Comments on: Pleasure, Prophylaxis, Procreation: more on “jumping the life to come” and unintended pregnancy http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/ Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:14:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Froth http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466777 Froth Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:11:02 +0000 http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466777 Another point to be made about education as a fail-safe solution: how much you know about contraception and how much knowledge has made its way from your head to your instincts may be very different. I know at least five forms of contraception, and I know that I don't want to become pregnant, but I have sometimes been very tempted to forget my principles and, shall we say, go with the flow. Only afterwards, looking back, have I realised that had anything taken place it would have been without protection. My knowledge hasn't become real to me. (I'm doubly glad, given the lack of protection, that nothing did happen. If the rest of my family are any indication, I'm monstrously fertile.) Another point to be made about education as a fail-safe solution: how much you know about contraception and how much knowledge has made its way from your head to your instincts may be very different. I know at least five forms of contraception, and I know that I don’t want to become pregnant, but I have sometimes been very tempted to forget my principles and, shall we say, go with the flow. Only afterwards, looking back, have I realised that had anything taken place it would have been without protection. My knowledge hasn’t become real to me.
(I’m doubly glad, given the lack of protection, that nothing did happen. If the rest of my family are any indication, I’m monstrously fertile.)

]]> By: Tam http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466754 Tam Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:55:44 +0000 http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466754 I've been struggling internally with #2 in my current relationship. I feel a lot of ambiguity over whether it would be a good idea to get pregnant, even though I know (rationally) that it wouldn't. Fortunately we use both condoms and the Pill and, given that I'm an adult and whatnot, I have the maturity to keep doing the right things despite my weird feelings. I’ve been struggling internally with #2 in my current relationship. I feel a lot of ambiguity over whether it would be a good idea to get pregnant, even though I know (rationally) that it wouldn’t. Fortunately we use both condoms and the Pill and, given that I’m an adult and whatnot, I have the maturity to keep doing the right things despite my weird feelings.

]]> By: charlotte http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466668 charlotte Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:55:48 +0000 http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466668 OK, reality check: There's nothing (and I mean NOTHING!) erotic about: 1. the pukes in the morning, possibly for the entire 9 months 2. swollen ankles (aka cankles) that won't let you wear those sexy high heels any more 3. the snoring that comes with all sorts of tissues swelling all over your body--and the farting that comes with a fetus massaging your insides better than any yoga move. 4. the physical impossibility of climbing yet another staircase when you heave 30-35 extra pounds along with every step 5. the possibility of gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia or whatever other illness puts you in the old-people category 6. peeing with every sneeze (and wishing you wore Depends) 7. trying to turn over in bed and sounding (and feeling) like a beached whale. Erotic? My *ss. It really seems like a good dose of reality is needed here ... perhaps whoever subscribes to this "mystique" idea should be forced to assist in labor support ... (this courtesy of a 36-week pregnant beached whale who can't stop snoring) OK, reality check: There’s nothing (and I mean NOTHING!) erotic about:

1. the pukes in the morning, possibly for the entire 9 months
2. swollen ankles (aka cankles) that won’t let you wear those sexy high heels any more
3. the snoring that comes with all sorts of tissues swelling all over your body–and the farting that comes with a fetus massaging your insides better than any yoga move.
4. the physical impossibility of climbing yet another staircase when you heave 30-35 extra pounds along with every step
5. the possibility of gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia or whatever other illness puts you in the old-people category
6. peeing with every sneeze (and wishing you wore Depends)
7. trying to turn over in bed and sounding (and feeling) like a beached whale.

Erotic? My *ss. It really seems like a good dose of reality is needed here … perhaps whoever subscribes to this “mystique” idea should be forced to assist in labor support …

(this courtesy of a 36-week pregnant beached whale who can’t stop snoring)

]]> By: Emily http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466653 Emily Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:08:32 +0000 http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466653 There is an interesting connection between romanticizing being "swept up in the moment" or overwhelmed by desire and not using birth control. It occurs to me that condoms and some other barrier methods are decisions that must be made each time, at the moment of intercourse, rather than in advance, like birth control pills. The pill somewhat divorces the contraception issue from the "spur of the moment" issue, since you make the decision not when you're about to have sex but at a regular time each day. Re: pregnancy ambivalence, I am starting to see a sort of reverse scenario among friends of my age (around 30) in which they want a child but don't feel financially ready or worry about whether this is the right stage of their career, etc, and so are almost hoping for a birth control failure to make that decision for them. It's sort of a way to push the decision off onto "fate" rather than have to make a difficult decision on your own. Though, for people who have used birth control effectively for however many years, the likelihood of a birth control failure is, I would imagine, lower than for the novices. There is an interesting connection between romanticizing being “swept up in the moment” or overwhelmed by desire and not using birth control. It occurs to me that condoms and some other barrier methods are decisions that must be made each time, at the moment of intercourse, rather than in advance, like birth control pills. The pill somewhat divorces the contraception issue from the “spur of the moment” issue, since you make the decision not when you’re about to have sex but at a regular time each day.

Re: pregnancy ambivalence, I am starting to see a sort of reverse scenario among friends of my age (around 30) in which they want a child but don’t feel financially ready or worry about whether this is the right stage of their career, etc, and so are almost hoping for a birth control failure to make that decision for them. It’s sort of a way to push the decision off onto “fate” rather than have to make a difficult decision on your own. Though, for people who have used birth control effectively for however many years, the likelihood of a birth control failure is, I would imagine, lower than for the novices.

]]> By: Erica http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466638 Erica Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:15:47 +0000 http://hugoschwyzer.net/2008/11/12/pleasure-prophylaxis-procreation-more-on-jumping-the-life-to-come-and-unintended-pregnancy/#comment-466638 Risk-taking as an issue in and of itself seems to be a black hole-- there is so little popular discussion about it, though we all seem to be taught of its dangers, very little attention is given to its rewards. And if we are going about our lives being good, being safe, controlled-- there may be a risk-deficit that sex fulfills...but that could be addressed in other ways. Risk-taking as an issue in and of itself seems to be a black hole– there is so little popular discussion about it, though we all seem to be taught of its dangers, very little attention is given to its rewards.
And if we are going about our lives being good, being safe, controlled– there may be a risk-deficit that sex fulfills…but that could be addressed in other ways.

]]>