Birth Control
Information is Power: Options are Freedom
For this hot-button topic, there are two areas I want to bring awareness to. The first is the famous Pill, and the second is the lesser-known Natural Family Planning (NFP). While I have never utilized the Pill, I am in the preliminary stages of using NFP. That being said, the information I have will vary in its origin.
The Pill
Oral Contraceptives
In this section, I want to discuss the oral contraceptive notoriously known as The Pill. While there is plenty of information regarding how to take the Pill and why, I wasn't sure how it really worked until I searched the internet.
Aware that there are many forms of oral contraceptives, I will narrow my discussion to two: combination and mini pills. The difference between the two is in what they contain. Combination pills consist of both estrogen and progestin, while also providing a sugar pill week. Progestin is a man-made replica of progesterone. Mini pills contain only progestin and are the same for the whole cycle. This contrasts combination pills which contain a sugar pill week.
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You may be asking yourself, “Self, how do these pills work?” I won’t leave you hanging, I promise. Remember how progesterone increases in the second half of a woman’s cycle? During that time, if an egg was not fertilized during ovulation, its job is to thicken mucus in the cervix and thin the lining of the uterus. Its prepping for the period.
If a woman takes progestin at the beginning of her cycle, the cervical mucus thickens, the lining of the uterus thins, and ovulation is prevented. In the case of combination pills, there are five days of the cycle that only sugar pills are taken. This creates a “period” that is controlled. For the mini-pills (progestin-only), all of the days are the same. Women don’t bleed while taking this type of contraceptive.
There has been recent talk on the interweb of oral contraceptives being harmful to women’s health. This is a hotly debated subject among some medical professionals, so here are just a few solid facts about oral contraceptives to investigate yourself. ​
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They Have Side-Effects
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They Impact the Brain
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Around 100 Million Women
are Currently Taking an
Oral Contraceptive
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Resources are included in the bottom menu so you can form your own, educated opinion.
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Mini Pills
Combination Pills
Images from Women's Health Magazine
NFP
Natural Family Planning
NFP is sometimes more accurately referred to as fertility awareness methods of birth control, and I think it is so cool. I only began learning about NFP about a year ago when my fianceé started researching it. This led to my interest, wanting to know how my body uses outward signs to show what's going on in there.
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You may be thinking, Lizzy, I have never heard of this.
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Let me explain.
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NFP is a system that uses bodily observations to track when a woman is fertile. Through this, women and couples can (surprisingly accurately) learn when sex can lead to pregnancy. It can also be used to achieve pregnancy or check for health/medical abnormalities.
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There are a few different systems, including Creighton, Billings, Marquette, Sympto-Thermal, and others. The distinguishing factor between methods is the observations they track. For example, the Marquette method involves using a urine-analyzing device to track hormonal biomarkers, whereas the Crieghton model goes by the observation of cervical mucus.
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Might I add, the effectiveness of the Creighton model is 98.7-99.8%, while there are no side effects. Another bonus is that it can
The reason we chose this method is because, as a college student, I don't have the time or money to spend on other forms of tracking (such as purchasing a device for the Marquette method). Also, Creighton was recommended as the best for my long cycles.
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It has also taught me a lot about my body. Because NFP prioritizes understanding the body, I've added to me knowledge what happens inside and outside as ovulation occurs.
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While I am not a seasoned veteran, using the Creighton model has already allowed me to understand my body more. It is my current way to learn and work with my reproductive system.
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