Birth Control Question

deburnin · October 2010

So I've been on the pill for a little over a year and I'm starting to get side effects. I gained some weight right after going on it, but for the past few months I've been having massive mood swings which just aren't me. Granted it might just be me being stressed with other life stuff, but I haven't had very good experience with other medications and now I really want off these. BF suggested an IUD.

Does anyone else have one? Did doctor's give you a hard time about it if you don't have a child? Any side effects? I've been doing some reading up on them, but first hand accounts always seem to be the better way to go.

citygirllovescountryboy · October 2010

If you don't want to jump straight to the IUD thing there is always the option of maybe switching brands. I have a friend that did the IUD thing and the cool thing about those is when you are ready to have a child they are removable.

SeaTea02 · October 2010

I use nuvaring which is kiiinda similar to an IUD but not really. I don't really have any side effects and I had them BAD with yas, yasmin, and loestrin.

marissa_claire · October 2010

I thought IUD's were only for women who have already had children. I've heard that doctors do not recommend them for women who have never had a child before.

deburnin · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_birth-control-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:330ab2a8-34ae-49cf-bafc-032772fd8a5dPost:e4f3a582-a742-4174-85fd-dd3451a85ca0">Re: Birth Control Question</a>:
[QUOTE]I thought IUD's were only for women who have already had children. I've heard that doctors do not recommend them for women who have never had a child before.
Posted by marissa_claire[/QUOTE]

<div>I've read that this is mostly because it's a bit more painful to insert due to the fact that the cervix has never been dilated.</div>

Wrkn925 · October 2010

I don't have links, so please google this to ensure its validity:
My doc told me that the medical board, that is usually conservative, has concluded that it is safe for women as young as 15 to have IUDs.
This was word of mouth...

I got my IUD about three weeks ago. I have never been pregnant, AND had abnormal paps in the past. She said the main problem was getting it into the cervix and fitting it in the uterus.
We had no problem getting mine in. It was uncomfortable and a little painful, but it's there, I don't have to worry about BC for five years, and I'm happy.

Wrkn925 · October 2010

Oh, my first doc would barely talk to me about it. He refused to put them in women without children. I disliked him for this and a few other reasons, so I called another doctor to ask if she allowed women without children to get IUDs. She said yes, and i made an appointment for a consult.
She used a tool she had to see if she thought she could get past the cervix. She could, so we ordered and inserted it the next week.

Also, please check with your insurance before insertion.
My insurance paid 100% if the doctor ordered it instead of me ordering it from a pharmacy. Some are opposite, and if you don't do it right, you'll end up paying the $950 for it.

AudgiePodge · October 2010

I would absolutely recommend the NuvaRing over the Mirena. If you have any questions about the NuvaRing, feel free to ask. This is my experience with the Mirena and was C&P'd from a previous thread:

I'm one of the bad stories about having the Mirena. I started having unbearable cramping about 6 months after I got it. I was put on mild pain pills for about a year. It helped, but then the cramping was getting more severe. My doc didn't want to put me on stronger ones, so I got an ultrasound and it was discovered that I had an ovarian cyst on my right ovary that was actually larger than my ovary. The IUD was removed right away. I was given another ultrasound a month later to see if it was shrinking. If it wasn't then it would need to be surgically removed. Fortunately it was, and I wasn't having as bad as cramps.
On the plus side, I didn't have a period for the 2 years I had it

After the Mirena, I got the Depo shot for a year and now I'm on the NuvaRing which I LOVE.

tmwagner · October 2010

Talk to you dr. she might suggest another pill first. At the office I work at we wil give it to women who have not had children. There is the chance that you might not be able to get pregnant for up to a year after it is removed though, I don't know if that matters to you.

If you have been on the same pill for almost a year it is unlikely that the side effects are from that, usually side effects emerge and subside in the first few months.

calindi · October 2010

I didn't like NuvaRing - I gained weight and got depressed, and as soon as I went off it, it went away (thin and happy). Also, it had a habit of popping out during sex and I'd have to go on a ring hunt through the covers. They say you can't feel it during sex, but you definitely can, and so can the guy, if it's not in exactly the right spot. That said, if it was in a certain spot it helped me get a g-spot O. So there's that...

I'm on Yasmin and love it. No side effects.

hollyb78 · October 2010

I've been on the Depo shot since April and I love it.

prasad007 · October 2010

Copper IUDs are non-hormonal and way cheaper than Mirena. They are also extremely effective. FI and I looked into it about a year ago, but we decided that it wasn't the best option since we want to have kids fairly soon.

Definitely talk to your doctor-- they might suggest switching Pill brands. Even something like switching to the generic could help. I used Alesse and Ortho Tri Cylcen Lo for about 5 years. I like the Tri Cyclen a lot more than Alesse, and just switching brands helped me with side effects.

For the past 8 months we have been using FAM. It really is quite easy once you know what you are doing (it took about a month). If you are interested, check out the Getting Pregnant board on the Nest (there are quite a few posters over there who have used FAM to avoid pregnancy for YEARS). Also, the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility is awesome (and there is a website too)!

SeaTea02 · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_birth-control-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:330ab2a8-34ae-49cf-bafc-032772fd8a5dPost:91bb4ca7-d950-4b16-9d62-9a5c323ba21f">Re: Birth Control Question</a>:
[QUOTE]I didn't like NuvaRing - I gained weight and got depressed, and as soon as I went off it, it went away (thin and happy). Also, it had a habit of popping out during sex and I'd have to go on a ring hunt through the covers. They say you can't feel it during sex, but you definitely can, and so can the guy, if it's not in exactly the right spot. That said, if it was in a certain spot it helped me get a g-spot O. So there's that... I'm on Yasmin and love it. No side effects.
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

It would appear we have opposite side effects. If pills aren't working for her he might need that other alternative.

