#sex ed with propshophannah

[sarah-bae-maas]

Honestly? Bless the sex ed with @propshophannah tag. What a great, inclusive/safe space to learn actual very real and important facts about our bodies. Props to you @propshophannah for teaching people who may not otherwise had access to (or had the thought to think about) that information. Seriously, thank you. 

[ilikebigbooks-and-icannotlie]

What are your favorite blogs? You reblog from so many different ones so I was jw ha ha (LOVE ff&ss btw!!! Please keep writing!)

Aaahhhh!! Thank you thank you! It’s still so weird to me when people say they love my writing, lol, but there will be lots more to come!! 

Oh man, this is such a loaded question anon, you don’t even know - my list of favorite blogs is so long, and I have lots of different ones, and I don’t know how to narrow it down? The categories of blogs are going to be kind of weird, and some will have descriptions and some won’t so just get ready (also be advised that they are in no particular order and that they are not in order of how much I love them because that would be unfair as I love them all in varying amounts for different and many reasons) :

The Squadre - first and foremost, for reasons I talk about often, I love @highlady-casandra @miladyaelin and @shortie-stories so so so much!! If you check my sassacas tag, you’ll see a lot of love for these ladies - the first two of which are wonderful SJM blogs if you’re about that life :)

@frankiefasthands - is one of my oldest and best friends in “real life” (we’ve now known each other for like 11 years, which is kind of insane?) and her blog is always cool, though most of my reblogs from her go to my personal blog, @they-did-the-do

The Hannahs - so these guys are all together because they’re all named Hannah, but that’s pretty much the only similarity between the three of them lol@propshophannah is the SJMaas Hannah, and an amazing writer, and a great person, and really wonderful all around and I love her and her blog so so much - probably my favorite SJM blog, if I had to pick one. But also, if you need life advice, or have a sex ed question that you’re really uncomfortable asking anyone else, she’s probably already answered it, or will happily answer it if you send her an ask, because she’s just the best, and just really positive, oh man, just so wonderful@ignitesthestars (also known as New Zealand Hannah, lol) is also a really great Hannah - her blog is also really wonderful, really happy, really feminist, just generally a good place, always makes me smile :) She’s got AMAZING fic, always my go-to recommendation for people if you’re looking for tgt or soc or pjo fic (or star wars fic, but I’m not personally on that train, but Hannah’s basically the conductor, so), and I just love her so much honestly - her fic is breathtaking, she’s honestly a queen, I lack the words to express it, but oh man she’s great@ananbeth is another FANTASTIC Hannah, and I love her very very much. She’s a fantastic writer, and she’s the reason I’m into Skam (which I recommend to everyone so much, and one of my fave pjo writers, and I just appreciate her a lot. She’s also co-author of the Wimbledon AU (one of my favorite fics of all time), the coming soon “call me percy” AU (which I’m already super invested in), and the coming not as soon Devil Wears Prada AU (which I’m also super excited for). She’s half of an amazing dynamic duo that I adore so much.

