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How to Find the Best Birth Control for You


Side effects of the implant: The implant comes with the usual list of potential side effects: namely, breast tenderness and headaches related to the hormones. You may also notice mood swings and decreased sex drive, according to the Mayo Clinic. “The most common side effect is unpredictable bleeding,” says Dr. Bryant. “Most women will overall have lighter bleeding in a month, but more days of spotting.” Some women—about a 25 percent, she says—stop having a period altogether while around 20 percent actually experience more bleeding.

How to know if it’s right for you: “This is great for women who want to avoid a pelvic exam, don’t like the idea of something in their uterus, and would like a really simple, forgettable form of birth control,” says Dr. Bryant. “It’s reversible, so if it turns out it’s not right for you, you can always have it removed and try something else.” The implant is effective for three years.

The Ring

How the ring works: Like the pill and the patch, the ring—a rubbery circle that looks a bit like a hair-tie—works by blocking ovulation with estrogen and progesterone. “The patient puts the ring in her vagina once a month and the hormones get absorbed,” says Heather Beall, M.D., a board-certified OB-GYN in Illinois.

Effectiveness of the ring: The ring is 91 percent effective, according to the CDC.

Side effects of the ring: The ring has similar side effects to the pill and other hormonal birth control methods—a little spotting or breakthrough bleeding in the first few months is common.

How to know if the ring is right for you: The ring has a lower dose of estrogen (only 15 micrograms) than most versions of the pill, so if you’re worried about hormonal birth control, the ring might be a more attractive option. Plus, it’s effective immediately: “Once the ring is in, it is working,” says Dr. Beall.

Condoms

How to Find the Best Birth Control for You

How condoms work: “Condoms work by providing a barrier to prevent the sperm from entering the uterus, thus preventing pregnancy,” says Dr. Beall. “Some condoms also have a spermicide coating that kills the sperm and adds more pregnancy prevention.” Importantly, they’re also the only form of birth control that helps prevent STIs.

Effectiveness of condoms: Condoms leave a lot of room for user error—slippage, breakage, not using one every time. With that in mind, the CDC estimates they’re only 82 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.

Side effects of condoms: The upside? Condoms are relatively side effect-free. “They may decrease sexual pleasure for some, and can interfere with intercourse to put it on,” says Dr. Bryant. “Some people have allergies or irritation from the materials or lubricants on condoms.”

How to know when condoms are right for you: “For most young people who really don’t want to be pregnant, they should also use a second means of pregnancy prevention,” says Dr. Beall. In other words, unless you’re okay with an accident, don’t rely on condoms as your first line of defense against pregnancy.

You should always use them for protection from sexually transmitted infections, however.

The “Morning After Pill”

How to Find the Best Birth Control for You

How emergency contraception works: The “morning after pill,” which is available at most pharmacies, works by preventing or delaying ovulation. This is not an abortion pill. If an egg has already been fertilized, emergency contraception won’t do anything.

Effectiveness of emergency contraception: With that in mind, time is of the essence with emergency contraception; the sooner you use it, the more effective it, says Dr. Beall. “It can be used within 72 hours of unprotected sex or contraception failure (like a broken condom),” she says. In that window, it’s about 80 percent effective.



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The Headlines About Meghan Markle's Pregnancy Are Getting Out of Control


I think we’ve hit rock-bottom with the Meghan Markle pregnancy coverage, thanks to a new story that suggests the Duchess of Sussex’s “bendy thumbs” indicate she could go into early labor. There’s science behind this, apparently, but does that even matter? We now live in a world where the shape of Markle’s fingers are headline-worthy.

And here I thought it was weird that everyone saw Princess Charlotte’s face in her knee. (Remember that one? The media doesn’t discriminate when talking about Meghan Markle’s limbs, it seems.)

There are even more strange pregnancy stories where this came from. Let these five serve as a reminder to (1) stop talking about women’s bodies and (2) let Meghan Markle smile and wave and look iconic in peace. It’s what’s right.

