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The Birth Control Thread

147K views 2K replies 276 participants last post by  rylielovessoftball 
#1 ·
The depression thread was so much more successful in getting us all to talk about contraception etc, and since I want the other one to stay on topic, here's a new thread where we can talk about contraception - from fertility awareness to condoms to the IUD, to what NOT to do and why drinking coke after sex doesn't prevent pregnancy.


I'm sticking this, so any general questions about BC can go here, and any descriptions of what you use and find successful can go here as well. If you have specific or immediate needs, you might want to start a new thread to keep it on topic.
 
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#2 ·
So here's a starter...

We've talked about the pill & condoms in depth, but I'm curious what other BC methods people use.

My best friend uses the Mirena IUD. It's hormonal but doesn't contain as high a dosage as other IUDs, and is not meant to last as long (is only in for 5 years I believe). It's smaller, and is better suited to women who have never had children. She's had a great experience with it. She didn't do very well on the pill and has done a lot better on the Mirena.

I used the pill for 10 years (as stated) and used the diaphragm when I went off it. You know, it wasn't really that bad. People say that it's a pain or disruptive etc but it really isn't. And (guys, you might want to skip this part) you can wear it when on your period and it acts as a cup (like the diva cup or the keeper). I didn't use it during the day, but did at night and it was SO nice. We know we're not having kids, so we got fixed. Best birth control ever!


What about the patch? Or the ring? Anyone care to share your thoughts & experiences on that? Questions? Anyone? ...Bueller?
 
#3 ·
condom size...

Some people in the other thread were talking about condom size and how one size does not fit all... I can't stress that enough - while it might be easier to just run up to the condom size and grab any box off the shelf, getting a condom that's too small (or, worse, too big!) can cause breakage or the condom coming off mid-stream (ew, so to speak, lol...). So get the right size!
 
#4 ·
condom size is VERY important, that is true.

I dont' know about IUD, i am actually about to stop using BC, i've been on nuva ring for 6 months, and ortho tri-lo for a year before that. I just dont' want to be on BC anymore, and i dont' plan on having sex EVER (again) before marriage.. so... why mess up my hormones?
 
#5 ·
I'm not sure which post to respond to
... I used to be on ortho-tricyclen plus used condoms. I am no longer on the pill, but will continue to use condoms until I am married and my husband and I are willing to accept the likelihood of a child.

I have also tried some additional forms of BC including spermicides. My experience was that besides being kind of messy and in themsleves not a barrier for STDs ... I am allergic! I got a nasty itchy gross infection after using a capsule type spermicide that you insert shortly before having sex. Eekk! It was probably the worst thing thats ever happened to my vagina
 
#6 ·
I'm on microgynon, and I think this is my 4th month on it. Before that I was on another brand for a month (can't remember the name) but it caused me too much bleeding so I changed. I went from 20mg with that one, to 30mg with the one I'm on now, which I've had no problems with


As well as that, my partner and I use condoms as well.
 
#8 ·
I think IUDs are a bad idea. I've always been a little uncomfortable with the mechanism of them--irritating your uterine lining so that it doesn't thicken--and yesterday I read that they increase your risk of endometriosis, because they create such an inflammatory condition. Please folks--don't take chances like that. Endometriosis REALLY sucks.
 
#9 ·
I started out on Marvelon and was on it for several years. It did NOT help my cramping, and might have made it worse. But every time I went in for my yearly and told them they more or less ignored me. A couple years ago i switched to Alesse. It helped a lot with my cramping, but eventually gave me acne despite being a pill that's supposed to make acne go away. Two months ago the doctor switched me to Ortho Tri-cyclen Lo and it mostly made the acne go away, but gave me violent mood swings like you wouldn't believe. Last night I started a pack of Diane-38 so we'll see how that goes.

I will never use a birth control that requires an injection, or cutting me open.

We also use condoms every time.

