alternative non-hormonal bc methods

[kitalyn414]

for a while i was just resigned to having to be on hormonal birth control. i'm on the nuvaring now, and though i like not having to take a pill everyday, i still have basically all the same side effects of oral contraceptives... zero sex drive, moodiness, weight gain, etc. i know its the hormones because for the week that the ring is out and i have my period, i feel GREAT! so much more myself, physically responsive to my bf, and just kind of more normal. it is so depressing to think that i have to deal with these side effects in order to not irresponsibly populate the planet. i've been determined to find an alternative.

i do tons of research on this on a pretty much daily basis. i would really like to have an iud, but i am unable to find a dr willing to insert one because i have never been pregnant. also, the prospect of having super heavy periods and insane cramping doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

i know this sounds like a stupid/bs excuse, but i just don't think condoms are an option for my bf and i. i don't like them, he doesn't like them. the sex we have now is great and the last thing we need is reduced sensation for him and me drying out. that results in neither of us ever reaching the finish line.

SO... i think i've concluded that the only practical option for us would be for me to be fitted with a cervical cap or diaphragm. i think i'm leaning towards cervical cap because you can leave it in for up to 72 hours. now... according to the planned parenthood site, cervical caps and diaphragms are slightly less effective than condoms when used perfectly. 16/100 vs. 15/100 become pregnant in a year with typical use and 9/100 vs. 2/100 become pregnant in a year with perfect use.

i'm wondering if it would be totally crazy and irresponsible of me to go this route for bc. what i'm about to say may make me sound like an idiot (which i'm not... i do tons of self-sexual education), but my bf and i talked and we were thinking that we would combine the cervical cap w/ pulling out as an added pregnancy deterrent. (tmi - it sounds like a pain in the ass, but for some reason he likes to pull out anyway)

now... i KNOW that pulling out is not an effective method of birth control, but am i crazy to think that it would "help" if i had the cervical cap too? its just the numbers for the cap don't sound so great on their own.

i've also looked a bit at the fertility awareness method, but that just seems like a lot of effort on a daily basis... i mean, taking your temp and checking your cervical fluid, recording it, etc. i'm just so frustrated by all of this. :sad:

[GetMeOuttaDC]

Pulling out doesn't work. The guy releases sperm before he comes as well.

[wordsmith]

And the pull-out method sucks, anyway, IMO.

I'm too paranoid to not use hormonal BC, but I know lots of people are just fine with diaphragms and cervical caps. It'd make me a raw nerve, though.

[MetFanL]

It sucks, kita. I have zero advice, I just wanted to commiserate...

I'm switching my bc pill for the 4th time in the last year and I am not happy. I think we would all be better off if OB/GYNs would just do that test that tells them what hormones would work best on each individual. That would make our lives so much easier and we wouldn't have to deal with this trial and error nonsense.

It'd make me a raw nerve, though.

Me too.

[kitalyn414]

Pulling out doesn't work. The guy releases sperm before he comes as well.
yes i am aware of that. i'm just saying that if he is realeasing even a little bit of sperm, the cap would be in place to block it. my logic here is that the less sperm that is released, the more likely it is to be blocked by the cap.

the pp website says that 27/100 will get pregnant in a year using withdrawal only. i'm just kind of trying to hedge our bet by doing both.





LOL - can you tell i'm desperate??!??!

[pisces2473]

Kita, what about using spermicide w/ cap or diaphragm?

I've been on the same pill for YEARS with no side effects, but I'm not 100% keen on taking pills forever. We use condoms too, just b/c I'm SOOO paranoid. Of course, Chris isn't :) I am a bitch a few days before the week of my period, but when I get it, I'm this ball of sunshine! LOL I don't know if it's the hormones, just me, or what.

But I hear ya, BC is such a bitch. Now I know why my mom got her tubes tied when my brother was 3. LOL

[kitalyn414]

Kita, what about using spermicide w/ cap or diaphragm?yeah... i was planning on combining it w/ spermicide too. apparently you don't need as many applications w/ the cap as you do w/ the diaphragm so it is less messy.

i think i'm really just going to go for it. i just hate the hormones. i go to my dr. on tuesday.

[Bugsey34]

Yeah, I mean the way I figure it you can multiply all those odds together to see how little the chance is. Or divide the odds? I don't know, I was a language major,but you know what I mean.