The Sophiis - they’re actually the same person, but I follow two of her blogs and love them both for different reasons, so I’m tagging both and highly recommend both; she is also the other half to the above Hannah’s dynamic duo@blackjacktheboss is Sophii’s pjo blog and is honestly a blessing tbh - she’s the queen of AUs and headcanons, and I have literally scrolled through her tags for hours I love her so much omg, she’s captain of the S.S. Tratie and her Ichor Group AU is what I live for and any time her and Hannah play tag, or generally @ each other or write anything, I just cry (any time Sophii writes with anyone, honestly, except Dan, because their angst stresses me out so much - actually that makes me cry too? so yeah any time she writes with anyone I cry)@furbyhater is Sophii’s other blog and it’s basically all sorts of wonderful happy things that make me laugh, and is the reason I caught up to Jane the Virgin, but again most of this is reblogged to my personal blog because it’s not very book-ish, but either way I recommend because it will much joy and happiness to your blogThe rest of the PJO fam - so I have this ridiculous like crack headcanon about these guys, and I love them all a lot, and basically they’re my faves and it’s best when you follow all of their blogs and cry over all of their perfectness@son-of-rome is the self-proclaimed lord of angst but he’s secretly a huge softie ssshhhhh and any time he’s involved with anything it’s bound to give you a small heart attack, whether it be because it’s so beautiful, or incredibly sweet retaliation fluff, or heart-wrenching angst, it’s always great, plus he’s generally hilarious and brilliant so basically I love Dan a lot and him and The Wife are the otp 5ever and anyone who ships him with any of the rest of the squad is automatically wrong sorry I don’t make the rules@percyyoulittleshit is a precious marshmallow and I adore her and Mari is the #1 fan and biggest source for all things tlt musical and if you (like me) are still sobbing over the fact that you didn’t get to see it, then Mari will 100% feel those feels too, and generally she’s just really precious and makes my days better, so 10/10 would recommend Mari’s blog@bananannabeth is  a ray of sunshine and happiness and all good things basically except for when she writes soul crushing angst to fuel dan’s anger but we don’t talk about that and is responsible for some of my fave fics - including the famous percabeth FWB fic, and one of my favorite renditions of everyone’s fave skater!percy AU, and Ashlee’s generally a precious flower so highly recommend!! (She’s also where a lot of my hp content comes from lol)@greenconverses is just ... I’m not sure how to put Jess into words, but she’s the reason I started reading fanfic in the first place, and is honestly super important to me, and she’s a brilliant writer, and generally super cool, and anything she writes is basically magic, so I love her a lot and everyone should check her outAs far as other generally cool pjo blogs go (this is getting super long so this is just gonna be a list sorry :/) - @riptidescap @shanlightyear @suchastart @burdge @lesbabeths @demidorks @cindersart @rongasm @romanitas @flyingcrowbar and so many others are so so so so wonderful!!!! And I know I’m forgetting some because there’s so many but oh man, honestly great people this fandom is surging with talent and love and it crushes my soulThe SJM fam - lol this list has been trimmed down recently - there was a lot of discourse recently, and a lot of mean things were said about a lot of people, so I saw bad sides of a lot of mean people, and so yeah, not the longest list in the world, but I digressFor super wonderful content: @azrielsiphons, @rowan-buzzard-whitethorn, @paperbacktrash, @elidexlorcan, @lu-cien, @salvaterre, @nightcourthighlordrhysand, @highfaedaily, @deathgoddessnesta and  so many more that again I cannot think of off of the top of my head are really genuinely wonderful blogs and really genuinely wonderful people that I recommend so so so much!!!!For super wonderful art: @witchlingsandwyverns, @meabhd, @meabhdbutsexii (lol and just general hilariosity), @charliebowater, @jessdoodlesthings, @projectnelm and soooo many more - this fandom is rampant with super talented artists!! Lots of people make super sick edits, too, but I can’t think of them off of the top of my head and I’m sorry, these are the ones I have notifications turned on for, so I can see immediately if new art is posted, because I’m a loser lolFor general people I appreciate a lot: @rowanismybae, @fictionalcharactersaremyreality, @snaps7, @the-north-star, @throneofstars, and a few others that I’m probably forgetting (and totally apologize for) are super sweet and super cool

The authors - I follow a lot of authors on here, and that’s always really cool! Some good  ones include @sabaatahir @vaveyard @stdennard and @lbardugo, as well as @worldofsarahjmaas which is not actually run by Sarah but is where all new Sarah info comes from. Sarah and Sooz also started a super amazing cool not published anywhere else story together at @thestarkillerscycle, which is super duper good, though not finished, but I still recommend itSPEAKING OF LEIGH BARDUGO!!! - I get notifications for exactly 4 Leigh Bardugo blogs (including Leigh herself, and the previously mentioned Hannah) not because I don’t love her books (I do, lots and lots) but because her fandom generally aggravates me lol so I like casually scrolling past them on my dash, but I don’t want to be notified every time they post. The two big blogs I obsessively check are @zoyalina and @savagekaz both of whom are really on top of edits and fics and such, and Cassie in particular is really strongly invested in tgt, so if you’re about the Leigh Bardugo life, her blog is 100% the place to be. She has also just started reading PJO, so a lot of wonderful edits are coming from her on that end, and it’s absolutely magical.

