The October 2009 issue of WOMEN’S HEALTH says that birth control is not clinically proven to cause weight gain. But this hasn’t been my experience; in the three years that I’ve been on it, my face grew unrecognizable and while my arms stayed skinny the rest of me ballooned out. This summer I was away from my husband for five weeks and forgot to pack the birth control.
While it was earlier than I planned to go off, I knew from the stories of friends that it could take a while to get pregnant. The dilemma I had was what to do with the four remaining months supply I had to go through complicated logistics to make sure I had living overseas. Each trip to the US meant I had to check my inventory and since I didn’t have a regular doctor, this meant I had to use various clinics all over the country depending on where my trips took me. Waiting rooms full of people without health insurance were a part of this journey but a discussion for another time.
There are four remain NuvaRings in my refrigerator. And while I’ve been off birth control for four months and have no intention of going back on until we have as yet unconcealed baby, I can’t bring myself to throw them out. I see them in the doorway of the fridge, tucked behind the plastic partition reserved for the butter.
I want to throw it out because I know the doctor’s office won’t issue more than four at a time because they are time sensitive. But I think of the hours I waited in California while my students were attending classes during a cultural exchange – ditto in North Carolina – or the harried visits to D.C. with my husband waiting downstairs impatiently in the car.
I resent the birth control because I feel it was in my life under false pretenses; if it’s taken me four months to get pregnant then were all those convoluted plans over the last three years of my marriage wasted, including the only time I’ve been angry with one of my bridesmaids for not fulfilling an out of state prescription before showing up for the rehearsal dinner?
We’ll see. For now I’m contemplating the radical idea of no more birth control in life. No more pounds (or at least not as many).
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I guess this means that birth control is not available in the Gulf? An idea for a post perhaps? Why can't or rather couldn't you get the rings where you're living? Birth control in the Middle East. Hmm. Fascinating, to me at least.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent blog. Thanks. I am so at the other side of these issues, since my younger daughter graduates from college in December. But it all comes tumbling back--reading these posts. My husband and I waited--intentionally--almost seven years to have children. I bet the tongues were wagging but oddly I don't remember anybody ever asking us those questions: "When?" "Why not now" "Is something wrong?"
Thanks Carol. It is funny how things are very specific to communities. We just saw photos of Halloween from friends who all have six month to one year old infants. A regular colony.
ReplyDeleteThere are pills only available here which limits options for women considerably. Given that many countries probably don't think birth control should be a woman's choice, I suppose this is radical. But I could never remember to take them!