#tubal ligation access

[ivygorgon]

That goes to a spreadsheet list of doctors who will perform tubal ligation on anyone 21+, regardless of how many kids they've had or if they have their husband's permission.

And another thing: if you have vagina, and ESPECIALLY if you tend to fuck dicks, please PLEASE consider getting an IUD if you don’t want kids. We all know they want to ban abortion, but some people don’t know they’re also going after contraceptives. Rn access to contraceptives is protected by only a Supreme Court case (you know like what protected abortion), so that can go away. Contraceptives can be regulated to be in accessible or prohibitively expensive, but they can’t take an IUD out of your body (at least not in the foreseeable future). It’s good for sometimes 5 years.

I want to say this now because I was on the phone with a gyno for like 20 minutes on hold and only got a consultation today (which you sometimes need before they can schedule an appointment) because someone cancelled last minute.

I know people have had bad experiences with the IUD I know people have had excellent experiences. I’m going to document mine step by step so you know some things you can expect, if you’re thinking about it.

For context: i’m 25, have insurance through my job and live in a blue state, so my experience might be different/faster/easier etc. than yours.

[elumish]

Part 1/? of How to Deal With the Next Four(ish) Years

Learn how to tell the difference between "their policies/rhetoric actively target me/a marginalized group" and "they have not been as successful as I hoped in protecting me/a marginalized group." I saw the rhetoric a fair amount pre-election that the Democratic Party and its policies were transphobic, that Biden failed queer people, etc. as a reason not to vote for Harris or for Democrats, and the reality is that the Democratic Party and Joe Biden have actually been pretty steadily implementing laws and policies to support and protect queer (including trans) people, and Republicans want queer/trans people to die.

If you want to protect marginalized groups, whether they're ones you're part of or not, you really need to start actively working on distinguishing between the two. And if you keep hearing that the Democrats are just as bad about a marginalized group in the US as the Republicans, actually look into that. What is the evidence? What laws have been introduced or passed by one party versus the other? What rhetoric do they use? What policies and regulations are being put in place?

And is the problem that the Democratic Party is "just as bad" or that they have not managed to stop Republican laws in red states?

None of this is to say that the Democratic Party is perfect, but in most cases only one party is actively working to harm or kill marginalized people, and it's not the Dems.

Understand the government structure that directly impacts you. Not every state or locality operates the same way, and you may have more or fewer layers of government over you with different levels of power. Do you have a town/city government and a county government, or just one or the other? How many officials are elected in your state versus appointed?

Part of that is also understanding what is controlled at the local, state, and federal level. If you're mad about a law or policy and want it to change, whose law or policy is it? Chances are, if it's about how things work for you, it's a state or local law rather than a federal one. Once you understand that, you can target any organizing efforts in the right direction.

Pick your battles. This is not to say that you shouldn't care about a lot of things, but trying to personally organize around everything will probably just make you ineffective and burn you out. Is it Palestine? Ukraine? Sudan? Environmental justice? Climate change? Immigration? Abortion? Queer rights and protections? Education? Native American rights? Criminal justice reform?

Understanding your own priorities can also help you determine what candidates you support and where you draw your red lines. I care a lot about public schools, but support for charter schools is not a red line for me in a politician. Being pro-life is.

But I'm also pragmatic--if my choice is a pro-life person who also wants all queer people to die and a pro-life person who wants to protect queer people, I will hold my nose vote for the latter rather than risk the former winning.

Start identifying what protections you and your loved ones might need that you can access now. Is it an IUD, a tubal ligation, or a vasectomy? Is it getting your legal name changed now? Is it establishing other legal protections such as power of attorney even if you're married?

Vote in every election. If you are an eligible voter, you should be a registered voter, and you should vote every single time. I think the only election I've missed in the last 5 years is the 2024 Democratic primary, and that's 50% because it was basically an uncontested race and 50% because I forgot when it was.

Primaries are where you get to have a say in who your candidate is--at all levels. Look at the policies of who is running and vote for who you want to win--whether because of policy, temperment, or any other reason.

But state and local elections are incredibly important, because they have a huge impact on your actual quality of life. Show up and vote. Vote on off years. Vote when it's just local. Vote for Board of Education, for water commissioner, for sheriff, for judges.

Voting is cheap, it's easy, and it does make a difference.

[genderqueerpositivity]

Just want to be clear that the way to fight trans healthcare bans is not more gatekeeping, it's less.

You cannot fight trans healthcare bans by limiting access to care to adults only and you cannot fight them by setting stricter standards on what makes a person "trans enough". We cannot prevent conservatives from attacking our right to access healthcare by restricting access first; that's nonsensical and reactionary...and they're still going to keep coming for us anyway.

