Interestingly enough, after my explosive attack on the Ladies Home Journal yesterday, I went home to pour through more magazines and found yet another article on Birth control in Redbook, August 2010 by Aviva Patz.
Redbook, however, did not propose an article on preventing pregnancy but more on “Birth Control with Benefits.” They actually CITED where their statistics and research came from, talked to Dr.’s and OBGYN’s and highlighted each method they discussed, what other benefits it had for your body, and effectiveness against pregnancy. While they did mention a few cautionary tidbits, they did not highlight the downsides as much as I would have liked and they did not mention Monitoring your fertility at all. I can forgive them for that last though as the aim of this article was to discuss options of birth control that can help with “other” issues such as PPMD, Bloating, Mood swings, heavy flow etc., not necessarily your options for preventing pregnancy.
Quick Highlights:
“Nearly half of the pregnancies in this country are unintended, according to research from the Guttmacher Institute, and MORE than half of pregnancies in women in their 40s are unintended, according to a study in the journal Family Planning Perspectives. ‘If you’re not committed to having a baby right now, you need to find birth control that you’ll use consistently and correctly,” says Anita L. Nelson, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles.” Now I don’t know if these statistics are all true but THANK YOU for citing your sources. “Redbook talked to top ob/gyns and contraception experts to find out which method will give you the benefit you need most right now.”
One thing that this article did do was dispel the myth that you actually have a period while on the pill. I think this is a misconception many women have. “The period you have on the Pill isn’t a real period—it’s just bleeding, and it’s not really necessary,” Nelson says. Since the contraceptive hormones suppress ovulation, the lining of the uterus doesn’t thicken and there is no need for your body to slough and expel it with a monthly flow.”
The article highlights the Mirena hormonal IUD, Extended-use oral contraceptives, even a few name brands such as Yaz, yasmin and Ocella, NuvaRing and the ParaGard copper IUD. Each of these were described (and thank you for telling exactly how they are inserted/taken and what they do) in association with what they help: superheavy periods, major pre-period bloat, breakouts, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and options without hormones.
All in all, a very well written article with a point of view. You (and I mean I) can always find something lacking if I look hard enough but if something has a point, is written well and not deceptive, I can give kudos where kudos are due.
REDBOOK, can we give this relationship a trial run? I like your style. (and that goes to show how much I have aged since I used to think of REDBOOK as the “adult” magazine. Crap, when did I become an adult? Must have been when I hit 30).
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
S/O OWT: Madame Zaritska
After taking a short online quiz my answers were:
Madame Zaritska, using her mystical powers, has the following prediction:
The day you deliver, outside will be hazy. Your baby will arrive in the late evening. After a labor lasting approximately 7 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 9 pounds, 5 ounces, and will be 17 inches long. This child will have light amber eyes and fluffy black hair.
LMAO. It is genetically improbable that my child will have amber eyes. This is hilarious but I find it more humorous that all the online quizzes, gender charts etc. that I have stumbled on so far have said boy. I'm going to try Jeanna's ring thing tonight. I keep forgetting to have DH do it.
Oh..and if you want to give Madam Zaritska a try, there ya go.
Madame Zaritska, using her mystical powers, has the following prediction:
The day you deliver, outside will be hazy. Your baby will arrive in the late evening. After a labor lasting approximately 7 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 9 pounds, 5 ounces, and will be 17 inches long. This child will have light amber eyes and fluffy black hair.
LMAO. It is genetically improbable that my child will have amber eyes. This is hilarious but I find it more humorous that all the online quizzes, gender charts etc. that I have stumbled on so far have said boy. I'm going to try Jeanna's ring thing tonight. I keep forgetting to have DH do it.
Oh..and if you want to give Madam Zaritska a try, there ya go.
I'm Breaking Up with Ladies Home Journal
My Great-aunt Doris has several women’s magazine prescriptions. After the magazines have made their rounds through the family, they end up coming to me so I can pick through them for recipes etc. Going through a stack of them this weekend I discovered an article in Ladies Home Journal (July 2010) by Catherine Bolgar (who I now believe is a complete idiot) on Birth Control that struck me the wrong way.
