On Saturday, Christina Aguilera performed a tribute at Etta James’s funeral in Los Angeles. She sang “At Last,” Etta’s most famous song. But even though she sounded great, the crowd was distracted by something. Christina had some kind of weird, brownish fluid dripping down her legs.

Lots of theories are going around about what that strange stuff might have been. One of the latest rumors is that Christina had an “accident” on stage. No, people don’t think she peed her pants. They think she had her period and forgot to put in a tampon. Come on, people. This isn’t middle school. Christina’s a big girl, and we’re sure she has her lady problems under control. Besides, that’s not what it would have looked like if she had gotten her period on stage. Her are a few of our suggestions about what might have really gone wrong. Read More »

Recently, Gretchen Reynolds of the New York Times reported some exciting news for the ladies: new scientific evidence is debunking the myth that a woman’s menstrual cycle negatively affects her athletic performance.

Female athletes, especially those involved in collegiate and professional-level sports, have long struggled to be taken seriously and treated as equals to their male counterparts. Many positive advances have been made, but with several universities still finding ways around Title IX – the law that banned sex discrimination in all federally funded education programs – it’s clear that the fight isn’t over.

The “mystery” of menstruation has been an integral part of the argument against women in sports. Many coaches, and even athletes, still believe that women are unable to perform to the best of their abilities at certain points in their cycle due to hormone fluctuations. However, there is disagreement about exactly what time of the month a woman will experience her athletic low, and past scientific studies on the issue have been contradictory and inconclusive. Female athletes are also often told to either begin using birth control pills or stop using them in order to alter their hormone levels.

Read More »

Never try to skip your period

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Have fun masturbating, boys.

[Everyone’s got a morning after story (some of which are way more mortifying than others) and we wanna hear yours! Send it over to us and we’ll post it – anonymously, of course – right here!]

I fell in love with Danny my freshman year of college when he dressed up as a sexy pterodactyl on Halloween. We lived on the same floor freshman year and I always went out of my way to run into him in the hallway. Like I would walk around outside his room claiming that I dropped my contact on the carpet somewhere in that exact area. Despite my complete awkwardness, we became really good friends and we spent the next two years heavily flirting with each other. But one of us was always involved with someone or getting over someone or hitting shamelessly on freshman girls (him!) and it never happened.

Until last Friday.

We were sitting on his couch eating college nachos (you know what I’m talking about…when you come home drunk and melt cheese on any and all crackers, pretzels, chips, cookies) and I got a sudden surge of confidence. I don’t know whether it was his cheesy breath or the fact that I drank tequila for the first time since freshman year, but I leaned in for the kiss. He leaned int too and before anyone could say “kisses con queso” (because who would say that?) we were in the throes of a passionate makeout sesh on the couch. At one point we came up for air and admitted to each other that we had both liked each other forever. Obvi this love confession swept me off my feet and I led him into the bedroom. It was fireworks, rom-com movies, and all that jazz. Read More »

I don’t know about you, but I’m still coming down from last night’s major TV fest. The Biggest Loser finale (nice belt, Michael), Gaga Glee (loved Kurt’s McQueen shoes), The Hills (even though Spencer didn’t make an appearance), American Idol (OK, I didn’t watch that but I’m sure it was an emotional one)…. it was all too much to handle.

Thank god we’ve got a long weekend coming so I can catch up on sleep/the 16 episodes of Intervention that have been taking up space on my DVR. Well, that and eat, like, 12 hot dogs. Mmmmm.

Before we can get to the holiday weekend, though, we’ve got to get through another “Would You Rather.” And since summer is thisclose, let’s ponder everyone’s biggest summer fear. Read More »

Talking sex with your doctor isn’t always easy. Whether you are afraid she will judge you,  you just don’t feel comfortable sharing the intimate details of your life between the sheets, or you can’t think straight with a speculum between your legs, many people get tight lipped in the doctor’s office. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions.

We thought we’d help and every Thursday our friend Dr. Lissa Rankin will be answering your questions. The ones you couldn’t ask your doctor in person. Just leave your questions in the comments, or send em over to us. (We’ll keep it all anonymous for you.) Dr. Lissa will answer anything – really, anything – about sex and other lady things. Don’t be shy; she’s waiting for ya!

