First, smells from your vagina or genitals are completely normal and may be because your vagina's pH balance changing, dehydration, sweat, sex, and other causes. This can be especially true as a teen. If it is a fishy odor, this may be a sign of bacterial vaginosis, which is super common and simply caused by an imbalance of the healthy bacteria in your vagina. The risk of this infection can be higher if you are having sex. If you have a fishy smell that is bothering you, we r

Pregnancy is a natural, but large, change for your body that does increase stress on your body. It causes physical, hormonal, and other changes to your body that can have lasting effects on your body, including putting stress on your body that can have negative effects in the long-run. However, like stated, pregnancy is natural and your body is made to adapt to it. While it can have lasting impacts, like any major bodily change, it is a natural process for your body. To make

If you miss your period, you can get a pregnancy test to see if you are pregnant. If you are on birth control, you may not get a period, depending on the type, so be sure to talk with your doctor so you know the effects. If you recently had sex and are concerned about pregnancy, but have not missed a period yet, do NOT test for pregnancy, as the test will not be able to tell you yet and will likely be negative. Once you have missed your period, you can use a pregnancy test to

Sex, especially penetrative sex, such as when a penis is inserted into a vagina, can cause some slight discomfort or extra discharge the following day. This may be because of the friction caused by sex, which can cause irritation in the vagina or genital area. Extra discharge may also be normal, from your body producing lubrication during sex. If these symptoms continue, or get worse, you should talk with your doctor. While these symptoms could also indicate something like an

No, you cannot get pregnant from swallowing cum (ejaculate from a penis). To get pregnant, the semen in the sperm has to enter the female reproductive organs and fertilize the egg. The only entrance to the uterus is through the vagina. If you swallow cum, then it will simply go through your digestive track and your body will get rid of it. Your digestive track is is not connected to your reproductive organs, so you will not get pregnant. To learn more about pregnancy, visit..

If you want to know if you are fertile (able to produce a baby), you would need to see a doctor to confirm. They can run tests, on male and female patients, to see if you are fertile. For people with vaginas, having a regular menstrual cycle (bleeding about once a month) while not on birth control is a good indication that you may be fertile. However, without a fertility test, you will not be able to know for sure. If you have concerns, please visit your doctor!

A lump on your labia (the folds of skin on the outside of female genitals) could be caused by many things! It could be something minor, though uncomfortable, such as an ingrown hair or cyst. It could also be a sign of an infection, whether it be an infected cyst, or an STI such as genital herpes. Things like cysts and ingrown hairs can resolve on their own, and should not cause too much discomfort if they are not infected! While a lump could be many things, these are the most

While there may be a smell from your vagina at times, if it is a strong, bad odor, and especially if you have other symptoms such as thick, colored discharge or pain, there is a good chance that you have some kind of infection! This could be an STI, whether it be what we test for at Violet or another STI, or it could be another infection such as a bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, or something else. These are common and easily treated! If you have a strong odor and other

No, you do not have to have vaginal discharge for you to have an STI! In fact, many people who have STIs have no symptoms at all, or have symptoms much later after picking up the STI. Because you could have an STI with no symptoms, it is important to get tested regularly! You can get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea (2 common STIs) with free, at-home testing at violetproject.org/the-violet-kit, or visit your doctor, or a local STI testing site, to get more extensive testing

If you feel tingly around your vagina or genitals, there could be many causes. You might have irritation from your underwear, dryness, a yeast infection, a UTI, an STI, or other infection. It may come with burning, itching, vaginal discharge, or other symptoms. If the sensation does not go away in a day or few, or is causing a lot of pain or discomfort, you should see a doctor so they can tell you what the cause is and help get you treatment if needed!

An odor "down there," or from your vagina or genital region, can be caused by many different things! Odors are common and could simply be normal sweat and bacteria. However, if it is an ongoing, bad smell, this may be a sign of infection. Even if you have never had sex, you may have other types of infections! For example, yeast infections, which may cause a sort of sweet smell, or bacterial vaginitis, which may have a fishy odor, are both common. These can be caused by douchi

While green, clumpy, or any kind of abnormal discharge from your vagina may be a sign of STDs, it can also be a sign of other infections. One common possibility is a yeast infection, which can cause this type of discharge. It could also be a sign of another bacterial infection. Or, you may have an STD and not be aware of it. If you have abnormal discharge, such as it being green, thick, clumpy, or having a bad odor, go to see a doctor immediately! They can test and see what t

While it should not hurt to pee after sex (and it is always recommend that you do pee after sex!), it does not automatically mean any one particular thing. Burning while peeing, after sex or at other times, can be caused by many things. For example, it may be because of vaginal dryness, friction, rough sexual activity causing tiny cuts, or even an allergy to latex condoms or other products you may be using. However, burning while peeing may also be a sign of a UTI (urinary tr

While we cannot tell you online if you are pregnant or not, your period being 1 day late does not necessarily mean you are pregnant! Your period can change month to month for many reasons. For example, stress, exercise, regular hormone fluctuations, and other factors can affect when your period comes, how much you bleed, and the amount of discomfort you feel. So, if your period is 1 day late, this can be totally normal without being pregnant. However, if you had unprotected

Bumps on your penis can be caused by a lot of different things, not just STIs (sexually transmitted infections)! One common possibility is something called pearly penis papules. They are tiny bumps that appear on your penis, usually in a ring around the head that about 1/3 men get. They are harmless and cannot be transmitted to other people. While this is one potential reason for these bumps, we cannot confirm if this is the reason for you over the internet! If you are experi

While spotting (bleeding a little bit between periods) and longer periods may be inconvenient, they are not an immediate cause for concern as there may be many reasons for these symptoms. If you recently started getting your periods, they may be more irregular in length and time between bleeding, and you may have some spotting. Additionally, if you just started on hormonal birth control (e.g., the pill), you may experience spotting and changes in your period. However, this bl

Your mood being affected around your period is a common occurrence for people who menstruate, as your body and its hormones are changing throughout your cycle. Depression is a common feeling around your period, and is tied to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), or in more severe cases, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Things that can normally help your mental health, such as exercise and plenty of sleep, can help with this symptom too! For more mental health resources, check

PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, can affect your ability to get pregnant and can increase your risk of health complications while pregnant. However, there are treatments to help increase your fertility (ability to get pregnant) and decrease these pregnancy risks! PCOS is a hormonal condition that can affect your fertility. People with PCOS are at higher risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, miscarriage, and other complications during pregnancy. However, just a

The chances of getting pregnant right before you menstruate, or start bleeding, are low, and they get lower the the closer you get to the start of your period. There are 4 phases of the menstrual cycle. The stage right before your period is the luteal phase, which lasts 1-2 weeks and is right after ovulation. The exact number of days of each phase varies from person to person, and even period to period. Right at the beginning of the luteal phase you have a relatively high ris

Technically yes, but the chances are relatively low. While there is always a risk of pregnancy even with birth control, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) does not affect the patch’s ability to prevent pregnancy. The patch is 91% effective with typical use. When starting the patch, it takes up to 7 days to become effective, so after 2 weeks of use it will be acting to prevent pregnancy. To ensure the patch is working properly, make sure it is put on dry and clean skin (i.e., do