Comments on: Was the pill all that revolutionary?

By: Kristy

Kristy — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:45:24 +0000

Brad, i’m not sure how long it takes you to put on a condom. But I have plenty of “wrapped up in the moment” sex quite easily. The condoms are right next to the bed and takes literally one minute to put on.

By: BetaCandy

BetaCandy — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:58:20 +0000

Also I have had much more success at controlling period pain and problems periods with traditional chinese medicine than the pill.

I’m trying Vitex, which is an herb used in Britain for women who don’t have periods regularly. *cross fingers*

Lilacsigil, I’m glad you’ve had a doctor like that, who enabled you to make smart choices. Good luck finding another one! (And I’d be happy to find even one - I’ve been getting the “If you’d just lose weight” speech from doctors since I weighed 114.)

Understanding they’re beneficial to some, but not to others, really makes me question how hard they’re marketed as The Contraceptive(tm).

Exactly. At this point, it’s probably just because it’s such a lucrative pharmaceutical niche. Maybe that was always the reason.

By: Jo

Jo — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:36:43 +0000

I also prefer sex without condoms*, but, as is mentioned here, the marketing for the Pill is freedom for women, when, in my experience, the men in my life benefitted far more from HBC than I ever did.

I had the crazies with it too, tekanji. The hormones basically exacerbated anything that was wrong with me (mood swings, depression), and I got nauseous with them too.

Understanding they’re beneficial to some, but not to others, really makes me question how hard they’re marketed as The Contraceptive(tm).

*Sometimes. Sometimes it really doesn’t make a difference, and sometimes ribbing is good.

By: Brad

Brad — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:13:30 +0000

The point about how condoms prevent STD’s certainly it the big one. The one thing that may make sense is it gives women the freedom of not having to rely on the guy having a condom on hand. Thus not having to stop the moment to go get a condom or having to make the decision to have unprotected sex (assuming both parties are rational).

Granted women also can have condoms on hand, but the pill could allow for having “wrapped up in the moment” sex. A friend of mine was on the pill just for having regular periods and isn’t one to have sex regularily. The pill just might be freedom for someone like her who doesn’t have it regularily, but it’s there should she feel like it, without having to have condoms on hand and/or count on the guy to have them as well.

Not sure if that works, but I’m just thinking of the whole “freedom” thing.

By: lilacsigil

lilacsigil — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 08:46:28 +0000

(b) that you can have PCOS without having the cysts
My gynaecologist did know this - she was a knowledgeable, helpful and fat-friendly doctor who has now moved to another state, which is good news for the women there but not so good for me! I’d read about the exacerbation of insulin resistance, but I’m managing the insulin resistance with healthy eating which is holding things steady (for now, anyway!). I’ve already had one kind of endocrine cancer, so for me the risk of ovarian cancer far outweighs the other problems with the pill. I appreciate people like you and many of the feminist and science blogers who keep up with the research and investigate all the risks and benefits - nothing is without risk, and it’s good to be able to choose with my eyes open!

By: Mickle

Mickle — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:34:37 +0000

And, obviously, changes in attitudes.

By: Mickle

Mickle — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:56:57 +0000

The pill was more freedom in that it is another choice and it is another choice that can be controlled by the woman, but it is also less freedom in that it helped put the responsibility for birth control squarely on the shoulders on women - yet again.

What we really need are just more options period - most especially a male birth control pill.

By: Kristy

Kristy — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:56:28 +0000

Also I have had much more success at controlling period pain and problems periods with traditional chinese medicine than the pill. It takes longer to work but is worth it knowing that I am not putting myself at further risk of things like breast cancer.

By: Kristy

Kristy — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:54:31 +0000

Ohh I forgot to mention that some condoms (ribbed, studded) actually feel better

By: scarlett

scarlett — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:39:53 +0000

In regards to Theriomorph’s comments about women getting STDs from cheating partners -

I’m overlooking the whole moral issues with cheating in the first place, but having cheated, I think it’s incredibly selfish and irresponsible NOT to use condoms in that situation. Not only is it dumb just in the sense that you should be using condoms if a person’s sexual history/health is questionable, but it’s selfish and irresponsible to then be going home to someone who’s got every right to think they’re in a monogomous, disease-free relationship.