I'm following the discussion of LAM with interest, but am a bit
perturbed that the only forms of birth control mentioned often are
pills, tubal ligation, various forms of Billings/natural family
planning, and (once) IUD.  When I speak with my students about birth
control, and use the term "birth control" without specifying method,
they think I'm talking about the pill.  When I was in my twenties,
the diaphragm was the method of choice in my circle.  At one point, I
even had a cervical cap.  Both were quite effective, easy to use, and
(here's the best part) didn't mess with my hormones.  It seems that
the main negative about diaphragms are that one has to put them in
just prior to intercourse, but that always seemed a plus to me since
it made using birth control a conscious thing for both the man and
the woman.  (I'm not all that keen on the idea that birth control
should be subjugated to romance--that just lets men get away with
absolutely no responsibility.)  Also, in committed relationships,
condoms can work very well, especially with mothers who have
diminished fertility (i.e., many lactating mothers).

The interest in the diaphragm was initiated in the early 20th century
by Margaret Sanger (although I believe it has been around,
technically, for longer), and I think this form of birth control has
always been promoted within feminist health circles.  In the early
1980s I went to a feminist health clinic in the Pacific Northwest,
the kind where a group of women sit in a circle and all look at their
own cervix with a mirror, flashlight, and plastic speculum.  I
thought it was a great experience, and that place really encouraged
diaphragms and cervical caps as a women-friendly, low-tech methods of
birth control.

The great thing about barrier methods is that they are immediately
reversible, work when you are taking antibiotics, and make you become
more responsible about sex (because they don't work in the drawer).
I know that's the counter-argument, that it doesn't work if it's in
the drawer, but isn't that part of the point?  I guess this is
sort-of despair at the culture in which so many women are not in
control of their sexual lives to the extent that they could demand
that their partners use condoms or insist on a diaphragm.  Most
significantly, barrier methods of birth control don't affect milk
supply, and for women who are lactating, they provide some
lubrication.  Why not promote these more rather than worrying about
the mini-pill?  Is it that women don't want other forms, or that they
don't know about them?

I do realize that for some women whose religion or other beliefs
preclude using technological birth control, LAM might be the only
option, in conjunction with other "natural" methods.  This message is
about women who consciously want and use technological birth control.

Bernice Hausman
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Bernice L. Hausman
Associate Professor
English Dept. (0112)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-5076 (office)
540-231-5692 (fax)

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http://athena.english.vt.edu/~hausman/hausman.html
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