With Liberty, Justice and Health Care for All

As the fourth of July fireworks started exploding in the Wednesday night sky, I had a true reason to celebrate; the upholding of The Affordable Health Care Act. This monumental victory for the health of women and families happened earlier last Thursday, June 28th, and set the stage in my heart and mind to have enjoyed a true independence day. Calling the Affordable Care Act "the greatest advance in women's health in a generation," Planned Parenthood said the law will provide access to birth control and cancer screenings without co-pays, guaranteed direct access to OB/GYN providers without referrals, and an end to discriminatory practices against women, such as charging women higher premiums and denying coverage for "pre-existing conditions." Now that’s what being an American means to me.

As a 21 year old female college student, there are two parts of the Affordable Health Care Act that I am especially grateful for: one being that starting in August, birth control will be treated like any other preventive prescription under the Affordable Care Act, and will be available without co-pays or deductibles, and secondly, I can now stay under my parents insurance until the age of 26 if need be.

Women, just like you and me, who come into our Planned Parenthood health centers often struggle to decide whether to pay for birth control or pay for textbooks, groceries, or gas for the car. The money women will save on birth control each year is equal to five weeks of groceries for a family of four, nine tanks of gas in a minivan, or one semester of college textbooks.

College graduation is slowly sneaking up on me, and while I hope it doesn’t take me more than six months to find a job, the reality of the situation is not necessarily on my side. Finding a job takes real work itself these days, and finding one that includes benefits, well, calling that a rare situation is an extreme understatement. I am no longer scared to graduate thanks to The Affordable Health Care Act.

But the upholding of The Affordable Health Care Act isn’t just about me. It is about all women across the nation, and how it will help them in their daily lives. This is so much bigger than ever imagined, and will literally change the face of Health Care as we know it. I encourage all of you to learn more about how The Affordable Health Care Act will positively affect you at: (http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/healthcare-overview), and to share your unique story on how on August 1st, you will have the tools to start leading a healthier life.

-Elise
PPRSR Intern

Is your doctor answering your birth control questions?

When I first became sexually active, I had already learned about many of the different types of birth control in my high school health class. I went to my gynecologist to ask her about contraceptives, and the only one that I was presented with then was the pill. The rest were dismissed with a wave. Over the next few years, I remained on the pill, sometimes not getting the pack on time at school, or forgetting to take a pill or two. I’ve been fed up with a daily pill since I started taking them. While it may work for some people, it’s clear that it was not the best option for me.

I’ve always wished that I could get a different form of contraception. Now that I’ve been working at Planned Parenthood for a whopping two weeks, I’ve decided to go back to my gynecologist to discuss the options I've learned about. Hopefully, she’ll be more receptive to the idea of an IUD or Implanon .

I also hope that my insurance will cover it. My particular insurance company is very elusive when it comes to what it covers with respect to birth control and contraception. I’ve been looking online for answers to this issue, and can’t seem to find any answers. If my insurance doesn’t cover the more expensive forms, I’ll use more of the knowledge I’ve gained about family planning insurance from my short time at Planned Parenthood. There’s an option called the Family Planning Benefit Program which can cover teens and young adults, so that confidentiality is maintained, and nothing is sent home. Often, it covers young New York State residents fully over a few years. Planned Parenthood offers counseling and assistance in getting into this program, too, for those like me who are very confused by insurance and New York systems.

I know where my life will be if I don’t ask for a more permanent and less daily form of birth control, and I don’t like that reality. Even when patients do not mention an ad that they have seen or birth control education that they’ve received, doctors should be aware that information about birth control, other than the Pill, is in the patients’ heads, and pre-empt questions that the patients may have. Going over options on a personal level can make a huge difference in the decisions made about birth control. For tips and training on how to talk to patients about contraceptive options, check out the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. If you’re a patient, Planned Parenthood health centers can help fill you in on birth control and insurance options or call 1-866-600-6886 to learn more.

Just how effective is the rhythm method?

Natural family planning is different from the rhythm method, and it is not just guessing about when ovulation will occur. The natural family planning method requires a woman to monitor her body temperature every day of every month and matching it to a chart to determine when she is ovulating and then avoid intercourse during that time. And that's just the easiest way to do it. To really ensure that ovulation is occurring when predicted, the woman should also be comparing her cervical mucus viscosity (stickiness), to viscosity and temperature charts daily. In order to get the 75-87% effectiveness that Planned Parenthood predicts, the methods must be used correctly and consistently. This number drops considerably when only one measurement is used or the couple isn't really diligent about following the woman's temperature or cervical mucus.