I am getting increasingly concerned about the hormonal aspect of birth control and how it affects my mood and mybody chemistry. My 31-year-old cousin has breast cancer and if it is hereditary, birth control pills may increase the likelihood I get it too. It scares the hell out of me. She's only 31!


I am hoping eventually Mr. M steps up to the plate and gets a vasectomy, but I don't think he will be mentally ready to do that for a long time. Neither of us wants kids ever (leaving open a small chance we may adopt) so it's either I stay on these hormones for another 30 years, he gets things done on his end, or we be careless in our BC efforts. There is no chance I am getting my parts removed because I am very VERY afraid of surgery. who am I kidding, I won't even get my blood taken or get an injection.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by meatless View Post

I will never use a birth control that requires an injection, or cutting me open.

We also use condoms every time.

so it's either I stay on these hormones for another 30 years, he gets things done on his end, or we be careless in our BC efforts. There is no chance I am getting my parts removed because I am very VERY afraid of surgery.
if you use condoms every time that already seems that you are NOT being careless, even if you go off the hormones.

what about diaphragm, cervical cap, or sponges as an added extra when you are most fertile?
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by catswym View Post

if you use condoms every time that already seems that you are NOT being careless, even if you go off the hormones.

what about diaphragm, cervical cap, or sponges as an added extra when you are most fertile?
Those may be things for me to look in to. Thanks, I didn't really think about them.
I always want to use at least two "barriers" because it is REALLY important to me to not get pregnant. I do not want to risk it. Both prospects, giving birth and getting an abortion, scare the daylights out of me.

For now I am using birth control/hormones to treat a vicious case of acne as well as to avoid pregnancy, but I don't want to use them forever.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MollyGoat View Post

I think IUDs are a bad idea. I've always been a little uncomfortable with the mechanism of them--irritating your uterine lining so that it doesn't thicken--and yesterday I read that they increase your risk of endometriosis, because they create such an inflammatory condition. Please folks--don't take chances like that. Endometriosis REALLY sucks.
I am wondering where you read this.

I did a little searching on PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ and found some articles that found that endometriosis risk is only for the first few months. Another said there is zero link between endometriosis and IUDs.

Many also stated a lowered risk of a certain kind of cancer. There is an increased risk for PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) the first few months.

I would suggest to anyone interested to do their own research on the risks and benefits of something on their own. There are a lot of things that get reported in the news, turn out not to be true, but then that info circulates for years. But if this is something new, then I'd like to read it.

http://medlineplus.gov/ is one such source, as is pub med which I listed above
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by meatless View Post

I will never use a birth control that requires an injection, or cutting me open.

There is no chance I am getting my parts removed because I am very VERY afraid of surgery.
As far as the female side, there is a new method available. It's only been around for about 2 years, but I've done a lot of reading about it. It's a non surgical method of female sterilization called "essure". You can read about it at www.essure.com . Basically, they stick a tube up through the vagina, through the cervix, and put tiny "microinserts" in each fallopian tube. Your body then says, "huh, I've never seen these before, I better grow scar tissue around it" and after about 3 months, tissue blocks your fallopian tubes. I don't think they even have to use anesthesia.

Anyway, when I get to the sterilization stage, I'm definitely going to ask lots of questions about this...because regardless of whether my husband has a vasectomy, I just think I'd feel better knowing my stuff was "fixed" too.
 
#15 ·
We're a condom couple. I've tried various forms of hormonal birth control (ortho tri-cyclen, the mini-pill (progesterone only while I was breastfeeding), and a depo provera shot). My experience is that hormonal birth control makes me gain weight, makes me irritable, and takes away my sex drive almost entirely (hey! maybe that's why it works so well!)


Our favorite condoms are Beyond Seven (the blue ones). For some reason they are the only brand of condoms that doesn't sting, for me. They've worked great - yes, I have a son and I am now pregnant, but with my son, we took the risk and skipped the condom a few times, and with this pregnancy, we were actually trying to get pregnant.