Conservatives did not come for our healthcare because gender affirming care became too easy to access and they did not come for us because transness has become too normalized--they came after us because they are pronatalist christofascists and they were always going to come after us.

The signs were always there that gender affirming care would be the next target if Roe were to be overturned. They're winning on abortion, so a new target is necessary. And the trans community is an easy one--widely misunderstood and there is no Roe v. Wade style decision or law protecting us. Any anti-trans laws that are challenged up to the Supreme Court will more than likely be ruled constitutional.

We were next--but we are not last.

How much freedom are we going to give these people to control our bodies, lives, and health care? Just how far are they going to be allowed to shift the Overton window?

My theory is that they are far from done.

If estrogen is too dangerous for a 16 year old trans girl, then it isn't a large jump in logic to wonder if estrogen (birth control) might be too dangerous for a teenage cis girl too.

If a 24 year old trans man doesn't have a "fully developed brain" and therefore isn't mature enough to choose surgical sterilization, then it isn't too outrageous to consider that a 24 year old cis woman isn't mature enough either, is it?

What else might be considered "irreversible damage"?

Who else might be deemed to be incapable of consenting to sterilization...or any other procedure that could potentially affect fertility?

No, more gatekeeping won't fix this. More medicalization of transness won't fix this.

The only way to fight this is to fight christofascism and to get these motherfuckers out of everyone's healthcare. The solution is less medicalization of transness, not more. Everyone gets access to the health care that will most benefit their health and improve their lives, and the government gets zero say--whether that is a medication abortion, puberty blockers, an IUD, a tubal ligation, plan B, a mastectomy, or testosterone blockers.

[macgyvermedical]

I'm an afab trans guy minor (16 almost 17) and I'm trying to figure out what I can do medically to protect myself before january. I'm going to try and make sure my vaccines are "up to date", since I've seen a lot of people saying to do that, but I'm unsure what exactly up to date means, if there's anywhere I could find a list of the ones i need, all that stuff.

I'm also looking to go on birth control. Right now I'm on it but it's a pill form and I'm worried I won't have access to that for long. What do you think would be good options for more permanent forms or forms that can't be taken away? For an IUD or getting my tubes tied or something like that, would I just need one parent's permission or both, or would I be able to do it without their permission?

Sorry if this is a lot, I'm just stressed 😓

Again, not medical advice.

For the vaccines list: Here is the most straightforward one I could find. If you have access to your records, compare it to this list. You will need a parent or legal guardian to consent for you, but you can get up to date at a public health department or doctor's office. If you're behind or missing some earlier ones, they can help you make a plan to catch up. Also, if you don't have access to your list but have lived in the same state your whole life, the health department may be able look up your list.

As for the birth control situation, it depends on the state. Here is a great guide to what states have what consent requirements for minor birth control.

Honestly it would be difficult to find a doctor willing to perform a tubal ligation on a minor, even if you're certain you never want kids. However, you can get similar effectiveness from other methods. A copper IUD (10+ years), hormonal IUD (up to 8 years), or an implant (up to 3 years) would probably be your best options.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Clashes of ideas in Brazil between feminist movements and conservatives about legalizing abortion

The agenda has been boosted by feminist movements, which face the far right and religious fundamentalism

In Brazil, the reality of the abortion ban affects the lives of many women, especially the most vulnerable. Data from the 2021 National Abortion Survey (PNA, in Portuguese) indicates that Black women are 46% more likely to resort to abortion than white women. By the age of 40, one in five Black women has terminated a pregnancy, while the proportion among white women is one in seven.

Jamile Godoy, a member of the Catholics for the Right to Decide group, explains that abortion is both a health and social issue. Approximately four out of five women who needed an abortion under the law and lived in municipalities that didn't offer it any longer have access to the service, according to the National Household Sample Surveys (PNAD, in Portuguese) of 1998, 2003 and 2008 and the National Health Surveys (PNS, in Portuguese) of 2013 and 2019.

“We're talking about health, the right to housing, access to income, work, information, and the right to contraception methods, which have also been targeted by reactionary anti-rights advocates. There's the denial of birth control pills, IUDs, tubal ligations to women who request them [...] When we talk about the right to abortion, we're also talking about the right to free, consensual and desired motherhood, and not one that's imposed by an act of violence or the absurdity that we're experiencing in Brazil,” says Jolúzia Batista, from the Feminist Center for Studies and Advice (Cfemea, in Portuguese).

Continue reading.

