Ivory

Hi, so I've never been on oral birth control before and my doctor prescribed me Levlen ED (there are three weeks' worth of actual yellow-coloured Levlen and a week of white placebos.) Anyway, my period started yesterday so I took a placebo as my doctor directed, but she also said to follow the tablets all the way round as shown on the packet (i.e. Wednesday Thursday Friday etc).

So does that mean I should start taking the active yellow pills partway through my period? I don't need to take the white ones until my period ends, right?

Also, my period usually occurs in three week cycles, will the Levlen extend that to four?

I'm very grateful to anybody who can help me out. I just don't want to mess this up. Thank you :)

I've known my 23 year old boyfriend (I'm 19) for a few months but we only started dating a week ago. Yesterday he said that he loves me and hopes I'll be able to say it back to him soon. He said since his previous girlfriend died in an accident he's now able to appreciate things in life more. He seems pretty passionate and I really like him, but I'm not there yet and I felt that it was a bit soon for him to say those words. Is this normal?

Also, in the next week or so I'll be sleeping over at his house - he said we wouldn't have sex, but today we were making out pretty heavily and he said he was really tempted to have sex after all at his place. Is that just his hormones talking in the moment? Combined with the whole "I love you" after a week thing I'm not sure what to think. Please help!

Hi there,

I'm just curious as to what friendly guys do differently when they fancy somebody. The guy on my mind seems to take every possible opportunity to hug me and always lets go last; he loves resting his head atop of mine, he goes out for a 20 minute lunch break and returns with a tub of my favourite gelato, and he called me "irresistibly cute" today when I had a nasty encounter with an insect. When we had a chat about relationships he said vaguely that he would "wait until exams are over before trying anything" but he didn't specify anything more.

The catch is is that he's very recently broken up from a relationship and is overall a very amiable person in general. Aside from that, he openly said that he didn't know me very well at all. I really can't tell whether or not he genuinely might like me romantically. Please give your thoughts - I am open to listening to all possible answers. Thanks!

Why is it that Asian men (particularly those of Japanese descent) generally seem to prefer shy, demure girls?

Some details - I'm Eurasian myself but have been brought up to be rather extroverted. I'm doing a double degree at university and enjoy debating sensibly. Physically (I'm not sure this has much to do with it?) I'm 176cm and 52kg, pale skinned, with dark hair and hazel eyes. I do look mixed.

Anyway, at the university club that I attend, a Japanese guy keeps carrying on about how westernised women like me - *especially* like me - are so "wild" and "energetic" and so on. He says that he finds me "pretty" but I "really need to change my ways". He then points at a Chinese girl sitting beside me - she's a very quiet and calm soul - and says, "she's the ideal girl for all of us; you'll never be in a relationship". (The latter is untrue; I've dated western men before without any complaints about my so-called *wild behaviour*. I mean, I prefer novels over nightclubs.)

It's not the first time he's said this and I don't understand why he won't drop the topic. I've told him politely that I acknowledge guys have different tastes, but he never wants to actually discuss the reasons behind his behaviour. Honestly, it's bothersome - not only for me, but for the poor girl he keeps idolising.

So what's the deal? There must be some Asian guys out there who don't mind westernised girls, surely? Could you please explain your preferences? I'd love to understand.

Thank you,

Ivory

Hi,

Last night I took Pristiq for the first time. I went off Prozac in 2010 and my doctor warned me that the new pills would be stronger.

I took the pill at 8pm last night and have just woken up after sleeping for about 5 hours. I feel nauseous, shaky and very alert. Is this a common side effect of the drug and does it pass after a week?

Also, what are the effects of alcohol being mixed with the drug?

I have an appointment with the GP next week but there's a party on tonight, so I want to check beforehand.

Thank you!

-Ivory

I'm eighteen and I moved across the country two months ago to study. I'm living by myself. Last month my period was a tad late and I attributed this to the move, but this time it's nearly six weeks late. This is unusual since I'm mostly on a 21 day cycle (ugh).

My diet's barely changed; I've been doing a lot more walking than I used to but nothing else has happened. I'm still a virgin so I can't be pregnant.

I'm concerned because I'm not underweight/overweight (I was bulimic but that stopped about four months ago) and it's suddenly just disappeared; this hasn't happened since I first got my period, which was six years ago... help!

Well, I've just turned eighteen and there's a guy who I really fancy who's turning 20 this December. We're both extremely shy and he's got a bit of a conservative streak; I know I've caught his eye but he just won't come out of his shell to talk to me.

Would it be bad for me to try to approach him, do you think I'm too young? Would his friends give him grief for going out with a girl two years younger?

There's a boy around at university who I've got a bit of a crush on and I'm really wondering if I should approach him or not, and whether he might be returning my hints. He's super introverted, shy and intelligent (from what I've seen, when he's online, he's got a great sense of dark wit!) and mostly likes to keep to himself even around friends.

We're both musicians, so everyday we go to practice. Today the rooms were really crowded, so he was practicing on the other side of the building, but I noticed that when the place cleared out a bit he ended up moving to the room next to mine; this has happened a few times now.

Plus, when I'm talking to my friends outside he always comes out of the room for a few minutes, does a stroll and then goes back in. He does glance my way quite a lot, and I've noticed him smiling to himself when I'm spazzing about something or other.

But, guys! I'm not sure whether this is coincidental or not. He has one of the best cold poker faces that I've ever seen around and when we pass by in corridors he'll look directly into my eyes and then sort of tilt his head down as if nothing happened. Plus, we've never actually talked, but we both know that the other exists.

I wonder if maybe I'm intimidating him? I have quite the serious poker face as well :/

I'm really shy myself and I don't want to get hurt, do you think it's a good idea to approach him? Does it seem like there might be a tiny bit of interest? Can you pros tell me how shy guys behave? It makes me nervous, ahahaha..

Sorry it's such a long post. ..

It makes me feel quite sad seeing all the happy couples going about at university. I've had a few crushes before but they never went anywhere because I'm naturally shy and I spend a lot of time practicing alone on the piano. What should I do? There's a guy who I like who seems to be returning my feelings but he's introverted as well, so neither of us are able to be bold about it!

Not only that... my friends have all had lots of boyfriends, so I feel super nervous about kissing since I'm the only one left who's clueless about that. Sex is the same. I'm absolutely terrified.

I guess I'm a bit of an introverted nerd but we need affection, too! I'm so confused D: Please help.