Making Those Hard Decisions

Planned Parenthood is an ideal organization for those who need a bit of help in making those hard decisions. Often, having a child can be one of the best experiences a person can have. In other cases, though, it can be very untimely. What your personal beliefs are in having children, or the amount of control you should have over it, are important to explore. Then, reach out and get help and guidance if you need it.

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What to Think About

Before having a child, consider all aspects of it, including the massive changes it will have on your life. Take a close look at yourself but also consider the following things.

  • Are you healthy enough to have children? Many people spend a great deal of time trying to conceive and find out that they are not healthy enough to do so. Get a physical from your doctor before you begin this process.
  • Learn about your ability to create a family. Bringing a child into this world is not as easy to just getting pregnant. You also have to be able to provide a healthy family for your child to prosper in. Learn how to have a strong family.
  • Pregnancy itself can change you, and your body. For this reason, take the steps necessary to learn about these changes. You may want to explore how those changes make you feel, too.

If you decide to have a child, realize that you will learn as you go. There is no guide that will give you all of the information you need for every situation that happens. However, most parents will learn to make the right decisions.

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Family Planning

Family planning typically involves regulating the number of children in a family and their spacing by practicing contraception and other means of birth control. Family planning enables parents to freely and responsibly decide when and how many children they are going to have and to have available the information and the means to carry out their plan. It also enables parents to have available to them all the safe and effective means of contraception so that they can act according to their decisions. With this information, they can be aware of the costs of the various means of contraception, be more knowledgeable about those means and have greater support of their extended family members as well as potentially the wider community.

Because of contraceptive technology, couples are deciding to have children at younger and older ages and it is important that such decisions can be made freely knowing all the consequences both long and short-term for both the children and the parents. There still remain many women and families who want to control the number of children they have or space out their pregnancies but do not have the means or information to do so.

Family planning when done in a larger context can also be used to control population growth. Family planning services were first attempted with private groups but there was strong opposition to them. Margaret Sanger from New York City was a nurse who was able to establish the first birth control clinic in the United States in the early 1900s at a time when publishing and distributing information on contraception was illegal. Others such as Marie Stopes in England and Dhanvanthis Rama Rau in India followed suit with starting clinics for family planning, birth control and health care in their respective countries. Today, national polices have been established by many countries and the use of public family services is encouraged.

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The Pill as Birth Control

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There are many options for preventing the occurrence of pregnancy or what is more commonly known as birth control. A woman who engages in sexual relations and wants to use birth control should speak with her doctor to determine which method best suits her individual needs. She may be only interested in preventing pregnancy or may be additionally concerned about preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Some methods protect only against getting pregnant while others also perform the function of preventing sexually transmitted infections from being spread.

One method of birth control is to use hormones that prevent the release of en egg from the ovaries into the uterus. The hormones estrogen and progestin are used in this method and are released into the body by means of the birth control pill, the vaginal ring, a patch, hormone shots or with an IUD or intrauterine device. Any of these methods that use hormones require a doctor’s prescription.

One method that uses hormones is the birth control pill, known as an oral contraceptive because it is taken by the mouth. It needs to be taken every day in order for it to be effective. It typically helps to regulate the menstrual cycle of woman to having one period every four weeks.

Like most medications taken, the pill does tend to have some side effects. These may include headaches, nausea, an increase in blood pressure, tenderness of the breasts, weight gain, bloating and depression. Some women will experience no side effects at all. Different types of birth control pills may need to be taken in order to find the one that is the most effective with the least number of side effects. This is because each type of birth control pill contains different combinations of hormones. Other results from taking the pill include a reduction in cramping during the menstrual cycle as well as a shorter cycle with less bleeding. Smoking should be stopped while taking the pill as it can increase the risk of blood clots and more serious side effects.

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Panned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provided information about reproductive health care, sex education and other general information to men, women and young people across the world. Planned Parenthood helps individuals make informed and individual decisions about sex, health and planning their families by promoting an approach to women’s health and well-being based on common sense and reality.

Planned Parenthood reaches out to the community by means of 85 affiliates throughout the United States which are governed locally and provide more than 820 health centers. The primary goal of these health centers is to provide primary care that is preventative in nature including promoting contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies, testing and treatment to reduce the spread of diseases that are sexually transmitted and screening for cervical and other cancers.  A trusting environment is established in which physicians, nurse practitioners and other staff care about their clients and take the time to speak with them about such health-related issues.

