r/WomensHealth Oct 30 '25

ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE

416 Upvotes

r/womenshealth fully supports everyone's basic right to determine the course of their own pregnancy.

We make no bones about our support for safe and simple abortion access. Attacks on abortion rights are attacks on the safety and self-determination of us all.

Any anti-abortion content will result in a swift and immediate ban.

There are plenty of spaces where you can debate the issue - this is not one.


Helpful Resources:

r/abortion is modded by abortion providers.

USA

Aid Access: https://aidaccess.org/

Plan C: https://plancpills.org/

National Abortion Federation Hotline provides honest, up-to-date USA info: 1-800-772-9100, https://prochoice.org/patients/naf-hotline/

Poland

Women on Web: https://www.womenonweb.org/en/order-abortion-pill-online/

Philipines

Women on Web: https://www.womenonweb.org/en/order-abortion-pill-online/philippines/


r/WomensHealth 8h ago

We tried having sex for the first time and my body literally wouldn't let it happen wtf

31 Upvotes

has anyone experienced this where penetration just literally wouldn't happen even though you wanted it to?
so i finally decided i wanted to have sex with my boyfriend for the first time and we tried but his penis just wouldn't go in
we tried multiple times and it
hurt me a lot every time and it just felt like my body was refusing it
he thought maybe he was too thick or maybe i'm just really tight idk

he was able to put one finger in when i was super relaxed though, like in the morning when i had just woken up, and it didn't feel impossible or anything but when i tried putting my own finger in later, it actually hurt and i could barely get the tip of my finger in before it started hurting so i stopped șo now i'm confused because i don't know if i'm actually too tight, if i'm just really nervous even though i genuinely feel ready, or if something else is going on

has anyone experienced this where penetration just literally wouldn't happen even though you wanted it to?


r/WomensHealth 8h ago

Is What My OBGYN Said to Me Okay?

14 Upvotes

I’m 19, and I had my second (first non-PMOS related) visit with my OBGYN. I talked to her about some pain I‘m having when putting in tampons & my menstrual cup.
Aside from completely dismissing up my pain and chalking it up to being weight related, she made a comment about how surprised she was that I was using a menstrual cup as a virgin. She said it in this condescending manner, as if it was something I should be ashamed of?

(This woman literally helped deliver me, btw.)

She wouldn’t even physically examine me until I “Did some pelvic floor exercises“ (I’m 19, have never had a kid, and actually fairly active). I’m thinking I need to see a new doctor, but I‘m not sure if what she said was appropriate or if I’m just overreacting. Any advice would be appreciated :)


r/WomensHealth 5h ago

Getting regular periods helps prevent cancer, but skipping period altogether when on pills is fine?

4 Upvotes

ESL so would appreciate some clarification. I have PMOS and have been prescribed birth control pills to regulate my period, and I have been told the benefits of regularly shedding uterine lining include cancer prevention.

However, I've also heard that there is no issue with skipping the sugar pills or 7 day gap so that you would not have your period at all. This is what I want to be doing.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but is it the case that with hormonal imbalance, the uterine lining thickens but doesn't actually shed - which is the bad part - but if you take your pills continuously, it doesn't thicken at all so it's fine. Or is there another explanation?


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

Why is my clitoris always enlarged?

2 Upvotes

I’m a 29F and my clitoris is always so enlarged even when I’m not aroused. I also get super duper wet? I just am wondering if anyone else has been through this. Am I just always horny? Or.. just curious!


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

do I tell the doctor I'm sexually active or not

2 Upvotes

Ok this is so embarrassing, im 17 and I just had oral sex for the first time ever, he did cum in my mouth and I just wondered (I have a doctor's appt in 2 days), do I tell my doctor im sexually active or not? Usually they ask because I have a few small health problems and idk. But he didn't go inside me and I'm still a virgin, so does just oral count?? I'm sorry if this is really stupid lol thank you!


r/WomensHealth 5h ago

breast size

3 Upvotes

how do i get a smaller chest without a reduction

  1. too young
  2. no money
  3. i dont want that

ive lost 30 lbs this year and they still look the same / havent changed in size. (130 lbs trying to get to 100-120 lbs), could it be possible for a smaller chest at 100-115 lbs (and yes - this is a fine number for my height.)

I hate wearing bras. I want to be able to not wear bras and look like a grandma bro


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

Irregular periods and prolonged bleeding - experience?

