DELANEY WRIGHT

With so many options and price ranges for different types of birth control, it can become unclear who should be covering the cost in your relationship. But if you already split the cost of everything else, birth control should be no different.

When it comes to using birth control for the purpose of preventing pregnancy, many ads and websites target a female audience. Mirena’s website has a slideshow of various ladies — from busy moms to business women at work — making it clear who their target audience is.

What it doesn’t mention is that in Canada, if your insurance doesn’t cover birth control, it’s going to cost you big. In my experience, it costs around $385 to get an intrauterine device. It does boast that it will last for five years — and at $77 a year, that sounds a lot more reasonable.

However, if a girl makes the choice to get an IUD and go through an invasive and potentially painful experience so that she and her partner can both enjoy bareback sex without having to worry about children, why shouldn’t they pick up half the tab?

Birth control can be pricy. The Depo-Provera injectable contraceptive shot can be up to $35–$45 every three months. Oral contraceptives range from $25–$35 for a two month supply. The patch ranges between $30–$40 a month.

Another factor that people in relationships need to remember is what a girl has to go through to get her hands on birth control. Forget the awkward cashier at the grocery store who you casually avoid eye contact with while your condoms and lube slide through their till.

Try doing an aerobics routine in your bathroom as you wiggle and twirl to discover the best possible position for inserting your NuvaRing, or getting a small plastic patch to attach to your body without any wrinkles and then having to resist peeling it off at the end of the week, as it begins to loosen and collect dirt and sweat.

Try having the jaws of life hold open your cooch while your feet are in stirrups and a small t-shaped piece of plastic is inserted in a hole so deep you begin to suspect your gynecologist is trying to get to China.

After you’ve gone through any of these experiences, you would slam down that box of glow-in-the-dark, fruit flavoured, extra-ribbed, extra-large rubbers and a side of lubrication jelly with pride and stare down that cashier with fierce, unwavering eye contact.

At the end of the day, both partners are benefitting from birth control equally. In certain scenarios, someone may start a birth control method for reasons like reduced acne, lighter periods and menstrual cramp management, but in many cases it can also cause unpleasant side effects like weight gain, mood swings, breast tenderness, blood clotting and more.

Compared to the side effects of a condom — ahem, none — varying forms of birth control can make a large impact on someone’s life.

Sometimes it’s hard not to feel bitter shelling out those precious dollars from a bank account that has more cobwebs than cash on a pill that makes you feel like an idiotic, unhinged and bloated monster.

At the end of the day, the decision is up you and your significant other. It comes down to what you and your partner are most comfortable with — side effects and all.

For more information on contraceptive choices, check out Student Health Services on the fourth floor of Place Riel or online at students.usask.ca.

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Image: Jeremy Britz/Graphics Editor