The History/Evolution of Birth Control *Ladies Only*

[Emer]

Oh the rubber bag.
I grew up with one of those hanging on the bathroom shower curtain rod. I didnt really know what it was for until I saw it being used at age 9.

I was on the transitional generation, and there was always a box of Summers Eve in the bathroom cabinet. *Ick* There was nothing 'evie' or 'summery' about it.

LD

lol lol lol
I remember that stuff!

I'll admit, douching has always scared the holy hell out of me! I don't know why. It wasn't something my mother ever went into detail over (odd since she's an OB/GYN nurse!) so the whole concept seemed foreign and too complicated.

I went on The Pill when I was 11 years old to treat my severe acne. When I was 21 I started wondering if I was messing with my natural biological workings and went off of it. Hubby and I use good old fashioned condoms now, and I've never wanted to go back to a chemical birth control again. I know some women love it, but it's just not for me anymore.

 

[Cirrus]

Coin purse?

lol Or somewhere to keep my iPod maybe? lol

I'm actually quite surprised at how many women here feel the same way I do!
With no desire (or ability for that matter) to get pregnant, my uterus is really just taking up space and inconveniencing me monthly.

If it weren't for the serious health effects, I would get a hysterectomy and just be done with it.

I find it quite comforting that I'm not the only one who feels this way!

 

[TillyMilly]

Thought I'd add my 2 cents here if anyone doesn't mind

I'm absolutly convinced that in years to come the hormonal pill will be banned because I'm sure it's got health consequences that we don't realise yet.

Emotional/ weight / libido problems:
I first went on the pill at 15 for my blackheads- and it worked- but it changed my personality completly and made me irritable and nasty and upset- as well as gain weight and lose all libido- all of which is not good for a girl going through puberty and trying to find herself. i treid several types of pill after 10 years on the same one and each had different effects on my personality- weeping all the time, depression, rage etc. I got an IUD (I haven't had a child but got one fitted sucessfully) but had it removed to go back on the pill as I still had bad skin (which I'm sure would haved ben better cured by a good skin care regime!) anyway -I'm off it now forever.

Health problems: My sister went on the pill at 18 and 4 months later she got a breast tumour which the nurses said was 'probably' due to the pill- lucklily it was benign but it has come back years later, benign again and the doctors say it will come back again and may not always be benign.

My Mum went on HRT and ended up with cervical cancer and had had a hysteretcomy and is now fighting liver cancer. The doctors have also linked this to the HRT.

I think that medicine is just messing about with womens hormones without realising the long term impacts on emotional and physical health- IF I ever had a daughter or neiece then I would never allow her to use hormonal birth control.

 

[Veronica]

I agree with you Tishkaminx.
I have experienced and observed on others both effects of pill : equal mood (no sadness but no joy either), no libido, beautiful skin, perpetual dryness (sorry for details ladies ^^)...

I begun pill at 17-18. Women can get pregnant very easily in my family, so my mother took me to the doc to get the pill, bought me some condoms and other stuff to avoid any pregnancy. ( Mum and I, supermarket, comparing condoms...one of the weirdest moments of my life btw)

I realised the effects of pill after I had a child and chose copper IUD. My blood tests showed better health : no longuer diabet and fat. I finally begun to loose weight, I found out that I had a libido...

I like to feel my mood change with the moon and my hubby loves my libido ^^

I personnaly think that we are now discovering long term effects of pill but....what are the alternatives ? the ones that do not involve health risks nor moral judgment ?

I am very concerned about what I will tell to my daughter.
I think I will give her as much information as possible about the effects and risks of each contraceptives. Then she will choose for herself what level of risk she can bear.

 

[KittyT]

I'm absolutly convinced that in years to come the hormonal pill will be banned because I'm sure it's got health consequences that we don't realise yet.