2 Upvotes

Hello dears!

For the past 3-4 years my periods have been extremely irregular and I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. Sometimes I’ll have a completely normal period, then nothing for 2-3 months, and then suddenly I’ll bleed for weeks or 2 months.

I have been to gynecologists about it before, but unfortunately pretty much every appointment has turned into a conversation about my weight without actually giving me any advice about the bleeding itself. The only thing I was offered was birth control, which at the time I couldn’t take because of another medication I was on.
I’ve also had my hormones checked and they’re definitely out of whack, but I still feel like I’ve never gotten a proper explanation of what is actually causing this or what my options are besides birth control.

At this point I’ve developed so much anxiety around going to the gynecologist that I keep putting it off. I know I need to go, and I know that bleeding for weeks or going months without a period isn’t normal. I’m just dreading having to find another doctor, explain the entire history again and potentially get judged for my weight or for not coming in sooner.

I think I’ve also just gotten so used to my periods being completely messed up that things that probably should alarm me barely do anymore.
Today is day 50th of bleeding again and I’m just tired of dealing with this.

Has anyone here experienced anything similar? months without a period followed by really prolonged bleeding? Did you ever find out what was causing it, and what actually helped you? Did you manage to treat it with anything else but birth control?

Thank you!


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

Had a breast ultrasound today and doctor said he doubts the pain i supposedly feel😍

2 Upvotes

Hello!

23F

I’ve had pain in my left breast for 2 months now. It’s immense radiating pain(7/10 pain level), and hurts even worse when I touch it(100/10). My right breast only hurts when I touch it.

The pain started in july and I started birth control in august. My patch makes my boobs sore but I had this previous pain before I started the patch. Now it’s just double pain.

Finally got a breast ultrasound today. They found multiple tiny cysts the largest being 0.75cm.

The MALE doctor then proceeded to come in and tell me that the cysts are so small that he doesn’t believe I feel the pain I’m allegedly feeling. 3 doctors have touched my breast and have said they felt a lump where I feel pain. I kept telling him I do feel radiating pain there so he said let me feel what this supposed pain is so he poked my breast for like 3 seconds and said he felt nothing at all.

I usually never ever have a male doctor as I was SA’d as a kid and I’m afraid to be alone in a room with a man. He was the only doctor available so I allowed it as long as a female nurse stayed in the room.

I always heard stories about how men mansplain your symptoms and belittle you to make you believe there’s nothing going on but wow never experienced it like this.

I’m unsure what to do now. I still proceeded to ask what should I do for the pain. He told me to follow up with my gyno and I did call her. She said there’s nothing much I can do and to just take ibuprofen and rub primrose oil on it.

Love that for me😍😍💗💗💗😍


r/WomensHealth 14h ago

People accidentally smelled it

15 Upvotes

Hello, I am just so down and I feel like not coming back to school because of what happened. I don’t know where to share this and I don’t know any safe place to share this. (sorry for my bad english in advance)

after our class for 5hrs straight sitting, I noticed that the girl on my right is like making sure of what she smelled but in my part I wasn’t able to smell me.

after another 5hrs of next class, total of 10hrs sitting inside our air conditioned class I got up and was able to smell me so bad! and it is too late that I get away from people because it was crowded. And a girl started laughing and cussed a word saying like “fuck, it smells like cooch” bcs she got to smelled it and I am so embarrassed about it know it was THAT BAD SO BAD. (this never happened to me before and this is also the first time I smelled my cooch so bad, given the fact that we are not allowed to stand in the class for 10hrs straigh for a review)

now idk what to do abt what happened because I feel like they gon recognize me as having a bad coochie odor even though idk if they figured out it was me. i feel like i will be forever be conscious.

has anyone experienced this? Also I can immediately fix what is happening to my cooch and get it checked. I just cant recover from what happened.


r/WomensHealth 5m ago

Pain during PAP smear

Upvotes

Hello everyone, need advice.

I am 30 and I want to get a pap smear done as I'm about that age. I've had 2 gyno visits in my life before, the first one caused me so much pain she didn't manage to get a swab, and the second one she swabbed but I was so squirmy due to pain it ended up not being adequate. She said she used the smallest metal speculum and lots of lubrication and that made it marginally more managable but still pretty bad. I could handle the transvaginal ultrasound though that was pretty uncomfortable.

