I just signed this, for reasons that are, like, 60 percent altruistic and 40 percent selfish. Of course, I believe that more birth control needs to be available for more women. This is a medical issue, it’s an economic issue, it’s a human rights issue. But I super-extra believe that birth control needs to be more available to me.
See, I’ve been doing the the BC merry-go-round for a while now, trying to make the best of a series of not-so-great options. I try to be educated and thoughtful about the things I put in my body and my reproductive health is incredibly important to me. And yet, everywhere I turn, I feel like I’m, at best, being told that it’s somehow luxurious or decedent to want to control the contents of your own uterus and, at worst, that I’m bad for wanting to do the same and therefore deserve some kind of fiscal punishment.
Because I’m poor. Not dire-poor, but the kind of ersatz, college-student poor that a lot of people my age are. I don’t have dependents, I have a secure job, I’m a lot better off than most people. But I still have a hard time swinging most forms of birth control. The Nuvaring, for example, was costing me 70 dollars a month, or as much as my fucking electricity bill. Also, it wasn’t exactly a monthly purchase (every three weeks) so it was even a little more than that.
Dude, you say, just go on the pill, it’s cheaper. It is that. But even then, the pill is usually 20+ dollars a month and can be more, depending on various factors. Plus, there is a reason there are approximately ten bajilleron forms of birth control: they aren’t one-size fits all and most of them can have some pretty gnarly side-effects for a lot of people.
I knew I didn’t want to use the pill. For one thing, is has a margin of human error much larger than I’m comfortable with. Especially when I’m that human being counted upon not to make errors. In a year of taking Prozac, I don’t think I’ve ever once taken it at exactly the same time two days in a row. When things get hectic, I’m lucky to hit every day in a week.
And of course there’s the other thing. With the Prozac (and even without it) introducing an unknown element into my body is a bit of a Mr. Wizard experiment. I knew I wanted to go with something as low-hormone as possible. Originally, I wanted an IUD, but for physiological reasons, that was impossible for me. I seriously considered the depo shot but subsequent research has indicated that is not for me either. In addition to the standard host of potential side-effects, one is also warned about “significant bone density loss.” Yiiiiiikes. I went with the Nuvaring as a temporary measure and I discovered that, not only was it frustratingly expensive, but even its relatively small dosage of hormones made me more emotionally unstable and slightly, but noticeably, decreased my sex drive (which, I suppose is one way to prevent pregnancy. But not, I’m gonna guess, anyone’s preferred method.)
Right now, I’m interested in the Implanon implant and I’m doing some research to see if it would be a good fit for me. I complain at least on a bi-weekly basis that not having babies shouldn’t be this difficult. But, in reality, I’m really, really lucky. For one thing, I have the time and resources to try all these methods and see if they work for me, for another, I have recourse if I’m not able to afford something. It’s impossible to guess how many women there are who are sticking with BC methods that make them sick or unhappy-or going without entirely-because they can’t afford to do anything else.
Not only do petitions like this one matter, but we have to work to stop this implicit cultural idea that birth control is somehow inherently hedonistic or dissolute. Women shouldn’t be shamed or punished for being responsible and proactive about their own health. And this is about health. Quite frankly, pregnancy can be incredibly rough on the human body. Not to mention the fact that US has one of the highest rates of maternal death of all developed nations. No, being up the stick isn’t a disease, but it is a condition and it isn’t exactly safe or comfortable either. And it should be voluntary. Voluntary for everyone, not just those with sufficient income.
And, goddammit, can we stop suggesting that “just don’t have sex” is at all a reasonable counter idea here? You know, just cut an essential and delightful part of the human experience out of your life and your relationships. Just ignore a bodily imperative that humans almost never successfully suppress. Let’s just categorize sex as something that only people with money can have. Seems totally reasonable. In this economic climate, forcing people to wait until they’re fiscally prepared to have a child (the biggest and most long-term expenditure most of us will ever make) before they have sex just isn’t a tenable position at all. Plus, I really believe that removing the moral stigma around birth control might even be more important than removing the prohibitive cost. Because right now, you see a lot of people (young people especially) who feel like it’s better to risk conception than to seek out birth control because BC is like this Slutty Point of No Return and if they just don’t go to the doctor and get a script, it’s like they’re not having sex at all. Let’s increase transparency, let’s encourage people to be active rather than passive about their health, let’s improve access for more people.
