birth control

[Emily]

What should I consider when choosing a birth control as a vegan? My mother wants me on the pill but I don't want to clog my body up with hormones.

Emily

[Erin Pavlina]

I was on the pill for 11 years and went off of it when my hubby and I wanted to get pregnant. After doing some research and givign it a lot of thought, I decided not to take the pill again because I didn't want to change my body chemistry unnaturally.

So we decided to use the Fertility Awareness Method and condoms.

The Fertility Awareness Method is extremely safe and effective, especially when used with condoms. Do you know how to chart your basal body temperature and how to determine when you are fertile?

[Emily]

Is the fertility awarness method abstinence during ovulation? I know that you can calculate when you are ovulating but I am not regular. I guess I could do it by taking my temperature. Those are the two ways I know how to do it. I was thinking of the rhythm method and condoms but my mother was telling me that would be too risky.

Emily

[Sylver]

Try checking this out: http://www.vegansociety.com/html/info/info02.html
This is in the UK, though, but you could ask your doctor about that Gold Shield if you really want oral contraceptives. Hope this helps! Take care.

[Erin Pavlina]

Emily, check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Wechsler. Will teach you everything you need to know about avoiding or trying to achive pregnancy. Great book!

[blas]

another less thought of idea would be sterilization, both for male and female partners,
this would be effective and long lasting
it's my opinion that it is the best way
and if someone wants children in the future, adoption would be the best option, be it a human or animal 'child'

i feel as a vegan that it is unethical to bring more children into this world
there are a lot already here that need love
they already require food and shelter and
by contributing to the population would be more contributions to an already over filled planet

[Erin Pavlina]

Blas, I can appreciate your point of view, but remember this board and this site celebrate family so I'm going to imagine that your view is in the minority here. ;)

Plus I think it's better if vegans have kids and raise them vegan than if we just let the meat eaters procreate. Let's repopulate the planet with vegans!

[blas]

it sure would be pretty nifty if only vegans were allowed to procreate

[Erin Pavlina]

I think the meat eaters are becoming more sterile anyway. All those chemicals and hormones can't be good for procreation. They're going to die off as a species. I read that 33% of college aged kids are sterile now. But our technology is bypassing a lot of that sterility.

I think it's intersting that when you're pregnant you're told to stay away from harmful chemicals like pesticides, yet people who eat meat are eating pesticides in their food. Yuck!

[5xblessed]

I have to second "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." My children were all intentional. Trust me without this book I would be 10xblessed. LOL

Lisa, busy raising vegan children and teaching them to walk lightly on the earth

[Teejay]

I am reluctant to consider the pill again (I took it for a few years) mostly because of the hormone aspect -- not just because of what it does to my own body, but because of the seepage into the environment. I can't quote statistics here but there is evidence that river fish in Britain are showing characteristics of both sexes in one body, largely assumed to be because of hormone seepage into the water, from both the contraceptive pill and the even more dreaded HRT. It stands to reason these things would take some time to come to light -- the pill & HRT haven't really been around that long, historically speaking. (Also the pill is usually not vegan. Aside from the animal-testing issue, there's often animal stuff in it, from milk etc.)

What about diaphragms? I have never used one. Also people recommend IUDs though I am wary because of bad effects I've read of. I think it's really good for vegan women (and men for that matter!) to discuss this as it's a major issue whether you believe in having lots of kids or not.

[capersmama]

My opinion on sterilization..well..umm,...from what I have read on vasectomy and tubiligation isnt very promising to me.. Studide on both seem to suggest increased cancer rates. Vasectomy (according to reports ) have seen a higher instance in prostate cancers adn testicular cancers. Tubiligation studies similarly suggest that women undergoing the proceedure increase their likelyhood of ovarian, tubular, uterine and cervical cancers.

Lately many magazine shows ahve been debating wheather its true or not...so far..the jury is still out...With cancer soooo prevelant in my family I prefer to err on the side of safety until I know better.
thats my .02 worth..lol ;)

[VOW]

If you do the research about HOW the birth control pill works, I don't think it can be an ethical choice for a vegetarian/vegan.

I'm a product of the '60s and '70s mentality. Women were being empowered, equality was stressed, and control over your own body was one of the battle cries. I believed with all my heart in birth control, especially the "morning after pill" and the IUD.

I've grown over the years, though. And while I believed in my younger days I was making a truly informed decision, I look back on it now and see I was not.

The IUD works by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg. And the "morning after pill" works essentially the same way. A fertilized egg is life. Now, an ethical vegetarian or ethical vegan who won't eat animals, cries at slaughterhouse films, and refuses to use products tested on lab rats should, IMHO, respect the life of a fertilized human egg.

The original birth control pill worked by suppressing ovulation in a woman. The hormones in the sequential pills mimicked those produced by pregnancy, tricking the ovary into thinking, "Hey, we're already pregnant!"

The problems arose when the hormone levels were so high, complications were developing right and left. Women were bleeding, gaining weight, and dropping dead from strokes caused by bloodclots formed from the high estrogen levels.

Back to the lab...

The formula in the pills were tinkered with, and the hormone levels were reduced, reduced, and reduced yet again. The notorious side effects were reduced as well.

The only problem is, the women taking the pills were not told that the lower levels of hormones were preventing pregnancy by a completely different method. The hormones were not suppressing ovulation at all: instead, they were preventing the build-up of endometrial tissue within the uterus. So, eggs were still being released, and if they became fertilized, there was nothing for them to attach to once they reached the womb.

Once again, contraception is provided by denying life to a fertilized egg.

So, in my opinion, the only ethical way to limit your family size is through Natural Family Planning, or Fertility Awareness.

