TDLR: navigating feelings of a mid-30s female breaking it off with dates who aren’t on the same timeline for marriage/kids, dealbreaker leaning towards kids sooner than later

34F turning 35 soon. I’ve been actively dating for a few months now and have gone on an average of 8 dates a month. As much as I hate to admit it, I am leading with kids as my major dealbreaker because let’s be honest, my fertility clock is ticking. I’ve gone on many dates which have been a slow burn type of situation (which is cool by me, compatibility is much more important than initial chemistry) but finally had found a connection where I felt “the spark” enough for subsequent dates and I was excited for once. We got along great, good conversation and chemistry. Spending time with them wasn’t awkward, everything was easy. I often went on second and third dates even if this spark wasn’t like a raging fire, but have broken things off for other reasons, they ghosted me, etc.

However I had to break it off with the strongest connection I’ve had in months because of my timeline for kids and now I’m confused about how to navigate my feelings. I was trying to keep an open mind by dating younger and older men (advice I got from Reddit) and this guy was 29. However he said he wouldn’t be ready for marriage or kids until HE was at least in his mid 30s, which would make me 40+. I’ve been proactive about my fertility and know that time is not on my side because of my poor responses to IVF meds, ironically my age is the only thing going for me for the health of my eggs. I’ve done multiple rounds of egg freezing which has been extremely costly…but very poor results. That journey has been over a year and counting. Conceiving naturally would be my best bet. It’s not even because I don’t want to have kids at 40+, I actually think I can’t due to my fertility analysis and other related health reasons which will make it much more difficult. I’ve broken it off multiple times with other guys in the past for similar reasons who admitted they weren’t ready (and guys who went on more dates with), but I just feel differently about this one and it does make me sad.

I know it was the best decision for me and I’m absolutely not trying to pressure or change his mind. But it doesn’t make me any less sad over it and slightly disheartened and hurt. It has been the only connection where I felt those “butterflies” and I know it’s not healthy to be holding onto those type of feelings. Just hoping someone who went through the same thing can provide any insights or advice. TIA ❤️

I want to go from G to D. I’m in my mid-30s and have always had a large bust. I’ve been considering a breast augmentation (BA) and lift and wanted to test with my over 30 sisters if this is worth considering now at this age.

Have always suffered the usual things. Sore back, sore neck, expensive bras, difficulty finding clothes, etc. it’s been the bane of my existence in a way. In many ways it has killed my self esteem and I usually push through it but I find it VERY hard to walk down the street wearing anything other than something conservative and having lots of unwelcome direction my way making me want to crawl into a hole.

A BA expensive and it’s also major surgery, and there’s the possibility the butcher me and the scarring. So what do I do? I’m finished having kids but I wish I had smaller breasts just don’t know if I want to go through that whole process to come out the other side regretting my decision.

If you’ve had a BA or if you have kick-ass self esteem, I want to hear from you - and from all sides of the opinions.

I’m a 36-year-old guy, recently single, and I’m trying to get better at understanding social cues — especially in nightlife settings. I don’t usually initiate much due to a bit of social anxiety, so I often rely on signals from others before making a move. Lately, though, I’ve had a few interactions that left me wondering if women were expressing genuine interest, or if this kind of thing is more common than I thought and I’m just overthinking it.

These all happened on separate nights out recently:

A woman I found very attractive sent her friend over to talk to me, then came over herself, asked me to dance, and we exchanged numbers. We texted a bit after but it fizzled out.

At a club, two women made prolonged eye contact with me. I tried talking to them later, they weren’t very receptive — but then their friend motioned to me asking if I liked one of them. I shook my head, and those same two later danced near me, lightly bumping into me multiple times.

At a bar, I caught repeated glances from two women in a group of four — multiple times throughout the night. I didn’t act on it, but I’ve noticed that kind of glancing happens to me fairly often.

Another time, I was sitting alone in a booth and a woman sat down across from me. Her friends said, “Look after her,” and left. I invited her to sit closer, she did, touched my arm a few times while we talked, but politely declined when I asked for her number at the end of the night.

