Image source: The Happy Traveler National Women’s Health Week is drawing to a close, but thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we’re hoping women’s health will be on the up and up throughout the year. 47 million women have already received preventive care with no out-of-pocket costs since the ACA was signed. That’s a lot of well-woman visits, contraceptives, and domestic violence screenings—and there are more changes in the pipeline. If you haven’t received these benefits yet, find out what actions you can take. If you think more people in your state should have health insurance coverage, you can tell your state representative(s) to support expanding Medicaid.
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Image source: The Happy Traveler

National Women’s Health Week is drawing to a close, but thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we’re hoping women’s health will be on the up and up throughout the year. 47 million women have already received preventive care with no out-of-pocket costs since the ACA was signed. That’s a lot of well-woman visits, contraceptives, and domestic violence screenings—and there are more changes in the pipeline.

If you haven’t received these benefits yet, find out what actions you can take. If you think more people in your state should have health insurance coverage, you can tell your state representative(s) to support expanding Medicaid.

Boldly Going Online for Love

We’ve come across some interesting dating sites in our day, and the premiere of Star Trek into Darkness inspired us to boldly go where we haven’t been before to investigate Star-Trek-themed dating sites to add to the list.

In case you’re interested, we’ve found StarTrekDating.com, which encourages users to “set phasers to stunning,” and TrekPassions.com, which has a special group for users who speak Klingon (we wish them Qapla’!). Any others we missed?

Now, if only these Star Trek condoms and birth control packets were real…

Shields Up!

Image via bookishbutcorruptible.

Image source: Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens Remember the SNL sketch about birth control driving Tina Fey a little cray-cray? While research hasn’t found a link between birth control and depression (or ax-wielding…or any of the other crazy activities in the SNL sketch), some women have had success improving their mental health by changing their birth control. If you’re struggling with stress or depression, switching your method, especially to a low-maintenance option like an IUD or implant, is definitely worth considering. Research has found that being depressed or stressed can make it harder to use certain types of birth control correctly and consistently, which in turn makes an unwanted pregnancy more likely. If you feel like your birth control could be affecting your mood, shop around for a method that works better for you. And if you’re experiencing mental health problems, remember that you’re not alone—there’s support out there if you need it.
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Image source: Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Remember the SNL sketch about birth control driving Tina Fey a little cray-cray? While research hasn’t found a link between birth control and depression (or ax-wielding…or any of the other crazy activities in the SNL sketch), some women have had success improving their mental health by changing their birth control.

If you’re struggling with stress or depression, switching your method, especially to a low-maintenance option like an IUD or implant, is definitely worth considering. Research has found that being depressed or stressed can make it harder to use certain types of birth control correctly and consistently, which in turn makes an unwanted pregnancy more likely.

If you feel like your birth control could be affecting your mood, shop around for a method that works better for you. And if you’re experiencing mental health problems, remember that you’re not alone—there’s support out there if you need it.

The girls' guide to getting some privacy on your parents' health insurance

As my otherwise awesome parents are pretty conservative about, well, everything, I don’t want them to know what type of birth control I’m using or when I get tested for STIs and HIV (twice a year, if you’re interested). When I was in college I paid for these things out-of-pocket or put them off until free services were offered at my university because I didn’t want my parents getting a play by play when they saw our health insurance information. Clearly it wasn’t an ideal situation…

Got a health condition? Know your birth control options! :: Bedsider

Our newest Provider Perspective recommends birth control methods for folks with several common (or common-ish) medical conditions: heavy or irregular periods, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast cancer.

Dealing with one of these conditions? Tell us what’s worked for you—or let us know what other conditions we should cover—in the comments!

Don’t beat around the bush. Studies suggest that many patients wait until their third question to bring up what they really want to talk about with their provider. Break the cycle and tackle your priority questions first. Your provider will appreciate your directness and it’ll mean more time for answers!
Talking to doctors can be super intimidating—but it doesn’t have to be. Take time out of your National Women’s Health Week to check out these communication strategies to get what you need out of a doctor’s visit.
There are lots of things you can do for National Women’s Health Week, but we say be proud if you start with just a couple. And if you’d like more detail about how the Affordable Care Act could affect your birth control coverage, check out the article the National Women’s Law Center wrote for us laying it all out.
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There are lots of things you can do for National Women’s Health Week, but we say be proud if you start with just a couple. And if you’d like more detail about how the Affordable Care Act could affect your birth control coverage, check out the article the National Women’s Law Center wrote for us laying it all out.

Free birth control? It might not be a fantasy.

You could qualify for FREE birth control (what better way to celebrate National Women’s Health Week?). Find out here and spread the word to your lady friends.

What exactly does a Pap smear test for?

Today is National Women’s Checkup Day, a.k.a. the perfect day to find a health care provider and schedule a checkup (and set up an appointment reminder so you don’t forget to go).

And if you didn’t get a chance to read our checklist for National Women’s Health Week on Frisky Friday, today’s a good day to do that, too. You get to take control of your health and earn a Bedsider Insider badge for it. The definition of win-win, basically.

National Women’s Health Week is here.

It’s finally National Women’s Health Week! From May 12th to the 18th, women around the country will take steps to improve their health by getting active, quitting smoking, and scheduling regular checkups.

Good health includes good birth control, so it’s the perfect time to find the type that works best for you. Overwhelmed? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.