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Hi, I am visiting my boyfriend in 2 months and i have recently been taking the birth control pill Lutera. I was wondering if it is okay to stop taking the pill after my first pack is gone, and waiting a week or so to start taking it again. The reason i'm doing this is because the pills in the last week of the pack do not contain hormones, so when I see him i would be on those, and I'd have my period. So if i dont start my second pack for a week, I wont have my period when i see him.

is this okay?

With the pills that contain no hormone (often called sugar pills) you don't actually have to take them. They contain nothing that make the pill effective and are only there to keep you in the habit of taking the pill each day. There are 7 of them because this is the week you should have your period and it can last up to 7 days. Now if you will remember to start the hormone pills on time then skipping the sugar pills is fine, otherwise take the sugar pills to maintain the habit.

Now if you're talking about skipping the sugar pills and starting your next hormone pack to skip your period altogether I would take a look at www.noperiod.com first and then consult your doctor.

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When I masturbate, one muscle on the right side of my neck hurts really bad, to the point where I have to stop. Why is this, what can I do about it?

Could it be that you're straining your neck when you're masturbating? Maybe tensing up your neck muscles when you're enjoying it and you don't realize it? If you're laying down when this happens you could try supporting your neck with a pillow. If you're sitting or standing you could try to make note of when you feel this pain in your neck and relax a little so you can focus on more enjoyable things.

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Hello, I am a 17-year old female and I'm really feeling my boyfriend. I think that he's the one. I was thinking about having sex with him but I want to go to clinic first. I haven't had sex but he has. So I want to make sure that everything is okay before he puts it in me.(LOL) But how should I go about setting up an appointment for the clinic? Are they free? Thank you in advance!

If you go to Planned Parenthood or a similar womens clinic they are either free or very low cost. They are listed in the yellow pages (the online one too) and you just call the branch nearest you and explain that you want to set up an appointment. They usually have evening and weekend hours so you should not have to miss school. They'll take care of the rest and they will not alert your parents or call you at home unless you tell them to. They'll examine you, do any sti tests, answer any questions you have (they've heard everything so don't be embarrassed), provide you with birth control, and show you how to use condoms properly.

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i started the pill (othro tricyclen lo) and ever since i started (this is my 2nd pack) i've been really dry down there. is this normal? and what can i do to fix it?

Yes it is normal to have vaginal dryness when you are on the pill. I have been on the pill for years and have experienced this myself on occasion and it is very simple to fix. Contact the doctor that wrote the prescription for you and they will be happy to recommend a product that you can use to fix this. Normally it is just an over the counter cream, but if it is a severe problem you may need something that can only be prescribed. If you are sexually active be sure to use plenty of water based lubricant to avoid any scraping or tearing.

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so me and my bf are gonna have sex soon... Im 16, and i dont wanna go on the pill becuase I dont want my mom knowing.. ANYWAYS. I was just wondering, we wanna be REALLY safe, so a condom FOR SURE and we dont wanna have sex when im like about to ovulate u know.. so whats the best time? and also. he wouldnt ejacualte in me... how safe are we?

There are alternatives to the pill. You can get on the depo provera shot, but you do have to make sure you get the next shot on time (I think they're about 3 months apart). You can go to any Planned Parenthood (or other women's health clinic) and obtain this for free and without them telling your parents. They will even supply you with condoms and instruct you on how to use them.

Also the pull out method isn't reliable. It is best if you use condoms AND another form of birth control such as the pill or depo provera. Of course the absolute safest thing is to just not do it at all.

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