Guys don’t have a lot of contraceptive options – abstinence, condoms, and vasectomies are about the extent of it. All three of those options have drawbacks ranging from unrealistic (sup, abstinence for life) to mildly annoying to painful, expensive, and permanent. Luckily, the medical community has noticed a need for more options and one in particular has been getting a lot of buzz. While I totally support men having the opportunity to do their part to keep babies from being formed, I am not nearly as gung-ho about male birth control as a lot of people are.

It’s pretty obnoxious that women’s bodies are always preparing to get pregnant. I wish we all had an internal switch that defaulted to the “off” position, and could only be activated through some sort of baby-making chant, therefore notifying our bodies that yes, we are open for business. Unfortunately, that is not the case. So once we start fornicating for fun, the number one priority is keeping our uteri as unoccupied as possible. As women, we bear the majority of the consequences if our birth control fails. It’s not fair – in fact, it completely and utterly sucks, but that’s how it is, and I’ve come to terms with it. This is pretty cynical, but ultimately, I don’t expect anyone else to be nearly as invested in my body as I am. So even if  men had a zillion different birth control options, I would never relinquish an ounce of control in this regard. Read More »

Conservatives claim to love one thing more than anything else. And that’s cutting the size of government.

Yes, they want fewer taxes and less government spending. But recently it seems they also want to control contraception and other rights that affect women’s control over their reproductive systems. Unfortunately for those trying to make both these things happen is that they’re mutually exclusive. Limiting women’s reproductive rights is cancelling out the previous goal of reducing costs.

First off, there’s Medicaid. In 2006 it cost state and federal government $11-billion dollars to cover the cost of treatment and delivery of unintended pregnancies. It only costs $39 a year per female employee for companies who cover birth control—saving $9,000 per female employee over a two-year period.

It’s much cheaper to cover the costs of contraception, especially when paired with family planning services. It’s estimated these measures cut $19-billion in medical costs each year—while reducing the need for abortions (hey, Republicans! isn’t that what you want?) Read More »

Seriously, has anyone ever turned down a chance for an amazing deal? My heart races when friendly baristas bump me up to a grande. I live for product samples at beauty and health expos.  And don’t even get me started on my quests for cheap and chic clothes at the thrift store. Maybe the best things in life can’t always be on the house, but it’s great when they’re affordable. President Obama and his administration realize that too.

On Friday, March 16, the Obama Administration issued a few clarifications to the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections for student health plans. Are you scratching your head? Let me make it simple—beginning in the fall, all out-of-pocket birth control costs will be covered (meaning no copays or deductibles) by most* of the health insurance plans sold to students by their college or university. Of course, your student insurance plan isn’t free—you still have to pay a premium—but with the new policy eliminating those extra costs at the clinic or pharmacy, I think it’s a pretty good deal. And if you’re still on your parents’ insurance (which, also courtesy of the Affordable Care Act, can now cover you until you turn 26!), you may also get this benefit—though for some, it might not be until January 1^st of next year. Eventually, almost all health insurance plans will do the same thing.

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Meghan McCain used to really bother me. I thought the only reason she had become a well known political commentator was because her father, John McCain, was a prominent politician. It’s obvious that she’s worked hard to brand herself as a new, young voice of the Republican party. I thought that most of her positions on issues were carefully calculated to help her achieve that image. This interview she just did with Playboy is an example of that – she has some good things to say, but she’s trying hard to seem cool and relatable.

But I’m starting to respect her quite a bit. Being very liberal myself, I disagree with Meghan McCain on many issues. But she supports marriage equality, and although she is anti-abortion, she’s very pro-birth control. Recently, she appeared on the Rachel Maddow show to speak out against the Virginia bill that would have required women seeking abortions to have a transvaginal ultrasound first. That’s an unnecessary and invasive procedure. Luckily, that part of the bill was eventually changed. But here’s what Meghan McCain had to say about it: Read More »

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately (which is totally possible, it is midterm season), you’ve heard about all of the controversy surrounding birth control. From Congress to the presidential debates to Twitter to Facebook, everybody is talking about birth control, who should have access to it, and how they should get that access.

That conversation mostly focuses on the birth control pill. Sometimes Nuva Ring and Depo Provera, the monthly shot, are also mentioned. But there’s another form of long-term birth control that’s gaining popularity in the U.S. And when considering your birth control options, it might be worth a look.