People are really out here measuring how high up Markle’s bump is on her stomach. Think of all the things they could be doing instead. A non-exhaustive list: watching You on Netflix, baking blueberry muffins, looking into ways to cure the global water crisis. That brain power is better served elsewhere.

Getty Images

The word frenzy is only appropriate on two occasions, in my opinion: If Beyoncé announces she’s running for president, and if and when Olive Garden starts a drive-through service.

If you watch the video in question for yourself, you’ll see that Markle just breathes. She literally took a breath, and people acted like her baby did a dramatic reading of Stassi Schroeder’s book Next Level Basic from inside the womb.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walking in Australia
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Who knew Meghan Markle’s trolls were also geometry experts?

Groundbreaking news: Pregnant women can wear high heels! And they can work too. We really need to stop freaking out whenever moms-to-be exert physical energy.

Christopher Rosa is the entertainment writer at Glamour.



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The Inventor of the Birth Control Pill Designed It to Please the Pope—Not Women


Since the birth control pill was invented in the 1960s, doctors have known a dirty little secret: medically speaking, periods aren’t necessary. If you’re on the pill, you can safely skip your period—and the anxiety-ridden mood swings, acne and debilitating pain that can sometimes come with them—entirely. So, why have women been taking week after week of placebo pills to keep their period coming every month? You can blame the Pope.

Earlier this week, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (the official organization setting reproductive health standards for the NHS in the U.K.) made a update to their guidelines, officially stating there’s no health benefit to taking those monthly seven-day breaks from the pill. This has been typical pill protocol for decades, so why the reversal? According to John Guillebaud, a professor of family planning and reproductive health, it all goes back to John Rock, one of the gynecologists who invented the pill. A devout Catholic, Dr. Rock built in the break in order to please the Catholic Church and, he hoped, earn the endorsement of the Pope, Guillebaud told The Telegraph.

“In the Catholic Church, the Rhythm Method is an accepted form of birth control, so his thought was that if he could make women’s periods rock solid and regular, it would make this method easier to practice [and more appealing to the Pope],” says Sophia Yen, M.D., a gynecologist in California and founder of Pandia Health. Dr. Rock’s plan didn’t work—the Pope didn’t go for it and ultimately decided the Church wouldn’t support Catholics using birth control—but nevertheless, the built-in breaks to allow for a monthly period stuck.

In other words, the reason women on the pill have been having regular periods month after month, for the past 60 years, is all because a man was trying to please another man. Seriously.

This is of course much to the annoyance of many women, who, stats show, would gladly skip over that week of placebo pills (and the period that comes with them) if they could. In a 2018 survey conducted by Pandia Health, 57 percent of women ages 18 to 30 said they would “turn off” their period if they knew it was safe. But despite this, nearly two thirds of women said their doctor had never talked about this as an option with birth control. Part of the reason may be that doctors have been afraid to rock the boat, says Dr. Yen. “Doctors have only recently been more accepting of this idea. Now that we have other methods of birth control that suppress menses like the IUD, implant, and depo provera shot,” she says, doctors are able to collect more data on safely skipping your period.

And having fewer periods may actually be better for your health. Taking the pill daily without breaking for a period every month can help reduce acne, headaches (which can be triggered by a drop in estrogen levels when you take the sugar pills), and fewer painful periods, Dr. Yen says. Even bigger deal: It could lower your risk of ovarian cancer—studies have shown that the more you ovulate (aka the more periods you have over a lifetime) the higher your risk of ovarian cancer.

Armed with more and more data to face the crumbling decades-old misconceptions, “doctors are finally getting on board,” Dr. Yen says. After 60 years of following a plan meant to please the Pope, it’s about time.



