What do you recommend for B.C.?

elannis · June 2011

I have been on Depo Provera for a few years, but I'm concerned about bone density and although I enjoy not having a period, I worry sometimes about side effects including possible sterility. I don't know if this happens; my doctor assures me it's fine. My mom talked to another doctor, though, who recommended I switch to something else since I've been on it for about 5 years now.

So my question is: What birth control do you recommend? Any to stay away from?

I have to take a pill for my thyroid every day and take vitamins every day so I'm good at remembering that. I'm not sure I like the IUDs, but am curious about the Nuvaring. Not sure what other options there are. My doctor has been pretty vague any time I ask.

Hazel_B · June 2011

I've been on 3 different types the pill, Nuva Ring and the IUD. I never had problems with the first two until my doctor wanted me to switch to something non hormonal.

I like the IUD, cramps haven't been too bad but it has been years since I had cramps because of the pill and Nuva Ring so I don't know if they are worse or just normal. Although, I have to say insertion hurt like a b!tch.

CCO2012 · June 2011

I am on Nuvaring and I love it. If you are ok with having to stick you fingers up there twice a month to change it, it is the best thing out there! I don't have nearly as bad of cramps, never have breakthrough bleeding, and its impossible to miss a day. Highly recommended!

desertsun · June 2011

I think hormonal BC is highly individual. I would start with whatever your doctor recommends. Every time I tried new BC, my doc scheduled a follow up with me 3 months later so we could switch if needed.

I've heard a lot of people rave about the Nuva Ring, but the idea of fishing around inside kept me taking daily pills. If you're okay with that though, I'd def ask your doc about that one.

cu97tiger · June 2011

I've taken a few different pills. Currently I'm on Trinessa, which my doctor has me take for 9 straight weeks, then one week of placebos, so I get my period about once every two months. Which totally works for me. There was some spotting the first cycle, but none since then. My periods have always been relatively light, about 4-5 days long, with only an hour or two of cramping, and three days of bloating, so take my rec with a grain of salt

DanieKA · June 2011

I take the pill and have only had 1 rough go at it (years ago, the second brand of pill I took-don't remember the name- migraines for 3 months, then it was fine). I know some people hate the pill, though.

A friend loves her nuva ring. Like desert, I just don't like the idea of fishing around for it.

Has anyone tried the patch? Is that even still on the market?

sparkles88 · June 2011

If you're concerned about skipping your period, you can do that with a good portion of birth control pills. Most monophasic (steady dose) pills can be taken back to back for several packs. Seasonique is also widely prescribed for women who want to have fewer periods per year. I took it briefly, but I didn't like the side effects. Now I just take a different pill back to back for 3 packs. Check with your doctor first, though, to make sure that would be safe for you to do on a particular pill.

DanieKA · June 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_recommend-bc?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:e2062543-c852-42d1-985a-c35fb437ded5Post:e1a2e414-3e1a-4afd-93c7-da351e8ecd31">Re: What do you recommend for B.C.?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do you recommend for B.C.? : I was on the patch for a long time before I started getting breakthrough bleeding. It was great while it worked. I put it on my butt. :)
Posted by LivLeighton[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>YES! I've had a few spells of breakthrough bleeding with the pill. Not enough of an inconvenience for me to totally switch my BC, but I've been thinking about going on the patch for a while (starting in fall/winter when I sweat/swim less and wear more clothes). I used to be so good at taking the pill daily at the same time and I find myself getting more and more forgetful lately. </div><div>
</div><div>Yay for butt patches!!</div>

NurseyK · June 2011

I've been on a bunch of different ones. Estrostep was too strong for me, I was a giant hormone ball and gained a lot of weight. The patch was awesome, but I always sweated it off in the summer (not so good for baby prevention...). Yaz was nice, but expensive at the time.

