Wham bam
thank you scam?

Dear Sasha, Can you recommend a porn site that is not a scam or a front to get your credit cards? I am looking for a porn site that offers photos, small video movies and stories.

—Mark

Dear Mark,

I was interested, though not surprised, to hear that client fraud—stolen passwords, traded passwords and general stealing of credit cards to be used for porn purchases—is a much bigger problem than porn company fraud.

According to an industry insider, scams are rare, especially with sites operated in the United States or Canada and apparently the big problem wasn’t getting your credit card info or theft anyway. “About a decade ago, there were porn companies that would make it difficult for you to cancel by burying their customer support contact information and continuing to charge you when you thought you were buying a one-month access membership,” says my source, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of hackers fucking with his own adult site. “This kind of stuff was cleaned up by the billing companies and the more reputable porn companies around 1999. The adult industry gets charged high fees by Visa and the like if they surpass the chargeback limit. Porn companies try to keep that low and being fraudulent would certainly cause trouble with Visa.” Probems are particularly rare with companies, and billing companies, based in the U.S. My source cannot speak for companies that are run from overseas but has heard “shifty things” about some of them.

If you’re still concerned, “Then look for companies that bill through one of the major third-party billers like CCBILL,” he suggests. “If you have a problem with a site and they’re unresponsive, you can contact the third-party biller.”

And for free porn, “just type ‘Free Porn’ into a search engine like the rest of the world.” But if you want it all in one package, as opposed to piecemeal, you’ll have to pay for it. Here’s a good blog entry on the topic: erosblog.com/2007/07/31/cookie-cutter-porn-paysites/.

Dear Sasha, About two months ago, my boyfriend and I started having sex—my first time. I promptly got bacterial vaginosis and we stopped. I got antibiotics from my doctor, and when it started to clear up, we started having sex again. Ever since then, my vagina hasn’t returned to its pre-intercourse state, and I think I might have another infection. Since I didn’t talk to my doctor about possible causes the first time, I’m pretty confused. Is this change in vaginal climate natural? Is it a hygiene thing (mine or his)? Does it have to do with condoms? Is this my body’s way of saying “True love waits, bitch?” Please advise.

—Anxious,

Dear Anxious,

“Oh, dear,” says sexual health educator Lyba Spring, “here’s BV rearing its funky head once again. Unlike yeast infections, where there are a few prevention strategies, there is no such list for BV. We are eagerly awaiting the development of a product that would replace the peroxide-producing lactobacilli that we need to stave it off.”

In my experience, BV is pretty madcap. For example, Lyba says, “Some women find that they get BV with a new partner [semen can upset the acidic balance of your vagina] and that using condoms can help,” but it seems you have been using condoms. In this case, if you are using silicone lubricated latex condoms maybe you want to try ones that are unlubricated or lubricated with a water-based lube or polyurethane ones.

I had persistent BV for several years and managed to beat it using boric acid in gelatin capsules. Though it talks specifically about using them to treat yeast infections, a good primer on how to prepare them is here: womenshealth.about.com/cs/yeastinfections/a/vagyeastinfecti_2htm. I have also found regular maintenance with tea tree oil (which I put on my finger in the shower every couple of weeks and insert into my vagina) keeps me tart and fresh and it doesn’t hurt to have your BF do a little tea tree-and-water-in-a-cup dink swish either. You can also find a comprehensive overview of BV and some remedies at hasslefreeclinic.org/VaginalInfections.html. Again, since BV seems to manifest for diverse reasons in different women, you may have to experiment with a variety of treatments. True love can wait as long as it wants, but BV will inevitably be there to welcome it.

Got any questions for Sasha? E-MAIL: POULEDELUXE@YAHOO.COM