Better Birth Control?

[1756GR2]

Another happy IUD user. See Seshat's comments from earlier today - I would have written the same thing.

Got my first one 30-some years ago and never looked back, even during the time when they were off the market and you had to sign a release for one. I was never so happy for womankind as when I saw they were available again.

[AdminAssistant]

I'm gonna talk to my doc about an IUD, I think. They do offer them at the student clinic, but I don't know what the cost will be. I've been on the pill for 10 years now...and I'm a bit sick of it!

[Cat]

"Not tonight, the cats are watching",

.

It is so creepy when the cats are watching....and purrrrrrring....and drooooling...

Ortho-Tri-Cyclen here! Was on generic...cannot get it anymore And we also use condoms....need to save for/find a doc who will spay me.

[Giggle Goose]

TMI ALERT, highlight below to read:

My only input is that when I was watching a Mirena commercial with my mom, she told me: "That's how your brother got here."

I take Tri Sprintec, which is the generic of Ortho Tri Cyclen. NOT becoming a parent is at the top of my priority list right now, since I just got into grad school. I set my alarm every morning with the message TAKE YOUR MEDICINE because I also have to take my vitamins and calcium supplement. The other methods of birth control ick me out and TBH I hate using condoms. It's worked like a charm so far.

[Seshat]

Anyone who has Mirena or other IUDs....how comfortable are they? Do the little thingies hang out very often?

Copper-T here.

I thought I felt it from time to time at first, but after a couple of months it sort of seemed to .. 'settle into place' or something. And when I thought I felt it, I don't mean it hurt, it was just 'oooh, was that a twinge?'

The strings hang out of your cervix, which means that to find them and check them, I have to curl up a bit, and reach inside with my longest fingers. And then I brush against them with the tips of the fingers. It's usually easier just to have my husband check them.

Here's a diagram of the placement of a copper-T

and

Here's the female reproductive system as a whole

As you can see, there's the whole length of the vagina before the cervix - and the strings are short, once out of the cervix. Mine actually just sort of .. sit on the cervix itself, practically unnoticeable unless you're looking for them.

My husband says that except when he's actively checking for the strings, the IUD may as well not be there - other than for the peace of mind.

[r2cagle]

"I have a headache",

"Not tonight, the cats are watching",

and the surefire classic winner

"I'm picking a fight with you so you'll leave me alone".

I'm surprised ya'll didn't mention the Dare motto: Just say 'NO'.

I'm just kidding! I have no advice on this. I wasn't on any birth control and it still took 10 years to get pregnant. I blame him, he blames me, we're all one happy family. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[taxguykarl]

I don't really have any other birth control suggestions that someone else hasn't mentioned already, but I wanted to mention this: NO form of birth control is 100%, including a hysterectomy

Ovary removal will accomplish that--or as my wife put it when she had that operation (fibromyalgia and ovarian cysts) "Spayed like the cat".

Seriously though, Blas's concerns about the pill are justified. I became an uncle when my sister forgot that most antibiotics reduce its effectiveness.

My wife was on orthotricyclene (to slow the cyst growth) some years back and we found that BC prevents rugrats by killing the sex drive.

[Magpie]

The sun is a much less effective source of vitamin D at Northern latitudes. Also watch out for iron and calcium together - you won't absorb either one quite as well.

[Andara Bledin]

You get more vitamin D out of half an hour in the sunlight than most other sources.

Also, as far as calcium, there are a lot of things that can affect how your body deals with it. There are several things that will inhibit calcium absorption (such as grain bran, coffee, and acidic diets), and you need to keep your magnesium levels up, too, as it's vital in building and maintaining bones. We used to have a 1:1 ratio between calcium and magnesium, but most modern diets have closer to a 12:1 ratio.

Oh, and because of the way calcium is taken into the system, supplements aren't optimal, since you take a large dose at one time, and spreading the intake out over the day is notably more effective.

^-.-^

[blas]

You are supposed to have a bone density test after 5 years of Depo if you want to continue the Depo Shot. It truly robs calcium right from you.

I take calcium suppliments and vitamin D suppliments to help absorb it, along with 2-3 glasses of Silk a day

[hawkchick11]

I was just told by my doctor that its ok to be on depo for longer than 2 years now, as long as you are making sure you get enough calcium.

I gained about 5 pounds when I went on depo... and when I went off of it, I gained about 30.

I'm horrible at taking pills, and I don't know how I feel about NuvaRing, so I'm going to get back on depo. I thought about an IUD, but I'm not sure if I want that.

[blas]

I'm so bad at remembering to take pills that I can hardly remember to even take my damn vitamins or my diet pills.

Maybe the Shot has made me lazy, but then again, I've always hated swallowing pills. I have gummy and dissolving vitamins, so I don't have to swallow those whole.

[Magpie]

There's also indication that there's a mental component, as well.

I remember reading about a study some time back that women who are adamant about not wanting children appear to conceive less often than those using identical birth control methods who are not as against the idea of becoming pregnant.

I've heard that one too, but I had always heard it with the assumption that it was "women who weren't as serious about not having kids didn't follow the instructions as carefully". I don't suppose you remember if that was in the study you read? Also, the decrease in effectiveness varies with the method.

There is absolutely no medical reason to actually have a period unless you are planning on popping out progeny. Back when they were designing the delivery of the pill, they decided to let women have a period so they can feel 'female' or so I have been told by my gyn.

I've never doubled my packs, partly because I wouldn't want to forgo the week without suffering side effects, and partly because I had such a bad reaction to the pills (and to menstruating naturally) that I didn't want to screw with it further. However, I had heard that with the old pills (not the new ones) the hormone dosage levels were so high that you needed to go off for your health.

[AccountingDrone]

heh, we joke that if I was an america indian, my kids would have been named Ortho Novum No Work, Ortho Novum No Work, Rubber Broke and But I had a Tubal Ligation 14 years ago...

believe me, I was scrupulous about birth control, some people seem destined to get knocked up

I found that norethindrone is fantastic, totally suppresses the menses, flushes out of the system in 3 months if one wants to gt pregnant. It was given me for PCOS, which was its own special torment. There is absolutely no medical reason to actually have a period unless you are planning on popping out progeny. Back when they were designing the delivery of the pill, they decided to let women have a period so they can feel 'female' or so I have been told by my gyn.

[Pagan]

I understand it's been 24 years since I was conceived and the Pill has came a long way, but I still don't trust it. I need something a little better than bringing my fertility right back if I don't take it at the exact moment I need to.

But that doesn't happen. You don't have to take it at exactly the same time everyday.

I screwed up a while ago and managed to not get my new pack when I should have and missed 4 days. All I did was just start the new pack and everything was fine.

These days you can't just say "the pill." There are a lot of different pills at this point. Also, there are times when the pill would be less effective due to other medications or dietary issues that weren't as well-known back then.

Right. Way back when, they only had one level of one hormone. I can think of at least 15 different ones sitting on the shelves at the pharmacy. All with differing hormone types and levels.