Hi everybody, this is Food for Thought, thoughts
that fit for you, by Neogentrics. Now, in the
last episode, we were basically covering the
different kinds of birth controls, their effects,
and what they do. We're going to pick up with
that with the next topic, which would be an IUD.
Okay? Like I mentioned in the last episode, it
has a 99 % effective rate. It can cost up to
$1 ,500, but it can also be zero, depending on
your insurance. And the thing is with this one
is it can only be put in by a doctor or a nurse.
So you can't exactly do this one yourself. The
good news is, unlike the previous permanent,
sorry, not permanent, unlike the last one that
can also be put in that has a high effective
rate or low maintenance cost, the birth control
implant, the IUD lasts up to 12 years, whereas
the implant lasts up to five. Okay? And unlike
the implant, the IUD, which is a tiny device,
it goes inside your urethra to prevent pregnancy.
Okay? Like I said before, it is long -term, but
it is reversible. It's one of the most effective
birth controls that are out there. Now, granted,
since it's not a serum or anything specifically
like that, you don't have to worry about anything
being injected into your bloodstream for this
one. First things first, I'm pretty sure you
want to know what IUD stands for. Intra -terran
device is what it stands for. It's basically
a device inside your body, okay? Most people
remember it as T -something, but anyway. Like
I mentioned before, it's, uh, this device, there
are five different brands, okay, that the FDA
has basically approved in the United States.
One of which is Paragard. The other one is Marina,
Kylena, Lolita, and Skyla. Now, to my surprise,
apparently all of them are named after girls,
but again, I don't really know many guys who
actually use them, so. The IUDs, though, are
divided into two different types. Copper IUDs,
which is basically the Paragard and hormonal
ones. The Paragard one is the only one that has
copper in it. The hormonal IUDs, which would
be the Marina, Kylie, Lolita, and Skyla, don't
have copper in them, to my knowledge, anyway.
The Paragard doesn't have hormones. It's wrapped
in tiny bits of copper and it can protect for
pregnancy up to 12 years. The other four use
hormone prostagen to prevent pregnancy. The prostagen
is very similar to the hormone progesterone that
your own body makes naturally. Marina will work
up to 7 years, Kylena will work up to 5, Lolita
will work for 7, and Skyla will work for 3. And
while the other one does work a little bit longer,
it can cause a bit of issues with overages of
copper in the body. Both the copper and hormonal
ones prevent pregnancy by changing the way the
sperm cells move so that they can't get to the
egg. And as I mentioned before, no sperm cells,
no egg, no pregnancy. It's as simple as that.
The Paragard uses copper to prevent pregnancy.
The sperm doesn't like copper, so it makes it
almost impossible for the sperm to get to the
egg. The other one uses hormones to thicken the
mucus that protects the egg, therefore trapping
the sperm and making it so that they can't reach
the ovaries. Works out well. One of the awesome
things about the IUD is that it lasts for years,
but they're not permanent. So if you decide you
want to get pregnant and you don't want to have
it anymore, you can just ask your doctor to get
rid of it. Okay? Another thing I want to go ahead
and point out. IUDs can be used as emergency
contraception. Well, specific ones anyway. The
Paragard copper IUD works very well in an emergency
contraception situation, but it has to be put
in within 120 hours or five days after your last
episode of unprotected sex. It's more than 99
.9 % effective. It's actually the most effective
way to prevent pregnancy after sex if you're
worried about it. Though, keep in mind, you still
don't want to have to try to run that risk. I
would still recommend... using condoms and such
anyway um unless you're allergic to what they're
made of and having an extra set of the morning
after pill immediately for use keep in mind you
have to use it within uh two to three days if
you're using the morning after pill just to be
sure for it to fully work okay the effectiveness
of the iuds are pretty effective More than 99
% effective, which means 1 out of 100 people
who use them will get pregnant every year. And
while they claim that they're so effective there's
no chance of making a mistake, you can never
be 100 % sure. Keeping in mind, though, you still
can't forget the pill, like I mentioned before,
or the use of condoms. But unlike condoms, you're
protected 24 -7, constantly. Another thing I
want to definitely point out is that IUDs can't
protect you from STDs, so you still are going
to have to use condoms and other things as well
to help protect you from that. As far as IUDs
are concerned, there's only a few places you
can get them. You have to get them... put in
by a nurse or doctor or a healthcare provider,
which means you can only get them from a gynecologist,
family planning clinics, or local Planned Parenthood's
health centers. Okay? As far as what the insertion
is like, and I know a few people are going to
probably ask me this. First, your doctor will
ask you some questions about your medical history.
