ms-demeanor:

ms-demeanor:

Plan B is shelf stable for up to 4 years. Afterpill is shelf stable for about 18 months.

Plan B is currently available over the counter, and you can find coupons for it online for various retailers; some of those coupons require a prescription so check the coupon details carefully. Both of these medications can be ordered online.

Plan B and Afterpill in the 1.5mg tablets are less effective for people over 176 pounds, however it is safe to double the dose, so if you are heavier order two doses. Ella is also effective for heavier people, but requires a prescription.

Emergency contraception is effective for a short period after sex. You need to take Plan B or Afterpill within 72 hours of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy.

IUDs and birth control implants are effective long-term birth control that does not require your partner to participate in using the birth control or even be aware of it. IUDs are 99% effective and are effective for 3-12 years depending on type. Planned Parenthood can place an IUD for you, and so can many gynecologist’s offices, and IUDs are covered under most health insurance plans. Talk to your doctor or gynecologist about how to get an IUD. Birth control implants are 99% effective and are effective for up to 5 years. Like IUDs, you can talk to your doctor or gynecologist, or visit Planned Parenthood, to get an IUD.

The birth control methods listed here are not effective for preventing STIs, they are for pregnancy prevention only.

If you can become pregnant but do not want to be pregnant, now is a good time to consider a long-term birth control option like an IUD or a birth control implant, and to purchase emergency contraception like Plan B or Afterpill to have it onhand in an emergency.

Lots of people in this country don’t get a good education about birth control or their bodies. Here is Scarleteen’s comprehensive, accessible guide to birth control and how it works.

Scarleteen also has a guide to self-managed medical abortions.

Here is a guide on how to get Mifepristone online.

Here’s a guide on how to get Misoprostol online.

unloneliest:

mushroomcaphat:

I don’t want to scare people, but if you are able to get pregnant and you live in a red or purple state in the US, you need to start making an emergency contingency plan for a complete ban on abortion in your state now. It is increasingly likely that Roe v. Wade will be nullified this summer when the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health is announced, allowing states to set their own laws on abortion. If/when this happens, 23 states have the legislature in place to ban abortion and 29 total are hostile/lean hostile towards abortion and are likely to ban or heavily restrict it, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Only 16 are confidently pro-choice.

If you live in a state that is likely to repeal, are able to conceive, and especially if you are sexually active, you need to have a plan for avoiding pregnancy and a plan for if that plan fails, and the time to make it is now, not this summer when everyone around you is panicking.

Birth control access shouldn’t be affected by this decision, but look into longer acting and more effective methods, like IUDs (99.995% effectiveness typical and perfect use) and subdermal implants (99.995% typical and perfect) over things like the pill (99+% perfect, 91% typical) or condoms alone (98% perfect, 82% typical) that are less effective and easier to lose access to, and use both a barrier method like a condom and a hormonal method if you can. Planned Parenthood has a list of methods sorted by effectiveness here. Plan B lasts about a year, and is considered effective for 72 hours after sex but drops exponentially in effectiveness as time passes: if you don’t reliably have a spare $50 and access to a pharmacy that stocks Plan B or ellaOne, buy a back up Plan B when you’re able to to ensure you can take emergency contraceptives as soon as possible for the best results.

Start tracking your cycle now: medication abortions are the only ones that can be self managed and are only possible up to 11 weeks after the start of your last period. Not after conception, after the first day of your last period. The effectiveness of medication abortion drops after 8 weeks pregnant, and some sources will say it’s only effective up to week 10. If your next period is late and there’s even a miniscule possibility you could be pregnant, take a pregnancy test immediately (the dollar store ones are the same as the expensive pharmacy tests). Don’t wait to see if it shows up a couple weeks late or if next month’s comes: by the time you reach your first missed period, you’re already considered 4 weeks pregnant, and you need as much time as possible to coordinate an out of state abortion or a self managed abortion. Waiting for two missed periods puts you at 8 weeks pregnant, almost at the point where you need to start altering dosages for medication abortion to be effective. Don’t cut it that close: it’s better to waste a dollar on a test than have to seek out a second trimester abortion.

