Late period with clomid and negative pregnancy test

My BF and I are in a LDR, and yes I'm on my throwaway. When we are able to see each other it is only for a few days. I have 3 elementary school aged kids and he has 1 infant, we both share 50/50 with our ex's, and have our kids opposite weekends, so that is how we work it. I also have pets and a small business so driving to him is sometimes much harder. He usually comes here. We live 8 hours apart from each other. Anyway, this weekend is our anniversary weekend. He was suppose to be here from Thurs-Mon morning because he has to get his son from the babysitter at 4pm on Monday. He tells me today that the babysitter has asked for Monday off. Whenever the babysitter is sick, needs a day off, or something happens - like car troubles, it's always left up to him to pick up his son and figure the day out, his schedule is more flexible, but sometimes he feels like he is being taken advantage of because he always picks up the extra slack without any concern for his time or schedule - which is true. Anyway, that is beside the point. So, babysitter says she wants Monday off, and of course it is up to him to figure something out for that day. He says fine. He tells me he'll have to leave Sunday now instead of Monday morning. This hurts and upsets me because 1 - we don't have much time together as it is, 3 days every 2-3 months. This is my first LDR and lately I've been struggling a bit with how lonesome it can sometimes get. Anway, I personally think he should tell the babysitter who is suppose to watch the child M-F 7-4pm and is paid for those days....sorry, I can't, I have plans, you'll need to watch him as scheduled. But he tries "to keep the peace" with his BM and to do this he just says yes to whatever is needed of him. I tell him that I'm hurt by this because I feel as if though our time is being put off because he is making sure everyone else is not inconvenienced in any way and the babysitter gets this day off that she now wants. But what about our time? I just feel like my feelings are not taken into consideration at all when stuff like this happens because he is too busy "keeping the peace" and catering to others so that others do not get upset with him (his BM and family). He tells me I'm just focusing on the negative, I'm not even taking into consideration that he is driving 8 hours here so we can spend time together and since I am just focusing on the negative that makes him feel defeated and hurt. I tell him I'm not trying to focus on the negative, but this kind of stuff hurts. It feels as if though he always tip toes around others feelings and forgetting about mine while doing that. It's like a few months ago when I told him it's kind of hurtful that we are not connected on social media at all - and for the record we were "friends" on FB for a short period but I deleted him because I didn't want to feel like I couldn't post anything or had to be careful with anything I did on social media in order not to hurt anyones feelings. He says he doesn't want to shove our relationship in anyone's face and once again - trying to keep the peace with his BM. But here my feelings are once again just kind of left out there hanging. So, AITAH here??? Am I being too damn sensitive about him having to now leave early so babysitter can have day off and it is left up to him to figure that whole thing out? Like I get the whole working with the other parent and kids...but I would 100% in this case tell my babysitter that they cannot have the day off, and I would also make sure if things were happening like this, that my BD was also making sacrafices in his schedule and life, and it wasn't just me all of the time. But who knows maybe I'm just an AH.

My SO and I had sex thr 28th of April. We had a short burst of unprotected sex during and and stopped after we realized it was the middle of her cycle.
Flash forward two weeks: took a pregnancy test two days before expected period and it was negative. She got a very mild period and continued to bleed for 3 days longer than she usually does. She said there was nothing off about her blood colodischarge, except it seemed like she passed what looked like a decidual cyst.
Bleeding stopped for a day, but then returned and now is pretty similar to her normal periods.
She has been put on Ritalin for ADHD and just got thr dosage upped this month. There's a rare chance that could have caused it. She took another pregnancy test a few days ago because we were concerned it was an ectopic pregnancy but it was negative (18 says after sex).
She has an appointment scheduled next month, but I'm ngl I'm worried it could be something serious like an ectopic pregnancy. Is it really that plausible?

Planned pregnancy and have tried with my spouse of 17 years, and finally after 1.5 years of trying it has happened.
I thought I would be filled with excitement and joy, and although that’s what I feel on the surface inside I’m wondering if I’ve made the right choice.
I can’t figure out the root cause I’ll have 2 days of content, then 1 of pure panic. 7.5 weeks. Is it my hormones? Is this normal? I can’t help but feel so guilty for these feelings Month after months the negative tests would pile up and my heart would break, I would be in tears.
Then finally what I kept wishing for happenes, and im almost resentful?
I FEEL HORRIBLE and ASHAMED. Why am I feeling this way.
Has anyone else experienced these feelings?

34F, 155 pounds, 5'0, history of gestational diabetes and diabetes in general. I had to be on insulin all 3 pregnancies. I've been morbidly obese, weight fluctuating from 150 to 205 since high school.
Two years ago, I was convinced I had LADA diabetes in spite of being overweight/obese my entire life. I haven't been the ideal weight since I was 14 years old.
Diagnosed diabetic in May of 2022 with an a1c of 6.5%, had always been prediabetic my entire 20s. I was breastfeeding and eating whatever I wanted. Weight was falling off like crazy, which is common for me after a pregnancy. Tested negative for antibodies, shortly after getting down to 142 pounds, I shot back up to 169 in a few months due to increased carb intake and quitting my second job.
It took me a few months but now I'm back down to 155. I hovered over 164 for a while. So losing weight is still not easy for me until I completely cut carbs and then weight falls off a concerning amount.
I had been eating some carbs, maybe 100g to 200g depending on the day around January to March. Then I started to really cut carbs around april and may.
In 2022, I had a fasting insulin of 2.6 with a blood glucose level of 91. C peptide 1.02/ngl. I was in ketosis. My doctor thought I had type 1 because of these results, but I can now gain weight without problem.
My lipid panel in 2022 read: HDL: 47 Triglycerides: 55 LDL: 88
This came with an a1c of 5.5% at the time after being at 6.5% 6 weeks prior.
My lipid panel from yesterday, along with an a1c of 6.4%:
HDL: 58 Triglycerides: 45 LDL: 108
Liver disease ruled out. Heart failure ruled out. Type 1 diabetes ruled out (obviously). Why the hell are my triglycerides so low? Just from cutting carbs in the past few weeks? It makes NO sense to me.

Today, at 28 years old, I finally got a PCOS diagnosis.
When I was 18 and in college, I got sick. Typical bacterial infection in my throat. Left me bed ridden for a few days, lost my appetite for weeks. Ended up with bad hot flashes. Lost a lot of weight..and hair. When I was 19, I had gone a couple months without a period and thought I was pregnant. I had multiple negative tests so I waited to see a doctor because I was getting ready to move across the state. I finally got in with a doctor and we did bloodwork and an ultrasound. They told me they found one cyst on my left ovary. They put me on the pill and said that would start my periods again and get me regular. It started my periods but they were AWFUL. After a few months of bleeding and bleeding, I asked about depo. And they put me on it, no questions asked. They didn’t explain anything about it…they just did it. 5 years later, I learned so much about depo and myself and finally got off it. I’m now 4 years off depo, I’m starting a journey towards getting an endo diagnosis.
As of today, I officially have my PCOS diagnosis. There was no denying it. It’s such a huge relief. To know that it’s not just all made up in my head. To have a doctor actually listen to me.