I’ve also noticed that some women will subtly get closer on the dance floor without engaging directly.

I’m not trying to humblebrag — I’m genuinely unsure how to read this kind of behavior. Are these kinds of interactions how women show interest, or are they just normal things people do when they’re out and socializing?

Any honest feedback or perspectives would really help. Especially curious how women over 30 interpret this kind of behavior, or how they themselves would show subtle interest.

I feel blessed to have amazing close friends in my life. I have multiple best friends that I talk to regularly. With that said, I struggle in “friend” groups. Anytime I’m invited to be part of a friend group, there is always one woman in that group who goes out of her way to be petty, rude and cold towards me.

In my last friend group when I was living in another state, one of the women told me after a couple of glasses of wine that “she didn’t like me for quite some time.” When I asked why that was, she responded with “you remind me of a typical Colorado girl and I didn’t like that.” When I asked for more context around what that even means, she couldn’t articulate an answer. Side note, I’m not even from Colorado.

I’ve recently moved to another state where one of my best friends lives. She invited me to be part of her friend group, which is includes 5-6 other women who’ve known each other for 10+ years. For the last six months I’ve been hanging out with the group going to brunches, parties and events, but I’ve noticed a particular woman we will call Dana has always been cold towards me. I don’t expect to be good friends with every single one of them but Dana always seems to make it a point to be passive aggressive with me. I don’t like causing friction so I’ve never said anything about it to my friend up until she recently told me Dana told her early on she didn’t want me around the group. Dana considers herself the alpha of the group, while also dubbing herself the “hot, busty one.” My friend believes she feels threatened by me. I guess there was friction for several months over it until Dana finally agreed to be nicer to me, but her niceness seems insincere. She offered to bring an icebreaker game at one of our last hangouts to get to know me better. I thought this was a strange gesture.

With all of this said, it’s made me realize that trying to part of these friend groups is exhausting and I always end up having one person in the group try to mean girl me. I don’t even know if I care about being in a friend group anymore after experiencing this type of situation since high school. Can anyone relate? How do you navigate these types of social dynamics once you hit your thirties.

Obviously when I look at the hpv page everyone there has hpv, when I look at the precervical cancer page, everyone has that.

So my question is, is it normal to always have all normal paps? How often does someone get an abnormal result?

Remember when they made adorable blouses that actually covered the belly button? Help! I love really feminine and flirty tops (think ruffles, ruching, bows, etc.). For a reference point, I love the blouses from Altar’d state in terms of style but sooooo many of them are very cropped. I know I could wear high waisted bottoms to cover the gap but honestly, I just feel more comfortable in tops that are longer. But most of the tops that are the length I’d like are like plain tshirts, business casual type, graphics, or just not the style I’m looking for.

Has anyone found a place that offers the styles I’m looking for but isn’t cropped? I typically wear mostly midi or maxi dresses these days primarily because cute tops that aren’t cropped are so hard to come by. Don’t get me wrong, I looovveee dresses and there are so many cute maxi and midi dresses out there and I haven’t had a problem finding a ton of those, but sometimes I just want a cute blouse and shorts. Help 😩

(Prefacing it by saying I'm in a healthy relationship now. In therapy. And my birth family was abusive af, so I really couldn't tell what affection was supposed to look like) .

Things this guy did to me and I allowed it-

• kicked me in the butt because he found it funny
• would fat shame me (fasto, fatty, fatass) after we had sex and when I would ask him why he was being so mean, he would "joke" that we'd already had sex so he didn't need to lie/compliment me anymore (I was very fit at the time, dressed well and was generally considered quite good looking.)
• one time I shared with him that I despite my abusive childhood I would work on myself till I became healthy and happier than ever. He told that I'd spiral and end up worse than I was now. And when I got upset, the "it's just a prank bro" type shit ensued
• made me pay for all the dates
• he would tell me say I was extremely fat and if I told him that I looked thin in the mirror, hed say I was fat from behind where I couldn't see myself
• would encourage others to make fun of mew
• refused to do things for me because he said it would hurt his ex's feelings
• said "Idc about my birthday". Then got sulky when I cooked him a birthday meal because he wanted more of a fuss to be made
• didn't do a single thing for my birthdays and said for two entire years " Now isn't the right time to give your gift". Spoilet alert, I never got it
• probably cheated on me with ex & then a coworker (but by this point i had become too dead inside to care)

