In Our Control

The efficacy and risks of different birth control options are dramatically different today from what they once were thanks to scientific advances and increased awareness of STDs and other factors. In the most comprehensive book on birth control since the 1970s, women's health activist Laura Eldridge discusses the history, scientific advances, and practical uses of everything from condoms to the male pill to Plan B.
Do diaphragms work? Should you stay on the Pill? What does fertility awareness really mean? Find these answers and more in In Our Control, the definitive guide to modern contraceptive and sexual health. Eldridge presents her meticulous research and unbiased consideration of our options in the intimate and honest tone of a close friend. Eldridge goes on to explore large-scale issues that might factor into women's birth control choices, urging her readers to consider the environmental impacts of each method and to take part in a dialogue on how international reproductive health issues affect us all.
Whether you're looking for your first birth control method or want to know more about your current contraceptive choice, In Our Control offers the cutting edge information and practical wisdom you’ll need to make empowered decisions about your sexual health."Straightforward, nonjudgmental, and honest … Eldridge walks readers through the thought process within her critiques, which allows the reader to become a smart consumer of contraceptive options … [Her] fresh voice was apparent on every page of In Our Control, and evoked the pro-woman, community-oriented feel of a volume of Our Bodies, Ourselves." —Gwen Emmons, Feminist Review

"I couldn't put In Our Control down. Reading Laura Eldridge's history about contraception blew my mind. We cannot allow pharmaceutical companies to endanger women lives! This book is about to regalvanize the women's health revolution!" —Betty Dodson

"Laura Eldridge's new book In Our Control: The Complete Guide to Contraceptive Choices for Women (Seven Stories Press, 2010) isn't kidding with that subtitle. The last time I remember reading so much detail about contraceptive options was poring over Our Bodies, Ourselves when I was in my 20s … This is women's health activism at its best." —Elizabeth Kissling, Ms. Magazine
LAURA ELDRIDGE is a women’s health writer and activist. She is the author of In Our Control: The Complete Guide to Contraceptive Choices for Women and the co-author of The No-Nonsense Guide to Menopause. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.