So, a bit of backstory first.
TTC journey of 18 months, I was diagnosed with PCOS after a year of trying. Husband has low mobility and count, but after cutting out coffee (and I assume other reasons) his count went back to normal the second time he got tested. We have our appointment for IUI next month.
I usually have a cycle in between 28 to 32 days, twice a year I tend to have long cycles (38 days almost). This month I'm at day 37 of my cyle. Should have gotten my period last thursday (16th of may, day 32) but nothing yet. The app I'm using (Flo) says I'm only three days late (?) and that pregnancy tests aren't reliable until your 5 days late (again, ?). I took a pregnancy test today and it was negative. No faint line, just nothing.
My BBT usually drops to 35.7 degrees when I get my period/days before, but rn it's still up to 36.55 degrees. No cravings for chocolate, no murderous intent towards my husband or cramps. A lot of bloating though, feeling hungry but not wanting to eat anything and a bit tired. Lost a tiny bit of blood three days ago, nothing since.
I've never had a positive pregnancy test in my life, so I don't have a clue what's normal and what isn't. So my question to you guys; my gut tells my I'm out for this cycle and to wait until my period arrives. I also can not seem to get rid of the stupid kernel of hope in the back of my head that says to wait a bit more and test again in a couple of days. What do you guys think? Any advice?
Thanks in advance for any feedback and wishing everyone here the very best.

So I've been taking different kinds of supplements on a daily basis, they vary from time to time, but these are the main ones I was taking without a break during the last 2-3 years:

• Spirulina 3mg (I've also tried Sea Moss for some periods but didn't experience any change) - I love Spirulina due to energy boost and overall value they add to health
• Turmeric 2-3mg
• Vitamin D 5000 iu - I live in a Northern country, so we all lack it, but all my blood tests have shown that I don't lack it even before I started using it, but it might be that I travel quite often to countries with more sunshine
• Omega 3 fish oil
• Milk Thistle (only when I'm drinking alcohol - before/after, so on a weekly basis)
• Phosphatidyl serine - I use 1 bottle and I stop for 2-4 weeks because I know and experienced that the body and mind gets used to it. If anyone needs concentration and sharp mind - this was a lifesaver for me.
• Nac 1000 mg - I want to be young haha

And these ones I take from time to time (but pretty often also with a little/medium (2-3 months) break in between):

• Garlic oil
• Collagen powder
• Multivitamins (I recently started taking such which covers most of the vitamins in one)
• CoQ10 - because I'm a smoker
• Pau d'arco
• Ashwagandha
• Lion's mane
• Chaga
• Coryceps
• Reishi
• Chaga
• Magnesium
• Wermut-Tee - I have a dog so it's a prevention from worms and I've heard that all diseases (even cancer) come from worms, so I drink it pretty often, but it's only what I've hear, I haven't done proper research on it.

So my main questions are:

1. If I'd take a break (let's say during summer when I eat fresh veggies) for like 3-4 months, do you think my organism will lack these supplements and I will experience some kind of side effects or will it be ok?
2. Has anyone tried it before - I mean taking many supplements for a long time on a daily basis and then stopping it - what was your experience?
3. If you have any opinions, experiences or feedback on supplements I've listed - please share them. I'm really interested to hear all sides.

My daily supplement intake is pretty high comparing to what others are taking (my friends, family, colleagues), so I'm wondering if it's needed at all. I believe my body could manage to be without ANY of those I've mentioned, but for example, I've tried stopping spirulina for 1 month and I felt without energy. So I'd like to hear your opinions and experiences. Please share all positive and negative experiences. Thanks!

I adopted Pumpkin in the Winter of 2012-2013 after someone abandoned him in the town where we used to live. I took him to his very first vet appt several months later and his age was estimated to be 3 or 4 at that time.
Pumpkin was a runner for who knows how long before I adopted him, so getting him to be accustomed to becoming an indoor kitty was very hard. He tried a number of times over the years to escape but the few times he did, Pumpkin didn't get very far.
After adopting him, Pumpkin developed chronic constipation, probably because he was living a much more sedentary lifestyle He was put on Laxatone only at first but when that stopped working he was put on Lactulose too, which he hated.
To make a long story short, he eventually got put on Miralax, in addition to his Laxatone. Pepcid a/c was added when he developed upper tummy issues.
Fast-forward to February 2023. During one of his routine checkups, Pumpkin's vet told me she detected a heart arrhythmia. She urged me to take him for an EKG and echo, but I needed time to save money. It took several months to do that and get approval for the wheelchair bus I needed to take him out of town.
Pumpkin had an echo, which was normal, but the EKG was not and it confirmed his heart rhythm problem. This was late October 2023. His vet and I discussed putting him on a heart medication but I decided it wasn't worth the risk because he was very difficult to medicate. I was worried that something would happen if he went on it temporarily and then refused to keep taking it. Potential side effects were another reason.
In January of this year and mid-March, Pumpkin had what appeared to be transient stress episodes where he'd collapse on the floor, pant and act like he was dying. The first episode lasted about a half hour and it was on a weekend when no vets except for the online one was available. This happened right after I had to give him some medicine. I snuck up to him to put it on his paws - something I did many times previously w/o any problems. Right after this first episode I had a consult with an online emergency vet who was the one who told me it was probably a transient stress episode. I consulted with his regular vet soon thereafter and she agreed In mid-March he had another one that lasted longer, at least 45 minutes.
It was around this time he had a checkup with a different branch of his vet's office and a different vet, who said he was ok except for the heart rhythm problem. He had his rabies booster at that time too.
On April 23, two days before Pumpkin died, he had a massive bowel movement. I expected him to bounce back as usual but this time he didn't. Two days after that (the two day wait was so I could reserve a wheelchair bus - they require two days notice) I took him to the vet and after she examined my baby, his vet said he sounded like he had fluid in/near his lungs. Xrays and an ultrasound confirmed this, in addition to fluid in his abdomen. Even with treatment, the prognosis was poor and I made the difficult decision to have him put down.
To this day I question whether or not I could have done more to save him. If only money wasn't an issue and the heart tests weren't delayed....if only I gave him the heart medicine he probably would have eventually refused....if only I got the wheelchair bus approved sooner (the one where I took him out of town for the heart tests). And if only I didn't choose to let him have his rabies booster. I had it done a couple of months before it was due to save time since we were already at the vet's. I didn't anticipate any more problems.
Both his vet and the one who did his heart tests said there was nothing I could do to have prevented his from happening. His next to last vet appt (with that rabies booster) was about 5 weeks before he died. Pumpkin seemed ok then per the vet. The sudden accumulation of fluid around his lungs and abdomen happened after that.
Both vets said it can happen that fast. Cats are really good at hiding how sick they are.
I've been going over what few medical records I have on hand....posts on a cat owner message board to construct a timeline of his health issues, etc, all to figure out if I missed anything. The one thing I stayed on top of without fail was keeping him pooping, which, after Pumpkin died, probably extended his life so said his regular vet.
Btw, Pumpkin's weight on his next to last vet appt was about nine pounds or so. In the five weeks or so from that day to his death he gained about one pound, which is a huge amount in such a short period of time for a cat. It was most likely his heart.
Pumpkin was a short haired male cat, neutered and declawed by his previous owner.
I should have asked for a necropsy but it's too late now. One thought occurred to me - maybe I should ask for a copy of his medical records? I don't want to be a pita to his vet. She bent over backwards to help me and him, esp. on his last day on Earth. I discussed the possibility of fostering a cat and his vet said she would be a reference for me.
I keep blaming myself. What should I do now? I am gutted.
I have no idea how this happened. His age was estimated to be around 14-15.
Please help me. Thank you.

