#tbt Sneak a Peak of My Journal!!!

Ah, the teenage years. Seven years of glasses, acne, braces, and hormones. My teenage years are pretty well documented as I've kept a journal since I was a sophomore in high school. The last time I visited home, I brought back all of my old journals so I could read them. Besides giving me a good laugh, my journals give me a new sense of perspective. When you're fifteen (♩somebody tells you they loooove you, you're gonna believe them♬), there are certain situations you find yourself in that leave you believing that nothing could possibly be any worse than that day, week, or moment. It isn't until years later when you crack open the binding of an old journal are you able to see that everything turned out okay. 

As I put my journals away onto my bookshelf here in New Hampshire, I suddenly recalled that I had made an entry right after I discovered my septate hymen. Below, I'm sharing that entry with all of you. Please note the raw emotion and melodramatic undertones.

Ahhh, teen angst...

The denial is pretty apparent. "I mean, I could get that skin removed but ew no" really sums up my general feelings at the beginning. It makes me laugh now, almost 6 years later, because I really assumed that I would 1) never have to take care of it 2) that it would somehow break on its own and 3) that I would somehow still never be able to use tampons.

 In any case, I'm happy to be past 2009.

Pads vs. Tampons

It's the debate that begins the moment you get your period: pads or tampons? We all make a choice (unless the choice is made for you - thanks septate hymen) based on personal preference, what's currently in stock at your house, your daily activities, etc. If you haven't made the choice - or are thinking of switching - I'm here to facilitate the debate because I've been an active user of both.

First up, #TeamPad. 

#TeamPad 

                       Pros                                                     Cons
- You don't have to stick anything up your vagina.       - Wet diaper feeling.
- Easier to tell when it's time for a change.                       - If you leak, clothes will be ruined
- Reeeally easy to use.                                                                   - Leaking means having to clean up your                                    - Compact                                                                                              entire crotch.
                                                                                                                  - Wrappers make loud noises in public                                                                                                                                                              bathrooms.
                                                                                                                  - Can't flush them.
                                                                                                                   - Can't sit how you want with one on.

Verdict: Pads are great if you're just getting used to having Aunt Flo visit. They're really easy to use, too! However, getting used to having a wad of cotton in between your legs is a little strange not to mention that it constantly feels like you wet your pants. I recommend Always pads or something with wings or you'll be faced to buy new underwear every month. Get free samples and coupons for Always pads here!

Next up, #TeamTampon.
                                           

#TeamTampon

                        Pros                                                     Cons

- Once in, you can run, jump, swim, cartwheel, etc.                 - You have to stick something in your                                   -You always feel dry!                                                                             vagina.

- Flushable - no more looking for a trash bin!                             - You'll need a lot of different sizes                                                                                                                                                                      depending on your flow that day.

                                                                                                                            - A little more difficult to know when it's                                                                                                                                                           time to change...

                                                                                                                          - Pantiliners aren't always reliable for                                                                                                                                                                  backup if your tampon does leak.

Verdict: Tampons are f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c!!! The cons might outweigh the pros here, but I mean, come on, did you expect anything involving periods to have a lot of pros?! I keep a lot of each size on hand because I found that I prefer different sizes on different days. I highly recommend Tampax Pearl tampons because they are super easy to use! Whatever you use, I would stay away from cardboard applicators because those don't insert pleasantly...Tampax Pearl luckily has these thin plastic applicators so you don't have to worry about that! Click here for free samples and coupons!

The Winner: TAMPONS!!!!! Being a girl means getting a period so you might as well make that week once a month as easy and dry as possible and both of those things can be accomplished if you use tampons! I swear, they almost make you feel as though you're not menstruating!

Septate Hymens, Statistically Speaking

Since the day I discovered my septate hymen, I've always wondered how prevalent having one is. Recently, I turned to the library databases via UNH which house hundreds of databases with thousands of scholarly journals, articles, and studies. I was sure that I'd be able to uncover some information on septate hymens. I found a whopping two articles.

According to one of those articles, which came from the European Journal of Pediatrics, hymenal abnormalities are found in 1-2% of females. The imperforate hymen is actually the most common abnormality. While it didn't specify the least common, the infamous septate hymen occurs in .7% of females. 0.7%!!!!!!!!!!

This number is small. Think about it this way, for every 100 baby girls born, less than one of them will have a septate hymen. So you're probably thinking that 1) I have the worst luck ever or 2) that what I went through will only be experienced among a handful of girls. Statistically, I'm here to prove the latter wrong.

According to Worldometers, there are 7,162,119,434 people in the world today. This number, however, is constantly changing as people are being born and are dying as I write this. Buuut for all intents and purposes, that is the number we are going to use here. 49.6% of the world population is female which means that there are 3,552,411,239* females in the world today.

Feel small yet?

If there are 3,552,411,239 females and .7% of those females have (or had) a septate hymen, that equals 248,668,799** females born with septate hymens...!!! That's roughly 250 million girls!

