Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tammy Wynette was right
Often, it IS hard to be a woman. Not the "giving all your love to just one man bit", more the being.a.woman part. I've been on The Pill for a frakking long time. Every year, about this time, I wonder about other options. I had a good chat with a new provider recently and she gave me lots of information to ponder. So far, all the options don't look great.
Depo--Office visits for the shot and the shot itself won't be covered by what laughingly passes for "health insurance". Could turn me into a raving maniac, although I admit it works well for a friend.
Implanon--the "new" Norplant. Not read horrible things about it, but side effects of irregular cycles, headaches and weight gain are really all I need to know. I love being like clockwork, I have plenty of headaches as it is and I'm in no hurry to lose what little weight the braces have helped me get rid of.
Mirena--an IUD. They don't know how it works. That alone was enough to make me concerned. I don't have to know how a car works to drive it, but I do need to know that someone at the dealership DOES. Then I started reading about it. Yeah. Between the possibility of it inching upward and getting LOST, the pain some women experience in having it, how it can throw your body out of whack, that you have to check to make sure it's there (seriously, I'm not into spelunking), I think it's not for me.
Essure--non-surgical sterilization. I had such high hopes for this one. Coils of metal are put in your fallopian tubes. Your body, not being happy with this, forms scar tissue over them, completely blocking the path. You get tested to make sure all paths are no longer navigable and you're SET. Well, almost. Lots of reports that the process itself is very painful, hard to recover from and while expulsion (how'd you like a spring floating arond free in YOUR body) is rare, it does happen. And you may not know it happened until you're pregnant. And like every other option I have, not covered and the most expensive of the lot. Permanent, if it "takes", suuuure.
While women have more options now than ever before and yes, I know that not every woman experiences the same side effects, or the same intensity of effects, there aren't a lot of GOOD options. Maybe I should just try eBay. "For Sale: NIB reproductive system (female). Bid must include safe removal at seller's convenience and chosen location."
Depo--Office visits for the shot and the shot itself won't be covered by what laughingly passes for "health insurance". Could turn me into a raving maniac, although I admit it works well for a friend.
Implanon--the "new" Norplant. Not read horrible things about it, but side effects of irregular cycles, headaches and weight gain are really all I need to know. I love being like clockwork, I have plenty of headaches as it is and I'm in no hurry to lose what little weight the braces have helped me get rid of.
Mirena--an IUD. They don't know how it works. That alone was enough to make me concerned. I don't have to know how a car works to drive it, but I do need to know that someone at the dealership DOES. Then I started reading about it. Yeah. Between the possibility of it inching upward and getting LOST, the pain some women experience in having it, how it can throw your body out of whack, that you have to check to make sure it's there (seriously, I'm not into spelunking), I think it's not for me.
Essure--non-surgical sterilization. I had such high hopes for this one. Coils of metal are put in your fallopian tubes. Your body, not being happy with this, forms scar tissue over them, completely blocking the path. You get tested to make sure all paths are no longer navigable and you're SET. Well, almost. Lots of reports that the process itself is very painful, hard to recover from and while expulsion (how'd you like a spring floating arond free in YOUR body) is rare, it does happen. And you may not know it happened until you're pregnant
While women have more options now than ever before and yes, I know that not every woman experiences the same side effects, or the same intensity of effects, there aren't a lot of GOOD options. Maybe I should just try eBay. "For Sale: NIB reproductive system (female). Bid must include safe removal at seller's convenience and chosen location."
