pill ill.
i just read this gross article online. it was an article that i stumbled across while signing out of hotmail. the sign out process took me to msn - which i normally try to avoid, because i consider msn gross (sexist, heterosexist, classist, racist, ablebodied-centred, conservative, etc. etc. etc. ) in itself - but today i patiently waited for the page to pop up, etc. etc. because i had seen an article about how blogging is changing or influencing 'our' culture (not quite sure who that means, although i could guess for you if you want me to (hint hint, refer to above parenthesis on 'gross' (as well as my last sentence...) and i thought it might be of interest to gxx. but, alas, no blogging article, but instead what i thought *might* be an interesting read on dun dun dun... the pill. so, i clicked and i read. and then i started skimming and then only simply scrolling down, only stopping as my eye caught yet another awful - gross - point. here are some examples, which are intended to proclaim the awesomeness of the pill:
1. the pill is - at $25 a month - relatively inexpensive.
--- 12 x 25 = $300.00 per year. 300 x 3 (why not?) = $9,000.00. right.
2. according to Dr. DeCherney: "it works -- 100% of the time".
--- bullshit. my friend c was a pill/condom combo baby. capital B, bullshit. also, insurance agencies and chemists/pharmacies don't always match pill users in the strict, self-regulated adherence to timely administration. in other words, sometimes you're due for a new pill packet, and the chemist is out, or your insurance hasn't cleared, because 28 days isn't quite 1 month. starting late means less than a 100% guarantee. automatically. immediately. but, you know, starting on time means paying sans insurance which means paying more. is it worth that extra $5? should i calculate $5 x 12 (x 3)? right.
3. also according to Dr. DeCherney: "side effects are mainly minor - such things as mood changes, fluid retention, acne, and spot bleeding. and the only major risk is death from cardiovascular causes, such as thromboembolism, which are rare."
--- um, these things aren't minor. it takes, on average, a period of 3-4 months for a woman's body to adjust to the new levels of hormones being introduced into her system. 3-4 months of mood changes. and fluid retention? how crap does it feel to change nothing about the way you eat, the way you exercise, the way you do anything, except take one little pill a day, and all of a sudden, not fit into the clothes you're wearing. and combine this, with acne, mood changes, and societal pressure to adhere to a certain criteria of measurements dictating what is and isn't an attractive woman, and who wants to have sex? no to mention the 'spotting', which, by the way, lasted for 2 years straight, in the case of my friend, p.
4. according to Dr. Senikas, "no product on the planet comes without its side effects and complications," she added, but it's often forgotten that pregnancy comes with its own risks."
--- brilliant. so it's a lesser of two evils, and guess what women, you get the sense of agency that comes with determining which one you'll eventually choose!
5. 'hormonal birth control for men - the "male pill" - is tougher. "stopping 200 million sperm a day from being produced is more difficult than shutting off one egg a month," Dr. Schlegel said.
--- true. and astute Dr. he is, he continues:
"Women, who face the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy, are willing to put up with small risks and occasional side effects, he said. "Would a man take a drug that made him not feel well?" asked Dr. DeCherney. "The answer is they don't have to because pregnancy is not an option. I think it will be a long time before we see a male hormonal contraceptive."
--- well, i'm glad that we've gotten as far as understanding that pregnancy, for women, is, in fact, a choice - although you sometimes wouldn't know it, given that the idea is one that is obviously still contentious enough that it causes folks to consider bombing abortion clinics, etc. - but, i'm sorry, this whole 'men don't have to (think about taking a pill that would make him not feel well) because pregnancy is not an option,' um, what?! pregnancy IS an option. as in, guess what? pregnancy happens...which is exactly WHY your girlfriend/wife/partner/friend/lover/etc. etc. that you're having sex with, as well as every single one of the 11.6 million women out there (i'm guessing, just in the US?) is taking the f*cking pill!
what is NOT an option, is the continued ignorance and insensitivity regarding this issue.
and by the way, i'd like to add nausea and IRRITABILITY to the list of 'minor' symptomatic complaints. but, then again, that might not be a side-effect of the pill, rather 'our culture' that surrounds and supports it's administration.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/tb1/1449?pfc=101&spc=224
(and i do acknowledge that there are good points to this article (as well as the fact that some women take the pill for help in acheiving lighter and more regular periods, etc.), but, their worth is incredibly devalued when sandwhiched between such gross stuff. and i don't see why i should be ok with the gross stuff. why should i be ok with the gross stuff? i mean, if i'm going to start having hetero sex, i'll probably start on the pill. probably. because what are choices? but with this, this i have a choice. and i'm not ok with the side-effects of this kind of sort of hormone. i mean, i'm not ok with the side-effects of any of the hormones. but the connection, the parallel, i'm trying to make, is that regardless of the source, and regardless of whether they are physical or metaphorical, these side-effects, like i said, they're not minor. they're gross.)
shumi shu
1. the pill is - at $25 a month - relatively inexpensive.