I have hormonal BC too because once I had a very strange swelling reaction in my hand so I would be very interested to see how this worked for you! I would just be nervous I wasnt inserting it right...

[kimmer23]

i really dont have any advice either, but i wish you could get and IUD without having a kid first. besides some possible heavy bleeding it sounds like it would be perfect for me because we dont plan any having any kids till i am in my early 30's.

i am on seasonale now and i really do like this pill. it took a little bit of time to get used to everything, but now its great only getting my period every 3 mos.

i only like condoms because they are "less messy." you all know how anal i am (and i dont mean it THAT WAY!) about messes!

[lawya girl]

How about the sponge? I read it's coming back on the market. I've never used it but I hear it's awesome. I've been on bc pills for years but I'm really starting to want to come off them. I have a lot of moodiness, low sex drive, etc and I am thinking it is probably the hormones. Who knows.... Of course, I'm married and at this point, if I got pregnant I wouldn't exactly be devastated.

[steph78]

the pp website says that 27/100 will get pregnant in a year using withdrawal only.

Really? Ever since I quit taking the pill two years ago because I was tired of the side effects, we have been doing a sort of combo - withdrawal, then putting on a condom for "the second half". Again, I have been married two and a half years so while we think it would probably be best to wait until my husband is done with grad school to start a family, it would definitely not be a bad thing to get pregnant now.

I would almost expect that after 2+ years of doing this that something would have happened. I have this fear deep down that after all those years of worrying about what if I DO get pregnant in college that it is going to turn out I can't have a baby when I do want one.

[tartytwenty]

Really? Ever since I quit taking the pill two years ago because I was tired of the side effects, we have been doing a sort of combo - withdrawal, then putting on a condom for "the second half".

Well, my best friend got pregnant using this method. They would begin and then he'd put the condom on for the 2nd half.

You're asking for babies with this method.

[steph78]

Yeah, I know - that would be okay. We NEVER took this risk before we were married - we always doubled up on BC methods before! We're not officially "trying" yet but if I got pregnant it would be happy news now. Like I said, I'm almost thinking something SHOULD have happened by now after risking the odds so long. I'm pretty irregular when I'm not on the pill and my doctor has said that I might need to take hormones to get myself on a more regular schedule when we do start seriously trying so it doesn't take us forever to conceive. That worried me - I really do want kids and I'm terrified at the prospect of not being able to have them.

[Angyl]

I've heard good things aobut the sponge...


but i would never trust withdrawal, bc guys release a little bit of sperm before htey ejaculate and it only takes one little guy.....Have you sat down and tlaked to a Planned Parenthood person? Tehy're usually relaly good about helping you figure out your options and telling what it myth and what is true.

[diesel]

Yeah, I know - that would be okay. We NEVER took this risk before we were married - we always doubled up on BC methods before! We're not officially "trying" yet but if I got pregnant it would be happy news now. Like I said, I'm almost thinking something SHOULD have happened by now after risking the odds so long. I'm pretty irregular when I'm not on the pill and my doctor has said that I might need to take hormones to get myself on a more regular schedule when we do start seriously trying so it doesn't take us forever to conceive. That worried me - I really do want kids and I'm terrified at the prospect of not being able to have them.

You should try charting. I'm doing that now because we'd like to start trying in the near future. It's much more effective than pulling out. Plus with charting you learn when you're most fertile so if you don't want to be pregnant you know when to use bc. I love this method since we're married, but before marriage I never would've used it. Too risky! I don't want to threadjack, but if you want more info PM me.

[steph78]

Okay, Diesel, check your PMs, sorry everyone for my slight threadjacking! :)

[kitalyn414]

oh - that was the other thing i was considering. using the fertility awareness method in addition to the cap.


diesel, how time consuming is the charting?

[capella]

Geez, you'd think there'd be some more info out there on this topic. I hate the pill!! It sucks and I never remembered to take it correctly. I was on depo for about a year but that was a MAJOR shock to the natural balance of things (and I've still got that 15 pounds on me) Now I'm on the patch, which is the least annoying/hormonebalancewrecking BC method I've been on. It would be soooooo nice if they made a pill for the guys! You know I think we've been carrying this burden for far too long!! *dreamy sigh* It'll never happen, but I tell ya my hubby's getting the snippity snip when we're done, like it or not.

