Birth Control Help

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  • ashleymariec89
    ashleymariec89 Posts: 135 Member
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    I really appreciate all your advice guys! I havent had any kids so I dont know that the long term IUDs are an option for me. I dont want kids anytime in the near future but if that changes I want to be able to say "Ok Im ready" and I dont want to have to wait for the shot or pills to get out of my system. I looked at the nuva ring thing and Im a little afraid I would do it wrong :( Is it pretty easy to use? Im sorry if Im getting too personal lol


    Nuva ring is also hormones, it is just absorbed from the ring. So it is not non hormonal. And if you can put in a tampon you can use nuva ring.

    They are allowing long term IUD's now for people who have not had children, talk to ur doc on what ones are available for you.
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    I really appreciate all your advice guys! I havent had any kids so I dont know that the long term IUDs are an option for me. I dont want kids anytime in the near future but if that changes I want to be able to say "Ok Im ready" and I dont want to have to wait for the shot or pills to get out of my system. I looked at the nuva ring thing and Im a little afraid I would do it wrong :( Is it pretty easy to use? Im sorry if Im getting too personal lol

    ridiculously easy to use. You don't know it's there once you put it in. I used it for 6 years before I swapped to Lutera (pills) because of cost. The nuvaring also made my period like, right on time. I could pinpoint the hour of the day I would start. It was amazing. The ring works as it should, but if you take it out before you need to, you are only protected for a few hours. So, from that logic, you would be able to try for children within the day of deciding you didn't want to use it anymore.

    Yes, practically all birth controls are hormone controlled. The hormones are the reason for weight gains and such, but personally I think ladies just get a bit of an appetite and have trouble controlling it. Conventional methods like condoms, caps, sponges, all that kinda stuff is the non-hormonal route.

    Also please be careful if your family has any history of blood clots/strokes. Very dangerous stuff there!
  • princess_in_power
    princess_in_power Posts: 234 Member
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    [quote:Cadenpet]
    I can't take hormonal birth control, which rules out, well everything except IUDs. I love my Mirena I have had it just over a year. My periods were horribly heavy and lasting 7-9 days before. Now, I haven't had a period in about 8 months. And the ones right after placement were very light and lasted about two days.[/quote][quote:punk_mama]
    I have the IUD for 1.5 years now. My periods are crazy so that is the only down fall. Other than that is is great to not have to think. about bc 24-7[/quote]
    I second both of these!

    My periods are lighter then before, but (I have/had heavy&long painful periods just like Cadenpet) It has definitely lessened them,
    But I agree with punk_mama they are crazy,
    I'm only at the 6th mth mark (1st time=no kids) and although my periods have gotten slightly lighter, they are sometimes random and come way too often! Hoping this settles down!
    But definitely less flow, I have gone from 3oz+ PER day (6-7days) (actual measured flow) to less then 1/4 oz (<4 days)
  • spicybaer79
    spicybaer79 Posts: 21
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    Is it depo????If so GET OFF IT...Thats all I can say...Its horrible for weight gain as well as depression...Once you go off of it you can expect to be out of whack for a year. My OBGYN about had a fit when he found out that my regular doctor put me on it..(didnt have the time or money to go see oth gyn so asked my family doctor when I happened to see him...Won't ever make that mistake again)
  • martielou
    martielou Posts: 50 Member
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    Nuvaring! I was the worst about remembering pills. Been on Nuvaring for 5-6 years now. It's fantastic. My weight has stayed about the same too, so no worries with that.
  • Calenth
    Calenth Posts: 7
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    If its the Depo...get off, find a way to remember to take your pill. I've been on it twice...the second time around I realized that once again I was gaining a lot of weight...saw a different Doc, turns out that it is known to have weight gain side effects (among the other horrible side effects) and is in fact sometimes prescribed to people with anorexia to make them gain weight.
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
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    Hmmmm. After 4 years of being on the Depo shot, I suddenly gained about 30 lbs. Because I was pregnant.
    I like the Nuvaring better.
  • elcafefuerte
    elcafefuerte Posts: 13
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    I've been on the shot for 2 years and take a calcium supplement every day. I'm overweight, but I didn't notice it was because of the shot - I am fully responsible for the way I eat and the non-active lifestyle I've made for myself. The nurse who always administers my shot every 11 weeks said that she gained 30 pounds instantly when she went on the shot. I find that a little hard to believe, but nevertheless she's still on the shot and didn't have problems taking the wait off. She got really into exercise.
  • phy40
    phy40 Posts: 260 Member
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    Very timely question. I had the IUD implanted in March of this year. Before the procedure, I had lost 35lbs. Today, I had it removed because I have gained every pound that I had lost...four months later. All of the exercising, weighting my food, counting calories and prayer didn't work for me while the IUD was in. I hope this helps. Best Wishes!!!!!
  • elcafefuerte
    elcafefuerte Posts: 13
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    Is it depo????If so GET OFF IT...Thats all I can say...Its horrible for weight gain as well as depression...Once you go off of it you can expect to be out of whack for a year. My OBGYN about had a fit when he found out that my regular doctor put me on it..(didnt have the time or money to go see oth gyn so asked my family doctor when I happened to see him...Won't ever make that mistake again)