Then they'll check your vaginal cervix and uterus
areas. They may also test you for an STD because
if you have one, it makes this whole thing pointless.
You may be offered medicine to help open and
or numb the cervix before they can put it in
there. Otherwise, it may hurt. To put it in,
the doctor will have to put... speculum you're
gonna have to look that one up I will not give
the definition to that into your vaginal area
and then use a special insertor to put the IUD
in through the opening in your cervix into your
uterus for that to make effect the process usually
takes less than five minutes so it doesn't take
very long and they can be put in at any point
in your menstrual cycle too so You can usually
get one put in right after giving birth or, in
some cases, despite my dislike of this, abortion.
Now, do not get mad at me for saying that. Not
everybody's up for abortion. Not everyone's pro
or for it, okay? I just happen to be one of those
that doesn't care. Alright. So, how does it feel
to get one put in? People usually feel some cramping
or pain when they're getting their... in place.
The pain can be worse for some, but luckily it
only lasts for a minute or two. And for some
doctors, they tell you to take pain medicine
before you get the IUD to help prevent the cramps
as well. They also might inject the local numbing
medicine around your cervix area just to make
you comfortable. Unfortunately, some people may
feel dizzy during or right after it's put in,
and there's a small chance that you'll faint.
So keep that in mind. You might also want to
ask someone to come with you to the appointment
so you don't end up driving home. That's definitely
something you don't want to do. Now, after it's
put in, a lot of people don't feel fine right
away, but they'll still need time to take it
easy. There may be some cramping, back aches.
You want to chill at home, curl up and watch
TV, read a book or something. get a heating pad
or over -the -counter pain medicine to ease with
the cramps if you have those okay you may have
cramping and spotting from the iud but this will
only last for a few months it'll go away okay
and thus the whole point of the uh pain medicine
on the flip side copper ieds make uh can make
your periods heavier or worse so keep that in
mind Um, it also can make the cramps worse depending
on your body as well. And for some people, this
goes on over time or if it starts causing you
pain and discomfort or there's side effects you
don't like, you definitely need to call your
doctor immediately so they can have it removed.
There's chances are you're having an allergic
reaction to it or some other reaction to it.
Okay. And on that note, it's only an inch to
two inches long. So it's not like it's all that
far in there. Okay. And don't worry. They have
a string that's attached to it that's also an
inch or two long so that they can take it out.
The string is there so the nurses and the doctors
can remove it properly. You can feel the string
by putting your fingers inside you. That's as
far as I'm going to go with that sentence. But
don't ever tug the string because you could move
the IUD out of place or accidentally pull it
out. And if you do, you run the risk of not only
hurting yourself, but you also, well, you get
the idea. I think I'll leave that alone. I don't
want to go any further than that. The very small
chance that your IUD does slip out of place,
it can happen at any time, but it is more common
during the first three months when it's placed
in there and are most likely to come out during
your period, so be very careful. You have to
check your pads, tampons, cups, whatever you
have to see if it fell out, so keep that in mind
as well for those who have heavy periods. you
can also check the string to make sure it's still
there if the ied falls out you're not protected
from pregnancy so you need to see your doctor
immediately that's the whole point of still using
condoms okay and remember when you got your id
write it down keep a keep track of it so you
can have it replaced after 12 years um or unless
you have one of the other ones so seven five
or three years regardless okay And the thing
about it is, you can still have sex almost immediately
after it's put in. Though, I wouldn't recommend
it, seeing how you don't know how your body's
going to react to it. Okay? And we're back. Question.
