Birth Control (Part 2)


© Nancy Coulter

This is one part of a continuing series of articles about Women and Sex that began on September 8 with the introductory article and has continued with this article and others about topics like visiting the OBGyn, virginity, and women's sexuality.


Face it, sex can be a lot of fun. The "unfun" part of it normally involves worrying about the consequences that can come from unsafe sex. Some of us have learned that being safe can also be fun - if done properly.

Fun and games aside, every woman needs to take some kind of responsibility when she has sex. Whether you are married or single, if you make the choice to have sex then you need to make a choice about how you will protect yourself. That protection can either be from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD's) or from unwanted pregnancies. For those women who don't want to get pregnant, but who still want to enjoy sex, they must make the choice on what kind of birth control to use. If you didn't know, there is a HUGE variety of birth control on the market right now. Some of these devices can also protect your from STDs, but not all. That's a very important thing to keep in mind when making the choice of what to use.

Just like there is a variety in the products available, there is also a wide variety of women who use the products. Some products (i.e., the pill) may not be the best choice for some women. It's important that you do some research before you make your choice of what form of birth control you wish to use. Keeping that in mind, here is a list of some of the most common forms of birth control that women have direct control over.

Abstinence: The truly safe way to have sex is to not have it. It is the only 100% sure way that you won't have to worry about getting pregnant at the wrong time. Unfortunately, some STDs can be transmitted in ways other than sex. So abstinence doesn't always protect you from those. After all, AIDS isn't just transmitted via unsafe sex. However, when it comes to birth control, the best way to control it is to not give it the chance to even think about happening.

Oral Contraception (The Pill): The pill is one of the most common forms of birth control. It involves a woman taking a pill every morning. Many women enjoy the convince of the pill because it means there is one less thing to worry about during sexual intercourse. However, there can be many life-threatening side effects to using the pill. Women who choose this form of birth control need to be sure that they pay attention to their body and keep a look out for the warning signs that something isn't right with their body and using the pill. When these warning signs show, a different form of birth control should be chosen. After all, preventing pregnancy isn't worth dying over - at least not when there is such a variety of other options.

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

13.   Oct 24, 1998 11:30 PM
for my mother... who is well past her "birthing-age-prime", but who is still sexually active (ugh, like that is a wonderful thought!)... brith control is essential for her. there's still that chance t ...

-- posted by Nancy_Coulter


12.   Oct 23, 1998 7:50 AM
Considering that some insurance plans (employer-sponsored, at least) are for the whole family, I would think that birth-control expenses, even if not medically necessary, would be cost-effective

-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth


11.   Oct 23, 1998 7:24 AM
I understand your plight, but birth control is not "medically necessary." ( I used to work for an insurance company. ) Unless the pill is used for hormonal purposes, it cannot be covered. Then insu ...

-- posted by MaryA_11


10.   Oct 7, 1998 8:57 PM


Nacy,
I especially agreed with that last statement/paragraph in the above post.
I remember being outraged when my health ins. co. didn't cover the birthing alternatives we persued.
There ...


-- posted by Yvette_Dubel


9.   Oct 6, 1998 12:37 AM
that's true! one of my old roomies went to planned parenthood to get a discounted price on birth control pills. i'm not sure of the exact cost, but i know it was less that what her doctor was going t ...

-- posted by Nancy_Coulter





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