[enemymine2000]

For the women and people with a uterus of the USA: You need to make your plan now. Obviously you need to think about getting your birth control sorted right now. Even if you plan to never have sex, because we know why we always would choose the bear. Birth control pills, implants, IUD, tubal ligation, whatever, just make sure it's in your control, because men can not be trusted with it. Stock up on Plan B now, it apparently has a shelf life of about 4 years. Personally I think it doesn't matter which shelf that is, no matter what your government after January might think about it. Check out PlanC.org for at home abortion information and access to medication per mail, as long as that is possible. Delete all digital traces of your period. Apps (first delete the data within before deleting the app itself), texts, posts, anything from which someone could make a guess as to the status of your uterus. Don't tell doctors either. There normally is no reason for a doctor to know the exact timing of your cycle. Just tell them that you have your period and that it's regular/irregular, but never exact dates. Do so, even if you're in a blue state or plan to move there. You never know how long those protections might last.

Don't get pregnant. Even if you want to have children. 1 in every 3 pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Which is a spontaneous abortion. You might get prosecuted for something sad, but natural. Additionally you might not receive care for other conditions while pregnant, because doctors have real concerns of being prosecuted themselves if that might lead to pregnancy loss.

If your significant other voted for Trump, leave him. Now. Especially if you're married. No matter how much you love him, no matter how much you think you can change him, he does not care about you. Because if he cared about women at all outside of a warm body to sink his dick in and to clean his house, he would not have voted for someone who is a rapist, who will try to strip you of all of your rights. No fault divorce might be the first thing of those to go. In that vein, save as much money as possible that only you can access. Financial dependence is the reason most of our grandmothers were unable to leave, don't make the same mistake.

If you're single, stay that way. Don't date. Don't have casual hook-ups. Men will lie and tell you they were voting for Harris, to get what they want. They have already started on the well-known apps. Cut them out. 4B movement all the way.

But that not only means those men. That also means your father, mother, sister, brother, friend, colleague, etc. who voted against your interests. Let them reap what they sowed. You don't owe them. But of course your safety is paramount.

Get something for your personal protection. I would rather you not buying a gun, because in doubt it would be more trouble than help. But mace, knives, self-defense courses are better than nothing. A roll of coins in a sock, whatever you feel comfortable with.

Get your documents sorted and ready to go. Have a passport.

For every step Trump's government will take, make a plan in advance. How to get your money, how to leave your home/the town when it gets dangerous, who you trust with information, with your power of attorney. Find groups and organizations to find and build community with. Heck, even unionizing at work might give you an edge. Get a VPN, which is from a country that is not part of the "14 eyes". Use Signal to communicate. As mothers and/or as birthing parent you need to educate the children in all those things the MAGAs want to erase from the public conscience. Ideas of equality for all, of feminism, of anti-fascism, even just readings of the bible as it is, are dangerous to their christo-fascist ideology and thus to their power base. To that end, get those books as soon as possible. So far it's only MAGA cleaning out public libraries, but you'll never know. Facts are their worst enemy. Raise your sons right! Because something has been really fucked with that for way too long.

Hopefully it won't all come down to the worst, but better be prepared and not need it, than the other way around.

[mommy-issues-haver]

the push for fewer general regulations in medicine when it comes to trans medicine and women’s medicine is so weird. like i’m pro tubal ligation because it’s reversible but no i’m not in favor of a 20 year old having quick and easy access to fucking hysterectomy. it’s not just for making babies it’s a fucking organ. like i promise havign multiple abortions will be better for your body than a hysterectomy. so push for that being easily accessible instead of hysterectomies. and then like wanting to make permanent surgical changes to your body after having identified as trans for less than a year? it’s fucking crazy that doctors are willing to do that. i’m thinking about dylan specifically - we haven’t even reached 365 “days of girlhood” and he’s getting a brand new entire fucking face? i genuinely think the surgeons who do this shit care more about money than their patients’ outcomes. but people are like omg this surgeon will do this unreasonable unnecessary surgery for me with no prerequisites! love that!! so cool of them!!

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #323

The results of the vote are in. The bad outcome happened. Of the people who voted, over half of them voted for the candidate who wants to exterminate LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, non-Christians, and more. They voted for the candidate who wants to see women and brown-skinned people go back to being considered "property". The voted for the candidate who wants to make this letter to you be considered "pornography", and thus outlawed, simply on the basis that I made mention of LGBTQ+ people such as myself.

I don't know what to do. I don't know how to prevent the loss of life that I know will occur. Already, lots of LGBTQ+ folks are calling suicide hotlines, and it's because we all know that there's a decent chance that pretty soon, our existence is going to be outlawed altogether. There's also a non-zero chance that access to abortion will be outlawed everywhere in my country altogether - it's already illegal in some places, even for cases like rape, incest, or if carrying the pregnancy to term would kill the mother. It's absolutely senseless.