In my opinion, there were several misleading statements and an overall underplayed message about women’s fertility. Even our journalism is continuing this cycle of not educating women about their fertility and how their body works. It disturbs me greatly.
The first and second sentence of the article rubbed me the wrong way: “It seems as though every week another celebrity is talking about her quest to have a baby. There’s so much focus on infertility in the media these days that it’s easy to forget you can get pregnant right up until menopause.” WHAT? There is very little TRUE information about infertility in the media. The “celebrities” CHOOSE to have IVF, Multiples etc because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to. Thank you Ladies Home Journal for being so blasé about a very real issue that is certainly NOT discussed as it should be in the media.
Under the category of Single and Dating, one of the methods recommended is an IUD. “is much less trouble and works up to 12 years with lowest failure rates.” No mention of what COULD happen should you get pregnant with an IUD or the increasing frequency of pregnancies, ectopics and miscarriages with the IUD, not to mention that IUD’s can move with as little as a 10 pound weight increase or drop. More and more information is being learned about IUD’s, and info is changing all the time, for them to be so flippant about recommending this to a young woman.
Then there is the contradictory statements: “It can take you as long as a year to get pregnant after stopping Depo shots.” Very next sentence: “Talk to your doctor if you have trouble conceiving six months after suspending birth control.” Well, if it takes you up to a year as a healthy couple or AFTER suspending the shots, shouldn’t you wait 12 months before getting panicky? They go on to say, “the doctor uses the date you last ovulated to calculate your baby’s due date.” Why NO, no they don’t. They use your OVULATION date IF YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, which the majority of women don’t and thanks to YOUR article probably won’t. They use the first cycle day (day 1 of your last period) and add 14 days to get an ESTIMATED Due date.
By this time I’m getting highly irritated at the complete lack of intelligence in the article but the next paragraph lends a doozy. “You can get pregnant a month after the baby is born, especially if you’re not breast-feeding.” Whoa. 1) I would hope you aren’t having sex in that first month as it is doubtful the doctor will release you for 6 weeks so shouldn’t that be 2 months? 2) The way that sentence is written leads you to believe if you are breast feeding you won’t get pregnant. WRONG.
Not ONE explanation of how your body works, the varying times of ovulation, not relying on the 14 day method etc. At the very end of the article they do a chart of options and the very last option with a blip for explanation: “Monitoring Your Fertility-This method has no hormones and is inexpensive but somewhat complicated. Has a high failure rate of 3-25%.”
O.M.G. No explanation as to WHAT it is, HOW you do it, etc. How fucking complicated is taking your damn temperature every morning and plugging it in to a chart? How hard is it to write a three sentence semi explanation and refer them to books or online resources should they want to investigate this method further. The whole article is promoting the IUD and even talks about sterilization but can’t even mention properly how to monitor your fertility or lack thereof?
This outdated view of requiring medical intervention, procedures or hormone inducing contraceptives pisses me off. We are not TEACHING women about our bodies and how they work and giving them the proper view of responsibility, we are shoving medications down their throats without blinking an eye. What kind of “journalist” and “women’s magazine” promotes that kind of misinformation? Do they really think they are helping women or are the writer’s and editors just that stupid?
The tag line touts “There are lots of choices…Here’s how to decide which method makes the most sense for your body and your life stage.” Yet, they do not give you real information, or an accurate overview. Way to go Ladies Home Journal. I am one of the least “crunchy” people I know, but I do not believe in belittling a woman’s intelligence and giving out such poorly written and researched information. You are officially off my reading list and I will shout it from the highest hills that you are the poorest choice for women’s health issues. You are basically a magazine with fluff ads on surgical weight loss and facelifts but have no care to represent what the majority of women NEED to know. How does it feel to be complete journalistic sell outs to your advertising dollars? You make me sick.
In my opinion, there were several misleading statements and an overall underplayed message about women’s fertility. Even our journalism is continuing this cycle of not educating women about their fertility and how their body works. It disturbs me greatly.