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Pete Davidson Joked About Messing With Ariana Grande's Birth Control on 'SNL'


The 44th season of Saturday Night Live premiered on Saturday night—and it definitely gave fans a lot to talk about. There was Matt Damon’s portrayal of a super bro-y Brett Kavanaugh in the show’s cold open, as well as Kanye West performing dressed first as a giant bottle of Perrier and then in a MAGA hat. But there was one moment during Pete Davidson‘s turn on the “Weekend Update” desk that Twitter is decidedly not ok with.

While sitting down with SNL cast mate Colin Jost to chat about his engagement (and whether or not the couple has a prenup), Davidson joked that his fiancee, singer Ariana Grande, pays $60,000 for rent while all he has to do is “stock the fridge.” When Jost commented that a man “doesn’t always have to be the breadwinner in a relationship,” Davidson replied, “G*****n right, he does not—last night I switched her birth control with Tic Tacs.”

“I believe in us, and all,” he continued, “I just want to make sure she can’t go anywhere.”

If you’re fully cringing at this statement, you are definitely not alone.

Fans on Twitter were less than thrilled with the comment, especially given the timing of this weeks episode. “Apparently Pete Davidson thinks it’s ok to make jokes about switching Ariana’s birth control with tic-tacs?? Really? At this stage in the game this dude can no longer call these jokes,” wrote one fan on Twitter. “#SNL Pete Davidson joking that he switched Ariana Grade’s birth control with tic tacs IS COMPLETELY TONE DEAF given all of their needling of Kavanaugh.”

Many others chimed in in agreement, calling the joke “insensitive,” and urging SNL to “be better” with their content.

Davidson went on to joke that if the couple ever did break up, he’d be stuck working at K-Mart listening to Ariana Grande’s “Pete Davidson” blaring through the speakers.

Watch it all below:

[embedded content]

Related: Pete Davidson Shares How He Proposed to Ariana Grande, Says It Was ‘Dope’





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Brett Kavanaugh Called Birth Control "Abortion-Inducing Drugs" At Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing


On the third day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Democratic senators continued their probe to get the conservative judge’s stance on women’s reproductive rights—and a clue in one of his answers may say it all.

In an exchange with Senator Ted Cruz (D-Tex.), Kavanaugh referred to birth control as “abortion-inducing drugs,” a term many women’s rights advocates say is dog-whistle politics and a clear nod to pro-lifers who oppose abortion.

Kavanaugh’s calculated answer came when Cruz asked the judge about his dissent in the case Priests for Life v. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which involved an Affordable Care Act mandate that required employers to cover contraception for workers. Kavanaugh explained why he ultimately sided with the plaintiffs, who are an anti-abortion Catholic group.

“The question was first, was this a substantial burden on their religious exercise? And it seemed to me, quite clearly, it was,” Kavanaugh said. “They said filling out the form would make them complicit in the abortion-inducing drugs that they were, as a religious matter, objected to.”

For pro-choice supporters, the phrase “abortion-inducing drugs” is an alarm bell. Organizations such as the Center for Reproductive Rights pointed out that the verbiage is what many anti-abortion groups use to talk about contraception. “Saying ‘abortion-inducing drugs’ to describe contraception is straight out of the anti-choice, anti-science phrase book used to restrict women’s access to essential health care,” the Center for Reproductive Rights wrote on Twitter.

The wording is also just plain wrong. Contraception, which includes birth control and Plan B, does not cause abortions, despite the assertion of some organizations. Using contraceptive methods like birth control and IUDs can prevent fertilization from occurring, but it does not end existing pregnancies. But despite the facts, the concepts are often conflated among anti-abortion groups. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) reminded the public of the misconception by tweeting, “Newsflash, Brett Kavanaugh: Contraception is NOT abortion. Anyone who says so is peddling extremist ideology – not science –and has no business sitting on the Supreme Court.”

