ladies only! kind of an important question...

mcohan

i do not like the idea of taking the pill because i did it once and gained a bunch of weight, and felt funny putting hormones in my system every day. in the past two years (maybe 1.5) i have lost 30 pounds and i want to keep it off. i am afraid going on the pill is going to make me fat again, or make it harder to remain where i am...but i also do not get TOM often (maybe a couple times a year) so i think it may be necessary to start taking something...

does anyone have any suggestions on a brand i could start taking that has minimum side effects? or has anyone else been in a similar situation?

p.s. i have already spoken to my dr but i wanted to real life input too!
p.p.s. i know this is kind of an awkward question but i really appreciate any input! thanks!

Silver_Dream

I wanted to get off hormones, so I got the Paragard IUD. It's non hormonal and good for 12 years.

mcohan

I wanted to get off hormones, so I got the Paragard IUD. It's non hormonal and good for 12 years.

i am only 24 so will this hurt my chances of having kids in about 6 years? also what are the side effects?

ldbenincasa

I loved the NuvaRing. Yes, it still has hormones, but less, I believe. I use it for about 5 years, then got pregnant about three months after removing it. I used to have other problems with the pill, but the NuvaRing itn't bother me at all.

stacesand

I take Ortho-Tricyclen. I asked before i took it too. I don't have mood swings like I did with my other and didn't seem to gain weight with it (at least I wouldn't blame the pill...sedentary lifestyle with a crap diet will pretty much take care of that).

carissalynn82

I am not a fan of birth control. I began taking BC a few months before I got married. It was a terrible mistake for me. Some of the symptoms I dealt with were headaches, insomnia, nausea, extreme depression, complete loss of sex drive, and I bled for months. I bled for 3 months almost all of the time - even on my wedding day:sad: . My Dr. said this would stop eventually, but it didn't so we switch to another brand. I had issues with every BC I tried until I finally decided it wasn't worth it. It took me more than 2 years to get back to normal. I had to take anti-depressants for a little while until I got stabilized.
I never want to scare anyone who is thinking of taking BC, but I feel like ladies need to really consider the possible side effects. No one talks about these things! I discovered that my 2 best friends had very similar problems with various BC's and none of us had every talked about it!
For me, I decided to use other methods to prevent pregnancy and it had worked for several years now. :happy:
Good luck to you in whatever you decide is best for you

ilike2moveit

I am not a fan of birth control. I began taking BC a few months before I got married. It was a terrible mistake for me. Some of the symptoms I dealt with were headaches, insomnia, nausea, extreme depression, complete loss of sex drive, and I bled for months. I bled for 3 months almost all of the time - even on my wedding day:sad: . My Dr. said this would stop eventually, but it didn't so we switch to another brand. I had issues with every BC I tried until I finally decided it wasn't worth it. It took me more than 2 years to get back to normal. I had to take anti-depressants for a little while until I got stabilized.
I never want to scare anyone who is thinking of taking BC, but I feel like ladies need to really consider the possible side effects. No one talks about these things! I discovered that my 2 best friends had very similar problems with various BC's and none of us had every talked about it!
For me, I decided to use other methods to prevent pregnancy and it had worked for several years now. :happy:
Good luck to you in whatever you decide is best for you

Hope you don't mind me asking.....What are the other methods?

Leyla

Ortho-Tricylen was a disaster for me. I went on Yasmin some time later and it seemed ok. I didn't gain too much but I also found it difficult to lose weight until I went off it. I think its one of those things that depends on your body and your reaction, but I have been happy with more temporary methods of birth control.
Best of luck.

mead

I USE THE MIRENAAND IT IS GOOD FOR FIVE YEARS AND CAN BE TAKEN OUT BEFORE THEN AND IS NON HORMONE. I AM STARTING TO SLOWLY USE THE WEIGHT I GAINED FROM THE SHOT


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stephalvarez5

i heard the nuva ring works wonders from a close friend of mine that has been on it for awhile and tried to recommend it to me, only my insurance was giving me a hassle. I heard it's the best contraceptive method when it comes to side effects (since there are less)

anyway, i thought the SAME thing about weight gain and contraception methods and EVERYONE said depo provera (the shot) was the WORST POSSIBLE and they heard HORROR STORIES. well i've been on it for more then 3 months now and i'm still managing to lose weight. if you read carefully a lot of the methods' side effect's all have a chance of losing or gaining weight, yet we only focus on the possibility of gaining. That's just how humans are, always focusing on the negative.

i honestly believe it is a case by case sorta deal when it comes to these situations. NEVER believe everything you read, as i'm sure you've found out so far a lot of information is contradicting and it's hard to form an opinion. all i can say is do what i did, and just go with your gut and do what you think is best for your lifestyle when chosing a form of contraception method. I chose depo because i'm awful at remembering things, nuva ring isn't covered in my insurance, IUD's and my lifestyle aren't friends, and i never sleep regularly enough to take the pill at the same time of day everyday sooooo i chose the shot. i've maintained my weight goal for over 3 months now, i even lost a few pounds below my goal.

it's a case by case, situation. think about the past experiences you've had with BC (if this isn't your first time on it)

.stephanie.

