beanpot

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I am actually not locking this as I'm curious what everyone will have to say.

Birth control options for women suck. They really do.

I was on the pill for years and it was a revelation when I went off of it. I lost weight, stopped having migraines, skin cleared up, anxiety lessened etc.

Now that I am in a serious relationship and exploring BC options, I am slightly bothered by the long lists of side effects/issues listed with each of them.

I am considering the IUD but have been told that it could be a problem as I've never had a kid.

I am really interested in what options other people have settled on. I suppose I could go back to the pill, but I really hate the idea of it.

I've allowed anonymous commenting as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

princessofgeeks

i tolerated the pill extremely well for years, but i know people who really don't do well on it at all.

our eventual solution was a vasectomy for him, actually.

From:

beanpot

Oh how I wish that was an option right now...

From:

princessofgeeks

well, if he's utterly certain HE never wants kids, ever.....

on the other hand i have a male relative who simply refused to discuss the subject. it just wasn't going to be an option for him period.

so there is that.

From:

pellucid

Have you tried different pills? I know some people react quite well to some, not at all well to others, etc. Though if it's making you miserable, that may be more trouble than it's worth. (I'm a bit of the opposite in that I've stayed on the pill even when not sexually active because it does wonders for my skin and makes my pms much more manageable.)

I definitely know people who have IUDs and who have never had a child (I don't know whether they've ever been pregnant, but never given birth, anyway). But I couldn't speak from personal experience on that one.

Of course, another friend of mine was so sensitive to all the options that she and her partner just decided to use condoms indefinitely. Not a perfect solution, obviously, but effective, and it kept her from being the crazy person she was on the pill.

From:

beanpot

Over the course of my life, I've been on 5 different types and while the last one was the "best", my migraines went up etc. The thing is that I didn't realize how different I was on the Pill until I went off. I had been on them for over 15 years non stop and it was only after I quit because I was tired of spending the money did I realize it. I felt "normal" again - no more mood swings/anxiety, no more migraines, I lost weight, acne cleared up, my period lessened to only two days etc and so on. Like I said, a revelation.

From:

pellucid

Fair enough. It's frustrating that people have such variable reactions to the different sorts of pills. Some people can't handle any pill at all; some are great with some of the formulations and awful with others; my sister, for instance, cannot function without it (it's the only thing that keeps her from being completely incapacitated with cramps for at least four days a month).

Mostly, I hope you can find something that works well for you!

From:

beanpot

I think that is why I am so...frazzled about this whole thing. I know that what works for my body doesn't work for other and vice versa. So every time someone says, "oh it will be fine", I have to wonder how it will actually be for me.

I think a large part of me wishes I had never gone off of them so I didn't know what it was like to be without. Considering it's only been about a year, it's even more frustrating. Stupid hindsight.

From:

zats_clear

condoms and that fertility method from that book I linked you to way back when would be the best option for your body. I used that to get pregnant but one of my friends was using it to NOT get pregnant until she had made it thru two weddings - including mine - as the matron of honor. Then she was pregnant the very next week, because she had such a good understanding of her cycle.

From:

beanpot

Once the website will let me, I'll be checking the book out from the library. Thanks!

From:

abyssinia

I tried the pill in college - first the Ortho Low, and then something that was lowest hormone dose of any pill available. It made me crazy. Made my periods longer and heavier and crampier and closer together and more pms-y and made me more headache prone and miserable and took away pretty much all interest in sexual activity and, well, TMI, but made my orgasms harder to achieve and barely noticeable.

I am never going on hormones again. At my last gyn visit she volunteered without me bringing it up that whenever I find myself looking for birth control again, the non-hormonal IUD would be a potential good solution for me. I've known a number of women who've gotten an IUD (either type) without having gotten a kid. They've all said that insertion was pretty painful, but been pleased with their choice later. That doesn't mean there aren't people with problems.

I also have a number of friends who are either married or in long term relationships who get by just fine with tracking their cycle, and using condoms and other spermicide/barrier methods.

I mean, BC options suck, but they're better now than they've been any time in history. What they need is something that a guy can take that will just make sperm completely impotent (or not present) which can be turned on or off as needed. I actually know someone in college who wanted to research on finding ways to do that. We won't talk about his plans to use the technology for world domination...

From:

beanpot

Yeah - it's the non hormonal IUD that's been recommended to me but when I went in for insertion, the doctor looked at my chart and said, "this is going to be excruciating for you - did you bring someone to take you home in case you pass out?" I refused to have it put in at that point as I had no idea it would be *that* bad and I sort of panicked. Since then I've heard the stories that range from no issues to constant issues they live with to horrific experiences that resulted in surgeries.

It just sucks that all of the options available cause some sort of discomfort or issues for some women - nothing is totally care free for women as even spermicides can lead to greater risk for STD exposure as it weakens tissues over time. Millions are spent on erectile malfunction drugs compared to female conception issues and it sucks.