It is with great trepidation that I write this post. This is a private subject, but one I've pondered many times over the years (to myself, since I don't know where others stand on the subject). The reason I feel it necessary to share though, is because the subject was brought up to me again. I used to be faced with this dilemma weekly (if not daily) when I worked in the ER. Women came in regularly with complications because of "the Pill", and every one of them was as misinformed as the next as to the fact that complications can arise. "My doctor never told me that" "It's supposed to be safe" "Why am I miscarrying? I'm healthy." Over and over women would come in to the ER with vaginal bleeding, cramping, miscarriage, DVT's (deep vein thrombosis- a blood clot in the leg or arm) or worse pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) and wonder how it could happen to them. More often than not, the ER doctor would tell them it was from taking the Pill, and that these were "normal" side effects. Every woman that comes into the ER with 'female' problems requires a chaperone when the male Dr. is present, so I've listened in on thousands of these conversations due to my job description at the time.
I was reminded again of this subject as my Mom sent me an interesting article from a pro-life magazine she gets which featured an article on the 50th anniversary of the Pill. So, I'll share what the article says, and you can take the information and do what you want with it.
1) History - started with the feminist movement led by Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) who met up with a medical research doctor, an infertility specialist and a reproductive biologist. Her dream was to come up with a pill that would block ovulation. It worked and in 1960 the US FDA approved such a pill. Various churches that had been previously opposed to contraception, but changed their approval of it due to public demand.
2) How it works - the hormones progesterone and estrogen trick the ovaries into thinking that they have already released an egg, thereby preventing any further ovulation. The Minipill just has progestin, and may prevent ovulation, but more effectively works by thickening the mucus around the cervix which inhibits the sperm from entering the uterus. Birth control patches work the same way. Should the pills fail and the user become pregnant (which is unlikely after extended use due to increased hormone levels, but still does happen), the pills have a backup function by acting as an abortfacient by inhibiting the embryo from implanting itself to the uterus. The emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill) is little more than increased doses of the Minipill. Many women conceive and then abort each month, an estimated one abortion per year that a woman is taking the pill, without them ever knowing they were pregnant. It is estimated that at any given time, 100 million women are currently on the pill.
3) Bitter Pill - When the pill first came out, it heralded women's rights activists as unprecedented agent of equalization. Unfettered by a disruptive pregnancy, women could now remain sexually active while getting a post-secondary education and able to climb the ladders of power with their male counterparts. Indeed, this has occurred. One concern with that is, that instead of what used to be a "mating market", modern contraception split this market into two categories, a "sexual relationship" market and a "marriage market". Under the new system, women in their younger years have the upper hand in the sex market, but once they enter the marriage market they become disadvantaged. This is due to women having a limited number of child-bearing years, and men an unlimited. So, women must meet the marriage market before menopause, where men can continue on as long as they wish. Women suffer the most, because newlyweds enter marriage with more distrust and lack of commitment (from previous promiscuity), and it's usually the men who stray from the marriage first. This leads women to feel the need to remain in the workforce and be financially independent. When both spouse specialize in the same area, (namely providing an income), this in turn decreases the comparative advantage obtained in marriage. The bonds of marriage weaken, because of overall lack of interest in each other (because they don't appreciate each others differences, but instead are competing against each other). This in turn brings up the incomes of the homes, which brings up the prices of houses and standards of living, which drags even the innocent folks into the mix. Then the financial burden makes the woman feel more like she needs to be working and thus has less time to raise the family. Can you see how the woman gets the short end of the stick again? She now has to work full time, and raise a family in a limited number of years. No wonder she's depressed, making her difficult to live with, causing another reason for her husband to look elsewhere for happiness. She also takes the brunt of post-abortion trauma and health risks, if she chose this at any time in her life.
4) Side effects - Besides the ones listed above, there are 60 more that are potential which I won't list, but you can read for yourself at http://www.thepillkills.org/sideeffects.php
Information: The Interim, July 2010 by Joseph Jalsevac
http://www.theinterim.com/features/the-pill-at-50/
Very interesting, I thought. I know there are many other dynamics that have evolved over the past century to lead to some of the problems we face today, but I do think this article is pretty accurate from their stance. Especially in an un-Godly world. Those of us with Jesus in our hearts, hopefully wouldn't live promiscuously before marriage, to avoid some of the major pitfalls that come from that lifestyle.
Some resources to prayerfully consider that provide alternatives to hormone contraception:
Love & Fertility by Mercedes Wilson
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Fertility-Avoid-Achieve-Pregnancy-Naturally/dp/0963312545
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (tcoyf.com)
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283406057&sr=1-1
Both these books use your body's three different fertility signs to achieve or prevent pregnancy. They have claim a 0.3% failure rate when used effectively (which is lower than pretty much every other contraceptive device out there), and ARE NOT the famous (or infamous) "rhythm method". They also explain the many causes of infertility, and what to do naturally about them first, so that you are more prepared when you do go to the doctor and the doctor can better find out what the problem may be.
