S/O Post- Thoughts on Birth Control?

charlotte989875

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

tigerlily6

Hope you are able to work with your doctor and figure out the best option for your health and happiness. 

If you are interested in a simple tool to track your cycle and keep tabs on your body signals, whether for NFP or with the use of other BC, I personally really like the Clue app you can download on a smartphone for free. You can indicate what method you are using, adjust the cycle to your personal time-frame (i.e., maybe it's only 23 days instead of 27, etc) or let it figure it out for you, and add in daily factors and signals going on such as sleep, emotions, hair and skin, period flow, fluid discharge, temperature, sex drive, cramps, exercise, cravings, etc.  I usually update it once a day along with MyFitnessPal, and it is pretty easy. It's definitely helped me be more conscious of how my day-to-day routine can affect my menstrual cycle, and vice versa. 

STARMOON44

littlemushroom said:

Honestly, this is not something I had ever given much thought until my recent hospital stay made me. My previous BCP worked great for me. After a phone call to my gyno, apparently I can choose between progestin only pills, depo provera or an IUD. All are covered by my insurance at $0 cost to me, so it really is up to whatever I think is the best option for me. NFP is also an option, obviously (or condoms only).

After some basic research, I think I am going to be choosing between an IUD and NFP. I am not good about taking the pill exactly at the same time, which is a must with POPs. Also, my friend had some major issues with Depo when she came off of it. I am also slightly concerned about the hormones in that because from what I have read so far there has not been very much research into the effect progesterone only BC has on clot factor.

A copper IUD is not recommended for someone on blood thinners, which I will be on for the next 3-6 months. I could potentially still go that route and just use condoms until I am off of blood thinners. Skyla looks like the best option of traditional BC because it is even lower dose progestin than Mirena and doesn't have any warnings about clot effects.

I know next to nothing about NFP. I will be reading Taking Control of your Fertility to get an idea about whether it is something that could work for us.

I am grateful for this thread because hearing real person perspectives will help me consider methods and questions that I hadn't before.

If you're not good at taking the pill regularly NFP will be a great way for you to get pregnant! It requires paying careful attention to your cycle. If you're not good at that careful routine you won't be good at it. 

cupcait927

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

My doctor was totally on board with my request for an IUD, despite not having had children before. 

Gustafson28

Oh I also gained a bunch of weight and got cystic acne which I am just now recovering from ( 14 months later)

thisismynickname2

cupcait927 said:

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

My doctor was totally on board with my request for an IUD, despite not having had children before. 

My doctor wouldn't put me on the one that lasts for three years (Mirena?) due to childbearing concerns. She suggested I try the shot (Depo?) that works for 3 months before committing to anything longer term. She said based on one's reaction to the shot you could foresee how you'd react to the more serious stuff. I did two rounds of the shot and hated it. 

cupcait927

thisismynickname said:

cupcait927 said:

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

My doctor was totally on board with my request for an IUD, despite not having had children before. 

My doctor wouldn't put me on the one that lasts for three years (Mirena?) due to childbearing concerns. She suggested I try the shot (Depo?) that works for 3 months before committing to anything longer term. She said based on one's reaction to the shot you could foresee how you'd react to the more serious stuff. I did two rounds of the shot and hated it. 

That's interesting. My doctor suggested the shot, but only to see if I had considered all of my options. I'm deathly afraid of getting shots, so that was out. She also told me that IUDs are becoming increasingly popular with teenage girls, since it eliminates the need to remember a pill every day, or a patch or a shot or whatever else they may need to do/remember. 

thefanciestbeckler

All of this is so interesting to me. I've done some research on NFP, but it's nice to hear some first-hand experiences. Of course I'm not going to make any decisions without talking to my OBGYN and DH first, but I appreciate all of the feedback from you ladies.

I feel like I am missing out on a lot of body signals from being on the pill. It almost makes me feel numb (not literally) if that makes sense. It's like it almost makes me even-keeled to a fault. My energy level is low, my libido is not great, and I have a hard time losing weight when I'm on it. I came off of the pill a couple of years ago because my insurance stopped covering it, and I instantly lost about 10 lbs. My mom has a history of blood clots, so it makes me worry that the pill will increase my likelihood of dealing with blood clots too. I don't know. It just seems like it can't be too terribly good for my body to be filled with hormones from the pill.