The intrauterine device, or IUD, is the most popular form of contraception worldwide. But not in the U.S., where oral contraceptives are the most commonly used form of birth control. Why? In the 70s and 80s, lots of poorly conducted research incorrectly linked IUDs to serious infections. It was also thought that IUDs might affect future fertility, so they were only recommended for women who had already had children and wanted to prevent future pregnancies. But better research has disproved all of these fears, and now IUDs are becoming more popular among young, unmarried, childless women. And they’re blogging about it, too, on sites like IUD Diva. Read More »

There was a study completed recently about college-aged women and condom usage, and the results were that the women used condoms less frequently the more time they spent in college. This was true for both women in monogamous relationships and women who engaged in casual sex.

Of course, women often blow off condoms when they go on the pill or another form of birth control, but preventing pregnancy isn’t the only aspect of safe sex that is important. Condoms are the only way to prevent the spread of most STDs (HPV and herpes not included). Maybe this is just my perception, but it seems like in the last few years, there has been a huge de-emphasis in the importance of staying STD-free. There’s still a significant stigma against people who have them, but not a lot of talk about preventing the spread. I think it’s interesting that this study chose to highlight women’s role in condom usage, when ultimately, it’s up to the guy to agree to wear one (yes, female condoms are available, but they’re more expensive and more difficult to use properly, and they are not really discussed). Read More »

After the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform filled a panel discussing President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and the birth control mandate with only men, it’s time to explain one thing. If you don’t use birth control you probably don’t fully understand it, am I right? Yes, and as such, many of the men who want to control your reproductive rights (Rick Santorum included) fail to realize the cost of birth control. Last week Santorum told CPAC that birth control costs “a few dollars.”

And well, this just isn’t true. The Center for American Progress released a report saying that the cost of birth control is prohibitive to many women. The pill, patch or ring (methods that are likely primary choices for college-aged women) can cost as much as $1,200 a year without insurance. This includes the cost of a visit to the doctor as well. Read More »

A federal appeals court knocked down California’s Proposition 8 — an amendment to the state constitution that banned gay marriage. In 2008, California voters decided to restrict marriage to just a man and a woman. Now, four years later, the court has found that measure to be in violation of the equal protection rights of lesbian and gay individuals. This is big news for California, but doesn’t mean much for other states. The court was ruling on the constitutionality of Prop 8 specifically, not the restriction of gay marriage in general. And, despite the decision, gay couples still can’t get married in Cali — they’ll have to wait ’til the decision goes before a larger panel of justices. However, the debate is now only a couple steps away from the Supreme Court, which means the gay marriage issue could come before the nine almighty justices by the beginning of next year.

President Obama backed off (somewhat) on a rule that would require religious organizations to provide their employees with health insurance covering birth control. Now, groups can “opt out” of this type of coverage, as long as they offer their employees alternative healthcare options that provide contraception. This comes after weeks and weeks of criticism from religious groups that believe contraception is immoral. Maybe Obama came up with a good compromise…but still, getting birth control will require an extra step for lots of people, including students at religiously affiliated colleges. Read More »

Occasionally, despite my generally laissez-faire, non-judgmental attitude towards sex, there are a few things that perturb me. Rape, of course. Slut shaming. Abstinence-only sex education. And ignorance about contraception. One of the most disturbing manifestations of this that I’ve encountered are ladies who take the pill and have absolutely no idea what they’re putting into their bodies and how it works. Maybe it’s because the pill has become so normalized and routine, like popping Advil, so the complexity of it isn’t apparent, but I definitely feel that once you start playing with the hormones in your body, you need to know what’s up.

1. The pill tries to keep you free of pregnancy in four different ways.

It tries to stop an egg from leaving your ovary. Then, it makes your cervix produce more mucus so neither an egg or sperm can stick. The hormones also prevent the lining of your uterus (or potential womb) from getting thick enough for a fertilized egg to be viable. Finally, the pill manipulates the movement in your Fallopian tubes to prevent an egg from meeting a sperm in the first place. So, it’s a pretty complicated process, and every once in awhile, the pill fails to execute it properly, which is why most of us know, or know of, someone who has gotten pregnant while on the pill. Read More »

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• Sexy Super Bowl ads and the stereotypes they perpetuate

• Great news! Male birth control could happen soon

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• Woah, Christopher Nolan may have predicted Barack Obama’s career through Batman