Can you get an IUD? Well, most people can use
IUDs safely, okay? But there are some conditions
that make side effects and complications more
likely, in which you still need to talk to your
nurse, okay? Let me go ahead and say this, okay?
Here's where you may not be able to get one,
if you have certain STDs or a pelvic infection.
If you think you may or may not be pregnant,
which should be an obvious one, but, you know,
I digress. Have cervical cancer that hasn't been
treated. Or have cancer of the ureters. That's
actually really bad. Have had pelvic infection
after either childbirth or an abortion in the
past three months. Okay. If that's the case,
or here's another one for you. You should definitely
not get the Paragard IUD, like I mentioned earlier,
which has copper in it, if you have a copper
allergy or Wilson's disease. Or in some people's
cases, a bleeding disorder, such as people who
have, what's the word I'm looking for here? Sickle
cell. If you have sickle cell, especially people
who are anemic, this is definitely not something
you want, okay? Any kind of disorder that makes
it hard for your blood to clot. I can't speak
today. And you shouldn't get a hormonal IUD if
you've had breast cancer. Definitely not. Very
rarely the size and shape of someone's urethra
makes it hard to place an IUD correctly. But
if you have any kind of special condition that
rules you out, you don't have to worry. There's
plenty of other options that you can choose from.
With that being said, what are the risks? There
are possible risks with IUD, but serious problems
are really rare. Like I mentioned before, the
IUD can definitely slip out of your urethra,
so you have to be very careful that you can still
get pregnant. If the IUD comes out partway, it
has to be removed. Keep that in mind. It is possible,
though extremely unlikely, to get pregnant even
if the IUD is in the right spot. If you get pregnant...
You should have the IUD removed as soon as possible.
As soon as you find out, actually. Because if
you get pregnant with an IUD in place, there's
an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. Which
is a very serious matter. I actually think I
should probably cover pregnancy at some point.
But we'll see. It is possible to get an infection
if bacteria gets into the urethra when the IUD
is put in. So if the infection isn't treated
immediately, it can get worse or cause issues
affecting the pregnancy in the future should
you choose to. Basically, when it's put in, it
could... Oh, one other thing. If one of the IUDs
is put in, it could push it through the wall
of the urethra. This actually sounds painful,
but it doesn't usually hurt. But if it does happen,
you'll need surgery to remove it. And while this
is rare, it's a very big problem. Warning signs
that you definitely should be aware of. It's
very important to pay attention to your body
and the signs as well as how it feels. here are
some warning signs to watch out for and you need
to call your doctor and nurse immediately if
you're not if you have any of these um the length
of your ied string feels shorter or longer than
it was there's a problem there it's probably
not in place you can feel the hard plastic bottom
of the ied coming through your cervix i don't
even have to explain how that is next you think
you might be pregnant that's understood You have
bad cramping, pain, soreness in your lower belly
or stomach. There's pain or bleeding during sex.
Keep that in mind. You get unexplainable fevers,
chills, or having trouble breathing. Your vaginal
discharge is different from normal. You have
vaginal bleeding that's heavier than usual. If
you have unprotected sex with someone who happens
to have an STD, definitely go see your nurse
or doctor for any tests or treatments you may
need immediately. And yes, while I'm mentioning
all of this negative, tragic stuff, it is still
safe for breastfeeding, so you don't have to
worry about your kids, okay? Now, something I
want to definitely go into before I finish this
up, there are disadvantages to a hormonal IUD.