The first and second sentence of the article rubbed me the wrong way: “It seems as though every week another celebrity is talking about her quest to have a baby. There’s so much focus on infertility in the media these days that it’s easy to forget you can get pregnant right up until menopause.” WHAT? There is very little TRUE information about infertility in the media. The “celebrities” CHOOSE to have IVF, Multiples etc because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to. Thank you Ladies Home Journal for being so blasé about a very real issue that is certainly NOT discussed as it should be in the media.
Under the category of Single and Dating, one of the methods recommended is an IUD. “is much less trouble and works up to 12 years with lowest failure rates.” No mention of what COULD happen should you get pregnant with an IUD or the increasing frequency of pregnancies, ectopics and miscarriages with the IUD, not to mention that IUD’s can move with as little as a 10 pound weight increase or drop. More and more information is being learned about IUD’s, and info is changing all the time, for them to be so flippant about recommending this to a young woman.
Then there is the contradictory statements: “It can take you as long as a year to get pregnant after stopping Depo shots.” Very next sentence: “Talk to your doctor if you have trouble conceiving six months after suspending birth control.” Well, if it takes you up to a year as a healthy couple or AFTER suspending the shots, shouldn’t you wait 12 months before getting panicky? They go on to say, “the doctor uses the date you last ovulated to calculate your baby’s due date.” Why NO, no they don’t. They use your OVULATION date IF YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, which the majority of women don’t and thanks to YOUR article probably won’t. They use the first cycle day (day 1 of your last period) and add 14 days to get an ESTIMATED Due date.
By this time I’m getting highly irritated at the complete lack of intelligence in the article but the next paragraph lends a doozy. “You can get pregnant a month after the baby is born, especially if you’re not breast-feeding.” Whoa. 1) I would hope you aren’t having sex in that first month as it is doubtful the doctor will release you for 6 weeks so shouldn’t that be 2 months? 2) The way that sentence is written leads you to believe if you are breast feeding you won’t get pregnant. WRONG.
Not ONE explanation of how your body works, the varying times of ovulation, not relying on the 14 day method etc. At the very end of the article they do a chart of options and the very last option with a blip for explanation: “Monitoring Your Fertility-This method has no hormones and is inexpensive but somewhat complicated. Has a high failure rate of 3-25%.”
O.M.G. No explanation as to WHAT it is, HOW you do it, etc. How fucking complicated is taking your damn temperature every morning and plugging it in to a chart? How hard is it to write a three sentence semi explanation and refer them to books or online resources should they want to investigate this method further. The whole article is promoting the IUD and even talks about sterilization but can’t even mention properly how to monitor your fertility or lack thereof?
This outdated view of requiring medical intervention, procedures or hormone inducing contraceptives pisses me off. We are not TEACHING women about our bodies and how they work and giving them the proper view of responsibility, we are shoving medications down their throats without blinking an eye. What kind of “journalist” and “women’s magazine” promotes that kind of misinformation? Do they really think they are helping women or are the writer’s and editors just that stupid?
The tag line touts “There are lots of choices…Here’s how to decide which method makes the most sense for your body and your life stage.” Yet, they do not give you real information, or an accurate overview. Way to go Ladies Home Journal. I am one of the least “crunchy” people I know, but I do not believe in belittling a woman’s intelligence and giving out such poorly written and researched information. You are officially off my reading list and I will shout it from the highest hills that you are the poorest choice for women’s health issues. You are basically a magazine with fluff ads on surgical weight loss and facelifts but have no care to represent what the majority of women NEED to know. How does it feel to be complete journalistic sell outs to your advertising dollars? You make me sick.
Menu Monday-Kickin' off October
If we thought LAST week’s budget was tight, this week we will be pinching the pennies. Bring on PayDay! Fortunately, we don’t need but a few ingredients to complete our menu list this week, so I should just be able to squeeze out those pool chemicals, dog food, gas and groceries.
