Today, women and men have more choices than ever when it comes to their reproductive health. Reproductive technology has advanced to the point families can forego pregnancy altogether, or help families conceive through less traditional means. Though many of us are used to the reproductive advances that have been made available throughout the years, it’s…
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This is the final instalment of Kill Pill. To follow Madeleine’s personal journey, check out the archives. There’s something unsettling about this column ending on the number 17. My first thought was ‘they need to end on an even number’, then my second thought was, ‘well, nothing ends on an even number’. So here we…
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Killing pill is like a spinning wheel and this little guinea-piggy finally landed on red. I got my first period after three months and only a withdrawal bleed to my name. The plot bloodies and thickens, as most timeless tales are wont to do. Given the focus of last week’s column, this is –…
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This is a tribute to my favourite pussy. A pussy I treated far better than my own. A pussy that taught my partner and I so much and, through his unexpected death this week, has weaved a delicate symmetry between his proud little life and my own mysterious pussy. This pussy was a bit…
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I have reached a new level in this game of Killing Pill. Before me are the gatekeepers who guard the unopened door; the unread chapter; the entrance to another realm of understanding and embodiment. They are moonlit, glowing women, who go by the name of The Fifth Vital Sign (or Kelsey Knight and Emily Varnam)….
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An introduction to contraceptive choices From the Ancient Egyptians’ use of crocodile dung to drinking hot mercury tea in Ancient China, people fearing an extra mouth to feed fretted over the best means to avoid bearing one. Contraception is a global, timeless issue which some big international players – most notably the United Nations –…
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The veil has been lifted this week in No-Pill Land and I’m seeing the world much more clearly. It’s still my subjective experience of this realm we live in called Earth, but I feel awake, engaged and ready for action in it. Hello, good morning, rise and shine, time to get up because…
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Hey, Where the Bloody Hell Are You? Can you see me? I’m waving across a deserted beach but there’s no one here and it looks like there’s no one coming? The sun is shining – surely you’re on your way? I’m trying to smile! I thought you saved me a spot, but you’re not here,…
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My worst fear has come true. I’m free. Coming off the pill has cut this puppet’s strings. But instead of running around gaily, skipping and twirling, I’m lying on the ground, writhing in frustration, trying to figure out how to get up and walk. I’m faced with how uncoordinated I am, and how much I’ve…
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My sweat patches smell sweeter. My hair is greasier. My orgasms feel deeper. Words are bubbling out. I can’t stop eating tofu. Dogs seem to be barking at me more aggressively. I prefer the scent of the Bulgarian Rose candle to the Almond Milk one, which is very strange. Very strange indeed. My skin is…
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Fragile: Handle With Care A sinking feeling unrolls itself in my chest and out my eyes when I think of readers who may be experiencing my writing as shaming or ridiculing them. Please forgive me and my work if that has been the case for you. Through choosing a different path from hormonal contraceptives and…
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Join Madeleine Ryan on her personal journey from hormone-controlled fembot to reclaiming who she is, Kill Pill, a new weekly series on Lip. “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Just ingest it at the same time each day & don’t ask too many questions.” I’m a 27-year-old woman living in rural Victoria….
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It was only recently that Obamacare, or its less catchy name, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) celebrated its fifth birthday. The plan was introduced with the aim of revolutionising the United States healthcare system. It was a big ambition for a developed country that unlike others, offered no form of basic universal healthcare. Five…
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A professionally trained counsellor at the Marie Stopes Sexual Health Infoline in Timor-Leste (East Timor) is on the phone trying to explain to a teenage girl that if she gets a contraceptive implant in her arm, there is no way it could travel to her heart or brain and kill her. These sorts of myths…
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