[ce607]

I know the question wasn't directed to me, but I am on my second cycle of charting as well. It's not at all time-consuming. The only thing that is at all annoying to me is that I have my alarm set for 5:25 every morning to take my temperature at the same time. When I get to work, I enter the temperature, and I add in any other information, which is mainly about cervical fluid. That's about it. Like steph wrote, I have had irregular cycles and worry about fertility, so last month it was incredibly reassuring to me that I am actually ovulating. It's kind of amazing to see the patterns that your body has, only you've never noticed!

I use fertilityfriend.com to chart; there is a lot of information about fertility awareness on the site too.

[kitalyn414]

did you buy the software for it?

maybe i will start charting. you make it sound pretty appealing. i'm one of those people who likes to know what is going on with my body.


i once met a wiccan who claimed that she was able to allign her cycle with the moon (like it should be) by spending time outside each night meditating on the moon and limiting the amount of artificial light she used in her house.

[ce607]

did you buy the software for it?

I think I edited my post at the same time you posted; check out fertilityfriend.com. I did buy a membership, but you can chart for free indefinitely.

Does that mean she would use candles instead of electricity?

[kitalyn414]

Does that mean she would use candles instead of electricity?
yes i believe so.

[steph78]

I checked out that website - it looks very interesting! I am glad to hear that even with irregular cycles you can tell that you're ovulating, I might have to try this out myself.

[diesel]

Sorry I left work and got distracted.

Like ce said the only annoying thing is having the alarm go off every morning at the same time. Otherwise it takes no time at all especially if you're using a software program. I use ovusoft that thru www.tcoyf.com and like it a lot. Basically you can learn to chart with paper and pencil, but then you have to actually think about it more. I've been charting for six months now and like ce, I'm amazed at patterns I previously knew nothing abuot. It's very liberating to learn so much about your own body.

[Starfish81]

Geez, you'd think there'd be some more info out there on this topic. I hate the pill!! It sucks and I never remembered to take it correctly. I was on depo for about a year but that was a MAJOR shock to the natural balance of things (and I've still got that 15 pounds on me) Now I'm on the patch, which is the least annoying/hormonebalancewrecking BC method I've been on. It would be soooooo nice if they made a pill for the guys! You know I think we've been carrying this burden for far too long!! *dreamy sigh* It'll never happen, but I tell ya my hubby's getting the snippity snip when we're done, like it or not.

There are viable methods of birth control specifically for men that are safe, hormone free, and involve no snipping. However, most people don't know about them because society sees birth control as solely a female responsibility (despite the fact that sperm from penises gets people pregnant; eggs don't jump out and fertilize themselves).

I would put links to pertinent websites in my post that clearly explain these male methods, but I'm too tired and lazy to find them. You'll have to take my word for now. Or someone else could do the Googling research and back up my so far unsubstantiated claim :).

[lilyflower]

There are viable methods of birth control specifically for men that are safe, hormone free, and involve no snipping. However, most people don't know about them because society sees birth control as solely a female responsibility (despite the fact that sperm from penises gets people pregnant; eggs don't jump out and fertilize themselves).

I would put links to pertinent websites in my post that clearly explain these male methods, but I'm too tired and lazy to find them. You'll have to take my word for now. Or someone else could do the Googling research and back up my so far unsubstantiated claim :).

Here's the question though, would you actually trust a guy to handle that responsiblity? I mean, if it's your long term partner/husband, okay, sure, but the guy you've been kinda dating for the last month? Maybe it's just me, but considering how every single guy I've dated has told me (at extreme length) about his hatred of condoms I really doubt I'd trust any of them to take a birth control pill. They mess up and I'M the one pregnant, I don't think so.

[capella]

Here's the question though, would you actually trust a guy to handle that responsiblity? I mean, if it's your long term partner/husband, okay, sure, but the guy you've been kinda dating for the last month? Maybe it's just me, but considering how every single guy I've dated has told me (at extreme length) about his hatred of condoms I really doubt I'd trust any of them to take a birth control pill. They mess up and I'M the one pregnant, I don't think so.
That's a good point, Susan. I was looking at it from the long term relationship thing, well, because I'm egocentric and married :p And no I guess on the dating scene you'd want to make sure YOUR womb was covered. I'd venture to guess though that there are some guys who are so crazy about the whole "she's trying to get pregnant to trap me" paranoia that they'd take the pill or something.

