\*\Club Contraceptives/*/ Rants/Reviews/Etc. on safe-sex methods
Hiya, Vegwebbers!
With the helpful backing/suggesting from the Diva Club, I made this thread as a place where we can all discuss various modes of birth control and/or safe sex. Even as an animal-rights kinda place, I know lots of us are concerned about cruelty-free and/or natural lifestyles...So if you're not a fan of cow-exploiting, skin-scorching latex rubbers, or of the way hormonal b/c pills screw with your body and mind, HERE is where we can all help each other.
This can be a place for advice or general information on various methods/devices...like If you want to know what hormones in your pills are doing what, and how that will affect you, etc.; or if you want to know about materials used in different kinds of condoms (and which aren't vegan!); or just how effective such methods are statistically...HERE is where you can tell what you know, or find other reference sources. HERE we can help each other learn what works best for each of us in regards to our own needs/situation.
Sound fun? HELLS YES.
Condoms
Female Condoms
Dental Dams
Diaphragms
Spermicides
Pills
IUDs
Nuva Rings
Injections
Cycle-observation/timing
Herbal Solutions
...and other Good Resources for many/all of the above methods
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Feel free to suggest important links or resources,
and I'll add them to this post as a sort of reference library.
******
let's go!
I've been holding off posting on here, but I just need to RANT.
BC #1: kinda/sorta combination of rhythm and withdraw. Condoms for "dangerous" times. I am like clockwork--could time my period down to the hour on most months. So it worked--thank goodness. Not the smartest move for a college student, though.
BC #2: the shot. Once every three months. I HATE shots, but it was worth it. Really didn't notice any side effects. But, there was concern over bone loss with "the shot" so I moved onto:
BC #3: the patch. I got "the boobs," as they were referred to previously, but it was PAINFUL and accompanied with leakage. So, not good. But the worst part was a notable increase in migraines. I didn't even make the connection until my primary-care physician pointed it out, but yeah--they started right around when I started the patch. So, I changed to
BC #4: low-dose birth control pill. It helped with the migraines and "the boobs." So that's good. But the bad news: since starting this I have felt 1) much more prone to really freaking out with stress, especially the first week of a pack, 2) NO sex drive, and 3) weight gain. I have struggled with weight in general (not by much, but doctors have said I'd be due to lose about 15 pounds and keep it off), but this feels different. Usually it's stress weight and it goes right to my belly, but this is distributed differently. Also I feel like my body is more resistant to changes that come with working out/eating healthy. In some ways I'm stronger than ever--I can now run several miles at a time, something I couldn't do before--but I just feel so gross.
Needless to say I'm frustrated. Very frustrated. I'm tired of being miserable, and not being able to take advantage of my husband actually living in the same state as me. (The lack of sex drive wouldn't have been nearly as much of an issue last year). Most of all I'm tired of my clothes not fitting, and of feeling like I have to work four times as hard and cut out all sort of food in order to fit back into them. This just compounds my feeling miserable and the lack of sex drive.
I'm thinking of going back to BC #1. Pregnancy, at this point in my life, as a possible consequence just isn't the deterrent that it once was. DH also has encouraged this (offering to go back to condoms--I just hate it b/c we're married.)
caroleena, check out taking charge of your fertility by toni weschler.. it sounds perfect for you. i read it all in the time i got it from the library, copied the charts that i wanted and am now starting to chart. hopefully it will all go fine... i just can't decide what time to take my temperatures in the morning (i usually wake up early and pee and then go back to bed for a bit, but you have to take your temp first thing with this, so i fear i will have to set an alarm every day... oh well). i already ahve an IUD... but i figure it won't hurt to have an iud and use condoms when i am fertile.
I'm thinking of going back to BC #1. Pregnancy, at this point in my life, as a possible consequence just isn't the deterrent that it once was. DH also has encouraged this (offering to go back to condoms--I just hate it b/c we're married.)