This method has progressed greatly from the time of counting the days in the month, or using a thermometer to chart your basal temperature. (the running joke in many pharmacies is the name they give couples who buy the basal temperature thermometers with accompanying charts: "Parents") The daily temperature is used in conjunction with knowledge of how the woman's body changes during ovulation. When this method is used correctly, it can be even more successful than the birth control pill.

A nice side-effect of Natural Family Planning is that the method is used by BOTH members of the couple. They work TOGETHER as a team, and often find it deepens and enriches their relationship.

And life is respected.


~VOW

[duckie1978]

Um Emily, how OLD are you? The family planning methods suggested (ovulation awareness stuff) is fine if you are married or in a very long term relationship. If you are not older, your periods still aren't "perfect" and "on schedule" so you may not be able to get accurate results.

Buy vegan condoms from some online sources (condomini brand), they come in flavours, textured, thin, extra strength if you want a solid family planning prevention method. I use them and they are reliable.

www.veganerotica.com/
www.veganessentials.com/

These are just two sites that sell them. As for b/c pills. Yes they are not vegan, there are NO medications that I know of that are classified as "vegan." They are either tested on animals or include animal by-products, but you know what? I have to make some consessions. I was on b/c pills for three years b/c I was getting severe migraines when I got my period. I was placed on b/c pills continually (skipping sugar pills) and my migraines got better. I continued on the pill b/c I didn't want to get pregnant and I have had condoms break before (dont use lifestyles!). Which is why the morning after pill was authorized, in case of a condom or other b/c method failing.

I actually enjoyed not having my period b/c I am in the group that doesn't feel that they are necessary unless you are planning on having children. It is perfectly SAFE. There are people that don't believe this and that is their right. I have read a lot on menstration and firmly believe that our bodies were not intended to have as many periods as we do, along with it increases your chances of abnormal cells being formed (hence a risk of cancer) when the egg is forced out of the ovaries. I was on a very low dose pill b/c I get migraines so there weren't a lot of hormones. I didn't get any of the side effects that women complain about, but I did have to try three different pills to get to the "right" one.

If you don't want a child right now, you need to figure out what is better for you. Don't worry about vegan principles. I don't plan on having children any time soon but would NEVER use the rhythm method or anything like that. I don't have the time to montior that stuff, nor would I trust that there were no semen in any of the seminal fluids that come out of the urethrea while you are having intercourse. Talk to a doctor or a RN, some one who can go over EVERY option with you and explain the pros/cons better than a few people online.

[duckie1978]

VOW-- you are wrong about the new b/c pills. My husband just took an exam on them (he's a pharmacy student) and the pills PREVENT ovulation, meaning NO egg is released. Unless you do not take them properly, no eggs are released so there is no way that an egg can get fertilized and "die."

[VOW]

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I've read from many sources that the lower-dose pills rely more on the lessened endometrial lining than suppression of ovulation. Yes, some women may not ovulate, or may ovulate sporadically while taking the Pill. However, just the observation that the menstrual flow is lessened almost to the point of non-existence is evidence that it is the endometrium being affected by the hormones.


~VOW

[jewels]

not sure if this is too late to help, but there is a totally hormone free iud. i would think that is vegan.

[VOW]

To Jewel:

A hormone-free IUD is debatable, IMHO. Because the function of an IUD is to prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. And a fertilized egg is life.



~VOW

[jewels]

i am not sure what you mean. from my understanding from what my doctor told me the way it works, the egg does not become fertilized and if some how it does it would be tubal like in a tubal ligation. to be honest i am not really sure what you mean by prevents the implantion of a fertilized egg.

[VOW]

Fertilization occurs in the Fallopian tubes. The IUD resides in the uterine cavity. It basically acts as a foreign object in the body, and causes a low-grade irritation to the uterine lining tissue (endometrium). This prevents pregnancy in one of two ways: either the fertilized egg passes completely through the uterus because of the irritation reaction, or, if it implants into the endometrium, the growth of the embryo will be interrupted by the physical presence of the IUD in the uterus.


~VOW

[alexis]

VOW, i gotta point out that birth control pills are not used just as a family planning method... they are used for many other reasons as well, a few girls in the swim team uses the Pill because they find having their periods a hassle and interferes with their training, i'm considering going on the Pill because i hate my periods and the pain that comes with it....the birth control part is a nice bonus to it...but not the main reason...so i don't feel it's wrong to use birth control pills...

Natural Birth control is ok if you're married but if you're not or don't intend to start a family anytime soon, it's a bad idea....how many times have we been told in sex ed that it's not reliable if you're too young? anyway that's my point of view...and as with the whole killing a life thing with a fertilized egg, i think you gotta pick where you want to start your battle...personally i don't think it's killing because it haven't started the whole inplanting and dividing thingy which officially makes it a baby....

[VOW]

I'm aware that the Pill is used for many purposes. I would question any woman who requests the Pill just to avoid periods, though. The menstrual cycle is part of being a woman, and if you interfere with Nature, you could pay a dear price later on down the line.

As for Natural Family Planning, THAT depends upon how you see sex.

My entire focus upon the whole topic of birth control is from the viewpoint of ethics. From all the reading I've done on these boards, Vegetarianism and Veganism is typically a life decision based upon ethics, namely, the respect for living things. When that respect filters down to the point of avoiding honey because of the abuse to honeybees, I fail to see how an ethical Vegan can not have respect for a fertilized human egg.


~VOW

[Erin Pavlina]

I'm not wholly comfortable with the direction this thread is taking. This board is not an appropriate place to discuss the topic of when life begins, etc. Let's leave it where it is now and move on to other posts. Or, take it to private messages.

Thank you!