and just start taking them for other reasons.
I mean, if someone is dealing with ovarian cysts, they pretty much have to be on the pill if they want to conceive later anyway. But my point is, a woman who is actually healthy shouldn't be seeing all these side effects... assuming her hormone levels were fine to begin with. For me, life without the pill is a nightmare. I tried taking a break once and immediately came back to minor breakouts, unwanted hair, and those damn cysts... never again. With the pill, I actually feel great. 😍
Exactly, that’s precisely what I’m getting at. You find yourself trapped in this sort of endless loop... you'll inevitably have to stop taking them at some point, and that's when the issues resurface. That's why, honestly, it's better not to start in the first place.
I know a woman who had zero issues before she started—no acne, no cyst problems, nothing like that—and she used the pill strictly for contraception. But once she stopped to plan for a family, everything fell apart; her skin flared up and her hormones went completely haywire. She couldn't even track her fertile window because her cycles became incredibly irregular. Fortunately, things finally stabilized after she gave birth.
It’s not just about that, though. There’s also this underlying idea that it might make having kids easier down the road—basically trying to lower infertility rates. Since the pill helps protect ovaries from cysts and tumors, it’s seen as a safeguard, especially since women in America are waiting much longer to start families these days...
If you truly want to protect your ovaries, the most effective way is to guard against inflammation. And honestly, the best defense against inflammation is simply being selective with partners and using protection consistently. A vast majority of cancers affecting female reproductive organs are linked to HPV, and a condom remains your primary line of defense against that.
In my view, birth control should be reserved strictly for treating conditions like PCOS, ovarian cysts, or specific hormonal imbalances. As I’ve noted before, once you stop taking them, the underlying issues often come rushing back, sometimes even more aggressively than they were before.
I should probably mention that my cycle still hasn't quite found its rhythm again; before I started on the pill, my periods were actually remarkably predictable. At the end of the day, while birth control definitely has its advantages, it feels like the drawbacks are twice as heavy... And don't even get me started on how much better life would be with some decent condoms!
The previous post outlines all the potential benefits of these pills. I would personally add a list of side effects I experienced firsthand; though, mind you, this isn't a universal rule, as every woman reacts differently to hormonal shifts. I originally started taking them to deal with acne, but later discovered they had actually cleared up a large ovarian cyst I was dealing with. The common side effects—things like breast tenderness, bloating, and weight gain—only plagued me during those first few months, and after that, I actually felt quite wonderful for a while. However, as my usage became more frequent, things took a turn for the worse. I began feeling an overwhelming, sudden fatigue; I slipped into bouts of depression, my vision started to blur, and I developed cellulite that I’d never struggled with before. The weight just seemed to cling to me, and I barely survived the summer because I found myself avoiding the sun at all costs. On top of that, I ended up with kidney stones—nothing was ever definitively linked to the medication, but it certainly couldn't be ruled out—my liver enzymes spiked, and my blood work looked absolutely catastrophic. To make matters worse, I dealt with extreme vaginal dryness, which made intimacy incredibly painful, and my libido seemed to dwindle with every single new pack I opened. By the end, even contraception wasn't really necessary because I was increasingly avoiding sex altogether. I ultimately had to stop taking them just to protect my own health. I had read somewhere that once you stop, the very issues you were prescribed the pills for tend to resurface quite rapidly. Fortunately, my acne didn't return with the same intensity as before, but I did deal with unwanted hair growth above my upper lip, along with terrible hair loss and excessive oiliness.
Ultimately, if you decide to start this regimen, you have to go into it knowing there will come a day when you want to quit for one reason or another—and when that day comes, you need to be prepared for the fallout. So, if you don't truly have an urgent necessity to take them, it might be better to just skip it entirely.