Has anybody ever watched those birth control ads?

I've never actually really looked at one all the way through... jesus, these girls look like high school sophomores!

I obviously know kids in high school are bangin and what not, but damn... talk about blatant marketing

Maybe part of the marketing tactic is to make 40 something women think that if they use X method of contraception they will live the life of a teenager again. Maybe?

I dunno, it's just weird. I think it's unabashed marketing to minor girls, especially those 15-17. The girls on these commercials look younger than most of the chicks I went to college with when they were freshmen.

I'm no prude and I'm somewhat a product of the younger generation, although not the "current" young generation, so it's not like shit like this is shocking for me, but I still wonder what I'd think as a parent when this FREQUENT situation comes up these days:

Teenage girl who also happened to start dating some tool high school guy in the last month or two goes to her mom and literally demands to go on the pill like it's her birth right.

On one hand, as a parent (mom particularly, since I've never heard of a young girl going to her dad about it ), yeah, you'd rather not see her get pregnant above all else and would rather her have protective measures in place if she's gonna fuck... after all, you're not going to stop her from doing anything she's truly determined to do, short of locking her in her room and completely (at least temporarily) destroying your relationship with her. On the other hand, it's pretty appalling to me that 16 and 17-year-old girls have the gall to routinely go to their moms and demand to go on the pill like they're telling them what they'd like for dinner without an iota of embarrassment about the whole subject.

It's all obviously a matter of degree... it's one thing for a young adult who still at least lives at home in the college sense who wants to talk to her mom about stuff like that should be able to do so and indeed should do so... but man. I just wonder what it'll be like when my (future) kids are that age some day

Please give me sons....

You don't think it's a problem for boys? Do you think it's OK for them to get girls pregnant? Boys can impregnate many girls, at least girls can only be pregnant once at a time.

Have you ever listened toward the end of the commercials to all of the side effects and warnings?

It is a shame that young women have to vernture into all of that.

By the way, great thead

I find these ads horrifying, but it's ultimately up to the parents to instill good values, self esteem and priorities into their children so that they are not swayed by any of these ads. If you do have a child swayed by these ads, more than likely you're looking at a child with poor parents.

You make some very good points, Dan. It seems that when I see a pregnant teen come in-pregnancy is not her only issue. She usually has problems with alcohol and/or drugs. She is usually dropped out of school or is attending the "alternative" high school. Very rarely is it a girl that's pregnant but still has a good relationship with her parents and has no other problems.

Saint John wrote:I find these ads horrifying, but it's ultimately up to the parents to instill good values, self esteem and priorities into their children so that they are not swayed by any of these ads. If you do have a child swayed by these ads, more than likely you're looking at a child with poor parents.

I agree.

Unfortunately, I had very poor parenting when it came to these issues - VERY poor. I am SO thankful that what I do have, and did have back then, is good common sense and respect for myself. Unfortunately, this is not the case with all kids. (dare I say "most" kids?)

cat wrote:Have you ever listened toward the end of the commercials to all of the side effects and warnings?

It's almost comical when you listen to the side effects at the end of some of the drug commercials - the birth control ones and of course some other ones. It's like... who the hell would wanna take this drug at this point? It's always the vanity or lifestyle drugs that seem to carry the worst risks, too... it's like:

"Warning: Use of this drug my cause cerebral hemmorhages in some patients... others experienced stroke... others had severe heart attack... stop use and consult a doctor immediately if you begin to feel paralyzed from the waste down... prolonged use of the drug for more than 3 months could result in a severe and permanent autoimmune disability... if you begin to feel suicidal, stop and ask your doctor immediately... if you begin bleeding from your eyeballs, stop using the drug... other patients may experience hallucinations and psychosis... a select group of patients died from merely inhaling the scent of the drug bottle..."

"CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT YAZ TODAY!"

natalie wrote:You don't think it's a problem for boys? Do you think it's OK for them to get girls pregnant? Boys can impregnate many girls, at least girls can only be pregnant once at a time.

Of course it's not ok for men to run around spreading their speed... even the pro athletes with millions are dead beats when it comes to supporting their kids like this. But, the subject here is marketing pills to young female teens.

To be honest, you don't see as many condom commercials as you once used to.. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one of those Trojan ads that used to be all over the place. Anyone ever notice that? That never occurred to me until now. I wonder why that is? Larger female audience?

Ehwmatt wrote:

cat wrote:Have you ever listened toward the end of the commercials to all of the side effects and warnings?

