Contraception Confidential
The following tip is brought to you by a delightful feminist I have known since Madonna’s Erotica album was considered a new release. That’s a long time, gang! I am fortunate that I have a non-hormonal birth control method that I adore (the vasectomy), so what follows is for my hetero sisters on the lookout for all the information and advice they can get:
I would post this myself but I’m worried that my mother will freak out. But please share with all your lady friends–this is information that every woman should be aware of!
Last week, I hit day 36 of my cycle with no sign of bleeding. 36 days is the longest I’ve ever gone, so I knew something was up. I took myself off The Patch last year because I didn’t like the hormonal side effects, but I haven’t come up with a method I do like.
I didn’t want to wait much longer to find out if I was pregnant or not, so I did some research. For the last few months, I’ve been taking Yogi Tea’s Women’s Moon Cycle during PMS, to counter cramps, etc. On the package, I noted that it says you should not take it if you are pregnant. The active ingredient is Dong Quai. I looked it up, and sure enough, Dong Quai taken in high enough doses will cause uterine contractions and aid the onset of menstruation. So on day 38, I bought a bottle at Whole Foods and started taking 1000 mg every 4 hours. After 2 days, I started bleeding! This will not work for people who are 6 weeks pregnant or more, but if you are very early, it will work.
I seriously felt like I was subverting the patriarchy when it was over. Why doesn’t everyone know about this? Pass it on!
