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Birth Control is an Economic Issue
A new study from the Guttmacher Institute reveals what you no doubt already know: Women use birth control because it gives them more control over their lives. They reported that staying baby-free for as long as they choose gives them more freedom to achieve their goals, such as completing an education, getting or keeping a job, and supporting themselves financially, according to research set to be published in the journal Contraception.
That point about controlling their finances was major. Of the 2,094 women surveyed, the most common reason they cited for using birth control was a financial one. Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said they use BC because they can’t afford to have a baby.
“Women’s reasons for using contraception are in many ways reflections of their concern about the consequences an unintended pregnancy would have on their lives, especially during periods of economic stress,” says study co-author Jennifer Frost, Ph.D.
Not a surprise to us—when we asked our Twitter followers why they love birth control, money was something a number of them mentioned. Check out their messages in our Birth Control Rocks slideshow.
Even Bigger Financial Benefits
And here’s something else: Not does birth control help women keep their finances in check on a microeconomic, individual level, but research shows that it can also reduce the strain on government services like Medicaid.
Existing Guttmacher Institute data on publicly funded contraceptive services shows that every dollar invested in helping women avoid unintended pregnancies saved $ 3.74 in related Medicaid expenditures. To put it simply: A dollar spent on pregnancy prevention is $ 3.74 saved. This stat is even more eye-opening when you consider that one in five babies born in the United States are the result of unintended pregnancies (according to data published in Contraception in 2011).
How to Save Even More
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, women with health insurance can now get their birth control for free. We’re sure you already know this, but the Affordable Care Act allows insured women to receive preventative care services, including well-woman visits and contraception, without a co-payment, co-insurance, or a deductible. (Read more about which women’s health services are covered here.)
If you already have insurance, the changes will take effect once your plan is renewed for the new fiscal year. It could have happened when the provision of the ACA went into effect on August 1, or it can happen anytime before August 1, 2013, depending on the particulars of your plan. Call your insurance provider to find out the specifics or, if you’re insured through work, reach out to your human resources or benefits department. Note: If your insurance plan is through a religious institution, they are not required to provide these services without a co-pay and they have until August 1, 2013, to make their decision about whether they intend to opt out.
TELL US: Why do you use birth control? Leave a comment below.
Additional reporting by Vera Sizensky
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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Take a Stand for Your Reproductive Rights
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The October iPad Issue is Here!
There are so many reasons why we’re welcoming autumn with open, cardigan-clad arms: the return of apple season, cool sleeping …
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Download the September iPad Issue!
Whole Living’s September iPad issue is literally full of brilliant ideas, especially when it comes to the interactive makeup palettes …
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Sneak Peek: Our July/August Issue!
The July/August issue of Women’s Health is on newsstands now! Here’s a look at what’s inside.
On Our Cover: Kate Beckinsale, star of August’s “Total Recall,” talks yoga, aging, and kicking Jessica Biel’s butt, p. 49
In This Issue:
+ Olympics Bonus! Fitness advice from 14 Olympians including gymnast Nastia Liukin, swimmer Natalie Coughlin, and sprinter Allyson Felix, p. 115
+ Crossfit-Style Workout, p. 60
+ When Cycling Hurts Your Hoo-Ha, p. 64
+ Yoga For Athletes, p. 135
+ Bikini Ready In 7 Days: A workout plan, eating tips, and confidence boosters, p. 136
+ Chic Summer Sandals (p. 42) and Dresses (p. 144)
+ Fruit Fix: Recipes using peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries, p. 79
+ Cooling Beauty Products, p. 46
+ Skinny Sips: Cocktails with 200 calories or less, p. 90
+ How to Be a Social Media Climber, p. 108
Get the July/August issue on newsstands today!
TELL US: If you already have the issue, what’s your favorite story so far?
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The July/August iPad Issue is Here!
Before you settle into your plane seat/beach chair/hammock, don’t forget to download the July/August issue of Whole Living on your …
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June Issue Sneak Peek!
The June issue of Women’s Health is on newsstands now! Here’s a sneak peek.
On Our Cover: Get Sexy, Flat Abs with Jillian Michaels!
The queen of lean is dishing on everything you need to burn belly fat and tighten your core. Get her exclusive ab-sculpting workout and waist-trimming meal plan (created just for WH readers!) and score tons of tips and tricks for crushing calories and tightening your middle. Try it for two weeks—we guarantee you’ll be dropping that cover-up with confidence.
But that’s just for starters. Inside the June issue, you’ll also find…
The Secret to Stronger Orgasms
Scientists have made some sexy discoveries about the big O, and we’ve turned them into super-hot tips so you can have a more mind-blowing finish. Learn to speed up your satisfaction and overcome any obstacle that’s keeping you from crossing the finish line. May the odds of bliss be ever in your favor!
The 2012 Beauty Awards Are Here!
Sick of buying products that don’t work or look like crap once they’re applied? Mm-hmm. That’s why we’ve taken the guesswork out of your beauty routine by selecting the 53 most amazing makeup, skin, hair, and body products of the year! You’ll love our picks for the best bronzer, mascara, and lipstick, plus their totally affordable prices.
Seven Mistakes Even Good Doctors Make
Fifty percent of doctors admit they’ve sugarcoated a bad prognosis. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. In fact, more doctors are partaking in risky or bad-for-you behaviors (like being dishonest!), often to keep their head above water while seeing 20-plus patients a day. We’ve got tricks for telling if your M.D. is a rule breaker and advice for keeping a close eye on your own care.
The Vitamin D Diet
Great news: It’s not as hard as you thought to get nutrition’s MVP through food. We’ve uncovered easy, tasty ways to up your intake of this essential vitamin, so you can let it do its magic (like melting stubborn pounds, strengthening bones, and even lifting your mood) without frying your skin in the sun.