The CDC just released results of a survey that said that more teens have been using the rhythm method--up 11% since 2002. If these teens are using the rhythm method IN ADDITION TO OTHER FORMS OF BIRTH CONTROL, that's great! Avoiding the most fertile times of the month, even when using condoms or other barrier methods is a great way to avoid pregnancy. However, if these young women are not measuring their body temperature and/or cervical mucus every day, but instead are just "guesstimating" when their most fertile period is, then this method is not really giving them the effectiveness they might be assuming. Many people confuse the rhythm method and natural family planning, which may lead to false assumptions about effectiveness as preventing pregnancy. Natural family planning takes a lot of work and knowledge about to be effective. If also will not protect partners from STI transmission.

All things considered, there are many options that are easier to use and are much more effective. Birth control pills take the ovulation out of the equation for you, so you don't have to measure any fertile period, and condoms both protect against fertilization and STIs when used correctly. Taking a pill every day is much less of a hassle than recording your body temp and cervical mucus data and comparing it to a chart. You can get condoms for free at any Planned Parenthood health center. Make sure to follow the directions!! They don't have to be a burden in the bedroom, either. If you think a condom as protecting yourself and your partner, and both of you help in the application process, condoms can be a pretty sexy addition to foreplay!

Newest accessory: Condom holders aren't just for convenience.

Condoms? Yes please. A cute, incognito way to stash my condoms…but still have them within reach? Yes again.

Lets be honest, girls will find any excuse to buy cute accessories, whether it’s for their outfits, apartments, or their condoms. Though it could be used as a shopping excuse, the practicality of the array of new, fun condom holders on sale is reason enough to buy. Not many want to display their array of condom choices in public view, but stashing them at the bottom of your drawer, or losing them in that giant “purse” you carry around is just not convenient. Well ladies (and gents) those days of fumbling blindly in your drawer or purse are gone!

There are now a ton of options and ways to store your protection. The Frisky has a great article showcasing different options for condom holders. There are clean, sleek condom dispensers that hold a significant amount and are perfect for a guy’s nightstand, so they are always within reach. If you’re main concern isn’t just convenience but instead want something a little more disguised and stylish, there are several vase-like options. The newest trend seems to be sleek cases meant to hold one or two condoms and stored in your purse. Many look just like a stylish compact. I even discovered a cool website where you can design your own!


Basically, your options are endless when it comes to storing your condoms. Whether you’re looking for an industrial-sized dispenser or a sleek, fashionable holder for your purse, there’s a condom holder out there for you…so get shopping!

p.s. if you’re not in the market for a holder but still want some cute protection, check out the different lines of Proper Attire condoms.

Adventures in Sex City: Can a video game be a Sex-Ed tool?

Though it wasn’t terribly long ago, I can only remember what my sexual education consisted of when I think really, really, hard. I do not even recall any health education classes before high school, and I think this might be due to the fact that I found the whole process of sitting in a classroom, full of my peers, while my crazy teacher held up and pointed out different forms of birth control, terribly uncomfortable and embarrassing.

However, that is basically all my health class covered in relation to sex. Our teacher held up, explained, and passed around a box full of different forms of contraception. We were then required to fill out a worksheet about them, and subsequently quizzed on the varying effectiveness percentages and who they were best suitable for. Sex may have been covered for maybe a week of class time if I round up…and to be honest I do not think anyone absorbed any of the material. This may be due to numerous reasons but personally, I think it is because it was treated as a taboo topic…even in our health class!

The teacher even seemed to be slightly embarrassed to be holding condoms in front of her 15 year-old students…so how could we not exude the uncomfortable feelings right back to her? Because of this mutual uncomfortable-ness, there was no interactive learning whatsoever in this class. There were no discussions prompted, or questions asked, or any sort of interactive learning tactics used at all. In my opinion, interactive learning is most important to keep the message you are teaching stuck in a student’s brain. That, along with connecting it to a way the students will care about it and feel comfortable learning about it, is vital.

The UK seems to have recognized this as well and has come up with a virtual video game to help spread important messages about sex. Adventures in Sex City, created by the UK's Middlesex-London Health Unit, uses characters like The Sperminator, Wonder Vag, and Willy the Kid to engage teens to learn important sexual facts.

Though at first glance I was extremely skeptical, as I delved further into the material and got a sample glance of some of the characters and messages displayed, I started to think that this was genius. Why had someone not come up with a sex-ed video game sooner? Pre-teens and teenagers are notorious of being glued to their computer screens and video game consoles…so of course a video game would get their attention! Topics from abstinence, condoms, STIs to virginity were all covered in the preview that I saw. Though some may think the idea is cheesy, I think it would have definitely gotten my peers’ attention more than the textbook we were forced to read, and the irrelevant facts we were supposed to memorize in my high school.

Hopefully some companies will expand on this idea and bring it over to the States. Though I think the game can be improved to not be so silly and ridiculous, it is a great starting point….and is undoubtedly more entertaining than the old textbooks and sex-ed movies I was forced to sit uncomfortabley through as an adolescent. Hopefully these new interactive video games will save future health class goers from the same health class experiences I had to endure.

