About.com Contraception

Hmmm... Considering a Vasectomy(especially in today's economy)?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:01:30 +0000

Did you know that vasectomies are safer and more cost-effective than tubal ligations, yet in the US, more than twice as many women undergo tubal ligation for permanent contraception (even though that operation costs three to four times as much and is much more involved - usually involving surgery)?

Well, if you are a man who does not wish to have any more children, a vasectomy may be the way to go. It seems though that many men may feel a bit uneasy about having a doctor tinker with their "manhood." Unfortunately, there are many myths about this procedure as numerous men mistakenly believe that vasectomies will lower testosterone levels and/or affect sexual performance.

Vasectomy: Male Sterilization
Watch a Short Video: Traditional Vasectomies
Vasectomies: No More Scalpel?

Also, it seems that many doctors are now reporting a dramatic increase in the number of vasectomies being performed since the economy turned for the worse last year - with some doctors reporting increases between 48-75%. Doctors are guessing that this vasectomy trend may be due to both a decreased desire to have children because of the expense involved, and an increased desire to get such medical procedures done before their jobs (and health insurance) disappear. The decision to have children is often a financial one, and if finances are down, it makes sense that people would be less likely to have more kids. So if you are thinking about seeking a vasectomy, this may be the perfect time.

The Economic Recession: How Its Affecting Sex and Family Planning

_{Photo Courtesy of Microsoft Office}

Hmmm... Considering a Vasectomy(especially in today's economy)? originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 00:01:30.

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The Birth Control Battle - Who is Responsible?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:16 +0000

When it comes to contraception choices, who is most responsible? It seems the unless you are going with a condom or a vasectomy, women seem to bear the responsibility of either remembering to take a pill everyday, change a patch weekly, deal with the side effects of hormonal methods, and the list can go on and on. Should a woman ask her partner to remind her everyday when to take her pill? Is there a way for men to help share in this role?

When discussing which type of birth control to use, should the decision be made 50/50 - even if the end result is the woman having to be the one whose shoulders the responsibility falls on? Part of having sex is dealing with these issues and having these conversations. Discussing your feelings and decisions about contraception with your partner may be embarrassing, but it is important that you have this discussion, especially before you get caught up in "the heat of the moment."

Never fear! Here are some practical tips and advice on how to talk to your partner about using birth control.

Share Your Tips:

Who Should Be the Keeper of the Condom? Cast Your Vote:

Please visit the Contraception Forum to cast your vote in my poll - Your Thoughts on a Woman Who Carries Condom.

_{Photo Courtesy of Dimitri Vervitsiotis/Getty Images}

The Birth Control Battle - Who is Responsible? originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 00:00:16.

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Yaz and Yasmin in Trouble as Lawsuits Keep Growing: The Court Steps In

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:52:35 +0000

Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of the popular birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin reported last month that they have already been served with at least 125 Yaz or Yasmin-related lawsuits filed by women who have experienced serious health problems after using these combination pills. Yet, lawyers are continuing to investigate and are reviewing thousands of other Yaz cases throughout the US, so it is expected that the number of cases filed will increase dramatically in the upcoming months.

Back in October, all federal Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits were centralized before Judge Herndon in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois as part of a multidistrict litigation. In an order issued on November 10, Judge Herndon appointed 14 lawyers to act as the spokespersons for all plaintiffs at pretrial proceedings and in response to inquiries from the court. Michael S. Burg, Michael London and Mark N. Niemeyer were appointed as Co-Lead Counsel for the plaintiffs. They will submit and argue motions before the court, examine witnesses at hearings and negotiate stipulations and potential settlements with the defendants, which would apply to all cases.

Although lawyers have been appointed to the Plaintiff's steering committee, each plaintiff who files a lawsuit over problems with these birth control pills will maintain their own Yaz attorney, who will represent their individual interests and obtain the evidence necessary to establish their case.

Yasmin and Yaz are the best selling oral contraceptives in the U.S. They are the only birth control pills that contain drospirenone, a different type of progestin. Drospirenone may increase a woman's potassium levels and have interactions with other drugs that increase potassium - such as certain medications for high blood pressure or heart conditions, anti-inflammatory drugs (like Ibuprofen), and some 'water pills' (diuretics). Most Yaz legal complaints against Bayer Healthcare cite drospirenone as the cause of serious and life threatening health problems such as blood clots, stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis and gallbladder disease.

