Birth Control Haters

[jackfaire]

I'm sure you'll just see more of the "Personal responsibility" blargle blargle and "Can't feed em, don't breed em!" nonsense.

Which is misunderstood by the people saying it since you can't take personal responsibility for something if you are cut off from the means to do so.

It would be like telling someone, "It's your responsibility to get to school on time" "I get that but you built an electric fence around the school and filled the moat with alligators."

[LadyBarbossa]

I think a lot of the anti-BC people probably hold the belief that sex is strictly for procreation, and that if you dare want to have it for pleasure, then well, you deserve the consequences. It's sick. I've never been on BC (but I've never been sexually active, either) and I'd dearly love to get a tubal. But I know even after I've saved up enough to afford one, it'll be tough getting anyone willing to do one on me.

[Rageaholic]

I think a lot of the anti-BC people probably hold the belief that sex is strictly for procreation, and that if you dare want to have it for pleasure, then well, you deserve the consequences. It's sick. I've never been on BC (but I've never been sexually active, either) and I'd dearly love to get a tubal. But I know even after I've saved up enough to afford one, it'll be tough getting anyone willing to do one on me.

Yeah, I HATE that mindset. I hate the idea that anything that brings you pleasure is a sin. It's punitive for the sake of being punitive.

If a couple decides to have sex only for procreation, that's fine, but when you judge those who don't, or worse, force your views on others (like Rick Santorum wants to do), you need to GTFO and mind your own business.

[blas87]

If only he knew what a Santorum really is.

[Eisa]

^-snickers-

I haven't even had sex for almost two years, and right now, can't afford B.C. (need to go back to my gyn or someone for a different prescription actually, seeing as how I was on Yaz, and well...yeah ), but I would love for people to have to be around me when I'm not on B.C. Raging bitch has nothing on me. My hormones are like they are on the devil's carnival ride. My gyn said the pill was a medical necessity.

[BlaqueKatt]

How is that "utter crap?" It's not perfect, but "utter crap" would imply it's totally worthless.

if there ARE long term effects, they wouldn't be found before it was approved. We'll say if something would cause problems after 6-12 months of usage, it's never been tested that long, the "woman years" method means you can have 120 women on it for a month and that's ten "woman years" of safety, yet it was never tested on anyone for more than 30 days, so it's not at all a scientifically valid method, which means it's utter crap, especially as birth control is the ONLY drug tested for safety in this manner. Adverse reactions to approved drugs are voluntarily reported, they are not monitored after approval. Would you trust a cancer drug that was tested for safety for 30 days, and then had no followup, and then it turned out everyone who took it died of their head exploding three months later?

I'm not against birth control, I just wish physicians would give all the information an allow an actual "informed choice". Case in point, the prescribing information that comes with depo-provera(which was tested on men only for safety-it's the "chemical castration drug" for sex offenders), says it is NOT to be used for more than two years due to bone calcium loss, which may not return after stopping use, yet most women I know that are on it have been on it for much longer than that, and have no idea that warning is on it, as their physicians DO NOT tell them. That is withholding information and not allowing an informed choice now is it? The fact that ZERO long-term studies on menstrual suppression and fertility have been done is something that should be discussed before making the decision, but it's not.

My doctor would have taken me off of Depo many years sooner if I "needed" to have a period to be healthy.

But did they ever tell you it shouldn't be taken for more than two years?
My physician put me on a migraine med that I took for six months, it was then pulled from the market because it cause renal failure more than they thought it should, I trusted my physician to do what was right for my health, she told me nothing of the side effects, until AFTER I developed them(I also was one of the lucky people that had a psychotic break from antidepressants, also not disclosed until AFTER it happened). I now ask for the pamphlet that comes with my medications, since I know I can't trust my physician. I've also been taken to the ER for a severe allergic reaction to penicillin, I had strep throat, the ER doc that treated me for the allergic reaction gave me ANOTHER prescription for penicillin when I left.

Heck I'm over 35, smoke, and get SEVERE PMDD when on hormonal birth control, however my physician is STILL trying to put me on it, every time I see her she tries to hand me a prescription, does that sound like someone that's concerned about my health? Would you trust someone that IGNORES the three biggest red flags that warn against prescribing something?

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

What gets me is how some equate birth control with having an abortion, because birth control prevents conception and therefore stops a child from being born.

When in FACT birth control actually LOWERS abortion rates because it gives women an option to PREVENT an unwanted pregnancy. An unwanted pregnancy, is of course, a major reason a woman might want to have an abortion.

As the husband of a woman who takes birth control because she has PCOS AND only ONE ovary (we want to protect that ovary until we are ready to try for a baby), these people can piss off.

