I’ve been on the pill for many years, stopping only to conceive, carry and nurse my children. I have an appt. with my OB/GYN the end of August, and am considering switching to the patch or NuvaRing. I’d like to hear from you ladies who use or have used these methods, with your pros and cons.
Thanks.
I am bumping this post, because I believe norinew poses an important question to the female Dopers.
I am out of the running to comment (SO has been “fixed”, as it were) - but I try to stay on top of recent developments in this area, and would also appreciate feedback.
I use Ortho-Evra (“the patch”) and have only (roughly) two complaints:
–I hate that sometimes the adhesive sticks to my underwear/the patch slides on its adhesive and can “pinch” me in some seated positions/ that scummy ring that usually forms by the end of the week.
–My health insurance doesn’t cover it, so I pay out of pocket. I use drugstore.com and buy three months at a time so it ends up just under $100 for three months (and this way, I’m not likely to be caught short and without, pregnancy-prone that I am).
Other than that, I love it. I don’t have to remember the pill, but it acts just like it. My husband (and I) pretty much never notice it–I’m not much of an ass-contemplating-in-the-mirror kind of girl. My flow seems to have shortened way down, from five to about three days. But I seem to remember that happening after being on the pill for a while, so I believe it’s just a stabilisation thang. 
And that’s my two cents.
I’ve just started a similar thread over a G’Dope and am really glad to see one over here too.
My GP recommended Implanon. But I’m not so sure about it, two people I know got pregnant even though they had the implant. That said it is likely their implant’s were not put in properly.
I’m going to see the local family planning nurse and talk to her about more options. But I wont have time over the next few weeks because of other stuff. Any info Dopers have on Implanon would be great (and about other non-Pill forms of birth control).
I’ve never used the patch or ring, although I read a lot about both of them. The adhesive thing seems to be the most common problem with the patch. One lady I work with was complaining just last night about the fuzzy ring on her ass, where lint from her underwear sticks to the little rim of adhesive around the patch.
Myself, I got the fantastic plastic last week. The insertion was something of an ordeal, as some of you might remember from my thread on the subject. This isn’t, however, typical. So far I’ve not had any problems beyond the cramping the first couple of days, just a bit of spotting off and on. The spotting is disconcerting, however, as I’ve never had between-period bleeding before, ever.
The pros: There is no difference between the perfect use failure rate and the typical use failure rate. As long as the thing’s in, you’re using it perfectly. I just have to check the string every month after my period, and I’m all set. My insurance covered the cost of the device, so I just had my copays for office visits. With the insertion and follow-up, I’m looking at $40 for 5 years of 98% birth control.
The cons: I’m not an ideal candidate for an IUD, so there were problems with the insertion. I hurt abominably for a couple of days afterward, which I understand is fairly normal. The spotting is inconvenient, and I tend to worry that it’s gotten heavy and I’m getting a big spot on my scrubs. There’s a miniscule chance of some pretty nasty problems, and I tend to dwell on any little thing that might possibly be a symptom of such problems.
I love the patch. Yeah, you get a little ring around the edges, but other than that, I don’t think about it at all.
CrazyCatLady, I wanted an IUD. However, my doc said that because I’ve had three C-sections, I ran about a 5% chance of uterine rupture. He said this might not sound unreasonably high, but with uterine rupture, by the time you have symptoms, the only thing you have time to do is call the priest! Yikes!
This makes it significantly more expensive than my pills, which run $60.00 for three months. As we don’t have prescription coverage, this would be a consideration.
I know that you didn’t ask about this one, but I use Depo Provera, the 3 month shot. My insurance doesn’t cover it, but it only runs about $75 every 3 months. I’ve been on the shot for a little more than 5 years now and have no plans to go off of it until I am ready to have a child.