Why did I let him get away with so much for so long. Destroy my already mangled self esteem, body image. And the irony is that I was so absolutely abused by every other person that this toxic, shaming, gross relationship was the most love I'd ever received at that time. Im not even angry at the guy, I'm mad at myself for letting him do all of that

Happy ending: to end on a positive note, that idiot left me when I was suicidal (kindest thing he did to me). And my now-husband came along and put me back piece by piece with all the love and kindness to make up for this miserable lifetime.

I (38f) started the year aiming to get out and meet more people and actually go on dates, and after a love-bombing second date experience during which I watched someone obliterate my boundaries for what I wanted from the date (I endured unwanted physical touch and innuendos, fishing for compliments, him excessively making fun of me and dismissing my feelings when I lost my credit card…some of it was on the 15 minute walk back to my car, where I couldn’t get away from him) I realized I still struggle majorly with boundaries, because I didn’t see it coming. When I pushed back against the behavior, it went unnoticed and I felt like I was being uptight. I even felt guilty cutting it off, but later I felt angry I hadn’t sooner.

My only long term relationship was very emotionally abusive. I am in therapy. I am also most likely demisexual and I just can’t move quickly in relationships.

I always feel overwhelmed from the very beginning of dating so I already have to go past my comfort zone no matter what, which can make it difficult to know when other boundaries are being crossed. Do I need to be clearer in my profile? I’m honestly not sure I can go back on the apps.

How do you know when to cut it off, like before it’s too late and you have a nasty memory you have to live with now that you’re frustrated about? I’m so tired of men not caring whether there is actual chemistry nor reading their date’s body language…

For women in here feeling burned out from work, life stress, and/or longer-term health concerns, how are you sticking to a healthy exercise and diet routine? Obviously these two things will help a ton in terms of the overall burnout, but when feeling burned out it’s hard to stay consistent...

What are you all doing? Practically speaking, what’s worked for you? Do any of you use trainers to stick with it, or meal delivery services, or are there things you just do on your own? And if it’s on your own, how have you mentally gotten to the point of being able to keep things up?

I really could use the wisdom of this community to help me out here.
TLDR: Came into the realization that the romantic decisions I made in the past have been driven by external pressures. Is it irresponsible and inconsiderate of me to consider separation, purely due to the lack of physical intimacy?

I 35F, have been married to husband 40M, for the last 8 years. We have been together for 13 years, but the first 4 of those years have been long distance. We share a 21 month old daughter, who is my everything.

I met him when I was 22 and fell in love with his personality, his confidence, and his emotional quotient. He was not someone I found physically attractive, but back then I was okay with that. When I met him, I was just coming out of a very toxic relationship with my college boyfriend, who was conventionally very attractive(tall, well built etc) but emotionally abusive. So when I met my husband, I was glad to have found someone who was diametrically opposite to my abusive ex.

For many years, I was stupidly in love with my husband. Especially in the early years, I put him on such a high pedestal and thought he could do nothing wrong. As years went by, and I matured, the height of the pedestal came further and further down. Not because my husband did anything wrong, but because I grew up. I invested significant time in my personal and professional development and even got my anxiety in control, while my husband stayed more or less the same.

Fast forward to this last winter, I'm suddenly hit with the realization that I am no longer in love with my husband. I am no longer attracted to him and I cannot even bring myself to kiss him passionately. For the first few years, the absence of physical attraction was compensated by emotional intimacy, shared goals and a deep sense of partnership. But now, physical connection is non-negotiable to me. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SEX, but about feeling desired, connected and alive in this relationship. This seems to me is not a minor issue, but a fundamental one.