There is also an educational aspect to Planned Parenthood. The organization holds a wide variety of educational programs throughout the year that provide young people with honest information about sexuality and relationships. Programs are available in classrooms and information is posted online whose purpose is to reduce the high rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. Planned Parenthood hopes that by providing such information women, men, teenagers and families will be able to make knowledgeable decisions and have healthy reproductive and sexual lives.

Planned Parenthood also works with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where often access to important information about reproductive and health care of a sexual nature is blocked, to overcome these obstacles and increase access to education about health care. The organization works with local leadership to develop health and education programs as well as legal, social and political improvements in nations worldwide. Planned Parenthood also works with the United States government to insure that the sexual health and well-being of families and individuals is improved around the world

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Getting Yourself Insurance to Cover Birth Control

Having a family is a joyous thing. It’s the goal of people all over the world to have a family. For many, though, they might find that having a family when they aren’t ready can turn a beautiful dream into a stressful nightmare. Kids are best cared for when they are planned for and are brought into a loving home that has the resources and the mindset to provide and love. Without those things, it could make for a rough road.

For married couples who are putting off having children, it’s important to invest in birth control. Birth control can range from condoms, to pills, to vaginal devices. No matter the preferred method of contraception, it’s important to get protection. Having protection allows you to save money and plan properly to have kids in the future. For those that believe birth control is expensive, the reality is that most insurance covers a variety of birth control methods. In most cases, birth control will be covered except for a reasonable co-payment. If you are not insured, then now is the time to do it.

Before you purchase insurance, you need to compare insurance quote prices from three or four different companies. Make sure that you set your policy limits and deductibles the same so that the quote is an accurate figure. Once you do that, then you should be able to determine which monthly premium works out the best for you and your spouse.

Insurance is a necessary step in providing not only good health care, but financial protection against soaring health care costs. For yourself and your spouse, it’s important to save the money you can and hold off having kids till you are both comfortable. You want the best for your future children, so be at your best.

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3 Kinds of Lubricants

One of the common questions that people ask about is the different kinds of lubricants. Here is a brief explanation of the different kinds of lubricants and what their suggestions are and what they should and should not be used with.  There are three different kinds of lubricants and each of them have their advantages and their drawbacks.

  • Water Based – These are the most popular kinds of lubricants because they can be used with the latex contraceptives such as diaphragms, sponges, and condoms.  They’re nonirritating and easy to clean up.  KY is a popular brand of this kind of lubricant and so is Liquid Silk.
  • Silicone Based – These lubricants last longer than the water based but they can’t be used with sex toys made of silicone due to the silicone on silicone reactions. They can be used with latex toys and contraceptives that aren’t made of silicone.  Two popular brands are Überlube and Pjur Woman Bodyglide
  • Oil Based – These lubricants are really good for masturbation purposes but should not be used with latex contraceptives or toys made or rubber, because it can cause it to break down.  Vaseline is a popular lubricant and so is oil made of Vitamin E, although there are people who are allergic to the latter.

These are three of the lubricants that a lot of people use when it comes to sex.  Some of them are personal preference while others are more of a health preference.  If you are unsure about whether or not you are going to be able to handle the other kinds of lubricants, it’s a good idea to start with one of the water based lubricants and get used to it, since that is the most versatile one.  It’s good to experiment and try different things but it’s also good to be careful.

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Smart Gift Idea for Financial Freedom

Gift card boxes
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Gift cards are a common gift idea for the holidays because they allow the gift recipient to choose what they really want to buy within reason. A gift card for a big box retailer opens up a wide variety of shopping opportunities for the gift recipient because they can apply the gift card to any purchase that they make as long as the gift card corresponds with the store in question. There is a way to take this gift idea to the next level, however, which is well worth your consideration.

The gift idea that I am talking about is prepaid credit cards. Are you aware of what these are? I’ll admit that I previously was unaware of the benefits of this type of gift card. These are branded with a Visa or MasterCard logo, rather than corresponding with a specific type of store. These cards allow you to put any amount of money on the card that you like, then to give it as a gift to the intended recipient. They can use that credit card like any ordinary credit or debit card in any store or online, which opens up their shopping possibilities significantly. If the retailer or service provider accepts debit and credit cards, then your gift will apply.

This is also a way to help someone out that is having financial difficulties because they can apply the money to paying bills, paying off debts or paying for emergency purchases like a car repair or a hospital bill. This makes prepared debit and credit cards even more advantageous as a gift alternative for someone that you care about. This is something that you should put some consideration into when you are choosing gift ideas for the people in your life, because a prepaid credit card is a gift that people can certainly appreciate receiving from you.

