Topic: womens health

How I Finally Got My Tubes Tied: 4 Stories From Real Women

More and more women are making the decision to be childfree–but that doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier to find a doctor who is supportive of or willing to perform an elective tubal ligation on a childfree woman under the age of 40, mostly because they’re afraid the patient will change her mind (even though most women don’t). But for those women who are sure–and there are many of them–it’s worth it to fight and even lie to get an operation to ensure they live the lives they want. More »

Ok, But Seriously: Is Sex A Viable Weight Loss Option?

Yesterday, we wrote about Pauline Potter, the world’s heaviest woman, who has lost nearly 100 lbs without leaving her bed–because, she says, she gets all the exercise she needs through intercourse. And while it certainly seems to be working for her, are the calories burned during sex and the flood of hormones it creates really enough for the average person? Are the potential heart-rate-increasing benefits of sex just an added bonus, or can having sex help you lose weight? More »

What Obamacare Means For Women: Free Birth Control, Maternity Care and More

If you’re wondering what Obamacare means for you, you’re not alone; since the Supreme Court announced its support of the Affordable Care Act this morning, reactions have been firing from all corners of the internet, but many are still wondering what this means for their own health insurance costs and coverage. More »

Mississippi Only Has One Abortion Clinic; It Could Soon Have None

It’s a sad day for women’s reproductive rights in Mississippi. Mississippi’s strict new law might soon force its only practicing abortion clinic out of business. The law, which will take effect on Saturday, mandates that all doctors who perform abortions also have admitting privileges at a local hospital. More »

Silenced Vagina-Uttering Rep To Perform ‘Vagina Monologues’ With Eve Ensler Today

Last week, Rep. Lisa Brown, (D-West Bloomfield) was barred from debate after using the terribly horrible and offensive actual name for a lady’s naughtybits (prepare yourself: she said vagina) in the presence of men. But that was small vagina-potatoes compared to the number of times she’s going to say it today, when she performs the ‘Vagina Monologues’ on the Capitol steps in Lansing, Michigan, alongside feminist icon, award-winning playwright, and ‘Monologues’ writer Eve Ensler, as well as several other lawmakers. More »

Daily Fail: Career Women Are Baby-Aborting Monsters

The Daily Mail really has it out for us ninny-headed career women (read: women who work, also known as “women”) and the way we misuse our uteruses. Not only are we depriving poor non-womb-having men of the Cheaper By The Dozen-esque brood they so desperately want (but want not to have to raise), we’re also baby-murdering machines who get abortions, and then rely on fertility treatment so we can delay starting a family until later. Haven’t you heard? Abortions are the new birth control for working women. More »

Pregnant Women: You Should Get The Flu Shot, It Can Save Your Baby’s Life

Pregnant Women: You Should Get The Flu Shot, It Can Save Your Babyâ��s Life

Gendered Pricing: The Irritating Reason Women More For The Same Products

When I was a broke college student, I discovered a giant, money-saving secret in the aisles of Walgreens: gendered pricing. Women’s beauty products, like deodorant and razors, simply cost more than their identical, marketed-for-men counterparts. And according to Forbes and Marie Claire, this isn’t just a small marketing anomaly, in which manufacturers bank on a few extra pennies from the ladies–artificially inflated prices can cost females and female-identified individuals well over $1,000 per year in beauty products and health insurance. More »

Study Says Female Condoms Are Cheaper Than HIV; That Doesn’t Mean We’ll Use Them

I’m going to ask you a very sincere, very honest question, and very personal question: have you, or any other female that you know, ever, in your entire sexual history, used a female condom? I didn’t think so. But health advocates in Washington D.C. have begun pushing for better PR for the Little Plastic Baggies that Could, because, at the end of the day, they’re still highly effective at preventing HIV. But then, so are male condoms. So…why are we so focused on what women can do to protect themselves? Is safe heterosexual sex really the woman’s job? More »

What We're Reading:

10 Women You Need To Know In The Birth Control Debate

Over the last few weeks, a long-sleeping beast was awakened: the debate over access and the affordability of birth control, women’s health care, and abortion. Who should pay for it? Who shouldn’t? What is basic health care, and what is vanity medication? And consistently, the perception has remained that, by and large, men are the ones controlling the conversation. Which is partially true–a lot of non-uterus-having individuals are doing an awful lot of talking about an issue that directly relates to the uterus (like that all-male joke of a congressional panel)–but it’s also misleading, because a lot of women are taking part, too. You just may not know they by name, or realize they impact that they’re having on you and your ovaries. More »

Thank You, Jessica Simpson, For Talking About Amniotic Fluid And Labor (No, Really)

Many women shy away from discussing things like amniotic fluid, weight gain, and what it feels like to be so close to labor that you feel like a bowling ball is pressing against the inside of your vagina. But not Jessica Simpson! The soon-to-be mom is proving to have a good sense of humor about all the craziness that happens to women’s bodies during pregnancy—and even labor—which is refreshing, given that most people seem uncomfortable discussing these things outside of a purely clinical context. And for that, I’d like to thank her…even if I’m not crazy about the fairly awful food habits she’s been boasting. More »

“The Story Of Menstruation”: Disney’s Surprisingly Smart 1946 Sex-Ed Video

There’s been a lot of talk about birth control and women’s health, lately. And it seems like a lot of folks are confused about some of the rudimentary elements of sex, pregnancy, and the female body, and there’s quite a bit of misinformation (like, you know, the many uses of aspirin). Maybe now is is a good time to get back to basics with the miracle of our sacred ladybits, with the help of this surprisingly progressive (albeit old-fashioned) video, courtesy of Walt Disney. It’s “The Story of Menstruation,” and it’s circa 1946. More »

Heart Disease Kills; These 5 Great Organizations Are Trying To End It

This week, every drug store, super-market, and restaurant is covered in hearts to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Which means it’s a good time to remember your own, and to remember that heart disease is still the number 1 killer in America. Maybe, instead of giving unhealthy candy or not-very-eco-friendly roses, consider giving the gift of heart health, by donating to one of these ultra-worthy charities. More »

Former Komen VP Karen Handel Calls Planned Parenthood ‘Gigantic Bully’—Basically Being A Bully Herself

Former Komen VP Karen Handel Calls Planned Parenthood 'Gigantic Bully'â��Basically Being A Bully Herself

Former Susan G. Komen Foundation Vice President Karen Handel might be out of the organization, but she’s not out of the Planned Parenthood debate. Many believe that the group’s original decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding was spurred by her personal politics—as an outspoken pro-life supporter, it made sense—but in a new interview with The Daily Beast, she’s insisting that Planned Parenthood was a “gigantic bully,” breaking a previous agreement between the groups to keep quiet about their breakup. More »

Click for more posts