Sure, the general “birth control is bad for you” message is not optimal. But the root of this misinformation are insights about the side effects coming up more or less recently. iirc one third to half of all women on hormonal birth control experience major side effects like headaches, nausea or mood changes. I can see how these significant findings combined with patriarchy awareness and associated anger led to exaggerated messages.
Nonetheless, I think people thinking more critically about birth control is a good thing as one should always consider both benefits and risks.
Edit: Or did I misread this post? If so, I’m very sorry…
Do you know what has all of those adverse effects in much greater frequency while also having a profound effect on your life? Pregnancy
Yes, the medical field has done a fucking terrible job of communicating the adverse effects of anything to do exclusively with AFAB bodies - look up what an IUD insertion is like without anesthesia - but again, if we compare hormonal birth control to pregnancy in terms of adverse physiological and mental effects, it’s not even on the same planet.
Yeah, it might not be great for a sizable percentage of folks, and a minute percentage of folks have more immediately dangerous adverse effects that make taking hormonal birth control impossible, but in almost every case pregnancy is worse.
There’s an obvious reason to get pregnant, for sure, but it comes with much, much greater risks than preventing it, especially if you don’t want the intended outcome of pregnancy.
There are some serious health implications too like reduced bone density, heart issues, and cancer risks. Women should have the choice to take them if they want to obviously, but there can be very real side effects.
Handing out endocrine disrupting medication to teenagers is a pretty crazy idea if you stop to think about it. Not to throw the baby out with the bath water, but we do have a lot to learn about how the human body works.
Everyone should be using condoms, though. It’s a good backup for monogamous couples and it’s the bare minimum that people who change partners more frequently should do. Have you seen the Gonorrhoea stats lately? And the antibiotic resistance? Bag it!
I think there is a lot you can about side-effects on anti-conception (from condoms are a hassle to pills mess with hormones), but lately young people are more in favour of ‘natural sex’ such as you pulling out early when the woman is ovulating which is (obviously) far less effictive. But the thing is,
one should always consider both benefits and risks.
young people aren’t good at considering the the results of those results because a) their brain is still developing and b) experience comes from trying. They need to be protected against themselves, just like we do with alcohol, drugs, driving etc.
I get where you’re coming from, but there’s a bit of a (hopefully unintended) subtext in your comment that women must be the ones to bear the inconvenience in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Used correctly, condoms are about 1% off from hormonal birth control in effectiveness. But I guess headaches, nausea, and other side effects for women aren’t all that bad compared to some reduced sensation for the penis. After all, women are already used to it from their cycles, right? /s
Yeah the pill is a great tool but can definitely have its side effects. I know my wife on it had a terribly low libido to the point we joked that’s how it kept you from getting pregnant
Sure, the general “birth control is bad for you” message is not optimal. But the root of this misinformation are insights about the side effects coming up more or less recently. iirc one third to half of all women on hormonal birth control experience major side effects like headaches, nausea or mood changes. I can see how these significant findings combined with patriarchy awareness and associated anger led to exaggerated messages.
Nonetheless, I think people thinking more critically about birth control is a good thing as one should always consider both benefits and risks.
Edit: Or did I misread this post? If so, I’m very sorry…
Do you know what has all of those adverse effects in much greater frequency while also having a profound effect on your life? Pregnancy
Yes, the medical field has done a fucking terrible job of communicating the adverse effects of anything to do exclusively with AFAB bodies - look up what an IUD insertion is like without anesthesia - but again, if we compare hormonal birth control to pregnancy in terms of adverse physiological and mental effects, it’s not even on the same planet.
Yeah, it might not be great for a sizable percentage of folks, and a minute percentage of folks have more immediately dangerous adverse effects that make taking hormonal birth control impossible, but in almost every case pregnancy is worse.
There’s an obvious reason to get pregnant, for sure, but it comes with much, much greater risks than preventing it, especially if you don’t want the intended outcome of pregnancy.
There are some serious health implications too like reduced bone density, heart issues, and cancer risks. Women should have the choice to take them if they want to obviously, but there can be very real side effects.
Handing out endocrine disrupting medication to teenagers is a pretty crazy idea if you stop to think about it. Not to throw the baby out with the bath water, but we do have a lot to learn about how the human body works.
Everyone should be using condoms, though. It’s a good backup for monogamous couples and it’s the bare minimum that people who change partners more frequently should do. Have you seen the Gonorrhoea stats lately? And the antibiotic resistance? Bag it!
JK Rowling would be proud.
the ole’ “we don’t have enough data to let children have autonomy over their bodies”
That’s one way to read it. That’s not what I meant. Not everything is about that troll.
I think there is a lot you can about side-effects on anti-conception (from condoms are a hassle to pills mess with hormones), but lately young people are more in favour of ‘natural sex’ such as you pulling out early when the woman is ovulating which is (obviously) far less effictive. But the thing is,
young people aren’t good at considering the the results of those results because a) their brain is still developing and b) experience comes from trying. They need to be protected against themselves, just like we do with alcohol, drugs, driving etc.
I think headaches and nausea are preferable over unwanted children for most people
I get where you’re coming from, but there’s a bit of a (hopefully unintended) subtext in your comment that women must be the ones to bear the inconvenience in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Used correctly, condoms are about 1% off from hormonal birth control in effectiveness. But I guess headaches, nausea, and other side effects for women aren’t all that bad compared to some reduced sensation for the penis. After all, women are already used to it from their cycles, right? /s
Discomfort or inconvenience of condoms would also be preferable to an unwanted child for most people. Be safe, use both
Yeah the pill is a great tool but can definitely have its side effects. I know my wife on it had a terribly low libido to the point we joked that’s how it kept you from getting pregnant