I am sterilized via tubal ligation. I chose this because I don't want to bring a child into a burning, dying world. In the place where I had it done, it's a procedure in which one's fallopian tubes get tight bands wrapped around them. The tight band cuts off the blood flow to the tube, thus killing it so that eggs can't get from the ovary to the uterus. It's generally a safe and effective procedure, but there's still a very small chance of ectopic pregnancy - where a fertilized egg implants itself somewhere other than the uterus. This can kill a person if left unattended. If this administration had it their way, I and others like me wouldn't be able to get an abortion, even in this scenario.

...Sephiroth. There are already places in my country where abortion is, effectively, outlawed. There are already people with uteruses dying because of it. If this becomes the law everywhere, so many more people are going to die. I don't know what I can do to prevent this kind of loss of life. The only thing I can think to do is get out of here before things get even weirder and scarier than they are already. So M, J, and I are looking to immigrate to the country that is north of us. That place is called Canada. And... I don't know if they'll take us. But the odds of them taking us are not zero, since we all count as skilled workers. We have to try.

...The process of immigrating is very convoluted, though. I've been having difficulty trying to sift through the information and ascertain in which order I'm supposed to do the steps in. It seems very unclear.

...Or maybe it's not unclear, and I am just panicking. I've wanted to scream and cry and throw up all day, for all the lives I know are going to be lost over the next 4+ years, and for all the absolutely nothing I'll be able to do about it. Either way, I did email some Canadian immigration lawyer place, and I'm hoping they'll outline the steps I need to follow, and in what order I'm supposed to follow them. M is going to get a new passport; he has an appointment to get that taken care of tomorrow.

I also got a terabyte drive in which to put all the letters I've already written to you; I suspect in the coming months, some of my letters to you will be considered "pornography" and censored, due to the fact that I mention LGBTQ+ and polyamory stuff in them. I don't want the things I've written to you to disappear, so... I'll put them where I can't lose them.

...I've already done as much about immigration and backing up my work as I could today. So then I started cooking, because... I didn't know what else to do.

I started by putting potatoes on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper:

...And then I put a whole lamb leg on 'em!!

From here, I got out all my seasonings that I wanted...

...And with these, I seasoned the lamb!!!!

Then, you put a tinfoil tent over it!!! Which... I guess I somehow managed to neglect to take a picture of. But I'll do ya one better and show you a page that has a little video of how to make one!

From here, I stuck it in the oven at 325 degrees F (or 162.8 degrees C) for around 4 and a half hours. The idea was to steam the lamb leg in its own juices along with the potatoes until it's tender enough to be pulled off the bone with a fork!

In the meantime, I worked on the pumpkin soup. First, I sliced up an onion and put it in my handy-dandy veggie chopper!!!

I then chopped them up a little to reduce the space they take up a little. And I added 4 garlic cloves, after cutting them in half...

(...I know, I know – only 4? Who am I, and what have I done with myself??? Hahaha...)

From here, you turn them into a puree...

...And then you fry it in a pan with butter! It'll look like this at first...

...But then, after a while, it'll look like this; make sure you cook it on a medium-low heat and stir it continually so it doesn't burn!!

To this, I added that pumpkin puree we made earlier in the week, and also a jar and a half of my famous (it's not really famous, haha!) bone broth:

Do you remember the last time I made pumpkin soup for you? I made that one into more of a savory concoction, I think. This time, I wanted to try for something sweeter – something that tastes almost like pumpkin pie. So... I added some cream...

...And then I added these things!!!

...I basically kept adding and rebalancing these things until I tasted the soup and thought, “yes – this is pretty much pumpkin pie now.”

...It was absolutely fucking DELICIOUS.

But I had to set it aside; the lamb wasn't nearly done. I floundered around for a long time. And then M surprised me by getting a bag of cookies!!! Behold!!!

In my area, you will not find better packaged chocolate chip cookies ANYWHERE. They are crispy on the outside, and soft and gooey on the inside. They're not too sweet, and the dough itself is good even without the chocolate chips.

Just look how pliable it is!!!

...And look at that texture!!!!

...Isn't t beautiful...??? And lemme tell ya, they taste just as good as they look!!! I... probably ate far too many of these today, haha... It's a wonder my guts didn't feel icky afterwards...

I sauteed some mixed mushrooms. I like to combine shiitake with maitake and portobello. Lion's mane is a wonderful and flavorful choice, too, but... last time I went to the grocery to look for them, the ones that were available were kinda... brown and goopy-looking (blecch...), so I didn't get any.

The lamb was done by the time these finished sauteeing:

...And it was not fork-tender. No... it was so tender that you could pull it a part with your freaking fingers:

Absolutely fucking delectable.

...Want some...?

