Birth Control and Diva Cups

The woman's body is a very complicated thing. We learn new things about ourselves every day, mentally and physically, and that will never change. I mean... we create life for god's sake, of course we're complex. The menstrual cycle is always something that has fascinated me. I know... that sounds so weird. But I do. I love it. It's something so powerful; a sign of life, a sign of creation, a sign of a new beginning. Our period though is not so straight forward. So I want to talk about a few things:

How meat is effecting our bodies hormones at such a young age

Birth control and the emotional risks

Diva cups- sustainability and toxic shock syndrome

80% of meat contains added hormones. What does that mean? The FDA claims that these added hormones do not effect the human body and have no further implications on breast cancer, uterine cancer, decreasing mensuration age, etc. BUT where is the research? At what point do you put all faith into government regulations and decide that they must know best. For me? NEVER. Additional hormones can never be good and there have been many connections made to extreme health risks and one of them being that the age of first menstruation has been increasingly getting lower. There have also been studies showing negative consequences of early menstruation such as menopause occurring before the age of 40 and increase in infertility. Needless to say, the lines are blurry between right and wrong, but for me- they are clear. Additional hormones can never be good because every body is different and how those hormones effect you is a crapshoot. I mean does added hormones SOUNDS good? With a plant based diet, you don't have to worry about added antibiotics or hormones added to meat. These hormones and antibiotics are so that these animals grow at an unnatural pace without getting infections. Everything about it is NOT NATURAL.

Now birth control. Boyyyyy do I have a lot to say about birth control and if you know me, you know my opinion on birth control. Let me begin though by saying that it is our right to have birth control and NO ONE can or should take that away from us as women. With that, we also should be well educated on something so powerful. My poor experiences at past OBGYN offices is what lead me on my journey now to become a nurse practitioner. Women should be empowering other women with KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge on your body and how it functions is such a beautiful thing thing.

A little personal note: I was put on birth control at 14 because "I had really bad cramps" which I did, but lets face it- I had my first boyfriend, all my friends were on birth control, I didn't want to be the odd man out. I went to the gyno and she asked me some basic questions and BAM- there I was holding my prescription for birth control. Tiny little pill to take everyday, the same time, and that was it. Sounds amazing, right? Right! (or so I thought). I feel so dumb now as an adult thinking back because not once did possible side effects EVER cross my mind. But, I feel that I'm not alone. You put your trust in these doctors, and these doctors just figure it's your problem if you don't read the fine print. When did education become such a chore? Not part of the job description? If my doctor would have simply said, "There is a potential for side effects that could effect you emotionally, such as depression. You have a follow up in three months, be aware of how you're feeling and we'll discuss it when I see you next", the end of my teens would be a VERY different story. I was depressed, I was manic, I would have anxiety attacks, I had issues with self harm because I didn't know how to handle my anxiety. I was A MESS. But I thought that was me. Damned to a life of misery and I accepted it. I don't know why, but one day I was bored and after picking up my birth control, read the label it came with (which I'm pretty sure is in -78 font size) and the disclaimer for side effects left me speechless. What do you mean possible depression? How do I know? I don't remember when it started? I thought this was just me... So I stopped. Just to see. I don't know how to explain how I felt when all the hormones finally flushed from my system and I was finally...free. Free from myself. Birth control made me my worst enemy. But don't worry, I went back on birth control, many times again because I didn't want to believe it was the birth control. 15 pounds and numerous anxiety attacks later, I have now been off of birth control consistently for almost a year and I finally feel the control that I longed for while growing up.

Reflection: What went wrong? Where did I fail? When did society fail me? Our lack in importance of education is where it went wrong. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. No one thinks to educate you on your medication before it is given to you because that takes TIME, and TIME IS MONEY. So disgraceful honestly. I have heard countless stories where other women went through the same exact thing as me; birth control without education= side effects without explanation. Every woman is different and I can't tell you what is best for your body and mind but I can tell you to be mindful. Be aware of what you're feeling. Test the waters without birth control, see how you feel because YOU NEVER KNOW. I didn't know until I knew, and since I have known, I am forever changed.

While we're talking about our periods, lets talk tampons vs. diva cups. I am bias because I have never liked using tampons BUT my opinion is still valid because it is backed by some facts. TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME IS REAL. Everyone always thinks "never me" until it is you. I recently read an article on a model who lost her legs because of toxic shock syndrome, so I did some research. First, lets back up- what the fuck is a diva cup? and if you DO know what a diva cup is, you may be thinking "That thing is fucking gross". I know. That was my first reaction, although I was curious. A diva cup is self inserted into your vagina during your period and essentially catches you period into a cup and then when ready, you pull it out and empty it and wash it out. I know what you're thinking...BUT- It's just as sanitary. The idea may seem weird and new at first but it is a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to tampons, and guess what?! Only two reports of toxic shock have been reported with use of a diva cup...and they left it in for 7 days. Don't do that...

DISCLAIMER: I have a tilted uterus so unfortunately I can't use the diva cup. That doesn't mean I don't 100% support it. What the hell is a tilted uterus and how do you know if you have one? Here's some more information on a tilted uterus if you're interested http://americanpregnancy.org/womens-health/tipped-uterus/.

It effects a few things but it also makes using a diva cup very difficult. I haven't given up though and I want to try different brands to see if different shapes work better for me. You can wear a diva cup up to 12 hours which is awesome and eliminates the argument of, "What if I'm not near a sink to clean it?". I'm sure you'll be in sinks reach within a 12 hour span, stop making excuses! It is weird and new at first, kind of funky to figure out BUT so was a tampon your first time. My first tampon experience was a horror story.

Diva cups are better for the environment and decrease your risk of toxic shock syndrome, they're a win in my book.