Don’t you just hate when you have so many things hit you in one pay period? Of course, I’m one of those that refuse to touch savings for anything other than a major emergency even though that’s what its there for. I just do not consider one tight pay period an emergency. I will live off rice and canned beans if I have to to avoid transferring money over even temporarily. It’s a habit you just don’t want to get into my opinion.
Breakfast for Dinner: Biscuits, eggs, turkey bacon, and diced potatoes.
Fried Chicken Tenders and scalloped Potatoes with Greenbeans
Chicken and Veggie Rice Skillet
Spaghetti
Hamburgers with Oven Fries
Fortunately, I do have the ingredients on hand to make an apple pie and/or chocolate chip cookies so this week won’t be a total lesson in tight economics. LOL
Don’t you just hate when you have so many things hit you in one pay period? Of course, I’m one of those that refuse to touch savings for anything other than a major emergency even though that’s what its there for. I just do not consider one tight pay period an emergency. I will live off rice and canned beans if I have to to avoid transferring money over even temporarily. It’s a habit you just don’t want to get into my opinion.
Breakfast for Dinner: Biscuits, eggs, turkey bacon, and diced potatoes.
Fried Chicken Tenders and scalloped Potatoes with Greenbeans
Chicken and Veggie Rice Skillet
Spaghetti
Hamburgers with Oven Fries
Fortunately, I do have the ingredients on hand to make an apple pie and/or chocolate chip cookies so this week won’t be a total lesson in tight economics. LOL
Friday, October 1, 2010
Belly Pic Friday
I posted my first belly picture on the BOTB board today. I figured I should post it here. This blog is lacking in pictures anyway. So here it is, in all its grainy dirty work mirror glory!
(and yes, I'm still in regular clothes, I have not gained a pound, everything is just shifting and rounding out and pooching out. If it makes you feel better though, I'm wearing clothes that hung on me because I had lost so much weight.....they aren't hanging on me that badly anymore except in the butt...LOL) Plus, I'm a 6' plus size girl so I'm going to show differently then you tiny little things (coughcoughJeannacoughcough)
(and yes, I'm still in regular clothes, I have not gained a pound, everything is just shifting and rounding out and pooching out. If it makes you feel better though, I'm wearing clothes that hung on me because I had lost so much weight.....they aren't hanging on me that badly anymore except in the butt...LOL) Plus, I'm a 6' plus size girl so I'm going to show differently then you tiny little things (coughcoughJeannacoughcough)
Movement or lack thereof
On the 2nd Trimester Message Boards, they talk about feeling flutters, tickles, ghostly pokes, and what is described as a fish flipping over around 14 weeks. My book says nothing about feeling the baby yet, but many I know have mentioned these sensations around 15-16 weeks.
All I feel is pain and soreness, which I investigated via Google. In addition to RLP (round ligament Pain) the other twinges and constant soreness could not be explained until I found some information that said “Women with high hormone levels can experience feelings of soreness in the abdominal area through 18 weeks.” Well, we already know my progesterone level was through the roof (see stats to the left) and I have PCOS which makes my hormones batty anyway.
So am I not feeling the early signs of baby due to the soreness? Is the soreness more powerful than any flutter? Or am I not feeling the baby for some other reason?
I am not thinking there is something wrong, because I feel like my stomach is changing and firming up and rounding out. I wouldn’t be progressing like that if something was wrong. Right?
Last night, I looked in my book to see when it said I would start feeling movement and it actually said that “if you have had a baby before, you may start to feel movement around Week 17.”
So are these girls full of gas or is the Pregnancy Bible outdated and out of touch? All I know is that I can feel/see a difference in my stomach. I still have RLP occasionally, gas all the time, heartburn all the time, and abdominal tenderness/soreness quite frequently.
I think this period of Second Tri is a lull in pregnancy. You start feeling better after the “torture” of first tri ute stabs, puking and exhaustion but you aren’t feeling anything different quite yet.
Given HLB’s name, I’m considering this more of the Calm before the Storm. I have a feeling my little Hurricane is going to be a doozy and pack quite a punch once it becomes active.