Let’s make life better, okay?
nicolemtaylor 
Have you looked into the FemCap? Non-hormonal, effective for women who have not given birth, $80 for a cap that will last 1-2 years.
I have thought about the cervical cap, and I looked briefly at the diaphragm and female condom too, but ultimately the rate of failure and the potential for user error was just too high. I’m kind of in a tricky position here because, while I really don’t think hormonal birth control is an ideal fit for me, I’m not comfortable enough the efficacy of barrier methods to use them exclusively.
I used to use the pill, until one day when I fell down onto the floor with half my body gone completely numb due to a severe migraine-related event. Only then did I read the fine print about “do not use this if you get migraines.”
It’s a shame most doctors won’t give IUDs to women who haven’t given birth already. It works just fine either way, it’s only a bit more painful to put in if you haven’t given birth. But a day or two taking lots of Advil and then you don’t have to think about it again for -five years-. I’ll never use another form of birth control, seriously.
Holy shit! That’s terrifying! I know that serious medical complications, blood clots, ect are rare, but they still freak me out. Man, where is the plethora of male birth controls? It’s like someone at Birth Control labs just invented the condom and was like “that’ll do.”
I actually really want the IUD and my doctor was willing to install is, but it turns out I have an usually small uterus, she wasn’t even able to measure me or anything. I’ve since found out that it’s not an uncommon problem, my mom is the same way.
Plus, I always think it’s really horrifying that people regard children as some kind of punishment for what they see as bad behavior. “Aha! We think this person was irresponsible and demonstrates poor moral character. Let’s make her have a baby! That’ll learn her!” It just seems like a position that doesn’t account for the reality of the human beings involved at all.
Oh and regarding the “Just don’t have sex” thing… it doesn’t matter what we believe about premarital sex, the sanctity of life, etc. I could argue with you up and down about whether premarital sex is right or wrong, but there’s no point, because at this point birth control is not a moral issue, it’s, as you say, an economic/health issue.
Thinking you can solve a problem by just “making everyone in the world behave better” is the logical equivalent of “I’m going to put my hand over my eyes so no one can see me.” We have to deal with people -as they are- and the world -as it is- and try to find solutions that make this world liveable, even if we can’t miraculously make everyone See the Light and behave the way we think they ought.
Just a few thoughts to consider:
The Nuvaring is risky. Two of my friends got pregnant on it. Something about how in some women the hormone just goes through the vaginal wall and it’s like not being on birth control at all. (!!!???! how does that happen!)
When I went on birth control I became extremely depressed and had to be switched to another pill. Some people react badly to certain hormones. Not all BC is the same. I have had quite a few friends have a problem with Yaz. If you go on the pill be very in tune to if your depression increases.
Also, they wouldn’t give me the shot because it can increase depression symptoms. Obviously, it’s a shot so they can’t take the hormone out once it is in, and I guess people have been suicidal for the two year period because of it.
Honestly, I can’t have kids because of my heart, like oh-my-God-it-would-be-bad, and I am on the pill. I think it is the best option and if you set your phone, taking it at a certain time becomes easy.
well, that was my bc story!
Good luck and I hope you can figure out your best option!
Yeah, I quit taking the Nuvaring when I came back from Europe. Just too expensive right now, plus, in retrospect, it was making me really emotionally unstable. Also, I was getting these weird stomach cramps that I had never experienced before and haven’t had since (although I was eating and drinking a lot of new things at the time, so I only suspect the ring, but there’s really no compelling reason to think it was responsible.) That hormone filtering thing is scary. And, having used the thing, I could see where there would a lot of temptation to try to cheat it a bit, keep it in longer to try to save money, ect. I have a real paranoia about getting preggers, though. Just totally not emotionally/fiscally ready right now. And so I’m always getting nervous and taking pregnancy tests, just to be sure. Plus, I’ve watched a lot of “I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant,” and I really don’t want to be the lady that has her baby in a port-a-potty at the county fair.