SilvioNov 12, 2024
Ricki Yasha Tarr

Just a reminder:

Plan B has a shelf life of four years. (Works best if you are under 155 lbs)

Both mifepristone and misoprostol tablets usually carry a 2-year shelf life. (95%+ success rate no matter what you weigh)

You can get 4 months of over the counter birth control (progestin-only pill form) at Costco for $50. Or 3 months on Amazon for about $45.

Mirena: Can last up to eight years
Liletta: Can last up to eight years
Kyleena: Can last up to five years
Skyla: Can last up to three years
Copper IUD: Can last up to 10 years.

Contraceptive Implants: Can last up to 3 years.

Nov 12, 2024 at 3:05pmWeb
Show threadOtownKimNov 12, 2024
@RickiTarr Great advice!!!
Show threadRalfMaximusNov 12, 2024

@RickiTarr

Also: drug expiration dates are estimates only. MOST drugs remain useful for years past their marked expiration, albeit in a possibly diminished state.

(One exception is epi-pens. It's best practice to assume they really do expire on the date printed.)

Show threadEstarriol, Terrorist DragonNov 12, 2024
@ralfmaximus @RickiTarr never trust out of date anti biotics either.
Show threadThe Polish DispatchNov 12, 2024
@RickiTarr As a former organic chemist I can chip in and say that we used to keep our active organic reactants refrigerated, to keep decomposition rates low and increase shelf life. I am no longer working in a lab, but I still have a habit of storing medicines (and spices) in my refrigerator. Hope that helps.
Show threadSamNov 12, 2024

@ThePolishDispatch @RickiTarr

did a little digging and landed here

https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/331040/DI301-35-39-eng.pdf

(See the summary in particular on page 38)

the gist is that misoprostol should last well beyond the stated shelf life at room temp., as long as the tablet is packaged in alu/alu blister packs, better protecting them from moisture.

something to bear in mind if you plan to stock up.

Show threadThe Polish DispatchNov 12, 2024
@ozofriendly @RickiTarr Very nice paper! Yes, shelf life is just a statistically determined parameter which guarantees that some specifications regarding quality of the product will still hold. We can adjust some 'levers', such as storage temperature, exposure to/protection from light and oxygen, etc. to our advantage.
Show threadEarthMommaNov 12, 2024

@RickiTarr

AND YOU DONT HAVE TO JUST BUY IT FOR YOU.

Im 67 and not going to be getting pregnant---------- BUT I CAN HELP YOU IF YOU NEED SECRET HELP.

I
WILL
BE
STOCKED

Show threadisotope239 🥸💻🇺🇦😣Nov 12, 2024
@LaNaehForaday @RickiTarr Exactly! 👍 Even if you don't possess a uterus you can stockpile and hook up with a distribution network: https://nwlc.org/introducing-the-abortion-defense-network/
Introducing the Abortion Defense Network

If you get an abortion, your community will support you—and the Abortion Defense Network and AALDF will join together to support them.

National Women's Law Center
Show threadRobert HNov 12, 2024

@isotope239 @LaNaehForaday @RickiTarr

I hope you all have an opsec plan.

Imagine a fake site collecting intake forms.

Show threadisotope239 🥸💻🇺🇦😣Nov 12, 2024
@Stinson_108 @LaNaehForaday @RickiTarr Definitely a major consideration.
Show threadMoxieGrrlNov 12, 2024
@RickiTarr Is there a reason why they haven't fucking started selling Plan B in higher doses for people who are heavier? Is it that if you go higher than that it has more side effects? Or is it just that they know they won't sell as many so it doesn't make financial sense? Ugh.
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrNov 12, 2024
@moxiegrrl Higher doses just aren't more effective apparently, and I guess the research is mixed, there technically isn't a weight limit on the drug, as in it might be worth a try, but some studies have suggested it just isn't as effective especially if you're over the 200 lb mark or have a 30+ BMI, but it's not completely conclusive. But there's a warning so I thought it would be better to put it than to not.
Show threadnotthatkindofdoctorNov 12, 2024
@RickiTarr
Bilateral salpingectomy for permanent sterilization is fully covered under ACA rules. I paid zero for the surgery, only co-pays for pre-op pap smear and blood tests. BCBS TX insurance. It's laproscopic so I had it done on a Thursday and was back at work Monday without telling anyone I had it done and no one noticed. Only needed a friend to take me there and back, and she went home the next morning and I was fine by myself. Didn't need any pain meds beyond Tylenol.
Show threadAriaflameNov 12, 2024
@notthatkindofdoctor @RickiTarr You found a doctor who would agree to that and didn't argue with you about whether your potential children or potential future partner would be an issue?
Show threadnotthatkindofdoctorNov 12, 2024
@ariaflame @RickiTarr
There was a list of doctors on the childfree subreddit that were known to do sterilizations without having kids. I've never been on birth control, no (known) pregnancies, never married. I said: I don't want kids, I want a permanent birth control procedure, bisalp looks like a good fit for me. And it was scheduled about a month later so I had time to get lab work and everything done beforehand, but I could have had it faster and I've heard of next-day vasectomy procedures.
Show threadProScience 🇪🇺Nov 12, 2024

@RickiTarr

Share widely, including physically (flyers, posters).

Show threadMissConstrueNov 12, 2024

@RickiTarr A number of white papers have been published lately showing that expiration dates on many prescription drugs are inventory control rather than actual efficacy.

UFC-Que Choisir just did one (on otc meds) where they showed ingredients from drugs manufactured in the early 90s were still at 100% efficacy.

That said, I have not found anything published specifically about birth control...which, given the state of research into women's care, isn't surprising. However, there isn't anything in any of the compounds that would become *dangerous* after expiration, they *may* be less effective. And *may* is a key word.

I never expected that GenX would be the only generation that had full control of our own bodies from menses to menopause.

The 70s were so hopeful! We got Roe, we got the right to have our own bank accounts, the ERA was on the road to passage...I had no idea how angry that made men and how hard they would punish us for the audacity of autonomy.

Show threadPedestrianError  Nov 12, 2024
@RickiTarr How ridiculous is it that most common forms of birth control are only designed to work if you weigh at least 20 lbs less than the average American who could become pregnant?
Show threadRicki Yasha TarrNov 12, 2024
@PedestrianError Getting health studies on women period is pretty recent