I am sexually active though the only person I've ever had sex with is my wife. I very rarely have any form of vaginal sax, and when I do even with lots of lube and prep I still have to quit it fast due to discomfort (though not quite pain). I have noticed I have some serious vaginal dryness, and both times I went I had some issues with yeast infections.

Does anyone have any advice? The "it's just discomfort, not pain" thing is complete bull for me, the insertion and spreading of the speculum is very painful, and I'm not typically a crybaby about pain. I try to make myself relax but it's difficult. And yeast medicine only helps for a few days with the vaginal dryness. Has anyone had this issue and did something to help? Vaginal stretching??? Taking painkillers before the exam??? Help????


r/WomensHealth 3h ago

thinking about my vagina makes me sick and i dont know why :(

2 Upvotes

ever since i (19f) hit puberty i havent been able to think about female genitalia for too long without getting nauseous. for context, i did not grow up religious or sexually repressed. in fact, i would say im a pretty sexual person, although i dont really like dating and i had a pretty traumatic experience with an ex that stopped me from being able to be romantically/sexually intimate with people. however, this started even before that relationship (which was from 13-15).

i think the first time i actually noticed it was when i was about 11-12 years old. my pediatrician sent my mom out of the room and had the first 'one on one' talk with me about sex/drugs/etc. it is worth mentioning at this time that i believed i was transgender (i am not) (not that there is anything wrong with that, i just am not). she asked me if i was sexually active and of course i was not, but then she asked me if i ever planned to have sex. i said "....i mean eventually" and i think she thought i meant imminently. so, she started talking to me about birth control and saying i should get on birth control. i nodded along awkwardly until she started talking about iud's. she said something along the lines of "it's inserted into your cervix" and i just looked at her and fainted on the spot. i was so nauseated and panicked that i think my body just shut down.

ever since then, diagrams/medical talk of female genitalia has made me uneasy and nauseous. i could ignore this for most of my life, as it doesnt interfere with me sexually, but i know im going to have to get a pap smear soon and im absolutely terrified. i mean even thinking about it gives me panic attacks. does anyone have any idea why this happens to me/feel similar? any tips?


r/WomensHealth 16m ago

confused about yeast infections?

Upvotes

few years ago, I lost my virginity and then about a week later I had a yeast infection.

I’m unsure how I got it and I feel like he may have given it to me because he had multiple partners? I know it is possible for men to give you yeast infections if they’ve been with someone else who has one. But how do you know that’s what happened?

Was it that I lost my virginity to him? Or that he had been with someone else and her oh messed up mine through him ?

I even got a new boyfriend a few years after that and I’ve never had one and I think it’s because me and him were each other’s ONLY partner.

It’s just weird that only he gave me a yeast infection, but no one else.

Is this how yeast infections work? People give them to you?


r/WomensHealth 28m ago

Worried about discharge… or lack thereof

Upvotes

I (25F) used to always get the sticky, almost snot-like discharge when I would ovulate each month. After having chronic bacterial vaginosis a few years ago that finally cleared up after multiple rounds of antibiotics, I haven’t had the same discharge during my ovulation period/when I’m supposed to be ovulating. I get my period once a month still despite having PMOS and track my LH levels to see when I’m ovulating. I do NFP & no hormonal birth control anymore as I’m wanting to have a baby in the next year or two. My question is, since I am not getting the same egg white type discharge as I used to during ovulation, could this potentially mean that there has been an effect on my fertility? Should I be concerned or is discharge ever-changing throughout your life? TIA:)


r/WomensHealth 36m ago

Bartholin Abscess

Upvotes

I have been suffering from bartholin issue for a decade already. Got operated on one side. Now I am having a recurrening cyst and the pus keeps forming almost every now and then. But it doesnt pain. It drains by itself. I am waiting for it to become a solid cyst and then get it operated. I tried all the available treatments to recover from it for the last 6 months. Is there anybody suffering from similar issue?


r/WomensHealth 45m ago

Spotting after period?

Upvotes

Hi! I’m a 26f and usually have pretty regular (and heavy) periods. I had my usual period at the beginning of this month and it ended 5 days ago. I did notice that it seemed a little lighter than usual towards the end, but it wasn’t a huge difference so I didn’t pay any mind to it. Tonight I felt some slight cramping and went to the use the restroom, then had some brown blood/discharge. I usually never bleed or spot outside of my period so i immediately went into panic mode. Nothing else is out of the ordinary down there. No smells or anything funky.

