That 2017 study is driving me up a goddamn wall. So little funding for this, and then we get this one piece of evidence for which they concluded "yes it's true but we're not sure if the obese people just received worse care or something and, overall, don't worry about it." I'm taking some license with the abstract here but it's not far off. Pretty enraging.
Great article! I’m also one of the people who first heard about Plan B’s weight limit while watching Shrill. At first I thought it was just a plot twist and had to look it up because I just couldn’t believe it! I used Plan B in the past and at the time when I did I was close to the upper end of its weight limit but had no idea. It still gives me the chills.
Re: IUD insertion. I had a copper IUD inserted at one point and my cervix just wouldn’t open so they gave me misoprostol and the whole thing went very smoothly. I don’t know why they don’t just do that as a matter of course. Now the severe cramping and bleeding I had during my IUD tenure was miserable. I’ve had unmedicated labor and I’ve had IUD menstrual cramps and the IUD menstrual cramps were worse. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about birth control for myself anymore but it’s so unnecessarily rough out there.
The copper IUD (paragard) was a nightmare for my cramps too -- I def don't recommend it to anyone with endometriosis because it just let it go full force. The mirena IUD has a low dose of estrogen that erases my periods and cramps COMPLETELY and is an actual game-changer in my ability to live my life. So just adding that footnote for any IUD-curious readers -- there are two different kinds and they are very very different!
I already knew about the weight limitations of Plan B, but seeing it written down like this really brings it home. This excludes so, so, so many people, and is grounded in the idea that women are innately small, dainty and light as a feather - which many of us are not, regardless of BMI.
I had NO IDEA about Plan B and weight limits. Wow. That should be in bold letters on the package! Now I need to go google why that is. I’m assuming hormone levels? Could the manufacturer change it to be something like take 1 pill if you weigh between these amounts, 2 pills for this weight range, 3 for this range? Dang. Wow. Thanks for that info.
I haven’t had an IUD inserted, but I had a uterine biopsy and I passed out from the pain. No one should have to go through that. It makes me so angry that we’ve allowed women to suffer like this from the beginning of time.
I am totally dumbfounded by the weight limit of Plan B working. This just really was something I had no idea about. I will definitely make sure to share this information with my friends. Thank you!
I think IUD insertion experiences are such a mixed bag. I’ve had more than one put in and aside from some moderate pressure / discomfort and cramping it was not awful. I was advised to pre-medicate with a large dose (I think 800 mg) of ibuprofen which probably helped. I also had experienced providers (Planned Parenthood and experienced family practice physicians) who were doing the insertion which probably made a big difference. On the other hand, I had a friend who passed out in an airport bathroom the day after her IUD insertion. Fun fact: stimulation of the cervix can cause a vasovagal response which can trigger dizziness / lightheadedness / sweating / nausea.
I did take Plan B once when I was 24 (the summer before my second year of grad school). At the time my husband and I were talking about getting engaged a few months later, but I had a 600 hour unpaid internship to complete that year as part of getting my MS in school counseling and had zero desire to be pregnant during that (I had had a UTI and took antibiotics for it; I forgot in the moment of us having sex that antibiotics can decrease the effectiveness of the pill which is why I took Plan B). I was below 155 at the time and I did not get pregnant.
I have never used an IUD, and my husband and I haven’t used hormonal birth control since I went off the pill in fall of 2015. We have used condoms at times. We used them until my period came back after having Hannah- we avoided the fertile window from when she was 6 months-11 months old and then started low key trying again. We also used them a bit when I was waiting for my period to return after the second miscarriage because I was cautioned against the possibility of getting pregnant without having a reliable date for my last period, but because that miscarriage took nearly two months to fully resolve, we basically just had to avoid sex altogether for a long time (that was the only time I was glad when my period started- I still remember the date was July 19, 2021; my previous period had been March 20, and I found out I was pregnant April 21/found out I had had a missed miscarriage at my first ultrasound on May 24; I was bleeding off and on from May 25-July 7).
Since I have dealt with infertility and recurrent miscarriages I have had many painful experiences in addition to having my daughter (I got the epidural as soon as I could during labor due to my sister telling me about how horrible her pain was when she waited too long to get it with her first son, so I actually didn’t feel like childbirth hurt nearly as bad as my second miscarriage when I had episodes of hemorrhaging that required immediate care from my doctor).
I have been talking to all the gen Z crowd at work about birth control (especially since my niece got pregnant 3 times with an IUD because her IUD was not placed correctly, and she now has a 2 month old baby who was very wanted but certainly not planned and her baby’s father isn’t involved at all in his life; her mom is taking care of the baby now that my niece has started working again, and my mother-in-law is driving my niece to and from work until she can get a car). Most have an IUD themselves and are actively trying to avoid getting pregnant until they feel “ready” to have kids which they think will be at least 3-5 years from now.