Okay I think that’s all I can think of off of the top of my head without scrolling through notes and my blog and who I’m following? I’m actually really impressed with myself for remembering this many lol. If I’ve forgotten anyone, I’m so so so sorry!!!!!!! But yeah, here’s a mostly comprehensive list of my faves :) I’m sorry this got incredibly long and is poorly organized to the max :/ Hope it’s helpful? I’m not even checking for typos, so I’m sorry if you’ve reached the end and are deeply offended by any of them - enjoy, lol

[propshophannah]

Hey, so I’m almost 18 and I’ve never used a tampon. I’ve always stuck to pads and tampons kind of scare me. I haven’t had a female role model or just a female older than me in my life for years that I could talk to about this. When I first got my period when I was 11 my dad just kind of awkwardly handed me a thing of pads and I’ve just stuck with them and now that I’m older it’s humiliating to think that I’ve only used pads which are I guess looked down on??? It seems stupid that I’m so 1/

Scared of tampons when I’ve been sexually active for a few years now and it’s not like I’m scared of down there. It’s just I don’t know. I want to start using them but I’m not sure what to get or like where to start or whatever it just all seems low key terrifying and I thought I’d ask you seeing as everyone sees you as like the cool aunt on here 2/2—

Hi Nonnie! First, I totally get that people do look down on pad users, but that’s ridiculous and stupid. Some people physically CANT use tampons. So they use pads. And some people just like pads. Ain’t no thing. We each like what we like and let’s be real—HAVING A PERIOD SUCKS so whatever makes it easier for people is fine by me. No judgement here!

Also, congrats on being sexually active! Its so important for young women to take control of their bodies, explore their own agency, and actively choose to participate in activities that are right for them. And choosing to be sexually actively as a young woman is HARD in society today. So congrats on being empowered and choosing to do what you want to do with your body.

So tampons! I would say start with a variety pack. That way you have: Regular/I’m only bleeding a little bit day tampons, Medium/well damn those underwear are ruined tampons, and Heavy/HOLY SHIT IM BLEEDING OUT IS THIS NORMAL day tampons.

For your first time buying tampons, I’d stick to name brands. Sometime like Always or Playtex or Kotex—whatever speaks to you. Some tampon brands (like Kotex) run bigger than other brands. And for good reason because no two vaginal canals/opening are the same width and one person’s heavy bleeding might be another person’s light day bleeding. So if you have a heavier flow, I’d grab a Kotex variety pack. Tampax are good too but they have a weird wing shape that never seemed to work for me.

Check out this blog post I found! http://m.thesweethome.com/reviews/best-tampons/

If you scroll to the bottom, they have a bunch of pictures of tampons after they’ve absorbed liquid so you can see what they look like. This should help you pick a good place to start!

Hope this helps!

[propshophannah]

hi there! i had my period for around 2 ish years and now my cycle hasn't come yet and it has been over a month. what do i do? i never had sex before so this is creeping me out.

Hi Nonnie! I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. If you’ve never had sex, you’re not pregnant. It’s probably just a normal period being weird. The only regular period is an irregular period. As I always say. LOL. If it persists, like you keep missing your period, then I’d talk to your doctor. Cuz it could be nutrition or something. But if this is just the first month of “oh crap where’s my period?!” Then I wouldn’t worry about it.

But if you go on three months of no period, then it’s time to talk to your doctor. It could be totally normal for you, but you want to make sure it’s not a lack of proper nutrition, stress, an immaculate conception (JUST KIDDING!), or something else. And go to an ob/gyn if you can. They’re way better at vulva and vagina stuff than regular physicians. And they’re way more invested in your cycle health, too. It’s what they do.

