Birth Control

You probably know the basics about how to use the pill, condoms, and other types of birth control, but sometimes day-to-day life is a lot different than what's explained on a package. If you've got more questions than answers when it comes to birth control, then here is some information that may help.

• Which birth control method is the most effective? How well your birth control works depends on many factors — the most important of which includes how closely you adhere to instructions — but some forms of birth control are more effective than others. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says, for example, that typical use (rather than perfect use) of a birth control pill, patch, or ring has a failure rate of 8 percent, while typical use of a condom has around a 15-percent failure rate; the least effective form is the rhythm method, which has about a 27-percent failure rate. For more on different types of birth control and what to do if you think yours has failed, check out this post.
• What do I do if I've missed taking a pill? Taking your birth control pill every day at the same time can be tough to remember, and forgetting happens. Many times, all you need to do is take your normal dose at your normal time and forget about it, but sometimes circumstances can be more complicated. Check out our information on what to do if you've missed taking your birth control pill here.
• What happens when I stop taking birth control? If you've been on the pill for years, you may be worried about what will happen to your body when you stop taking the pill for good. Many women, for example, worry that they'll experience anything from the debilitating cramps to missed periods. If you've stopped or are stopping the pill, then read here for more insight on what will happen when you stop taking birth control.

Happy free birth control day! President Obama's free birth control mandate begins today, but before you get your hopes up there are some important things to know about what it means for you. A part of Obama's healthcare reform stipulates that private insurance companies must be required to provide contraception without copays beginning today, Aug. 1, so here's what you need to know about taking advantage of this new policy:

• It's more than birth control: Under Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA), new insurance plans must cover a variety of services for women at no out-of-pocket costs. These include domestic violence counseling, cervical cancer screenings, FDA-approved contraception, STI screenings, breastfeeding supplies, and a "well woman" visit with her healthcare provider.
• You have to be insured: You must already have a private insurance plan to qualify, either through your work or school, or through the employer of your spouse or parent. Uninsured women will have to wait until 2014 for the free services, when the ACA requires everyone to have insurance.
• Women on Medicaid may be denied: For now, it's up to each state to decide whether women on Medicaid plans will receive the services at no cost.
• It's not just religious institutions who oppose it: Religious institutions opposed to free birth control have been allowed to wait another year while all parties involved come to a compromise — even though Obama already made a compromise in February. So if you work for a religiously affiliated organization it may be a year (or more) until the policy goes into effect. But it's not just religious employers getting an out, private business owners with personal religious beliefs may also be able to deny coverage.
• You need to know when your plan starts: The copay-free contraception mandate only applies to new and reenrolled plans that start today or after. So to find out when you'll be able to receive free birth control you need to find out when your plan starts by either contacting your HR rep or insurance company. Most employee plans begin Jan. 1, while luckily for students, many school and university plans begin Aug. 1.
• Watch out for grandfathered plans: If you have a "grandfathered plan" — meaning one that began before March 23, 2010, and hasn't changed since then — you may have to wait until 2014, when those plans will be considered new under the ACA.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund has spent $1.4 million on anti-Mitt Romney ads in swing states, and so far it seems like money well spent. The TV spot highlights the presumptive Republican nominee's views on abortion and birth control, as well as equal pay, and according to a new poll by Hart Research, Iowa and Florida women who have seen the ads say they are less likely to vote for Romney.

After the ads ran, women in Iowa and Florida, both crucial swing states, were 11 percent more likely to say that Mitt Romney "is out of step with my opinions on issues affecting women." According to the poll, the ads have reached 50 percent of women in Florida and 55 percent in Iowa, and those who saw them reported being far less likely to vote for Romney than women who did not remember seeing them. Before the ads, about 48 percent of women in both West Palm Beach and Des Moines, for example, said Romney was out of touch with their views on abortion and contraception. After, that number jumped to 58 percent.

Using Mitt's own words, Planned Parenthood's ad states: "When Mitt Romney says, 'Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that,' Romney is saying he'll deny women the birth control and cancer screenings they depend on." The Romney campaign has pointed out that Romney favors getting rid of federal funding to Planned Parenthood, not the organization, and Romney has shown support for contraception. Even so, Planned Parenthood's ad implies that Romney could threaten its ability to provide services like birth control and cancer screenings.

Whether or not that is true, at least one Romney advisor doesn't think it will matter. Senior Campaign Advisor Eric Fehrnstrom told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday that birth control and abortion are "shiny objects" meant to distract voters from real issues. On the subject, he said, "You're going to see the Democrats use all sorts of shiny objects to distract people's attention from the Obama performance on the economy. This is not a social issue election." The success of Planned Parenthood's ads, however, might suggest otherwise.