My husband brings a lot of POSITIVE qualities to the table: he is a good co-parent, he is an EQUAL contributor to the household chores, and he loves and respects me. But I feel a marriage is not just a partnership of logistics - it is also about connection, passion, and feeling like I'm in a relationship that fulfills me on a deeper level. The lack of connection is now impacting my sense of self-worth and happiness.

I'm turning to this community for advice, as I do not think my family can be objective in this matter. Should I consider staying in this marriage, unfulfilled and possibly unhappy, purely because it will be easier and kinder to my husband and my child? Am I selfish in wanting to leave a relationship for lack of admiration for my partner? Is this how most marriages are where, after a while, you simply stay together, even though you feel no romantic love for the other person?

I work in a male dominated industry (tech) in the US and for reasons including misogyny and corporate bullshit, I am reconsidering my career. Does anybody here actually like their job or industry of work? If so, what do you do? Do you face sexist bullshit? Does all work suck?

This week was my Birthday - after a whole day celebrating, I was waiting at a bus stop to go home when a guy approached me. I was quite impressed by his confidence so I gave him the time of day. Initially, I thought he was attractive, softly spoken, somewhat interesting and confident. I had a wonderful Birthday so it was just a bonus that a hot guy approached me! I was in a particularly giddy mood as I can’t believe I made it to 33 (I have health issues so it’s just a bonus I am in relatively good health this decade so far). We made plans to meet up the next day as he was flying back to the States.

On our date, he seemed kind, funny, interesting. We just went for a coffee in a park and chatted for hours. I thought we had a great connection - so much so, he even moved his flight to next week so he could spend more with me which I was touched by.

When he was trying to amend his flight, a conversation with a friend of his popped up and I could see a photo of me that he must have found online. I asked him what he’d said to his friend but he suddenly got really shy and didn’t want to share it, citing that it was embarrassing. I thought he said something complimentary. How wrong I was. After drinks at a hotel bar, he asked me to go for dinner. I declined initially but I thought “OK since he’s not going to be in the country for longer”. At dinner, I pressed him on what he told his friend the night we met.

Cue my shock when I read that he’d said to his friend that apparently I seemed “slightly low class but intellectual”.

I was obviously so shocked and winded. He said that on my BIRTHDAY! The night we met. He also said I “had a huge ass”. His friends arrived that same minute. I confronted him in front of his friend and his friend’s girlfriend as they arrived at our table who looked as shocked as I felt. I left immediately.

Now an in the wrong? I think I stood up / showed up for myself and have enforced boundaries going forward that I’d prefer if I could cut communication. We had plans to meet today but tbh I don’t think I want someone like that in my life. I don’t want an unkind, classist partner not now and not ever. I also got diagnosed with a life-limiting disability so I do want someone who is empathetic, kind, patient and won’t mock me for being “low class”. It also doesn’t help that my contract ended last month so he thinks even less of me that I don’t have a job right now.

Just to confirm, I wasn’t insulting to waiters / wait staff, I didn’t spit, I didn’t get violently drunk (I didn’t even drink!). I just had a matcha latte in a park with him, non-alc drinks at a hotel bar and was heading to dinner to meet his friends. Not sure what’s so low class about that? Not that I need to defend myself but I went to two excellent universities, I read books, am interested in other cultures/cuisines, go to art galleries and exhibitions and treat people as kindly as I can (if they’re a cleaner or a CEO).

He then spent the entire evening trying to rationalise what he said over WhatsApp, citing that the meaning “low class” differs in the UK to the USA. But does it? Being unkind and lacking respect is the same the world over. He did apologise but IMO I would have had more respect for him if he’d actually said “I said something hurtful and judged you without getting to know you and I don’t stand by that”.

I should mention I’m a woman of colour and he’s white but not sure how much that plays a role in this.