--- 12 x 25 = $300.00 per year. 300 x 3 (why not?) = $9,000.00. right.
2. according to Dr. DeCherney: "it works -- 100% of the time".
--- bullshit. my friend c was a pill/condom combo baby. capital B, bullshit. also, insurance agencies and chemists/pharmacies don't always match pill users in the strict, self-regulated adherence to timely administration. in other words, sometimes you're due for a new pill packet, and the chemist is out, or your insurance hasn't cleared, because 28 days isn't quite 1 month. starting late means less than a 100% guarantee. automatically. immediately. but, you know, starting on time means paying sans insurance which means paying more. is it worth that extra $5? should i calculate $5 x 12 (x 3)? right.
3. also according to Dr. DeCherney: "side effects are mainly minor - such things as mood changes, fluid retention, acne, and spot bleeding. and the only major risk is death from cardiovascular causes, such as thromboembolism, which are rare."
--- um, these things aren't minor. it takes, on average, a period of 3-4 months for a woman's body to adjust to the new levels of hormones being introduced into her system. 3-4 months of mood changes. and fluid retention? how crap does it feel to change nothing about the way you eat, the way you exercise, the way you do anything, except take one little pill a day, and all of a sudden, not fit into the clothes you're wearing. and combine this, with acne, mood changes, and societal pressure to adhere to a certain criteria of measurements dictating what is and isn't an attractive woman, and who wants to have sex? no to mention the 'spotting', which, by the way, lasted for 2 years straight, in the case of my friend, p.
4. according to Dr. Senikas, "no product on the planet comes without its side effects and complications," she added, but it's often forgotten that pregnancy comes with its own risks."
--- brilliant. so it's a lesser of two evils, and guess what women, you get the sense of agency that comes with determining which one you'll eventually choose!
5. 'hormonal birth control for men - the "male pill" - is tougher. "stopping 200 million sperm a day from being produced is more difficult than shutting off one egg a month," Dr. Schlegel said.
--- true. and astute Dr. he is, he continues:
"Women, who face the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy, are willing to put up with small risks and occasional side effects, he said. "Would a man take a drug that made him not feel well?" asked Dr. DeCherney. "The answer is they don't have to because pregnancy is not an option. I think it will be a long time before we see a male hormonal contraceptive."
--- well, i'm glad that we've gotten as far as understanding that pregnancy, for women, is, in fact, a choice - although you sometimes wouldn't know it, given that the idea is one that is obviously still contentious enough that it causes folks to consider bombing abortion clinics, etc. - but, i'm sorry, this whole 'men don't have to (think about taking a pill that would make him not feel well) because pregnancy is not an option,' um, what?! pregnancy IS an option. as in, guess what? pregnancy happens...which is exactly WHY your girlfriend/wife/partner/friend/lover/etc. etc. that you're having sex with, as well as every single one of the 11.6 million women out there (i'm guessing, just in the US?) is taking the f*cking pill!
what is NOT an option, is the continued ignorance and insensitivity regarding this issue.
and by the way, i'd like to add nausea and IRRITABILITY to the list of 'minor' symptomatic complaints. but, then again, that might not be a side-effect of the pill, rather 'our culture' that surrounds and supports it's administration.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/tb1/1449?pfc=101&spc=224
(and i do acknowledge that there are good points to this article (as well as the fact that some women take the pill for help in acheiving lighter and more regular periods, etc.), but, their worth is incredibly devalued when sandwhiched between such gross stuff. and i don't see why i should be ok with the gross stuff. why should i be ok with the gross stuff? i mean, if i'm going to start having hetero sex, i'll probably start on the pill. probably. because what are choices? but with this, this i have a choice. and i'm not ok with the side-effects of this kind of sort of hormone. i mean, i'm not ok with the side-effects of any of the hormones. but the connection, the parallel, i'm trying to make, is that regardless of the source, and regardless of whether they are physical or metaphorical, these side-effects, like i said, they're not minor. they're gross.)
shumi shu
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