Created a burner account for this post but looking for advice. I am 5.5 months postpartum and breastfeeding my baby. I noticed around 6 weeks ago I was having yellow/green discharge, similar to snot, with no other symptoms. No odor, no itch, no other pain. I went to my family doctor and she did a culture and results came back: Gram stained smear shows altered vaginal flora, but is not consistent with bacterial vaginosis. No yeast seen.
I went back to family doctor today and she says we should treat the symptoms even though the culture said it’s not consistent with BV and wants to give me Metronidazole gel for 10 days. I know the internet is biased to negative experiences but Metronidazole sounds awful and I’m hesitant to use it when it’s not even confirmed BV.
Some other context: I was tested for STIs when I was pregnant, all negative and haven’t had sex since (new parent life). I’ve been taking a probiotic for 3 weeks and no change seen in the discharge. I was using Kirkland toilet paper but changed back to my regular cottonelle 2 weeks ago in case it was a reaction to the toilet paper. I’ve had 1 postpartum period about a month ago.
Could it be just postpartum/breastfeeding hormones? Something else? Should I try the Metronidazole gel even though it doesn’t seem to be BV? Is green discharge always bad or since I have no other symptoms should I leave it alone and see if it clears up on its own? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Sharing this experience since I was scouring through threads and google trying to find info on when ovulation came for different people after chemical pregnancy. I thought it happened two weeks ago I had several days of small LH rises and then back down. Body was obviously trying to ovulate. My temps have been lower this entire cycle than last and didn’t have a clear bbt jump since they were kind of all over the place. I measure with Oura/Natural Cycles. I was taking pregnancy tests already thinking I was around 9-12dpo. Finally got a blood test and it was negative. Here’s the kicker - I took a few opks the last few days just out of curiosity and noticed yesterday “wow that’s a dark line!” But had heard that sometimes early pregnancy can cause opks to darken so was thinking that must be what’s happening. Thank god I got the blood test to clear things up or I wouldn’t have know that I’m ovulating now! I only wish I had figured this out a few days ago since I missed about 3 days of opk testing so not sure exactly l when it began to rise but hubby and I will get to BDing tonight and the next few days and keep our fingers crossed. So for anyone in similar shoes- it does eventually happen. Was not expecting it to be a month and a half later and that waiting is excruciating. But it must finally be happening now! 🥳

Please help me calm my nerves. I got my cycle back a few months ago now as my son was nursing less but lately he has been nursing more due to teething. I took an at home pregnancy test and it was definitely negative but I am 5 days late. Has anyone lost their period after getting it back???

Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NOP Universe.
Hey, I hope everyone's doing well!
Today we return to the namesake of this fic, an actual lesson about animals. This one focuses on Koalas! One of Australia's most recognisable critters. I hope you enjoy.
It's hardly worth mentioning, seeing as I'm an infrequent poster at the best of times, but I'll not have another chapter out for a few weeks due to limited free time and devoting most of my writing time to an upcoming ficnapping. Be sure to look out for that!
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Memory transcription subject: Rysel, Venlil Environmental Researcher
Date [Standardised human time]: 8th September 2136
“Koalas!”
Bernard’s energised voice boomed through the air as the classroom's monitor flickered into life, images of this paws lecture topic popping up one after the other until the entire screen was filled with a collage of furry quadrupeds.
Squee! I’ll never get tired of this, it’s all so cool!
As usual the sight of something new stirred immediate discussion, hushed murmurs swelling into vibrant discourse in little more than a heartbeat. Most of the class swiftly huddled together into small herds to bounce ideas around while the rest opted to stick to the solace of their own thoughts as they took in the display.
I’d be quite happy in either situation, though seeing as Sandi had already sunk into deep concentration and Kailo had peeled off to talk with Ennerif and Solenk, it seemed the decision had been made for me on this occasion. Wasting no more time on idle inspection of the people around me, I focused my full attention forward, eager to form first impressions before the lesson began in earnest.
Now then, time to make some educated guesses. What traits does this animal have? I wonder if I’ll get any right this paw?
Professional assumptions went paw-in-paw with the lectures, examining and coming up with hypotheses about the specimens was only natural. Recently however, I’d started to make a little game of it to make things even more interesting than usual. A veritable bonfire of ideas had been set ablaze within me, fueled by my newfound knowledge of Earthen wildlife. Every flash and spark of the flame was a fresh theory I could try to apply to the lectures. It was an invigorating exercise that further stoked my unceasing wonderment.
So far I’d only done this once during the previous class and, to my disappointment, I’d not done too well.
I was right when I guessed that chickens were omnivores, but wrong in my assumption that they could fly. And that red thing on their head, the um… what was it called? The comb! Yes, the comb. I thought that was to attract mates, but it regulates body heat instead. It’s fascinating. Oh! Stars damn it I’m rambling!
I bapped my tail against my leg, the soft thud being just enough to snap me back from my runaway thoughts before I went completely wall-eyed. I was becoming more and more accustomed to getting lost in my own head while remaining conscious of the fact; it was happening so frequently now that it was pretty much impossible not to. Now I was able to pull myself back to the world around me without having to rely on someone else shaking me out of it. Most of the time anyway.
Sandi still keeps an eye on me, and Kailo even decided to help out once without being too snide about it. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, Koalas.
Glancing at the furred animals, two things immediately stood out. Firstly, their eyes were in a more central position on their face. And second, all the images showed them being on or close to trees. There were other noteworthy observations of course, such as the Koala’s prominent nose and rounded features, but they fell to the wayside as I honed in on these points first.
Hmmm… ok. I already know to discount the idea that they’re predators just from eye position, so let’s get that thought out of here. Maybe omnivorous? Herbivore? Agh no, I can’t just guess that for the sake of guessing, that’s the same problem! Hrm, it’s tough making these assumptions now that everything I thought I knew has been turned on its head.
Nevermind, I’ll focus on the other thing. All the trees make me think they’re arboreal, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. I wonder what else they-
Clearing his throat, Bernard broke my concentration, his call for attention silencing the murmuring conversation and redirecting everyone's focus to the lecturer's podium.
His gaze panned across the room as he waited for everyone to settle, a beaming smile lighting up his face, “As ever I’m delighted to see you all get so into the subject matter from the get go. I’m looking forward to hearing what you were discussing should you wish to share. For now though, how about we get started, hm?”
A chorus of merry bleats rang out from across the audience, ears and tails flicking happily in agreement. Bernard's grin grew in tandem with the class's fervour, clasping his hands together enthusiastically as he launched into the lesson, “Excellent! Then let’s get started.”
The pictures on screen dissolved away until only one remained, enlarging to cover the entire monitor with the fluffy grey face of a Koala peacefully reclining in the crook of a tree.
“Ah, there we are,” Bernard’s baritone timbre drifted through the room as he looked up at the image, his own tone reflecting the relaxed attitude of the animal on screen, “He looks so comfortable doesn’t he? Perfectly at peace with the world, not too surprising considering they sleep almost 20 hours a day. A full paw!”
A wave of beeps and gasps rippled through the herd, punctuated by a single yawn-dressed comment from Rova, “A full paw? Hwuuu… jealous.”
Her drowsy remark elicited several whistling giggles from the herd, Bernard's own jovial chortle joining them as he turned to face her, “Late evening Rova?”
I twisted a little in my seat, panning an eye in Rova’s direction just in time to see her bleary eyes bulge open and her ears shoot up, now intensely aware of the fact she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.
Sitting up abruptly, she hastily tapped down errant tufts of wool that’d flared in surprise as she composed herself, though her nervousness at becoming the centre of the class's attention was still plain for all to hear, “Uh- I um… achem, a little bit yes, um- …sorry. Lokki dragged me out to a movie viewing in the rec centre. It went on pretty late.”
A melodramatic bray from the other side of the room drew everyone's ears away from Rova to the now aghast Lokki, paw splayed across his chest in faux indignation, “Dragged you? Well excuse me for trying to broaden your horizons with human movies. That’ll be the list time I- …Ahaaaa…”
Lokki’s theatrics were cut short by a heavy yawn of his own, a swell of whistling laughter rolling through the herd as vibrant bloom lit up his snout, a sight that elicited a particularly amused bleat from Rova.
Turning away from the duo I looked back at Bernard, pleased to see that he was chuckling along with us. Behaviour like Lokki’s would never have been tolerated in my school and university days but, in stark contrast, Bernard revelled in it, the liveliness of his students fueling his own bombastic style of teaching. It was a pleasant change of pace having a teacher who let us all be ourselves in class; provided we weren’t too disruptive to the lesson plan.
Speaking of which.
His laughter still rumbling through the air, Bernard clapped his hands to pull everyone's focus back to him, “Ok, ok, let’s get back to it then shall we? Rova. Lokki. Hopefully the two of you can stay awake long enough until you can grab yourselves a coffee.”
As the class settled down and the last few giggling beeps petered out, Benard pointed a hand to the screen, “So, the Koala. Let’s start simple shall we? They are herbivorous marsupials native to the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. Easily recognised the world over, they are a well known and beloved symbol of their homeland, along with other animals such as the Kangaroo and the Emu. The former of which you might remember from one of our earlier lectures.”
Indeed I did remember, along with how angry Bernard had gotten after some speh-head had derided the Yotul after he explained how he held specific disdain for such attitudes.
Uuuggghh… I never want to see him angry again. So chilling.
I shook my ears in an effort to dismiss the unpleasant memory, panning my eyes back to the monitor to try and distract myself by inspecting the Koala’s physical appearance once more. Thankfully, by some Star's blessed intervention, Bernard had the exact same idea.
“Koala’s are rather squat in stature, ranging around sixty to eighty-five centimetres in length and weighing little more than fifteen to sixteen kilograms at their full size. As you can see, the fur of this fellow before you is a lovely silvery grey, but their fur can also sport a chocolaty brown hue as well. Arguably the most distinctive part of their appearance is their head, being rather large for their body size and having rounded ears, a large nose, and a pair of small eyes. These are often brown but variations do occur.”
It didn’t slip past my notice that Bernard didn’t bother to point out that the Koala’s eyes were forward facing. I didn’t think he’d simply forgotten, so perhaps he just felt it wasn’t necessary given that he’d already stated it was herbivorous. Either way, no one stuck up a paw or tail to question him.
“Now this will hardly be surprising considering how long they sleep, but Koala’s are largely sedentary and it’s rather easy to see why when you have a look into the contents of their diet.”
With the press of a button the Koala on screen was replaced by images of vibrant green vegetation. Soaring trees and flowering shrubbery weaved together across landscape framed pictures pulled admiring trills from the herd, the diversity of the plant life being shown standing as a reminder that it wasn’t only animal life that flourished on Earth.
After giving everyone the chance to take in the picturesque scenes, Bernard casually hammered that point home, “This is eucalyptus or, more accurately, a choice selection of more than 700 plants belonging to the eucalyptus genus, though the Koala itself favours 30 of them in particular.”
700!? Stars…
Realising that my ears had drooped in my momentary awe, I twisted them back to tune into the lesson, only for them to splay out in shock at the next words to come out of Bernard's mouth.
“The leaves of these plants are the primary food source of the Koala and there are a couple things worth mentioning when talking about these plants. For starters they do not have much nutritional or caloric value, leading to the Koala’s low-energy lifestyle. Additionally, they contain toxic compounds.”
A shiver instantly ran through the herd, ears flicking rapidly in confusion and alarm followed by a few quizzical whispers. It didn’t take long for someone to decide to give a proper voice to the murmuring.
“Excuse me Doctor. Did we hear that right? Their diet is made up of toxic flora?” Vlek’s grumbling incredulity cut through the herd's mutterings with ease. Until Kailo’s recent change of heart, the fifty something rotation old blonde Venlil had been a close second in terms of scepticism. Mercifully his rebuttals had always been relevant questions as opposed to ranting diatribes, so he at least remained on topic if nothing else.
Bernard nodded in confirmation, smiling back at Vlek while absentmindedly twirling the end of his moustache, “You heard me right, they do indeed consume plants that are toxic. Just not to them.”
Any worry or uncertainty still clinging to the herd was swept away by the provision of the glaringly obvious answer, leaving me chuckling inwardly at the oversight.
Ah of course! The plant might be poisonous but they’ll have evolved to deal with that. Stars… I’m so used to expecting the unexpected with Earth that I didn’t even consider the simplest solution.
“I see, thank you Doctor,” Vlek replied, a tinge of interest still audible in his tone, “I assume they’ve developed some adaptation to become immune to the harmful effects?”
The question immediately evoked a smirk from our teacher, but he hurriedly suppressed it while bobbing his head, “They have indeed. There are several factors that aid in their digestion of eucalyptus leaves without succumbing to the plant's baleful properties. The first is a part of the intestinal tract called the cecum. It contains a microbiome that allows the Koala to digest the eucalyptus. Coupled with this is an enzyme in the Koala’s liver that helps them break down the toxins. They are also capable of sniffing out the plants with the least amount of toxins, ensuring that they ingest as little as possible.”
Pausing for a breath Bernard looked back at the screen before turning to face us, another grin curling at the edges of his mouth as he continued with his explanation, “This is mostly for adult Koala’s, because while their young also possess these same adaptations, they don’t just go straight to munching through foliage right after being born. No, they need a little help making that jump and getting a stomach full of all that good gut bacteria. It’s nothing bad, but those of a sensitive stomach may wish to prepare themselves for this next part.”
Bernard’s assurances did little to assuage the concern that his warning had foisted upon us. Having been exposed to so much of the weirdness Earth had to offer everyone always ended up on edge whenever Bernard gave advice like this, even if he did say it in jest.
What strange nonsense thing do Koala pups do then? Judging by the way he’s acting it probably isn’t something as simple as drinking milk from the mother. Hmmm…
“So,” Bernard began, snapping us from our pensive stupor, “Young Koala’s, known as joeys, have a gestation period of thirty-five days on average, which is approximately forty-two paws. Once born they travel from the birth canal to a pouch in their mother so that they can continue to develop and grow. In the pouch the joey finds and latches onto one of two teats and these provide the newborn with a steady stream of nourishing milk. It spends the next six to seven months growing in the pouch, its eyes, ears, and fur all developing as time goes on.”
Okay, interesting. But this is exactly how I thought it’d go. What’s different?
The unexpected normalcy of the Koala’s birth and growth cycle had calmed everyone's nerves, only to be replaced with an air of suspicion as we waited with rapt attention for Bernard to drop the other claw and upend our expectations like he always did.
Not wanting to keep us in further suspense he forged ahead, the tempo of his voice picking up as the smile started to crease his face once more, “Now to make the switch from milk to eucalyptus, the mother also feeds the joey a substance called pap. It comes from the cecum I mentioned earlier, and contains all the gut bacteria required to help the young Koala in making the switch to eucalyptus.”
He stopped and looked around, searching us for a reaction to what I felt was a rather bland statement of fact. What was it he was saying without actually saying? Koala pups drink milk to mature and then include this pap substance so that they can start eating plants. I don’t see what-
The cecum is part of the intestine.
I blinked.
I blinked again, the intrusive interruption scouring my brain clean of any other thought bar the one it’d just implanted itself in the forefront of my mind.
Oh stars. They-
“They eat their own poop!?”
The shocked bleat shattered the peace of the room to reveal that most if not all of us had come to the same tail curling conclusion. As the hall filled with unrestrained vocalisations of disgust, an ‘Ugh’ over here and a ‘Blegh’ over there, Bernard’s own bellowing laughter joined the throng of voices.
“Ha! Everytime! Each and every time. Clearly it doesn’t matter if my students are Human or Venlil. Whenever someone learns about the Koala’s dietary development the reaction is the same!”
Pleased with himself beyond reason, Bernard chuckled away while the rest of us grappled with this ghastly reality. While there were plenty of animals that feasted on things that ranged from simply unappealing all the way to the stomach churningly grotesque, I’d never heard of an animal that actively consumed the excrement of its own species. Benefits aside, the prospect of having to do that to survive to adulthood sent a shiver of revulsion down my spine.
Ewww… Stars, I hope I forget this feeling by 2nd meal. They’re serving sturen and magamroot stew later. I was really looking forward to it.
With the herds mood beginning to temper Bernard tapped the podiums controls, removing the verdant collage of eucalyptus to display several similar yet distinct environments, still chortling merrily to himself in the process, “Ok then, with that little foray into their diet complete, why don’t we look at their habitat in more detail? As you might imagine given their diet and arboreal nature, Koala’s live in forested regions, and can be found in tropical and temperate zones. About a century ago they were classed as a vulnerable species, however efforts were made to turn this around and increase their numbers. Sadly the largest factor in their decline was human activity, as the fertile lands that gave rise to their bountiful forests were coveted farm land for our settlements.”
It was strange to hear Bernard so matter of factly admit to humanity's negative impacts on other species. He’d alluded to such things in the past but always with an air of caution, carefully pawing the line between honestly answering a question while not painting humanity as uncaring and destructive. AKA, the ‘predators’ we’d all initially expected them to be.
Perhaps his comfort in making such admissions was a reflection of the class's comfort with him, for no one so much as batted an ear. Even Kailo, who I would’ve expected to jump at the chance to use this as a prime example of predatory danger, only flicked an ear in stern yet silent concern.
A cough from Bernard drew my attention back, a new picture on screen that showed a forest from a bird's-eye view. Drawn across the image were around a dozen ringed areas, some bordering one another while others overlapped to some degree. It took me a moment, but I soon recognised that what I was looking at was a map, the rings representing what I assumed to be territories. And it didn’t take much effort to guess who each one belonged to.
“From habitats we move onto behaviours, so let’s start with territories. Koala’s are solitary animals. Yes, despite being herbivores. Considering they’re only awake for roughly four hours of the day I can hardly blame them. Lots to do and not a lot of time to do it. Jokes aside, once they mature they are quite independent, carving out a little slice of land for themselves, as displayed in this example, called a Home Range. That is not to say they go it alone and leave everything else behind however. Rather, as shown in the map behind me, they live in their own space while still being part of a larger social group.”
With another press of his pad the picture was updated to show one of two symbols in each segment, along with a key to the side of the map displayed in helpful Venlang. A quick glance told me that the symbols were representing whether the territory belonged to a male or female of the species.
“As you can see there is quite a bit of overlap between different Koala’s territories. It is in these areas that most of the socialising takes place between neighbours. The trees in these locations represent the few areas where intrusion across territories is acceptable for the sake of social interaction. Outside of that the Koala’s stick to their own territories for the most part, with the exceptions of Koala’s who are passing through, attempting to become part of the social group themselves, or dominant males who sometimes go off into another Koala’s range. But how do they know where one range begins and another range ends you might ask? Well, this brings us onto the next part of the lecture. How do Koala’s communicate?”
Wiping away the map from the monitor, Bernard loaded up a video of a Koala sitting in a tree and pressed play. Head held high, the Koala’s body shook as it belted out a reverberating call into the wilderness that could only be described as a garbled combination of a car engine failing to turn over mixed with the hiccups of someone with a particularly sore throat.
That’s how they sound? Oof that must be rough on the lungs.
I clearly wasn’t the only one to share such a thought, because I clocked Sandi tracing a paw along her neck as the noise went on, ears fluttering in discomfort at the noise.
Bernard himself cleared his own throat as the video came to an end, minimising it and replacing it with another image of a tree with a Koala rubbing up against the bark, “I think they’ve got me beat on who’s got the deeper voice!”
His joke garnered several amused beeps, a rare reaction that caused a beaming smile to shine across his face at lighting speed, “Oh you’re too kind. I’ll be here all week. Now where were we? Oh yes! Communication. As you’ve just heard, Koala’s are capable of loud low pitched bellows that can carry over vast distances. These express everything from ‘Hello I’m over here’ to ‘This is my turf, stay away’. Bellowing is more common in the males than the females, opting for shouting matches as opposed to outright fights when it comes to asserting dominance. Other vocal expressions include grunts, wails, and snarls if they’re acting particularly angsty. Mother and joey pairs also communicate through gentle clicking, squeaking, and murmuring sounds. And there’s one more thing worth mentioning. Something they have in common with Humans and Venlil when it comes to emoting.”
Really? They do something we do?
Curious, I pressed myself against the desk, straining as close as I could to once more scrutinise the Koala’s features. Not a lot stood out to me at first, the grey marsupial not sharing many similarities with a Venlil that I could identify.
Ok think. We show emotion with our ears, tails, and our wool on occasion. They don’t have tails so it’s obviously not that. Wool standing on end is more a reaction than a conscious expression. So it must be the ears then.
To my quiet satisfaction, my hunch was soon validated by Bernard, “As well as their vocalisations, Koala’s are very emotive through their facial features. Just like humans, they use their mouths and lips to show how they feel, but these tend more towards the aggressive side of the scale than what you might see on a human. Regarding yourselves however, Koala’s utilise their ears in tandem with their mouth movements when showing strong emotion.”
I was delighted to hear that my assumption was correct, a little happy flick twisting out through my tail and bapping against my chair with a muted thump against the plastic.
Hehe yes! Got one right!
“Now then, we are getting close to lunchtime so I’ll finish this segment off with something I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Diplomacy.”
Perplexed mutterings followed in the wake of the bizarre inclusion to the lecture, my own thoughts being dominated by bewilderment as I tried and failed to make sense of how the two could possibly be related.
Why would Koala’s, or any animal for that matter, be linked to diplomacy? Hmmm...
I could understand dispatching exterminators to deal with a predator issue as a show of goodwill, that at least includes animals, but Humans aren’t like that so I think I can safely scratch that off the list.
Maybe the humans who live in that region benefited from Koala’s in some way. Could they have gotten something from them? But what?
Hopefully not what the pups get from their mothers.
Agh no! Begone awful intrusive thoughts. Blegh! I don’t need that in my head.
As I wrestled with the short-lived revulsion inflicted upon me by my Star's damned subconscious, Bernard placed a new image on screen, one that was decidedly different from all that had preceded it.
On screen were more than a couple dozen pictures of humans. Some were pictured alone while others congregated in large groups while cameras surrounded them from all angles. Across all the images, I noted two common themes. First of all, a solid majority of the humans were wearing formal wear similar to what I’d seen worn by UN representatives on TV. If the gaggle of journalists in the background of the photos didn’t already confirm my suspicions, then it was this similarity which made me conclude they were all people of some importance. Likely politicians judging from context clues.
Secondly, each of the individuals was interacting with a Koala in some form. Some cradled one against their chests while others were feeding it eucalyptus leaves or pellets of some kind. One of the assumed politicians had become an impromptu bed for a snoozing bundle of fur, a gleeful smile spread across their face as they lovingly gazed down at the sleeping Koala in their lap.
As I continued to stare at the assorted photos something clicked into place, a sudden spark flickering into life. A burgeoning light of comprehension that flared and swelled with every wide-eyed breath I took. Some things still escaped me, things I hoped would soon be explained, but in staring at all of the humans happy smiling faces, I was struck with an instant of pure understanding.
If someone, say a Nevok for instance, offered to gift me a creature that was common to them but which might exotic and breathtaking to a Venlil, how could my feelings not be swayed? How could I walk away from that encounter and not have grown closer to them as a result?
“Koala diplomacy,” Bernard waved his hand up at the monitor, a slight reverence in his tone, “My favourite kind of soft power diplomacy. Where political leaders take photo ops with Koala’s and, on occasion, the Australian government loans Koala’s to other nations for a time to bolster positive relations. It certainly helps that Koala’s are a beloved animal worldwide, drawing large crowds and revenue for countries fortunate enough to host the adorable critters.”
The truly alien concept predictably sparked instant discussion in the herd, two polar opposite schools of thought swiftly cementing themselves as the most popular opinions. Simultaneously, I heard one voice trill excitedly while another scoffed at what they clearly saw as a ridiculous and offensive notion.
“Squee! That’d be so cool! I’d love to get the chance to see a Liri from Coila. Remember the Rainbow Boa? Think of that shimmering effect and colour but put it on a bird! Ah! I’ve only heard their song on video. It’d be a treat to hear it in person!”
Ooo! I’ve read about them! I’d love to get up close to one.
“Loaning. As if animals are property to be hoarded and traded? Pugh! Another predatory trait the humans don’t want to acknowledge for what it is.”
Ugh, typical. Jump right to the worst possible option.
However, despite my dismissal of their disparaging fumings, an uncomfortable thought pressed upon my mind. While it was plain to see how much humans cared for the Koala, it didn’t change the fact that humans did keep animals as property just as the scornful herd member had said.
This begged a rather important, disquieting question. Aside from keeping some animals as cattle, a stomach tightening minefield I had no desire to step a claw onto right now, how else did humans keep other creatures. And how did they treat them?
Before I was fully conscious of doing it my paw was in the air, the question primed on my tongue.
Noticing my elevated paw Bernard pointed at me, smiling warmly, “Yes Rysel? What’s on your mind?”
Sorry Bernard. I hope this one’s not too awkward for you to answer.
Flicking my ear in appreciation, and waiting for everyone to settle enough so that I could be heard, I voiced my concerns as neutrally as possible, “Thank you Doctor. I uh, just had a thought. We know that humans keep certain animals for… particular reasons, and we know why. From how you’ve spoken about Koala’s I think it's fair to say that the same cannot be said for them. However, this makes me wonder, what other reasons do humans have for keeping animals and how do you treat them?”
A flash of surprise blinked across Bernard's eyes but vanished so quickly that it felt like I’d imagined it. Had he not expected such a question? Maybe he was just shocked that it’d been me who’d ended up asking it?
Stars, am I so predictable that no one expects me to ask difficult questions?
Unfortunately, a quick glance at my deskmates seemed to prove that to be the case, as both Sandi and Kailo were looking at me with differing degrees of astonishment flapping in their ears.
Well speh.
“A very good point Rysel, certainly one that’s worth raising. Yet another example of you all anticipating what I have to say before I can bring it up myself.” Bernard tapped the podium, switching off the monitor before returning his focus to me, “We won’t be needing that. I’ve nothing prepared that I can show you and we’re heading to lunch in a few minutes anyway. Still, that’s plenty of time to give you a bit of an answer.”
A bit? What does he mean just a bit?
Made even more curious by Bernard's preempted admission that he wasn’t going to fully answer my query, I dialled both my ears on him, fixing him with an inquisitive stare as he started to explain with a tone that was noticeably more nonchalant than any of his previous explanations.
“So, animals in captivity for reasons other than what you already know. Honestly I would love to delve into other reasons regarding why we keep animals. However, I have a lesson plan in the works that I hope to share with you all in the not too distant future. Some of it touches upon this very topic and I’d quite like to bundle it all together. That said, I can tell you how animals in captivity are treated. In short, the answer is very well. There are a mountain of laws both on private and public interests that govern the standards and ethical treatment of animals, and breaches of these laws are quite severe even for relatively minor infractions.”
While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by the vague answer to what was really the bulk of my question, I was at least satisfied by Bernard’s assurances that animals in captivity, such as the Koala, were well looked after. Considering the barely subdued grumbling coming from some corners of the audience it was clear that several of the herd didn’t believe Bernard outright, but I trusted him to be honest. Additionally, the mention of an upcoming lecture focused on humans keeping animals caused quite the buzz.
I felt a mix of excitement and trepidation at exploring the topic further. He’d pretty much confirmed we wouldn’t be talking about cattle farms, for which I was relieved, but that still left a huge amount of uncertainty in what was to come.
Humans keeping animals as cattle was a forgone conclusion. As horrifying as that reality was, it was one I could understand from a detached and strictly clinical point of view. Being predators they ate meat and therefore they kept cattle. But the concept of keeping animals for any other reason baffled me.
What could be the purpose? The diplomacy thing makes sense now that I have context, but what other reasons could they have.
The class's discussions were interrupted by the recognisable ring of the break bell, the shift in attention eliciting a change in conversation from confused hypotheses to peppy conversation on how everyone was planning to spend their break and what they had in mind for 2nd meal.
“Well I can see everyone’s excited for lunch, and who am I to disappoint,” chuckling Bernard waved us all up from our seats, pocketing his pad from the podium and heading to open the classroom door for us, “Enjoy your break, get a good rest along with a hearty meal, and I’ll see you all back here at the usual time.”
As everyone else filed out I stayed behind, waving at Sandi and Kailo as they left, and pawing over to Bernard once he and I were the only ones left in the room.
Ears folded down and with an apologetic tinge in my voice I greeted him as I sidled up to him, “Hey Bernard, I uh… sorry if that last question was unexpected.”
Chortling in reply, Bernard waved a hand through the air in a sign I’d come to understand meant ‘not a problem’.
“No need to apologise Rysel. It was a good question and most certainly not a problem.”
Heh, called it.
I sighed, allowing tension I didn’t realise I’d been holding to relax itself from my shoulders, “Phew, that’s a relief. I’m glad. I’m curious to hear what this new lesson is you’ve got in store for us by the way.”
Bernard wagged a finger at me, throwing up his eyebrows in mock amazement, “Oh are you now? Well I’m afraid you’ll have to remain curious for the time being. It’s going to be quite the surprise if all goes to plan. But…”
He trailed off, glancing at me before looking to the door like he was making sure no one else was around.
Wait, is he going to tell me? Oh please yes let me know now!
Stopping myself from jumping on the spot in excited anticipation, and trying my damndest to stop my tail from wagging in equal measure, I stared up at Bernard as he stewed in his thoughts before turning back to face me.
“I can’t tell you the specifics, but I’m working with Alejandro and Tolim to get something together. A trip that’s not a trip as it were. And when it happens, I’m going to need a few of the more accepting members of the class to lend me a hand. I’m hoping you and a couple others will be able to help with that?”
A trip that’s not a trip? What does that mean? Agh who cares about that right now! Bernard’s relying on me to help out!
Still trying not to keep myself from bouncing around with pup like glee I swished my tail and nodded my head in joint agreement, happy to help with whatever Bernard had in store for us, “Of course! Anything you need I’ll be there to lend a paw. You can count on me!”
A broad warm smile lit up Bernard's face, a hand patting me on the shoulder in appreciation, “Thank you Rysel. I knew I could rely on you but it still warms my heart to hear it. And, as thanks for this and for the many times you’ve shown your support, the surprise includes a little something special I think you’d appreciate the most.”
If my earlier enthusiasm had been at a nine, then the implication of a supposed gift sent it rocketing all the way to a hundred in a heartbeat.
“Wait… WHAT!? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
As impossible as it seemed, Bernard's grin grew even wider as I almost lost myself in wool shaking exhilaration, “Call it my own form of Koala diplomacy. But I’m afraid that’s all I can say for now. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise even for you!”
“Oh you ass!” Whistling jovially I bapped my tail against Bernard’s leg in fake indignation, evoking a barking bellowing laugh from the man himself.
Still laughing, the two of us departed the class and made for the canteen, my rumbling stomach leading me on while my mind spun with fantastical thoughts as to what Bernard had prepared for us.
And what specifically he had in store for me.

