For the first time in nearly forever (or so it seems), I'm neither currently pregnant or nursing. Which, excitingly, opens up a vast array of birth control options. My husband and I have always been fans of (ahem) raincoats but, well, frankly the (double ahem) interruption* is starting to annoy me. The thought of all those interrupted fêtes between the bedsheets ahead of me is a little frusterating...so, on to Plan B...no, no, no, not the morning after pill, I meant something other than condoms.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, I have little to no experience in non-condom birth control, so I was hoping you'd share some of yours. In my particular case, I'd love to have something that is fairly low-hormone, as my family has a history of being hormonally uber-sensitive. Also, personally, I'm hoping for something that doesn't take all that long to leave the system because it won't be too too long before we'd like to start trying to conceive again (have no fear for my sanity, however, it isn't all THAT soon either). Whether your particular form of BC fits those restrictions or not, however, doesn't really matter, I'd still love to hear your opinion on all things contraceptive related...even if it's just that your sister's roomate's cousin got pregnant with an IUD in and the baby came out holding it in his hand (that's possibly a true story too ;). Do tell!
*TMI*TMI*TMI: When I kept on misspelling the word interruption in the second paragraph, my automatic spellchecker kept on bringing up the option of int-eruption...which, considering we're talking about sex here, amused me to no end. Just thought I'd share for the dirtier minded of y0u.
Amen to the side affects of enjoying your husbands company! We tried NFP about a year after having our oldest and we weren't feeling it just because I got so nervous about getting pregnant and the fact that there was little room for the spontaneous romp. However, after having our next child we are going to try it again. If you can find a couple in your church/area that teaches classes and is not shy then it could be an option.
ReplyDeleteFinally, don't do Nuva Ring. A nurse-midwife friend said a bunch of her classmates went on a nuva ring kick and a couple of them ended up pregnant because there wasn't enough hormone to block anything from happening. I've also heard bad things about IUD's. Best of luck!
If you do go the NFP route, or even in part, definitely find the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It's a great resource just for knowing more about your body.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any great options for you b/c I don't really have that "side effect"-our kid took 18 mos. of trying. I didn't do well on the pill, but haven't tried anything else other than "raincoats". I have a good friend that liked the hormone-free version of an IUD. She also doesn't react well to hormonal contraception. (I don't know if they're all hormone free, so if that's a redundant statement, sorry for my ignorance.)
I had the IUD and LOVED it! It can be taken out and you can usually get pregnant in about 3 months (probably shorter considering you are very fertile). I couldn't handle the depo short or the pill, my body didn't like the horomones. I was also on the Nuva Ring once, didn't like that either.
ReplyDeleteI have heard great things about IUD's.. they say after your body adjusts to the hormone (about 4 months give or take) they are amazing, lots of my doctor and nurse friends are using them. the last pill I was on was the mini pill about 4 years ago, hormones mess with me, anything from crying non-stop (o so fun) to bleeding non stop (that was a blast too)and considering the doctors say I can't even think about a babe for 2 to 5 years, we basically have been getting lucky by me knowing my cycle... it can be tricky due to the whole your body wanting "it" when you are most fertile but the whole not wanting to have a baby can really put a damper on things...lol. So do some research learn when you are most fertile, usually between days 14 and 17, and you will have a different mucus (did I just say mucus?) but you do have to remember that abstinence it's self is just is only 99.99% effective, just think of Mary, if the Lord wants you to have another one, you will... Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm currently have the IUD Mirena and I'm really happy with it. It did take my body about 4-5 months to adjust, but it's very low hormone and I've adjusted well. I was on the pill when we first got married and I was emotionally all over the place. I've heard both bad and good about the Nuva Ring, but more bad than good, and I've no interest in it. My friend is on YAZ and if your not nursing than you can take it. She says it's awesome and feels great almost always, no side effects. Who knows. I had a friend who was on the Shot and couldn't get pregnant for 5 years and even then they had to go through fertility drugs and what not, so I wouldn't recommend it. Anywho... I'm with ya on the no kids thing right now. I love my two but I'm in no way ready for a third. 3 Under 3 is so not interesting to me (you make it look easy, but I'm not up for that yet). Well, good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteI have been there and done that with most forms of BC. First off, the regular pill-too hard to remember to take with little ones around all the time. Not worth it. Second- the mini-pill, I took this while nursing (so my milk wouldn't be affected), so annoying since it apparantly wasn't strong enough for me and I had a period every 2 weeks for 5 mo. until I got prego with #2 baby. Third try- Nuva Ring. Uggh. Awful! It kept falling out (hello, 2 kids in 2 years), and my hubby didn't like it either. Plus, it was annoying. 4th option-IUD. Done 2 of them, and like them the best. I do have friends who have gotten prego while having one, and I swear I've gotten prego one or two times but lost the baby before it implanted. I think it has something to do with how well it's placed. It does cause a few months of spotting and cramping, but after that, you never think about it. I mean never!!! ;) Plus, for me, once I get it taken out it takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks to get prego. My friends are the same way, so be prepared to be pregnant if you get it taken out. So far, I think it's the best option out there. And you can have it put in at your 6wk postpartum appt, and still nurse with it in. Bonus! :D good luck!