Yaz is a unique combination birth control pill because it contains 24 days of hormone pills, followed by 4 days of placebo tablets. This oral contraceptive option may offer women fewer hormone fluctuations than the traditional 21 days of active pills in a typical 28 day pack. Yaz is also the only birth control pill that has also been FDA approved to treat the emotional and physical symptoms associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder - these symptoms are severe enough to impact the lives of women who choose the pill for contraception.

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_{Photo Courtesy of DELC}

Yaz and Yasmin in Trouble as Lawsuits Keep Growing: The Court Steps In originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 00:52:35.

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Abstinence is Not Unrealistic - Yet is it that Simple?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:15:59 +0000

It seems that sometimes even merely discussing the notion of abstinence is met with reactions suggesting that you are living in the dark ages! The FACT of the matter is that abstinence is the only form of birth control that is 100% effective (both in preventing pregnancies and most sexually transmitted infections).

It is also a fact that practicing abstinence takes self-control and responsibility. Yet, ultimately, it is your decision to choose abstinence -you are the one in control, and you always have the choice to decide to hold off from having a sexual relationship. Abstinence is not unrealistic, yet it is also not as simple as just proclaiming that you will not have sex.

When it comes to abstinence, it is helpful to look at yourself and your lifestyle realistically. Sometimes, with time, a love relationship may change, so your decision to remain abstinent could change as well. You then need to decide if you are okay with this. It all comes down to the same premise - the choice is always yours. Keep in mind, though, it is also wise to have a back-up plan (just incase) - experiences and stories that I have heard over the years suggest that vows of abstinence tend to break more than condoms�do!

_{Abstinence Photo Courtesy of Ian Waldie / Getty Images}

Abstinence is Not Unrealistic - Yet is it that Simple? originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 00:15:59.

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Little Known Emergency Contraception Facts

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:03:23 +0000

It appears that people are finally becoming more aware of emergency contraception. Though most people don't realize that emergency contraception has been available for more than 30 years. It is a safe and effective contraceptive method that women can choose as a way to prevent a pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure.

Here is my "Top Picks" list of five little know facts about emergency contraception:

According to the medical world, emergency contraception is thought to be one of the best-kept secrets in the healthcare field. Emergency contraception is offered in three ways: Plan B�One-Step (also known as the morning-after pill), ParaGard IUD, or a special regimen of birth control pills.
Plan B One-Step is sold, over the counter, at pharmacies. The catch? You have to be�17 or older to buy it without a prescription. It can be sold to either women or men; teenagers (under 17) can only purchase it with a doctor's prescription (but in many states, this can be achieved without parental notification), and there are 9 states that have pharmacy-access policies that allow women of any age to obtain Plan B One-Step from participating pharmacists at select pharmacies without a prescription.
Many believe that emergency contraception is the same thing as an abortion. This isn't true - Plan B doesn't work if you are already pregnant and does not harm a developing fetus.
To be most effective, Plan B One-Step should be started up to�3 days (72 hours) after unprotected sex (but may still be effective up to 5 days/120 hours) - the sooner it is obtained, the better the chances of preventing pregnancy (so it's good to have it on hand, just incase).
The morning-after pill is a misleading name because Plan B One-Step does not necessarily have to be taken the morning after unprotected sex occurs.

The Emergency Contraception Debate

Who Can Buy Plan B One-Step

Emergency Contraception Quiz

Emergency Contraception Photo � 2009 Dawn Stacey

Little Known Emergency Contraception Facts originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 21:03:23.

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Government's Assault on Women: The Stupak Amendment Passes

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:34:24 +0000

On November 7, the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act - included in this historical act was the passing of the Stupak Amendment - an amendment that many are crying is a direct slap in the face to all American women. In fact, millions of women are about to lose coverage they currently have and often need as the Stupak Amendment potentially goes farther than any other federal law to restrict women's access to abortion. So, even though abortion is a constitutional right, and one would think a basic part of reproductive health care, the Stupak Amendment will prohibit this coverage in the "Exchange" - the new reformed health insurance market.

In a nutshell, the Stupak Amendment (which, by the way, 64 Democrats voted for) effectively prevents public plans and private insurance companies, who choose to take part in the Exchange, from covering abortion care - even though 85% of private insurance companies currently cover abortion sevices. Additionally, not only will it ban direct government funding for abortion, it also bans public money from being spent on any plan that covers abortion (even if paid for entirely with private premiums).