250 million girls that exist in the world today were born with septate hymens. That number blows my mind. I think back to when I discovered mine and recall how lonely I felt. 250 million might seem like a lot, but chances are, those girls aren't neighbors or friends. We are spread out across the world, often left to face the reality of our unusual reproductive system on our own.

To all of my septate sisters out there, I've said it before and I'll say it again; you are not alone! There are literally millions of girls who are just like you (and me)! Stay strong! :)

How about them odds?!

*Actual number 3,552,411,239.26 but I rounded down.
**Actual number 248668799.6748 but I rounded up.

RESOURCES:

• www.worldometers.info/world-population/
• Watrowski, R., Jager, C., Gerber, M., & Klein, C. (2014). Hymenal Anomalies in Twins - Review of the Literature and Case Report. European Journal of Pediatrics. 173(11), 1407-1412. doi:10.1007/s00431-013-2123-3

Announcing Septate Sisters!!!!!!

Hello everyone! As some of you know, I've been hard at work building my own website and now I'm proud to announce it has launched!

Introducing my very own website!

 When I first discovered my septate hymen, like a proper 21st century teenager, I turned to the internet. I frequented health forums where I read stories of girls who were just like me and I found comfort in knowing that I wasn't alone. However, the health forums were vague and impersonal which is where Septate Sisters comes in. Septate Sisters is for all of the girls out there born with that extra band of tissue to connect with other girls like them! It's a place where girls can share their stories throughout their journeys.

If you have a few minutes, please go check it out! Let me know what you think!

What About Septate Hymens...?!?!

This semester I'll be taking a course called 'Human Sexuality' which, surprisingly, is actually a requirement for my major. To be honest, even if it wasn't a requirement, I would have still been interested in taking it. Anyways, I received the textbook for the class the other day in the mail and as I typically do as soon as I receive all of my textbooks, I flipped through it. I was particularly interested in seeing if they mentioned something about septate hymens.

They didn't.

Our Sexuality...$150 later...

Chapter 3 is dedicated to the female anatomy and flipping through it, I saw more vaginas then I wanted to. The textbook itself verges on porn with extremely graphic photos of different sex positions...but I digress. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, that based on the detail given about all of the other lady parts, that this textbook would FINALLY discuss the infamous septate hymen. I was very disappointed to see that, once again, it was left out.

How about them apples...?

However, they did discuss, ever so briefly, the imperforate hymen. If you don't know what the imperforate hymen is, you can read more about it here. My understanding is that the authors, Crooks and Baur, decided that this hymen was worth mentioning because it is the only one that requires attention ASAP. With that being said, this is a college level textbook and anyone with this type of hymen would have likely realized they had it/gotten the necessary surgery already. 

What about septate hymens?!

As you all know, the main reason for this blog and for my appearance on MTV's Virgin Territory is to raise awareness of septate hymens. While it doesn't require immediate attention, it still has the power to really screw up someone's life if it goes unnoticed. My proposal to the authors of this textbook is to include septate hymens in the next edition of Our Sexuality. We need to start raising awareness to the other variations in hymens. Every person who has approached me about the MTV show has told me that they had never heard of septate hymens before I opened up about it. This needs to change...for all of the girls out there, whether they are aware or not of their extra band of tissue.

One Year Update!!!

I decided to make an update post because after I successfully overcame all of my fears surrounding my lady parts, my update posts stopped which was a shame because those posts are my favorites to go back and read because the growth is so apparent. One year ago, I had already lost my virginity so this post is going to be a one year update.

Overall, this past year of having sex has been, well, fun! The connection between Jesse and I was strong before we started having sex but now, we are so much closer. While I still don't consider sex to be the most important thing in a relationship, it is still extremely important on the individual level as well as the relationship level. I've learned so much about myself, Jesse, and us as a unit.

However, there have been a couple times during the heat of things that  my fears rush back and I get scared again. These relapses have only happened a couple of times but I go through the same motions of becoming tense and pushing away. The good part is that I'm able to quickly remind myself that it's all okay down there and we can continue the love making. I think the scariest part of these relapses is knowing that the fears I once had still marginally exist.

The good news is that I am a strong woman who is determined not to be dragged back to the place I was in the fall of 2013. I've come so far in this journey that I refuse to let a rouge thought of pain deter me from making love. My therapist gave me lots of tools to combat these demons and during these moments of relapse they become my weapons. I thought once I had sex the fears were gone forever but I'm dealing with the reality that they might always come back to visit once in a great while.

I want all of the ladies out there to know that this septate hymen journey - post or pre surgery - is continuous. Whatever stage you are at right now, do not give up! You can do this! If you're fears are consuming your every thought, there are plenty of therapists out there to listen and help! Or, you can always talk to me and I'll be happy to do the same! After all my septate sisters, we're all in this together!  :)