Kavanaugh’s stance on reproductive rights has been questioned by many pro-choice supporters since President Donald Trump announced his nomination. Although Kavanaugh has stated he will abide by precedent set in Roe v. Wade, his record suggests anti-choice leanings. In addition to his defense in Priests for Life v. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kavanaugh also dissented in Garza v. Hargan and argued that an undocumented minor in U.S. detention could not receive an abortion. More evidence mounted late Wednesday, when leaked emails showed that while serving as a lawyer in the Bush administration, Kavanaugh had offered advice about changing a description that said Roe v. Wade was “the settled law of the land.”

On Thursday, Kavanaugh was also grilled by Senator Kamala Harris (D–Calif.), who asked him about the reproductive freedom of men compared to women. Kavanaugh stumbled while answering some of the questions—marking just another example of why Kavanaugh may be a threat to Roe v. Wade and other important principles of women’s rights.

MORE: Watch Kamala Harris Expertly Question Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Reproductive Rights





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Jennifer Aniston Is Teaming Up With Parkland Survivors to Speak Out About Gun Control


Jennifer Aniston has been one of the most famous women in the world since the ’90s. But while the press was focused on her personal life and Friends fame, few established where Aniston stands on important issues. When you speak to Aniston, though, it’s clear she feels passionately—about gun control, about our country’s future, and about finding the right moment to speak out.

Enter WE Day, an event that brings together young people dedicated to making a difference with world-renowned speakers, celebrities, and performers to kick off a year of social action. At this year’s event, which took place in California in April, Aniston teamed up with Parkland survivors Cameron Kasky and Jaclyn Corin. (A one-hour special about WE Day airs this Friday on ABC.)

For Aniston, it was a chance to work with future leaders. “It’s just an incredible thing to be amongst these young powerful people who are our future and making a difference,” she tells Glamour. “It’s wonderful to sit back and actually know that we’re going to be OK because of this generation.”

To say the actress was impressed by the young people she met, including Kasky and Corin, would be a massive understatement. “I think it’s just remarkable to watch what’s happened [after the Parkland shooting],” she says. “I just think, ‘Thank god.’ You know, as I watched what these kids were doing I told my team that I wanted to get involved, but I didn’t know what that looked like. Was it a documentary? What was it? I knew I didn’t want it to be celebrity-fueled. I wanted to hear the voices of these kids.”

“I think that growing up in the digital age or the social media age has given them a voice to connect people,” she continues. “Sometimes there’s just not that human contact thanks to phones, but this generation is using it in a different way. I really think that people from both parties are listening. It just feels different, like there has been an actual shift.”

As for the issue of gun control itself, Aniston is a long-time supporter. “We’ve been doing things for a while, like PSAs [about the issue], ads, and it hasn’t worked. I just don’t know why this is such a hard issue to fix,” she says. “It seems like it should be simpler. Nobody is trying to take away the right to bear arms. It’s just about adding a little structure around it and making it harder to buy a gun than to drive a car, you know?”

Of course, Kasky and Corin are happy to have Aniston on their side. “We’re so happy she’s working with us on this,” Kasky told Glamour. Corin agrees, “We’re grateful she’s using the platform that she’s created in another way to amplify the voices of the young people, because that’s what is really important.”

“We sometimes get starstruck,” Kasky continues. “Like there was one young woman from Memphis who has been helping the homeless people in that city, or thousands of others like her who are helping the world because they want to make it better.”

The pair, who are two of the leading voices in the March for Our Lives movement, shared strategies with some of other activists taking part in WE Day and spoke about their plans for community outreach, which took the form of the Road to Change bus tour across America this summer.

“The most important thing is getting to see other students who have seen what we’ve done and want to seek out the leadership positions that we were thrust into,” Kasky says. “That gives us energy, them stepping into the positions of leadership. Pleasant comments on the Internet are nice, but what really energizes us and keeps us going is seeing other kids taking action, like with the walkouts across the country on March 14.”

“We’re going to people, doing face-to-face educating, and making sure people are voting,” Corin adds. “That’s our plan for the summer and after—all the way through the midterms and beyond too.”

The WE Day 2018 special airs on ABC on August 17, 8 PM ET.



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