Hope this helps!!

[propshophannah]

Hi Hannah, I don't want to just bombard you like this but I feel weird buying condoms. I know I shouldn't because everyone has sex, but I just feel like I'm announcing to the world "hey I'm about to go have sex" do you have any tips on how not to feel weird?

BUFFER ITEMS!

I used to do this with tampons. When I was younger, I couldn’t walk around with just a box of tampons. I had to get a whole cart and fill it with stuff. I’d end up buying all kinds of shit when really all I wanted/needed was tampons. LOL.

So, buffer items. Maybe you get a t-shirt and a loaf of bread. Maybe some toothpaste. Have fun with it. Keep em guessing what you’re going to be getting into.

When I got older, I got to the point where I could talk myself into feeling confident about buying tampons or condoms etc. So reminding yourself you’re being responsible as fuck/A MODEL CITIZEN EVERY PARENT DREAMS OF RAISING/an example to all the young people who are going to see you proudly walking around and buying items for safe sex—all that helps me. You know, BOOST YOURSELF!

And honestly you should feel like a damn superhero. Because if one young person sees you walking around confident af with condoms that could change the way they think/feel about buying items for practicing safe sex.

If you run out of options or none of these work for you….THE BACK UP PLAN:

Pull out your phone. TURN IT ON SILENT! And have a fake conversation with someone about how “your stupid little brother is too embarrassed to buy condoms and is having unprotected sex so while you’re annoyed af at how irritating and stupid your little brother is, you’re the worlds best older sibling for buying his dumb ass condoms.”

Distancing yourself from the items can add a nice layer of confidence.

I HAVE DONE THIS. 😂 It usually starts like “no, you know what I’m doing at (insert time and date)??? Buying Richie some damn condoms—the little shit. He’s been having sex with his girlfriend without condoms. They’re in high school! (Pause like your imaginary friend is talking back) I KNOW! Dude! I said the same thing. (Fake listening pause) well, so I guess she’s on birth control, but that doesn’t mean you don’t use condoms!”

You know. Make it convincing. And funny for the amusement of anyone who might be listening. And eventually one day you’ll buy these items and won’t feel awkward.

OH! Bring a friend who makes you feel cool. We all have that friend who we can pretty much do anything around and feel cool about because they either want to be as cool as us, or they just give us the space to spread our wings and fail and succeed without judgment. Bring that friend to joke around with and feel awkward with you and so you won’t feel so awkward. Safety in numbers. Lol.

[propshophannah]

Hey! So I was looking at the posts about hymen that you made and I never really looked at mine but you made me curious so I checked. So it seems like I have an annular hymen? There’s like skin jutting out in the middle so I thought it might be septated but I could only find one opening and even putting one finger in feels really uncomfortable during and after so idk if it’s annular or micro.. something. Any thoughts?

Hi Nonnie! CONGRATS on looking and exploring your own body! It’s so important for people with vulvas and vaginas to feel that they can know themselves and not be shamed for it! You’re just one more person actively creating a safe space for people to get to know their genitals. SO RIGHT ON!

First: I am not a doctor. So I can not really help you distinguish between the names for the different formations of hymen skin. HOWEVER, I can safely say that, as with all things, the hymen classifications we have are likely LARGELY based on generalizations about how the skin looks. So they’re not indicative of everyone. They’re more like broad categories that most people can/may fit into. 

So the important thing here is that you know about where you fit on the spectrum. And knowledge is power. So you now know why its hurts to use tampons or finger yourself. Therefore you can make an active choice about your one body! Such as:

to slowly and gently start stretching the skin out yourself (to help alleviate any pain if ever you should want to have sexual intercourse, or a sexual encounter with a partner, or masturbate with a dildo or something that you’d insert into your vagina etc.) to improve your overall quality of life.

to seek out an ob/gyn (medical professional) and talk about having a hymenectomy to alleviate unnecessary pain to improve your overall quality of life.