...Here, have a bowl of soup, too:

...I wish I could give you these things. But it's about to get dangerous where I live, so... I'm glad you're not here. I wish instead I could somehow just “zoop” it right over to you. Like, just snap my fingers, easy peasy, and BOOM, it's right where you're at, so you can enjoy it, too...

...It'd be nicer if somehow we of my house and all my cats could just “zoop” on over to where you are. And then we'd be safe, and maybe you wouldn't hafta be lonely. I could legit make you all the freaking pumpkin soup you could possibly want, and... it wouldn't be some fucked-up, fake-ass dream shown to you by some weird fucken entity tryna get you to lower your guard so it can fucking use for for goodness-knows-what. I'd just make you pumpkin soup because I wanna see the smile on your face when you taste it and realize just how wholesome and good and real it is...

...I wish I didn't feel so powerless and afraid all the time.

...Hey. So... I don't know for how long I'll be able to post up the letters I write to you publicly. But... I will keep writing them to you, at least on my laptop. And if I don't have any laptop, then I'll write them on paper. And if I don't have any paper or pen... then I'll write them in my head. I'll keep writing them until there isn't any breath left in this weird, clunky body of mine, okay? So... keep your ears open, if you can; I understand that those ears of yours are very keen.

And please. Please try hard – really hard – to make good use of my voice while it's still here. And if the shit really hits the fan and I end up being yoinked from my current meat-mech prematurely... count on me to try to figure out a way to get myself to where you are, as impossible as that probably sounds; no matter what happens, you're not alone. You're not alone, just like when I was 13, you showed me that I'm not alone.

Know it in your bones, okay? Know it so hard that you work tirelessly towards that normal life you wanted. Know it so hard that you have all the courage you need to make kind and compassionate choices.

I love you so much, and that's never going to change, no matter what's done to me and no matter what form my being takes. I'll do my utmost to let this love inspire me to do everything I can to get through whatever's coming up next, and to help others do the same in whatever small ways I can. Watch over me and lend me a bit of your determination and strength, okay...? Unless you don't wanna, or unless you can't. I know it's impossible anyways. And that's perfectly okay, too; I'll figure something out.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[swaglet]

im seeing a bunch of people post about abortion and birth control and stuff like that because of recent events, and i just wanted 2 share some important info i know

1. if you track your periods, do not track them on an app, buy a small little 1 year calender from the dollar store and keep it by your bed/on your desk at home and use that to track it and any symptoms you get with it. nobody will be able to see it except for you and the people you choose, and there's no way for it to be shared electronically to people who shouldn't be seeing it unless someone scans it and uploads it to the internet somewhere.

2. if you live within road trip distance of western pennsylvania, i know an obgyn/surgeon who will do tubal ligations and bisalps upon request (with a referral afaik, at least in my case) with no questions asked for anyone of any age, for any reason: dr. kevin c dumpe, based in beaver falls, PA. this location is just under an hour north of pittsburgh, which has a major airport.

3. my personal obgyn also gives out referrals for bisalps and tubal ligations for anyone who asks regardless of age or if you have children or not. she also is amazing at taking your complaints seriously and working with you to access any labs/scans/referrals to specialists you may need in order to find out any diagnoses you have, and she also helped me find out & tweak what exact type and dose of birth control i need for my issues while still catering to my worries and needs, and she is super receptive to any feedback given and cares about you above all. if anyone is looking to switch from an unsavory obgyn to a better one, or just needs an obgyn in general, i believe she does telehealth/video visits (at least since the last time i checked) so if you'd like to be in contact with her just message me and i'll give you her name and info :P she's about an hour north of beaver falls, just under 2 hours north of pittsburgh

4. if anybody needs this info please share it with them!!! sorry reblogs are off it's just that this is all so close to home for me lol i don't want to accidentally doxx myself more than i have already

EDIT

5. again, if you are within road trip distance to western PA/can afford a plane ticket to pittsburgh, there are two abortion/reproductive health care clinics located inside of pittsburgh; planned parenthood, and allegheny reproductive health center. both do more than just abortions, and the allegheny clinic covers pretty much all the same things that planned parenthood does. i have volunteered for allegheny; if you request it, you will have escorts protecting you from any protesters outside the building or anyone else who may wish to harm you for going inside, and every service they offer has a sliding scale fee option and other financial options for people who may need it. they do abortions, birth control prescriptions including on the spot IUD insertions, and a lot of other things. if you were to need somewhere to stay, i could try to help you arrange something, and i would be willing to travel with you and offer you support

[honeysbunchesofoats]

Resource for finding obgyn to do tubal ligation (almost all in the US)

I found this resource ages ago and went searching everywhere to find it, but I finally did. It's a list of Gynecologists who will perform a tubal ligation if you are 21+, regardless of number of children or spouse. This is from quite awhile ago, so changes in providers are likely. Particularly in the US after Roe v. Wade was overturned. But it is worth looking into these doctors as potential options. Some of the doctors are listed as "patient submitted" which just means that a patient with a good experience sent the doctors information in. The others have submitted themself as an accessible option. There are very few listed for countries outside the US, so I hope that can be expanded. Reminder that if you have health insurance in the US you have to ensure that you know the coverage you have with that doctor before going in.