That 2017 study is driving me up a goddamn wall. So little funding for this, and then we get this one piece of evidence for which they concluded "yes it's true but we're not sure if the obese people just received worse care or something and, overall, don't worry about it." I'm taking some license with the abstract here but it's not far off. Pretty enraging.
Yes it's WILD how many questions it leaves unanswered!
Great article! I’m also one of the people who first heard about Plan B’s weight limit while watching Shrill. At first I thought it was just a plot twist and had to look it up because I just couldn’t believe it! I used Plan B in the past and at the time when I did I was close to the upper end of its weight limit but had no idea. It still gives me the chills.
Re: IUD insertion. I had a copper IUD inserted at one point and my cervix just wouldn’t open so they gave me misoprostol and the whole thing went very smoothly. I don’t know why they don’t just do that as a matter of course. Now the severe cramping and bleeding I had during my IUD tenure was miserable. I’ve had unmedicated labor and I’ve had IUD menstrual cramps and the IUD menstrual cramps were worse. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about birth control for myself anymore but it’s so unnecessarily rough out there.
The copper IUD (paragard) was a nightmare for my cramps too -- I def don't recommend it to anyone with endometriosis because it just let it go full force. The mirena IUD has a low dose of estrogen that erases my periods and cramps COMPLETELY and is an actual game-changer in my ability to live my life. So just adding that footnote for any IUD-curious readers -- there are two different kinds and they are very very different!
I already knew about the weight limitations of Plan B, but seeing it written down like this really brings it home. This excludes so, so, so many people, and is grounded in the idea that women are innately small, dainty and light as a feather - which many of us are not, regardless of BMI.
Yes the way it upholds purity culture AND myths about which women are fuckable...
I had NO IDEA about Plan B and weight limits. Wow. That should be in bold letters on the package! Now I need to go google why that is. I’m assuming hormone levels? Could the manufacturer change it to be something like take 1 pill if you weigh between these amounts, 2 pills for this weight range, 3 for this range? Dang. Wow. Thanks for that info.
I haven’t had an IUD inserted, but I had a uterine biopsy and I passed out from the pain. No one should have to go through that. It makes me so angry that we’ve allowed women to suffer like this from the beginning of time.
I am totally dumbfounded by the weight limit of Plan B working. This just really was something I had no idea about. I will definitely make sure to share this information with my friends. Thank you!
So glad to be spreading the word!
I think IUD insertion experiences are such a mixed bag. I’ve had more than one put in and aside from some moderate pressure / discomfort and cramping it was not awful. I was advised to pre-medicate with a large dose (I think 800 mg) of ibuprofen which probably helped. I also had experienced providers (Planned Parenthood and experienced family practice physicians) who were doing the insertion which probably made a big difference. On the other hand, I had a friend who passed out in an airport bathroom the day after her IUD insertion. Fun fact: stimulation of the cervix can cause a vasovagal response which can trigger dizziness / lightheadedness / sweating / nausea.
I did take Plan B once when I was 24 (the summer before my second year of grad school). At the time my husband and I were talking about getting engaged a few months later, but I had a 600 hour unpaid internship to complete that year as part of getting my MS in school counseling and had zero desire to be pregnant during that (I had had a UTI and took antibiotics for it; I forgot in the moment of us having sex that antibiotics can decrease the effectiveness of the pill which is why I took Plan B). I was below 155 at the time and I did not get pregnant.
I have never used an IUD, and my husband and I haven’t used hormonal birth control since I went off the pill in fall of 2015. We have used condoms at times. We used them until my period came back after having Hannah- we avoided the fertile window from when she was 6 months-11 months old and then started low key trying again. We also used them a bit when I was waiting for my period to return after the second miscarriage because I was cautioned against the possibility of getting pregnant without having a reliable date for my last period, but because that miscarriage took nearly two months to fully resolve, we basically just had to avoid sex altogether for a long time (that was the only time I was glad when my period started- I still remember the date was July 19, 2021; my previous period had been March 20, and I found out I was pregnant April 21/found out I had had a missed miscarriage at my first ultrasound on May 24; I was bleeding off and on from May 25-July 7).
Since I have dealt with infertility and recurrent miscarriages I have had many painful experiences in addition to having my daughter (I got the epidural as soon as I could during labor due to my sister telling me about how horrible her pain was when she waited too long to get it with her first son, so I actually didn’t feel like childbirth hurt nearly as bad as my second miscarriage when I had episodes of hemorrhaging that required immediate care from my doctor).
I have been talking to all the gen Z crowd at work about birth control (especially since my niece got pregnant 3 times with an IUD because her IUD was not placed correctly, and she now has a 2 month old baby who was very wanted but certainly not planned and her baby’s father isn’t involved at all in his life; her mom is taking care of the baby now that my niece has started working again, and my mother-in-law is driving my niece to and from work until she can get a car). Most have an IUD themselves and are actively trying to avoid getting pregnant until they feel “ready” to have kids which they think will be at least 3-5 years from now.