02_27_09 -- Wash in Cold Water

Use cold water when you wash your clothes. It's just as effective as warm and hot, but saves the energy used to heat it. More green tips from the iVillage community.

pregnancy scare--from the gURL boards

xx_irish_rose_xx asks, "OK, so I'm not sure if I am pregnant. I haven't taken a test yet and we always used a condom but my period is pretty late ... Has anyone ever gone through something like this? Should I tell him now I think I might be pregnant, or wait until I take a test? I'm really nervous because if I have to get an abortion I want him to come with me and I'm scared he'll hate me and I'll have to do it alone."

do you talk to your parents about sex?

When I was in high school, my dad sat me down to tell me that if I ever got pregnant, I should feel comfortable coming to him and my mom. I mumbled, "Okay," blushed intensely and immediately thought to myself, "Nice try dad. But if I ever get pregnant, I'll deal with it alone."

I knew my dad meant well and that he was doing what parents were supposed to by making himself available--but still, the thought of telling him something so intimate and personal just seemed utterly impossible.

I was thinking about this not too long ago as I was teaching a girls' health class. The topic of talking to parents about sex came up, and I was curious to hear what they had to say about the subject. Maybe in the intervening years, kids and parent had somehow bridged the communication gap?

tyra "shocked" by results of teen sex survey. but how valid are her stats?

A few weeks ago Tyra Banks continued the daytime talk show tradition of parading teen girls across the stage, grilling them about their sex lives and then acting shocked when they say things like, "I'm 13 and want a baby!" or, "I'm 15 and have already slept with 20 guys."

The excuse for this latest round of gawking was to discuss the results of a sex survey that the Tyra Show had conducted. According to these results:

• On average, girls are losing their virginity at 15 years of age.
• 14 percent of teens who are having sex say they’re doing it at school.
• 52 percent of survey respondents say they do not use protection when having sex.
• One in three says she fears having a sexually transmitted disease.
• 24 percent of teens with STDssay they still have unprotected sex.
• One in five girls says she wants to be a teen mom.
• About 50 percent acknowledge that they’ve hit someone.
• One out of three teens has tried drugs.

my boyfriend complained that my vagina has a bad smell...

Q: My boyfriend complained that my vagina has a bad smell. Is there anything I can do about that?

how long did you wait?--from the gURL boards

strwberrywine11 says, "How long did were you dating your bf (or gf) before you had sex? How old were you? Do you wish you waited longer?

I am almost 20 and have been dating my bf for about a month. We are both virgins. I want to wait at least 4 months before I sleep with him and he's okay with that. I just wanted some perspective on how that compares with other girls' experiences."

gURLs sound off on sex ed at their schools

Writing this blog has taught me a lot about the situation inside America's "sex education" classrooms.

Some of my knowledge has come from closely following the news on this topic, but plenty has also come directly from comments that you have left after the posts.

I've really enjoyed reading them, so I thought I would share some highlights with you:

ArielMeog says, "I live in North Carolina ... I can tell you loads of bull crap I got from the abstinence-only ed. It's the whole "girls give sex to get love, boys give love to get sex." They basically promoted the stereotypes that girls were weak and gullible while boys were unable to control their urges.

In my ninth grade health textbook there was a load of information on drugs such as marijuana, crack cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, meth ... very comprehensive information. But when it came to sex it was 'SEX IS BAD, YOU ARE GUARANTEED AN STD AND PREGNANCY. PLUS, IT GOES AGAINST YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS!' And I go to a public school."

why are you pro-life/choice?--from the gURL boards

sweet-acid says, "I just thought it would be interesting to see your stance, and one reason why you are what you are.

I'm pro-choice for a ton of reasons, but my biggest one is that pregnancy is a life changing occurance and I don't think something so wonderful, or horrible, should be forced on you against your will because others think a fetus is more important than you."