Ladies, I need advice on birth control

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  • beckie100607
    beckie100607 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have the Paragard IUD its copper with no hormones and lasts up to 10 years. I love love love it! The first few months I had it my periods were heavier than normal but then they went back to normal. I just got my 2nd on inserted about 2 years ago so I have had it for 12 years. I would recommend it to anyone. I had the depo shot before I got the IUD and I had break through bleeding almost every day for a year until it was all out of my system it was aweful.
  • icyeyes317
    icyeyes317 Posts: 226 Member
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    I am on my third Mirena, and I absolutely love it. I am a fast metabolizer of medication, so the hormone wears out faster for me than others, but otherwise, I'm happy as a lark. Pills never worked for me, again with the fast metabolizing thing, I had my first son while taking them. Plus, they drove my hormones crazy and exasperated my migraines. Best thing for you to do is do research, and see which side eddects you can live with...any and all medication has side effects, it is just deciding what you are willing to tolerate.
  • sakuragreenlily
    sakuragreenlily Posts: 334 Member
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    I use Nuvaring. No mood swings or PMS, and I get to skip a period if I want!

    This^^^
    I have used Nuvaring for 7 years and recommend it!

    Completely agree!! I have been using Nuva ring for 5 years and still love it. Other birth controls made me put on a lot of weight and the Nuva Ring doesn't.

    I've been using the NuvaRing for 3 years now and I love it but it isn't without some downsides. When I first started the Ring I had TERRIBLE mood swings and depression for several weeks. It was bad... suicidal thoughts, bursting into tears for NO reason, sleeping way too much, etc. Looking back I probably should have talked to my doctor. The symptoms went away though and have not returned for over 2.5 years now.

    A close friend of mine experienced the exact same emotional/mood issues when coming off of the Ring a few months ago. It's definitely something to look out for and talk to your doctor about if you have concerns.
  • michelle0989
    michelle0989 Posts: 121 Member
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    I had nexplanon for almost a year and it sucked. They make it sound like this great thing but what they deemphasize is the amount of bleeding you get from the hormones. I literally had a decent amount of spotting almost everyday I had it. The doc kept saying it can take up to 6 months to stop bleeding. After 8 months of constant bleeding I wanted it out. The doc assured me prolonged constant bleeding happens to almost everyone on it. Personally id rather just have a period once a month. So I convinced my doc to take it out and I still have an ugly scar. Im taking birth control pills and I think they are the best. What alot of ppl dont know is there are different types with different amounts of hormone so you have to find the right one, there arent just different labels like clothes, find what works for you, sorry about the rant, just my 2 cents.

    Oh that's not a rant at all, very helpful actually! I think I will steer clear of the arm implant now. Thank you so much!
  • jdaley90
    jdaley90 Posts: 259 Member
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    I use Nuvaring. No mood swings or PMS, and I get to skip a period if I want!

    This^^^
    I have used Nuvaring for 7 years and recommend it!

    I'm with these ladies :)
  • Elsie_Brownraisin
    Elsie_Brownraisin Posts: 786 Member
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    I had a depot (injection) and I gained weight on it, probably a dress size or so, which made me stop.

    I was then on Microgynon for several years until I was told I couldn't take it any more when because I was too heavy - though I didn't gain weight because of it, there are higher risk factors if you are obese when taking this pill.

    I had the copper coil after having a baby, which made my periods very painful, so I switched to the Mirena coil, which has worked out really well. The Dr warned me it can cause weight gain or mood swings, but it hasn't for me. I was also told that some women find their periods stop and mine are much lighter and shorter now, which is a bonus.

    The only adverse thing that happened to me with Mirena is that I had a moderately bad acne flare up. It's usually well controlled by medication, but I had horrible skin again for the first couple of months. It has returned to normal.
  • SkinnyMel78
    SkinnyMel78 Posts: 434 Member
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    I use Nuvaring. No mood swings or PMS, and I get to skip a period if I want!

    This^^^
    I have used Nuvaring for 7 years and recommend it!

    Completely agree!! I have been using Nuva ring for 5 years and still love it. Other birth controls made me put on a lot of weight and the Nuva Ring doesn't.