It's almost comical when you listen to the side effects at the end of some of the drug commercials - the birth control ones and of course some other ones. It's like... who the hell would wanna take this drug at this point? It's always the vanity or lifestyle drugs that seem to carry the worst risks, too... it's like:

"Warning: Use of this drug my cause cerebral hemmorhages in some patients... others experienced stroke... others had severe heart attack... stop use and consult a doctor immediately if you begin to feel paralyzed from the waste down... prolonged use of the drug for more than 3 months could result in a severe and permanent autoimmune disability... if you begin to feel suicidal, stop and ask your doctor immediately... if you begin bleeding from your eyeballs, stop using the drug... other patients may experience hallucinations and psychosis... a select group of patients died from merely inhaling the scent of the drug bottle..."

"CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT YAZ TODAY!"

You forgot they also cause slow check-out lanes at the gorcery store.

Ehwmatt wrote:

cat wrote:Have you ever listened toward the end of the commercials to all of the side effects and warnings?

It's almost comical when you listen to the side effects at the end of some of the drug commercials - the birth control ones and of course some other ones. It's like... who the hell would wanna take this drug at this point? It's always the vanity or lifestyle drugs that seem to carry the worst risks, too... it's like:

"Warning: Use of this drug my cause cerebral hemmorhages in some patients... others experienced stroke... others had severe heart attack... stop use and consult a doctor immediately if you begin to feel paralyzed from the waste down... prolonged use of the drug for more than 3 months could result in a severe and permanent autoimmune disability... if you begin to feel suicidal, stop and ask your doctor immediately... if you begin bleeding from your eyeballs, stop using the drug... other patients may experience hallucinations and psychosis... a select group of patients died from merely inhaling the scent of the drug bottle..."

"CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT YAZ TODAY!"

Adverse effects are very rare and almost non-existent when used properly, but this is their way of covering their ass when someone does have an adverse reaction.

Ehwmatt wrote:

natalie wrote:You don't think it's a problem for boys? Do you think it's OK for them to get girls pregnant? Boys can impregnate many girls, at least girls can only be pregnant once at a time.

Of course it's not ok for men to run around spreading their speed... even the pro athletes with millions are dead beats when it comes to supporting their kids like this. But, the subject here is marketing pills to young female teens.

To be honest, you don't see as many condom commercials as you once used to.. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one of those Trojan ads that used to be all over the place. Anyone ever notice that? That never occurred to me until now. I wonder why that is? Larger female audience?

Maybe the marketers believe females to be the more responsible of the 2 . There's a lot more money to be made off of Yaz than there is off of rubbers

A lot of the ads targeting teens is also due to the fact that they claim it can clear up acne. I know even dermatologists that even recommend certain b.c products.

In my case, Jenna and I have always had a open relationship that she could and will come and talk to me about anything. The reason primarily is that I have always respected her opinions and she returns the same. She completely understands that she must respect herself and her body before anything else. She is a go-getter that knows what she wants in life and is working towards that. She has always said that she never wants to be a "statistic" on the unwed, teenage pregnancy list.

One of the best relationships in the world is between a mother and daughter.

Kate wrote:A lot of the ads targeting teens is also due to the fact that they claim it can clear up acne. I know even dermatologists that even recommend certain b.c products.

In my case, Jenna and I have always had a open relationship that she could and will come and talk to me about anything. The reason primarily is that I have always respected her opinions and she returns the same. She completely understands that she must respect herself and her body before anything else. She is a go-getter that knows what she wants in life and is working towards that. She has always said that she never wants to be a "statistic" on the unwed, teenage pregnancy list.

One of the best relationships in the world is between a mother and daughter.

I just wonder about all of these young girls who go on the pill now at 16 and use it for 10~14 years until they're 26-30 and ready to have kids.. or hell, even longer in some cases. The pill isn't THAT old of a drug, so we don't have that great of a sample size of very long-term users and each pill is obviously a bit different chemically... plus it's much more "in vogue" now than it was in the 70s and 80s, so there are probably far greater long-term users.

You just have to wonder what some of the long-term effects might be where you use the damn thing for so long.

Good question Matt and I dont think anyone in the pharm or medical community can really answer that. They might like to try to, but they wont stick their neck that far out on the line.

It is also suggested that when finally stopping the pill to try to conceive, some dr's say 6 months, some say a year before trying to actively conceive, thats where the condoms come in. Good luck guys.

Taking any medication long term will produce negative side effects.The medical field takes the standpoint that the benefits outweigh the side effects(This is often not the case especially as time goes by)

Matt, oral contraceptives have been around since the 60's. Like Yulog says, it's a risk vs benefit thing. A teen pregnancy is a greater risk most of the time than the risk of taking hormones to supress ovulation to prevent pregnancy. There is enough data to support the safe use of oral contraceptives in those patients that do not have any contraindications to their use.