The one I keep going back to is microgestin 1.5/30 fe. It's generic for something (not sure what), it's a low dose, and I've never had a side effect from it. I take it for 2-3 months continuous, and take a week off when I feel the need for a period. The only time I notice anything is when I miss one and have to double up the next day... that usually makes me a little nauseous for a day.

Swazzle · June 2011

I was on depo for a few years when I first started taking bc, it was the 1st one I tried. One day in college I started bleeding really really heavily after sex & this happened again so I finally called my doctor. Apparently it had thinned the lining of my uterus & sex was causing me to bleed. This was years ago so I don't fulYl remember details, needless to say though, I switched. I did nuvaring after that, which I personally just didn't like and after that I went on the pill.

I've tried a few, but noticed that I turned into a super psycho b!tch on most of them. So my doctor moved me down to a low-dose hormone pill & I started taking Loestrin 24 FE (which also gives you shorter/lighter periods by the way). I'm now on Microgestin FE which is like a generic version of Loestrin 24. I love what I'm on now. It does it's job, I don't get my period that often & I completely feel like myself on it!

jorja86 · June 2011

I'm on depo too, and I love it, as far as hormonal BC goes. I did take a couple of years off-I was on depo for 4 years in college, then switched to the pill because I had concerns similar to yours. When I started dating BF, I realized how awful I was at remembering to take my pill, and that the consequences of that were much more likely while having regular sex, so I switched back.

I agree that it's really, really individual. I don't think any two people have the exact same experience with any one type of hormonal BC.

I did talk to my current doctor, as well as the one I saw at school. Both assured me that as far as fertility goes, the only difference between the pill and depo is that it takes a little longer for your cycle to return to normal after stopping depo. I understand being a little uncomfortable with it though. I'm partly convinced all these years of trying my best NOT to get pregnant are going to make it impossible when I actually do want to get KU.

I really can't wait to just stop taking BC all together, and hopefully start charting instead, but that's not happening until I'm married.

desertsun · June 2011

Ha ha, I totally had the patch and put it on my butt, too!

I went off it after a while b/c it didn't always stay put for one thing, and for another, it made me really nauseous at times. I think the hormone doses are higher than in pills. So if I forgot to change it right on time, it was an issue, and for some weird reason, remembering once a week was harder than remembering every day.

jnurse19 · June 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_recommend-bc?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:e2062543-c852-42d1-985a-c35fb437ded5Post:89f48fb6-b099-4373-befe-796638a6c93b">Re: What do you recommend for B.C.?</a>:
[QUOTE] The one I keep going back to is <strong>microgestin 1.5/30 fe. </strong>It's generic for something (not sure what), it's a low dose, and I've never had a side effect from it. I take it for 2-3 months continuous, and take a week off when I feel the need for a period. The only time I notice anything is when I miss one and have to double up the next day... that usually makes me a little nauseous for a day.
Posted by NurseyK[/QUOTE]
This is what I take too. I believe it's the generic for Loestrin Fe. Anyway I love microgestin and have 2 other friends that are on it. I only take it one month at a time and take the nonactive pills. In my experience the periods are very light if you have them monthly, usually 24-48hrs of spotting and that is it. I've never had side effects on it. My friends that are on it say the same thing. Plus it is really cheap with or without insurance.

I was also on Nuvaring. Which was very nice as well. The only downfall for me was that it was considered a top tier drug with my health insurance making it a little pricey.

jaycee7389 · June 2011

I also loathe Depo. It ruined my life. I gained 30 pounds within a few months of being on it, and it has destroyed my metabolism and my "natural" weight has gone up 15-20 pounds. I have been off of it for about 4 years.

ETA: I also had really bad mood swings and zero sex drive on it.

My favorite BC is the patch. It was really easy and I never had to worry about forgetting. I've heard great things about the nuva ring as well.