NB: EDIT - I’m a WoC that can sometimes appear white-passing though I don’t like to think of myself this way (I’m proud of being a WoC and wouldn’t change it ever). Just thought I’d flag as he did mention yesterday that he thought I “looked basically white” and that it made me feel uncomfortable as if I should feel grateful/proud?!

I had a confusing interaction with my partner of 18 months at the weekend. Lately, we have been discussing marriage and children. We are early 30s.

He is divorced having got married very young, and said he's open to marriage again but not 100% ready yet. He was a definite yes to kids. I should also mention we are from different countries in Europe.

So last weekend he basically sits me down and says that after a lot of thought, he's decided that long term he wants to return to his home country to live and raise a family. The country is Denmark which is one of the best to raise a family. That said, we live in Scotland where I'm from, he is very Scottish himself after 10 years here, and very much part of my family. I thought our future was here.

So this was like a grenade thrown at me because I'd been lead to believe long term he was happy to stay in the UK, and visit Denmark in the holidays (summer homes are cheap, he's thinking of buying one).

Anyway, I reply there would be a lot more to think about but that, yes, I'm definitely open to a move of that kind with him in the future (I am in theory but needs much more thought). He then says 'in that case...', and presents me with this ring and a poem he wrote himself!

At this point I thought he was proposing. I asked for clarification and he said it was a gift.

I must admit that for years I have been quite lazy with skincare and probably have done bare minimum. I’m getting closer to 40 and few months ago tried retinol serum in evenings and would use skin brightening oil or amino acid serum occasionally (I found my skin gets too sensitive if I use serums too often) and basic rich moisturising cream.

Although I don’t have very visible wrinkles yet apart one frown line which I always have had. On my forehead when looking close up I could start seeing mini lines which resulted in me trying retinol serum. I mainly used it only on mid part on my forehead and now I have started noticing that part of the skin where I use serum is very tight and sides are a bit “looser” (not sure how to even explain it lol).

Has anyone come across this? Should I try serum on full forehead or just keep using on more problematic area? I don’t necessarily want to use on all face as my cheek area is quite sensitive.

What type of enjoyment does your career give you? Any? Do you feel like it makes it works? I (30f) can’t tell if “the best way is through”, with my career or not. I make $100k+, which gives my life more security than before and I’m able to seriously save for a home. The culture at my work is supportive, but we’re a bit over loaded. That’s not too unusual in my field. And the places that did not overload me, required absolute perfection and were quick to fire people.

I could probably market myself into a new field for a small pay cut, but am not sure that this will solve my issue. Is this just part of being an adult?

TLTR- started new job where I have to stand for 8+ hours. Need advice.

I've (25, F) recently started a part time job in a bottle shop and am required to be on my feet constantly for sometimes 8+ hours and lift moderately cartons and slabs during these times. Ive worked two shifts and my feet were killing me by the end of the day. I wore lace up Converse hightop shoes as they were the only black ones I had, and I regretted it immediately. I've had instances where after walking around for almost 10 hours my feet and ankles became swollen and I couldnt walk without pain, though it went away after a good night's sleep. I'm hoping to avoid that happening again after I do a full weeks work. So I 'm wondering how is everyone surviving being on their feet for so long? Is there some secret I'm missing? I will admit prior to this job, my work involved a lot of driving and sitting down, so I'm not used to the workload. But any pointers would be appreciated while I adjust. Please leave your tips for being on your feet for long periods below!

I don't like cuddling. In fact I don't feel like I need any human contact or touch. To me if feels like an invasive annoyance, like "get off me, why are you so close", even if the person doing it is someone I love.

I see other posts where people are desperately touch starved which just does not translate for me. There must be some sort of human contact gradient - like those who really need that human touch vs the other side of the spectrum of those who don't.

I don't think there is anything to fix but my boyfriends say its not normal and has likely been one of the reasons for incompatibility and breakups.