PLUS:
+ Foam Roller Workout
+ Best Swimsuits for Your Body Type
+ How to Outsmart Sun Damage
+ Summer Melon Recipes…and more!
Get the June issue on newsstands today!
Want to Look Better Naked? Pick up a copy and you’ll get six weeks of eating plans, workouts, confidence-boosting advice, and more!
Get the June Whole Living iPad Issue Today
It’s here! Just in time for grilling season, the recipe-packed June digital issue of Whole Living is ready for your …
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27 Reasons Why Women Should Weight Train: Clearing Up The Bulky Issue At Hand
I love weight training, and I love lifting big bulky weights! So there. But of course you knew that already, which is why I love you!
Thanks!
I might lift big bulky weights, but I can say with 100% confidence that I’ve never been called “bulky”.
Why you might ask? After all, I can bench press and deadlift more than I weigh. Don’t you think I would have some bulk on my body? Isn’t that what lifting weights does for a woman?
NO, NO, and HELL NO!
We’ve been taught to think that if we lift weights we’re going to turn into some freak of nature. And that the definition of exercise for women includes popping around in an aerobics class or hitting up the treadmills.
While these are forms of exercise, and you might love them (I LOVE running), we are not forced to stick with these, nor should we.
Why won’t you bulk up?
Because unlike men, women have too much estrogen and not enough testosterone to allow our muscles to build up to the grand level. Plus, men naturally have more muscle than women making it easier to get bigger and broader.
The bodybuilding women that you see in shows and in magazines, they eat a FREAKING TON and many of them use supplements to help achieve these very unnatural results.
So please don’t be afraid to pick up a weight, and when I say weight… I mean a real weight. I promise you’re going to feel A-Ma-Zing when you’re workout is all said and done.
And incase my soap box talk didn’t help here are:
27 Reasons Women Should Strength Training (in no particular order)
- Increased metabolism: Muscle is an active tissue, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. So you’ll burn calories while watching your favorite prime time shows!
- Increased bone strength: Decrease your risk of osteoporosis as you get older
- Decreased fat: Burn off fat while maintaining muscle, this is different from cardio which often times uses lean muscle for fuel and holds on to body fat.
- Increased sex drive
- Better sleep
- Increased strength without the bulk. Strength is not the same as bulk!
- No more saggy, flappy arms when you wave
- Decreased risk of depression
- Improved brain power, literally you get smarter
- Increased confidence
- The power to open up every jar in the house
- Perkier, tighter tush
- Decreased cellulite
- Run faster, jump higher: Increased athletic performance
- Decrease back pain through a stronger core
- Decrease risk of injuries (Increased connective tissue strength)
- Decreased risk of heart disease
- Happier attitude and outlook
- Fit into clothes that haven’t been able to zip in years
- Decrease daily stress
- No more thunder thighs
- Better posture
- It’s fun! Unlike running, there are so many different exercises and program designs that you’ll never get bored.
- You will burn more calories: strength training puts stress on the body, that stress means you’ll be burning calories for up to 24 hours after the workout is finished.
- You’ll be respected in the gym: anyone can walk into a class or hop onto the elliptical. But a woman that can walk into the weight room and do an awesome workout will get respect.
- Say good-bye to belly fat. A study showed that strength training was more efficient at burning belly fat than steady state cardio. Grab the weight and start squating!
- Decreased risk of diabetes
So there you have it, 27 reasons to start strength training. And keep in mind, if it’s new to you, then start off with body weight moves. You’ll see amazing results and work towards progressing further with your training!
I LOVE Hearing From You:
- Do you lift weights?
- What’s the number one reason why you strength train?
- What’s your favorite exercise?
ESPN’s Body Issue: Strong Is The New Sexy
photo: Francesco Carrozzini/ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine‘s third annual Body Issue is out on newsstands and it features 22 athletes posing nude, with their private bits strategically covered. We love The Body Issue not only because it showcases the physiques of some of the fittest athletes in sports, but also because a few of its subjects have a powerful message: Strong is the new sexy.
As snowboarder and cover girl Gretchen Bleiler told USA Today, "This is not about being sexy but about being strong and powerful and showing girls it’s OK to have muscles. …And that strength and power is beautiful." Amen to that.
In her cover photo (above, one of four created for the issue), Bleiler looks crazy powerful (hello, abs of steel), confident, and, yes, beautiful. Read on to see what Bleiler and two other subjects—soccer goalie Hope Solo and gymnast Alicia Sacramone—have to say about their bodies.
Gretchen Bleiler
Claim to fame: 2006 Olympic silver medalist in the halfpipe, four-time Winter X Games champ
On her body: "Being involved in sports, you think less about how your body looks and more how it performs," Bleiler told espnW.
Hope Solo
Claim to fame: Goalkeeper for the US women’s soccer team that won gold in the 2008 Olympics
On her body: "In 2008, I was maybe the fittest I had ever been, and we won the gold medal. I started to see the connection between my body and my accomplishments," Solo told espnW. "I couldn’t have been a great goalkeeper without power, agility and quickness."
Photo: Luis Sanchis/ESPN The Magazine
Alicia Sacramone
Claim to fame: Captain of the 2008 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team; the team earned silver
On her body: "I work out really hard and I’m proud of my body," Sacramone told espnW. "I like that my body is in shape and toned, and isn’t too muscular. I feel I still have a woman’s physique."
Photo: Francesco Carrozzini/ESPN The Magazine
More from WH
Fitness Tips from Gretchen Bleiler
Alicia Sacramone‘s Strength Workout