My (30m) ex boyfriend has been nothing but disrespectful to me (26f) during our entire relationship. He had said things in my opinion that are unforgivable to me. He has also been physical with me before. I planned on leaving him after my son was born. We started dating when I was 19 and broke up shortly after my son was born. I was 22.
However I had trouble managing childcare and working at the same time. I missed out on bonding with my child because I was working so I could provide us with a better future. He was in college full time when my son was born and didn’t contribute to his life at all besides occasional babysitting until my son started going to a private preschool.
He has always told me he has “evidence” against me if I try to take him to court for child support. I never wanted to because as someone who worked in payroll I know they’re not very high and I could just make more money instead of taking the time to bring him to court.
Recently I have gone back to college to get my degree. It was impossible for me to work and go to school. I am on a fast track to graduate faster. I was taking 13 classes at one point. I’ve always had money saved so I have been fine taking time off work to rest and prioritize school and my child.
My ex boyfriend has been delusional about my situation and when I asked if he could watch my son at his house he flipped out and had me arrested for slightly bumping into him when he was making sexual advances towards me which I rejected. I have lost all feelings for him during my pregnancy and in the infancy stage of my son’s life.
He filed a restraining order and took temporary custody of my son and put I’m unfit parent for not working. He also denies ever being physical towards me and put that I was the one who was threatening him all these years.
It has been hard raising a toddler by myself and being a full time student. I have plenty of job opportunities so I’m not worried about going back to work.
It feels like my ex boyfriend is bullying me because he feels insecure about not being able to provide for me and my son. He also seems mentally incompetent by refusing to acknowledge his aggressive behavior and gaslighting my entire pregnancy and newborn experience.
I also respect myself and never told anyone about his abusive behavior out of fear of being invalidated and the negative connotations for survivors.
I love my son and want nothing but the best for him. He has never been away from me this long and told me he would rather stay with mommy over daddy. There is also a language barrier between his mother and my son so I know he’s not getting the proper care he needs.
Ever since this event has happened my son has had more temper tantrums and it’s hard for me to parent him.
On the day of the court hearing my son was throwing a tantrum. I was running late so I decided to drop him off at preschool instead of bringing him with me to the courthouse. I have not done anything since this started 2 months ago to change the custody situation.
Am I the asshole for letting my son stay with his father’s delusional family?