Q: This is a really gross question, but I have to ask someone.

I discharge…a lot. And it’s not just around the time of my period. It’s random and plentiful. Ew. Anyways, I don’t know what to do about it or if it’s caused by something serious? Help. I’m afraid to be with a boy because he’ll be super grossed out.

A: This isn’t gross, sweetie. It’s your body, and discharge is a normal part of being a woman. But I wish I had more information. Is your discharge white, clear, or greenish? Does it have an odor- like fish or fresh bread- or is it odorless? Do you have any vaginal itching or burning? Is it there all the time, or just in the second half of your cycle? Have you been checked for sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) like gonorrhea and chlamydia?

Without knowing those answers, it’s hard for me to comment on your specific situation. If you haven’t seen a doctor about this issue, it’s time. Go in, let your gyno take a gander, and make sure you’re not missing something. Sometimes, an increase in vaginal discharge is the only sign we have that something’s going on down there. Read More »

"Oh, I'm kicking that guy's ass? Poor guy..."

There are some things you should always apologize for, like being late to meet a friend, bumping into someone on the street, or accidentally running over your ex-boyfriend’s foot with your car (whoops).

But there are also some things that, as a woman, you shouldn’t have to say sorry for.  I don’t care what anyone says, but you should not be left feeling guilty for any of the following.

Beating a Guy at Sports: Sunk the winning shot in a battle of the sexes?  Poker faced your way to a win?  We’ve all been told not to beat men at sports so we don’t bruise their precious egos, but this is also not 1950, so don’t hold back and don’t apologize.

Bypassing Lines at Clubs: Don’t let the haters have you giving looks of remorse as the velvet ropes are lifted.  Flaunt it if you’ve got it! Read More »

I had just gotten out of a long relationship and immediately hopped into the sack with a new guy (…what? I needed some emotional support!) when I decided to change my birth control prescription. I had never really been happy with the old one, but had put off changing because I didn’t want to deal with the whole spotting issue with my BF around. So now, I reasoned, since the new guy and I were taking things slower, it would be a good time to make the switch.

Well, of course, taking it slow only lasts until somebody gets horny (or drunk), so a few days after I made the pill switch I found myself rolling around naked with my new beau. Everything was going fine – great, in fact – when he whispers in my ear excitedly “wow, you’re really wet!”

For just a second I was proud of myself for my impressive lubricative prowess (yes, it takes very little to make me proud) when suddenly he just stopped. He looked up at me worriedly and asked if I was OK. Confused, I looked down to see what he meant and almost had a panic attack. The spotting I had been worried about had started… all over his groin. Read More »

Talking sex with your doctor isn’t always easy. Whether you are afraid she or he will judge you,  you just don’t feel comfortable sharing the intimate details of your life between the sheets, or you can’t think straight with a speculum between your legs, many people get tight lipped in the doctor’s office. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions.

We thought we’d help and every Thursday our friend Dr. Lissa Rankin will be answering your questions. The ones you couldn’t ask your doctor in person and didn’t really trust the Yahoo community to answer for you. Just leave your questions in the comments, or send em over to us. (We’ll keep it all anonymous for you.) Dr. Lissa will answer anything – really, anything – about sex and other lady things. Don’t be shy; she’s waiting for ya!

Q: My period is irregular every month. Sometimes it comes 6 weeks apart and other times it can be up to 9.  I am not on birth control (can’t handle the side effects) and practice safe sex with my boyfriend. The problem is that I get freaked out every month that I’m pregnant. How soon can I take the test? Are there any signs I can look for that will either tell me I’m absolutely not pregnant or that maybe I am?

A: Sounds like your periods are annoying, unpredictable and scary. Bummer about that.  Chances are, if your periods are that irregular, that you’re not ovulating regularly, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about pregnancy. Your ovaries can still spit out an egg from time to time. When you’re not ovulating regularly, your uterus doesn’t know when to bleed, and your hormones can be all over the place.  Why might you be skipping periods or not ovulating? Read More »