Real Stories: Beyond the pill
We’re so freaking glad birth control pills exist. We’re also glad they’re not the only game in town when it comes to pregnancy prevention. Since the FDA approved the first pills more than 50 years ago , this wonderful concept has bloomed into a bunch of different methods . Yet even with all these options, […]
Does hormonal birth control really cause depression?
Here at Bedsider, we love birth control. In addition to preventing pregnancy (hello stress-free sex life), birth control has been shown to have a bunch of positive side effects . From helping with heavy or painful periods , to clearing stubborn acne , many people use hormonal birth control for lots of reasons. TBH, there […]
Real Stories: I love the hormones in my birth control!
For some of us, the benefits of hormones in birth control aren’t limited to their no-babies effect. Let’s be real— side effects from hormones can be a necessary evil of effective birth control. But can the hormones in birth control have positive effects instead? Hell. Yes. Because we’re all unique beautiful snowflakes (no, but seriously), […]
High-tech fertility apps: What’s the deal with Natural Cycles?
What are fertility awareness-based methods? Fertility awareness-based methods (sometimes also called “natural family planning” methods) are one inexpensive way for people to prevent pregnancy without taking hormones. They’re all about tracking your menstrual cycle and other signs of fertility to determine the days that you can get pregnant and then not having sex on those […]
Talking to your employer about birth control coverage
In 2017, the Trump Administration issued two new rules that allow employers to opt out of covering birth control based on religious or moral objections. On July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court decided those rules could stand. As a result, many people are at risk of losing access to no co-pay birth control coverage. If […]
Birth control and breast cancer: Breaking down the research
In recent weeks, you may have heard about research that sheds light on the potential risks of hormonal birth control. While we know there are major health benefits associated with birth control beyond pregnancy prevention, there has been a lot of news about studies that suggest there may be risks, including one study finding an […]
Do we have yet another reason to love the IUD?
Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) are those birth control methods—like the IUD —that work really well at preventing pregnancy without you having to to do anything special on a daily (or even yearly) basis. We love them because they’re easy to use, very effective, and when you factor the overall cost over time, they’re super affordable. […]
4 lessons you can learn from using an internal condom
For many people, internal condoms are as commonplace as those made to fit over a penis (a.k.a. external condoms ). For me, however, they were mythical—something I’d never actually seen. Internal condoms are basically pouches that you insert into a vagina (or anus) to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy. When my co-worker […]
Sterilization: Should you tie the (other kind of) knot?
We spend a lot of time here at Bedsider talking about the many different forms of birth control that can help you choose whether and when to get pregnant. But what if you know for sure that you never want to be pregnant again, or even pregnant ever? You might be thinking about having your […]
Real Stories: The low-maintenance, hormone-free birth control you probably haven’t heard of
Looking for low-maintenance, super-effective birth control, but not okay with hormones ? You’re in luck, because the Paragard (a.k.a. copper) IUD happens to come with zero hormones and a ton of perks. All birth control methods have pros and cons that vary from body to body and method to method—and a side effect that’s a […]
