# Help me out here, what am I missing in this contraception controversy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-here-what-am-i-missing-in-this-contraception-controversy/770406>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 1, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-here-what-am-i-missing-in-this-contraception-controversy/770406 "2016-11-01T23:02:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-here-what-am-i-missing-in-this-contraception-controversy/770406/121 "2016-11-07T16:48:31Z")

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> [@Spice\_Weasel](#):
>
> You are right **Memnon** , those comments are incredibly sexist and offensive.
> 
> As is the assumption that women should be by themselves responsible for birth control.
> 
> I think one lesson we can definitely learn from this is that fucking with our hormones sucks, whether we are men or women. I have hormonal issues without birth control (PMDD, endometriosis) so I have to take it to function. The side effects can be terrible. I’ve tried the following birth control methods, with either no success or initial success that eventually failed: ortho tri-cyclen, Yaz, Depo, The ring, and the Mirena IUD (those are the ones I remember.) I’m currently on a monophasic that works less and less better with every passing day. I have experienced severe cramping, diarrhea, suicidal depression, anxiety, irritability, acne, etc. etc. I suspect I’m going to eventually have endometrial ablation to hold off for the next few years, and maybe then I’ll get the rubber stamp for a hysterectomy.
> 
> Birth control sucks. It just sucks. Whether this particular male contraceptive is effective enough to justify the side-effects is an important question. But the deeper, underlying question is: _Why should women have to bear the entire burden?_
> 
> There’s no good answer for this.

My wife is going through the same thing. I’m sorry to hear that your experience is so similar to hers.

She was going to have the second proceedure done (ablation) next week but she chose to put it off. She used to be told that if she had a hysto she would be cured of it, but it doesn’t seem to be the common thought anymore. She is 27.

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-here-what-am-i-missing-in-this-contraception-controversy/770406/122 "2016-11-07T17:21:11Z")

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> [@Spice\_Weasel](#):
>
> And yes, it’s hard enough to get a tubal much less a hysterectomy if you haven’t had children.

While dinking around online a while back, I found a blog from a family who had a teenage daughter with a rare genetic disorder, and she had terrible problems with her menstrual cycles. A gynecologist wanted to do a hysterectomy (it sounded like it would have been a good idea anyway; her issues were that severe) but s/he couldn’t because in their state, it is illegal to sterilize mentally disabled people EVEN IF IT IS MEDICALLY NECESSARY.

:smack:

She wasn’t needing this operation for sterilization. She needed it for health reasons! Insane.

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