Some (not all) providers do recommend waiting for about 3 months to get pregnant after discontinuing oral contraceptives but really it has more to do with letting the body figure out how to ovulate again than any adverse effects related to the oral contraceptives. This waiting period is not necessary.

Any other questions?

natalie wrote:Matt, oral contraceptives have been around since the 60's. Like Yulog says, it's a risk vs benefit thing. A teen pregnancy is a greater risk most of the time than the risk of taking hormones to supress ovulation to prevent pregnancy. There is enough data to support the safe use of oral contraceptives in those patients that do not have any contraindications to their use.

Some (not all) providers do recommend waiting for about 3 months to get pregnant after discontinuing oral contraceptives but really it has more to do with letting the body figure out how to ovulate again than any adverse effects related to the oral contraceptives. This waiting period is not necessary.

Any other questions?

I know they've been around for that long, but they were relatively taboo back then. In the last 25~35 years, it's become much more "acceptable" to be on the pill... so I think the chances of more long-term users goes up.

One question: With all of the various pills out there, indeed some are expressly intended to be different from each other (eg I think Yaz is designed to combat PMDD), is there a consistent formula or is each pill different? If they're chemically different from each other, then really, how can we know about all of them and their possible long-term side effects? If the formulas differ, this would be an especially particular concern with the newer permutations of the pill that become available. If they are exactly the same, then I guess it's a moot point.

Whatever scientific data they have on hand, I find it hard to believe that altering your hormone levels for years and years is healthy in the long run. At the bare minimum, I could see it accelerating menopause into the mid 30s. Of course, this is all a lay person's conjecture, but I know a little bit more about medicine than the average joe, too.

Keep in mind, I'm concerned/talking about a girl who goes on the pill in her late teens and doesn't stop for at least 10 years... not a girl who uses it for 3 or 4 years in college or something like that.

I still think the best form of birth control is the old school way ... a flight of stairs.

Saint John wrote:I still think the best form of birth control is the old school way ... a flight of stairs.

What about a haymaker to the gut?

Well, Matt, since I've taken two graduate courses to answer your question-I'll give you the short answer.

When you break it down into what is in oral contraceptives, there are two types, progesterone only and a combined contraceptive containing both estrogen and progesterone. Some women (for example lactating women) should not take estrogen so they are given progesterone only. There are some different "recipes" for how much hormone is used depending on how they want to market the pill (for example Seasonale contains hormone for 11 weeks then placebo for a week so women only have a period every 3 months) then some brands put additives in the pills such as a diuretic or something to help with mood disorders, but the contraceptive part is all the same.

There are some risks with all oral contraceptives but as I said earlier, if a patient is screened properly, these risks can be greatly reduced. In addition after discontinuing oral contraceptive use, all risks for adverse reactions were then equal to the risk the same woman would have if she was not using oral contraceptives.

Essentially, pregnancy is almost always a greater risk than use of oral contraceptives.

Ehwmatt wrote:

Saint John wrote:I still think the best form of birth control is the old school way ... a flight of stairs.

What about a haymaker to the gut?

Do you know what would happen if you did either of those??? Maybe you'd get to see pics of your newborn while you were behind bars.

Ehwmatt wrote:

Saint John wrote:I still think the best form of birth control is the old school way ... a flight of stairs.

What about a haymaker to the gut?

That requires outsourcing, and usually costs money and carries risk. Icing or greasing the steps is a lot easier to clean up after the "accident" and you don't have to worry about some bozo opening his mouth about it.

natalie wrote:Well, Matt, since I've taken two graduate courses to answer your question-I'll give you the short answer.

When you break it down into what is in oral contraceptives, there are two types, progesterone only and a combined contraceptive containing both estrogen and progesterone. Some women (for example lactating women) should not take estrogen so they are given progesterone only. There are some different "recipes" for how much hormone is used depending on how they want to market the pill (for example Seasonale contains hormone for 11 weeks then placebo for a week so women only have a period every 3 months) then some brands put additives in the pills such as a diuretic or something to help with mood disorders, but the contraceptive part is all the same.

There are some risks with all oral contraceptives but as I said earlier, if a patient is screened properly, these risks can be greatly reduced. In addition after discontinuing oral contraceptive use, all risks for adverse reactions were then equal to the risk the same woman would have if she was not using oral contraceptives.

Essentially, pregnancy is almost always a greater risk than use of oral contraceptives.

Interesting stuff, thanks.