Archives for March 2010 | Your #1 Source for Birth Control Tips and Advice

March 25, 2010

Who Should Use IUDs?

Filed under: birth control,birth control methods,birth control options,Birth Control Pill,contraception,Intrauterine device,IUD,Mirena,Uncategorized — Amanda @ 4:47 pm

IUDs (Intra-Uterine Devices) are becoming increasingly popular in North America. The IUD is a low-maintenance, effective form of birth control. Once a device is in place, it can work for 5-12 years (depending on the device) and you can have it taken out sooner if you need to have a child or change methods. IUDs protect you from pregnancy each time you are sexually active and you don’t feel it or notice it’s there.

The IUD is the best option for women who have a low risk of acquiring STIs (sexually transmitted infections), need to avoid estrogen-based products and want a reversible type of birth control. Married women or women in a long-term relationship over the age of 20 are the best candidates. Although young adults can use IUDs effectively, they are more likely than adults to have multiple partners and are therefore at an increased risk of contracting an STI. The IUD isn’t a good first choice for a newly sexually active teen because she cannot predict her partners future sexual behavior. In addition, problems including expulsion, removal for bleeding and pain, and pregnancies are more common in teens than older women using the IUD. Talk to your doctor about your birth control options to find out what is best for you.

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Birth Control Pills Lengthen Life

Filed under: birth control,birth control benefits,birth control pills,lifespan,the pill,Uncategorized — Nicole @ 4:24 pm

A British medical study that has recently concluded that women who have taken birth control pills are more likely to have a longer lifespan. This study observed the effects of the first generation of birth control pills in over forty thousand women, and has compared the number of deaths of those who were taking the pill to those who weren’t since 1968. Overall, this study demonstrated that the health benefits of taking birth control pills can outweigh any initial risks associated with taking birth control.

In fact, this research has further shown that taking the pill decreases the risk of death caused by bowel cancer by an average of thirty-eight percent. And although birth control has been proven to slightly raise the risk of developing breast and cervical cancer, this study demonstrated that overall, birth control pills decrease the chance of dying from any other diseases, including heart disease and all cancers by twelve percent.

But before jumping on board with birth control forever, remember that this method of contraception is not without risk, and that it’s important to outline your medical history with a doctor before taking the pill. The birth control pills that were observed in this study are slightly different than the modern products, which may not have the same life-lengthening benefits.
Though the women in this study took birth control pills all at various points in their lives for various amounts of time, the study concluded that “Oral contraception [is] not associated with an increased long term risk of death” so much that a net benefit is truly apparent.

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March 12, 2010

The First Forms of Contraception

Filed under: birth control,birth control methods,contraceptives,oral contraceptive,Uncategorized — Nicole @ 10:15 am

The first contraceptive methods mark much further back in history than anyone would expect; the first known forms of birth control date all the way back to 1850 B.C.E., when Egyptian women took to inserting objects and concoctions into their vagina to effectively block or kill sperm. Called pessaries, the Egyptians frequently used different concoctions made from honey and even crocodile feces as what they perceived to be effective forms of birth control.

Honey as a Contraceptive?
Although few of us would place our faith in honey as a contraceptive, the recipe for the honey concoction that the early Egyptians used was quite effective. The recipe involves the primary ingredients of acacia berries, colocynth and honey. When acacia berries are compounded, they form lactic anhydride, which is extremely similar to lactic acid, a component often used in modern contraceptive jellies. It is unclear what the colocynth ingredient may have been; however, many historians will categorize it as a plant called Citrullus colocynthis Schrad, which produces a type of bitter apple with properties that may induce abortion. The use of Citrullus colocynthis Schrad as an abortifacient is still utilized today among many Arabic women.

Are Crocodile Feces Actually Effective?
Not many of us would truly ever wish to use crocodile feces as a pessary form of contraception, and it’s a good thing too, because under modern medical scrutinization, the recipe of the crocodile feces concoction does not appear to be effective in any way. In fact, according to modern medical science, the insertion of crocodile feces into the vagina is likely to increase chances of becoming pregnant. Crocodile dung is quite alkaline, and because the optimal pH level conditions to encourage pregnancy are more alkaline than the natural pH levels of the vagina, the feces would not act as an effective contraceptive. The Egyptians would have used crocodile dung likely because of the similarities between the crocodile and depictions of the Egyptian god Seth, who was associated with miscarriage and abortion in their religious beliefs.

The Egyptians were the first in what is now a multi-million dollar industry today, which, thankfully has modernized to provide several different methods of birth control from condoms to oral contraceptives, none of which include any form of animal feces.

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