Other poster, I never, ever heard about anything for guys except the snippity snip. Google, here I come!

[lilyflower]

That's a good point, Susan. I was looking at it from the long term relationship thing, well, because I'm egocentric and married :p And no I guess on the dating scene you'd want to make sure YOUR womb was covered. I'd venture to guess though that there are some guys who are so crazy about the whole "she's trying to get pregnant to trap me" paranoia that they'd take the pill or something.

Other poster, I never, ever heard about anything for guys except the snippity snip. Google, here I come!

Exactly, I'd trust someone who put a ring on my finger to take a pill he said he was going to take, but at the same times an accidential pregnancy isn't as much of a big deal as it would be when I'm single. I know there ARE guys that WOULD happily take a pill for the reasons you mentioned but I don't think I'd trust someone (unless I was say, married or committed in some way) to say "Oh, don't worry, I'm on the pill"

Btw, I heard something about a male pill being developed, I don't know where it is in the process though

[kimmer23]

even though my husband is very responsible i still wouldnt leave that part up to him. its my body and i am sure he wouldnt want me taking a pill for something for his body.

[shinyleaf]

The pp site says that sympto - thermal method (using a combo of 2 from a)daily temp readings 2) mucus monitoring 3) fertility charting) is appropriate for conscientious people in a committed relationship where both parties agree to abstain on "unsafe" days.
Other studies say that this method has the same efficacy with "typical" use as condoms! And even more effective with "perfect" use ~ 3% chance. Some research I was reading indicated that with a little practice at reading your signs, it's really really effective. Virtually the only error is human weakness - doing it on the fertile days. Depending on your situation, it seems to have a lot of benefits. I'm particularly drawn to the no hormones, and the better understanding of your cycle.
Of course Doctors never recommend this because doctors assume we are all idiots and could never understand *gasp!* our OWN bodies!

I'm wondering if Liz (cornflakegirl) knows any more about this?

[pisces2473]

I think Liz and Deadend are in a sunny locale right now...hopefully with plenty of BC! LOLOLOL

[mishl982]

You know as great as different types of BC can be as far as protecting yourself from unexpected pregnancy, sometimes they just seem so complicated with certain rules or hormonal effects, etc. I wish you could just have an on/off switch for when you have sex. Like "on" when you're trying to make babies and "off" when you don't. That would make having sex sooo much easier! :p

[k.monster]

I used to work for a super cool naturapath - she once gave me a paper she wrote in college about alt. methods of birth control. It's at home but I'll dig it up tonight and post some of the stuff she found. There are a few things about what men can do. The paper was really interesting and fun.

[shinyleaf]

I think Liz and Deadend are in a sunny locale right now...hopefully with plenty of BC! LOLOLOL
Dear Cornflakegirl & Deadend,
Well guys, wherever you are, I hope you feel bad for leaving us to our own defenses in terms of birth control usage (Liz) and political debate (Deadend)!! :p
god only knows what the state of the Health & Current Events forum will be until you return! :torn:

just kidding, but I hope you are sending those of us who live where it's SNOWING some warm vibes!

much appreciated,
Shiny

[SunDevil]

There is this new device for guys(2003), but it requires surgery, although not as bad as a traditional vascectomy. And there haven't been enough studies to find out if it is easily reversible. But if it is, this could change everything. A simple $400 on/off switch of sorts. :) In a few years, it might be the guys going to planned parenthood.

http://www.vasclip.com/

For someone like me who only wants to have one kid when I am in my 30s, this sounds great. But I'm thinking that they might put the same restrictions on this as they do IUDs now, saying that you have to have one kid before they will do this procedure.


From the website physicians FAQ:

23. Is the Vasclip procedure reversible?
The Vasclip procedure should be considered permanent.

Because the Vasclip procedure reduces damage done to the vas deferens, when compared to a traditional vasectomy, it is thought that the success of reversing the Vasclip procedure may be better than reversing a vasectomy. The Company intends to study this exciting potential benefit in the future and intends to see that results are published when they are available.