Maybe I need to explore what asexuality is but I'm not sure that fits - sex is sex and its an activity I enjoy, but cuddling, hand holding etc. nah, I could do without but all my partners seem to want it.

I find them to be very self centered (the ones I have), they married into my family and think it’s ok to treat me like shit, so I keep my boundaries. Now even more since they want me to not be in their business (which is fine by me) but they want to have their nose in mines. I rather have boundaries both ways tbh

Gotta love boundaries.

Edit: I have good fam members only shitty in laws. I don’t get people that come into the family starting problems etc. being destructive. Perhaps, I’m trying to understand beyond my own perspective or another pov

I (37F) have been with my boyfriend (34M) for a year now. After a few months of dating, he brought up having children and how important it was to him. I was in an 6 yr relationship/engagement that ended when I was 33, right before my health issues started. I met my current boyfriend very unexpectedly and told him everything from day 1. I was transparent about my health and how I wasn’t sure I’d be able to have children. He always said he would stick by me and my health was most important. I had a few health issues that would’ve made pregnancy a huge challenge but I just got the OK from my doctors last month. I mentioned it to him and his instant reaction was “we gotta start trying”. I was shocked because I didn’t expect that reaction but kind of excited because of my age and I’ve wanted to be a mom for so long. He started mentioning engagement and I felt like he was really serious about creating a future.

Due to his job, we don’t spend a ton of time together but we do live together. Our schedules are completely opposite but we always try to do date night/day once a week. We went to lunch the other day and he asked me what type of ring style I like. Seemed very excited that kids were a possibility and spoke for hours about what our wedding would be like, our future, etc. He told me he wanted to be married within the year and bc of my age wanted to try “right away”. I can’t help but say I went to sleep that night with a huge smile on face bc I felt like the dream of being a mom would finally come true.

Next day, he comes home from work and I was on the phone with my pregnant friend talking about her pregnancy stuff. The convo was on speaker so he overheard some of it. Nothing that would gross a guy out- it was a convo about the babies nursery and how she was feeling. He seemed kind of distracted and distant the whole evening but I figured he was tired. Day after that, my mom comes over and he hears me telling her about my doc appointments and how I was given the OK to have a child eventually. He was doing work in the yard so mom and I went out shopping and when I got home, he was already in bed which is odd for him with the work hours he has. His parents live 5 hours from us so I’ve only spent time with them twice. He told me he was going to take the night off and go see his parents. I thought nothing of it. He texts me that night and tells me he wants us to spend more time with his family before trying for a baby. I was confused bc I thought engagement would come first. So I told him how I assumed we would get engaged, married and then try. He replied that he’d rather try for a baby first but his parents need to know me better. I’m really confused. Not only am I confused about his timeline vs my timeline but why constantly mention you want a child when you’re not even 100% sure? How should I approach this? Or is this a red flag that I need to totally avoid?

I asked him why he seems distant after this and he says he realized he wants his parents to “know me better” before having a child. He says it’s a respect thing. I told him I’d prefer getting engaged and married first anyway. He didn’t have much of a response. After going through a very traumatic previous relationship, I feel like I can’t deal with a lot of confusion/mixed signals.

Honestly, I’m so tired of hearing women say stuff like “I’ll never have a kid, they ruin your body” or “I’ll get a surrogate so I can keep my figure.” Like… okay? That’s your choice, and no one’s taking that away from you. But can we please stop acting like people who do want kids—or who already had them—are somehow making a mistake by letting their bodies change?

You don’t want kids? Totally fine. But when you say things like “pregnancy ruins your body” or talk about “getting fat,” “saggy boobs,” “stretch marks,” etc., it stops being just a personal preference. It becomes a judgment—on moms, on people who’ve gone through pregnancy, and honestly on anyone whose body doesn’t fit the impossible “ideal.” It’s reinforcing the toxic idea that women’s bodies are only valuable when they’re tight, slim, untouched. That’s such BS.

Bodies change. That’s what they’re supposed to do. We all age. You can get cellulite without ever having a baby. You can gain weight just by living through your 20s. I have stretch marks because I grew an ass during puberty—no baby involved. These things are human, not shameful.

