Hacks for People with Vaginas that Nobody Told You
Posted by Reilly Wieland
October 24, 2017
I am forever in awe of the bond forged between women on the basis of trading advice. There is a special place in my heart for every woman who has offered me a little tip that has, in some way, helped me out. So, in the spirit of feeling far away from home and from all of the women older than me who I love the most, I thought I’d share some hacks for anybody with a vagina to appreciate.
If you are having sex for more than 30 minutes, change the condom
First off, you go girl. Second, extended periods of friction can cause tearing. A nothing wrong with a little bump and grind, but long periods of it can make your protection non-effective.
Make sure you don’t become immune to your birth control alert every day.
I take an antidepressant every day and, overtime, my cute little emoji-filled reminder to myself has become too commonplace that I feel like it’s always there. This means that I, for a long time, wouldn’t immediately take my medication and mark my reminder as completed. Maybe you’re more of an adult than I am, but find a way that works for you to remind yourself to take your pill. Maybe it’s setting an alarm on your phone, so it makes noise until you take it or putting it in your planner each day. Try a few out and see what works for you.
Periods can make you feel bad. Taking Plan B can make you feel bad. Try taking an over the counter pain reliever with soda of any type.
Do I know the science behind this? No. Do I swear by this? Yes. Just trust me on this one and try it.
Antibiotics make some birth control ineffective.
It makes me straight up LIVID to think that doctors rarely tell their patients this. Some antibiotics up the enzymes in the liver which causes a breakdown of estrogen, which can react with birth control. This means that you need to check with your doctor when you are on an antibiotic about your birth control. (Or, alternatively, double up and use condoms in tandem).
Keep Plan B on hand.
You honestly never know when you or your best friend or your roommate or a girl in your psych class will mention that they need emergency contraception. Have them whip out their Venmo, or even better: you can avoid a trip to the store and just look in your medicine cabinet.
Period products are expensive and very wasteful. Opt for period underwear, a menstrual cup or even an IUD if you can spring for it. You’ll save money in the long run.
This is, of course, coming from a place of privilege. But, tampons and pads add up in cost FAST and come with a whole lot of packaging that goes straight into landfills. If you can find an alternative that works for you, attempt to make the switch for the sake of the environment and your wallet.
If you’re concerned about your period getting all over your underwear while you sleep, wear bikini bottoms. They are much easier to clean out
Extra points if you wear a dark color.
Gif via Wikimedia Commons
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
