Emma Goldman, a radical political activist who was born in Lithuania in 1869, trained as a midwife and became an outspoken supporter of contraception back when it was illegal to publish anything about preventing pregnancy. In 1916 she was arrested for her activism. Goldman was an early mentor of Margaret Sanger (who founded Planned Parenthood).
In the 1970s, Avery and her colleagues opened a clinic in Gainesville, FL, and in 1983 she founded the National Black Women's Health Project. Avery’s mission was to provide self-help programs for women facing poverty, crime, violence, and racism. For her work in women's rights, she was awarded the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Award in 2008.
Dr. Rodríguez Trías was the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association. She focused her energy on ending reproductive health disparities faced by low-income people of color. Because these same women were often coerced into sterilization, Dr. Rodríguez Trías helped create the Committee to End Sterilization Abuse. Today, doctors need written consent to perform a sterilization procedure.
Norma Jean Serena’s fight for reproductive justice began in 1970. After caseworkers removed her children, Serena was coerced into being sterilized. She believed the sterilization was a medical necessity, but her chart stated that it was done for “socioeconomic reasons.” Serena sued and was able to regain custody of her children, but was never compensated for the forced sterilization. Nevertheless, her battle shed much-needed light on the practice of sterilization abuse.
At age 16, Okamoto and a friend founded PERIOD to activate youth to help end period poverty and period stigma. Six years later, PERIOD has over 700 chapters in over 40 countries. They distribute pads, tampons, and menstrual cups to women living in poverty, and they push for legislation requiring public schools to provide free period products.
We’ve got great things planned for Loop members, so remember to check back regularly to see what’s buzzing. Sign up for help navigating your birth control and to get useful information about Twirla.
Twirla® is a weekly birth control patch for women of reproductive potential with a BMI <30 kg/m2 for whom a combined hormonal contraceptive is appropriate.
Twirla is less effective in women with a BMI ≥25 to <30 kg/m2 and should not be used in women with a BMI ≥30 kg/m2.
Do not use TWIRLA if you have or have had blood clots; history of heart attack or stroke, high blood pressure that medicine cannot control, any condition that makes your blood clot more than normal, or certain heart valve problems; smoke and are over 35 years old; BMI ≥30 kg/m2.
TWIRLA is also not for women who have diabetes and are over 35 years old, diabetes with high blood pressure or kidney, eye, nerve, or blood vessel damage, diabetes for longer than 20 years; have had breast cancer or any cancer that is sensitive to female hormones; certain kinds of severe migraine headaches; have liver problems or liver tumors; unexplained bleeding from the vagina; who are or may be pregnant; or who take hepatitis C drugs containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, as this may increase levels of liver enzymes in the blood.
TWIRLA may not be a good choice for you if you have ever had depression; jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) caused by pregnancy (also called cholestasis of pregnancy) or related to previous use of hormonal birth control.
TWIRLA increases the risks of serious side effects, including blood clots, stroke, or heart attack, especially in women who have other risk factors. These can be life-threatening or lead to permanent disability. This increased risk is highest when you first start using hormonal birth control and when you restart the same or different hormonal birth control after not using it for a month or more. Treatment with TWIRLA should be stopped at least 4 weeks before and through 2 weeks after major surgery.
The most common side effects reported by women using TWIRLA in a study were skin reactions at the patch site, nausea, headache, menstrual cramps, and weight gain.
These are not all the possible side effects of TWIRLA. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects.
You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch.
TWIRLA is a birth control patch for women with a BMI less than 30 kg/m2 who can become pregnant. It contains two female hormones, a progestin called levonorgestrel, and an estrogen called ethinyl estradiol. TWIRLA may not be as effective in women with a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or more. If you have a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more, please talk with your healthcare provider about which method of birth control is right for you.
You should not use TWIRLA any earlier than 4 weeks after having a baby or if you are breastfeeding.
Hormonal birth control methods help to lower the chances of becoming pregnant when taken as directed. They do not protect against HIV infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The risk information provided here is not complete. To learn more, review the TWIRLA Patient Information and talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
