AJ, 23, implant
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By: health
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October 11, 2011
AJ’s girlfriend started on the ring , but it wasn’t quite right for her, so after about a year she switched to the implant (also known by its brand name Nexplanon, formerly Implanon). The implant was inserted under his girlfriend’s skin and can last up to 5 years. (AJ says 3 years in the video, […]
Matt, 24, cervical cap
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By: health
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October 11, 2011
Matt’s girlfriend tried an IUD and the pill , but her body had a hard time adjusting to them and they diminished her sex drive. That’s when she asked about non-hormonal methods and her doctor recommended the cervical cap . For Matt, it feels a lot like using nothing at all and creates a sense […]
Andre, 29, fertility awareness
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By: health
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October 11, 2011
Fertility awareness is au naturel family planning. Andre appreciates that there’s nothing to take, use, or buy (except maybe a thermometer or period-tracking calendar app). His wife simply keeps track of her menstrual cycle to determine which days she can get pregnant and which days are safe for as much spontaneous sex as they want. […]
Adrian, 24, withdrawal
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By: health
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October 11, 2011
Adrian uses condoms to protect himself against STIs when he needs to, but he doesn’t really like the feeling of them. So when he’s in a committed relationship he uses withdrawal aka the pullout method . Risky? You bet. It requires him to keep a clear head in the most heated of moments. The way […]
Jim, 29, sterilization
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By: health
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October 11, 2011
Some couples are sure they don’t want to have children. That’s the case for Jim and his fiancée, so she went ahead and had her tubes tied. Since tubal ligation is pretty close to permanent, Jim was careful not to influence her decision. (He wanted her to be free from any pressure.) After the procedure, […]
Debunking the birth control/memory myth
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By: health
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October 5, 2011
You may have caught recent headlines to the effect that hormonal birth control was found to affect women’s memory. The study making the news tested women’s ability to remember details about disturbing pictures a week after they viewed them, and claimed to have found a difference between women who were on the pill and those […]
Breastfeeding: good for baby—and for mom’s birth control
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By: health
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October 3, 2011
Effective birth control isn’t always a product made by a pharmaceutical company… sometimes our own bodies take care of it for us. Breastfeeding, if done a certain way, can be one of those times. In the first six months after birth, breastfeeding provides many benefits to a new mom and baby—and effective contraception can be […]
Yo, no bros
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By: health
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September 30, 2011
Can guys buy Plan B? Some guys are cool picking up your tampons from the store. Some avoid the lady products aisle like the plague. Still, it’s good to know that any guy can buy over-the-counter emergency contraception without a prescription. original post
Side effect spotlight: What’s up with spotting?
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By: health
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September 1, 2011
For many of us, periods can be an annoyance. But when they’re unpredictable and unruly, they can become a huge burden. Some birth control methods help deal with irregular periods, making cycles more regular or making periods lighter or non-existent . But some birth control can cause unpredictable spotting or bleeding, particularly when you first […]
More promising, far-from-available male birth control
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By: health
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August 31, 2011
As if we needed another reason to save the rainforest: A leafy plant found deep in the jungles of Indonesia may hold the key to the elusive male birth control pill. The gandarusa plant has been used as a stress-reliever for centuries, and locals knew it had a reputation for reducing fertility. Now, researchers are […]