"The Pregnancy Pact"

This past Saturday night started off with the intentions of having a simple, relaxing night spent watching a movie with some girlfriends. However, it soon turned into us engaging in somewhat heated discussions over the contents of the movie we were watching. What were we watching you ask? Surprisingly, it was a Lifetime movie that got us all riled up.

Lifetime’s newest “inspired by true events” creation, “The Pregnancy Pact”, premiered last Saturday night at 9:00 pm. The movie followed four teenage girls at a high school in Gloucester, Massachusetts who all become pregnant at the age of fifteen. When the number of pregnant girls at their high school spikes to an astonishing 18, media from all over the nation start to focus on this tiny town. Even more controversy starts to arise when rumors surface that the pregnant girls made a pact to all become pregnant at the same time. Throw in the mother of the main character (pregnant 15 year old Sara’s) who believes in “abstinence-only education”, and Lifetime has quite the drama.

Most of the movie was inspired, not based-on, the 2008 events that occurred in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Though the movie portrays four of the pregnant girls making a pact, none of the real life pregnant Gloucester girls ever admitted to such a pact.

As my friends and I watched the movie, we found ourselves using each commercial break to discuss how irritated we were with the movie. The first thing that immediately got our attention was the immaturity, and seemingly-naivety of the girls who were getting pregnant. Whether this came from the abstinence-only education that their school system firmly believed in, or the way the director wanted these characters to be portrayed, we felt they had no idea how their decision to get pregnant was going to affect them and everyone around them for the rest of their lives. Though this clueless-ness continued throughout most of the movie, the last ten minutes showed the girls coming to the realization of what they had done and the consequences. Everything from the thought of adoption, financial strains, to losing a high-school love was shown as a consequence, and rightfully so.

While we could not come to a conclusion on how we exactly felt about this movie, the fact remains that it gets people to think about the topic of teen pregnancy. Overall, this movie can be used as a great tool for mothers and daughters to open the lines of communication about pregnancy, sex and birth control. I’m confident that no mother that has seen this movie wants to be put in the situation of Sara’s, who firmly believed that her daughter Sara believed in abstinence and was not having sex, only to be completely misinformed when 15 year-old Sara announces she is pregnant. After seeing that miscommunication, I think every mother with a daughter would want to sit her daughter down and watch this with her.

While the actions and thoughts of the movies’ teen girls are more than often very questionable, by the end of the movie I believe a strong message was put forth that teen pregnancy is a serious issue facing the entire nation, and is not something that should be accepted or ignored. Communication, education, and prevention were all ways the movie highlighted on how to deal with this issue, and overall, I believe Lifetime did a good job bringing teen pregnancy to the forefront of many families’ minds.

Sex Education Is Never Too Late

I'm 20 years old. I remember a few years ago, when I was 17 or so, my mom said something to me like "I'm glad you're past the point where it'd be a problem if you got pregnant." I was shocked - I didn't feel that way at all. I reminded her that I was still in high school, I was planning on college, still wasn't at a point where I'd want to have a baby - but she had just meant that I "wasn't 14" anymore, and that it wouldn't be as scandalous, as unsafe, as unexpected. I couldn't believe she had said that to me, to be honest.

I know my mom didn't mean "Relax! Now's the time to have a baby!" She still wants me on birth control, and I'm sure that if I got pregnant today, it would be a somewhat unwelcome alteration in my life and hers (among many other lives!). But new research shows that I'm still not out of the woods yet:

For parents like me, who hoped that a child's 21st birthday meant we finally could put our feet up on the coffee table, this is alarming news: New research shows that our 20somethings don't want to have a child at this time in their lives but aren't doing much to prevent it. And the result is that among unmarried women in their 20s, 7 of 10 pregnancies are unplanned. Seventy percent.

My mom's response to this article is "That's because parents don't teach their kids about birth control!" She went on to say that the message isn't clear to girls that you can get pregnant just by having sex once - and that girls aren't informed, and sex education is lacking. But she stressed that a lot of it lies with parents. The article agrees:

It turns out that the heads of our 20somethings are filling with so much myth, misinformation and magical thinking that we, their parents, should be ashamed of the job we've done on this important topic.

The article is interesting because it points out that these women aren't stupid, aren't necessarily ill-informed about contraception, and seem to know what they want, but are still having unplanned pregnancies. That confuses me - I don't want a kid today. So I use condoms and I'm on the pill - it just makes sense. But my mom and I talk openly (sometimes too openly!) about sex and protection, and I'm a huge planned parenthood advocate. Aside from being a women's studies major. Maybe I take this all this information and foresight for granted.

The disconnect between what women WANT and what women DO seems to be huge; that women might want a pregnancy at some point, but aren't taking the necessary precautions to ensure that that time isn't NOW. The writer of this article is confused, as am I. Is the answer better sex ed? More sex ed? Different sex ed? Probably. But something has gotta change.

Definitely check it out here!