If you really want to know which classification of hymen skin you have, I would recommend making an appointment with an ob/gyn and asking them. This would also open the door for you to discuss with them about options for having it removed—if that’s something you’d like to do. 

I am a HUGE advocate of getting a hymenectomy to improve quality of life! It’s disappointing that people don’t talk about them openly and that so many people with vulvas and vaginas have to suffer unnecessarily with pads (nothing wrong with pads but if you hate them and can’t use tampons because of your hymen skin—that just SUCKS), painful masturbation and potentially SCARRING AND HUMILIATING sexual encounters.

Hope this helps nonnie!

[propshophannah]

Do you have to get an exam down there if you never have and you ask your doctor for birth control? im just a tired teen who has horrible pm, heavy periods, and horrible cramps and I just,,,,,dont feel comfortable going to a gyno yet?

This is a GREAT question for your gyno. Lol.

Idk where you live or what the laws are there for getting birth control. So idk if you can get it at your age without any kind of exam. And different doctors are going to feel out the situation differently. Your age, medical history and family history will all 100% factor into their decision. It all depends.

News Flash: NO ONE feels comfortable going to the gyno. No one. But a good ob-gyn will make you as comfortable as possible.

Just. Go.

Real talk (opinions are overly pragmatic and assertive to a fault): So you have a vulva and vagina—who cares? It’s not some “sacred” or “special” place. It’s not some “secret” to be cloistered and kept “holy” for the eyes of the person you marry.

It’s a sex organ. You piss, shit, bleed, and birth babies within the span of a few inches of flesh that just so happen to all be between your legs. You also get some of the greatest sensations known to human kind from within those few inches too. Gyno visits are not a big deal. Your vulva and vagina are not a big deal.

The patriarchy teaches us to feel ashamed for the anatomy between our legs to the point that most school sex ed programs don’t tell us how to use a tampon let alone when to go to the ob-gyn. We’re taught that discussing periods should make us and everyone around us uncomfortable. And that’s such bullshit. Having a vulva and vagina is not something to be ashamed of. And not being ashamed of something means we take care of it because it��s part of us.

[Now if why physically can’t go to the ob-gyn because you were sexually assaulted and it causes panic attacks/symptoms PTSD, that’s a different story. That requires therapy from a trained professional and a good, trusting relationship with an ob-gyn you may not be able build in just one visit.]

You go to the dermatologist for rashes and zits.You visit the dentist for cleanings and cavities.You see an ENT cuz snot drips down your throat. You let the eye doctor shine lights in your eyeballs and dilate your pupils to the point that it’s unsafe to drive. And you let your PCP’s new nurse stick a needle in your ass cuz holy shit having strep throat sucks.

Why would you think any differently about letting another kind of doctor help you by making sure you’re body is healthy?

And here’s the thing: Your vulva and vagina wont be the first the doctor sees and they won’t be the last. And no one will remember what your genitals look like. You’re just not that lucky.

If it helps, I always tell myself something along the lines of “hannah, would you rather be walking around with cancer and not know it?” To which my answer is always “Fuck. No. Time for this gyno appointment!”

If your periods are bad enough/you get desperate enough, you’ll go. Not trying to be an asshole. But it’s true. People who want help do what they gotta do to get it.

See this post for more: https://propshophannah.tumblr.com/post/159016099613/when-should-you-start-going-to-the-gynecologist

Hope this helps!

[propshophannah]

Hey, I'm 18 and currently in my last year of high school. I havent as of yet kissed anyone or even had a boyfriend and I kinda feel like I am being left behind. I have trouble talking to guys as soon as I like someone I seem to loose all ability to talk. I freak out and go totally tonguetied. I guess what I am asking is how do you even get a romantic partner? The whole concept of even having someone like me back is so foreign and like something that'll never happen. Thankyou for reading this :))

Hi Nonnie! See this post for some of the answers: https://propshophannah.tumblr.com/post/159016798673/im-19-and-i-havent-had-sex-yet-i-leave-for-uni

And then I’ll say this: I think the moment you can be happy on your own and not need a significant other, is the moment one will pop up. We live in a culture that makes us feel inadequate for not having a romantic partner and we are so AMAZING AND WHOLE ALONE!

