Bitrth Control methods (possible TMI)

[mipiace]

Considering changing from my old pill + condom method and wondered what other methods other people use that they are happy with. I am not thrilled about hormonal methods at my age (36) but accidents are simply NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!! Condoms are additional no matter what for added disease prevention. I am not thrilled about IUDs, and I have had friends complain about those patch things getting all dirty and rolling up under your clothes. I took Depo provera shots and liked the lack of periods but I gained weight.....what else does anyone like or not like?

[lovelee]

Well, you're ruling out the pill, IUD's, patches, shots.. you've got diaphragms, cervical cups, the sponge, and sterilization left over, and probably something else I'm forgetting.

So which one of those is the most acceptable?

[Palo Verde]

What's wrong with the IUD? The more I reasearch it, the better it sounds.

It's very effective (equal to sterilization). It's completely reversable. It lasts a long time (8 to 10 years of not having to think about birth control). It's very safe. It's affordable.

World wide almost twice as many women use the IUD as use the pill. What's not to love?

[Flowerchild]

try my birth control method: Being a frigid Bitch, So far its worked for years

[kung fu lola]

**anecdote alert**

One of my mom's co-workers got pregnant with an IUD in place, and was a little worried when they couldn't find it during the pregnancy.
The baby was born holding it in her hand.


IMO, sponges are great.

[mala]

:eek: :) :eek:

[GingerOfTheNorth]

You've asked the question I need answering. I've gone off of the pill as the hormones are messing with my system. No more hormonal methods for me. I'm allergic to metal (most will say nickel) so I don't think I can have an IUD.

[Palo Verde]

Most IUDs are made of copper. Are you alergic to that?

[Zhen'ka]

My doctor told me that I could not use the IUD since I have not had children.

I use a diaphragm and have no complaints. No hormones to worry about, and if you know you're gonna get lucky, then you put it in before the action starts so you don't have to worry about pausing all the romance.

The only downside is that you have to keep it inserted for at least 6 hours after intercourse. Sometimes I notice a little pressure (in the morning, mostly), but usually have to remind myself to take it out. So, it is pretty comfortable, though YMMV.

Hope this helps and isn't TMI!

Good luck.

[Elysian]

I have the IUD and I do not have children.

You just have to shop around for a doctor willing to give you what you want.

I think they finally caved in when I told them I had wanted one for years AND don't want children AND have been married for a while AND over the age of 25.

Don't let them bullshit you about this! It is definitely possible to have one.

I loooooooooooove mine :)

My sex drive has skyrocketed since I got it...no longer have any worries about getting preggers.

I think the story mentioned above in an urban legend.

[jsgoddess]

I was on Depo for six months and hated it. I had some spotting and it seemed like I often had very mild menstrual crampy feelings.

So, I went off it.

And then I discovered that no method suits me better. I went back on Depo and wouldn't consider switching now. The spotting stopped. The crampy feeling stopped. And, most importantly, the periods stopped (woo!).

Even if I were celibate, I'd get this shot. :D

Julie

[Zhen'ka]

Originally posted by Elysian
I have the IUD and I do not have children.

You just have to shop around for a doctor willing to give you what you want.

I think they finally caved in when I told them I had wanted one for years AND don't want children AND have been married for a while AND over the age of 25.

Don't let them bullshit you about this! It is definitely possible to have one.

I loooooooooooove mine :)

My sex drive has skyrocketed since I got it...no longer have any worries about getting preggers.

I think the story mentioned above in an urban legend.


Thanks for your imput! I wanted the IUD just because it seemed so much more...convenient. The thing my doctor kept emphasizing was that it could build up scar tissue that might possibly hamper any future attempt at becoming pregnant.

Is this possible? I have no plans or desire for children at the prestent time (I'm 32), so don't know if this is such a serious drawback to having an IUD.

Thanks in advance for any information.

[DesertDog]

My first lover had a dalkon shield and she'd never had children. I agree with [b]Elysian[b/] -- shop around and find a doc who'll give you what you want.

When the shield was suddeny recalled, we had a discussion, and I got snipped. I was old enough by then to know whether I wanted children or not, and the surgery was a lot more minor for me than it would have been for her.

We parted about a year after that. I've never regretted my decision.

