By: Shaylie Pickerel Staff writer
On Thursday, March 9, Abby’s House hosted an event to inform students about birth control options. Although their guest, Jennifer King from a care provider at the student health and counseling center, was sick, they still gave all the information they had collected from her, as well as wrote down any unanswered questions that they will relay to her.
Aislinn Addington, the director of Abby’s House, stated multiple times that, “We are not licensed health care professionals, but will provide the best information we can.” When discussing curiosities about birth control, Addington responded with, “If you’re interested in birth control on campus at the health center, there’s no fee to talk about options and the cost for the actual birth control is case by case depending on insurance.”
Addington then went on to discuss the different types of birth control that are available. The different types of birth control are labeled on a five to one star effectiveness scale when “used properly,” as Jessica Fontaine, a Abby’s House volunteer stated. The five star methods include: nexplanon the arm implant, skyla and mirena IUDs and sterilization for men and women. The three star methods include: the pill, the patch, the ring and depo-provera the shot. And finally, the one star methods include: fertility awareness, the diaphragm and condoms for men and women.
The ones that are most likely to be available at the health center are the pill, the implant, IUDs, the ring and condoms. Condoms are the only form of birth control that protect from STIs and are best used with other birth control methods.
During the question and answer portion, they answered common concerns that most people have when thinking about sex or birth control. “It’s best to take the least amount of estrogen needed,” said Addington. She also explained the side effects of UTIs and yeast infections and that they, “… aren’t gender exclusive. You can also get a UTI if you have a penis and they can also be transferred between partners.”
In addition to the options on campus, Planned Parenthood in Salem is also a valuable resource. If one has any more in depth questions about birth control, contact the health center. If this causes stress and is uncomfortable, Abby’s House is willing to help make the phone call to schedule the appointment for whoever needs it.
Contact the author at spickrell15@wou.edu
