Saturday, January 30, 2010

Where is Planned Parrenthood when you need it?

I got a flyer in the mail the other week from Baptist Hospital. It's for their classes for the public. I'll retype here: 

Bridal Nerves
When you're a bride-to-be, there's a lot to be happy about. There are a few things that make us nervous, too. Like the first visit to the OB/GYN and adjusting to birth control pills. Join OB/GYNs of the Woman's Clinic and OB-GYN Associates for girl talk and answers from the experts in this class just for brides-to-be.

1. When my brother picked me up in New Orleans 10 years ago to drive me to college, he told me we were stepping back in time 40 years. There are many times he has been wrong. But occasionally (unfortunately), he's right.
2. From purely a health professional viewpoint, this concerns me, because it can make women feel one of two ways:
a. I don't need to go to the OB/GYN until I get married (wrong: even if one has never been sexually active, one should begin to get PAP-smears at the age of 21. Also, there is more to the OB/GYN visit than discussing birth control.
b. That brides should be a virgin. (Also wrong)
3. It bothers me that the only birth control options are pills. We are lucky that women can now chose between patches, vaginal rings, injections, IUDs, condoms, female condoms, diaphragms, tubal ligation, and more when deciding birth control options. And if your MD only discusses pills, find a new one.
Full disclosure: The Woman's Clinic is where my OB/GYN is. He's actually pretty good, and willing to discuss all options. But my previous MD there was TERRIBLE and spent visits making me feel guilty for personal decisions that I feel totally comfortable about.
4. If I were a virginal bride-to-be, I could think of nothing less natural/comfortable than sitting in a room with a bunch of brides-to-be having "girl talk" with a bunch of strangers. The only way this could possibly be fun would be if they had a copy of the old game from the 80s called Girl Talk Girl Talk Wikipedia entry

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