My experience of Yamin wasn't too bad but my doctor decided to take me off of it because of the lawsuits against Yaz and Yamin. Yeah all BCs have risks but my mom had blood clots before (same gyn) and my grandmother ha deep vein thrombosis sooo I guess she didn't want to risk it. It sounded like she didn't plan on recommending the brands anymore though.

<a href="http://www.yasminsideeffectslawsuit.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.yasminsideeffectslawsuit.com/</a>

Elle1036 · October 2010

I think Wrkn is right. I know several relatively young, child-less women who have IUDs.

desertsun · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_birth-control-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:330ab2a8-34ae-49cf-bafc-032772fd8a5dPost:9ff0b32f-b74a-4c48-b8a6-7b268f231e8d">Re: Birth Control Question</a>:
[QUOTE]I've been on the Depo shot since April and I love it.
Posted by hollyb78[/QUOTE]

Depo made me SUUUUPER depressed, so if you're at all prone to that or have had any previous incidences of depression, you might run into that with Depo. And it lasts for months. Just an FYI. :)

loves2shop4shoes · October 2010

Well, I was on the pill for years. I had issues remembering to take it every day because my schedule was so crazy. I also was on one type of pill for a few months that made me super byotch.

After the pill I was on Nuvaring. I gained lots of weight and my sex drive plummeted. I was completely indifferent to sex, which was not like me. Also, you can always feel the ring during sex...it got to the point where we'd just take it out before we even got started.

Then I got the Paragard (copper) IUD in May. I'm 22 and have never been pregnant. The copper IUD has no hormones. Well, I will say that insertion was the most physical pain I've ever experienced...and I've broken my back before. I couldn't walk for two days. It was very very painful. After that, everything was fine. My cycle became longer (it was 28 days when I was on hormones) and is slightly irregular (made worse by all the stress of law school). But I have no weight gain, no plummeting sex drive, no mood swings, no need to fish a nuvaring out before sex...I really love it. And it'll last me 12 years if I decide to keep it in that long.

I've also heard good things about Mirena also. Mirena lasts 5 years and has hormones (so you don't get a period at all.)

GreenPepperBurger · October 2010

I've been on the ortho-tri cyclen lo pill for over three years and I love it. I've never had any problem (knock on wood). I just set an alarm on my phone that reminds me to take it - I take it at breakfast. I just need to remember to pack it with me if I'm spending the night somewhere else. I've heard not-so-great things about the Depo shot, and I know people who had problems with the NuvaRing, popping out being a primary concern (although a G-Spot O sounds lovely...)

GL!

Wrkn925 · October 2010

I was on Depo for 5 1/2 years.

I've gained weight, but I can only partially blame depo for that.
(I quit all BC for about 4 months in 2008, and lost weight really easily.)

I don't think I've had mood problems, I was on it up until 3 weeks ago, so I can't differentiate between normal me and side effects...lol.

But Mirena is not something to be taken lightly. You should read up on it, b/c the PP's bad experience is possible.

deburnin · October 2010

BF and I don't plan on having kids anytime in the near future. I was leery about going on the pill after my horrible experience with being over medicated and having horrible side effects. About three months after being on the pill my sex drive took a nose dive and hasn't really recovered. It's gotten to the point where I could really careless about having sex which is weird for me.

I suffered from depression since I was 13 and was first medicated when I was 19. I started having seizures and sleeping all the time and went off all meds at 22. I felt sooo much better. Then I went on the BC pills and things have gotten wonky again. I'm leery about even switching to another BC pill. I just want to be done with pills period. I was looking at the copper IUD because there's no hormones involved.

ETA: I also forget to take my pill a lot even though my phone and BF's phone has an alarm for it...

leia1979 · October 2010

Obviously, everyone's experiences are different. Depo was a nightmare for me. I stuck it out for 9 months hoping the side effects would go away, but they only got worse. I tried several types of pills, and they all made me crazy.

NuvaRing was okay, I was fine with it for quite some time, but it made me kinda crazy, too. I've now had Mirena for five months, and the only side effect has been spotting now and then. I can certainly live with that. FI swears it doesn't make me crazy like NuvaRing did.

I have never been pregnant, but the Mirena insertion was easy for me. Doc gave me some sort of medicine that caused cramping and makes it easier to insert. I actually looked up at her and said, "That's it?" I was expecting horrible pain. Though apparently it's also easier to insert if you're older.

KelseyD207 · October 2010

I've done a lot of wacky birth control changes.

I was nervous about BC for years before I took it since my mother had estrogen-related breast cancer, so the last thing I wanted was more hormones in my system. When I did decide to look at BC, I looked at the lowest hormones that didn't require shots. The IUD was my first option, but I was pretty young so I skirted around that and went for the nuvaring.

I LOVE the nuvaring except for one thing: it made me very prone to yeast infections. It makes sense since you're inserting a foreign object into your lady bits, and while most of the yeast infections I had were manageable, one was so bad it made me stop using it.

After that, I tried the patch -- which was horrific. It made my breasts so tender I couldn't wear a bra, it made me so nauseaus I nearly passed out, and the dizzy spills were both perplexing and worrisome. I found out later that while the amount of estrogen is low, the body absorbs it a -lot- faster and pumps more estrogen into your system as a consequences. Yeah, that lasted about a week.

I reacted negatively to the pill as well, so I decided to give nuvaring a round two. There are people who have a lot of sex-related issues with the nuvaring -- falling out, loss of sex drive, etc -- so your mileage may vary, but not having to worry about birth control every day or every week was a huge benefit for me, and if you insert it correctly, you really can't feel it.

Good luck on your BC hunt. Everyone is different, so I hope you find what works for you.

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