Pros: extremely effective due to little room for user error (ex forgetting to take it), only have to think about it once every 3 months, no more periods/cramps (for me anyway ymmv), will not fail due to antibiotics
Cons: umm, I believe there can be minor weight gain associated with it, I go to the ob/gyn lab every 3 months to be given the shot. it’s not really inconvenient for me, but it might be for you.
I’ve had so little side effects and great results, maybe someone else could provide a more unbiased view. And good luck with your decision.
I use the ring (Nuvaring) and love it. It looks alarmingly large when you get it out of the package, but once it’s in I do not feel it. The first time I wore it, I felt a little pressure from it for about a day or so, but nothing since then.
It doesn’t interfere with intercourse, but if you don’t want it in, you can take it out and reinsert it. As long as it’s not out of you for more than three hours, you’re still protected from conception.
It’s really nice to have something that you only have to think about once a month.
The patch doesn’t work well for people whose body weight is over 190, so it’s not an option for the overweight.
I love the timing here.
I went to my GYN (well, actually she’s a nurse practitioner) yesterday, to talk about changing BC methods because:
a) the pill I was using may as well have been called Spot O Rama as far as I was concerned, and
b) I was looking for a method that would eliminate some of the possibility for human error on my part (such as forgetting to use it).
So as of the moment I walked out of there yesterday . . .
I’ve got info on the Patch, along with a sample “patch” (with no meds–just so I can see how it feels and if it’ll stay on my ass).
I’ve got info on the Nuvaring, but the sample “see how it feels” ring was missing from the kit, and they didn’t have another one. What was NOT missing from the kit, however, was a digital timer that tells you when it’s time to change the ring. It kept beeping in my purse all day yesterday.
I’ve got info on Depo (the shot), but was disappointed to learn that the information did not come with a sample hypodermic needle. ;-p Ah, well, win some, lose some . . .
I’ve also got a month’s worth of a different kind of pill (with a higher level of hormones, which she said should help with the spotting).
So SkipMagic and I have got until my next period to decide about how best to prevent ourselves from spewing forth the fruit of our loins.
I was slightly disappointed that the NP herself would not make a recommendation when I asked (though I understand that she may not have been able to from a liability standpoint), because I could really use some help, here.
But I think that I’m leaning towards trying the Depo. If for some reason it sucks for me, I’ll probably go back to the Pill while I’m back at the drawing board.
I can’t seem to handle the pill or the patch. I feel sick all day long when I’m on either one. My tummy doesn’t seem to like the estrogen (?). I complained to my doctor and he suggested I try the patch. Tried it for a month and felt yucky again.
So, for now, it’s back to the condoms for me and hubby.
I was on depo provera and was thrilled with the results, except for one thing: about two weeks before I was due for my next shot, my mood went wacky. I had panic attacks, which I’d never had before. I stayed on it for a year, hoping that the mood swing would go away, but it didn’t.
So I got an IUD. This cost me about $100 out of my own pocket, but what the hey, its ten years of stress-free birth control. However, when I get periods now, they are very painful.
Someone told me that to solve the mood swing problem with depo provera, you just get the shot two weeks before you’re officially due to get your shot. Has anyone heard of this?
autie em btw, I can’t wait to meet you and skipmagic at the dopefest on Sunday!
I’m on Yasmin… And I loooooooooooooove it! It is a new BC combined with, I think, a diuretic so that you don’t have as much weight gain.
Aries, the pill (and the patch, and the ring) works by mimicking early pregnancy, so it’s not unusual for it to cause symptoms of early pregnancy. You know, fun things like breast tenderness and swelling, water retention and, you guessed it, nausea. Sometimes the nausea can be caused by the inactive ingredients in a pill, especially for those with stomach problems or who aren’t used to taking oral meds every day, so it makes sense for him to try you on the patch.
The ring might work for you, though. IIRC, the ring works pretty locally rather than systemically, so I’d think there wouldn’t be as many side effects.
You could also try the “minipill” which only has progesterone in it. For some people it causes just as many problems with nausea, and I think it has a slightly higher incidence of spotting, but for some folks it’s a massive improvement over the combined-hormone methods.