I don't use spermicide because it gives me a bad reaction.
 
#16 ·
Whee-haw! here is a list of choices from planned parenthood's site:

http://www.plannedparenthood.com/pp2...on-choices.xml

Quote:
Continuous Abstinence

Continuous Breast-Feeding (LAM)

Outercourse

Withdrawal

Sterilization

Progestin-Only Methods:

Implants (Norplant®)

The Shot (Depo-Provera®)

POPs (Progestin-only Birth Control Pills)

The IUD (Intrauterine Device)

Combined-Hormone Methods:

The Pill

The Ring (NuvaRing®)

The Patch (Ortho Evra®)

Emergency Contraception

Prescription Barrier Methods

Over the Counter Barrier Methods:

The Condom

The Female Condom

Spermicides

Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FAMs)
go to the link for more info on each item.
 
#17 ·
I read it in a book called Overcoming Endometriosis which is published by the Endometriosis Association. They use data both from studies that they've commissioned and other people's studies. The book was published very recently.

Obviously, people should do what they want. Personally, I don't think it's worth the risk.
 
#18 ·
Since I stopped taking the pill a few years ago (same depression that Amy mentioned), we have been using condoms exclusively. Every year my Gyno writes me a prescription for Plan B to have just in case, but luckily we have never needed it. I don't really mind the condoms at all, and we haven't had any condom malfunction. *knocks on wood*
 
#19 ·
I'm using ortho-tri cycln lo.

Although I beleive the pill made me depressed for a while (about a year or so) it seems I have gotten used to it so I'm afraid to try somthing different now. I did not experience weight gain or any other side effect.

I'm actually kind of upset with my husband. Before I met him (about 6 years ago) he was always a condom user but when we met I was on the pill so he stopped using them. I ran out of pills about 3 months ago and was lazy about making another doctors apointment and he refused to use condoms. I'm on them again, but what is up with that?
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by anklebiter View Post

As far as the female side, there is a new method available. It's only been around for about 2 years, but I've done a lot of reading about it. It's a non surgical method of female sterilization called "essure". You can read about it at www.essure.com . Basically, they stick a tube up through the vagina, through the cervix, and put tiny "microinserts" in each fallopian tube. Your body then says, "huh, I've never seen these before, I better grow scar tissue around it" and after about 3 months, tissue blocks your fallopian tubes. I don't think they even have to use anesthesia.

Anyway, when I get to the sterilization stage, I'm definitely going to ask lots of questions about this...because regardless of whether my husband has a vasectomy, I just think I'd feel better knowing my stuff was "fixed" too.
that sounds kind of scary! of course I plan to look into every option.

even if Mr. M were to get fixed, I imagine we will still use condoms as well.
 
#23 ·
I use the ortho evra patch, because i don't want to have to worry about taking a pill every day. I'm ok on it now, but for the first few months it made me really b****y for the first day of a new patch. My husband learned to dread sundays.
I prefer to be on hormonal contraception because I really don't want kids right now, and I have a friend who only used condoms. As she put it, it just takes once (not using one)...and now she's pregnant.

We have used condoms in addition to the patch in the past, but I find them really uncomfortable. They tend to leave me sore. Yick. Has anyone else had this problem? We had the right size condoms, but it just felt awful for me. Switching brands helped, but not a lot.
 
#26 ·
well, like with every form of birth control--patch, pill, barrier, or natural--you have to be consistant. if you're not consistant, then you'll likely get pregnant.

we switched to a lubricated latex after using nonlattex for a while. we thought that we were having a latex reaction, btu it was really a reaction to spermicide. so, we dont' use spermicide--just condoms. it's worked for us for the past 7-8 yrs; and i've only been doing FAM for the last four-five months.

i don't want to get pregnant either, that's why we're not cavelier about these things. consistancy is the key.
 
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