Birth Control

I wasn't sure where to put this but since I am WTTC and hoping to use birth control I thought I'd post here.

I am a long term birth control pill user. I was on Mircette for about 7 - 8 years before going off the pill to conceive Owen.
Looking back on it, I was crazy nuts while on the pill. My DH and I fought terribly, I had migraines and gained weight. However, my periods were super light (usually just a pantie liner for 12 - 48 hours - even a tampon was a waste!) I had minimal cramping, etc.

I just started the same pill again and it's been horrible!!!!! I have been completely crazy since about CD 4!!!! I feel like the whole month has been about gearing up for this period!!!! I have pretty much had a headache and major break outs since about CD 12 AND I start my new pack of pills tomorrow but my period is still in FULL swing with heavy bleeding.

I know most of you don't use any form of hormonal birth control but I was wondering if any one on the forum does and what you are using. I was considering and IUD but I've spent most of the evening reading that if you have trouble with the pill then you can trouble with the IUD. I don't know what to do but I know I can't live like this and I know that not using a form of contraceptive is not an options for me.

Anyone care to share their experiences??????

I had the same thing on some BC pills, i tried a few different ones and used levlen ed prior to jesse and inbetween jess and kiers. It did make me slightly moody but only a few days of each cycle, that was the only side effext i had. I dont want to rely on the pill anymore and havnt taken anything since kiers was born, we have just used the rubba!!! which is also a pain. Im actually looking into getting the Merina coil, my best friend has it and so does mum and its fantastic, its in for 5 years but you can have it removed if you want. I dont really know much about it but am looking at getting it this year sometime.

Well, I was considering Mirena too! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one having a hard time!
When are you planning on getting it? Will you keep me posted on your experience? I read that it can shorten your period but I've also read it can make things heavier too so I don't know what to think! I think I'm going to call my doctor on Monday but I'm afraid they are going to want me to stay on the pill at least 3 months to see if things improve.

I HATE condoms!!!! They are such a mood killer!!!! On top of that, I'm always scared that they wont be effective!!!!

Im not sure when i gonna get it done, but will definatly be this year sometime. Mum and my friends periods have been lighter to nearly non existant since having it done. and my friend got hers removed in october to try for a baby and her cycle took 2 months to regulate.
Its up to you, just tell them you refuse the pill, you want this done, its about what you want hun.

I doo agree, condoms are awful! The midwives when they discharge you from their care when bubs is 6 weeks, well they give you 144 condoms (12 boxes) i dont know what they thinking, do they think we have sex like rabbits or something????

Oh and by the way, I still got 10 boxes left for anyone who wants them......Ohhh poor hubby!!!!

I don't mind condoms, that's cause there are no side effects like I had on the pill.

There's always the non hormonal IUD?

LouLou, being a bit older than most of you, I've tried lots of different birth control methods!

I was on the pill for 10yrs, 1990 to 2000. I was on Triphasil (not even sure if that's around anymore) for most of that time, Mircette for approx. the last year. I didn't realize the pill was the cause of some of my problems (depression, lack of sex drive, NO moisture, headaches). A lot of the resources available to women now (internet!), weren't available to me then. In desperation I quit the pill and was amazed to find my nearly daily headaches disappeared.

So hubby and I used condoms, which we always hated so I got a diaphragm in 2001 (?). It was awkward for me to insert and I never could do it quickly. In 2002 hubby asked if I would try the pill again so that we could have spontaneous sex on our honeymoon. I thought he had a reasonable request, so I went back to the dr. but got the Ortho Evra Patch instead.

Now I LOVED the Patch, I really did. No side effects like I had with the pill. In fact, my libido finally came back (yea!!!) when I started on the Patch. My biggest complaint was some skin irritation from the adhesive, but eventually they improved that it and it wasn't an issue so much.

I switched to Nuva Ring in oh, maybe 2006, and used it for about 6 months. Reports were out that the Patch was higher in hormones than first reported. But I noticed my libido declining again on Nuva Ring so I switched back to the Patch again and got it back.

Then I finally quit everything in 2007 to , which after all these months of trying, has made us wonder did we ever need HBC at all?

