Find a doctor who supports you and who will go to bat for you with insurance. I love my current (female!) doctor.

Also, fertile Myrtles, LOL. :-)

My doctor told me if it didn’t work, she could remove it and insurance would still cover an alternate form of BC. I was mostly scared about the insertion, but it was an uncomfortable pinch and done. Plus they gave me Xanax beforehand. But I completely understand, I was nervous about the hormonal aspect as well, as I’d…

If you are young, you may have a hard time getting a doctor/insurance to do a tubal ligation. They try to steer young women with no kids away from those in case you “change your mind” (because you don’t know your own mind). Personally I love my Mirena, and didn’t go for the nonhormonal copper IUD because I already had…

Seattle resident here. We don’t have it nearly as bad as Scandinavia, but short winter days that are gray, gray, gray really start to wear on you. I use light box therapy. My husband had a chance to do a sabbatical in Tromsø, Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, and we passed. Even when there’s 24 hours of daylight,…

Oh sister, I feel you. The worst is when women who don’t get insanely painful periods are like, “I don’t get it, what’s the problem?” I cancelled on a friend once because I got my period and she’s like, “Can’t you just take an Advil?” Bitch, no, even those 800mg ibuprofen horse pills don’t make a dent.”

I LOVE MY MIRENA.

I’ve been on BC since I was 16, after an ovarian cyst, and several types have made me super hormonal and exacerbated my tendency to have PMS/period related mood swings, as well as terrible bouts of depression. I was prone to those bouts anyway, but BC made them worse, no doubt in my mind. However, I kept at it until I…

Cheer up Scelestus. Sure, there are a lot of shitheels out there, and even well-meaning people sometimes get a little strident about their beliefs. But Jez should remind you, for the most part, how supportive and comforting some humans can be for one another. When all else fails, pets are the best when you’ve had a…

I carry pepper spray but really dislike guns. I’d worry about accidental discharge or an assailant taking it away from me and using it on me. I live in a waaaaay less sketchy neighborhood now and have big dogs with deep barks that would scare off anybody with a lick of sense.

I’m the same size as my husband (I’m tall, he’s average) and have taken self-defense. I feel like I’d have just as good a chance at kicking someone’s ass as he would. He absolutely would defend me if the situation warranted it, but I would do the same for him. I’ve dated men who start rows over nothing and act like…

Yeah, trolls suck, but Jez commenters are pretty good at shutting them down. Some people spew vitriol so hard they’ve practically a geyser of hate. It’s so gross.

I suspect any male-dominated industry is pretty bad. Or just any industry full stop. I believe the music biz has gotten better because there’s been scrutiny and outcry by artists. I used to just get treated like a groupie, not a journalist. But I’ve also worked at a tech startup, and that was seriously awful too. Any…

Donald would be so disgusted by my non-perfect 41-year-old body that he would cover his eyes, so YES.

awwwwwwww buddies.

What a sleazeball. Fly me to Paris, don’t offer me a stupid steak. (Not that a trip to Paris would convince me to fuck him, nor would anything else on this planet, but try harder Donald.)

I appreciate your explanations. I think even for some people who are very accepting and open-minded, this can be confusing. I read a story recently about a trans teen and his dealings with various medical experts. His mom was so incredibly supportive and working hard to get her son what he needed to feel right — a…

As a puppy, my dog attacked my shoes daily. My Italian suede boots, my Birks, my wellies, my sneakers, and so on and so on. It did not help that my closets do not have doors. My cat (RIP!), on the other hand, peed on my bed. Once when I was in it. Cats can be such assholes.

Ha ha, I figured as much, but thanks for letting me take your deserved laughs. ;-)

I don’t know why I thought that, really. I just figured men would shift their attention to younger, hotter women than me. But another commenter said her 80-year-old relative was recently harassed. Guess we’re in this for the long haul!