Contraceptives

This post is more about your cervix, girls, than your low dose birth control regime. The photos I’m linking to in this post may be a bit ‘icky’ for some of you but please don’t let it put you off looking at them- they are fantastic and the woman who shares them with us is to be commended for giving us this ‘gift’ of herself.

Do you live period to period when it comes to managing your birth control or do you have a PLAN for the whole 30-35 years of your ‘contraception career’? If you’ve planned your method of birth control and are protecting yourself against STIs for even the next 3 years, well done - but that low dose birth control pill you may be using is only one of the partners on the team. The other important partner in your long term contraception career, apart from your sexual partner(s) that is, is YOUR BODY. The better you know it, the better partner it will be to you during your ‘contraception career’.

Like many young girls , you were  probably offered the low dose birth control pill when you embarked on your ‘contraception career’ and it’s possible that apart from the condom,  all the other birth control methods available (there are14) were not mentioned. Being able to mix n’ match birth control methods is a real advantage as your life changes over the next 30 odd years.  If you know what a cervix looks and feels like (some say it feels like the tip of your nose) you’ll understand better how these different methods work and you may feel less squeamish and more confident about using them.

Knowing what your cervix looks like will add to your knowledge of your body and management of your birth control methods:

• entrance or neck of your uterus/womb- it is through this little opening that the lining of your uterus is shed each month if you do not get pregnant
• ‘fits over the cervix’ - you’ll hear this when discussing how to use a diaphragm, cap, femidom
• cervical mucus- this is where it comes from, what it looks like and how its consistency changes during your menstrual cycle and as a result of using hormonal birth control methods
• cancer ‘of the cervix’ - is cancer of this part of your body
• a cervical smear test or Pap test - sample cells are taken from here to check for abnormalities
• ‘inserted THROUGH the the neck of the cervix’ - it is through this little opening that an IUD is inserted
• “her cervix is fully dilated” - a phrase you’ll hear during labour when a baby is ready to enter the birth canal, the opening is measured in cms and monitored throughout labour (10cms usually means ‘fully dilated’)

Before you click away ‘cos you think the next bit is going to be boring Biology, do you know how your cervix changes on each day of your menstrual cycle and how these changes relate to other monthly changes in your body, PMS included? By the time you’ve finished looking at these photos and reading the captions, I’ll lay a femidom to a condom that you’ll be passing this link onto several of your friends and going “Wow”.

When I took my 13 yr. old daughter with me to watch me have my annual Pap test and to find out what a cervix looked like, eyebrows were raised (this was over 15 years ago) Thank goodness I had a ‘with it’ doctor back then but even these days I do not hear of mum’s being encouraged to give this simple gift to their daughters. That little visit took away any mystery/fear around the test for my daughter when she came to have her own Pap test a few years later and it set the scene for us to talk about sex ’stuff’ when she started having boyfriends.

You’re probably saying, “Forget it- there’s no way I’d go with my mum to watch that!”  Obviously the ‘comfort’ factor for both you and your mum is a big issue here so let’s assume this communal visit ISN’T going to happen - the next best thing you can do to acquaint yourself with this important part of your body is to take a look at these fantastic photos of the changes that occur in your cervix during each day of your menstrual cycle.

The photos of cervical mucus are really helpful too, for those of you well past teenagehood, with regular menstrual cycles and an interest in practising natural birth control.

Yesterday you couldn’t tell your best friend what a cervix looks like could you - today you can - fantastic!

There is not much choice when it comes to short videos about ‘guys bits’ and how they work but I found this one that is pretty clear.

There is also a short video on female reproductive organs on this site too so please check out the Reproductive organs category  or the Videos  in the sidebar.

If you are using an oral contraceptive pill, hormone injection, implants or an IUD (intra uterine device) for your method of birth control and have found some changes in your menstrual bleeding patterns, this useful patient handout may reassure you. It explains some of the ways in which different contraceptives can affect your menstrual cycle and when you should consult your doctor. Usually no action is needed but being informed often allays unnecessary fears.

Most menstrual bleeding changes while using contraceptives are to be expected and are not harmful.

The handout also explains about breakthrough bleeding or spotting between periods.

If you have concerns about your menstrual changes with your contraceptive, don’t
stop using it without talking to your clinician. Often nothing is needed but your health care provider can assess the situation and provide treatment if necessary. Some clinicians suggest using a menstrual diary or calendar to record menstrual changes so that you can have an objective record. The diary will help you remember what changes have occurred so you can tell your clinician.

If you need a reminder about where the menstrual bleeding comes from each month this video will explain.