So fun fact: the rhythm method is an actual form of birth control. I was shocked, too, mostly because it seems like it's the preferred birth control method of Republican Presidential Candidates.
The basic premise is that you can't get pregnant on certain days of your menstrual cycle. Okay, several problems:
1. Gross. You mean to tell me that married couples will talk about menstrual cycles in the context of not wanting to get pregnant? I assumed that men only talked about menstrual cycles when they were trying to get their wife/girlfriend pregnant. I guess not. Once again, gross.
2. How do people even understand the menstrual cycle anyway? It's not impossible, but it's one of the more complicated segments of human reproduction, as evidenced by the fact that our physio professor has now been talking about the cyclic nature of hormones and metabolism for the last twenty minutes… and we're not even close to done yet. Furthermore, yea, menstrual cycles are pretty constant, but they can change. So using the rhythm method could still get you knocked up if you're planning on avoiding sex five days before ovulating. SURPRISE! You started ovulating early. Here's a baby.
Basically, it's complicated, so why would you tell people that they need to figure it out for themselves instead of just giving them birth control?
3. And finally... What the hell?! The rhythm method?! That is just so ripe for making fun of! It feels so much a euphemism, and not something that is actually scientific, that I can't take discussion of it seriously. Public health. Ridiculous.
Additional fun fact: we have started the reproduction portion of our basic science courses. I am scared.
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