This is not breaking news, but a oldie but goodie article link I didn’t get a chance to post before.
Contraceptives May Double Risk of Stroke.
My favorite line: “benefits [of contraception] still outweigh the risks for most users.” Growing numbers of “most users” would disagree.
This summary introduced something I didn’t know about birth control pills: they can contribute to developments of chronic yeast infections. More on this here, also. Natural methods are looking better all the time…
This just in from PRWire (see the part in bold)….
After discovering Nicole’s My Endometriosis Story, I found more blogs about women and families suffering through infertility. Then I found more blogs by checking out their blogroll, then I found more. You get it: Infertility Blog hopscotch. After several click-read-click-read jumps, I discovered something that shouldn’t surprise me: there is a huge community of IF sufferers on the blogosphere, and many of them are FertilityCare users.
In a conversation with a friend, I mentioned my discovery, and she asked me to send her a list. Now, keep in mind there are SO many out there, so I’ve not included all I found, but rather included a short list of some of my favorites. Continue reading »
Angie Baker, 33, suffered eighteen miscarriages in thirteen years. Then came her little miracle, Raiya, born this past December.
This BBC article is sparing with details, and I want to know more of the story. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about it. I mean, my first reaction is, “Wow. That is amazing. What a miracle. She must be so happy.”
Then I think she must have suffered so much, physically, emotionally, and relationally. How did she cope, and what drove her to keep trying? I, with my husband, suffer the painful waiting game of infertility, but we have yet to conceive, and I’ve never miscarried, so I can’t put myself precisely in her place. Does she have a husband or partner to support her? Why isn’t he mentioned in the BBC’s story? Continue reading »
Just found this new blog, Sweetening the Pill, which is all about spreading the bad news of the BCP, and empowering women to find something better.
Take her poll: Have you experienced negative side effects of the Pill?
Have you seen the movie UP? It looked cute, and my Dad recommended it, so we thought we’d give it a go.
“Cute” is no longer an adequate word to describe this film for me because what could have been a schmaltzy animated film ended up being a dramatic commentary on life, love and fatherhood. Of course, it’s very funny in parts, and quite action-packed, but it for me was a sort of animated “Last Lecture,” complete with adventure, dreams, joy, loss, suffering and triumph. Thinking I’m reading too much into a computer cartoon movie?
Check out the above pictures, two separate but back-to-back scenes in the first fifteen minutes of the film. The story of Ellie & Carl Frederickson begins with their meeting as children, both in love with fantastic adventures. They grow up, fall in love, marry, renovate their first home together, and do what married couples do: they decide to fill it with children. [Spoiler alert: don't read the rest if you don't want to know about the plot!] Continue reading »
Because I have a variety of readers from across the religious/ political spectrum, I rarely–if ever–touch on the “A” word. Being pro-life is important to me, and I want other people to be pro life, but I never want to hit people over the head with it. Far more people come to understand my position (and the Church’s) through friendship, research, and appreciation of fertility, rather than judgmental nagging. Having said that, as I was commenting on another blog about this, I realized I needed to post this video, and let thoughtful people decide for themselves.
Now, if feel strongly about this, you may be interested in the American Life Leagues “The Pill Kills” campaign. I agree with their fundamental premise, and the great need to address this function of the Pill and other contraceptives (I guess “IUDS kill” or “Depo Kills” isn’t as catchy) for unsuspecting pro lifers. However, this campaign will change few hearts for the undecided or the pro choice person. For the latter audience, I think there are better ways to go about this conversation. Some will think this makes me pusillanimous or weak, but I think it’s simply a better approach.
If you read Dustin at Engaged Marriage’s What You Want to Know About Natural Family Planning, this is Kathleen at Project M‘s reply, which begins
I am an educated, fancy-pants, trendy individual. I have two completely useless liberal-arts degrees to prove it. So of course, like other liberal-arts-educated and trendy individuals, I am drawn to the word “natural.” It makes us organic-eating tree-huggers think of healthy bodies, uncorrupted oceans and virginal rainforests. Read the rest at Dustin’s blog.
You’ll see that she has a major change of heart, going from “It doesn’t work” to “it’s probably a preferably form of birth control,” and not just because of the natural element. Though she’s ambivalent about the abortafacient factor (still discerning this–she is Pro Life), she gets the relational and grassroots Non-Big Pharma social factor of it. A glaring misconception (no pun intended) that still exists for her is that NFP is contraception. Yes, for non-Catholics it can be used that way, but it’s inherently different than contraception because of the way it works. Further, Kathleen is trying to get pregnant, and she misses the point that NFP can be used to achieve pregnancy as well! An early commenter lets K in on the little achieving secret, which is good. Something I hope to add to the conversation is that it’s also an infertility treatment alternative.
What are your best thoughts and evidence on the abortafacient effect of the Pill? What did you think of the entry? Overall I thought it was honest, forthright, tolerant, and well written.
Gianna Healthcare, Manhattan’ only Catholic Health Center for Women, opened Monday, November 23rd, and had its open house this past Tuesday, December 8th, to a waiting list of patients eager to receive authentically Catholic and woman-centered health care. Gianna Healthcare is offered at the John Paul II Center for Women, located on East 40th Street in Manhattan, but is owned by St. Vincent’s Hospital. According to the Sisters of Charity, the order that founded the hospital, the felt strongly drawn to the project because cooperative procreative healthcare and IVF alternatives are a rarity and something greatly needed by women in New York.
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