All I feel is pain and soreness, which I investigated via Google. In addition to RLP (round ligament Pain) the other twinges and constant soreness could not be explained until I found some information that said “Women with high hormone levels can experience feelings of soreness in the abdominal area through 18 weeks.” Well, we already know my progesterone level was through the roof (see stats to the left) and I have PCOS which makes my hormones batty anyway.
So am I not feeling the early signs of baby due to the soreness? Is the soreness more powerful than any flutter? Or am I not feeling the baby for some other reason?
I am not thinking there is something wrong, because I feel like my stomach is changing and firming up and rounding out. I wouldn’t be progressing like that if something was wrong. Right?
Last night, I looked in my book to see when it said I would start feeling movement and it actually said that “if you have had a baby before, you may start to feel movement around Week 17.”
So are these girls full of gas or is the Pregnancy Bible outdated and out of touch? All I know is that I can feel/see a difference in my stomach. I still have RLP occasionally, gas all the time, heartburn all the time, and abdominal tenderness/soreness quite frequently.
I think this period of Second Tri is a lull in pregnancy. You start feeling better after the “torture” of first tri ute stabs, puking and exhaustion but you aren’t feeling anything different quite yet.
Given HLB’s name, I’m considering this more of the Calm before the Storm. I have a feeling my little Hurricane is going to be a doozy and pack quite a punch once it becomes active.
Pretzel Chicken with Mustard Cheese Sauce
I came across this recipe while reading blogs, and forgive me but for the life of me I can’t remember who’s it is. I hate when I print things out and it doesn’t have a name on it. It sounded very tasty so I decided to give it a try. I served it up with Broccoli and Rice on the side. I have to admit this chicken is some of the best chicken ever. It was so moist and tender with a lovely crunchy coating. The cheese sauce enhanced the pretzel coating only slightly though and was way too blah in flavor to do anything for the broccoli or rice. In my opinion the cheese sauce was too mild. It had a hint of cheese and a hint of mustard but neither flavor stood out and it was a little too “gooey”. It stuck together in like a cheese SHEET. Now granted I didn’t use sharp cheddar or spicy brown mustard so those two items may make the flavor stronger but I’m thinking it needs a bit more of a softer cheese to act as a complimentary background for the flavors. I’ll work on that because I am definitely making this again. I do not consider it a fail, as it was good with the chicken, just needs a little punching up.
Pretzel Chicken with Mustard Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups pretzel sticks
Salt and pepper
2 eggs
¼ inch oil in pan for frying
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk
1 cup mild cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 tbs mustard
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium to medium high heat. Pound the chickens flat between two sheets of Saran wrap (keeps area clean and no splatters). Grind the pretzels in a mini chopper or food processor until mostly powdered (I left a few small pieces for extra crunch). Place the pretzels on a plate or coating dish with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl or large plate.
Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then in the pretzel mixture to coat. Cook on each side in hot oil about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and is crispy deep golden brown on the outside. Drain on a paper towel.
When chicken is halfway through cooking, melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk. Cook for approx one minute. Whisk in milk and brink to a low boil. Take off the heat and add: salt, pepper, mustard and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.
Serve hot over poured over chicken.
Pretzel Chicken with Mustard Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups pretzel sticks
Salt and pepper
2 eggs
¼ inch oil in pan for frying
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk
1 cup mild cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 tbs mustard
Directions:
Heat the oil over medium to medium high heat. Pound the chickens flat between two sheets of Saran wrap (keeps area clean and no splatters). Grind the pretzels in a mini chopper or food processor until mostly powdered (I left a few small pieces for extra crunch). Place the pretzels on a plate or coating dish with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl or large plate.
Dip each piece of chicken in the egg and then in the pretzel mixture to coat. Cook on each side in hot oil about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and is crispy deep golden brown on the outside. Drain on a paper towel.
When chicken is halfway through cooking, melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk. Cook for approx one minute. Whisk in milk and brink to a low boil. Take off the heat and add: salt, pepper, mustard and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.
Serve hot over poured over chicken.
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