[cornflakegirl]

there has got to be better bc out there. with the technology we have, why can't there be something w/o all the negative side effects & inconveniences.

i have been interested in the fertility awareness method. taking charge of your fertility is an interesting book that was mentioned on here before. it goes into detail about charting cervical fluid, temperature, & cervix position to track ovulation each month & prevent or aid pregnancy. what deterred me was taking my temperature every day at the same time without 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. i am also in a stage of my life where i am still gonna use condoms. once i am in a relationship that is very much long term (marriage or marriage type relationship), i will try out this method.

and yes, we had ample bc in mexico. no point in ruining a perfectly good vacation with an accident.

[kitalyn414]

allright - got a diaphragm today. dr. said that the cervical cap was really hard to get in place, and most people prefer the diaphragm.

anyway, it was interesting. they come in 5 different sizes, so i had to try a couple. thankfully, my vagina wears a medium. :huge: i think i would have been pretty sad had i needed the largest one. hehe.

it is kind of a pain to get up in there though. i'm guessing it will get easier with practice. also, the dr. said that using the diaphragm in conjunction with the FAM is a great idea. 1.5 more weeks of hormones. YIPEEEEEEEE!

[MetFanL]

FAM?

I got a new pill from my doctor -- back to the tri-phasic stuff. A trade-off -- not being able to skip pd, but also not getting pd for 3 weeks at a time. Plus, my drive is back, so that's good.

[shinyleaf]

Did anyone else read Kita's post and wonder what size THEIR vagina is? :green:
LOL

Kita, your doc probably told you to double up with FAM because the diaphram alone is actually LESS efficient than FAM alone!

good luck & keep us posted on how the FAM is going, will you?

[shinyleaf]

FAM?
.

Fertility Awareness Method (calendar, cervical mucus, temperature).

[pisces2473]

Kita, you're gonna use spermicide too, right?

[MetFanL]

Fertility Awareness Method (calendar, cervical mucus, temperature).

thanks.

Question, though. If you're charting, yada,yada... isn't the time when you're most fertile also the time when you get the most horny? That s*cks.

[kitalyn414]

hehe - i even called my boyfriend to tell him my vagina is a medium.

anyway, yeah... i did get a little concerned because she put me on the spot to ask what would happen if i did get pregnant. man, i REALLY hope that doesn't happen. i was the one who brought up FAM, and she was definitely on board for that. she said the only other way to have anything near the effectiveness of hormonal birth control would be to use a diaphragm, condom and FAM at the same time.

what was weird was when we were talking about what would happen if i got pregnant, she said, "well, you are 25." in a way meaning that i was old enough to "handle" it. that freaked me out a bit.

i don't know. i need to talk with my bf about it some more. we should probably put a contingency plan in place.


edit - pisces... yes. part of the deal is that you fill the diaphragm with spermicide each time you put it in. also, when you are done, you must leave the diaphragm in place for 6-8 hours.

[shinyleaf]

thanks.

Question, though. If you're charting, yada,yada... isn't the time when you're most fertile also the time when you get the most horny? That s*cks.

Theoretically, yes - you are also the most *attractive* to men when you are fertile, b/c of pheremones. Personally, I'm at my most, uh, frisky during a "safe" time.

[pisces2473]

thanks.

Question, though. If you're charting, yada,yada... isn't the time when you're most fertile also the time when you get the most horny? That s*cks.
But that's why you use other methods then ;)

Kita, the way you wrote how she made the comment about your age, I would have thought you she meant you were too young. Weird.

[shinyleaf]

I don't really get why anyone would go to the bother of FAM, just to use another method during the most fertile times.
There are generally 2 reasons for using FAM, right?
1. b/c you don't want to put hormones in your body
2. b/c you are doing "natural family planning" for religious reasons.
ok, there might be other reasons but I think these are the main 2.

So, if you are doing it for reason #1, using a barrier method during fertile times is only going to have the same efficacy it always does - so why not just use it all month long and not bother with the other monitoring stuff? (besides that it's interesting to know...)

If you are doing it for reason #2, barrier methods are a no-no.

Can someone point out what i'm missing?