I would also urge you to most of all seek God's leading above your own when making these difficult, challenging decisions. As with all medical questions or concerns, I say, "don't completely trust your doctor, DO YOUR RESEARCH!" They are human, just like you and me.
I was reminded again of this subject as my Mom sent me an interesting article from a pro-life magazine she gets which featured an article on the 50th anniversary of the Pill. So, I'll share what the article says, and you can take the information and do what you want with it.
1) History - started with the feminist movement led by Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) who met up with a medical research doctor, an infertility specialist and a reproductive biologist. Her dream was to come up with a pill that would block ovulation. It worked and in 1960 the US FDA approved such a pill. Various churches that had been previously opposed to contraception, but changed their approval of it due to public demand.
2) How it works - the hormones progesterone and estrogen trick the ovaries into thinking that they have already released an egg, thereby preventing any further ovulation. The Minipill just has progestin, and may prevent ovulation, but more effectively works by thickening the mucus around the cervix which inhibits the sperm from entering the uterus. Birth control patches work the same way. Should the pills fail and the user become pregnant (which is unlikely after extended use due to increased hormone levels, but still does happen), the pills have a backup function by acting as an abortfacient by inhibiting the embryo from implanting itself to the uterus. The emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill) is little more than increased doses of the Minipill. Many women conceive and then abort each month, an estimated one abortion per year that a woman is taking the pill, without them ever knowing they were pregnant. It is estimated that at any given time, 100 million women are currently on the pill.
3) Bitter Pill - When the pill first came out, it heralded women's rights activists as unprecedented agent of equalization. Unfettered by a disruptive pregnancy, women could now remain sexually active while getting a post-secondary education and able to climb the ladders of power with their male counterparts. Indeed, this has occurred. One concern with that is, that instead of what used to be a "mating market", modern contraception split this market into two categories, a "sexual relationship" market and a "marriage market". Under the new system, women in their younger years have the upper hand in the sex market, but once they enter the marriage market they become disadvantaged. This is due to women having a limited number of child-bearing years, and men an unlimited. So, women must meet the marriage market before menopause, where men can continue on as long as they wish. Women suffer the most, because newlyweds enter marriage with more distrust and lack of commitment (from previous promiscuity), and it's usually the men who stray from the marriage first. This leads women to feel the need to remain in the workforce and be financially independent. When both spouse specialize in the same area, (namely providing an income), this in turn decreases the comparative advantage obtained in marriage. The bonds of marriage weaken, because of overall lack of interest in each other (because they don't appreciate each others differences, but instead are competing against each other). This in turn brings up the incomes of the homes, which brings up the prices of houses and standards of living, which drags even the innocent folks into the mix. Then the financial burden makes the woman feel more like she needs to be working and thus has less time to raise the family. Can you see how the woman gets the short end of the stick again? She now has to work full time, and raise a family in a limited number of years. No wonder she's depressed, making her difficult to live with, causing another reason for her husband to look elsewhere for happiness. She also takes the brunt of post-abortion trauma and health risks, if she chose this at any time in her life.
4) Side effects - Besides the ones listed above, there are 60 more that are potential which I won't list, but you can read for yourself at http://www.thepillkills.org/sideeffects.php
Information: The Interim, July 2010 by Joseph Jalsevac
http://www.theinterim.com/features/the-pill-at-50/
Very interesting, I thought. I know there are many other dynamics that have evolved over the past century to lead to some of the problems we face today, but I do think this article is pretty accurate from their stance. Especially in an un-Godly world. Those of us with Jesus in our hearts, hopefully wouldn't live promiscuously before marriage, to avoid some of the major pitfalls that come from that lifestyle.
Some resources to prayerfully consider that provide alternatives to hormone contraception:
Love & Fertility by Mercedes Wilson
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Fertility-Avoid-Achieve-Pregnancy-Naturally/dp/0963312545
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (tcoyf.com)
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283406057&sr=1-1
Both these books use your body's three different fertility signs to achieve or prevent pregnancy. They have claim a 0.3% failure rate when used effectively (which is lower than pretty much every other contraceptive device out there), and ARE NOT the famous (or infamous) "rhythm method". They also explain the many causes of infertility, and what to do naturally about them first, so that you are more prepared when you do go to the doctor and the doctor can better find out what the problem may be.
I would also urge you to most of all seek God's leading above your own when making these difficult, challenging decisions. As with all medical questions or concerns, I say, "don't completely trust your doctor, DO YOUR RESEARCH!" They are human, just like you and me.
