Bust Magazine Talks IUDs!
You know we love us some birth control stories. Looks like BUST Magazine does too! They posted reviews of Mirena and ParaGard IUDs in a two part “IUD, You UD” mini-series. WE UD, BUST, WE UD!
(And that’s why we have so. Many. Articles. About. IUDs. In case you’re interested.)
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.
STI Prevention: 5 Things You Should Know about Condoms
We wrote about our favorite dual-purpose barrier method for our friends at The STD Project.
oh oh I get it. Your boyfriend doesn’t like condoms. So you don’t wear them.
Does he happen to like babies?
Don’t date that.
Some useful equations for Method Monday, inspired by this “Date this not that” illustration: Boyfriends who are into safer sex = awesome; boyfriends who refuse to use condoms = not awesome. And to all the condom skeptics out there, fear not—research confirmed that condoms don’t decrease sexual pleasure.
We say: protecting yourself (and your partner) from unwanted pregnancy and STIs = awesome-est.
The pill, only when you get lucky
What if there was a birth control pill you didn’t need to take every. single. day? If you like the sound of a pill that works to prevent pregnancy when taken within a few hours of sex, you’re not alone….
Not-so-shocking news: People like sex, whether or not it involves using a condom.
Happy National Condom Week! In case you haven’t stumbled upon this study yet, basically some kind researchers took it upon themselves to debunk the all-too-common myth that sex is no fun with condoms. Unsurprisingly, the researchers found that condoms do not prevent people from enjoying sex—good news since condoms are the only birth control method that protect from STIs. Check out a few other interesting tidbits from the study over in our news section.
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…
IUDs Winning (As Usual)
We’ll be reporting more detail soon, but in the meantime, since it is Method Monday, we wanted to share a couple news items relating to our beloved IUD.
1) A study out of Europe found that the Mirena IUD is the best way to deal with heavy menstrual bleeding. According to WebMD, the IUD “was found to be superior to oral contraceptives and non-hormonal drugs approved for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding in reducing the condition’s effect on quality of life.” Super-effective birth control, super-effective solution to a problem that affects 1 in 4 women? Sounds like winning to us.
2) A new IUD is coming to town. It’s called Skyla, it’s just been approved by the FDA for sale in the U.S., and it’s set to go on the market on February 11th. Skyla uses a low dose of progestin like the Mirena and it works for up to 3 years. It’s not every day that a new birth control option hits the market, let alone a super-effective one. We thought it deserved a happy dance…
More to come!
Are IUD users the Avon ladies of birth control?
Source: Uploaded by user via Lynn on Pinterest
A week late, allow us to recommend checking out Kat Stoeffel’s piece for New York Magazine, “IUD Evangelism: The Birth Control that Converts,” in honor of Method Monday. A snippet:
You can’t tell a woman’s method of birth control by looking at her, but you’ll know if she’s using an IUD, or intrauterine device, because she won’t be able to shut up about it. My friends who have IUDs, not known to recommend so much as a hairdresser, extol the virtues of the device with the unsolicited but contagious conviction of the Avon lady. The difference is they’re not making a commission.
As something of IUD evangelists ourselves, we’re psyched to be in such good company. And as Stoeffel notes in her article, the evangelizing appears to be making a difference. Which is of course fabulous since more women learning about—and using—super-effective methods like the IUD and the implant could actually mean a fewer unplanned pregnancies.
And let’s remember that IUD evangelists don’t have to be ladies;)
Method Monday: New Moms (Celebrity and Not) Edition
Congrats to Jessica Simpson on her pregnancy! The pregnancy wasn’t planned, but we’re happy to hear via US Weekly that Simpson is overjoyed nonetheless.
As Korin Miller rightly noted in her coverage of the news for Cosmo, this definitely isn’t the first time a celebrity—or a non-celebrity, for that matter—has unintentionally gotten pregnant again super-soon after having a baby. What we would’ve liked to see in the Cosmo article is a complete rundown of which birth control options are safe for new moms besides “perfect use” of breastfeeding and the two alternatives mentioned, the mini-pill and condoms. Breastfeeding moms can also safely use the IUD, the implant, and the shot.
Obvious challenges of simultaneously parenting a newborn and a toddler aside, having another pregnancy within 12 months of giving birth can mean health risks for mom and baby. And given the benefits of leaving a bit more time between babies (a.k.a. birth spacing), we’d say the fact that some of the most effective birth control methods are safe for new moms is seriously gossip-worthy. Help us spread the word?