Some Other Points With Respect to this Amendment:

There is a narrow exception policy: Plans in the Exchange can only cover abortions in the case of rape or incest or "where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death." Keep in mind - the Stupak Amendment will NOT exclude other cases that typically constitute a woman's reason to seek an abortion - such as severe fetal abnormalities, depression that will lead to suicide or self-harm, or where the health (not the life) of the woman is threatened by the pregnancy.

To justify the amendment as not banning abortion from the Exchange, Stupak and his cronies have added the "option" to allow women to purchase extra, stand-alone insurance (known as a rider) to cover abortion services. Perhaps its just me, but does it seem a bit illogical to ask women to plan for what is ultimately considered a completely unplanned event - hence the title, unplanned pregnancy?

Hopefully the Senate will have more respect for women than what the House has to offer as I am not so sure that America should stand for land of the free. If both federal funding and now private funders are banned from covering abortion, what choice will women have? It also begs the question, if women's reproductive needs are that unimportant, what will be next - bans on birth control coverage?

Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the US

_{Photo Courtesy of Microsoft Online}

Government's Assault on Women: The Stupak Amendment Passes originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 21:34:24.

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Want to Skip Your Period?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:46:47 +0000

Did you know that you can subscribe to my weekly Contraception Newsletter? It's free and is delivered straight to your email. I received the following question from one of my newsletter's subscribers. This question has to do with birth control pills and is probably one of the most common questions that my readers ask me.

Leigh wanted to know the following,
"Help! My fianc� has planned a super-romantic get-a-way for the two of us over Christmas...the only problem, according to my calculations, I should be having my period during that time. I am currently on the pill. I've heard that women can skip their periods using the pill, is this safe? If so, how do you do it?"

Good news Leigh - women can definitely skip their periods while using combination birth control pills, basically by beginning your next pack of pills during the start of your placebo week. Also, you will be happy to know that doing this is perfectly safe!

Also of Interest:

_{Birth Control Pills Photo � 2008 Dawn Stacey}

Want to Skip Your Period? originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 01:46:47.

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Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the US

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:15:43 +0000

According to the latest report by the Guttmacher Institute, the average American woman, who wants two children, spends about five years pregnant, postpartum or trying to become pregnant, and three decades (more than 3/4ths of her reproductive life) trying to avoid pregnancy. In 2006:

There were 66.4 million women in the US of reproductive age US
More than half (36.2) of these women were in need of contraceptive services and supplies
Of the 36.2 million who needed birth control, 17.5 million were in need of publicly funded services and supplies because they either had an income below 250% of the federal poverty level or were younger than 20

The importance of publicly funded family planning centers can be seen in the fact that one-quarter of US women and half of poor women all received care at publicly funded family planning centers in 2006. Publicly funded family planning services help women to avoid pregnancies they do not want and to plan pregnancies they do. In 2006, these services helped women avoid 1.94 million unintended pregnancies, which would likely have resulted in about 860,000 unintended births and 810,000 abortions.

Read the Full Guttmacher Institute Report: Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States

_{Photo Courtesy of Keith Brofsky/Getty Images}

Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the US originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 21:15:43.

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Before You Seek Support From a Crisis Pregnancy Center

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:46 +0000

Hope you all had a fun Halloween. Now that the holiday has passed, most people expect the haunting and tricks to be over. If, however, you are facing an unintended pregnancy �and try to seek help from a crisis pregnancy center, beware that you may encounter some mischief. These pregnancy centers may offer free pregnancy tests and appear to provide support about abortion, adoption, and pregnancy options, but many crisis pregnancy centers may be deceptive and misleading.

Before You Seek Support From a Crisis Pregnancy Center

More Crisis Pregnancy Center Resources:

_{Photo Courtesy of Keith Brofsky/Getty Images}

Before You Seek Support From a Crisis Pregnancy Center originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 00:00:46.

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Pregnant Moms - How to Be a "Smart Mother"

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:43:26 +0000

The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy is a book that empowers pregnant women by emphasizing the importance of knowledge during a pregnancy. This pregnancy guide provides information about how to seek the best prenatal care. Topics range from healthcare issues to pregnancy statistics and there is a helpful section on teen pregnancy. This is a comprehensive book that yields valuable information (that may not be obvious) for pregnant women to consider.

Read my review of this book and add your own review as well!

Book Review:

Smart Mother's Guide

_{The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy Photo � 2009 Dawn Stacey}

Pregnant Moms - How to Be a "Smart Mother" originally appeared on About.com Contraception on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 21:43:26.

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