I don’t think there is a way to go about getting a significant other either. I think popular culture CONSTANTLY shoves that idea at us (especially women 😞) and the real world is just not like that. I mean it works for some people, but in my experience it does not. I think if you like someone and they like you, that getting tongue tied won’t be an issue. They’ll think it’s cute and understand it means you like them. Relationships just happen. Out of the blue. I

I think what no one tells us in romcoms or pop culture is that when we can be happy and whole and focused on ourselves and our goals and the fact that we’re amazing and don’t need anyone to take care of us—that’s when the people we’re meant to be with walk into our lives. And I don’t want to sound like a weirdo or like I believe in love at first sight but you just know. If you know yourself enough to know what you want in your life and how to make you happy, then when you meet a person you could happily spend the rest of your life with—you just know. And it’s not a moment of gooshy-moony-woo-woo head over heels stuff. It’s a moment of gut instinct. You just know.

So try not to fret about it. Society tells us that being in relationships is a big deal and that we have to actively go out and pursue them—and that’s just BULL. SHIT.

Forget every movie you saw where the girl got a makeover then found a man. Forget every movie you saw where the girls went shopping for “the right” outfit or looked for “the right” things to say do or blah blah blah—

You’re not an ornament to be decorated nor a personality to be constructed for the purpose of attracting men. That’s what the patriarchy wants you to think. YOU’RE A WHOLE PERSON! WITH PLENTY TO OFFER! And you should act like yourself and dress like yourself and BE YOURSELF so that when the right person comes along, they see you. Not some carefully curated version of you. You just focus on being you and don’t worry about attracting dudes. The right dude will be attracted to you for you. And it’ll start as a friendship and then move into something more. Seriously. (One day I’ll tell you all a story about my policy of bodily fictions and girls lying about it. LOL)

[propshophannah]

Birth control really overwhelms me. Like I know there is birth control used for acne and to not get your period and not to get pregnant but is there just 1 that's does all that? Stop periods and pregnancy? Also apparently 1 brand will not work the same for a different girl? I'm lost please help!

This is a GREAT question for your gynecologist! 

All birth control prevents pregnancy. If it didn’t it wouldn’t be called birth control….

Depending on your UNIQUE situation (pimples, family history, mental health, other medications, life goals, period goals, lifestyle) an OB/GY can tell you which birth control will work best.

The internet is the EXACT WRONG PLACE to be asking these questions. I’m not trying to be a dick. Honest. But an Ob/Gyn is MEDICALLY QUALIFIED to talk to you about which birth control will work best for you. 

I can tell you, honest to (insert the god/dess you pray to) that I am on a birth control that does it all. But birth controls work differently for different people and NO ONE on the internet is qualified to tell you which one will work best for you. 

Literally when you go to the Ob/Gyn, they will ask if you want birth control. Then they’ll ask a shit load of questions about your lifestyle and birth control options (there are a fuck ton!) and SOMEWHERE in that conversation you’ll mention that you wish you’re acne went away, that you do/do not want your boobs to get bigger, that you do/do not want to skip periods. I’m telling you: Ask your Ob/Gyn. They will have EVERY answer. AND IT WILL BE MEDICALLY SOUND.

If you’re nervous, don’t sweat it. They’re qualified to tell you which ones to choose. You don’t need to research on the internet and find specific ones to ask for—cuz GUESS WHAT? You’re not qualified to choose your birth control. 

Sorry.

And while I’m at it, your conspiracy theorist bff isn’t either. AGAIN. NOT TRYING TO BE A DICK. But I get more asks from people who think the medical community is “out to get them” that it’s almost a trigger. LOL.