DD

[Palo Verde]

There are 2 kinds of IUDs. One is just metal (copper). The other actually releases hormones into you (called the Mirena).

The copper one has a small statistical increase in the chance of decreasing future fertility "While most women who stop using IUDs are able to become pregnant, IUDs can have negative effects on a woman's fertility."

The Mirena doesn't have long-term negative effects on fertility, but it can cause it to take a bit longer to get pregnant. "The synthetic hormone in the Mirena IUD can cause a delay in return of menstruation and fertility after it is removed."

Hope this helps.

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

The Nuvaring is hormonal, but it's got a low dose and instead of the hormones being ingested orally, it just releases the them locally. You shove it up your cooter and leave it there, changing it once a month. I love it.

[arachnidlove]

I have Norplant, the birth control that most women have refused to have. I know there were a lot of bad cases, but in my case, its been marvelous. Unfortunately, my 5 years is coming up next year. I don't know what I'm going to do for birth control. I'm thinking of the patch. True, the sticky stuff sucks, but to me that is better than an unplanned child.

Norplant to me is great birth control. It took care of itself. The downside? Injury to the insertion site hurts like a bitch. My periods are totally unpredictable, but they were lighter. I gained about 20lbs. And my depression worsened. But that was mostly the 1st year. Still inspite of all this I still like it. I don't have to remember to take pills, insert things, or get stabbed with a needle.

[Voyager]

My wife had an IUD, and then we had two children (planned - no accidents). We had the second when IUDs were basically banned in the US for insurance reasons. We thought about going to Denmark so she could get one, but instead of that I had a vasectemy, the best method of all.

Then we took a nice cruise up the Orinocco river to celebrate. :D

[mipiace]

I had an IUD between child 2 & 3 and had complications. It became dislodged and I started to hemorrage. I didn't have that much blood during child birth scared the living crap out of me and I am hesitant to try THAT again. I am not sure if that is a rare thing to have happen or not but it was definitely not a good thing!!!! BAD, BAD, BAD!!!!

I'd forgotten about Norplant but again I am hesitant about hormonal....I have spent sooo many years on hormonal forms of BC and coming up on my late 30s, I am kind of trying to get away from hormonal. I'd like to give my body a chance to progress through it's changes naturally. Maybe I should try the IUD thing again - it's just scary.

[DeadlyAccurate]

Are you considering permanent methods? You might try Essure ("http://www.essure.com). It's as permanent as a tubal but without requiring any cutting.

[DeadlyAccurate]

Gah. How about Essure (http://www.essure.com).

[mipiace]

Oooooo NOW you are talkin! I have had three kids and I am not interested in having any more. But I am not all that anxious to go iunder the knife for a tubiligation either. That sounds really tempting!

[tanookie]

I have to go under the knife to have my last munchkin so I'm getting a tubal at the same time.

Essure sounds good... if I wasn't having a C section I was looking at having that done myself.

[Elysian]

What autz said. She's entirely correct.

Some people do have complications with the IUD, but it is pretty rare. I did some research before getting it, and I reassured myself that the risk was low enough to where I didn't feel uncomfortable.

I got the Mirena. The great thing about Mirena is that sometimes you don't get periods after a while. By all means, check out their website!

The ONLY thing wrong with the IUD is it hurts when they insert it. Just take a lot of asprin beforehand and be prepared!

[Hello Again]

My mom was a plaintiff in the Class Action suit regarding the Dalkon Shield IUD. It caused her to have an ectopic pregancy (egg grow implanted in the fallopian tube) and her Fallopian tube exploded, the hemmoragging nearly killed her, and her chances of ever having another child (me) were reduced by 50%.

Maybe they've advanced the science of IUDs, but I don't think I could ever be comfortable with one.

[Kalhoun]

I had my tubes tied. So far, no more babies. It's only been 15 years. And I'm pre-menopausal. But I still freak out nearly every month. Go figure.

[CrazyCatLady]

I'm liking my Mirena more and more as time goes on. (Well, I've only had it three weeks, but you know what I mean.) The insertion was, umm, rather uncomfortable because I've never been pregnant and have a severely retroverted uterus. Once they got my cervix pried open, though, it took about 5 minutes.

If you do choose the IUD route, take a double dose of a long-acting NSAID like naproxen or ibuprofen and hour or two beforehand. Actually, if you can arrange it, have someone else drive you and have them get you a script for a bit of Valium or something.

