Family Planning

I have roughly 10 weeks to go before the big day. And I think it is about time to start thinking on what's going to happen at that area down south. Fill free to click the "X" button if you think you're not comfortable reading what I'm about to write. I'm not harassing anyone for that matter but I think it is something worth sharing as most of my friends; women my age generally are getting married or maybe planning to settle down.

So, where should I start?!

I was at Guardian KLCC couple of weeks ago wondering around just to waste my time while waiting for my sister to leave her office. I was queuing at the counter when I saw boxes of several types of birth control pills at the display shelves. The thing is, Izwan and I, we have been discussing on the "future of our family" and how are going to go about it. Oh yes ladies, these are the things that you need to open up to, discussing openly with your husband/husband-to-be. This is not something that you need to keep it in silent. After all, you're going to live and have a life together, aren't you?! So yea, Izwan and I, we discuss about this a lot. And you should know that men will always be men. Lelaki dilahirkan mempunyai satu nafsu. So, go figure!

Izwan and I, we have come to an agreement whereby we are going to enjoy our marriage life first before "expending" our family for at least a year or two but the thing is he wants it manually. Birth control is part of the option. Lucky me, one of my besties has a very high knowledge on pills and whatnot. She is a Masters holder in this medic world which I have zero knowledge of. She advised me not to take birth control or even to think about taking birth control. Like I said, Izwan wants it manually.

These are the side effects on prescribing birth control

• Blood cloth issues -the birth control patch increases the amount of estrogen and progestin, it has been shown that it affects the way the blood forms into blood clots.
• Risks of stroke or pulmonary embolisms - pulmonary embolisms and strokes can result and therefore cause long term disabilities.
• Severe headaches - There has been evidence that severe headaches can occur from use of the patch. These headaches often begin suddenly.
• Vision problems - Another adverse reaction to the birth control patch is vision problems. It is not an uncommon side effect to have vision problems in one or both eyes.
• Vomiting and nausea - There have been many cases where women using the birth control patch suffer from nausea and vomiting as a side effect.
• Menstrual cramps - Use of the birth control patch can cause a woman’s periods to become shorter and fewer.
• Difficulty Speaking and mental confusion - Birth control patches have been known to affect one’s speaking abilities. The patch creates a sense of confusion and can make it difficult to articulate words properly or express oneself properly.
• Upper respiratory infection or cold like symptoms - There is nothing worse than having difficulty breathing. In addition, the cold like symptoms that accompany this could be a side effect that nobody would want to endure.
• Skin irritation at the site of patch placement - Irritation of the skin is definitely a negative side effect that nobody would want to endure.
• Heart Attacks - Probably one of the most dangerous of the side effects caused by birth control patches is the risk of a heart attack.

Source from here.

And for the fact that one could be highly exposed to cancerous diseases is a big no-no.

So she advised me to use Ovulation kit instead.

I know, I know! The purpose of an Ovulation kit is actually for women who are in need of pregnancy. The kit is actually a way to identify the exact right time for a woman to ovulate. With that, the chances of one in getting pregnant is very high. But in my case, the usage of the kit is to determine the time of me not ovulating. Do you get what I mean? It's like working the other way round.

I have yet to test on the accuracy. Some say, it's works on them. Some say, they couldn't reach the accuracy. It still depends on the temperature that your body is showing. If your temperature is high, it means that you are ovulating. If not, means the otherwise.

Oh by the way, for those who are wondering, you can get the kit at your nearest pharmacy store. They are usually at the shelves where condoms are displayed. Have time checking on it. You might never know that maybe, just maybe, you need them in your closet.