    I didn't have any emotional problems whatsoever from it. I even suffered from a job loss and the death of a close friend within the first 6 months, and I don't think I was any more emotional than I would have been on the pill. I do have high blood pressure, so my ob/gyn took me off the pill 2 years ago to lower my risk of stroke/blood clots.
  • lazylyndsey
    lazylyndsey Posts: 1
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    Normally I don't post, but I just wanted to say that I am on the ortho tri cyclen pills and have lost 30lbs
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Try a low hormone birth control. I'm on Loestrin 24 FE and I've lost close to 23 pounds while on it. I also don't think that I gained any weight when started.. I was reading about it today and you can it can make you retain water but not gain any actual weight.
  • Cadenpet
    Cadenpet Posts: 79
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    Trials don't actually support people's claim that they gained weight on hormonal birth controls. Sorry.

    With IUDs you actually don't have to have children. I haven't had any, I got it so I wouldn't have any. Its shown to be more effective than sterilization. The copper one is good for longer but alot of people have allergies to the metal it would be kinda fail to have it in your uterus if you are one of those people. The Mirena has progestin only and its released is localized in the uterus. Its good for five years then it has to be replaced or it's a useless bit of plastic in you. I was maintaining for six months before having it placed and maintained it for another year afterwards. Only maintenance you have is about once a month you need to feel for two little strings near the opening of the cervix.

    And I have worked in a pharmacy for five years now and had a bit of experience with different birth controls.

    Nuvaring is small and soft little ring that you put in for three weeks and remove for a week before placing a new ring. It is hormonal. You would pinch it closed to insert it and let it lock around the cervix. To remove it would just pull out. That 4th week you will have a period, very predictable in timing and flow. There is no generic , and a lot of insurances don't cover birth control. So can be expensive. And I have seen one pregnancy during its use.

    Ortho Evra patches...I have seen multiple pregnancies with users of this. But it is very possibly user error. Hormonal therapy. Three patches per box, fourth week no patch before starting new box. There is a chance of it not sticking well and it can lower it's effectiveness. Once more no generic, can be expensive. You can get replacement patches if you lose one.

    Implants are a good option. Good for multiple years. Hormonal therapy. I haven't seen any pregnancy in users.

    Depo shots. Hormonal therapy. Good for 3 months a pop. Roommate was on it, she didn't have periods at all while on it. Can cause permanent bone density loss. I haven't seen any pregnancies on this. There are generics. And a lot of pharmacies give injections now. So you could have the pharmacist do it there instead of taking back to the doc.

    There are also a lot of new tablets out. Like Lo Lo Estrin or Lo Seasonique ( low hormones and no period for 3 months) . There are quite a few now that are low hormones. Which would help a lot with breast tenderness, headaches, and other typical side effects. And something you should talk to your md about considering. But its very important to not miss doses and to take them at the same time every day. And some things are generic and some are not. Price can be varied.

    If you decide to look into Nuvaring or anything else with no generic. I would recommend going to the manufacturer's website and asking your doctor about coupons or samples. And a lot of them can be used along with your insurance.

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