ETA more info

ShesSoCold

cupcait927 said:

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

My doctor was totally on board with my request for an IUD, despite not having had children before. 

My current doctor was the same way, but I'd seen several doctors who wouldn't do it because I didn't have kids. Probably a generalization, but the older doctors wouldn't give me the IUD and my new doctor is younger. She did warn me that it would hurt (it hurt like a MFing biiiiiiiiiiiiitch) but other than that, she was totally on board with giving me the IUD.

I was on Mirena and my skin was terrible. My skin has always been terrible but I'd gotten it under control and Mirena fucked that all up. I was also still having periods, which sucked. I got the mirena taken out and the non-hormonal IUD installed. I do have longer heavier periods and my skin is bad right before my period, but it's better than Mirena was. I'd been on the pill for like half my life so I barely experienced a "regular" non-BC period and while annoying, they're not so bad (for me). For my skin, I'm considering asking my dermatologist about if I could go back on the pill - in addition to the IUD.

cupcait927

@ShesSoCold Let me know what your dermatologist says about taking the pill and having an IUD. One of the big reasons I want to get mine taken out is because of the havoc it's causing for my skin. My skin has never been perfect either, but it's out of control now.

cupcait927

@thefanciestbeckler A big part of why I wanted an IUD was because I thought the pill was messing with my sex drive. I never wanted to have sex, like ever, and it was starting to become a big issue in my relationship with my husband. So I got on the IUD and 6 months later, it still isn't any better. So your low libido could very well have nothing to do with the pill. I'm starting to think that I just naturally have a low sex-drive and H and I are working through that.

littlemushroom

STARMOON44 said:

littlemushroom said:

Honestly, this is not something I had ever given much thought until my recent hospital stay made me. My previous BCP worked great for me. After a phone call to my gyno, apparently I can choose between progestin only pills, depo provera or an IUD. All are covered by my insurance at $0 cost to me, so it really is up to whatever I think is the best option for me. NFP is also an option, obviously (or condoms only).

After some basic research, I think I am going to be choosing between an IUD and NFP. I am not good about taking the pill exactly at the same time, which is a must with POPs. Also, my friend had some major issues with Depo when she came off of it. I am also slightly concerned about the hormones in that because from what I have read so far there has not been very much research into the effect progesterone only BC has on clot factor.

A copper IUD is not recommended for someone on blood thinners, which I will be on for the next 3-6 months. I could potentially still go that route and just use condoms until I am off of blood thinners. Skyla looks like the best option of traditional BC because it is even lower dose progestin than Mirena and doesn't have any warnings about clot effects.

I know next to nothing about NFP. I will be reading Taking Control of your Fertility to get an idea about whether it is something that could work for us.

I am grateful for this thread because hearing real person perspectives will help me consider methods and questions that I hadn't before.

If you're not good at taking the pill regularly NFP will be a great way for you to get pregnant! It requires paying careful attention to your cycle. If you're not good at that careful routine you won't be good at it. 

We definitely do not want kids! If NFP requires stuff at the exact same time every day, then it probably is not for us. I get up at the same time during the week, but we always sleep in on weekends. I always remembered to take my regular pill within an hour of when I was supposed to, but even being off that much on the minipill is a no-go. 

 Like I said, I don't really know anything about NFP so research is needed and I really appreciate all the info everyone is providing!

MyNameIsNot

cupcait927 said:

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

My doctor was totally on board with my request for an IUD, despite not having had children before. 

I had the same experience. My doctor was totally fine with giving me a Mirena, despite no previous pregnancies.

She did have me take petocin to get my cervix to dilate prior to insertion. 

STARMOON44

littlemushroom said:

STARMOON44 said:

littlemushroom said:

Honestly, this is not something I had ever given much thought until my recent hospital stay made me. My previous BCP worked great for me. After a phone call to my gyno, apparently I can choose between progestin only pills, depo provera or an IUD. All are covered by my insurance at $0 cost to me, so it really is up to whatever I think is the best option for me. NFP is also an option, obviously (or condoms only).

