Tag Archives: Plan B

Conclusion Of 2016 Video Series On ‘The Morning After Pill’ – Emergency Contraceptives – All Around The World

Contraceptives Reproductive Health No Comments

Last year SuzyKnew! took you all around the world where lovely ladies of color live to see what types and brands of emergency contraceptives we could find.

We visited 10 cities across Africa, Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean. SuzyKnew! visited Hyattsville, MD, USA, Hilton Head, SC, USA, Lagos, Nigeria, Paris, France, Strasbourg, France, Zurich, Switzerland, Johannesburg, South Africa, Cotonou, Benin, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Luanda, Angola.

We mainly found Norlevo and Ella One – especially in Europe. In the States Plan B and Postinor prevailed. In the U.S., there was usually one brand name product available and a generic but one of the products was usually stocked out.  Europe was better stocked and places like Cotonou, Port-au-Prince and Luanda had a wider selection at least at the pharmacies SuzyKnew! visited.

Prices were as low as one or two dollars in places like Lagos, Nigeria to $50 in Zurich, Switzerland. Prices were the highest in the U.S. and Switzerland and lowest in Africa and the Caribbean. Most pharmacies didn’t mind the attention or question.  Pharmacy workers in the U.S. were the most uncomfortable when they saw me with my cell phone video taping.

The good news, ladies, is we do have choices out there, if we’re out there traveling. But, some pharmacies in Africa and the Caribbean were offering products at suspiciously low prices with questionable names and labeling. So, select a product you’re familiar with when possible.

In 2017, SuzyKnew! will start a new video series. We want to interview you on the sexual or reproductive health topic that concerns you the most. Email us at SuzyKnew@suzyknew.com to get an exclusive interview.

Keep it sexy!

Keep it healthy!

SuzyKnew!

How Easy Is It To Find Emergency Contraception?

Contraceptives Opinion Reproductive Health No Comments

Happy New Year!  Thanks for following SuzyKnew!

We’re starting a video series to find out how easy – or hard – is it to find emergency contraceptives in your local, neighborhood pharmacy.

We’ll be going to pharmacies around the U.S., UK, Nigeria, Angola, France and more countries to check out and see what’s going on.

Our first video is at the Rite Aid on Baltimore Avenue in Hyattsville, MD.

Rite Aid only had two choices for Emergency Contraception.  Take a look at the video to find out which ones are there. Or click here.

Dr. Drai Tells You 5 Things You Need To Know About Plan B

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5-things-know-about-vagina

Hi #GYNEGirls, #Preggos, and #GENTs! It’s me- Dr. Drai #AmericasOBGYN. Ya’ll already know that I am still busy balancing Werking as a DOC versus Werking as a media personality. Sometimes I’m TIRED.com. Ladies- you know I LOVE you right? Let me just be honest with you. You gurls have been wearing me out in the office with this one especially on Mondays. Hint Hint. Plan B is an emergency birth control that is used to stop you from getting #preggo after having not so protected sex. You would use Plan B if you just didn’t use a condom. Dr. Drai is rolling his eyes right now. You would also use Plan B if the condom breaks or slips off. This pill will also be given to you if you were raped. By now you know that Plan B is over the counter. Back in the day you had to take 2 pills but now it’s only 1 pill. Let’s talk about 6 things you need to know about Plan B.

1. You must take Plan B within 72 hours (3 days) of having unprotected sex. It decreases your chances of pregnancy by 95% if taken within 24 hours.

2. Plan B does not cause abortions. It won’t work if you are already pregnant.

3. Plan B won’t work if you weight more than 176 pounds.

4. Nausea & vomiting is a common side effect of taking Plan B. If you vomit within 2 hours after taking it, it won’t work.

5. Taking Plan B may cause you to have irregular periods.

If Plan B doesn’t work out for you, remember you can get the Paraguard IUD (copper IUD) inserted by your DOC in your uterus within 5 days of having unprotected sex. Oh and one more thing make sure the condom always fits. Until next time…

Mother’s Day Is Over. But, How Do You Make Sure You Don’t Celebrate It Next Year?

Contraceptives Reproductive Health No Comments

Last Sunday, there were many happy people – especially mothers – celebrating Mother’s Day.

Now that’s it over, how do you make sure you aren’t on the receiving end of a “Happy Mother’s Day!” greeting next year? How do you remain kid-free? We don’t all want kids. Or, if we do, we don’t necessarily want them right now.

Assuming you’ve got a good contraception game plan (see Contraceptives for more), it ‘s good to know you can skip down to your corner drug store and get yourself some Emergency Contraception – that’s EC for short also called “the morning after pill” – if the condom busts or whatever…

Yep. No need to shell out money for a doctor’s visit, let alone taking off from work for a  prescription you might not even be able to get in time. The new US law requiring pharmacists to sell Emergency Contraception without a prescription to girls 15 and older went into effect last April.  Just make sure you take your Next Choice One Dose, Plan B, Ella, or whatever brand you chose within 72 hours of the deed. Five EC brands are available in the US. Other countries may have a larger or smaller choice of brands.

Ella – approved for use up to 5 days after unprotected sex –  is the most effective of the EC pills but may be a little more expensive. And, ladies, EC is not an abortion. EC prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb. Until the egg is attached to the womb, you are not pregnant.  You can also have an IUD inserted if you can get an appointment in time and shell out the dough ($400 – $1,000), if you don’t have insurance.

On a more sobering note, getting an abortion is getting tougher in the US.  Months after Roe vs Wade marked its 40th anniversary, more states are putting in restrictive laws. But, one in 3 women in the US will have an abortion in her lifetime.  And, women of color are more likely to have an abortion than white women. But, we’re very unlikely to tell our stories.  A piece in Ebony exposes the problem eloquently.

Statistics show making abortion illegal or legal has no effect on the total number of abortions performed in the world.  But, legalizing abortion dramatically reduces the likelihood a woman will die or have serious medical complications from an abortion.  About half of all pregnancies that occur in a year are unwanted, and nearly half of these women chose to terminate their pregnancy.  Around the world, 42 million women choose to terminate their pregnancy each year with close to half of those (20 million) being illegal.

Wishing you another kid-free Mother’s Day – if that’s your choice!

 

Surprise! The Contraceptive Method That Is Increasingly Popular Among US Women

Contraceptives No Comments

When you think of your options regarding contraception you usually think of the pill – whether its the new one that let’s you go period-free or a more traditional one –  condoms and maybe the IUD and injectables.

And when you think of new contraceptive trends you may think of the patch or ring.  So, you probably wouldn’t guess the method that is increasingly popular among women in the United States is actually emergency contraception.  Also, known as “the morning after pill” and by brand names like Plan B, Postinor 1 and 2, and NorLevo, emergency contraception (EC) is taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex for maximum effectiveness.

EC was introduced in the States in the late 1990’s and at the time only 1 percent of women said they had ever tried them. Today, more than 11% of American women report having ever used the method.  This is triple the proportion of women who said they had used EC in the early 2000’s.

Introduced as an option to be used when contraception fails (read broken condom) or after unprotected sex (read the throes of passion got the best of you), most women report they have used EC only once or twice.  Women between 20 – 24 years are the most likely to have used EC; almost one in 4 women report using EC. For the full article click here. For more on emergency contraceptive by SuzyKnew go here.

The increasing popularity of the method may be a  result of improved access. You can get EC at a pharmacy without a prescription if you’re 17 years old. Also, advertising in women’s magazines, social media, etc may put this method increasingly in women’s hands.

Whatever the reason, it’s good to see women exploring their choices when it comes to contraception.