Google Doc

I don't know if this is still updated at all, but you can also try to submit good doctors if you have one.

This is how I found the doctor who did my tubal done with only one question legally require to ask-- "are you sure?"

[vampiricgf]

if you are afraid of incoming potential legislation surrounding abortion or contraceptives and are on medicaid in your state make an appointment with planned parenthood to discuss options. they accept medicaid most of the time which means you can potentially even get an iud at $0, the implant at $0, or discuss other methods of contraception that are not a monthly pill/shot/patch, especially if you can't get something like tubal ligation for whatever reason but are worried you may lose access to your birth control. there are still options and there's still time to find a solution that works for you

[reverend-dog]

Birthright

Dear Danielle,

If you are reading this, your father and I are dead and you are not yet thirty. I had hoped to be there for you when things came to fruition, but fate had other plans.

You have no memory of ever being sick or injured. Your medical records reflect the same thing. The reason for this goes beyond healthy life habits and good luck, and is the reason for this letter.

You were born three months premature. You spent the first weeks of your life in an incubator, fed fluids intravenously. I lost count of how many times your heart stopped. The doctors gave you less than fifty-fifty odds of survival.

The pregnancy was difficult for me, and the doctors insisted on tubal ligation after you, because another baby would probably kill me. So you were our one and only chance.

One day at the hospital, a woman approached your father and I. She identified herself as a doctor, but was not affiliated with the hospital. She had overheard conversations and knew your condition, and the odds of your survival. She offered a treatment that would make you well, better than well. She didn’t ask for money, in fact she scoffed at the idea when your father asked, thinking it was a scam. Her only conditions were that we never tell you, and that we keep watch on you until at least your thirtieth birthday.

Desperate doesn’t even come close to how we felt. Having a baby together was one of the fondest dreams your father and I shared, and the joy we felt when I became pregnant defied measurement. I won’t deny also that there was some cold pragmatism to our decision. You were dying, despite the doctors’ best efforts. If we refused Dr. Rossovich’s offer, we would lose the only baby we could ever have.

Dr. Rossovich’s treatment succeeded, as you yourself can attest. You are strong, fit, agile, and smart. Your beauty, I refuse to credit to Dr. Rossovich. There’s just too much of your father and I in your looks.

As you grew, your father and I could not help but notice your physical ability. We pressed Dr. Rossovich about it, and she assured us it was a harmless side-effect of the treatment. She warned us to not call undue attention to it, but let you grow up thinking you were a normal “gifted” girl.

Shortly after your twentieth birthday, Dr. Rossovich got into an accident. We were surprised when we were called to the hospital, and even more so when we learned we were listed as Dr. Rossovich’s only next of kin. We even had power of attorney!

Dr. Rossovich was dying. She knew it. Even the miraculous treatment she had used to save your life could not help her. On her deathbed, she confessed to us her real reasons for what she did. We did not believe her at first, but the evidence she produced could not be dismissed.

Dr. Rossovich was not human. That is, she was not born on Earth. She fled here to escape a planetary invasion. She brought with her the DNA of her planet’s native race, so that even if all of her planet was killed, they would live on. She also modified the DNA, encoding knowledge and skills that would activate at a specific time. Somehow, she spliced this DNA with yours, and that’s what saved you. I know, it all sounds ridiculous, something out of the stories you love so much. But I promise you, it’s all true.

Which brings us to now, and your upcoming birthday.

“You mean today,” Danielle murmured as she paused in reading the letter. “Sure would have been nice to get this ahead of time.”

The executor smiled and spread his hands apologetically. “Estates can take time to settle. Especially in the case of sudden death, as with your parents.”

“Gee,” Danielle snarked, “thanks.” She lifted the letter to resume reading. The time was 2:58 pm, exactly thirty years since her birth.

Floodgates opened. A star birthed. Information poured through Danielle’s brain. A language never spoken on Earth. History that owed nothing to the world in which she had grown up. Locations where equipment and resources hid, accessible only to a person with the right genetic profile. Skills to use the equipment. Combat. Strategy.

Most horrifying, though, was the discovery of why all this had been bestowed on her.