That's pretty much what I did. I was sick of being on the pill...it made me moody and killed my sex drive, and I wasn't too thrilled with putting all those hormones into my system either. I don't really want to get pregnant but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I did. I'd recommend FAM over rhythm though...especially for when you first stop taking the pill, 'cuz it can take a while to get back to normal. Plus I find it helpful to understand wtf is going on with my uterus (it's not very nice. I think it knows I'm plotting to get rid of it as soon as I'm sure I don't need it anymore).
eta: I'm married, and we use condoms during the "dangerous" times. Which is only a few days per month.
BC #4: low-dose birth control pill. It helped with the migraines and "the boobs." So that's good. But the bad news: since starting this I have felt 1) much more prone to really freaking out with stress, especially the first week of a pack, 2) NO sex drive, and 3) weight gain. I have struggled with weight in general (not by much, but doctors have said I'd be due to lose about 15 pounds and keep it off), but this feels different. Usually it's stress weight and it goes right to my belly, but this is distributed differently. Also I feel like my body is more resistant to changes that come with working out/eating healthy. In some ways I'm stronger than ever--I can now run several miles at a time, something I couldn't do before--but I just feel so gross.
Needless to say I'm frustrated. Very frustrated. I'm tired of being miserable, and not being able to take advantage of my husband actually living in the same state as me. (The lack of sex drive wouldn't have been nearly as much of an issue last year). Most of all I'm tired of my clothes not fitting, and of feeling like I have to work four times as hard and cut out all sort of food in order to fit back into them. This just compounds my feeling miserable and the lack of sex drive.
This is almost exactly how I feel...except I don't have a husband.
there is nothing wrong with using condoms. one of my friends once said "the worst std you can get is pregnancy" haha. i'm sure some people on here will shun me for saying that. but when you're not ready, having a baby is much worse than getting herpes or something. so no shame in condoms. babies are nothing to mess around with if you're not ready.
there is nothing wrong with using condoms. one of my friends once said "the worst std you can get is pregnancy" haha. i'm sure some people on here will shun me for saying that. but when you're not ready, having a baby is much worse than getting herpes or something. so no shame in condoms. babies are nothing to mess around with if you're not ready.
I agree with what you're saying about condom use, but approaching it from a near opposite perspective. I think the great thing about condoms is that they protect against both by having a physical barrier. I think that so much concern is put on pregnancy and pregnancy provention that sometimes we forget about STD prevention too. Why not have both?
And herpes is one thing... there are much scarier STDs out there.
I have to say it: my period is driving me INSANE. Seriously.
I just got put back on the Pill (in addition to my IUD, don't ask) and I have been bleeding for over two weeks. TWO WEEKS. It ain't right. It ain't fair. I'm almost out of tampons. I'm also beginning to wonder where all that blood is coming from. Shouldn't I be emptied out by now?
Has anyone else had this (terrible, horrible, no good, very bad) experience?
I have to say it: my period is driving me INSANE. Seriously.
I just got put back on the Pill (in addition to my IUD, don't ask) and I have been bleeding for over two weeks. TWO WEEKS. It ain't right. It ain't fair. I'm almost out of tampons. I'm also beginning to wonder where all that blood is coming from. Shouldn't I be emptied out by now?
Has anyone else had this (terrible, horrible, no good, very bad) experience?
check out the diva thread for period horror stories...yup been there. I once had three 9 day periods in a month and a half. >:(
Bumping this just because.
i miss this thread, too.
my iud is going well. i will be starting my 5th period (not including the one i was on while i got it inserted) with it and they seem to be getting better every time. the first two were stupidly crampy and leaky (why does my diva hate me now?!), but then i discovered if i OD on chocolate hemp/soy/almond/whatever milk (fortified with calcium) right before/during my period my cramps are basically non-existant (like pre-IUD). it's great! and my last period i had almost no leaks! yay!
now i am just waiting for them to get back to normal length. my periods are like 2.5 days (pre-IUD), but now they are about 3 with three days or so of light spotting.
all in all, i am super happy with it right now because it seems to be rectifying the problems it gave me quickly!