To see how Mitt Romney's stances on women's issues have evolved, check out our guide: Then and Now: Mitt Romney's Positions on Reproductive Rights.

A hangover isn't the only side effect of heavy drinking. According to recent reports, binge drinking can increase the risk of pregnancy for women on the pill. The perfect, yet not-so-sexy, storm of heavy drinking and vomiting, followed by unprotected sex is to blame. See, if you vomit shortly after taking your pill, it's no longer in your system. Why else does the pill fail? Here are six things to look out for. And always consult your doctor if you have any questions!

1. Inconsistency. Taking your pill at the exact same time every day greatly reduces the risk of failure. And while obesity used to be considered a factor that could impact the effectiveness of the pill, a recent study said consistency, not weight has the greatest impact. If you forget to take more than one pill in a month, be sure to use backup birth control and call your doctor or pharmacist for specific advice.
2. St. John's Wort. The natural supplement can increase the breakdown of your pill's estrogen, making it less effective.
3. The antibiotic rifampin. According to the Mayo Clinic, the risks of antibiotics interfering with the pill are greatly overstated. Yet, the antibiotic rifampin (Rimactane) does have an impact, so check with your doctor if you are prescribed antibiotics.
4. Other medications. Some yeast-infection medicines, HIV treatments, or anti-seizure medication could counteract the pill. If you ever fill a new prescription, always ask if you need to use a backup form of birth control.
5. Temperature. Be sure to store your pack in a cool place. If it's left in the sun or in extreme heat (or cold) it could become less effective.
6. Vomiting or diarrhea. If you're ill within 30 minutes of taking your pill — thanks to alcohol or something else — treat it as if you missed it.

If you want to (or can't help but) forget the pill, there's always non-hormonal birth control.

In a two-day hearing that began yesterday, the FDA is in discussions to expand the number drugs that can be available over the counter, and birth-control advocates are looking to add oral contraception to the list today. Right now the drugs in question include cholesterol, asthma, migraine, and blood-pressure meds. If birth control pills are considered for over-the-counter availability, one of the ideas is to deliver them at drugstores via a computer kiosk. These kiosks would ask women the same health-related questions a doctor would ask — like whether they smoke or not — making sure the women should take the pills.

Women may have to pay more for over-the-counter birth control (insurance companies cover prescriptions, not over-the-counter drugs), but it would increase access when it's not convenient or possible to get a prescription. I know I've heard women complain of getting stuck on vacation without access to a doctor or having to spend an hour in a doctor's office waiting room when their prescriptions run out, and sometimes that can cause a lapse in taking their pill. Would you root for over-the-counter birth control pills?

Our neighbors up north are having more problems down south. In Canada, syphilis and chlamydia rates have risen and some public health experts point to the popularity of online dating as a likely culprit.

When you meet someone online, you probably know a good amount about his or her interests, background, and personality before you get in bed thanks to the profile and communication that happens upfront. This greater sense of intimacy might make people less likely to use condoms with partners they meet online, versus those they meet out at a bar, for example.

Since 2000, cases of syphilis grew 10 times, chlamydia rates have jumped 66 percent, and HIV rates among heterosexual women have also spiked in Canada. And in America, rates are up, too. A survey of online dating trends in Canada found that 25 percent of Canadians have tried online dating and 16 percent had sex with someone they met online. The author of Seductive Delusions — How Everyday People Catch STDs explains the risk: "Typically, the more we know someone, the less likely in general we are to think they have an STD . . . ‘Oh, they’re like me, they’re not going to have an STD.'" Older people, who are no longer at risk of pregnancy or worry about performance issues are also likely to skip condoms. And just the mere fact that it's easier for everyone to find sex partners online could help explain the uptick.

So whether or not you spot a lack of personal pronouns, a short profile, or other signs that a guy is lying on his profile, use a condom when you sleep with him!

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project.

There's been some talk over, what, the last couple months, regarding ladies and their access to birth control. Or basic health care. Or abortions. Or breast exams. Really, pick any of them. Now, while I could (quite easily) get going regarding Komen's debacle with Planned Parenthood or the #issacircus of a hearing that ruined my day, that's not what I'd really like to discuss with Good Men today.

Objectifying Ryan Gosling

Of course, some of you might tell me that you don't want to hear my rants because, hey, those be lady problems and why would you rant to men about them (*please note* I did not say all of you – just… some).

And that, now that you mention it, is exactly my point.