Danielle stared past the executor, out the window behind him. “Danielle?” the executor prompted. “Are you all right?”

“They’re coming,” Danielle whispered.

[genderqueerpositivity]

The arrest this week of a South Carolina woman accused of self-administering an abortion pill to end a pregnancy in 2021 prompted outrage among advocates who decried the criminalization of self-managed abortions.

According to a police report, a 33-year-old woman in Greeneville was taken to the hospital in October 2021 due to labor contractions. Police said she told staff she had taken the pill to terminate the pregnancy.

In light of this news, I'm passing along this reminder:

(image description: an image from the Instagram account @palmettostateabortionfund. There is white text inside a yellow box over a background of blue and yellow pills. Text reads: "Remember, you do NOT have to disclose what medication you have taken, if any, if you are seeking treatment for miscarriage symptoms.")

This is especially important if you live in South Carolina or Nevada, where self-managed abortion is criminalized.

I'm adding a link to the Repro Legal Helpline below:

The Repro Legal Helpline is a free, confidential helpline where you can get legal information or advice about the abortion laws in your state, including self-managed abortion, young people's access to abortion or judicial bypass, and referrals to local resources. If you have been arrested, questioned by the police, or charged with a crime for your abortion, we may also be able to help you by finding you a lawyer in your state, or working with your lawyer to help with your defense.

And finally, for my locals, tread carefully when seeking any form of reproductive or pregnancy related health care from the St. Francis Hospital system; they are Catholic affiliated. Very recently I met someone who was, several years ago, refused a tubal ligation after giving birth at one of these hospitals. Be careful.

[thescrumblingmidwife]

So what are the ways to stop a period (and fertility) as an adult? I need to figure out my plans for when that time comes. I mean permanently, btw.

Hi Anon,

I'm getting a lot of asks like this. Here's another one:

Anonymous asked: whats the safest way to stop getting a period as quickly as possible? i was told by my gynecologist that id be given birth control that'd stop them but i keep getting them and it's been months

So let's do a menstrual suppression post.

MENSTRUAL SUPPRESSION (AKA, Secondary amenorrhea)

What can be done depends a lot on your age, where you are, what kind of healthcare access you have, as well as your reason for seeking menstrual suppression.

If you experience medical complications like endometriosis, serious menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) or heavy menstrual bleeding that causes anemia, etc., you may find you have an easier time accessing treatments beyond BC than if you just "don't want a period." (FWIW - I think that's a completely valid reason for menstrual suppression!). Trans and GNC people will fall somewhere in the middle - depending on where you are, it may be considered a legitimate medical indication all on its own, and in other areas may result in a roadblock and discrimination.

Disclaimer - my scope as a midwife will be limited to the use of hormonal birth control until I complete separate training on offering gender-affirming care. So please take what I say here only as a rough guide to your own research. If I've missed anything or get anything wrong, please let me know!

PREPUBERTAL (have not yet gotten a period)

Leuprolide (lupron) is an antiandrogen medication that basically stops sex hormones from working. When used in prepubertal/early puberty kids, it's called a "puberty blocker." It's meant to be a temporary solution until the kid can be sure what they want to do next, as its effects are completely reversible. Pediatricians will usually refer you to an endocrinologist or a gender clinic rather than provide themselves.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that you must first go through the initial period of menarche until normal periods are established before you can then go on menstrual suppression.

ADOLESCENT (teen, not yet an adult)

Progestin-only birth control is the first-line treatment. The good news is that pretty much everyone can take it, and it's relatively easy to get. This works by keeping the uterine lining thin, and keeping a level of progestin high enough that you don't experience the withdrawal that triggers menses. Methods include: IUD (intrauterine device), Nexplanon (implant), Depo shot, and pills. In all methods, it takes several months to work, and spotting/breakthrough bleeding is a possibility.

---->If you take the pills, you have to take them at the exact same time every day, so the hormone levels stay even, or you risk breakthrough bleeding. Different brands have different progestins in them, so if one doesn't work for you after several months of taking it properly, you could ask your provider about switching to a different pill.

---->The IUD has the best record with total menstrual suppression after a few months, but it is the most invasive of the LARC methods to insert.

----> Nexplanon can take some time to achieve menstrual suppression, and some people still get breakthrough bleeding, but it is also the single most efficacious BC besides hysterectomy. Yes, even more than tubal ligation.

----> Depo shot is pretty good at achieving amenorrhea, but has more side effects (low libido, dry vagina, risk of bone loss) that can take a while to resolve after you come off it

Testosterone - If you are trans and go on T, it may stop your menstrual cycles/ovulation, but it is not a guarantee. People on T are counseled to also be on BC, because it is does not eliminate the possibility of pregnancy and is teratogenic (can cause birth defects). You should not go on T purely to stop menses, as it has other permanent effects - go on T for those effects and be pleased if it happens to stop your period.