2.5 or 3 days?!!?!!? Lucky. A week for me.. eh
I'm thinking of possibly going on bc pills. Just because my periods are insane, they're long, full of such bad cramps (usually at day 2 i have to stay home and lay down all day), heavy, and unpredictable. Like this time, 2 weeks later than what i was expecting, last time a week early.. blah blah.
I dont think i'm worried about getting pregnant or anything (i dont see sex in my near future, hah), but bc pills would help that right? (sorry if i'm asking for repeats, i think i remember this being true, but didn't go back and re-read everything)
i don't really know anything about HBC, but i would say go to your gyno!
also, i am lucky to have such short periods, which is why i figured an iud wouldn't be bad for me since it would probably make mine "normal"... i think "normal" is 5 days.
I've also been thinking about HBC. My periods just suck. Cramps and the accompanying depression. Ick. Also, I've never been to the gyno, and I'm 19. Eek.
I've never been either courth. I always feel like i REALLY should go. Just when it was time for me to, we had problems with insurance. Then we got it back on track, and it got messed up again when we talked about it. And then i lost my virginity and have not told my mother so avoided it (which is kind of stupid and i dont really care about her knowing anymore, just telling her would be weird). A few months ago i started thinking about how much i need to go. I think i'm just going to ask my mom if i can get every doctory thing out of the way (since our insurance got messed up last, i havent been to any doctor, and this was almost 2 years ago), like dermo (NEVER been to either, and i have moles and freckles and scary things, ick), gyno, dentist, normal doctor checkup.
So like, half of that was related to the topic.. hah. Sorry. i'm so off topic in general today.
Yeah. I just feel like if I go on BC, my mom will just assume that I'm having sex. I'm not. I'm going to turn 20 a virgin. sigh.
uS- do you have a planned parenthood around? those are usually free if you qualify financially. i go to the EOC here and i've gotten everything free.
courth- there isn't any reason your mom needs to know if you don't want her to. they'll keep stuff like that under wraps.
Yeah, same with my mom, i did for the first time when i was in this like, really long relationship, so i had good reason and we were in love blah blah blah. But i think if i even mention it she'll think i'm doing every guy that comes over. (which her boyfriend makes her think anyways, err)
And hesp, i'm not sure, i think theres one in the next town over. Idk, i think we're covered for that on insurance right now. I think. But if its not, i'll look into it, Thanks ;)b
My mother has been picking up my prescriptions at the same pharmacy since we moved here almost 12 years ago. She'll find out. I'm paranoid, at any rate. So I guess I'd be more likely to just come out and say it than to live in fear of her finding out on her own. Ya know?
yeah, or you could go to the gyno with her, if that wouldn't be embarrassing for you. that way she would hear or see your answers to the questions and your concerns about your period and why you are getting prescribed the HBC?
Sarah and Courth--definitely go to your doctor, but I have heard of HBC for that reason. I don't know if there's an official diagnosis needed to warrant it or anything, but you're definitely on the right track to ask about this. (It's not a bad thing to go to a gyno anyway at your ages!)
Hesp--thanks for recommending the Taking Charge of your Fertility book! I've been off HBC for two months now and feel SO much better. It's a little unnerving that everything's not, um, back to normal yet (I was like CLOCKWORK, I tell you!) but I can read my body pretty well.
It actually made me a little angry that I didn't know the stuff before. I mean, I kinda sorta knew it, but not really.
On preview--Courth, they'll keep it under wraps in general, but you definitely have nothing to be concerned about if you're 19. You're the age of consent/majority age/whatever the technical term is. (second preview) Definitely explain it to your mom--it's really quite common to get HBC for the reasons you want!
Sarah--You should definitely go to a gyno at some point, but in a financial pinch do you have a primary care physician you work with? You might ask if s/he does this. When I got a new PCP when I moved here (I think she's technically in family practice), she offered to do an annual (though I didn't need one--have a separate gyno), and she actually wrote a script for the BCP once we realized the patch was probably causing my migraines.
On second preview--this is a fast thread
THIRD Preview--I give up!!
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