After some basic research, I think I am going to be choosing between an IUD and NFP. I am not good about taking the pill exactly at the same time, which is a must with POPs. Also, my friend had some major issues with Depo when she came off of it. I am also slightly concerned about the hormones in that because from what I have read so far there has not been very much research into the effect progesterone only BC has on clot factor.

A copper IUD is not recommended for someone on blood thinners, which I will be on for the next 3-6 months. I could potentially still go that route and just use condoms until I am off of blood thinners. Skyla looks like the best option of traditional BC because it is even lower dose progestin than Mirena and doesn't have any warnings about clot effects.

I know next to nothing about NFP. I will be reading Taking Control of your Fertility to get an idea about whether it is something that could work for us.

I am grateful for this thread because hearing real person perspectives will help me consider methods and questions that I hadn't before.

If you're not good at taking the pill regularly NFP will be a great way for you to get pregnant! It requires paying careful attention to your cycle. If you're not good at that careful routine you won't be good at it. 

We definitely do not want kids! If NFP requires stuff at the exact same time every day, then it probably is not for us. I get up at the same time during the week, but we always sleep in on weekends. I always remembered to take my regular pill within an hour of when I was supposed to, but even being off that much on the minipill is a no-go. 

 Like I said, I don't really know anything about NFP so research is needed and I really appreciate all the info everyone is providing!

Im not 100% anti-NFP, but I think it's a better choice for "we would prefer not to have kids now" rather than "we definitely do not want kids!"  

labro

Everything @spockforprez said about IUDs. I've had mine for about a year now and I love it. Put me on the evangelist bandwagon! Several of my friends also have IUDs. I have the Paragard but my friends have either Skyla or Mirena and they all equally love it.

@charlotte989875 My doctor actually recommended the IUD to me. I'd been complaining about the side effects from my pill and she sent me home with literature on the various IUDs available. I did some research (read the horror stories online but also some good stuff), spent some more time talking to her, and ultimately made an appointment to get one. I seriously think it's been the best decision I ever could have made for family planning.

As for me, I was on the pill for 7-8 years and really didn't have problems with it until the last year or so. Part of the issue according to my doctor is that sometimes the levels in the generic brands can vary from pack to pack and that was why some months I felt the way I did, and others months not as much. What finally got me to switch was my sex drive had basically dropped to zero and I felt like an emotional zombie. After getting the IUD I felt more...to be completely honest....turned on than I had in years. Couldn't be happier with the experience so far.

southernbelle0915

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

No. I got my first Mirena IUD when I was in college. Did your doctor tell you exactly what risks s/he is so concerned about? I HAVE heard of some doctors not wanting to give IUDs to unmarried women because they're concerned about promiscuity - which is awful and reminds me of that first episode of Mad Men where Penny goes to the gyno for birth control...

Obviously you're going to discuss with your doctor and ultimately decide that way - not from internet strangers, but to toss my experience into the mix...I'm at a high risk for blood clots so I couldn't be on oral BC. I was always kind of bad at remembering to take the pill every day anyway, so an IUD was a really good fit for me. Plus no/super light periods, so can't complain about that.

Jells2dot0

This doesn't count, but I wanted to chime in. We use the permanent birth control method - sterilization!

H had a vasectomy 20 years ago. I am having a hysterectomy next week. The vasectomy was a choice, the hysterectomy is not. I am on BCP, but as a hormone replacement only. I went into early menopause during my chemotherapy.

ShesSoCold

Jells2dot0 said:

This doesn't count, but I wanted to chime in. We use the permanent birth control method - sterilization!

H had a vasectomy 20 years ago. I am having a hysterectomy next week. The vasectomy was a choice, the hysterectomy is not. I am on BCP, but as a hormone replacement only. I went into early menopause during my chemotherapy.

H's doctor won't "let" him get a vasectomy. Which is super-ass annoying. Our reproductive choices shouldn't be up to anyone but us. I told him to go to a new doctor and tell him that he as like 7 kids with six different women and that he just got out of jail or some shit like that.

princessleia22

Several I was on depo for 5 year and absolutely loved it.  I had no periods, no weight gain, nothing... it was awesome.  Then they learned that it can cause loss of bone density.  I already have bone issues, so they sent me for a bone scan and it came back showing I had osteopenia at age 23.  So, no more depo. 