Some people will have side effects after getting
a hormonal IUD. They usually go away about three,
six months later after you've had it because
that takes that long for your body to get used
to the little visitor in your ureters. If you
stick it out for a few months, there's a good
chance that the effects will ease up or your
body will just get used to them. The side effects
may include pain when the IUD is placed or cramping
or backaches for a few days after, spotting between
periods, or just straight up irregular periods.
Over -the -counter pain medicine can help with
cramping, but if the bleeding and the cramping
doesn't get any better, you need to go talk to
your doctor. And again, like I said before, it
can protect against pregnancy but not STIs, so
keep that in mind as well. The non -hormonal
ones, which would be the copper one that I mentioned
before, the side effects for that one would be
the pain when the IUD is placed and cramping
from the back. or back aches again for a few
days same thing as before spotting periods irregular
periods or two new ones with the copper one heavier
or longer periods or cramping during your periods
so again if you experience any of these issues
you definitely want to go see a doctor immediately
okay so that's it for the iuds we're going to
take a short break and then i'm going to come
back and talk about the birth control vaginal
ring uh next And we're back. The next topic I
want to cover on this birth control thing that
I'm covering for the next couple of days. Would
be the birth control ring. Okay. While it's not
the top of the line tier thing. Okay. Much like
the IUDs and the birth control implant. It is
much similar to the birth control shot. Now while
the birth control shot's effectiveness is a little
higher than the vag... the bird control vaginal
ring, it still has a similar kind of effectiveness
as it still basically does the same job. Now,
the only difference between the two is that the
bird control can be cheaper, the bird control
shot can be cheaper than the ring, only by $100,
but they're still basically the same. The main
difference between the two is that the shot has
to be gotten at least every three months, minimum.
However, the ring has to be replaced monthly,
upon use, okay? And it has to be prescribed,
so you can't just get it, okay? The birth control
ring, aka NuvaRing, is, it's safe, it's simple,
it's affordable, you know, it's basically a small,
flexible ring that prevents pregnancy by releasing
hormones into your body, okay? The ring is really
effective if you use it right away, okay? So,
much like everything else that I've talked about,
okay, it basically prevents the sperm from meeting
the egg, and again, like I said before, no sperm,
if the sperm doesn't meet the egg, nothing can
actually happen, okay? The ring contains two
hormones, estrogen and progestin, and I hate
these words. which are similar to the hormones
that your body already makes, okay? It stops
ovulation and it prevents the sperm from reaching
the egg. Simple, cut, dry. That's basically how
it affects your body, okay? And for it to work
best for you, you have to use a birth control
reminder app or set monthly alarms on your phone.
Note your rings, removal, and insertion days
on your calendar. Friends or family members who
can use the ring can be ring buddies and help
each other remind when it needs to come out.
If you have a partner, they can help remind you
to remove it and change it out. Keep your replacement
rings in the same place so you don't lose them
and store them at room temperature and away from
direct sunlight for up to 4 months, maybe 16
weeks, give or take. refrigerator in the four
month period so that they last a little bit longer.
Okay, bottom line, do whatever works to make
sure you change that ring on time. And much like
the other methods, they don't protect you against
STDs. You're still going to need condoms. I don't
know. I don't care what anybody says. None of
these methods are going to protect you 100 %
or from STDs. Okay, the ring is super effective.
It has a 91 % effective rate. Okay. When used
perfectly, it can be as high as 99%. But when
it comes down to it in real life, 91 % is the
more realistic number. It's not going to be 100
% for everybody. So 9 out of 100 users get pregnant
every year. 9 out of 100 is better than 98 out
of 100. The better you are about putting the
new ring in on the right day, every month, consistently,
the more effective it'll be in your body. Its
effectiveness is the most important thing you
have when picking which birth control you're
going to use, whether you want to use an IED
or an implant, or even just this. But if you
decide the ring is the right choice for you,
you need to change it every month at the right
time for it to be super effective. What makes
it less effective? For those who don't know,
For one, if you don't put the new ring on every
month at the right time, or if the ring's out
of your vaginal area for more than two days,
two and a half at the most, during the week when
you're supposed to be wearing it. I mean, those
are simple things, but I mean, they're important
things to note. There are also some medicines
and supplements that can also make the Nova Ring...
the Nuva ring or bird control ring less effective
or null for that matter. Uh, one of which is
antibiotics such as, uh, Rifapin, uh, Rifapisin.