I’m at my wits end and I really need some help or direction. I (28f) have always had issues with my hormones. I’m average height and weight and my family has a history of low hormones but not anything that’s been treated by a doctor.
I didn’t have a period until I was 17 and that was only after multiple sonograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, and putting me on estrogen/progesterone to medically induce a period. Back then, I was told I was too skinny so my body wasn’t producing hormones like it should. There was also talk about possibly having PCOS. Once my body started menstruating on its own with the help of birth control, my periods were awful and painful. I had suicidal ideation while I was on birth control so I stopped taking it.
Afterwards, my periods would start and stop randomly for years. I think I went almost a year without a period and then ended up having one for 6 weeks straight. At this point, I went to an OBGYN and she told me I could have a partial hysterectomy due to my severe side effects of birth control. At 26, I had my uterus removed and that has been one of the best decisions I made. The OBGYN found lots of endometriosis during this process as well.
But lately I’ve become more aware of symptoms that I probably should’ve taken account of before. No libido, extreme fatigue, irritability, really hot sometimes and sweat during the night, muscle weakness and loss.
I had been looking at previous hormone tests and they all fall in the “normal” range. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to read all of them but the testosterone test. My T serum test peaked at 19 years old with 25 ng/dL. My most recent serum test before my hysterectomy was 14 ng/dL and records show it has steadily dropped over the years. I recently had a free testosterone direct blood test done and it came back as 0.8 pg/mL.
Every single test has been labeled as normal but I still have all these weird symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month but I’m afraid they’ll say the same thing. I know google doesn’t hold much weight but everything I’ve looked at has said at least my testosterone is low. But no doctor has said anything is low.
I just want to live a normal life and feel good in my body again. Please help or give advice, anything at all!! I feel so alone and like I’m going nuts.