I went off all bc for a couple years and my periods are really irregular.  They may show up twice a month or once a year and last for 2 days or 2 weeks. Doctor says it's PCOS, which does run in my family.

I was on ortho-tri-cyclen for a few years, and it was okay, until they tested my blood for blood clot risks and it came back really high.  So, they wanted to take me off all estrogen BC. 

I went on a progesterone only pill (Camilla) for a year and gained 30 pounds. Doc was very surprised as most people don't gain weight on it.  But, it's also supposed to be one of the least effective bcp's... my new doc told me that as she took me off it and said she was surprised the doc that started me on it didn't mention it.

Doctor wants to keep me on some type of hormone bc due to PCOS, but can't do estrogen due to clotting risk. We did discuss permanent options, which my doctor is okay with.  I was worried that she would immediately shoot down permanent options since I'm 35 with no kids. But, DH and I each have health issues and a variety of other reasons that we made the no kid choice, so she was fine with it since we have obviously thought it through. But, she wants to save that as a last option because I have history of major infection from previous surgery, which makes me high risk of infection for future surgeries.  She basically said my best options were Mirena or Nexplanon.  We chose to try nexplanon, since mirena would still have higher infection risk for me. I've been on nexplanon for 6 months and no issues.  I've had no periods since I started it and no weight gain. Hopefully it continues to work well for me.  I was worried because I had read bad reviews on it, but so far it's been great.

banana468

STARMOON44 said:

littlemushroom said:

STARMOON44 said:

littlemushroom said:

Honestly, this is not something I had ever given much thought until my recent hospital stay made me. My previous BCP worked great for me. After a phone call to my gyno, apparently I can choose between progestin only pills, depo provera or an IUD. All are covered by my insurance at $0 cost to me, so it really is up to whatever I think is the best option for me. NFP is also an option, obviously (or condoms only).

After some basic research, I think I am going to be choosing between an IUD and NFP. I am not good about taking the pill exactly at the same time, which is a must with POPs. Also, my friend had some major issues with Depo when she came off of it. I am also slightly concerned about the hormones in that because from what I have read so far there has not been very much research into the effect progesterone only BC has on clot factor.

A copper IUD is not recommended for someone on blood thinners, which I will be on for the next 3-6 months. I could potentially still go that route and just use condoms until I am off of blood thinners. Skyla looks like the best option of traditional BC because it is even lower dose progestin than Mirena and doesn't have any warnings about clot effects.

I know next to nothing about NFP. I will be reading Taking Control of your Fertility to get an idea about whether it is something that could work for us.

I am grateful for this thread because hearing real person perspectives will help me consider methods and questions that I hadn't before.

If you're not good at taking the pill regularly NFP will be a great way for you to get pregnant! It requires paying careful attention to your cycle. If you're not good at that careful routine you won't be good at it. 

We definitely do not want kids! If NFP requires stuff at the exact same time every day, then it probably is not for us. I get up at the same time during the week, but we always sleep in on weekends. I always remembered to take my regular pill within an hour of when I was supposed to, but even being off that much on the minipill is a no-go. 

 Like I said, I don't really know anything about NFP so research is needed and I really appreciate all the info everyone is providing!

Im not 100% anti-NFP, but I think it's a better choice for "we would prefer not to have kids now" rather than "we definitely do not want kids!"  

I think if you're going to use any method that isn't part of you (IUD) then it requires some degree of diligence in its use.

FWIW, one of the reasons I really like the Marquette method is because I have a window of time to test and it requires first morning urine only.     That's far easier IMO than making sure I was perfectly still and at the right time when temping or interpreting my CM correctly.

The disadvantage is that there's a decent amount of abstaining when you're in the "no - I really don't want to be pregnant now" zone.   I don't have a super high libido but I have seen some people comment that the abstaining periods are particularly not fun - especially when you're likely to want sex more when you're fertile. 

Jells2dot0

ShesSoCold said:

Jells2dot0 said:

This doesn't count, but I wanted to chime in. We use the permanent birth control method - sterilization!

H had a vasectomy 20 years ago. I am having a hysterectomy next week. The vasectomy was a choice, the hysterectomy is not. I am on BCP, but as a hormone replacement only. I went into early menopause during my chemotherapy.