AudgiePodge · June 2011

I hated the depo shot. I was on it for 6 months. The month before i was supposed to get my 3rd shot, I started bleeding for about 3 weeks straight. My dr said that it was fairly common and because if that, I switched to the NuvaRing. It was the best bc fr me that I have been on. I don't like digging up in my vag, so H would take it out and put a new one in when needed. I was on the Mirena for 3 years, but had a bad experience with it. It caused a cyst to grow on my ovary which in turn caused horrible cramping.

jaycee7389 · June 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_recommend-bc?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:e2062543-c852-42d1-985a-c35fb437ded5Post:7d47ed8d-542e-4620-9bdc-47c59aeadf80">Re: What do you recommend for B.C.?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do you recommend for B.C.? : Hmmm. I wonder if part of my weight gain is due to the depo. I mean, I talked to my doc about it and she was like "oh, none of my patients ever gained more than 5-7 lbs on that," and obviously I have gained a LOT more than that. But if you gained 30 on it, then it's not so unreasonable to think that that is a portion of this horrific weight gain. And I'm def dealing with mood swings and lowered sex drive, but I attributed that to other medical stuff. Makes me think. I wonder if I can get a "second opinion" on BC lol. But I wanted to go off it anyway, so I guess I can see if my weight goes down at all off it? I'm sorry you dealt with that!
Posted by LivLeighton[/QUOTE]

I would definitely get a second opinion. My gyno warned me when I went on it that I could possibly gain that much, but at the time I was so small I didn't think I would. Boy was I wrong!

I was between a size 2 and 4 when I went on it, and now I'm a size 10. FML.

SeaTea02 · June 2011

I also agree that it is highly dependant on the individual. BCPs give me all kinds of crazy side effects from hair loss to mood swings ( I tried 4 or 5 different brands). Nuva Ring has worked for me.

elannis · June 2011

Thanks for all of the info. I've done research online but it helps to hear what real people think of stuff. So do you not have a period with the Nuvaring either then?

I get nervous when I go see my doctor and just want to get out asap, so hearing your opinions at least gives me an idea of what to ask before I get in there.

SilverLining1 · June 2011

You still generally have a period with NuvaRing, but it can be used without a week off. Ask your doctor about that. I had a bunch if mood swings on pills. NuvaRing fixed it for me because it's a steady dose of hormones instead of one dose a day. BF said he could feel it, but only noticed the difference after I stopped using it. You can take it out for two hours at a time for sex if you prefer. Also, when I used it, it only had to be changed once a month.

polkadot111 · June 2011

FAM. However, not a hormonal form of birth control.

GreenPepperBurger · June 2011

I've been on Ortho-Tri Cyclen Lo (pill) for 4 years and have zero complaints.

SassyFlats · June 2011

I was on LoEstrin 24fe for a few years and liked it, until we got married and I realized it was killing my sex drive. Now we just use a very cautious combination of FAM and condoms. Loestrin did nix my period, and that was really nice. But, for me, hormonal BC just wasn't worth not having a period. I'm very happy with our current method.

kellyt89 · June 2011

The first pill I went on was Yaz and it turned me into a crazy person, I hated it. Some people love it though.

I've been on Loestrin on and off for about 4 1/2 years now (wow...that's weird to think about). I like it because it's one of the lowest doses of hormones out there (20 mcg of estrogen, which is the lowest for the pill).

I was thinking about trying the Nuva Ring a couple months ago, because it has the lowest hormone level of any birth control I've seen (15 mcg of estrogen) but it was too expensive for me right now.

I'd love to do charting and condoms or something, but that's not happening until I'm married...

Peaseblossom55 · June 2011

I have been on estrostep since 1998 its a pill ive had no issues w/ it ever

zipis1 · June 2011

I LOVE (lovelovelovelovelove) my Mirena IUD. I don't use it for BC, though it's more effective than sterilization for those that do, and it's just awesome. I would hug it if it wasn't in my uterus.

But it is. So my uterus hugs it for me.

What do you recommend for B.C.?

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