DVCLiz said:
Caradana, could you educate me on this Nuvaring, please? Because one of DD17's friends just started using it (and condoms) and it seems like a good thing to recommend to an older teen instead of the pill. But I am an old fogie and this is new since I needed bc. Thanks!!!
I'm not Cardana, but google is my friend.. here's some info on the Nuvaring.. but basically it looks like those trendy bracelets (like LiveStrong) you fold it, put it up inside you, leave it in for exactly 3 weeks, take it out, get your period, and exactly 1 week after you removed it (regardless of whether your period is done or not) you put in a new one. Like the pill, prevents pregnancy but not STD's.
Easy to read, Laymen's description
More info in Laymen's terms - with a photo
NuvaRing manufacturer page
Most contraceptives that put responsibility in the hand's of women are designed to keep them from getting pregnant, and don't do a darn thing to protect them from STD's. The only exception I know of is the female condom, which is made from polyurethane, not latex.. so people with latex allergies can use it. The original question this thread posted was, Are BCP really that ineffective? and while the OP was specifically asking about pregnancy, this has developed into a thread about contraception.. BCP, Depo provera, IUD's, and the Novaring are entirely ineffective against proteting you from STD's. Though personal and contreversial, the fact is pregnancy is "curable" you either have a baby in 9.5 months or not, and if you do you can choose to keep it or not.... HIV and Hepatitis on the other hand, are not curable and are not prevented by the aformentioned contraceptives...
Like it or not, I think we still live in a world where men are still the majority and the authority (hey that rhymes!) as doctors, in drug manufacturing, and in marketing and in relationships. Because of the direction on fluid exchange (women receive) women are at a substantially higher risk for getting fluid based STD's (both HIV and Hep are in saliva, blood and semen), men have a surprisingly lower risk.
For moms with teenage daughters, don't just talk to them about BCP and get them on the pill or the ring. Just like drugs, talk to them, educate them, empower them.. to be able to say "no" to sex without a condom.
..where did that soapbox come from? and how did I get on it?
--heather