I've heard of that one. I've never taken it before.
Uh, Rifamate. I've heard of this one. I've had
to take it for, you know, special issues of my
own. Guys have issues too. Um, I got that all
squared away within about a week. So thank God
for that. The antifungal medicines, one that
I do believe it's called Griseo Fulvin. Correct
me if I'm mispronouncing that word or if that's
not the right one. I do believe that's the one.
Certain HIV medicines, I won't go into that.
Certain anti -seizure medicines. So if you're
on anti -seizure medicine for whatever reason
or you're bipolar and you have bipolar medicine,
those will nullify this ring's effect. It won't
do anything. Another one would be the herb St.
John's wort. I'm not going to go into what that
is. I'm pretty sure there's people out there
who knows what it is. It's a type of drug slash
plant. I'm pretty sure weed addicts definitely
know what it is. I'm not assuming that all of
them do. But if you're taking any of these, you
need to use a condom as well as the ring just
to make sure. Or switch to a different birth
control method altogether. Your doctor or nurse
will help you decide for whatever reason if this
one doesn't work for you, so keep that in mind.
All right? And just to throw this out there,
the ring is easy to use. You insert it in your
vaginal area once a month, okay? You can choose
to get periods every month or you can skip them.
It's, you know, up to you. There's different
sites to learn that tells you how to do this
First things first make sure the package on The
expiration date on the package for the ring hasn't
expired because in this case the material that's
made it will start Breaking down in which case
one of two things can happen one. It'll do nothing,
but it won't protect you second It'll poison
you and the last thing you want is the most The
susceptible area to getting poisoned or STDs
to be that area right there, okay? When you insert
it, oh my god, I can't talk. Why am I reading
this from the, okay. Forgive me for saying this
if this sounds weird, but I'm reading this from
the package. Yeah, I found one for the sake of
the podcast. First things first, wash your hands
with soap and water. Then squeeze the sides of
the ring together with your fingers and push
it into your vagina as gently as possible. Don't
worry about the exact placement. If you can't
feel it when you're walking around, it's in the
right place. Okay? Wow, actually looking at this,
it's very simple. I can't believe people screw
this up. Anyway, when it's time to take out the
ring, just hook your finger through the ring
and pull it out of your vagina. slowly but carefully
because you don't want to just yank it out. You
don't have to take it out during sex or any other
kind of physical activity. It stays there. Once
you've taken out the ring, put it in its foil
wrapper or wrap it in toilet paper or something
and throw it in the trash. Do not flush it. You'll
be helping out the environment if you use the
foil wrapper because it helps keep whatever hormones
are left in the ring from getting into the soil.
And water. And definitely, definitely, like I
said before, do not flush this thing. Now here's
one other thing I'm going to throw in there.
If you want to get your period when you're using
the ring, put a new ring in and keep it there
for three weeks. Then take it out the next week
when it comes around time for your period. After
seven ring -free days, you can put in another
ring. It's okay if you're still bleeding or spotting.
When you put in the new ring, that's normal.
You can safely use tampons and pads or whatever
with the ring. Just be careful if you pull the
ring out when you remove the tampons, okay? You
don't want to do that. But don't use menstrual
cups with the ring, okay? Take out your old ring,
put in the new one on the same day of the week
every time. For example, if you put the ring
in on Sunday, take it out three weeks later on
Sunday, put in the new ring. put the new ring
in seven days later on the same Sunday so your
removal day and new ring day will be the same
okay if you plan on skipping your period it's
very very simple basically you can make sure
to have a new ring every day throughout the month
you can do this two ways you can pick a day always
change your ring on that day for example if you
put your first ring in on the fifth of the month
you can always change your ring on the fifth
of every month okay it's okay to have some months
Some months are a few days longer than others.