H's doctor won't "let" him get a vasectomy. Which is super-ass annoying. Our reproductive choices shouldn't be up to anyone but us. I told him to go to a new doctor and tell him that he as like 7 kids with six different women and that he just got out of jail or some shit like that.

I have a male friend who ran into the same problem. He is slightly younger than me and doesn't have any kids, nor does he want them. He kept getting told no.

All of my doctors were making a big stink about the hysterectomy, making sure I understood it was permanent (um duh!) and that I was going to be okay with the outcome. Sorry, but I'm WAY more concerned about the cancer growing inside of me (and my previous history) than not being able to have kids.

littlemushroom

@banana468 I had never heard of the Marquette method. Sounds like something else to look into. Thanks!

banana468

littlemushroom said:

@banana468 I had never heard of the Marquette method. Sounds like something else to look into. Thanks!

It's an 'off use' for the Clear Blue Easy fertility monitor.   If you're not post-partum, you basically test your first morning urine starting on day 6 of your cycle.   You have a window of time that will work based on the time you set as day one of your period.   So you can sleep in for a few hours on the weekends and you're still OK as long as it's within the +/- 3 hour window I believe.

I'm not going to name all the rules but you basically avoid on the days that the monitor gives you a H leading up to the Peak.   Once you get Peak, the next monitor readings default to PHLL and you can resume sex at midnight AFTER the second L.     Then you're "free" until your cycle starts again.

Post-partum rules are different but the advantage of this method is that it should also help catch your first post-partum peak (ovulation).   This can be really tricky as you can go months without a period after your delivery.  

Example 1 - I was over 6 mo PP w/ DS before I started my period again and even then, it took another few months to regulate.

Example 2 - My next niece or nephew was conceived before a PP period.  

WinstonsGirl

charlotte989875 said:

For all of you ladies with IUDs (especially those without children); did you have to convince your doctor to "allow" you to have it? My doctor basically said they wouldn't do it because I didn't have children yet and there were risks if I wanted to become pregnant in the future. 

No issues for me.  She did say that insertion would probably hurt a little more cos I hadn't had kids, and they open your cervix a little.  She suggested I get it inserted during my period cos the cervix is slightly dilated, and cos there's lots of natural lube to help too. 

If your Doctor won't do it, get a second opinion.  If you start hearing from many  Doctors that you many have trouble conceiving, then you can look at it from there.  

themosthappy91

Count me as another NFP convert- and yes, we are absolutely in the 100% don't want kids now camp.

I was on BCP for about six years with a brief switch towards the end to Implanon (the IUD-type thing that you get in your arm for three years) and back. I stopped because I decided I wanted to try to eliminate as many pills and medications from my life as possible since I had recently gotten off my anti-anxiety medication and felt like I wanted to know what "baseline" me was really like.

I love understanding my body and cycle so much more now that I'm doing NFP, and since I want kids one day it's going to be great to go into that process armed with so much more information than I would have had. I also discovered I had a lot of issues going off hormonal birth control that I'm really glad I didn't wait to find out about at the same time as trying to get pregnant. 

Temping successfully requires you do it at the same time every day before you get out of bed after having been asleep for at least three hours, so what works best for me is to just set an alarm in the middle of the night (4 a.m.) so I can do it really quick and then go back to sleep. I think this works really well because 1) I'll always have been solidly asleep for three hours by 4 a.m., 2) it's early enough that I have no trouble falling right back asleep afterwards and 3) I can get up early on weekdays and sleep in on weekends without my temps being affected.  Just a tip for any ladies who are worried about getting up at different times!

For times when I'm fertile or times when there's any ambiguity in my chart, we just use condoms. 

PrettyGirlLost

cupcait927 said:

@ShesSoCold Let me know what your dermatologist says about taking the pill and having an IUD. One of the big reasons I want to get mine taken out is because of the havoc it's causing for my skin. My skin has never been perfect either, but it's out of control now.

Have you gone to a dermatologist yet?

I've been on BCP for the past 15 years or so, and for most of those 15 years I have been skipping the placebo pills and going long periods of time w/o getting a period.  My current OBGYN is on board with this.  So far, the current research (and research from about 20 years ago) supports the finding that skipping periods reduces your overall risks of ovarian and uterine cancers. 

If you want to go this route, talk to your OBGYN 1st!

