Embedded Design
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By Helen Brown
September 1, 2021 - Disegno: Quarterly Journal of Design
Many of the risks I have detailed around the coil in this article are probably small, but accurate data collection on women’s experiences of birth control is nevertheless essential. I also do not believe that informing women of side effects will necessarily make them abandon contraception – after all, I have the Mirena coil. Despite knowing so much about its potential side effects that it has given me nightmares, I am not reaching for my coil strings in a panic. Like many women, I have accepted Mirena as an imperfect solution and am thankful for the protection it gives me. But I deserve better than a device that is too large for my body and whose impact on my health is unclear. And although I have not experienced intolerable or life-ruining side effects, those who have done should not be left to advocate for themselves alone. Fighting this fight means interrogating what beliefs we have unconsciously digested about what women deserve and what benefits society. “Somewhere, somehow, we’ve all agreed that it’s okay for ourselves and for other women to live with mental health problems, as long as no one is getting pregnant unexpectedly,” Hill explains. “This is – quite literally – complete insanity.”
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