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My Birth Control Choice

This is not what mine look like - see the WW from 5/11!While in a pensive mood yesterday, I began thinking about my birth control choices and why, so far, I have stuck with taking pills. It came about because I was spotting, and that was because ever since the end of school I haven’t been timely in taking my pills. I turned my phone reminder off, got a few days behind, and took two in one day to catch up. I’ve been trying harder since then, but I didn’t worry much since M is halfway across the country and there’s no chance of me getting pregnant sitting alone in my room.

I know a lot of women who struggle with the pill. They don’t remember to take it every day or at the same time. They don’t like to carry them around and make it obvious to others that they’re on birth control. For some women, it’s downright dangerous to use something that could be spotted by their parents or even their partner. Once upon a time when my mother was young, there was one birth control pill and that was a woman’s only hormonal bc option. Even that one option was controversial – why should women be able to control when they become pregnant? Completely immoral, that is.

Today women have a wealth of hormonal options. There’s the NuvaRing, Implanon, Depo-Provera, and IUDs. There’s even that new patch they came out with that reminds me of Nicorette commercials. But still, I’ve only ever been on the pill.

But why?

I think part of it is knowing I have to be fully responsible for my own situation. If I take a pill every day, I’m visually reminded every time that I’m making a decision to put synthetic hormones into my body. I know that if I miss a day, there’s no one to blame but me. It’s also a great way to start a good habit, by setting myself alarms and working hard to make sure I have my pills on me wherever I might be at midnight. It was good that I started taking them prior to having PIV sex because it gave me the chance to mess up without repercussions.

Taking the pill also helps me stay on track with where I am in my cycle, what kind of hormonal changes might be going on, and when my period is coming up. If I were on anything else, I think I would lose track of how much time had passed before I needed to change my ring, or put on a new patch, or see my doctor for another shot. I’m also not the most comfortable person inserting things or having medical procedures done, so the pill ensures a minimally-invasive birth control method. I shudder at the thought of getting an IUD put in (or taken out).

Yeah, sometimes on the pill I screw up. I forget to take them with me, or I take them four hours later than planned. Using condoms in conjunction with hormonal bc is perfect for me – it’s my safety net, and it makes M a little less frantic if I’m at his place and I’ve left my pills at home…again. But that blister pack of coloured pills reminds me that I’m in charge of my own fate, every day, and I can’t get lazy about it. I think that’s a great lesson to learn for any path in life – you gotta work hard to form great habits that keep you safe day by day.

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    Birth Control: More Than Just Condoms and Pills | Eden Cafe

    [...] A fellow blogger prefers the Pill as a reminder that she is responsible for her future, not someone else. “I think part of it is knowing I have to be fully responsible for my own situation. If I take a pill every day, I’m visually reminded every time that I’m making a decision to put synthetic hormones into my body. I know that if I miss a day, there’s no one to blame but me. It’s also a great way to start a good habit, by setting myself alarms and working hard to make sure I have my pills on me wherever I might be at midnight.” -Duskinchains.com [...]

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