JoyousMaximus

Remember just changing the type of BC can have a huge effect. All BCs are not created equal when it comes to how YOUR body reacts. A friend of mine switched from Ortho-tricyclin to Yaz and got REALLY emotional and had to switch back. I switched from a mono-cyclin to Ortho-tricyclin and my hair fell out so I switched back to a mono-cyclin and I have had NO side effects. As one girl posted, Ortho-tricyclin works good for HER. I have another friend who is the oldest daughter of 5, every single one of them is on a different type of BC. Sadly, it is trial and error for your body.

Magenta15

eeveryone's bodies react to diff BC's none of us are the same... i have been on tricylen for years with no issues or weight gain as a cause of it [oh how i would love to blame the pill LOL]

& for those who do gain from BC it's generally an initial few pounds while your body is adjusting, not a continual i am going to gain for as long as i take this:huh:

and if you're being healthy and excercising i don't see why there would be any issues

do your research, talk to your dr about your concerns

LivyJo

I wanted to get off hormones, so I got the Paragard IUD. It's non hormonal and good for 12 years.

i am only 24 so will this hurt my chances of having kids in about 6 years? also what are the side effects?

I also got the IUD. No hormones. Its just a little copper device that sits in your uterus. Its amazing. Copper somehow fights the sperm naturally, kills the little buggers.

The day you pull it out, you can get pregnant. Good for 10 years (mine). The only side effects...the first year my bleeding was more frequent and harder cramps. but exercise takes care of that. Now that I've had it for 4 years, I am regular, no issues. When I got it, my insurance didn't cover them. So I forked over $600. Now of course they do cover. :grumble: But still, very glad I did it!

P.S. Dr's dont talk about them much bc they dont get a kickback from the pharmacudical companies. They are more inclined to push a monthly method, because thats what these companies make their money on. Just an FYI. Luckily my Dr. listened to what I wanted (i though it wouldn't exist - no mood swings, my sex drive back, not have to remember to take something).

Silver_Dream

Exactly. I wanted off the hormones. Though for someone who's never had kids it could be extremely painful. I've had a child and I still found the procedure to be horribly painful. But I think it's totally worth the pain to be birthcontrol free for 10 or 12 years.

Who told you mirena was non-hormonal? Mirena has a small dosage of hormonal birth control and that's why I didn't get that. Because it had possible mood changes. I'm Bi-Polar and stay at home mom I would never risk something like that.

frstinline

I have a Mirena IUD. It's great. No cramps (with the exception of the insertion), no bleeding, no mood swings, etc. I haven't had any any weight gain with it; in fact I've lost a lot of weight since getting it. (I've had it in for about 6 months.)

I'm 24, too. My dr. assured me that as soon as it's taken out we can start trying to have children. It's effective for 5 years, but my dr said you could go up to 7 if you needed to. Best of all, you don't have to remember to take any pills!!! Great if you're flaky like me!

Talk to your dr and they should lay out all of your options-- pills, IUDs, condoms, etc. Good luck!

birgithooker

I got Mirena after having my son. My doctor recommended it to me because even though it is hormonal it has a lower dose and is safer for breastfeeding. It was really painful to have put in, at least I thought so. My doctor said he won't recommend it to women who have not previously had children because the cervix needs to be a little wider, I guess. I don't know. Anyway, I had a c-section so it was as if I didn't have a baby so it hurt-a lot! I also have a smaller cervix. The first day, because of all the difficulty with insertion, it kind of hurt but since then, I am good to go. I like that I don't have to worry about it. I haven't gained any weight on it. The weight I have I had before baby. I don't have to worry about it. And the best thing- No period! I have had mine for about 6months as well.

janeneo

Nuvo Ring! my boobbies got bigger (awesome) and my weight gain didn't coincide with it. Now I'm loosing what i gained before I started the ring even with it in.

My life is so hectic I worried I wouldn't remember to take the pill everyday at the same time. This I put only deal with this twice a month.

janeneo

Nuvo Ring! my boobbies got bigger (awesome) and my weight gain didn't coincide with it. Now I'm loosing what i gained before I started the ring even with it in.

My life is so hectic I worried I wouldn't remember to take the pill everyday at the same time. This I put only deal with this twice a month.

KCherry

I am another big supporter of Mirena. I had mine done after my daughter was born and 2 years later I have no complaints. I don't really have periods anymore just the occasional spotting here and there and no weight gain or mood swings. The only downside was that, as someone said earlier, my insurance didn't cover it and I had to fork over 600$. But for 5 years of no worries it was worth it.

busymom74

I've had the Mirana less than 3 months and I already LOVE it. I was on the dopo before. :noway: I had 1 period since then.

My ins covered every bit of it.

Silver_Dream

IUD's are just great. Nothing to worry about, you can be spontaneous or impulsive! I was so glad to get off the hormones. Yay!