I am in a very weird period of my life right now. Most of my friends are married, with children mind you or having babies while I’m over here trying to figure this thing called life out. My twenty year old self would have naturally assumed that at my current age I would for sure be a mother of at least one child by now. I wouldn’t be surprised if my Mum shared that sentiment as well. I am an aunty to a beautiful baby boy named Leilan and I couldn’t be more obsessed with another human being and these beautiful images captured by Jess Baumung got me thinking…am I ready for this now or is this still part of my 3 year plan? Well, if I was to make a decision based the comments on a recent Instagram post with my little nugget, apparently I look like a natural with 6 month baby on my hip. That may be true for a couple hours but I can guarantee you it’s because I know I am returning him back to his loving parents. I doubt I would I look this effortless, rested and smiling as a full time Mommy! Shooting with him and seeing these adorable photos let’s me foreshadow what my future could look like with a child within the next 3 years and seeing all his parents do for him is a reminder that now is still not the right time for me. With a few career changes under my belt, I still need time to get my shit together and plan my next steps to building my brand. So in the meantime until I am certain I’m ready, I will just steal this chubby chunk as much as I possibly can!

I have something to share that just may surprise you all. I have never taken birth control. Shocking, I know. Besides protecting myself the good old fashioned way of either abstinence or condoms, I was never an advocate for women taking birth control pills. My views about prescription medication differs from majority of the population. I have suffered an illness for almost half my life and have watched meds wreak havoc on my body. Consequently, I have been condition to believe that there is no need for me to play God and intercept my body’s natural rhythm of menstruation and ovulation because how could there not be any ramifications from doing that, right? I have watched so many of my friends come off the pill after being on it for 15-20 years to find out they are unable to get pregnant and/or suffering from severe cystic acne issues or endometriosis. This clearly didn’t help the thoughts I’ve had. I decided it was time for me to sit down and chat with a doctor to discuss my thoughts, concerns and to learn more about all the options that are currently available to women in hopes that more clarification will help me and some of you guys make the right decision for you bodies too.

Photos by Jess Baumung

Dr. Christine Palmay’s focuses on preventative medicine and women’s health so she was understanding of my trepidation with traditional medicine making her the perfect fit to chat with me about this topic. We jumped right into the topic of the pill within minutes and she pointed out that birth control pills have gotten a bad rap over the past few years for various reasons but that doesn’t mean that women shouldn’t explore other forms of contraception. We both agreed on one thing…studies for the pill are almost always done in very controlled environments in perfect setting on lab rats, so it’s no surprise that findings always showed the pill having 99.7% effective rate but, “failure rates in real life can be a bit higher” says Dr. Palmay. “Life is busy and complicated for most, making it difficult for women to take the pill at the exact same time of the day.” I know personally with my schedule, it would literally be impossible to do. But what about the complaints of infertility and acne when coming off the pill? Doc explains that the pill is often times takes the heat for issues and complications when in actuality taking it daily could have helped problems that would have been present years before the patient began taking this form of contraception. So essentially, if a young woman begins taking the pill at 15 before real acne issues set in, it could just be covering up the problem that won’t be discovered until she stops taking the pill entirely. So if you’re not entirely down for the pill like me, what other options do you have if sporting a baby bump is not the look you’re going for next season? Turns out, there are many options available and from the sounds of it, something for (almost) everyone.

1. Long Acting Non-Daily Contraceptives

The options under this category is probably going to be the most appealing for women who have a very busy career, hectic lifestyle. You have probably heard of a long acting non-daily contraceptive (IUS/IUD) already but once this T-shaped device is inserted into the uterus by a physician, you literally don’t have to think about it for another 3-5 years. The IUS is 99.8% effective with typical and slowly releases hormones over time which thins the lining of the uterus and thickens the cervical mucus preventing sperms from penetrating through the cervical canal. If you’re worried about the surge of hormones via an IUS, you can always consider a Copper Intrauterine Device (IUD) which just changes the chemistry in the uterus and prevents sperm from fertilizing the egg. An interesting fact, pregnancy rates for women after the removal of an IUS were shown to be about the same as for those who had never used one. Meaning majority of women who wanted to get pregnant and removing it were able to do so within a year. Possible side effects can include irregular or increase bleeding within the first few months, depression, acne, headache and breast tenderness and it may fall out in up to 6% of women.

2. Short Term Contraceptives

If you’re open to an option that involves a little more attention in regards to time, the Patch or the Ring could be viable options for you. The former is a small adhesive patch that continuously releases estrogen and a progestin into the bloodstream, which stops the ovaries from releasing an egg and is a weekly contraception. Although its effective rate is 92%, risks from using the patch are assumed to be very similar to combined pill and is not suitable for smokers over the age of 35 or women of that age that suffer from migraines. The downside, it could detach from the skin or cause side effects such as irregular bleeding and headaches. The latter I am discovering there are more women than I thought that have turned to this form of contraceptive. It is inserted into the vagina and slowly releases hormones, estrogen and progestin for 3 weeks. It also prevents pregnancy by stopping the ovaries from releasing an egg. Side effects are very similar to the patch in addition to a very small risk of the ring falling out or it causing vaginal discomfort/irritation.

3. Barrier Methods

We are all aware of the most well known barrier methods – condoms and spermicides but used less than these two is a Diaphragm which is a latex or silicone cap meant to be used in conjunction with a spermicide that covers the cervix and prevents sperm from getting past. The effective rate is almost 10% lower but it can also help prevent some sexually transmitted infections and cervical dysplasia. The downside…may increase the risk of reoccurring UTI’s and you really requires proper knowledge and practice for proper insertion so that it stays in place. Also, if you have a sensitivity or allergy to latex, this is not the option for you.

4. Surgical Procedures

For women seeking permanent contraception, I would suggest you turn to Tubal Litigation. This is a permanent option that surgically detaches the fallopian tubes so that the egg literally never meets the sperm. The World Health Organization cites a failure rate after the procedure of 0.5% which is great but there are some short term complications that you will need to be made aware of which can include; anaesthesia related risk, bleeding, and infection or damage to the bowel, bladder and blood vessels

There’s a lot to digest here for sure and I can agree that there are some benefits with using any of these aforementioned forms of contraception. Said benefits can potentially come at a cost of suffering from one or more side effects though. We are all unique and there isn’t one form of contraception that is best for all women across the board, but I do agree with Dr. Palmay, women should be well educated on the topic so they are able to make an informed decision for their body. If you want to learn more about options available to you, head to BirthControlForme.ca or speak with your healthcare practitioner. Follow along on other women’s 3 year goal plans by using the hashtag #3YearGoals on social media

This post was sponsored by BirthControlForme.ca  but all opinions on this subject are that of my own