When you are considering any type of birth control, you want to have all the information necessary to make an informed decision. Unfortunately, when it comes to the intrauterine device (IUD), there is a lot of conflicting information. Some women say they are nervous because they’ve heard other women’s “horror stories,” and some providers downplay those accounts because they don’t…
While some women report getting push back from their doctors when they request to have their intrauterine device (IUD) or other birth control implant removed, the right response should be to affirm the patient’s request. According to an instructional video published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), providers counseling patients who have requested a long-acting reversible contraceptive…
IUD (intrauterine device) birth control implants don’t always stay put. This may not come as a surprise, given the many lawsuits brought against the Mirena IUD for this reason. But when IUDs become misplaced, very serious risks and complications can arise. An IUD can move from its position at the top of the uterus, sometimes even perforating a woman’s uterus,…
NEWS FLASH: Hormonal birth control can cause strokes and heart attacks even if you’re young and don’t smoke! Of course, this isn’t really news. It’s more like an old story that’s been buried and forgotten. Drug companies have so successfully mitigated the facts that even doctors often get confused. The history of birth control and blood clots When hormonal birth…
Many women on IUDs experience hair loss. Too often, when women tell their doctors about side effects on the IUD, their doctors tell them it’s all a part of the experience. Just wait it out, and things will settle. This is normal for your age. Or it’s your hormones, not the device. When it comes to the IUD side effect…
The drug companies rolled into the new millennium eager to experiment with innovative new birth control drugs and delivery methods. The early 2000s saw a spate of new implants, inserts, and injections offering the promise of more convenient, carefree contraceptives. However, widespread use would soon reveal the flaws inherent in many of these new approaches. Several products from major manufacturers…
An increasing number of women are turning to menstrual charting apps for health management or to try natural forms of family planning. In a 2018 Cosmo survey, 70 percent of young women said they’d either stopped taking the Pill or had considered doing so in the past three years. It would appear that birth control is starting to get a…
You’ve probably heard the term GMO. It stands for Genetically Modified Organism. And it’s likely that unless you’ve gone out of your way to purchase something not genetically modified, you’ve bought a sweet bell pepper or a head of broccoli whose genetics have been bio altered. In fact, the majority of the food we eat has been bio engineered to…
Using birth control involves risk. So does getting pregnant. In fact, because pregnancy carries so much risk, the medical and pharmaceutical industries justify the risks and side effects of birth control as either equal to, or less than, those of pregnancy. This is a false dichotomy, however, as safe, effective methods exist for women to prevent pregnancy without any of…