    completely agree!! I used nuva ring and loved it until I had my final baby and decided to have my tubes tied!!!
  • michelle0989
    michelle0989 Posts: 121 Member
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    Thank you so much everybody, you've given me a ton more options to look into. I really appreciate the advice!
  • hananah89
    hananah89 Posts: 692 Member
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    Everyone is going to react differently. I'm on Zovia which my doctor said has been around awhile so they know it works. Its cleared up my skin and I also don't have a period as per his recommendation. The only problem I have is lower sex drive but I'm trying to work on that myself and not just blame the pill outright.
  • thehka
    thehka Posts: 74 Member
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    Be careful with seasonique :/ I was on it for about 6 months and when it came time to have the red knight intrude, I had a period for a straight MONTH. It was awful lol I've switched to Lutera which is working well for me. But again, go with that "different reactions to different women".
  • simplycorey
    simplycorey Posts: 721 Member
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    Any type of hormonal bc makes me crazy and gain weight. I have had the non-hormonal Paragard IUD for 2 years now without any issues.
  • mrslcoop
    mrslcoop Posts: 317 Member
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    Honestly, every woman will react to different types of BC differently, but here is my experience with Yasmin. I was on Yasmin for 9 years. It’s a diuretic so while on it I never gained much weight until my diet got out of control. In fact when I first started it I was a freshmen in college and I actually lost weight rather than gaining that elusive “freshmen 15.”

    Fast forward 8.5 years and I decided as a woman married for a couple of years it was time to get the F off of BC. The thought of putting hormones into my body became less and less appealing. What kind of damage was I doing? So I quit. It took me nearly 6 months to take myself off them (I had cold turkey’d in the past and it didn’t go well so I stepped down even though that’s not considered necessary).

    The side effects of quitting have been horrendous. And I just want to warn you. Two of the worst things are hair loss (it’s been 6 months and it’s still falling out. And honestly, I’m starting to get depressed about it even though no one notices, but me) and the weight gain. I gained 10 lbs despite the fact that I eat 1000% better now than I did when I started BC. It’s all water hanging out in my stomach…. The acne and brittle nails have been also annoying, but not as horrible side effects of quitting.

    I do however feel like myself again and I would take the hair loss and weight gain any day if that means I’m happier, more patient, and more attracted to my husband again (it does destroy your drive for those out there wondering).
  • redbev306
    redbev306 Posts: 62
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    just get married. they put something in the cake that makes you never want to have sex again. problem solved.

    lol
  • spatulathumbs
    spatulathumbs Posts: 125 Member
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    For me, the copper IUD, Paragard, was the best choice. No hormones at all, and I don't even have to think about it. :)

    Insertion was not painful at all, just a bit uncomfortable, but then it was done. First period was a bit heavier than before, but since then it's been about the same. And there's no hormonal effects so that's really nice.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I am looking for a birth control that will not give me crazy mood swings and most importantly one that will not make me gain weight or make it impossible to keep losing weight. So I am asking for your experiences with different types. Right now I am looking into the Nexplanon arm implant or the smaller Skyla IUD, but I am open to anything else. Thanks in advance!
    Different BC will work differently for different people.

    I had an awful time with Mirena, but I know plenty of women who love it. I had no problems with the pill for 11 years, but I know women who can't take the pill I took or who can't take the pill at all.

    Talk to your doctor and try different things until you find something that works.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I use Nuvaring. No mood swings or PMS, and I get to skip a period if I want!

    This^^^
    I have used Nuvaring for 7 years and recommend it!

    NuvaRing. It's awesome. Unless you're allergic to latex....
  • tavenne323
    tavenne323 Posts: 332 Member
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    I've been on the pill for about 4 years. I've gained weight and I've lost weight, so I don't think it has anything to do with it. It has definitely kept me more "stable"...I was never unstable, but the hormonal ups and downs have gone away. Sex drive is a little lower, but not significantly. I do the periods every three months. Not much cramping, much lighter periods. It sucks to have to remember to take it everyday, especially when travelling....but I've done it. I'll probably never go off it until I'm ready for a child (if ever).
  • babyj0
    babyj0 Posts: 531 Member
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    I've never had any problems with weight while taking birth control. But I've had some crazy mood swings! :sad:
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    Different ladies react different to different meds!

    I only say this because you will get a lot of responses about what certain ones did for them, but you may not have the same experience. In fact, yours may be opposite of what you read from others.

    I personally can't use ANY birth control that has hormones in it because they ALL made me bipolar (not clinically diagnosed, but the mood swings were from hell and like the flip of a switch!) and caused other issues for me like migraines, etc. I considered the copper coil, but that one has issues all of it's own that I didn't want to deal with.

    You'll probably just have to try one and see...if it sucks, go back to the OB and change it to another. It sucks, but you can't take one woman's experience and think that you will have the same. I wish we could though!

    This - I would be okay on one for a few months and then it would start to go downhill, so I'd have to switch. The last one I had was the Mirena iud...probaly the worst for me (MAJOR scary reactions including a complete stall weight-wise), but it's working really well for my best friend. (I am officially hormone free now, sane, and losing weight steadily. Yay for the Big V!! lol) You'll just have to try and see which one is going to be best for you. Best of luck!
  • chelseascounter
    chelseascounter Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I was on depo(the shot) and didn't gain any weight. I was the same weight for 3 years, until I stopped taking the shot!

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