I had some cramping the first few days, but that resolved as my period ended. I'm still having a little spotting just about every day, which is annoying, but it seems to be trailing off now. I've quit worrying about every little twinge anywhere near my abdomen being a perforation, and quit checking the string obsessively at every potty break.

Oh, and AFAIK, the Mirena is completely plastic, so metal allergies shouldn't be a problem. It only lasts for 5 years as opposed to 10 for the copper T, though. Still, my insurance covered everything but my office visit copays for insertion and follow-up. Five years of essentially hassle-free birth control for $40 just can't be beat.

Diaphragms and cervical caps have a pretty damn high failure rate, comparatively, and it goes even higher if you've had kids. Every gyno I've ever spoken to has said they're a really crappy choice, even when combined with condoms, when pregnancy is NOT an option.

[Palo Verde]

Hello Again

The Dalcon Shield was 30 years ago. There have been no other similar incidents since then.

There are fewer risks and side effects with IUDs now than there are with birth control pills.

[Hello Again]

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying that with my family history its something I could never be comfortable with.

It also bothers me that no one knows *why* it works. Irrational, maybe.

[lieu]

An asprin... held firmly between the knees.

[herownself]

I'm 36, no kids, and have had an IUD for 6 years. I have migraines, so I had to stop using hormonal BCs, and I just really didn't want to use a diaphragm.

My periods got a bit worse with the IUD, and the insertion was not a picnic, but overall it is totally worth it. No muss, no fuss.

One big caveat is that you should not use an IUD if you have more than one sexual partner - you can greatly increase your chances of having an STD turn into PID (pelvic inflammatory disease). PID is bad news, causes sterility or death. I would not recommend an IUD for someone unless they have a monogamous sexual relationship, counting on condoms to protect you from STDs is not good enough when you have an IUD, IMHO. But talk to your doctor about that, don't take my word for it.

[kung fu lola]

Originally posted by Elysian
I think the story mentioned above is an urban legend.

It's not, it's just an anecdote (FWIW, I looked it up on snopes. Nuffin. I also googled "IUD Urban legend". Still nuffin. Well, there wereDalkon Shields (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000072.htm) references gone berserk, but nothing else).

Even if I hadn't heard that anecdote, having some twisty piece of metal hanging around in my internal organs would creep me out. YMMV.

[Krisfer the Cat]

Originally posted by arachnidlove
I
Norplant to me is great birth control. It took care of itself. The downside? Injury to the insertion site hurts like a bitch. My periods are totally unpredictable, but they were lighter. I gained about 20lbs. And my depression worsened. But that was mostly the 1st year. Still inspite of all this I still like it. I don't have to remember to take pills, insert things, or get stabbed with a needle.

I hated mine. Had it taken out after a NINE MONTH long period. That fuckin sucked. I gained 20+ pounds, had to go on Pepcid for stomach troubles... nope it sucked.

I have a gonzo scar on my arm where they had to RIP those little nasties out. Hurt like hell too.

[CrazyCatLady]

Hello Again, if you get pregant while using an IUD, the pregnancy is far more likely to be ectopic than if you were pregnant without the IUD. But that's true for a lot of forms of birth control. Go pick up all the little pamphlets at Planned Parenthood; lots of stuff has that exact same warning.

And, of course, your risk of having an ectopic pregnancy with an IUD is still lower than it would be without it. I mean, lack of birth control leaves you with an 80% chance of getting pregnant. The IUD leaves you with a roughly 1% chance. Say the IUD quadruples your chances that a given pregnancy will be ectopic (I don't think it's nearly that high, but it makes for nice round numbers.) Ectopics are a ridiculously low percentage of pregnancies. I think the number I read was about 4%.

So, without the birth control, I have an 80% chance of pregnancy, and a 4% chance that said pregnancy will be ectopic. That leaves me with a (.8*.04) 3.2% chance of having an ectopic pregnancy. With the IUD, I have a 1% chance of pregnancy, and a 16% chance that the pregnancy would be ectopic, for a .16% chance of ectopic pregnancy.

Refusing to consider the IUD because your mom had an ectopic with one in would be like me refusing to consider the pill because my mom not only got pregnant with me while on the pill, but also had some very dangerous gyno problems while on it.