Gym Classy Lady: How I Learned To Love Aerial Yoga (AKA Hanging Upside Down In Silk Hammocks)
Jennifer Aniston Caught With Cupping Marks…But What IS Cupping?
Sleep Paralysis: What Rapid Eye Movement and “Demons” Have in Common (Nothing)
Brave, Badass Teen Speaks Out Against Her Principal’s Abstinence-Only Sex Education
The Solution To Existential Angst? It Might Be Tylenol
Don’t Blame Your Relationship if You’re Gaining Weight: You Have Control (But it’s Not Easy)
Altering your body’s natural chemistry can cause changes in your behaviors and thought processes, but have you ever wondered whether or not you’re attracted to different people based on your birth control? According to a study published in the … More
There’s more potential for danger and abuse in a bottle of acetaminophen than a pack of birth control pills, so why is one sold over-the-counter and not the other? More
Unexpected upsides to hormonal birth control seem to get way less attention than potential risks, but here’s a benefit we shouldn’t let slip under the radar: Using hormonal contraception could help give you a better brain. In a new study published in the Journal of Women’s Health, researchers Kelly Egan and Carey Gleason say hormones in the pill et al. can improve women’s cognitive abilities in middle- and old-age — and the longer the use, the greater the effect. More
Just as Southerners sometimes say “Coke” to mean any sort of soda, you often hear the term “birth control” used to refer explicitly to the pill. Hormonal, oral contraceptives are entrenched as the go-to way to prevent pregnancy in the United States, and not without some good reasons. But long-lasting birth control methods, like IUDs and skin implants could be a better option for many women. Not only can they cut back on certain pill-related side effects, but a large new study finds women are much less likely to get pregnant using one of these instead of the birth control pill, patch or vaginal ring. More
When I was 16, my very Catholic mother allowed me to get on birth control, at my doctor’s advising, to ‘regulate’ my periods and also help with chronic headaches.* This is a common story amongst women I’ve known—their first experiences with the pill often had nothing to do with pregnancy prevention. But a new Guttmacher Institute study finds it’s not just teens using oral contraceptives this way: 14% of all birth control users rely on the pill solely for non-contraceptive reasons, such as reducing menstrual pain, treating acne or trying to tame irregular periods. More
Between pills, patches, rings, diaphragms, condoms, and the rhythm method, picking a method of contraception can seem like an insurmountable task–especially since not all forms of birth control are created equally. Some contain hormones that make it much harder for pregnancy to occur, while others protect against HIV and other STIs–and none are foolproof. How effective are any kinds of birth control? Let’s compare. More
A new study lends further credence to the growing body of research on how birth control pills can alter women’s preferences in men. Researchers found women who chose their partner while on oral contraceptives tended to be more satisfied with their relationships in general—overall, they had longer relationships and were less likely to separate than women who didn’t—yet were less sexually satisfied than women who began their relationships while not on the pill. More
Here is an interesting question: If you and your man knew there was a male version of the Pill, would you drop your birth control and let/make him take it instead? More
If you’ve found that getting your birth control months in advance and keeping it on-hand helps you to stay on it longer, you may want to head to the medicine cabinet and do a quick survey of your stash. Because if you’re taking Tri-Previfem, Emoquette or Orsythia, the pills you’ve got may not be the ones you need to be taking. More
True Or False: Marathoners Can Eat Whatever They Want
The Sweetest Twitter Marriage Proposal You’ll Ever See
Clueless Mom Gives Birth on a Bike Without Realizing It
Why Don’t More Women Talk About Masturbation?
8 Things You Shouldn't Do Before Bed
Remembering to take a pill every day is already sort of a tall order for a lot of women. But, a new study suggests, giving women more months of their birth control up-front can help them stick with it for longer. Do you agree?
Sorry! This poll is now closed.
Sorry! This poll is now closed.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has officially endorsed intrauterine devices (IUDs) as contraceptives for healthy women and teens (regardless of whether they’ve given birth before). In honor of that, we want to get a little more informed about this lesser-known form of birth control, so we’ll be posting about IUDs and contraception options all week here at Blisstree. Today, I talk to Sarah, a photographer/designer who’s been using a copper IUD for a year now after being on the pill for seven years.
1. Why did you decide to try the IUD as a contraception method?
I was on the pill for seven years and had tried quite a few different low-dose varieties. I hated the thought of putting extra hormones in my body, and also never “felt like myself” while taking it. When I went off the pill, my mood balanced almost immediately. It was a huge relief. I decided to try the copper IUD because it offered the same effectiveness as the pill but without hormones. I’ve had it for about a year now. More
So you thought you lived in a liberal society, where doctors understood (supported, even!) a woman’s right to choose NOT to do the whole parent thing. But growing numbers of women and couples who want to keep a modest family size of two are having trouble finding support from their doctors. More and more women are seeking out ways to make their bodies catch up to their decisions, without the troubles of daily pills and hormones. But many doctors flat-out refuse to sterilize women of childbearing age who haven’t yet had children, and the reasons don’t have anything to do with physical health. Should doctors deny us our right to choose not to have kids, forevermore? We talked to a few friends with M.D.s to find out why so many doctors won’t do the deed. More
The recent 50-year anniversary of the pill sparked an onslaught of articles about the revolutionary force of birth control, making it seem like every woman in modern America is benefiting (or suffering) from its use. But according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s newest Statistical Abstract, the pill isn’t the unmatched Goliath of contraceptives it’s made out to be; in fact, sterilization is even more popular — we’re just not talking (or reading) about it nearly as much.
The Census Bureau statistics reveal that, while 61% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 use some form of contraception, only 17.3% of us are actually on the pill. Meanwhile, sterilization is just as responsible (or more) for keeping us from breeding like Catholics. According to the census report, 16.7% of women have been sterilized themselves, and 6.1% have male partners who’ve been sterilized. It’s not a shocker that women between 15 and 44 use methods besides the pill (or none at all), but last we checked, most women weren’t gabbing about sterilization options, either. So why are so many women getting their tubes tied, and why isn’t anyone talking about it? We asked around to find out why sterilization is secretly the most popular kind of birth control. More
You Could Replace the Pill — With a gel. (via The Guardian)
Just In Time for Halloween — Get over your fear of spiders. (via The Globe and Mail)
Shockingly, Alcohol and Caffeine — Just don’t mix. (via SlashFood)
Eating Candy — Actually has some benefits. (via Psychology Today) More
