IUD Expulsion: Is it as scary as it sounds?
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By: health
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January 26, 2015
During the first few months of having my IUD, there were some moments of discomfort that made me wonder if the IUD was in the right place. When I went to my doctor for a follow-up exam, I talked about some of the pain I had been experiencing and my fear that the IUD had […]
Birth control, you rock our world
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By: health
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September 26, 2014
What makes it possible for people all over the planet to finish their educations, make a living, and raise healthier children? If you know us at all, you know what’s coming… Birth control ! Couples around the world have been using some form of it for centuries, because having the power to control when you […]
Fertility awareness: Birth control and beyond!
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By: health
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March 24, 2014
By Victoria Jennings, PhD. Contrary to popular myth, pregnancy is not possible every time a woman has sex. With a little bit of effort every day, it really is possible for a woman to understand which days she can get pregnant and which days she can’t. Fertility awareness techniques are not widely known , but […]
Pregnancy 101
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By: health
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February 4, 2013
Pregnancy is what happens when sperm meets up with an egg and the fertilized egg sticks to the lining of the uterus. So any type of sex where semen gets inside the vagina could result in a pregnancy—even if the penis is near but not inside the vagina when the penis-owner ejaculates. It doesn’t matter […]
Fertility unawareness
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By: health
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December 3, 2012
The good news? Young folks who have used fertility awareness or withdrawal (a.k.a. pulling out) for birth control have a better idea of when in a person’s cycle they’re most fertile compared to folks who have never used those methods. The bad news? That’s not sayin’ much. A Research Brief from Child Trends used data […]
The magical powers of semen…
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By: health
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September 19, 2012
Just when we thought we had the biology of human reproduction figured out, new research shows there’s still plenty we don’t understand. Today’s example? A team of biologists have shown that a protein commonly found in the semen of many animals—including humans—can help kick-start the release of an egg (a.k.a. ovulation). The protein, which has […]
Getting pregnant: Yes you can!
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By: health
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April 24, 2012
As a doctor, one of the things that most surprises me is the number of women who don’t use birth control because they think they can’t get pregnant. Risk can be tricky to understand and we all want to believe that things like car wrecks and debilitating diseases never happen to us or to the […]
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. […]
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 […]
Pulling out: The kung fu of contraception
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By: health
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February 28, 2011
At some point, just about every couple will probably use withdrawal, aka “pulling out” or “coitus interruptus,” as a birth control method. It’s free and it doesn’t require a trip to the clinic or pharmacy. But withdrawal is birth control kung fu—it requires self-knowledge, serious discipline, and lots of practice. The Basics To use withdrawal, […]