I’m at my wits end and I really need some help or direction. I (28f) have always had issues with my hormones. I’m average height and weight and my family has a history of low hormones but not anything that’s been treated by a doctor.
I didn’t have a period until I was 17 and that was only after multiple sonograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, and putting me on estrogen/progesterone to medically induce a period. Back then, I was told I was too skinny so my body wasn’t producing hormones like it should. There was also talk about possibly having PCOS. Once my body started menstruating on its own with the help of birth control, my periods were awful and painful. I had suicidal ideation while I was on birth control so I stopped taking it.
Afterwards, my periods would start and stop randomly for years. I think I went almost a year without a period and then ended up having one for 6 weeks straight. At this point, I went to an OBGYN and she told me I could have a partial hysterectomy due to my severe side effects of birth control. At 26, I had my uterus removed and that has been one of the best decisions I made. The OBGYN found lots of endometriosis during this process as well.
But lately I’ve become more aware of symptoms that I probably should’ve taken account of before. No libido, extreme fatigue, irritability, really hot sometimes and sweat during the night, muscle weakness and loss.
I had been looking at previous hormone tests and they all fall in the “normal” range. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to read all of them but the testosterone test. My T serum test peaked at 19 years old with 25 ng/dL. My most recent serum test before my hysterectomy was 14 ng/dL and records show it has steadily dropped over the years. I recently had a free testosterone direct blood test done and it came back as 0.8 pg/mL.
Every single test has been labeled as normal but I still have all these weird symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month but I’m afraid they’ll say the same thing. I know google doesn’t hold much weight but everything I’ve looked at has said at least my testosterone is low. But no doctor has said anything is low.
I just want to live a normal life and feel good in my body again. Please help or give advice, anything at all!! I feel so alone and like I’m going nuts.

