“Beilin developed a chronic autoimmune disease after getting a contraceptive intrauterine device made of copper. Through patient forums, she learned that her experience was not unique—in fact, several forms of birth control can have debilitating side effects, a fact that many users feel should not be normalized. Eventually, Beilin turned these patient stories into a book and a podcast of the same name. Below, the writer and the collective discuss why they turned to art and experimental literature to deal with the inadequacies of women’s health care, and the advantages and limits of this approach.”
“One of the slogans for IUD activism is “make the connection,” because so many people who have this device are being told, “oh, you’re just depressed” or “oh, you’re getting older so your joints just don’t work as well as they used to.” It’s very difficult to make the connection—both to other patients and to the device—when a whole industry is saying that this thing is harmless.”
“Online groups are key spaces for patient uprising. I don’t use Facebook, which is where a lot of this activity is happening. So I went on Yahoo! Groups, which doesn’t exist anymore. I joined one named Copper IUD Detox, which was started by an Argentinean woman named Florencia Kot Hansen. She simply put her experience out there, and asked if anyone wanted to connect. Eventually, there were almost two thousand people, and there are even bigger groups on Facebook. Members would just write in and describe what was going on with them. It was actually some of the most compelling writing I’d ever read. It put the literary world to shame. If you want to read some good stuff, go to a listserv where a bunch of people who have a uterus have been fucked over by the health care system!

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