I've also used the sponge which is easy to insert and comfortable. But....I had a tendancy to push it out before six hours if I had a bowel movement during that time. It's definitely not as effective as other methods. I guess I wouldn't recommend it if you are 100% positive you don't want to risk another pregnancy.

Beth,
I'm on the patch. I like it the best of everything-pills(can't remember to put deodorant on every time I hop out the shower thanks to a busy schedule), condoms SUCK, mirena took away my sex drive and made me dry, the shot did the same as mirena. My only complaint with ortho evra is that I can't put it on my back because it itches like crazy, no matter where I put it, and it's always getting stuck to my undies and looks crazy by day 7. Also, my neurologist seems to think it might be contributing to my crazy migraines. I'm just too scared to go "au naturale" with the birth control thing. I'd have a six pack of kids before I ever got the hang of monitoring my body.

mscherry, I never tried the Patch on my back or butt. I tried it on my upper arm (it was winter) but did get a mild rash, probably similar to what you got on your back. So I always just put on my lower abdomen, front. I did have some issues with my underwear sticking to it sometimes. But I found something that helped. Before I would apply the patch, while the sticky side was still attached to the paper, I would rub the edges of it to remove little bits of excess adhesive. That helped a lot. If it got bad during the week, I'd use a bit of a product called Goo Gone on a cotton ball around the edges of the patch to remove old adhesive. After removing the weekly patch I'd also clean my skin with Goo Gone. It wasn't the perfect method, but it was the most perfect method I had ever used.

Thanks for the info Beth and Mscherry!

I am really unsure of what to do at this point. Beth, I think that like you, I suffered from headaches and mood swings for YEARS not realizing that it was related to the pill! In hindsight, I can't believe I didn't know that was what was causing my problems!!!!

I think I'm going to call my ob-gyn tomorrow to see if I can make an appointment to talk to her about it. I didn't started seeing this doctor until I was pregnant so the decision to go on Mircette was mine. I guess I went back on it because it's all I've ever known!

I'm afraid that I'll have the same issues with the IUD, and the patch, etc. I also read about the copper IUD but it's not nearly as effective as other options.

MsCherry - I feel like you too! I am too scared not to use some form of birth control!!!!!

I'm so glad I have you all to talk to about this!!!!

Thanks!!!

And MOJJ - about your TWELVE boxes of condoms - we bought a box of condoms about 4 weeks after Owen was born and I am sad to report that it took us 5 months to use them all!!!

I was on the pill from 1995 until 2007. I was on Triphasil for the first 4-5 years with no problems. Had one depo shot during that time and it made me a wreck! No sex drive and a 3 month long headache/period. I never noticed any changes on the Triphasil but I wasn't looking. Around 2001 I switched to Ortho Tri-cyclen for acne and noticed that my sex drive started going downhill. in 2006 I switched to Ortho Lo, it didn't help. Finally in 2007 I had enough and got off the pill. I used a combination of charting and a diaphragm. Never had problems with it and I will never go back to any form of HBC.

I just ended the BC pill myself, after 4 years....1 yr break, and 12 years previous to that.
All I can say is that I feel sooo much better and it's very liberating not having to take a pill everynight, even tho I still think about it.

I have changed to Vaginal Contraception Films. It's a spermicide film that you insert inside prior to intercourse. So far it's worked well for us. And I don't have any side effects from it. I didn't even know about it until 3 weeks ago and I thought we'd have to go back to condoms, but I bought a 9pack at Target for $7!!! So much cheaper than the pill at $30/month! And hormone free!

I would recommend this product, if it would suit your needs.

Good luck!

After Lucy the ob/gyn put me on bc pills - orthotricyclinlo. The first couple weeks weren't bad, then it turned into a nightmare with my screwed up body. After that I bought and started using Saheli. It was great. And cheap. I had not one side effect at all. None. I was going to do the essure, but I am allergic to nickel. I looked at the mirena, but I heard some of the side effects can be the same as the hormonal bc pills, and decided I just didn't even want to risk going there.

Then DH got a vasectomy, so after we made sure that was right I stopped taking it.

I think my DH would do the big V if he could completely convince me that Owen is going to be an only child!

I'm on lowestrin FE with few side effects as of right now.... except I'm not having a period at all which they say is normal but it freaks me out! It makes me think I need to take a pregnancy test every month! Agh!!!!