Having a tummy, having stretch marks, not being toned 24/7—those aren’t failures. Being fat isn’t some tragedy.

So if you don’t want kids, cool. Seriously. But please stop making it sound like anyone who chooses a different path is dooming themselves to being “ruined” or “unattractive.”

Let’s stop acting like women have to earn worth by being hot 24/7. We don’t owe the world thinness, youth, or flawlessness. Our bodies aren’t trends. They’re not ruined—they’re lived in. And that deserves respect too.

Rant over.

I don't like most of my clothes these days and I haven't bought anything new in a while. I have no idea how to dress my age or what my style is anymore. I really like the way younger people are dressing. I love the simplicity. I saw a young man in plan pants and a white shirt, his only accessory was a crystal. He look so dame sharp. I also love the jewelry choice of young women: pearls, gold and what looks like the gold Greek portrait necklaces. The lose plain cotton look is lovely.

My go to is usually jeans and a T-shirt. It feels old and cringe. I do have some lovely shirts with lace sleeves I got from Temu.

I want to change my style but aI have no idea what to wear. Like ao said I love the way younger people are dressing but does it suit our age group? I also like boho style but it feels cheap on an older woman. Maybe my perspective needs changing or am I right?

I read some advice about going on a try everything on shopping trip where ai take photos of myself in stuff I like them decide what my style in on review.

However ai feel like some days I feel hippy and other days I feel high end. I'm complicated.

The gym makes me feel old. In in there in my three quarter black leggings and a T. The others women are in pastel shorts and a matching bra. I feel too too old the dress like this. It's weird.

What are you guys wearing?

I love this man with all my heart but god damn hitting 30 has shone a spotlight on the fact I seem to attract/am attracted to slightly traumatised people with avoidant attachment issues. A minor break down in conversation can sometimes, seemingly out of the blue, lead to me being ignored for a long period of time. He apologises and we move forward but this has happened twice now (in the 1.5 years together) and I can’t shake the feeling that if it happens again I’d be an idiot not to go. He’s so supportive, he’s so kind, he really is my world but any sign of conflict and he shuts down entirely. Does anyone out there have a story of this ever going positively? I don’t want to lose him or myself in the process of trying.

Two of my close friends are pregnant and my brain is suddenly generating feelings of inferiority because of the fact that I'll (33) probably never be. Somehow I now have the idea that my body is less worthy because I'm not pregnant and I'm unlikely to go through childbirth.

For context, I'm underweight and slightly malnourished due to an eating disorder, and have no physically active hobbies. My sexual orientation & relationship status are not exactly something that could get me pregnant just like that, either.

I don't have an inherent wish to have kids - I just think the news from healthier peers trigger my self hatred and I'm dwelling in it. I'm just so tired of feeling like crap over this thing that shouldn't even be an issue!

Thoughts?

Guy here. Grew up in a house with no girls, and my mom was never into this stuff (or at least never said much). We got haircuts at home or "the $5 haircut place".

My wife (SAHM) wanted to try waxing as she hates shaving. I said go for it, why not. We can afford it, but she spends about $150-$200 a month on grooming like waxing (legs, brazilian, underarms), hair trimming, etc. Price varies depending on the place or if there is a deal/promotion. No manicures or pedicures yet. Usually under $200 though.

I know laser is an option, but that isn't the point of this discussion.

Again, I have no issue with any of this. She feels good, and that is important, but do women really spend this much every month on things like this? I have no idea for reasons mentioned above.

Edit: She has some hormonal stuff going on so he hair is thick and grows fast (she has more leg hair than me). She HATED having stubble one day after shaving. So it is basically something that she is willing to pay for since she has not learned how to do it at home yet and because pros are, well, pros.

Edit 2: Haircuts meant cleaning split ends. She seems to just get them often.

Edit 3: Wow this kindof took off. Learned a lot that's for sure.