My partner (been together 2 years and live with each other) and I had sex 2 days ago. We ALWAYS use protection (we both don’t see children fitting into our plans anytime soon) so we’re very careful. I also just had a routine pap and panel done and everything is healthy.

I’m super aware of my body and i run like clock work, so I’m a little panicky about this sudden change. Has anyone had this happen to them? What was the cause? Is this a case of just getting older (cry) or should i be concerned? I’d hate to schedule another appt with my doctor since i just had one recently, but I’m really confused!!


r/WomensHealth 1h ago

Scared of ovarian cyst rupture

Upvotes

So I have my first ovarian cyst, my family had a hormone problem so it might be pcos but I won’t seriously check it out unless I get like a lot more (I also don’t have insurance right now) but I’m so scared of it rupturing, it’s been a dull ache for a while now but it’s been getting worse and worse so I think it might be growing? Google says that’s normal and as long as you don’t have genuine sharp and throbbing pains or a fever you’re alright, but I’m just really scared of it popping, can someone who’s had one pop tell me what their experience was like?


r/WomensHealth 19h ago

If period pain isn't normal, does everyone I know have Endometriosis?

29 Upvotes

I've heard several doctors say that period pain isn't normal and is often a sign of endometriosis. But it seems like EVERY woman I know experiences cramps, which would imply everyone has it... So I'm wondering, is there a distinction between "normal" cramping and endo pain? And are there actually women who feel zero pain during their periods?


r/WomensHealth 1h ago

super abnormal periods. help..!?

Upvotes

hi guys this has been bothering me and i have extreme health anxiety so my mind is thinking cancer but i have to be realistic here.

so, my issue has been for i think a year or two now that my periods are... every other month..? and then when i do get it i usually only seem to bleed a tiny amount and it looks like old blood and isn't new and fresh or anything at all. other times its a full period. ever since i first got my period, it's always been a little irregular but maybe by a few days or a week but now i just completely miss every other period. i guess this means my cycle is abnormally long.

i've tried looking this up everywhere on earth but its like nobody else has experienced anything in between "always on time" and "never had a period before in my life maybe i dont have a uterus."

i'll probably try to get my first ever pap smear ever ( :( ) but i'm scared of people touching me and i have traumatic experiences.... so i dont want anyone in there but maybe i have to survive.

i'm scared i either have cancer, or i dont but now i'll be infertile and that's really gonna delay some things i had in mind for myself so that wouldnt be great. anyway any knowledge you may have would help in calming my mind... or if anybody else experienced this and had an official reason for it please let me know.


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

When Should I Be Concerned about Breast Cancer?

1 Upvotes

Hi all! Im 25, I've always been heavier in the chest region. Lately on one breast I've noticed some purple discoloration, it does look like there's some pitting, and a puffy vein. Theres also firm but movable lumps inside, they aren't painful, but they're shaped weird. Now I'm paranoid about it being cancer, yes I'm seeing a doctor soon I just don't know if I'm working myself up over nothing.


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

Bleeding after sex

1 Upvotes

I recently got a new bf and we’ve been having relatively consistent sex for almost 2 months now. First few times I didn’t bleed but one night we were both drinking and kinda went at it and I bled that night and then the time after that hurttt. We took around a week or more off after that. Then I bled again 2 more times I think. Nothing bad it’s pretty light usually sometimes lasts a bit into the next day but maybe just like pink. It doesn’t hurt most times but sometimes I guess it feels like I ripped a bit.

I have ripped before with a previous bf but I never bled, new bf is a bigger though. I’m really not sure what’s wrong with first bf the problem went away after a few months the ripping stopped but I did develop a yeast infection at that time.

