Birth Control: You Have Another Choice

Millions of women are on The Pill…and that’s not a good thing. At the ripe young age of twenty, my then-fiancee and I knew we did not want children in our first years of marriage. We want to see the world, explore our interests, spend time together, and so many more things. While we believe that God’s timing is perfect, we began to look into contraceptive methods a few months before the wedding.

Now I get it, this is an awkward topic to discuss. If you are uncomfortable reading this, imagine writing this for your friends and family to read. Yet the importance of talking about this, and the amazing alternative we found, is worth a few minutes of awkwardness. I hope that my friends who are in a relationship, entering into marriage, or will one day find a need for this topic will remember this in making their decision.

I am not a mainstream person. I had heard of my friends starting on the pill entering our adolescence, for various reasons, and immediately was against it. Acne, cramping, and unbearable PMS symptoms were a few of the non-contraceptive reasons to start on birth control. To get way too personal, I never had any of those intense issues, besides the embarrassing high school acne, so when my mom suggested taking me to the doctor to get me started on birth control a few months before the wedding, I was less then enthusiastic. For starters, side affects that come from taking the pill: mood swings, nausea, headaches, and to put it one way “increased maturity” that some women experience were very off-putting. My biggest issue came with the psychological/emotional changes. While not everyone experiences changes from taking birth control, I didn’t want to risk being someone who did. I didn’t want it to affect who I was. Even worse were the lasting effects I heard it could have on your body which included making it difficult to get pregnant down the road.

If you have looked into what the pill is, moreover how it works, there are immediate red flags for me. Basically the pill contains hormones that trick your body into thinking you are pregnant. Your body stops ovulating, thinking one of the eggs is fertilized. Number one, it does not sound like a good idea to me to convince your body you’re pregnant EVERY MONTH FOR YEARS. Not only that but side affects, including depression can cause you to need more medication. All of that just to clear up pimples? *Disclaimer: While I myself don’t experience it, I understand some women have strenuous, painful monthly periods who may need medication to help them continue normal life on those days. There are also medical issues that can call for medication such as this. That is personal choice, and I understand the use of birth control for those issues. This is for birth control only users.*

Birth Control Pills may be linked to high blood pressure, cervical and breast cancer, and can destroy good bacteria in your intestines. All of these these, plus some interesting data from NaturalFertilityInfo.com suggesting there are long-term fertility implications resulting from years of oral contraceptives made The Pill an absolute no for me.

Okay, so that was out, but what about other contraceptives? Hormone shots and the patch seemed very similar to the pill in terms of what it does to your body, so that was out. The diaphragm and sponge were designed for women to insert into their vagina before sex. That was a personal choice of not wanting to finagle with that all the time. It just sounds weird, to be honest.  Then there is the IUD. While extremely effective (less than a 1% chance of pregnancy), there were a few issues I had with this one too. First, I would rather not go to the doctor for that kind of a thing. Second, implanting a piece of plastic (or metal in some cases) and leaving it in your body for years was not exactly appealing. Plus doctor visits can be expensive. There is also a good deal of pain within the first few days on implanting an IUD. So that left us at condoms. Not the greatest reputation on the male side, as they can, ahem, decrease feeling. I also learned that they are only 98% effective…if you use them correctly (Heads up, guys don’t keep them in your wallet. Your body heat can decrease effectiveness). So basically that leaves us at abstinence according to most websites.

Now I had looked into a few Pinterest articles that talked about women learning their menstrual cycle and learning days they are fertile and not. While this sounded like a great (and free) option, I didn’t feel comfortable trusting a few websites, and myself, to tell me what days I wasn’t going to get pregnant. Nope, do not want to be pregnant right now. All hope was lost, but we felt like there was still something missing…another, better option. Then I stumbled upon a Facebook article about a birth control method called Daysy.

Daysy is a fertility monitor. Every morning, before getting out of bed, you put the device in your mouth. It takes your Basal Body Temperature, and uses an algorithm based on studies with hundreds of other women, and your specific body trends to determine your fertility. Its super easy to read. Green light means go, you are not fertile and are free to have unprotected sex that day. Yellow light? Caution, you are just about to begin being fertile. Use a condom, unless you are trying to get pregnant. A red light means your are fertile and should definitely use a condom.This device allows you to know your body, with a scientific backing to know that you are doing it right.It syncs to an app on your phone, so you can check it away from the device, and your partner can download it and see it too.

Daysy teaches you to learn about your body naturally, and doesn’t prevent your body from doing its job. Menstruation is a natural process and shouldn’t be stopped unless it produces medical risks. Daysy doesn’t produce any funky hormones, and the best part is, when you want to get pregnant, it is already telling you days you are likely to conceive. It will even tell you if it thinks you are pregnant. The device is 99.3% effective, MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ANY OTHER BIRTH CONTROL METHOD!

Maybe I have convinced you to at least give this a try. How much is it going to cost you? I won’t lie, it will cost a chunk of change. It is $330 for the device, plus shipping. But One year of birth control pills costs $160-600 per year according to Planned Parenthood. It will pay for itself in one year, on average. Daysy is manufactured by Valley Electronics in Germany, so the product is high quality and lasts a long time. The battery in it lasts about two years. To learn more visit www.usa.daysy.me.

I started using the Daysy about a month before we got married, so it could learn my body cycle (there will be more red and yellow days the first 3 months as it learns your body). I have been using it for about 6 months, and it really is the best option out there. I encourage you to research and make a decision for yourself. This may not be the best option for you, and that’s okay. If you do try it, recommend it to a friend, not a lot of people know about it. And not a lot of people know that when it comes to birth control, you have another choice.

Birth Control Information: http://bodyecology.com/articles/dangers_birth_control_pill.php

Top 5 Ways the Birth Control Pill Negatively Impacts Long-Term Fertility

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