If you don’t like/trust your doctor—find a new one! It’s NOT hard. You just ask for a different doctor at the practice, or you go to a different practice. People are so quick to jump to “birth control has bad side effects and doctors are out to make a profit and BLAH BLAH BLAH. Lose those friends/influences, Nonnie. They’re holding you back/not using rational thought. 

if you need some convincing, check out Dr. Gunter’s blog! She is a BAD ASS BITCH QUALIFIED to give advice and with this Goop and Gwenyth Paltrow shit recently her blog has FINALLY gotten the recognition she deserves.

You’re qualified to tell the Dr. what kind type of BC you want. You may want injections or pills or an IUD—whatever. And they’re going to listen to what you want out of the BC and pick the one that lines up with that AND your unique medical history. 

Check out Dr. Jen Gunter’s blog. IT’S EVERYTHING! And make an appt to talk about BC with your Ob/Gyn.

Hope this helps!

[propshophannah]

1/2 Hi! This is the nonie a while back who told you about how my mom reacted when she found out I was masturbating....First of all thank you sm for your advice and support it really helped me :) Secondly, I finally got the courage to talk to my mom about her reaction! I told her that I was offended in the way she chose to react and that I dont think there is anything wrong with doing what I'm doing. I also mention that she knows my brother masturbates, but seems to be fine with it??? But like th

-ats not right! And basically she said she didn’t mean to react that way and that she didn’t care what I did…..which wasnt exactly the reaction I would have preferred but baby steps???? I just hate that women are made out to be “gross” “wrong” or “slutty” for something that guys do all the time and it’s accepted!!!!! LIKE OMG WHAT THE HECK! Anyways thanks for always being willing to answer asks like this. They’ve honestly changed large aspects of my life

[propshophannah]

I keep getting these biggish bumps in my armpits that hurt like hell whenever I move. I get them for like a week or 2 and they disappear for a few months and come back. Should I be worried?

Okay, I am not a medical doctor. Nor is anyone who is going to reply to this post. They will all give you advice and they’re (as am I) entirely unqualified.

I have no idea what you mean by bumps in your armpits. But when I hear that I think two things:

1.) If you’ve got painful zits/acne in your armpits—go to a dermatologist. Their ain’t no reason to suffer when it’s the 21st century and you’re paying for insurance coverage (or it’s free). Chances are there’s a doc your plan covers. Go.

2.) If you mean LUMPS in your armpits, then GO TO THE DOCTOR. Lumps under the skin can be any number of deadly things. It can also just be random, totally benign/normal cysts. But I hear armpit lumps, and immediately think “That’s not good.” Why? You have lymph nodes in your armpits. If they’re swelling, it usually means there’s an infection somewhere. You also don’t want cancer or another kind of infection spreading to your lymph nodes. Just as you don’t want to have cancer of the lymph nodes. Not good. Not trying to freak you out, it could just be cysts—but wouldn’t you want an official medical diagnosis to know for sure? Yeah me too. 

Go to your doctor.

You never know when it could save your life.

Hope this helps!

[propshophannah]

Do you know what could cause my period to be a lot lighter? I've always had a generally pretty heavy flow at least for the 2nd and 3rd day but during my last one it hardly even felt like I was on my period. Do you know what could be causing this? I haven't taken any new medication or anything

So some periods are just lighter than others. Sometimes as we age, our periods can get lighter as well. It’s not uncommon for young people or teenagers to have really awful/heavy periods.

BUT. If your period is consistently too light or stops altogether you need to tell your doctor. Your body is supposed to have a period. If it’s not, something is likely wrong.

Often (but not always) it’s a sign that you’re not eating enough calories/getting the nutrition your body needs to sustain a period (there is a medical term for this that's escaping me rn). A lot of times, young athletes will exercise a lot and not eat enough calories to balance the calories they’ve expended. This is NOT a good thing. (It can also happen to non athletes. Anytime you’re not eating enough calories for the body to function normally this can happen.)