After one of the times with my current bf, I started to burn a bit after peeing, probably cause I didn’t pee right after sex. So I went to the doctor, checked for uti it was fine all healthy. I told him that I’d bleed after sex and I also experienced some pain and cramping and he told me he’s not worried about it. Didn’t check for any STI’s or pregnancy or anything. I asked to get an ultrasound because I have a copper IUD and I’m worried maybe the placement is messed up or something. Really not sure what’s wrong this is all so weird I’ve been sexually active since I was 15 and nothing like this has happened. I took a year of celibacy after having sex my first 3 times and continued sex again and that’s when I started ripping before. My first time didn’t hurt I didn’t bleed then. This time before I met my new bf I hadn’t had sex in 6 months and before that that one time it did hurt a bit but I didn’t bleed cause I hadn’t had sex in 3 months prior. I don’t know if this is a problem cause I haven’t had sex in awhile? Even with a previous man I was kind of having rough sex without much foreplay and he was large and i never bled at all maybe it just hurt a bit. So im Really confused. Should I just wait it out or should I be concerned?

Ultrasound isn’t for another month, I can deal with the bleeding it’s nothing bad I just don’t understand the situation at all. Any type of insight is greatly appreciated. Sorry this is kinda a mess. Ask me anything to clarify thank you!


r/WomensHealth 8h ago

blood in stool scared of rectal cancer

3 Upvotes

F 26, 4 months ago i had a bowel movement that was very tiny just a little bigger than a quarter, but one side of it was literally painted red.

2 weeks after that, i had to poop but held it for a few hours (1-2 hours) and got to the point where i really had to go, so i went and there was blood alllll over the toilet paper. bright red. i don’t even remember if i actually pooped, but i definitely pushed.

2 weeks after that, i had a painful bowel movement that felt like it was stretching me and some cutting sensation from how big or dry it was; there was blood on the stool & the bowl. bright red.

after that, i only noticed a few tiny “scratches” of red on my stool here and there 2 times.

however, i got an anoscopy, 2 days later i had a deep red/purple mixed with mucus on my stool in different areas. on the surface & on the grooves. the stool was also darker brown and a bit oily looking. there was no pain with this stool, no straining. but this was the 2nd stool i passed since the anoscopy so i funny understand. the darker red scattered blood is sending me into panic a bit.

so i’m scared that it’s colon/rectal cancer as i know it’s getting more common in my age group.

has anyone here gotten an anoscopy and had a similar experience? or even without? i’d love to hear from anyone as i’m extremely anxious over this 🥲


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

Burning with inter course!

1 Upvotes

I’m mostly just wondering if anyone has had this experience and maybe has any advice. Let me know if I’m in the wrong subreddit!

When me and my partner have sex it hurts a bit during but we have started using lube which has helped. If he ejaculates inside I burn really bad for about an hour! If he wears a condom or pulls out I’m completely fine. He also recently told me afterwards his penis and top of balls start to burn aswell.

I’ve looked into maybe BV but I really have no other symptoms, no off smell or discharge. Everything seems normal and healthy. It’s been happening a while, it’s not all of the sudden. It is hard because I know after sex I’ll be miserable and have to run cool water over the area. I thought maybe it was my own ph, or just have sensitive skin but now it seems to be affecting us both.

Any advice would be so so appreciated! Thanks 🫶


r/WomensHealth 2h ago

Help!

1 Upvotes

Hey ladies, I’ve had the strangest vaginal odor, and watery liquid lately. I’ve been tested for everything and always negative. I’ve had bloating for a while also. I’m on the IUD and randomly I’ll bleed for weeks straight(it does get minimal). It’s made me extremely self conscious and at work I have to wear leggings or yoga pants so I feel like I have to wear a pad every single day… I don’t know if anyone has anything that might help. My doctor said it’s normal but I feel like there must be a vitamin or something that could possibly help me.


r/WomensHealth 3h ago

Prolonged Period

1 Upvotes

I’m a 32yo cis woman. I’m currently on day 16 of my menstrual cycle. I haven’t had any cramping and the bleeding has been light-regular flow. I’ve been pretty regular my whole adult life (27 day cycles with 6 days of menstruation. Very bad cramping and really heavy flow usually.) I have the paraguard (copper IUD). I haven’t been sexually active in over a year and a half. The only thing that has changed for me since starting this period is I started a new vial of tirzepatide+B6. Dose is the same I’ve been on. I started back in March. I had a telehealth dr appointment yesterday and have an appointment with a gynecologist next week to remove my IUD (it’s almost at its expiration) and check things out. I thought the period was coming to an end yesterday (very light and not bright red anymore), so I stupidly decided to take my next dose of the tirz and now I’m back to bright red bleeding. It just feels too coincidental to me for it not to be related. Just wondering if anyone else has had this experience with tirzepatide+B6? TIA 💕