$2.00
Brainscan #22: A practical body modification
Intra Uterine Devices (IUDs) are the most widely used form of reversible birth control in the world and the second most widely used form of birth control behind sterilization. IUDs are also the most effective form of birth control. When searching for a form of birth control for my partner and I found that the IUD made the most sense for us. Since being fitted for an IUD almost a year ago people have had lots of questions.
In typical Brainscan zine fashion, I’m writing about what’s going on in my life. This zine just happens to an informative look at the history and procedure in a clinical sense, as well as a person account from exploration to procedure to afterwards… and I’m very happy with my decision!
If you or anyone you know have had an interest in IUDs this zine might answer some of your questions. 32 pages, 1/4 sized, affixed color covers, gocco printed envelopes. Numbered and limited to 1000.
Review from Feminist Review:
As a lesbian with an incredibly regular menstrual cycle, I generally don’t ever really think about birth control. It’s not something that affects my life, and other than the random conversations about birth control that I have with my friends and loved ones who do use it, I don’t usually find literature on the topic particularly interesting. With that said, the zine Brainscan #22 not only discusses a type of birth control called Intra Uterine Device (IUD), but also presents the facts and personal experiences of the use of this device so well that even I took immediate interest in the topic.
In the first half of Brainscan #22, author Alex Wrekk describes what exactly an IUD is and how it works. For a quick overview, the IUD is a small T-shaped device that “is inserted through the vagina through the cervix and into the uterus as a form of birth control.” One type of IUD is wrapped in copper wire and acts as a spermicidal and ovicidal that works for up to 12 years. Another type of IUD is not wrapped in copper wire, “but instead contains low doses of hormones similar to birth control pills. The hormonal one can last up to 5 years.” The easy-to-understand information presented in this zine comes from all of the facts that Wrekk gathered from different pamphlets, doctors and nurses who know a lot about the subject, and any other information that she got on it while visiting Planned Parenthood for the insertion of her own IUD. After a quick discussion about the political aspects of getting an IUD in the United States, the second half of the zine veers away from a medical description of the IUD, to Wrekk’s personal experience. She describes the occurrence of pain from the insertion, and also the relief from knowing that she was pretty much set on birth control for the next 10-12 years.
I was completely unfamiliar with the IUD prior to reading this zine. My friend who works for a feminist healthcare clinic read the zine and said that most of the medical information was right on, with a few variations in detail here and there. But the overall honesty of Wrekk’s experience, the simple language used to describe what an IUD is and why anyone would want one, as well as the appealing layout and concise gathering of information, makes this little zine a strong packet of good and accessible information. I only wish that Brainscan #22 could become available at every gynecologist’s office across the country.
Review by Chelsey Clammer
Review from Marching stars distro:
Titled “A Practical Body Modification”, this is both an informative and personal zine about using Intra Uterine Devices as birth control. Alex talks about her personal reasons and experiences choosing this method of birth control as well as answers questions she has received from curious friends and family. A really interesting read which will no doubt broaden your outlook on birth control.
Each zine comes in its own “stamped” envelope.
review from learning to leave a paper trail distro:
alex subtitled this zine, "a practical body modification." it's all about her experience getting an IUD (intra-uterine device--a form of birth control shaped like a tiny T that is inserted into the uterus to prevent the implantation of fertilized eggs). she came up with this name after discussing birth control options with a bunch of different people & experiencing the irony of a punk with a face full of piercings remark on the ickiness of putting unnatural metal into your body. i personally have also always been weirded out by IUDs & the concept of storing foreign objects inside my uterus for years at a time, but alex explains how she came to this decision about her birth control choices in the zine. she also explains exactly what an IUD is & how it functions, with lots of objective information for people that want to explore their own birth control options. the IUD that alex got is non-hormonal & might be a good choice for people looking for something more effortless than fertility awareness, but less hormone-ridden than a pill. alex also describes the process of having the IUD inserted & what her immediate recovery period was like. i appreciated the balance between factual & objective information, & the personal story of alex's experience with the IUD. there is also a perverse ring toss reference that made me laugh for days & days. each cover is hand-crafted & each zine comes in a small hand-printed envelope. the layout, as always with alex's zines, is heavy on typewriters & high-contrast photocopies.
quarter-standard * 36pp.