I’m hesitant to suggest Depo to anyone for the same reason I refused to try it. If you’re one of the people who have horrible, horrible side effects (anecdotally, there seem to be as many of these as people like Kithara who love it and never look back), you’re stuck for three months or more. I’m prone to hormonally induced mood swings anyway, and I sure as shit don’t need to be on an emotional roller coaster for three months straight. I’d wind up hurting someone. Other people have told me they gushed (not spotting, but like a really heavy period day) for the entire three months.
I don’t suppose this is a hijack, but I have a question in reference to various birth control methods, particularly the pill.
Basically, who has gained weight? (Sorry if that comes off as rude). And, who has had a doctor actually be honest and tell you that you are probably going to gain some weight?
I ask because due to various reasons, every time I go to the doctor, he asks me if I plan on going on birth control (as opposed to the condoms I use now). I absolutely refuse, mainly due to weight gain (yes i have some issues). Every doctor I have spoken to will deny up and own that you gain weight. They insist that very, very few women actually gain weight on birth control. Yet, the one time I was on it (the pill, Ortho Tri-Cyclen) my eating habits stayed the same (I barely ate) and yet I gained 20 pounds quite quickly. And almost every woman I know has gained at least 10 pounds on bc, usually the pill.
I guess I’m offering a slight survey to see exactly what the odds are, and if it varies with different types of bc.
Ouisey, I’m assuming you got the copper T? My gyno counseled against it, specifically because of the cramps. Mine is only good for five years, but for a lot of people it actually reduces cramps, and sometimes it even has the period-suppressing effects of Depo.
My mom was part of the Dalcon Shield IUD class action lawsuit so I’m just very shy of that route (the IUD caused an ectopic pregnancy, which caused her fallopian tube to rupture, which nearly caused her death. )
Although I’ve been basically side-effect (and baby) -free on Ortho Novum, my sex drive is down to just about nil. I have been thinking of asking about the patch or ring since I’m going to make a switch anyway. The patch seems more my style in the sense that there is a slight physical reminder that it’s there. (I have a problem w/ “out of sight, out of mind”). My insurance covers it at $20/per or $40 for 3 if I do their mail-order service. That’s only slightly more than my pills.
When I was on the pill (about a year during college), I was told that a lot of people retain water. Ten pounds, maybe. More than that was almost certainly due to something else. I gained maybe 10 pounds or so the year I was on the pill, but I gained weight steadily all through school, so I doubt the pill had anything to do with it.
I’m also using Depro Provera - I’ve been taking it for almost 3 years.
I was 37, recently divorced and the doctor said this was the safest method for me (Don’t ask why I didn’t need birth control while I was married - it’s one of the reasons I’m divorced).
The good news: NEVER OUT OF “ACTION”!!! And, the money I save on sanitary products more than pays for the shot (my insurance covers it, so it’s only $10 for the offfice visit to get it).
The bad news: I will probably never have a washboard flat tummy. I work out every day, eat right, but still have a litle tummy bulge. Oh well, for the convinience, one has to make small sacrifices.
The only side effects (other than the junior beer gut) is that my breasts and clitoris get very tender when it would normally be my period (no big deal), and that I’m constantly horny (not sure if this is a pro or a con, but again, no big deal - luckily my SO is always able to help me out).
Okay. Thanks to the excellent info you guys have provided, her’s where I’m at:
IUD: Out of the running, due to what I said earlier about uterine rupture risk.
Patch: Not a candidate due to my weight.
The Shot: I had a doc offer it to me once, but tell me she had never given it to anyone who didn’t then gain a significant amount of weight! I’ve lost nearly 60 pounds, would like to lose another 50, and don’t want to hinder that.
The Ring: Definitely will talk to my doc about it.
Thanks Blonde for bumping this for me, and thanks to all for the excellent input!