Health Info & Services

Does birth control make women gain weight?
Some women experience an increase in appetite while using the pill or shot. However, if you are aware of this possibility, you will be able to have some control about what you are eating as well as your activity level so weight gain does not need to be a concern.

What's the best way to masturbate?
The quick answer is whatever works for you. Check out masturbation on the teenwire.com site for some ideas.

If my partner doesn't sleep around, why should I worry about sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?
Even if you're in a long-term, exclusive relationship, you should still worry about STIs. Maybe your relationship isn't as exclusive as you think. Or you or your partner may have an STI that you do not know about.

Not all STIs have obvious symptoms. Further, only some STIs are tested for in a routine pelvic exam. For example, PPRSR tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia during all routine pelvic exams. PPRSR can also perform tests for genital warts (HPV), syphilis, trichomoniasis, hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Hepatitis B can be very difficult to diagnose. Herpes also may be difficult to diagnose, unless a person has an outbreak at the time of his or her clinic visit. Also, it can take up to six months for HIV to show up on a test. For these reasons, it is always best to get tested for STIs. Even if you're in a long-term, exclusive relationship, you should still worry about STIs. Maybe your relationship isn't as exclusive as you think. Or you or your partner may have an STI that you do not know about.

What are the signs of pregnancy?

Some common symptoms of pregnancy include:

• a missed period
• nausea
• inexplicable fatigue
• sore or enlarged breasts
• headaches
• frequent urination

Note: Many women, especially young women, have irregular periods. These irregularities may include missed periods and other changes in the menstrual cycle. These irregularities can happen from month to month. Although pregnancy is the most common reason for missing a period, irregularity is also caused by illness, travel, worry, or stress.

The only way to find out if you are pregnant for sure is a pregnancy test.

If I'm under 18 and want to obtain birth control, do I need my parent's permission? If not, will they find out I'm using birth control?
No. You do not need your parents' permission to get birth control at Planned Parenthood, and we will not tell your parents that we have seen you. At Planned Parenthood all of our services are confidential to all teens.

Is withdrawal ("pulling out") an effective method of birth control?
No. Of every 100 couples who use withdrawal as a birth control method, 19 of the women will become pregnant. There are many reasons that withdrawal is not an effective contraceptive method, including:

• Before ejaculation, almost all penises leak fluid that contains sperm that can cause pregnancy
• Some men cannot tell when they are going to ejaculate
• Some men ejaculate very quickly, before they realize it
• Some men lack the experience and self-control to pull out in time
• Some men have been known to say they will pull out, but they get so excited and carried away that they don't
• Some men have been known to say they will pull out, but don't mean it

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Adapted from PPFA (www.plannedparenthood.org) and Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (www.ppgg.org)