Have a plan for how you will get an abortion, both within the first 10 weeks and after. For early abortions, you will be able to self manage. Plan C, Aid Access, medicationabortion.com, Women on Web, and Women Help Women can all help you obtain the medications you need or information about how to use them, either by mailing them directly or by connecting you to resources: bookmark these.

For abortions past 10 or 11 weeks, things are more complicated, but they are not hopeless. You need to have a plan, though. Do you know where the nearest abortion clinic in a pro choice state is? Do you know how much that abortion will cost and how you will get that money, both for the clinic costs and the cost of travel, accommodations, and two to four days of lost wages? Do you know if they do in-clinic abortions (the only option after 10 weeks) or just medication abortions? What’s the latest they can go? Look into local abortion funds or access support organizations. More will emerge as need increases, but scoping them out now will save valuable time and give you peace of mind. Some of the resources linked in the last paragraph may be able to help connect you as well.

Again, I’m not trying to incite panic here, but things are not looking good when it comes to abortion access in the United States, and you need to be prepared. Time is of the essence when it comes to abortions, even without restrictive bans, and having information and a plan before you lose access and especially before you get pregnant buys you time.

a piece of information that’s not as widely known but that is pretty important - most emergency contraceptives decrease in effectiveness for people over a certain weight. from planned parenthood’s website:

• Plan B may not work if you weigh 155 pounds or more.
• ella may work less well if you weigh 195 pounds or more.

planned parenthood lists IUDs as a form of emergency contraceptive that is also an option for 5 days after having sex. it’s a form that is not impacted by a person’s weight and it is over 99.9% effective if put in within those first 5 days.

sketchdeath:

here is a link to the gofundme for the funeral of delaina yaun, a victim of the shooting in atlanta, and another link to the gofundme to support her family, she is survived by 2 children and a husband. (these are both verified by gofundme.)

here is a gofundme link for elcias hernandez ortiz, who was shot but is currently in intensive care as i write this. he was the only survivor of this attack. his family will need help paying for the medical bills. (cnn includes this link in an article about the attack.)

if i find any more links to the help out the victims friends and family i will add them.

thank you for donating if you can, and thank you for sharing. everyone please stay safe.

beehivebutch:

soooo my parents wont let me work and i cant drive, i want to save up so i wont be swamped by student loans when i graduate, and um when my mom finds out i aint goin to grad school i prolly gotta move out so I’m trying to get some shit together for whenever that happens :’)

cashapp: $illuminatedbeehive

venmo: illuminatedbeehive

paypal: @/illuminatedbeehive

violetsandshrikes:

violetsandshrikes:

Here’s a link for a fundraiser so you can donate to help families in Gaza and the West Bank the gardening supplies or livestock they need to produce their own food and start a home-based business!!

Here’s a link for a fundraiser so you can donate to help women from Karama’s Community Bakery to kick off strong and gain enough guidance, tools, and visibility to succeed -this project will support a newly established community bakery in a Palestinian refugee camp, and contribute to community health and income.

dweebzilla:

Please help my partner avoid homelessness

Hi, My name is Jay, but more importantly, my partner’s name is Jinx. They’re a non-binary black writer, sex worker, and activist, and I love them so much, but their mother kicking them out on November 30th, 2020. There’s more information on the GoFundMe page, started and run entirely by them, but essentially they’re trying to raise $7,500 to finish getting their license, get a car, and move in with some friends who are offering to help. All I can do for them right now is spread this and give them exposure because I’m experiencing secondary homelessness myself, so even if you can’t donate please reblog this so it gets to people who can. Thank you so much.

Click here for the GoFundMe

(image ID: a phone screenshot of the GoFundMe, titled “Black Enby on the Verge to be Homeless”. The goal is $7,500 and the screenshot shows no donations. The eyecatcher photo for the fundraiser is a black non-binary person with a shaved head wearing a black sun hat, dark eyeshadow, a pink face mask, two thin chokers, a black pair of shortalls with a white outline sun-and-moon pattern, a black plain tee shirt, and a grey cardigan. They are looking at the camera and posing with the cardigan open so it doesn’t obstruct the rest of the outfit. End ID)