Henri Magritte, The Lovers
Have you listened to the previous podcasts with Dr. Thomas Hilgers? Your FertilityCare Consultant extraordinaire is back in show nine of sixteen, and the third on contraception.
In this show, host Chris McGregor continues her discussion with Hilgers on the dangers and ills of contraception, and will focus this time on barrier methods, which an additional overview of DepoProvera.
Condoms, female condoms and diaphragms are featured not only as purely contraceptive (contra–against, -ception–conception), which is slightly different than oral contraceptives, which have a contraceptive intent, but an abortafacient back up function.
So while barrier methods don’t have an abortafacient intent in their function, Dr. Hilgers speaks of the physical, emotional and spiritual barriers that develop as a result. The painting by Henri Magritte, above, to me illustrates exactly what a condom does in a relationship, whatever your religious or personal beliefs. Somebody else thought so, too, and graces the cover of Donald DeMarco’s “New Perspectives on Contraception.”
This is a fascinating insight which is being confirmed by studies that indicate that women who don’t use barrier methods during intercourse have much lower levels of depression. There is a chemical in semen that seems to facilitate lower rates of depression. Who knew? For more information on studies such as this (and a full bibliography), and you’re in the Midwest/ Madison, WI area, come to Vicki Thorn’s Lecture “The Biochemistry of Sex,” or what a friend calls, “What you didn’t learn in sex ed”!
Up next on the FertilityCare iPod: Teens & the Birth Control Pill.
9 Responses to FertilityCare iPod: Contraception, pt. 3
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Thanks, Maggie! Love it.
where is the link?
Alison, you caught me. Sorry, now it’s updated!
yay! thanks!
The depression news makes no sense. If that were so, wouldn’t nuns and female celibates be equally at risk?
I don’t understand why the increased risk of depression doesn’t make sense. It’s in the Physician’s desk reference and the little fine print packet you get with your meds. I’m not sure what you’re trying to say about sisters or people who are vowed to celibacy…Perhaps I missed that on the episode, so could you remind me and give me a little more info?
Well, if condom using women are being deprived of the supposed depression repellent properties of semen then obviously the celibate would be equally at risk. But somehow I doubt they are which makes the premise look very unlikely..
I see what you’re saying, but I’m not sure that you understand the premise of the research. First, the research shows lower rates of depression *amongst sexually active women* who do not use barrier methods. Second, the research doesn’t indicate increased chance of depression amongst barrier users, but rather a lower risk for those who don’t use barrier methods. It sounds like the same thing, but it’s very much not. The idea is that it’s a motivator to forgo barrier methods. Lastly, this is research that has been published and confirmed again and again in well known peer reviewed journals, so it’s possible that the hypothesis (premise, in your words) is not correct, but my guess is that their logic is more practiced in this area than yours.