\*\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.
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let's go!
caroleena- i am glad it is working out for you.
i ended up not keeping track after half way through my first month. *sigh*
waking up to take my temperature was hard and i would always have to pee soooo badly. AND either i am super fertile (which is unfortunately probably the case) or i just can't read my cervical fluids because they seem to start pretty quickly and last for quite a while up to ovulation. humph.
hopefully i will start again. i really would like to have a back up method while i am fertile so that i have the IUD+whatever.
Whoah caroleena! I totallly forgot, our main nurse/practitioner is also my moms gyno! I've only been to her once for a sore throat that wouldnt go away. Maybe then i can get a normal doctor checkup and that out of the way at the same time.
I have an IUD in. I loooove it. (Except when I get cysts... which hurt... so bad.) I had the implanon in before the IUD which I liked at first but I started bleeding for weeks on end. Before that I tried the nuva ring, which just didn't stay in. So that obviously was a no go. When I was on the pill I got pregnant, even though I was doing everything that you are suppose to do (taking it at the same time everyday, not missing days, etc) I wanted to try a non-hormonal method, but it totally freaks me out. Perhaps after the IUD comes out I'll try it. I will need to research it more beforehand though.
This thread is really interesting, I like reading everyone's opinions about the different kinds of birth control.
Also, Courth, I know how you feel. I was super nervous to go because I didn't want my mom to know. (I was 18 when I first got on the pill) but I confronted her about it and I presented her with the reasons why I felt like I should be on it (Mainly, because you never know what could happen and it is better to be prepared than have to deal with a crisis later AND because I was extremely irregular, and when i was on my period I was SO crampy. AWFUL.) and we talked about it for a long time. But long story short, it isn't as bad as you think it is going to be. :)
Okayyyyyy. I have a month to look up birth control and decide what i want. I was thinking about sesonique (i think thats it?) cause you have less periods or whatever.
buttttt, does anyone have any suggestions/warnings about bc?
Sarah, I'd probably start with the 'month to month' version of seasonique, that way if you find your body doesn't like it, you're not stuck with a possible buttload of pills that you won't be using.
I'm on Seasonique and I love it! But I get sever menstrual headaches the week I'm not taking the pills, so it makes sense for me to limit that as much as possible. But only having my period once every 3 months is a definite bonus.
Yeah i get THE WORST cramps when i'm on mine for 2 days. I usually have to stay home for one of them (so they're really bad, or maybe i'm just a sissy, haha). So i thought it would be a good idea.
Thanks for the tip hanashi. I'll look more into it
I think it's possible to skip periods with any pill. All you do is skip the placebo pills and start another pack. I've been tempted by doing it because even though they SAID in the little info thing my periods would and shorter, they are not, but I think I'd be too nervous about being pregnant to actually skip one.
Also, if you read reviews of different pills online, don't really take what people say to heart. I looked up the one I'm on and all these people were saying they gained weight and broke out and it wrecked their lives, but I only had a little bit of nausea in the beginning and now there's nothing. Everyone reacts differently to different pills.
I used to be on the regular one month pills and just skip the placebos - I did it for 6 months before ever having any breakthrough bleeding - but when I did, I bled so much that I thought I was gonna die. So now its every 3 months. Thats all my body can handle. And I take my pill right before bed. Otherwise, they do tend to make my tummy a little upset.
Okay so, I just started reading the book, Taking charge of your Fertility and I love it! I'm going to start charting right away. But here is my dilemma....I have only gotten my period once in the past year :( (no I am not pregnant). Does anyone know if FAM will still be a reliable method of birth control for me since I don't get my period. I have no clue as to whether or not I am even ovulating. All I know is the last thing in the world that I want is an unwanted pregnancy and hormonal birth control has always made me sick.
In a word, No. I have the same issue, and was recommended the book when we started persuing infertility treatments because in part my periods were so irregular, like 2 times a year, or 2 times a month. From my OB, if you don't have regular cycles, it is most often because you don't ovulate regularly, but that dosen't mean you can't or won't at any given time!
The few times my cycles were regular between kids 1 and 2 and for a while after #2 I could tell when I was fertile, but when they get more irregular and spaced out, then it is really hard to tell, hence babies #3 (which died) and #4 my daughter.
I had good luck with a diaghphram, no hormones, and it can stay in for a long time so I just put it in every night, and you are good to go!
Of course now I had a tubal done with my third C section since we knew our family was complete.
I'm trying to convince my very long-term bf to get snipped on the off chance we get health insurance any time soon. I don't care for being on the pill as my sex drive has been all whacked out while taking them. Plus, if I do end up deciding on raising kids, then I will most likely adopt. Are there any other guy's on here who have gone through this? ???
I had been experiencing really really bad emotional side effects from being on the pill (ortho tri-cyclen lo), but I didn't connect the two til recently. I'm so done with the pill. I'm gonna go spend that $20 per month on something that doesn't cause me to go psycho.
SaraMonster, if I were your bf (who I assume is similar in age to you), I would be verrrry hesitant to have a vasectomy at that age. I know they are reversible, but still, as someone in my twenties I would not want to be making reproductive decisions that will affect the rest of my life. Who knows what we will want at 30, or 40 even. There are plenty of other options besides the pill that aren't permanent. You could just use condoms.
Also, SaraMonster, often times, when it comes to vasectomies and insurance, insurance will ONLY cover it if: he has TWO children OR is over 30 already. I also notice that when talking about having kids, you only refer to yourself and don't include your bf and using 'we' instead. So, why does he have to make a fairly permanent procedure based on your desires. I (hope) am sure he shares same sentiments as you, but in the off chance you two break up, what happens if he and his (then) current partner decide they want kids?
There IS a non-operative procedure for permanent female sterility that simply involves two injections that shrivel your ovaries. Why don't you look into that instead?
Whoa. There's a non-surgical female sterilization procedure? Are there side effects? Because I'd totally be into that (though I'd probably make myself wait until I'm sure I really don't want kids).
There are actually a couple of female sterilzation procedures now. A tubal can be done outpatient, with just a local, its not a big deal. My old OB recommends Essure, I think that is the spelling, it is two small coils which are inserted vaginally into each tube, causing scar tissue to surround the coil, permanently closing the tube. I would have done that had I not had my c section, they did the tubal after delivering my daughter. It takes up to 3 months for the tubes to close completely, and is no worse pain wise than a pelvic exam, and takes only as long as a exam too.
I think I'm actually thinking about the Essure actually
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