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Mississippi Politicians Seek to Amend Women’s Rights

October 27, 2011 By 2 Comments

Sometimes when I’m having a stressful day at work, I’ll spend five (or fifteen) minutes looking at pictures of adorable dogs on The Daily Puppy or Cute Overload. If I happen to be working at home on a particularly stressful day, I go one better and spend an inordinate amount of time staring at, playing with, and generally annoying my perpetually sleepy and rumpled Shih Tzu. But look at that picture – can you really blame me?

After reading about Mississippi’s proposed Amendment 26, which would define a fertilized egg as a legal person, I had to wonder if that state’s legislators were taking a similar routine a bit too far. After all, babies are cute, and staring at pictures of babies is a fun distraction from a crappy economy, so why not just talk about babies and hypothetical babies all the time instead of actually working to improve our country’s myriad problems, pretty much none of which have anything to do with private decisions about pregnancy? [Read more...]

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IUDs are Making a Comeback, Baby!

May 11, 2011 By 6 Comments

The ParaGard IUD

It’s hard to think of any form of birth control that’s had a more checkered history than the IUD. By the late 1970s, the intrauterine device was used by almost 10 percent of American women, but thirty years later, that number had fallen to less than 2 percent. Even as ads for Mirena pop up all over television and magazines, some doctors remain reluctant to prescribe either Mirena or its non-hormonal counterpart, ParaGard, to women that have not had children.

These lingering fears can be traced back to the Dalkon Shield, an IUD that was popular in the ’70s. The Shield had a significant design flaw: a multifilament string that allowed bacteria to “swim up” into the uterus, causing injury, sepsis, miscarriage and even death. The Shield and other IUDs of that era were also linked to pelvic inflammatory disease, and thanks to the resulting lawsuits and bad press, pharmaceutical companies halted research and manufacture of IUDs. Later studies challenged the validity of the link between IUDs and pelvic inflammatory disease, and also helped determine that properly designed IUDs were safe for use. Modern IUDs use a monofilament string, which does not allow for bacteria to enter the uterus.  [Read more...]

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Quick Hit: birth control in a down economy

October 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It is no secret that the current economic crisis in this country is causing an enormous strain on many families.

While some families may be willing, the last thing they need is to have another child in this economic climate. As this article shows, there are other, more practical options for birth control than the pill or condoms. While the pill may not be a large expense each month, the cost of an unplanned pregnancy due to failed birth control is very costly. This article has wonderful information for families who are struggling:

Birth Control Doesn’t Have to Mean the Pill

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Friday News Roundup

July 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

We made it to Friday, ya’ll! YEAH! Here are some hawt links to get you through the morning.

Federal Judge Rules that DOMA is Unconstitutional – Gay Politics
Are IUD’s Appropriate for Teens? – Financial Post
Should Birth Control Be Free? – Salon
Sex Ed on TV? – The Guardian

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Of Sterilization and Birth Control: A Rant

December 7, 2009 By 10 Comments

essure coilToday I found out some very exciting personal news: My insurance company will completely cover for me to have the Essure procedure done!

To give a brief overview for those not familiar with Essure, it is a non-invasive sterilization procedure where your gynecologist goes in through your cervix and inserts a small coil into each of your fallopian tubes. Tissue then grows in around the coils, blocking your fallopian tubes completely. Three months after the procedure is done, you go in for an x-ray with contrast confirmation test, which confirms whether or not your fallopian tubes are blocked. If they’re not, you might need the procedure done again; if they are, you’re good to go!

I was especially attracted to Essure for two reasons: Unlike most other birth control, it has no hormones. I very much dislike what hormonal birth control does to me. Unlike a tubal litigation, it has a super short recovery time (according to both Essure’s website and my own gyno, procedure takes about an hour and you’re back to normal in a day). With two small children and a full class schedule, this was a must. [Read more...]

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Restrictive Abortion Laws: Parallels Between Arizona and Oklahoma

October 12, 2009 By 1 Comment

bill-from-capitol-hillWe recently broke the bad news about a new abortion law in Oklahoma that requires information about women who obtain abortions to be published on a public website. One aspect of the law that has received less attention, however, is that the new bill changes the definition of pregnancy. According to HB 1595:

“Unborn child” means the unborn offspring of human beings from the moment of conception, through pregnancy, and until live birth including the human conceptus, zygote, morula, blastocyst, embryo and fetus; . . .

“Conception” means the fertilization of the ovum of a female individual by the sperm of a male individual;

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnancy does not actually occur until a fertilized egg has been implanted in the uterus. Two-thirds of eggs are never actually implanted into the uterus, and many birth control methods, such as an IUD or Emergency Contraception, prevent implantation. Although the bill states that “nothing contained herein shall be construed in any manner to include any birth control device or medication or sterilization procedure,” the bill effectively does prohibit IUDs and Emergency Contraception by defining abortion as “the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device intentionally to terminate the pregnancy of a female” when pregnancy is defined from the moment of conception. [Read more...]

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Recession-Proofing Your Birth Control

September 30, 2009 By 3 Comments

Times are tough, and birth control is expensive. Still, unintended pregnancy would be a catastrophe for most women in this economy. A recent study by The Guttmacher Institute found that one in four women were having difficulty paying for gynecologist visits and more frightening, skimping on birth control – cutting pills in half, skipping a few days here and there, and for some women, just going without. [Read more...]

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Tuesday News Roundup

August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

mouse_click_270x270DIY Sex Toys – Queercents
It’s Time for a Stronger Defense of the Right to Choose – RH Reality Check
Sometimes Abortion is the Better Choice – Salon.com
Abortion is More Common Than Heart Surgery & Hop Replacement Combined – Science Blogs
Italy Approves Abortion Pill – Feminist Campus
Catholic Church Threatens Excommunication in Response to Italy’s Approval of RU-486 – Catholic News
Comparing Different IUD’s – Passionate Provider
Experienced Providers Weigh In on IUD’s – RH Reality Check

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What’s Your Birth Control Method of Choice?

July 31, 2009 By 15 Comments

080130-Mirena-IUDThere’s been a lot of buzz about IUD’s in the blogosphere this past week. I’ve only known one person who has used an IUD for birth control, so I am immensely curious about why the IUD has become so popular as of late. Kate Klonick at Slate writes about the economic benefits of switching to an IUD. While the Pill can cost nearly $50 a month, an IUD has a one-time cost of $300-$500, but it will last for up to ten years. Elizabeth Garber-Paul at RH Reality Check mentions another benefit: you don’t have to remember to take a pill every day, like you do with oral contraceptives.

For those who don’t know, IUD stands for “intrauterine device.” It’s a small, T-shaped piece of plastic that is inserted into the uterus by a gynecologist. Some release hormones that prevent pregnancy. Other methods have a copper coil that prevents an egg from being implanted in the uterus. According to Planned Parenthood, the IUD is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

My preferred method of birth control is lesbianism. It’s more fun than abstinence, and it’s 100% effective at preventing pregnancy (unless you’re one of those turkey baster lesbians). I can see the appeal of the IUD, though. How about you? What’s your preferred birth control method, and why? I’d love to get your take in the comments section.

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