All of these controversies, from Komen to birth control, have been overwhelmingly framed in this way: religious/moral freedom vs. women's rights. Or something along those lines. Here, the details aren't what's important –the point is the vs. women part.

X, Y, Z vs. women. Period. Just us ladies, out there all on our own. Wantin' things like breast exams and the pills. It's a woman's-issues thing, right?

Ahem. Wrong.

I am so done with these arguments being framed this way. These are not women's-only issues and rights. These are far far more than that.

Why? Well, since you asked, let me try to explain.

First, let's just pretend we're talking about birth control – namely, birth control pills, or maybe even morning after pills. For sake of simplicity, let's also narrow that into birth control only used for avoiding pregnancy – the idea that ladies be only wanting the birth control so they can be having the sex without the procreating. Forget all other arguments. For now.

I find it rather interesting that no one seems to bring up with whom all those ladies be having all the sex without the babies with. Well. Lesbians don't really worry about getting preggers all that much. So that leave . . . menfolk, or ladies born as men. And, ya know, I would hazard a guess that a great majority of that sex involving penises would be within committed, monogamous relationships. I would also hazard a guess that, in those committed, monogamous relationships, part of the reason the lady be on the pill is because she is not using condoms with her partner. Why? Because she probably trusts him and they no longer have need to worry about STIs, being in a committed, monogamous relationship. And a lot of people don't really like the whole condom thing, and will avoid when it becomes safe to do so.

Some of those relationships are probably marriages, where both would like to avoid having a kid/having more kids. Both husband and wife are being responsible to what they want and the children they can provide for.

Sure, some of the ladies who be on the pill are probably not in committed, monogamous relationships. Maybe a few of them throw caution to the wind every night. Or something. But, you know, if pregnancy is on the line, they're still engaging le sexy times with a dude. A dude who probably as into getting someone pregnant as his ladyfriend is.

Am I getting my point across? All these "X, Y, Z vs. ladies rights" conversations keep kind of saying that it's only the ladies having sex without the babiez. All by themselves. When, um, hello. Hi there. Birds and bees calling.

Yes, the women are the ones who have to take a pill as a very consistent method of engaging le sexy times without le bébéz. Men don't have that option (yet). But that doesn't mean these aren't men's issues. If you want to be having sex without procreation, this is how you do that – men and women. Both of us. Together. Doing this deed. Together. Does it matter who is swallowing (ahem) the pill?

Keep reading below.

Meet Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri. The Senate just narrowly voted 51 to 48 against his amendment, called the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, or the Blunt amendment. The proposed law was a response to the Obama Administration's rule that all insurance plans provide free birth control, and would have let any employer opt out of providing health care coverage that violated their conscience or religion. Here are five reasons to be happy it's not the law, for the time being.

1. It didn't just apply to religious and religion-sponsored organizations. While Senator Blunt framed it as a question of religious liberty, the bill would have let any employer impose their religious views on their employees.
2. It allowed employers to opt out of any type of health care coverage they object to. For example, if having a child out of wedlock violated an employer's conscience or religion, they could deny coverage for it. Other examples: an employer could refuse fertility treatment for gay or single women.
3. It would give your employer, not your doctor, control over your medical decisions.
4. Supporters of the amendment aren't considering women's point of views. If you saw the recent panel convened by Congressman Darrell Issa to discuss religious liberty and contraception, you know that it had no women on it.
5. It could be life threatening. All hospitals, for example, would have free range to deny a woman an emergency abortion if her life was threatened.

Even GOP candidate Mitt Romney opposed it, at least briefly. He said yesterday, "I'm not for the bill, but look, the idea of presidential candidates getting into questions about contraception within a relationship between a man and a woman, husband and wife, I'm not going there." Of course, then he walked back on that answer, saying he didn't understand the question and supports the bill. While the Blunt amendment is gone for now, we can probably expect more debates over social issues and women's health as the presidential election draws nearer.

Just when we thought she couldn't get any cooler, one of our favorite funny ladies Amy Poehler stopped by Saturday Night Live last night and gave a great rant with Seth Meyers on the birth control debate via Really!?! With Seth and Amy. The pair rightly called out congressman Darrell Issa for his all-male panel on Obama's birth control mandate, Foster Freeze for his antiquated birth control idea (keep your legs closed), and Mike Huckabee's anti-birth-control line: "We're all Catholic now." To that last argument, Amy pointed out that the majority of Catholic women use contraception, saying, "You know who's not all Catholic now? All Catholics now." Thanks, Seth and Amy, for waking people up to the ridiculousness going on right now in regards to women's reproductive rights; let's hope it helps! Check out the clip now, and weigh in below.