There are actually several reasons why women choose to get on “The Pill” beyond birth control. In fact, I knew girls in high school as young as 14 and 15 getting on the Pill to regulate erratic menstrual cycles and to help alleviate episodes of excruciating cramps. Then a couple of years (or even a couple of months) later they received the added benefit of being able to have sex without a condom. What a fabulous life indeed!
What remains unknown, however, is how many of these girls are still on birth control a decade or more later and feel afraid to what will happen to their bodies when they get off of it. Will their breasts shrink? Will their agonizing menstrual cramps return? Will they get pregnant? Conversely, what will happen to their bodies if they stay on it?
What once opened the door of sexual liberation for women could now be backing many of them into a corner. No one can deny the benefits of condom-less sex when you’re in a long-term relationship with someone. It allows for spontaneity, greater stimulation, not having to deal with wrappers and disposal, and seriously, who enjoys that lingering smell of lube and latex after intimate hours in the boudoir? So if not condoms, then what? Other than a vasectomy, all other options of birth control require the woman to alter some portion of her body- whether it’s taking hormones, inserting an IUD, using a diaphragm, or getting a shot to name a few. So where’s the pill to help men shoot blanks in the name of contraception? Aren’t we as women doing essentially the same?
Granted, medical research has shown that it’s more difficult to reduce sperm production than it is to prevent a woman from releasing her egg. Men make 1,000 sperm a second (whoa!) while women make one egg a month. Researchers, however, say that it’s very possible, but no one wants to fund research for a product that has no market. Meaning, show me the man who’s going to take a pill or an injection that causes him to lose his sperm potency. Anyone?
The release of “The Pill” in 1960 did precisely this: it gave women more options to be in control of their sex lives. Now that it’s 30 years later, HPV is on the rise, HIV is still a major national concern, and girls are going on the Pill at younger and younger ages. Oral contraception is definitely a good option in many circumstances, but is it always the best? Shouldn’t we now be pushing for more and more options and be involving men in the equation as well?
Many women express concern that they do not trust men to correctly take their pill or injection. After all, it’s not their bodies that have to carry the pregnancy or undergo the abortion. However, this raises the question: why are we having sex with people we don’t really trust? The pill was meant to encourage sexual freedom and responsibility with our bodies; however, if we are having unprotected sex with people whom we don’t rely on to respect our wishes to prevent pregnancy, are we being responsible with our bodies anyway?
Image via examiner.com