[kitalyn414]

yeah... i don't know. maybe i just misinterpreted. maybe she was just trying to point out that i need to make sure i am capable of raising a kid if i am going to use this method.

to be honest, my boyfriend and i have tossed around getting married next summer anyway. i don't know. he and i have talked about it, and it is at a point where the hormones are interfering with my moods and our intimacy so much, that the 10-15% chance that i may get pregnant is worth the risk. especially if i am doing the FAM and that risk is reduced.

and shiny - using a barrier with FAM just increases the efficacy of both. so... if i don't have sex while my indicators show that i am ovulating... then i am protected by that. HOWEVER... FAM isn't 100%, so if we have sex around the time of ovulation, there isn't a risk of any little swimmers reaching the finish line. its just doubling up.

[pisces2473]

Even if you aren't having sex or aren't trying to get PG, it's always good to know what your cycle is...so FAM can be a good thing.

Wow, Kita...how long have you been dating?

[lawya girl]

But that's why you use other methods then ;)

Kita, the way you wrote how she made the comment about your age, I would have thought you she meant you were too young. Weird.

Oh no honey - remember the comment from my doctor about how I needed to get crackin'? (I'm 27). We forget how old we are but in the grand scheme of things, we are considered PLENTY old enough...

[kitalyn414]

lol. 4 months.

i know... we both feel a little stupid talking like that because it is so soon. it honestly feels like one of those "you just know" things people talk about. as you're aware, i have a lot of shit to sort out. we'd be living together now, if i didn't feel like i should probably take some time to get my act together before jumping so fully into our relationship.

[cornflakegirl]

FAM is good for learning how your body works. in addition to not putting hormones in my body, i also like the idea of learning what happens to my body throughout my cycle & when exactly do i ovulate, which whould be helpful one day when i want to get pg.

shiny - since many people do not like to use condoms, using condoms only during ovulation usage is minimized & sensation is not.

a good thing to know about spermicide is that it contains nonoxynol-9, which is proven to irritate & tear the vaginal lining, increasing risk of hiv, gonnorhea, herpes, chlamydia etc.

[Bugsey34]

I am resurrecting this thread just because I went through this exact thing today at the doc's office. Because of a previous weird reaction I had with the pill, she suggested a combo of this Fertility Awareness Method and a diaphragm. I tried it today and it was weird to put in but I got it in one try. The only thing is that I am nervous it won't be in right. But doing it that time it worked so hopefully it will be OK. Have you been using this Kita after all? Anyone else?

[MetFanL]

I was thinking about bumping this the other day.

I have a question... I'm currently on the highest bc that they make -- ovral. My doctor said that this will only be temporary b/c they don't like to keep you on it -- high risk of blood clotting, etc. Anyway, my question is, ALL of my problems w/ my bc started when I lost about 20 lbs. Could the storage of estrogen in fat cells be a factor in this? And, if that's the case, if I lose more weight, will I have to go through all of this again??

I should have asked my doctor but I totally didn't think about until after I left... thoughts?

[paiger81]

Yeah, weight loss will affect the pill. Went on Ovral for a few months back in Dec. cause I was spotting every 2 weeks without having an actual period--for nearly 4 months. I evened out and went back to Ortho-cept....but have started losing weight again and this month spotting came back. I haven't wanted to go back to my obgyn yet.

[MetFanL]

Yeah, weight loss will affect the pill. Went on Ovral for a few months back in Dec. cause I was spotting every 2 weeks without having an actual period--for nearly 4 months. I evened out and went back to Ortho-cept....but have started losing weight again and this month spotting came back. I haven't wanted to go back to my obgyn yet.

My symptoms EXACTLY -- except this went on for over a year before she put me on ovral.

So irritating...

[MetFanL]

I am resurrecting this thread just because I went through this exact thing today at the doc's office. Because of a previous weird reaction I had with the pill, she suggested a combo of this Fertility Awareness Method and a diaphragm. I tried it today and it was weird to put in but I got it in one try. The only thing is that I am nervous it won't be in right. But doing it that time it worked so hopefully it will be OK. Have you been using this Kita after all? Anyone else?

Bugsey, would you be using a condom too? If you're doing that, as well, I don't think you need to stress about the diaphragm being perfect every time...

[paiger81]

My symptoms EXACTLY -- except this went on for over a year before she put me on ovral.

So irritating...


