I though the article was interesting and informative on the different types of contraceptives that are available, and provided important information that I hadn't been very familiar on. What really struck me was the severity of the side effects of some the contraceptives and exactly how they work. It was very interesting to see how many options for contraceptives there are, the increasing amounts of research going on to improve contraceptives. I also thought it was interesting how different contraceptives may be better for different people based off of their race, religion, and their cultural and moral beliefs.

I think this article is a testament to the progress that has been made and provides some inspiration for progress that can still be made. Women's right to birth control and contraceptives has come a long way, and it is encouraging that pharmaceutical companies and researchers have invested their time and effort into developing new methods of contraception that women prefer. Birth control methods, especially emergency contraception, are much safer than they previously were. However, I think that some women, even though they have physical access to contraceptives, don't really want to take the option because of how they think others will view them (particularly in conservative communities).

Week 7

This was by far my most favorite article so far. I had never heard of the type of birth control used through injection. This article in itself proves how far women's rights have progressed in the past century. Not only do we have the opportunities to use birth control, but there are many options of which type of birth control to use. Women have the right to control their bodies and their reproduction, which is so, so important in the liberation of women. I thought it was ironic how the article discussed the benefits of Yaz. Yaz claims to stabilize pre-menstrual emotion highs and lows, however, last year I was on Yaz for six months and sunk into a horrible depression for three months. This has also occurred with one of my other friends who used Yaz, so be careful while using Yaz. I am now on Yasmin and am obviously much happier with the outcomes. While the variety of options of birth control are in some ways a blessing, they also have had major side effects on the shift in social norms of our society, how sex is now seen as a much more casual practice than in years past.

I thought the whole part where it talked about how there are risks associated to taking pills in the wrong way was very interesting. As more of such pills become available and information on what it contains becomes more accessible, it wouldn't be surprising if new pills produced by people who are not licensed for the job start to circulate. They might end up selling it under the table, especially to younger or disadvantaged females who are do not have the knowledge or capacity to make good decisions and get proper ones after consulting a doctor. This could lead to problems, because as the article said, high doses could have estrogen-related risks, like stroke, etc.

Also, it seemed so problematic. Starting the pills might be easy, but ending it seems to have so many associated problems with the hormonal withdrawal.

Like other people have mentioned, I'm not so sure how good it is to limit the number of menstrual cycles to 4 per year. It seems so unnatural and rather questionable in health.

As someone who does not use contraceptives, I am always very curious as to why people decide to use them. Some of my friends consider it to regulate their menstrual cycles, while others seem to use it so that they wont get pregnant with unprotected sex. Generally, though, I think people should bear the pains of menstrual cycles since all women since the beginning of time has done so, so there should be no reason why people today can't do the same? And as for unprotected sex, I seriously don't think that sound like a good idea, even if the relationship is monogamous, since you never know. That said, I'm still rather curious about the idea. So many people here in America take contraceptives.

Advances in Hormonal Contraception

I think the reading this week was very useful and informative. I've always been confused about the different kinds of contraception so I think it offered a good overview. Some of it was still a little confusing, especially when dealing with when the pills are supposed to be taken, for example, or when the ring was to be taken out and put in. It made me wonder if the women using these contraceptives fully understand and follow their plans, I think it would be hard for me to comprehend at least to start out with. The side effects can cause some worry, I wonder how healthy it is to limit your periods to four times a year. I also wonder, specifically with the newer drugs, what the long term effects may be. Also, I was surprised by the emergency contraception bit when it said: "there is no existing evidence that EC disrupts an established pregnancy", I was under the impression that that was exactly what it did..

I think it’s so interesting that Deborah asked about a contraceptive for men, because I have heard that they are coming out with one! I heard about it when I was in Nicaragua, and I remember some of the guys I was talking to being a little bit weary of it, because it’s just coming out. I’m definitely looking forward to new and better contraceptive methods in the future!

In regards to the article, I thought it was very educational about various kinds of contraceptives. And I definitely agree that doctors and sex ed in public schools are not teaching this material enough. Looking back on my high school experience, I never got any sex ed on contraceptives and neither did my doctor discuss it extensively with me. It seems like we still have a ways to go.

I agree with Deborah because when I talked to my gynecologist almost none of these options came up, and they didn't really come up in sex education either. All I knew about contraception was the pill - until there started to be commercials on TV for alternatives (like the nuva ring) a few years ago. So there definitely needs to be more education and more awareness on options. Of course it should go beyond that and there should me more availability of female contraception as well.

Also I was wondering why the article kept saying how nurses needed to keep such and such in mind when talking to patients, but why aren't the actual gynecologists and doctors in the picture of informing patients?

Feb 17 Readings

I found this article really interesting and helpful, especially as a woman who currently uses contraceptives. I actually didn't know how any of the contraceptive options worked, although I did know some of the risks associated with each of them. Which got me thinking: we didn't really have a discussion of what birth control was or how it worked in sexual education. It seems like I missed a pretty big part of the course! I also didn't really discuss my options when I had this discussion with my gynecologist. So the article is doing a good job of recognizing that there is a need for information and providing it.
Another weird question: why dont men have a contraceptive? I know there are condoms, but if a guy could take a pill that made him not produce sperm for three days or something, that would be cool! But I think societal norms wouldn't allow that - men are too obsessed with their virility.