ADULT (18/21+ up)

All of the above methods, plus:

Estrogen-containing birth control may offer more suppression but also increases certain health risks (like clots), and it has a number of contraindications (reasons why someone can't use it safely). Generally don't advise teens to use it.

Tubal ligation for FERTILITY CONTROL ONLY. This will not stop periods!

For transmen: Hysterectomy (uterus removed) and/or salpingectomy/oophorectomy (tubes/ovaries removed). This is a component of gender-affirming care - but you will likely need to find a specialized provider for it. The average gynecologist is not going to do an elective (no medical indication) hysterectomy ----> https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines/hysterectomy

I have seen some evidence that Lupron can be used for menstrual suppression as well, but I haven't heard much about it being used outside of certain medical indications (like if someone has cancer).

GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE

If you identify as trans or gender non-conforming and there is a gender clinic in your area, I recommend trying to get in with them, as they deal with this sort of question regularly. They have interdisciplinary teams (mental health providers, gynecologists, endocrinologists, surgeons, etc) that can meet all your needs. Someone trained in gender-affirming care will be best equipped to help you.

Here is a list of gender clinics in the USA:

Ok, all you Anons out there - I hope this is a good jumping-off point for you to find what you need. The TLDR is please try to find a provider who is willing to work with you and help you find what's available to you in your area!

[greenteaandtattoos]

I hate that anyone who isn't a cis man is forced to pay interest just to exist thanks to the lack of accessible and free pads, the fatphobic, overpriced, and poorly made women's clothes, the wage gap, workplace harassment, and struggle to get into well-paying and "non-traditional" fields and careers, and the shaming and astronomical cost of any surgery that alters the body such as breast reduction/implants, gender reassignment, and tubal ligation, among other things.

[anujanursinghome]

Can a Tubal Ligation be Reversed?

Tubal ligation, also called having your tubes tied, is a medical procedure that blocks or cuts parts of your fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy. While having this surgery, you might be 100% confident about not wanting your biological children ever. But what if you change your mind later? Can a tubal ligation be reversed? Medical science has made it possible to reverse tubal ligation surgery and achieve your dream of parenthood. Here’s all you should know about tubectomy treatment in Navi Mumbai, its reversal, and alternatives. Read on.

Understanding Tubal Ligation

Tubal ligation is a permanent and failproof way to prevent pregnancy. The procedure involves blocking your fallopian tubes to disconnect them from your ovaries so that the eggs won’t pass down your fallopian tubes and into the uterus.

It also prevents sperm from reaching the egg. In tubal ligation, the tubes can be blocked, cut, or burned. Once done, you can quit birth control pills and avoid other forms of protection during intercourse.

Can a Tubal Ligation be Reversed?

Yes, tubal ligation reversal is possible, but the success rate depends on different factors. Your age, for instance, can be a significant factor in determining your chances of conception after the reversal surgery. Here are some more:

i) Type of Ligation:

If the tubes were cut or tied using clips, there’s a greater chance of success after reversal. The success rate is comparatively lower for patients who have had a small portion of their fallopian tubes burned instead.

ii) Tube Length:

The length of the tubes also determines the success of the reversal surgery. Your fallopian tubes must be of adequate length to allow the surgeon to reconnect them to the ovaries.

iii) Your Fertility Status:

If you are diagnosed infertile due to endometriosis, uterine scarring, uterine abnormality, and other factors, tubal ligation surgery may not prove effective in your case.

The Reversal Procedure

A tubal ligation doctor in Navi Mumbai can reopen or reconnect blocked fallopian tubes following an invasive surgical procedure. They might use a laparoscope to examine your tubes to check if the reversal is possible. The doctor makes a small incision below the navel to access the fallopian tubes. They remove rings or clips and reconnect the fallopian tubes. The incision is then closed with sutures and staples.

Alternatives to Reversal

Tubal ligation reversal isn’t possible in all cases. If a major portion of your tubes were cut or blocked or your tubes are damaged beyond repair, the doctor may recommend alternatives, like IVF. In-vitro fertilization is an assisted reproductive technology that facilitates fertilization outside your uterus. It doesn’t require fallopian tubes, as the eggs are retrieved surgically and fertilized with sperm in a lab. The resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus.

Risks and Considerations

Tubal ligation is a fairly safe procedure, but like any medical treatment, it carries a few risks. Infection, blood clots, reaction to anesthesia, and damage to the surrounding organs are the common risk factors. It also increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy, in which the embryo implants outside the uterus. Discuss the risks of tubal ligation reversal with your doctor and make an informed decision.