[Seshat]

BK: In Australia, every prescription med comes with the information sheet inside the box. I probably throw out five or six of those information sheets per month!

Also, you can get the drug info online. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html is one suitable resource.

[Greenday]

BK: In Australia, every prescription med comes with the information sheet inside the box. I probably throw out five or six of those information sheets per month!

I'm pretty sure that's how it is in America too. At least, in New Jersey you have to.

[Andara Bledin]

I now ask for the pamphlet that comes with my medications, since I know I can't trust my physician.

I've only ever gotten my prescriptions filled with Kaiser, and every single medication I've ever received included the pamphlet, which I always read, in conjunction with online information, because I never take anything without checking it out, including OTC meds.

^-.-^

[jackfaire]

Would you trust a cancer drug that was tested for safety for 30 days, and then had no followup, and then it turned out everyone who took it died of their head exploding three months later?

No but that is why I stopped buying products from Spishak

[blas87]

My doc is the one who pushed for the bone density test and to try something else after so many years. I doubt it was because she cared about me, moreso just to save her own ass, but still. At least she did right.

[fireheart17]

BK: In Australia, every prescription med comes with the information sheet inside the box. I probably throw out five or six of those information sheets per month!

Also, you can get the drug info online. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html is one suitable resource.

I kept the one that came with the Implanon box for a few months, because I needed to be sure of what I could and couldn't take. Only real issue is that I can't take St. Johns wort.

[SongsOfDragons]

I'm on the Pill...but a special one, Dianette, because it's good at tackling the side-effects of my anticonvulsant meds. Oh what, it's a contraceptive too? Oh well, bonus. If only I wasn't still a virgin, I might consider taking advantage of that. :P

We get the leaflets with our meds in the UK, even for off-the-shelf stuff. Amusingly the burnt-yoghurt-tasting laxative I'm taking has the leaflet stuck to the bottle itself. I always read the leaflets - once I got a medicine for one of my yearly chest infections that only told me what it was - Pholcodeine - so I looked it up before I even unscrewed the bottle. It was quite scary stuff and I made sure I sellotaped my prescription to it when I brought the remainder back to the pharmacy for disposal!!

There's a massive lawsuit going on against the makers of Epilim, which is my anticonvulsant. Yes it causes birth defects...the leaflet tells you. Even though I take it I think the woman is being silly for not reading the leaflet and then going RAR RAR RAR about it...even if it wasn't on the leaflet X years ago, look it up in that big pharmocological book whatever-it's-called I've forgotten!! My mother has a copy from...I think 1994, and I'm sure it's in there somewhere. And honestly, I am aware of it, I'm thinking of gradually switching meds once I think about having a family because I don't think I'm strong enough to deal with any difficulties but that will be difficult in itself, because I was once on Lamotrigine and it made my fits worse. I'm seven years fit-free, but if I spazz again, it will be a BIG MESS - I'd have to SORN my car, and it had abandonment issues already after I misplaced my tax disc...argh...

[boringscreenname]

I don't like hormonal birth control for myself, because it causes terrible side effects. The first time I was on birth control pills my doctor put me on the mini pill. It caused me to feel depressed, gain weight, no sex drive and I was tired all the time. I didn't realize how much it was affecting me until I stopped taking it.

Then I went off birth control for several years, and used natural family planning and withdrawal until my husband and I were ready for our first child. Had my son, went back to using birth control, until we were ready for our second child. After my daughter was born I went back on the birth control pill. Found out that my doctor prescribed me the cheapest, most generic birth control pill on the market and it was causing even worse side effects than the mini pill. I looked it up online and thousands of people were complaining about this pill and had the same side effects I had. So after that ran out I was going to make an appointment at Planned Parenthood to get on a different type of pill, but we got busy with moving, kept putting it off and wound up with an accidental 3rd baby.

Now when my son turns 6 weeks old I plan on having the Adiana procedure done because I'm tired of dealing with hormonal birth control and I'm done having kids. Plus it's minimally invasive and is a same day outpatient procedure, and it's fully covered by my insurance. I'll still have to take the birth control pill for 3 months after the procedure, then go in to be re-tested to make sure it was successful but if it works then I shouldn't have to mess with hormonal birth control again. I have an appointment with my OB/GYN on Tuesday to discuss the procedure and sign the consent forms. So far the only hitch I've run into is that the hospital I delivered all 3 of my children at, will not let me have the procedure performed there, because it's a Catholic hospital. Fortunately my OB/GYN has privileges at another hospital that will allow it to be performed there, so I'm just going to have it done there instead.