So I’d say talk to your doctor. It can’t hurt, ya know? If your body can’t produce a period, or if your period gets really light on it’s own something is going on.

Better to know what’s going on than wait until it’s too late. You don’t want to wake up at 20 years old and have osteoporosis or something horrible like that. So talk to your doctor.

[propshophannah]

Hi Hannah, I have a sexual health-related question for you. When I went through puberty, I grew fine hair between my breasts and a few thicker hairs on and around my areolas. Is this normal and did this happen to you? I'm very shy so I've never asked anyone about it. It's bothering me especially since the dark hair constrasts greatly with my light/medium skin. Thanks for taking your time to help me. You are probably the most non-judgemental and helpful ~sexpert~ I know.

Hi nonnie! And thank you! That was so nice of you to say.

I think I might need more context. I’m assuming you have a vulva and vagina too. So let me know if that’s wrong!

So it’s totally normal to have hair on your nipples and chest/your entire body! We are mammals! We come with hair. If the hair it normally light/blonde and you now have it coming in darker/brown that’s normal. If the hair is thick, as in whisker or armpit/pubic hair thick (or somewhere in between), then I’d say that’s not necessarily normal. But nationality can play a role in this too. Some people have thicker, darker hair in places white people wouldn’t get thicker, darker hair.

But if the hair is what you would consider to be whisker thick or armpit/pubic hair thick, then it could be a sign that of a hormonal imbalance. Sometimes women can get dark chin or facial hairs and it’s just that they might have more testosterone than other women. It’s not a bad thing. It just happens.

A visit to the doctor can usually help. There are all kinds of medications and treatments available to prevent or deal with these kinds of things. Also, puberty is ROUGH. So this could be a problem that goes away on its own. I’d recommend talking to your primary care physician or if you have a vulva and vagina, I’d talk to your gynecologist. Ob/gyns are usually great for this sort of thing.

I hope this helps!!

[propshophannah]

I've recently started trying to use tampons instead of pads. My mum got me some mini/light ones that I tried using the other day. But I usually have quite heavy flow and I bleed right through the tampon, like there was blood on the string in 2hrs. Do I need bigger tampons or just more absorbent or a different type or what? I thought maybe I didn't put it in far enough? How far in is the tampon meant to go? Ive had sex so I'm not worried about pain when inserting or whatever.

I’m sure you put it in fine. The directions are on the box and it’s not hard. You shouldn’t feel it once it’s in. If you do, it’s not in far enough.

Bigger tampons usually means more absorbent. Just get ones that say stuff like “super” or “super plus” or “heavy days” etc. Those are all indicators that a tampon is made for heavy flows.

Side note: sometimes even the heavy day tampons get bloody in no time at all. Sometimes you just got a heavy flow. Other times you pull it out and only one side of the tampon got bloody and bled through and you’re like “WTF. What a waste of my money!” It just happens.

Sometimes there is blood on the vulva of around the vaginal opening that stains the tampon string just after you put it in. So sometimes the tampon isn’t actually leaking.

So try tampons made for heavy flows. Idk where you live, but in the USA Kotex makes the biggest tampons I know of. Their “super” and “super plus” tampons are pretty absorbent. But if you have a heavy flow even they can be used up in an hour or two. That’s not uncommon btw. To bleed through a tampon in a short amount of time. Just change it. Also check the package for how frequently the tampon company recommends changing their tampon. You don’t want to get sick.

Hope this helps!

[propshophannah]

Hey! Every girl at my school gets cramps before their periods except for me. Is there something wrong with me?

No. There is nothing wrong with you! I’m the same way. Before birth control I had NO idea when I’d get my period. I’d keep track on a calendar and count the days and I’d still have no clue about when I’d get it. It got to the point that I’d start wearing tampons before I got my period because the stress of not knowing was too much for me to handle. So you’re perfectly fine! And probably lucky. In my opinion, the less cramps the better!