I just got my second negative test results for bv, trich, and yeast. Was told I had bv back in january, the string odor went away with the antibiotics. Symptoms came back recently, no pain or itchiness, distinctly unpleasant smell, it gets left behind in any shorts/pants I wear for any period of time, excess discharge ranging from white clumps to yellow green mucus. I have gotten std panels consistently. I’ve had the implant for 6 years, irregular periods. I really want to figure out what’s going on😭. Does this sound like anything specific to anyone? Where do I go from here?

Something similar happened to me before about a year ago. I was taking a strong probiotic and noticed that during my ovulation period during my cycle, I would get vaginal irritation. I went to my gyn in those moments, too and everything was also negative. He offered me antibiotics, but I didn't want to take antibiotics for no reason. I think I read somewhere here before that taking too much of a probiotic can overload your system during ovulation and such and cause irritation. I stopped taking the probiotic and the symptoms stopped happening slowly.
Now, it seems to be back even though I haven't started a probiotic or made any changes to the products I use and such, though it also started again during ovulation. If anything, I've been eliminating sugar and carbs from my diet which I thought would be beneficial to my vaginal health, but no changes so far. Some days I'm pain free, but then it can arise out of nowhere. Like today, I woke up feeling fine and now the pain appeared without me doing anything. The other day I had no pain and had sex and had the pain afterward. It seems to be at my vaginal opening and I try to soothe it with coconut oil, but it's only temporary. I plan on making another appointment with my gyn after my period.
I'll post my results in the comments, but I'm at such a loss and the irritation has really been ruining my days. And reading some posts on here have been so discouraging. Anything else I can possibly test for that could be causing this? Anything I can try that has helped others get over this

Basically I'm trying to weigh pros and cons to decide if a minipill or a copper IUD is the right option in my case.
I realize the experiences on the internet are skewed negatively, so I'm hoping someone can weigh in from a knowledge perspective instead of an experience perspective.
My main concern is effectiveness. If taken perfectly, are the minipill (Lyleq specifically, if that matters) and the copper IUD about the same?
Second concern is possibility of an IUD moving, how common is that really? Should I be genuinely worried about it moving, or having issues with removal (ie migrating and requiring surgery)?
If you'd like to read and weigh in on my situation specifically, I'd appreciate that too!
Bad experience with combo pills, high blood pressure, lots of meds. Period intensity and acne are things I can deal with, a deceased sex drive is a dealbreaker (decreased is okay). I can take pills perfectly on time, and am serious about abstinence in the case of missing one. Avoiding pregnancy is my top priority, and keeping my organs healthy for future pregnancy is second.
Based on this, I'm leaning towards minipill as long as the experience doesn't go terribly (in which case I would opt for copper IUD).
I attempted to get one placed at Planned Parenthood last week, it failed due to issues with my cervix and they scheduled an appointment with a specialist who can help open it (iirc) to insert. In the meantime, they gave me a ton of minipill packs.
So, is the minipill just as effective as the copper IUD when taken perfectly? And if not, are the risks of IUD migration something I should be seriously concerned about?

I’m at my wits end and I really need some help or direction. I (28f) have always had issues with my hormones. I’m average height and weight and my family has a history of low hormones but not anything that’s been treated by a doctor.
I didn’t have a period until I was 17 and that was only after multiple sonograms, ultrasounds, blood tests, and putting me on estrogen/progesterone to medically induce a period. Back then, I was told I was too skinny so my body wasn’t producing hormones like it should. There was also talk about possibly having PCOS. Once my body started menstruating on its own with the help of birth control, my periods were awful and painful. I had suicidal ideation while I was on birth control so I stopped taking it.
Afterwards, my periods would start and stop randomly for years. I think I went almost a year without a period and then ended up having one for 6 weeks straight. At this point, I went to an OBGYN and she told me I could have a partial hysterectomy due to my severe side effects of birth control. At 26, I had my uterus removed and that has been one of the best decisions I made. The OBGYN found lots of endometriosis during this process as well.
But lately I’ve become more aware of symptoms that I probably should’ve taken account of before. No libido, extreme fatigue, irritability, really hot sometimes and sweat during the night, muscle weakness and loss.
I had been looking at previous hormone tests and they all fall in the “normal” range. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to read all of them but the testosterone test. My T serum test peaked at 19 years old with 25 ng/dL. My most recent serum test before my hysterectomy was 14 ng/dL and records show it has steadily dropped over the years. I recently had a free testosterone direct blood test done and it came back as 0.8 pg/mL.
Every single test has been labeled as normal but I still have all these weird symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month but I’m afraid they’ll say the same thing. I know google doesn’t hold much weight but everything I’ve looked at has said at least my testosterone is low. But no doctor has said anything is low.
I just want to live a normal life and feel good in my body again. Please help or give advice, anything at all!! I feel so alone and like I’m going nuts.

So finally after a year im finishedddd. I started on 30mg, had to drop to 10 and build back up to 30 because of some bad blood tests and then was on 40mg from october until late april. Then started lowering from 30 to 10 again and now im done!!!!! First 2 pics are the day i started, the rest were during the purging period and after that calmed down a bit and last 4 are last month and today. Im so happy like I genuinely feel so confident, only thing left is scaring and im talking with my derm abt doing some treatment about that. My side effects werent severe, i had the typical dry lips and scalp, hair breakage, rash on my hands, sore back and body aches. My weirdest side effects would be that my boobs got smaller and my pms symptoms were and still are completely different since i started taking 40mg. It really is worth it though, the best decision i ever made so just keep going even if you get discouraged.