No worries Otter8, glad you found the articles really useful. To answer your question as to whether all porn is 'fake', as the articles mentioned, porn is made for entertainment, and when you are making a video of any kind for entertainment, it is all constructed, yes. The camera angles, scripts, li...

Hi there KatLvr, and welcome to Scarleteen. Pornography use can be a tricky thing to navigate in relationships and in our own ethical and personal feelings about it. What you have outlined here can be broken down into two areas. It is a bit about you both understanding what porn is, and isn't, and q...

Hi there Otter8! Regarding your first question about porn, firstly it is great that you are thinking critically about the media you want to engage with, that is a very important thing to keep in mind: what is it's purpose, who is it for, and what is it saying? With porn, you can think of its relatio...

Hi kokoPeg, welcome to Scarleteen. I had a look at both of your posts, and have approved this one as you mentioned that you prefer the way that you have expressed yourself here, so that there is one thread for this conversation. I'm sorry to hear that you have been feeling some distress whilst tryin...

Hi girlplayer34, I'm sorry to hear that this relationship is causing you so much stress, and it is sounding like you are feeling intimidated in a lot of ways by her being older than you. When you are dating someone, trust and feeling safe are really important; as is feeling that you connect mentally...

Hi there missy5, I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling shame about your sexual feelings, sadly there are a lot of sexist messages out there that set double standards for different genders as to what is "acceptable" levels of sexual feeling and activity, and ultimately devalues women who a...

Hi Elias, I'm so glad to hear that Sam's reply was useful to you. She is absolutely right, there is nothing shameful about trying to work out where your thoughts are coming from, and it would be a good idea to bring these up with a trauma therapist when you start seeing one. Talking to your doctor a...

Hi Elias, that is a really awesome thing that you worked out applying that exercise that worked for you. I'm so happy to hear you're in a good place and have a wonderful friendship in your life. Thank you for sharing this update with us, we're always so happy to hear these kinds of updates.

Hi Elias, sounds like you've got it right, have a good laundry day!

Hi hello_world, yes we have an article about exploring and understanding what brings you pleasure from a whole-body approach, here: I Feel Good: Pleasure and Fulfillment . It also delves into the concept of fulfillment, which you may find useful. After you have a read, let us know what thoughts, que...

Trigger warning : this post discusses that the book mentioned above contains photos of children that the children themselves could not have consented to. Hi transfemangay, YouTube has removed the unlisted video that shows the book (published in the 1970s), however I can glean from the comments that...

As Sam and others mentioned earlier, it sounds like you're just experiencing one of the ways that a penis can be, the best thing to do is not to force it, and so cause yourself injury, if it starts to get uncomfortable, then don't push it further. As you're in the middle of puberty, there are still ...

Hi Brennan8833, thank you for clarifying this for us, and sorry to hear that you are having a frustrating time with masturbation at the moment. One thing that I'd like to reassure you about however is that this situation isn't odd at all, it's in fact quite a frequent occurrence that it can take a w...

Hi lycheefan, glad to hear that you are feeling good about starting birth control. We have a really great article that covers both of these questions quite comprehensively for many different kinds of hormonal (and non-hormonal) birth control methods, called Birth Control Bingo If the method of birth...

Hello pepto bismal and welcome to Scarleteen. Your question is not silly at all, we welcome all questions about contraceptives, what they are and how they work here. Yes, the minipill is type of contraceptive, which if you follow the instructions and take it within the three hour window each day, wo...

Hi Rose flower, to quote from our article Human Reproduction: A Seafarer's Guide , "sperm cells can only stay motile up to around a half hour or so in an environment that is unfriendly to them (in other words, outside the testicles, vagina or in specific lab conditions)." 'Motile' just mea...

Hi there lycheefan, yes, that does sound like your period is starting with some light spotting this month, which is a normal experience for many people who menstruate. Spotting can start at different times depending on the person and also can change due to hormonal fluctuations from month to month, ...

Hi there Rubix, I'm glad to hear that Sam's advice and talking to your gender therapist have already been helpful to you :) . Also, I hear you that it can be frustrating when you want to try something that you have heard is pleasurable so much, but that it might take a while to get there. However, t...

Hi there popupshop! Sorry to hear that you're experiencing UTI's so frequently, that sounds super frustrating and uncomfortable to say the least! I should preface by saying that given you are getting chronic UTI symptoms that it would be worthwhile getting an STI test screening if you haven't alread...

Hi Rubix, and welcome to Scarleteen. I am really sorry to hear that you are experiencing quite a bit of dysphoria, and having difficulty experiencing pleasure from your body. It is something many trans people can struggle with, so you are not alone, however that doesn't change that it is a difficult...

Hi jenny01, I hear you that it can be hard to infer how someone is feeling over texts and dms, body language and tone convey a lot that is therefore be missing or unclear in those settings. Perhaps then, a good place to start is to take the opportunity to reflect and delve a bit deeper into what you...

Hi there Holly55, sorry to hear that you're still experiencing cramping and continued menstruating 4-months into your Nexplanon insertion. Back not last Sunday but the one before, you mentioned that you'd be calling your GP clinic on that following Monday to report this side effect. As Marisha metni...

Hi there Juliaho90, As you mentioned, we cannot give medical advice here so it is best to go and see a doctor; whilst you regular doctor's office isn't open, is there somewhere you can go to access medical care on the holiday, at your local hospital for instance? Your symptoms sound consistent with ...

Hi there BONBONGOGGETEM, and welcome to Scarleteen. It sounds like you're wanting to learn about your body, but at the same time anxious about it. That is a really normal experience to have: we can often feel anxious about things we don't know a lot about yet, however learning in a space where you f...

Hi there _rasberry_, I'm so sorry that you experienced sexual abuse in your past, that is something that you shouldn't have had to go throuhg. I hear you saying that it "doesn't impact you" because of the age you were, but have you spoken to a therapist about this? I say this as, whilst it...