Summary: Are you interested in having a child or perhaps avoiding pregnancy? What are your best options for either?The following is a transcript of an interview between host Christopher Springmann and guest, Dr. Alyssa Dweck... Christopher Springmann: I’m Christopher Springmann and you’re listening to Body Language. Are you interested in having a child or perhaps avoiding pregnancy? Both are attainable, sustainable and worthy goals; however, the ideal to time consider the alternatives and consequences is right now, before you dive into your lover’s... heart. Our next guest has had this discussion on a daily basis with her patients and their partners; she is Dr. Alyssa Dweck, OB/Gyn, obstetrician and gynecologist. Speaking of health literacy, Dr. Dweck – and thank you for joining us again on Body Language. I learned something today. Well, I learn something every time I read your book, V is for Vagina: Your A-Z Guide to Periods, Piercings, Pleasures, and So Much More. I learned today, in your chapter on birth control, which is quite extensive, that a woman’s cervix feels like the tip of your nose. I had… Well, obviously, I had no idea. Dr. Alyssa Dweck, MD: Right, this is correct. And you know, so many women will come in, and they might be doing a little self-exploration, and feel inside the vagina, and they panic, thinking that perhaps they have a lump or a mass, or something really scary on the inside. And it turns out that it’s really just their cervix they’re feeling. So, often, I will try to reassure someone, and tell them, “This will feel like the tip of your nose. It’s that same cartilaginous type of tissue.” CS: I am reading “Chapter D as in Diaphragm, Ring, Pill, Patch, Sponge, Condom, Cap, IUD, Abstinence and All That Stuff About Birth Control,” in V is for Vagina. You say in the beginning that you often speak to ladies about birth control. Since you’re an OB/GYN, that probably happens all the time. And you hear a heap of horror stories. Everything from broken condoms to a surprise trip to “Baby-ville . . . ” Most of us, Doctor, who need, want, and just gotta have birth control, want the safest, easiest, and most fool-proof method in the whole wide universe. Is that too much to ask? Is that too much to ask, Dr. Dweck? AD: I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all. We’re very lucky that we have a lot of different choices at our disposal, and I like to try to individualize different forms of birth control for different people, and their needs at different times in their lives. CS: And their lifestyle choices. Well, let’s discuss the barrier method. The whole plan there is to avoid or evade having the sperm transcend the cervix, migrate into the uterus, and go up even further to the fallopian tube, where that sperm – or perhaps all of them – may meet up with an egg that has migrated down from the ovary. Is that a fairly accurate description of what we’re trying to avoid? AD: I think that’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid, and the barrier methods are typically very easy. They don’t generally need a prescription, and they’re accessible to many. So, condoms, of course, are your most common barrier method. Easy to use – this is the male condom that I’m talking about – and they are reasonably priced in most cases, and oftentimes will be given away in… CS: In cereal boxes? (laughs) AD: … in clinics. (laughs) Haven’t seen them in cereal boxes yet. CS: Actually, they should be in cereal boxes, and candy bars, too. AD: Not a bad idea. But these work very well. I’d say they have about a 15% failure rate with good use, and so they’re not perfect, but they do certainly serve the purpose. They’re very helpful for people who want to avoid hormones. And the other benefit that we always have to bring up is the prevention of STDs that they afford, because many of the other birth control methods will not prevent sexual infections. CS: I’m happy to offer some free advice here. One way to assure that your partner is wearing a condom is