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Who Was Margaret Sanger?

Margaret Sanger was born in 1879 to a very large family. Her mother had 18 pregnancies and 11 children, presumably because she had no way to access any sort of contraceptives. Sanger’s mother passed away at the young age of 48 from tuberculosis and cervical cancer. After nursing her mother through her illness, Margaret Sanger enrolled in nursing school, and later spent several years working among the poverty-stricken slums of New York City.

Deeply affected by her mother’s condition, Sanger was drawn to working with women in need. She found herself working with poor and immigrant women in 1912, and saw that because they had no way to prevent pregnancies, these women were constantly adding to their families and driving themselves deeper into poverty.

There were few health care options for women in those days. Even for women who afford to see doctors, it was illegal for the doctors to discuss or dispense contraceptives, which were considered obscene material. When a friend of Sanger’s died from a self-administered abortion, Sanger felt that something needed to be done to give women control over their own bodies.

She began publishing a newsletter advocating for women’s’ rights to obtain and use contraceptives, as well as several books on sexual health topics. She also traveled to Europe and Japan researching new contraceptive methods, and in 1916 opened the first birth control clinic in the United States. Following her arrest and release from jail, she devoted herself to changing the archaic laws that prohibited women from using birth control.

In 1921 she founded the American Birth Control League, which later became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. After serving as their president from 1952 to 1959, she traveled throughout the United States establishing clinics and promoting the newly created birth control pill. Sanger died in 1966 after finally seeing many of the restrictive anti-contraceptive laws overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.

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Margaret Sanger’s Legacy

After watching her mother suffer the consequences of almost constant pregnancy and caring for her in her final days, Margaret Sanger became a nurse and worked almost exclusively with low-income women. She was particularly sympathetic to women who were unable to obtain and use birth control and who therefore had no control over their bodies or their reproductive functions. She also saw firsthand the effects of illegal and self-induced abortions resulting from the inability to access contraceptives and the lack education on sexual matters.

Sanger had to resort to defying the laws of the time in order to help women access this most intimate and basic right. Shortly thereafter, she founded a national organization, the American Birth Control League, which was committed to not only providing access to birth control but also to fighting for reproductive freedom. Her organization later became the Planned Parenthood Federation.

Through her life, Sanger amassed millions of letters from women who needed birth control advice and shared their desperate stories. Many of these letters were complied into book form as a testament to the need for legal contraceptives and reproductive education.

Planned Parenthood is constantly fighting for women’s rights and continually challenging restrictions on reproductive rights and education. While various political and social groups attempt to eliminate reproductive freedom and to move backwards with education and gender equality, Planned Parenthood pursues legal and political channels to uphold these rights.

Planned Parenthood also challenges the validity of faulty or unscientific studies, and makes sure that women use legitimate study results in making their health choices. It is also one of the largest providers of sex education, and discourages the promotion of ineffective education programs hide or distort the truth.

Margaret Sanger’s legacy continues today as Planned Parenthood provides millions of women and men with the information and services she fought so hard to bring to them.

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What To Expect During Your First Visit To Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood often serves as the only health resource for teens and women without access to gynecological care or birth contraceptives. For those seeking birth control for the first time, talking to someone about private information can be a scary experience.

First, remember that Planned Parenthood staff are passionate about what they do and the services they provide. They are skilled at putting the patient at ease and know that many women have never talked to anyone about sexual matters before. There is no need to be nervous in that regard.

A counselor will explain the clinic’s policies and payment options, which are usually based on sliding scale. They will then take your basic medical information and history. If you are seeking contraceptives, the practitioner will discuss your needs and lifestyle to help you decide on the most appropriate method.

Most initial visits include a video or presentation about Planned Parenthood, women’s health, and a demonstration pelvic exam. You may also need to provide a urine sample. The medical exam will consist of checking your blood pressure and heart rate, listening to your chest and lungs, feeling your neck to check your thyroid, a breast exam, pelvic exam and pap smear. If you will be getting a diaphragm, cervical cap or ring, she will check internally for the proper fit.

After the exam, the practitioner will give you instructions on your birth control method and schedule your follow up. The clinic will provide you with your pills or contraceptive devices; there is no need to go to a drugstore to have a prescription filled.

It is important to be honest during your visit. Drinking, smoking, drug use and your lifestyle can impact the effectiveness of certain birth control methods. Planned Parenthood is committed to privacy and confidentiality, so be sure you give accurate information in order to maintain your sexual health.

Filed Under: Parenthood, Planning, Sexual Health Tagged With: , ,
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