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Merck

Plan It Forward
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Plan It Forward

We all have goals.
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We all have goals. As young, ambitious women, putting a plan in place can be important as we pursue our passions. Whether you hope to finish your education, own a business, or travel around the world, never doubt that achieving your dreams is possible.

Accomplishing your goals often takes a clear vision and, most importantly, a plan. But getting that plan in motion isn't always easy, right? Well you're not alone. In a Merck-sponsored survey of 700 young adult women aged 18-25, a third of the 393 women who want to put a plan in place admit they don't know where to start. Sound familiar?

Check out this really great Course Creator on the Plan It Forward section of Her Campus that will help walk you through the planning process — from completing your education to résumé writing and managing your own finances. It may inspire you to think of things that you wouldn't have considered. As you work your way through the Course Creator, don't be afraid to get into the driver's seat and map out your own route!

Are You Health Savvy?
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Are You Health Savvy?

More than ever, women are keeping up-to-date on the latest fitness classes and the newest health habits.
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More than ever, women are keeping up-to-date on the latest fitness classes and the newest health habits. But while women are staying on top of the trends, from Zumba to açaí berries, they may be putting some important health information on the back burner — their sexual health.

Staying informed about birth control can help you take control of your body and be an advocate for your health at your next doctor visit. Before you go, test your knowledge on Merck's Let's Go There Facebook page to try to separate birth control facts from fiction. Here's a sneak peek:

Fact or fiction? All birth control methods are the same.

Fiction! Birth control is available in a variety of forms, including daily and nondaily options. Not sure which is best for you? You're not alone. In the Merck-sponsored Let's Go There survey, of 2,000 women ages 20-39, about half (52 percent) of women using hormonal birth control admitted they rarely evaluate how well their current method fits their lifestyle needs. So think about your lifestyle and then talk to your doctor about what they recommend.

Fact or fiction? Your doctor will tell you everything you need to know about your sexual health, including birth control, during your exam.

Fiction! Your doctor will ask certain health questions during your visit, but the only way to ensure that you are getting all of your questions answered is to ask them. Your doctor is there to help and is your most important source for information about health, so don't be afraid to speak up and express any concerns you have.

Merck's Let's Go There Facebook page provides additional fact or fiction questions and offers tips on how to best discuss your birth-control options with your doctor. Visit the Contraception Conversation tab on Facebook.com/letsgothere and get the facts. Share comments on the Facebook wall and tell us how you stay savvy with your health!

Let's Go There Asks Women: What Does It Mean to Be Modern?
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Let's Go There Asks Women: What Does It Mean to Be Modern?

Maybe to you, being modern is staying up to date with the newest technology, or feeling fabulous in the latest fashions.
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Maybe to you, being modern is staying up to date with the newest technology, or feeling fabulous in the latest fashions. No matter how you define being modern, Let's Go There encourages women today to take charge in every aspect of their lives. A new survey sponsored by Merck found that many women are taking a modern approach to their relationships, but may not have that same mindset when it comes to an important health decision. Do you? Let's Go There, shall we?

According to the survey of 2,000 women in their 20s and 30s:

Modern women are:
Brave enough to make a change.
About nine in 10 women (89 percent) have "broken up with" someone or something that wasn't working in their life — most commonly, a friend or significant other.

Modern women should:
Talk to their doctor about finding a birth control that fits their life.
Of 742 women, seven in 10 women (70 percent) would change something about their current hormonal birth control. Amongst those who would change something, 43 percent would change having to take it every day.

What gives? It's great that women aren't afraid to make a needed change in their personal lives. However, finding the right fit is important in all aspects of life, especially your health. So be brave! Just like with friends and relationships, your choice about birth control is a personal decision. Talk to your doctor to help you choose what is best for your lifestyle. Not sure what to say? The Let's Go There Facebook page gives you a place to start. On the Discussion Guide, you can find questions about your needs and your lifestyle that will help spark the conversation.

Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher Shares What It Means to "Go There"
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Actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher Shares What It Means to "Go There"

Like many of today's women, Jo has a lot on her plate: a demanding career, new husband, and life in the spotlight.
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Like many of today's women, Jo has a lot on her plate: a demanding career, new husband, and life in the spotlight. And now she's kicking off Let's Go There, a new campaign with Merck to celebrate women's "don't settle" mindset and encourage all of us to get real about our health. In a video exclusive to PopSugar, Jo introduces the program and tells us what it means to her.

Jo shared a few key findings from the Let's Go There survey of 2,000 women in their 20s and 30s that shed a little light on what makes us modern gals tick. Find out what they are below.

Merck Is Donating Gardasil
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Merck Is Donating Gardasil

It is easy to take your annual gyno exam for granted.
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It is easy to take your annual gyno exam for granted. It is one of those preventive measures you suffer through once a year. We are really lucky to have such easy access to the diagnostic pap smear since cervical cancer, caused by a sexually transmitted virus, is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide! The majority of the 250,000 annual deaths worldwide occur in poor nations, where women rarely receive pap smears to detect cervical cancer early, when it is most curable.

On a more positive note, Merck, maker of Gardasil the cervical cancer vaccine, will be donating three million doses of their vaccine to the Clinton Global Initiative. The vaccines will be distributed to countries in need over the next five years, inoculating one million women, since the vaccine is given three times over a six month period.

In our increasingly "global economy," it is uplifting to see an international philanthropic gesture for a woman's health issue.

And you? I am wondering if any of you have gotten the Gardasil vaccine? Please share your experience in the comments section below. I, for one, would love to hear it.

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