Hey guys! Chapter 5 is all about Reproductive choices, which ones are available, how they work, and which are best for your lifestyle.
The first topic I wanna talk about in this Chapter is the types of contraception available to men and women. The most common type of contraception that is available to men that is non surgical is the use of condoms. The most common surgical method is a vasectomy, which involves either block or cutting the vas deferens, which is a tube that delivers sperm to the semen. There are other methods in the works, such as a shot, and male birth control pills, but as of right now they are not really effective or studied well enough. The most common birth control for college age men and women is the male condom, however a close second in hormonal birth control pills for women (Donatelle 104). Women have a myriad of options in birth control, because some women have deleterious effects when on certain options. For instance, you might want to take hormonal pills, but they might give you acne or make your menstruation worse, so maybe an IUD would be better for you. There are so many options, like hormonal shots, the patch, diaphragms, etc. However, what I’ve learned is that not every option works for everyone, so do your research and make an informed decision.
The second topic I liked was about Emergency Contraception, my girlfriend is a nurse and she sees so many young women come in and not even realize they are pregnant. This subject needs to be more openly understood and educated to younger kids. Emergency contraception is a useful tool for unprotected sex of any sort. This chapter talked about how effective it is, and something I also did not know, which is that if you are already pregnant the pill will not harm the pregnancy. Teenagers need to understand that the morning after pill is highly effective, reducing the risk of pregnancy up to 95% if taken within 3 days, but less effective if taken after that. They work in the same way that hormonal birth control pills work, by delaying ovulation or blocking implantation of a fertilized egg (Donatelle 113). However, it may be a useful tool, but should not be the method every time. Plan B should not be taken often, and only for emergency situations. It can mess with a women’s hormones and also it does not prevent STI’s.
The last topic I am passionate about is family planning/planning a pregnancy. I am not aiming to be a father for a long time, my girlfriend and I are very serious about our relationship and it should be a conversation you have with a long term partner. We have decided to not have kids until we are financially stable and after our careers have more consistency. This chapter helped me understand that there are plenty of ways to prepare for having a child, so that when I do, I will be as ready as I can be (which will be very scary). There are a couples sides to this, you have the financial aspect which means the average cost of having a baby, and also the physical and emotional aspect of having a child. Financially, it costs roughly $230,000 dollars to raise a child to 18, not including college. A lot of that cost will probably be in the first few years of birth as well, and I can only assume that number will increase in the next few years. Physically and emotionally, people who are in better health usually have healthier babies, so if you don’t exercise regularly, you really should. Bad habits like smoking and binge drinking can affect the baby severely if you are a women, and still badly if you are the father (Donatelle 121). Some birth defects and mental illnesses have been linked to the parents being exposed to chemicals and other deleterious substances, so stay away if you want a healthy baby. Women need pre natal vitamins as well, there are specific ones we know that prevent issues. For example folic acid helps prevent spine bifida, which is when the spine and spinal cord don’t form correctly. Family planning is a serious matter, and knowing all of your options and facts will never hurt.
This week was my birthday week, I turned 22 on Tuesday. I celebrated with my girlfriend that day, and at night my family and I went to go see my father in the hospital. This week was a lot harder to get my body moving, especially with the lack of calories. I keep forging on though and doing my ankle exercises. I’ve been running consistently and I feel great in that department, but still a long way to go.
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