Molecularly speaking, why does the evidence support a decreased risk of cancer when skipping periods?  Well basically every time you ovulate the egg physically ruptures from your ovaries, which causes damage which needs to be repaired.   Every time your uterus sheds the lining it built up in anticipation of a pregnancy it needs to rebuild that lining, which means those cells are going to be genetically active.  Every time damage occurs in your body DNA repair mechanisms activate, and every time cells are actively generating DNA there's a chance that the coding won't go correctly and a mutation will ensue.  Mutations in our DNA have the potential to be "bad" and one of the underlying causes of cancers are "bad" mutations.

I began taking BCP because my periods were horrendous- 5-7 days of hemorrhagic like flow, and severe, sever cramps, which are symptoms of endometriosis.   I don't have a positive diagnosis yet (I'm not really planning on scheduling the internal ultrasound to confirm), but BCP stops all of that fuckery.

I have no plans or desire to have kids, and no plans or desire to have an IUD inserted because it sounds like it's a very painful procedure- they either give you a dose of pitocin to induce dilation of your cervix prior to your appointment, which is painful, and/or they also manually dilate your cervix by physically prying it open to then insert the IUD.  And then you can have several months of symptoms that exactly mimic the periods of my  Christmass Past.

No.Thank.You.

I'll stick with my pill for now, and will be looking into other more permanent options soon.  Due to fears of lawsuits, many OBGYNs won't consider sterilization for either men or women until they reach a certain, magic age, lol.

PrettyGirlLost

monkeysip said:

I don't think it's fair to compare risk of blood clots during pregnant vs. while using contraceptives.  Most women spend a few years being pregnant, while some women spend 20 years using contraceptives.  Overall, your risk is much higher over the extended period of time using contraceptives...

No, not really.  You need to look at the actual incidence numbers and not just the stats, which always seem more alarming than they are usually.

"The rate of blood clots while not on any birth control is 4.2 per 10,000 women in a given year. (Heit and Gunter confirm that about 3 to 5 women per 10,000 will get a blood clot each year.) So that’s a 0.04% chance of getting a blood clot. Very small chance, but it happens.

For women taking a levonorgestrel-containing birth control pill (an older one), they estimated that 6 extra cases per 10,000 women would occur each year. For women taking a drospirenone-containing pill, they estimated that 13 extra cases per 10,000 women would occur each year; and for women taking a desogestrel-containing pill, they estimated 14 extra cases per 10,000 women. So we’re basically looking at a difference between 0.04% chance and 0.18% chance."

Quoted from here since they summed up the actual numbers associated with the risks very well, and the actual study is here if you want to read it.

Unless you are a VERY unlucky person, your risk of a bloodclot is pretty negligible.

kvruns

I've been doing the temping/tracking through fertility friend since June as we are TTC. I don't trust the data that great since I know I take my temp later on the weekends than weekdays, and one day a week I'm up about 1.5 hours earlier than usual so it's all over the place.  I've said if I were using this method to avoid pregnancy it probably wouldn't work because my data is inconsistent.

I miss being on the pill. I never had an issue taking it and my skin was better and my periods lighter. I've also gained almost 10 lbs since going off of it although that might have to do with being happy the wedding was over and not caring about what I eat!

ShesSoCold

cupcait927 said:

@ShesSoCold Let me know what your dermatologist says about taking the pill and having an IUD. One of the big reasons I want to get mine taken out is because of the havoc it's causing for my skin. My skin has never been perfect either, but it's out of control now.

Will do! I don't have an appointment yet and don't know when I'll go, but I'll let you know.

scrunchythief

kvruns said:

I've been doing the temping/tracking through fertility friend since June as we are TTC. I don't trust the data that great since I know I take my temp later on the weekends than weekdays, and one day a week I'm up about 1.5 hours earlier than usual so it's all over the place.  I've said if I were using this method to avoid pregnancy it probably wouldn't work because my data is inconsistent.

I miss being on the pill. I never had an issue taking it and my skin was better and my periods lighter. I've also gained almost 10 lbs since going off of it although that might have to do with being happy the wedding was over and not caring about what I eat!

This is why I knew I couldn't do a temperature taking method.  I use (slight TMI alert) mucus and cervix observations, that don't rely on me waking up at a particular time.  Wouldn't happen:)