ReplyDeleteI've heard lots of good things about the IUD and I've read a lot about it and it seems like a good option, especially if you want to wait for longer than a year. I did Yaz before I started having kids and I liked it. Husband said I was just really mellow all the time. I wasn't pyscho but I didn't laugh as easily either. (It also kind of brought down my sex drive - so we might consider some other options after this baby). Ummm, and I feel very naive right now but I have no clue what NFP is - can someone please explain the acronym?
ReplyDeleteAub-
ReplyDeleteNFP=Natural Family Planning. "Natural family planning is a method used to help a couple determine when sexual intercourse can and cannot result in pregnancy."
More info at:
www.nfpandmore.org
Let me just say, I am NOT the person to ask on this front. Which is why after this little girl, we are all done and DH is getting the fabulous "snip-snip". I didn't like how I felt on YAZ or really any of the pills I have tried before, but then I'm kinda hormone-crazy. I will say NFP is not a bad route, but remember that some women's cycles can be swayed by other women's-say in room-mates, sisters, even co-workers. Also, while it is a fact most women are on a cycle, other women have been known to spontaneously ovulate-ovulation due to random fluctuations in hormones or being turned on (yep, I know first hand with #1). BUT- if you are strongly regular in your cycles it isn't a bad option.
ReplyDeleteGood luck...this is one question that has been plaguing women since the beginning of time. ;)
I tried a so many methods before Michael was born, I know a little about this topic. I had negative reactions to anything with hormones. Even the ones that have "low" dosages (including the Nuva Ring). Finally, I suggested an IUD to my doctor. He was hesitant becuase I had not had any children yet, but I insisted that I could not have anything with hormones and I didn't want to get pregnant right after we got married. I eneded up using and IUD without hormones. It worked very well and I was able to get pregnant within a few months after having it removed. There are two kinds - one with hormones and one without. Anyway, I highly recommend it. You have it put in and then forget about it!
ReplyDeleteAye me...I'm clueless!!!
ReplyDeleteAll I have to say for myself is..."4 kids by the age of 25, baby!"
and, needless to say, BC was the last thing on my mind when under the covers ;)
oh and...
i.hate.raincoats.
ps...we had a tubal done this time around (after much thought and prayer, of course) so no more baby surprises for me!
ReplyDeleteWhen we first got married, I used the Nuva Ring, LOVED it! Put it in and leave it for 3 weeks, take it out for 1 week, put a new one in. So much better than having to remember to take a pill every day. However, after I had Kaleb, I started using it again and it kept falling down, and then one day at work it fell into the toilet and I just flushed it :) Right now I am nursing Jenna and we are using spermicides, but it does have the same inconvienence of condoms. I haven't heard great things about IUDs, I know someone that bled for 6, SIX, months after she got it, and then got it taken out... that doesn't put ya much in the mood ;) It seems like I read somewhere that the church is a bit opposed to IUDs, but I can't back that up because I don't have the book that I think I read it in! The "pill" makes me crazy, and sick. I would take it at night so that I would sleep through most of it, but I still never felt too grand. When I first went to a DR about starting BC she said she wouldn't recommend the depo shot unless I had already been on it before. It has a tendancy to make you gain weight and doesn't have the best effective reputation. I know a girl that got pregnant twice on it!
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you in whatever you decide!
Wow. I forgot you had this blog going, and this was the post I came in on... more than I wanted to know about people I know. Anyway, this is ironic, by the way, because we just discovered a surprise pregnancy! I was on the pill when I first got married- I think it does really weird things to your body. Haven't gone back to that yet. I can't say that I know much about any other kind of BC except condoms, but I will say that you shouldn't ever trust your 1st period (post-partum) when you're breastfeeding. After that first period, I think I may have had another period just 10-14 days later (which I thought was just mid-cycle spotting). Not being a fan of raincoats either, we weren't careful at the end of the month, when I should have been starting my period. Well, #4 is on the way! Don't know whether it was a failed condom or a double period. I read that "Taking Charge of your Fertility" book mentioned earlier. Good education - too bad I wasn't taking my temperature.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good luck! This is important to get right. ;)
I bled on the IUD for SEVERAL months, almost a year. It was terrible, just terrible. And then after finially having it taken out I also learned that there is a lot of moral contreversy about even having one because of how they work. I know that Dr. Horsly in Logan wont even put on in until you have gone home and done your research about it. After doing my research (and the bleeding thing) I decided I would never have one again.
ReplyDeleteThats my 2 bits :)
Love your blog!
Adelyn
OH AND it cost me over $200 to even have the stupid thing taken out! I called several clinics and it was the same price no matter where I would have gone, even Planned Parenthood.