You can wear the ring for four weeks, 28 days
straight. Then take it out and put in a new one.
So if you put your first ring in on Monday, you
will always change it every four weeks on a Monday.
You may have some bleeding or spawning for the
first six months when you use the ring, but that's
totally normal and it will eventually go away.
There's nothing dangerous or harmful when using
the ring. to skip your periods and it comes in
really handy if you want a special occasion like
a vacation or a hot date to be completely period
free okay um and like i said before you don't
have to take it out when having sex either okay
Last thing you want to definitely cover for this
specific birth control method, okay? Disadvantages,
side effects, and if you screw up. Simple, right?
Well, let's go with the first thing if you make
a mistake. What do you do if your ring fell out?
It shouldn't happen often, but it does happen
every now and then. If the ring has been out
of your vagina for less than two days, rinse
it with cool water and you can put it back in
right away. If you put it back in within 48 hours,
you're still protected from pregnancy, which
is good. If the ring has been out of your vagina
for more than two days and you're not on your
ring for a week, wash the ring in cold water
and put it back in right away. For the next seven
days, you'll have to use a condom specifically.
Okay? Just to be sure. Because at that point,
it's assuming that the hormones aren't flowing
into your body like they're supposed to be. Okay?
On the other hand, if you normally wear your
ring for three weeks and forget to put in a new
one, if you don't insert the new one at the end
of the ring -free week, put a new one in as soon
as you can and use condoms for the next seven
days. Then change your ring out again after three
weeks on the same day that you put the new one
in, okay? And if you normally wear it but you
forget to take it out, let's say you meant to
take your ring out after three weeks but you
forgot and now you're sitting there in the middle
of your fourth week wondering what you should
do with the ring that's inside you. No worries.
just keep it in there for the rest of the week.
At the end of the fourth week, take it out and
put the new one in and basically go through the
whole cycle again. You'll still be protected
right away, but you'll probably skip your period
for those who aren't trying to skip your period.
If you wear it normally for a month straight
and you didn't change the ring at all, but it's
time to take out the new one and put the new
one in as soon as you can, you still, in that
case, you would have to use condoms specifically
for seven days. until you until the ring is ready
to change again because once you've worn it for
a month you have to wait a week before you put
it back in okay now for the disadvantages real
quick there aren't a whole lot of them so it
shouldn't take very long you have to change the
ring on time every time it's time to change it
okay There can be negative side effects to it,
okay, like I mentioned before. You can have spotting
and bleeding between periods, sore breasts, nausea,
headaches. But again, these should go away after
two to three months of using it. You may also
get a little extra vaginal wetness too from using
the ring. You might also have to change the level
of sexual desire, have a change in your sexual
desire because of the ring. Like you may or may
not want it anymore. It shouldn't make you sick
or uncomfortable, but if it does, you need to
let your doctor know. Luckily, there's other
birth control things you can use if that's a
side effect of using this. Some effects are serious.
Keep that in mind. Though uncommon with the birth
control ring, you still have a higher chance
of very rare but dangerous problems that people
who don't use birth control with hormones experience.
So keep that in mind. Alright? So that's it for
this episode. There was more I wanted to cover
in this one, but due to time constraints, I can't.
So next time I'm going to cover the last two
birth control things you can use, but they have
to be done on schedule, which would be the birth
control patch and the birth control pill. Okay?
That episode should be coming out in about six
to eight hours, so please look forward to that.
Again, this is Neogentrix. Spoon for Thought
Thoughts if it were you. thank you guys for listening
I'll see you guys next time