Happy 50th Birthday to The Pill!

I'm a little late on this, but this past May 9th marked the 50th anniversary of the FDA approval of the birth control pill. TIME did a nice little write up covering the history of the pill, from early forms of birth control (paste made from crocodile dung as a vaginal insert, anyone?), the conception of the idea of a magic little pill (thanks Margaret Sanger!), to creation of the pill, getting FDA approval, and the role the pill on women's liberation and the sexual revolution. This is a must read for women who take or have taken the pill, and really any woman that wants to know about the history of birth control and feminism, because they are so very intertwined.

For more info on birth control check out the first issue of PoolBoy Magazine (hitting the streets in August!) which includes a guide to "Rethinking your Birth Control." Stay tuned for pre-order opportunities!

Here's my favorite quote from the TIME article:

Some of the women who were on the family-planning front lines 50 years ago get a little impatient when they hear young women talking ungratefully about the freedoms they take for granted. But Steinem, for one, takes the longer view. "I don't walk around saying, 'Thank you for the vote,' " she says of a battle even longer past. "I might add, as Susan B. Anthony said, Our job is not to make young women grateful. It's to make them ungrateful so they keep going. Gratitude never radicalized anybody."

There's no time like the present to get radical.

HPV Vaccine for Dudes Too!

Remember a few years back when you spent a shitload (or had your insurance spend a shitload) on the HPV vaccine, otherwise known as Gardasil? Now your boyfriend can get vaccinated too! That's right kiddies, Gardasil is now approved for boys and men between the ages of 9 and 26 (after that you probably already have HPV, sorry). Here are some deets:

"Just Out!!! Gardasil, the vaccine that protects girls and women from genital warts and cervical cancer has been approved for boys and men. Genital warts, cervical cancer, and some cancers of the penis, scrotum, anus, and throat are caused by certain types of human papilloma virus (HPV). While the vaccine may not protect boys and men against all HPV types that can cause these cancers, it does protect them against the two HPV types (types 6 and 11) that cause 90 percent of genital warts in the U.S."

Tell your boyfriend to get his shots now or his penis will fall off. Also, parents watch out, this will probably make your son into a super slut.

Another HPV vaccine

About two years ago I eagerly got my Gardasil HPV vaccine shots, which prevent two strains of cancer causing HPV. The nurse that administered my third shot told me to tell my male friends to come in for the shot as well. I was a little confused since I thought the vaccine was only for women, but this article in the Arizona Republic not only states that Gardasil is about to market to males but there is another HPV vaccine, Cervarix by Glaxo, about to drop in the states.

If you haven't already gotten the vaccine, be sure to do so, but do some research first. After all, according to the AZ Republic, "Gardasil and Cervarix both defend against HPV strains 16 and 18, which cause about 70 percent of cervical-cancer cases. But Merck's vaccine also defends against two other HPV types that cause 90 percent of genital warts, something Cervarix does not target."

Now if we could just get that male birth control pill on the market...