birth control

[samssugarmomma]

ITA. I don't want him fishing down there for a temperature or to judge my "consistency." Maybe I'm just not comfortable enough with my body, but I'm okay with being that way!

FYI - most people temp orally. Some do vaginal temps, but that's not for me. Also, I've never heard of anyones partner helping to check their consistency, since most check after going potty.

Not trying to be beat a dead horse, just trying to educate......

[houseelf]

The obvious drawback to ONLY allowing NFP as a bc option is that one must assume that everyone has the motivation, skills, and access to knowledge to successfully implement this system. Perhaps because I work with the public on a daily basis, I'm highly skeptical of this being a basic premise of only allowing NFP. Hell, people can't figure out not to drink and drive or evade police pursuit.

To cut to the chase, I support widespread, universal access to birth control, for both genders. I support extensive sexual education including coverage of all birth control option. Being able to plan children is a woman and or society's only hope to escape the crushing cycle of poverty, unemployment, abuse, and illiteracy.

Oh, and for the record, I'm a proud parent of a little miracle due to bc user error. He's the best damn thing that ever happened to us. But I was 25, living with a man I was engaged to marry and we both held doctorate degrees. This is a sharp contrast with to a 14 year old living in foster care or some other barely liveable situation.

Kelly

[MrsC]

I'd love to see the look on Dh's face if I suggested NFP, with us drowning in debt, halfway through residency. If it happens, it happens but I'd rather take some precautions.

Most people just couldn't afford to have that many kids (nor are some able to look after them).

This reminds me of something my grandmother once said, referring to a neighbour who had 12 kids and how easily she got pregnant, she said "her husband only had to hang his trousers on the bedpost and there'd be another on the way".

You can be too fertile!!

[Amiens]

I haven't read anyone else's comments yet, so sorry if I am being redundant.

My thoughts in short- Birth control isn't bad. It was created for a reason, and there are some people who medically need to be on it- PCOS, endometriosis, etc. Just like if you had a bacterial infection you would take medication to get rid of it or get better, the same with this. When we are not wanting children we do a combination of birth control (condoms) and just making a mark on the calendar when I have ovulation pain, and when I start. I've tried the pill- not for me: weight gain, acne. I have a couple of friends who swear by IUDs, again not for me- it freaks me out thinking about having some device inside of me.

When it comes to birth control I say to each their own. Until we walk a mile in each other's shoes we cannot determine what is best for the other.

Crystal

[Lo]

Luckily our parish is pretty progressive, and we didn't get pressured into the NFP method.

J

I don't feel like anyone is pressured into anything...People will make decisions for themselves...DF and I haven't even talked to our parish about this yet and have decided on our own to use NFP...

[SuzySunshine]

I don't feel like anyone is pressured into anything...

That is definitely not the case in some parishes. In my cousins' church if you're not pg in the first year after marriage you're OBVIOUSLY on BCP.

[pstone]

DF and I haven't even talked to our parish about this yet

I can't imagine talking to anyone about that kid of decision, let alone needing anyones opinion about it.

[Stella]

DF and I haven't even talked to our parish about this yet

I can't imagine talking to anyone about that kid of decision, let alone needing anyones opinion about it.

Except my GYN, to get his opinion on what method works the BEST with the least side effects.

We only use condoms and it's worked well for us.

[pstone]

Condoms...

Hate them but who would ask their wife to take hormones?

Can't wait for the 'last child'....tubal...just because she has a zipper in already..if not...snip snip

[MissCrabette]

Peter, isn't a vasectomy an easier and more effective procedure?

[pstone]

Sure, but they are going to be 'in there' already...

One C-Section I hear means always C-Section.

[MissCrabette]

Ah OK, that makes sense. Well, good luck with that, whenever it happens.

[Michele]

One C-Section I hear means always C-Section.

Doesn't have to be if it's a low horizontal incision....but certainly can be for "ease" of birth/delivery/due date.

This is the first time I've ventured into the Debate section, and it certainly makes interesting reading!

We actually use FAM too, although we have absolutely no connection to the Catholic Church (being both Buddhists.) I'm happy with it for now, although I might consider going back to a hormonal method of some kind in the future - I took the pill with no problems for about 10 years. I do like FAM and I do trust its effectiveness (as we are both committed to using it correctly) but it does encroach upon spontaneity. And when you're married to a surgeon, chances can be few and far between, so it seems a shame to waste opportunities!

Probably the reason NFP has such a bad rap is its association with religion. I think it could be sold much more easily if it didn't come with the full religious package. I don't believe God's will has anything to do with contraception, and I also don't think that using this method has particularly brought DH and I any closer or really had any effect on our relationship at all. I also think that whether your birth control is hormonal or "natural" - you're just playing with semantics. You don't want to have a baby right now, so you're employing a method to prevent it. Fair enough, so just call a spade a spade.

The divorce statistic quoted in the article above is completely spurious - think about the logic behind it. If you are such a committed Catholic that you believe that all artificial birth control is wrong and against God's will, then you're also very likely to believe that divorce is wrong, so you won't do it. This is so clearly a case of correlation being mistaken for causality that it irritates me in its obviousness.

I believe strongly in birth control in all its forms being readily available, and I'd like to see some more options presented for men, too. FAM is not the easiest method to work, and plenty of people don't have the commitment to making it work, so the more options available the better, in my opinion. Children are too precious, and as Flynn (?) said, too much damn hard work to leave to chance. They deserve the very best that their parents can give them.