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!
National Women’s Health Week kicks off Sunday! Today’s Frisky Friday has a handy little checklist to help you make the most of it. Sign into your Bedsider account first and you’ll earn a badge just for reading. (Sounds like a healthy start to the week to us!)
Do you know everything you need to know about STDs? …Are you sure?
How far will you go for love? A tattoo of their name? Waxing your juicebox? Getting an IUD? (If you really are thinking about an IUD, good for you. Its effectiveness is legendary.)
Quickie guide: Birth control side effects
Birth control side effects are different for every method and every person. That’s why we recommend trying different methods until you find the one that works best for you.
Method Monday: Endometriosis-Awareness Edition
Source: robespierrethe.tumblr.com via Bedsider on Pinterest
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month! Endometriosis is when tissue from the lining of the uterus (a.k.a. the endometrium) grows outside of the uterus. This condition affects up to 10% of U.S. women of reproductive age and an estimated 176 million women and girls worldwide, yet it often takes years (an average of almost 12, according to some sources!) for women with symptoms to be diagnosed. So, in the spirit of raising awareness, here are a few things we think you should know about endometriosis:
- It affects different people differently. For some women, it has no noticeable symptoms, while for others it can mean pelvic or lower-back pain and possible fertility problems. Women who have endometriosis are also 8 times more likely than women who don’t to have painful periods and 7 times more likely to have an ovarian cyst.
- Birth control can be a treatment for it. The most common treatment for endometriosis is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like aspirin and ibuprofen, but studies have shown that the pill, the shot, and the hormonal IUD can also reduce the pain associated with endometriosis. When it comes to the pill, extended-cycle pills may be a better option than 28-day-cycle pills.
- Exercise might help too. Some research suggests that getting more than 4 hours a week of exercise can decrease the risk for endometriosis.
- Some women are at higher risk than others. Your risk of endometriosis may be higher if your mother or sister has it; if you have a low body-mass index (BMI); if you started getting your period before age 11; or if your menstrual cycles tend to be on the longer side (more than 5 days). It’s also most common among women 25 to 29 years of age.
About.com has a handy Endometriosis Symptoms Quiz for anyone who thinks they could be among the many women with undiagnosed endometriosis. Of course, if you’re concerned, there’s no substitute for a visit to your health care provider. And if you want to learn more about it, womenshealth.gov has lots of resources. You can also check out endometriosis.org and the Endometriosis Foundation of America (co-founded by none other than Padma Lakshmi of “Top Chef”).
Having sex without birth control and not getting pregnant means you got lucky. You may get lucky multiple times, but this does not mean you are infertile. It means you are pushing your luck: 95% of young couples who have sex once a week are pregnant within a year. Most of us have heard that ‘it only takes one time.’ While that’s true, there are a lot of factors involved, and most couples who are actively trying to get pregnant get there within 6 months.
Are Depo shot users more likely to break a bone?
Whoa. Some very interesting news in our latest “Get on Top”:
For women who use the shot (a.k.a. Depo-Provera), there’s good news and there’s weird news. For years women have been warned that the shot can cause loss of minerals in their bones—which could mean they’re more prone to bone fractures. A new study from England found that women using the shot did have a higher risk of broken bones compared to women using other types of birth control—but that was the case before they ever used the shot.
Hello, Skyla! Getting to know the newest IUD
Well happy Method Monday to us. Rumor has it that a new IUD is coming soon to a health care provider near you. Allow us to tell you all the details…