The pill will never be banned, nor should it be - and women will fight tooth and nail to maintain their choice in this matter. As evidenced here, it can have a lot of negative effects, but it also has a lot of positive effects for people, and it's each individual's choice to weigh those positives against the negatives. It is extremely important for women to have options to control their fertility. It is also just as important for medical providers to provide their patients with more serious counseling before making these choices, so they can make them wisely ( <--I think this is really the area that's lacking here.) Additionally, I believe (mind you, I have no numbers to support this), that of the millions of women in this country taking the pill, the numbers to suffer serious side effects are relatively low. It's true that taking the pill doubles your chance of blood clots/stroke, but those numbers are still 2 women in 10,000, which is pretty low. Most women will take that risk.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

The pill will never be banned, nor should it be - and women will fight tooth and nail to maintain their choice in this matter. As evidenced here, it can have a lot of negative effects, but it also has a lot of positive effects for people, and it's each individual's choice to weigh those positives against the negatives.

Absolutely. As I said in my previous post, I tried 4 different pills before I found one that was good for me. No weight gain, no "bitchiness", no libido loss, nothing. As a matter of fact, my periods are lighter and less painful and I find that to be a positive.

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

i was on the pill from age 16 for almost 10 years before i came off it specifically to get pregnant. i went on it specifically as birth control and never had any problems with it. once i had my kids (twins) i did start taking the mini pill but i just couldn't remember to take it.

we now use just condoms, and have had no problems. i prefer it as he is taking responsibility, and it's less messy! sadly, however, my libido is yet to return since having the children

i actually think i may go back on the pill soon, i have very heavy periods which are also painful (although not half as bad as when i was a teenager) and are not all that regular.

 

[LaMedicine]

Granted the following is on hormone replacement therapy, not hormonal birth control, but anyhow.
Women's Health Initiative (WHI)
http://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/whi/
"WHI focused on defining the risks and benefits of strategies that could potentially reduce the incidence of heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and fractures in postmenopausal women. Between 1993 and 1998, the WHI enrolled postmenopausal women in the age range of 50-79 years into a set of clinical trials (trials of low-fat dietary pattern, calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and 2 trials of postmenopausal hormone use) and an observational study at 40 clinical centers in the United States.

The effect of hormones on overall health was an important consideration in the design the clinical trial. The hormone trial had two studies: the estrogen-plus-progestin study of women with a uterus and the estrogen-alone study of women without a uterus. In both hormone therapy studies, women were randomly assigned to either the hormone medication being studied or to a placebo. These studies have now ended. The women in these studies are now participating in a follow-up phase, which will last until 2010.

In the estrogen plus progestin trial, the participants had increases in coronary heart disease, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, compared to women taking placebo pills. There were benefits of estrogen plus progestin, including fewer cases of hip fractures and colon cancer, but on balance, the harm was greater than the benefit. The study, which was scheduled to run until 2005, was stopped after an average follow-up of 5.2 years.

In the estrogen alone trial, women with prior hysterectomies were assigned to daily estrogens (Premarin) or a placebo pill. This study was also stopped ahead of schedule in February 2004 by the National Institutes of Health because of increased stroke risk. During 7.1 years of follow up, estrogen provided no overall protection against heart attack or coronary death in healthy postmenopausal women."

There was also a recent study out that BC pills decreased libido, and continued to do so even after discontinuing the pills, due to an increase in estrogen binding protein, but I can't remember where exactly I saw the report, so I can't pull up the link right now.

 

[HepKitty]

we now use just condoms, and have had no problems. i prefer it as he is taking responsibility, and it's less messy! sadly, however, my libido is yet to return since having the children
.

I made my now ex use condoms because I refused to take the pill and mess up my body. now, if I were in a serious relationship, I'd probably get a copper IUD. but I'm not so I don't even need to think about it

fftopic: my libido was decimated for a while too, but I've since figured that that was because the now ex was treating me like dirt. got away from that garbage and voila! libido returned. I hope that's not your case or anyone else's though

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

nah - it's not that Hepkitty! my OH honestly couldn't be more attentive and charming, i just never seem to be able to get in the mood

have to say though, since getting into stockings and the like i feel more body confident which helps!