The reason I don't want to go back to ovral is that my obgyn basically told me that the Ovral is just for my peace of mind. Basically when you checked my hormone levels, the Orthocept was working the entire time, it's just it was taking a while for the hormones to adjust down to my new smaller weight.

[MetFanL]

The reason I don't want to go back to ovral is that my obgyn basically told me that the Ovral is just for my peace of mind. Basically when you checked my hormone levels, the Orthocept was working the entire time, it's just it was taking a while for the hormones to adjust down to my new smaller weight.

it's not really peace of mind though... I mean, you (and I) were basically getting pd twice a month. That's annoying...

[paiger81]

No shit, let me tell you Kirk certainly isn't happy bought it either.

You know something funny? I swear that I have NO warning signs that it's coming.......I just go pee & blammo...redness. :neutral:

[embrassezla]

just because i'm a mathematician and i HAVE to, here are some probabilities:

I used your #'s for:
WD method: 27/100 fail
cap typical: 16/100 fail
cap perfect: 9/100 fail

probability of BOTH failing with typical cap use: 4.3%
probability of BOTH failing with perfect cap use: 2.4%

if that helps at all.

[wordsmith]

Does anybody talked to Kita? I wonder how she's doing, just in general?

[paiger81]

I just posted to her blog to swing by & let y'all know how she is doing :)

[Bugsey34]

Oops I didn't realize Kita hasn't been around.

Met, the point would be to get away from the condoms so no, it would be diaphragm (with spermicide of course) plus FAM. Maybe use condoms when through FAM I know for sure I am ovulating.

[kitalyn414]

helloooooooooooo!

awww paige - you're a regular gumshoe.

anyway, i've been doing FAM combined with withdrawal for several months now.

i have no pregnancies to report. i actually slacked off on the monitoring for the last 2 months cause we moved and things have been generally unorganized, but i have a pretty good understanding of when i may be fertile and what signs to look for that indicate sex is risky. so... when those signs are present, we are more cautious.

other than that. things are good. we moved into the new house, i started a new job and then quit it after 3 weeks because it sucked. so now i am an interviewing homebody. i've been occupying myself with a dog search. it's damn hard to find puppies.

[kitalyn414]

and also - i attempted the diaphragm thing but it is SUPER inconvenient for spontaneous sex. plus if you put it in early in the evening (planning to have sex later) oral is out of the question. the spermicide is GROSS and we suspect it gave g a chemical burn on his tongue once.

[cornflakegirl]

this has been on my mind lately also. in fact, i talked to kita about it recently.

i went off the nuvaring about 5 weeks ago. i finally decided that i am done with hormones. i just do not like the idea of messing with my body like that. the medication is still not completely out of my body because my boobs are still sore, but i feel mentally better that i am not putting all that estrogen into my body. i am hoping to do FAM once my body gets back to normal.

at my naturopath's suggestion i will be trying the femcap. i have an appointment with her tmw so i may get it then. last week, i also talked with my mom's cleaning lady who had a mass on her liver removed 4 years ago (at the age of 27) that the doctors attributed to hormonal birth control. that is enough to make me confident in my decision.

i do wish birth control was easier. nothing is straightforward. condoms break, the pill has a slew of side effects, barrier methods have lower effectiveness rates, spermicide causes irritation & depo is pure evil. i could go on.

[heatherf]

Even before the baby was born, the Drs kept asking us what type of bc we are planning on using after. We kinda had decided on zero bc, and just use FAM, condoms, etc. But we really feel like the Dr is pushing some sort of bc on us.

I can't make up my mind just yet though. I mean, my hormones are all wacky right now, so I need to wait for them to calm down before we make a choice.

But it's odd that Kita had the problem with IUDs. At the hospital I had 2 Drs tell me that IUDs are making a come back and we should consider them. :neutral: I am NOT a fan of IUDs what so ever.

[cornflakegirl]

Even before the baby was born, the Drs kept asking us what type of bc we are planning on using after. We kinda had decided on zero bc, and just use FAM, condoms, etc. But we really feel like the Dr is pushing some sort of bc on us.


i am not surprised that your doctor wants you to commit to a pill. working in a clinic, we (counselors, nurses & doctors) tend to push hormonal bc. i think partly that we feel responsibility to help women prevent unwanted pregnancies. we also get it & give it out for free pills, the patch & nuvaring at work. there is the whole drug company pushing their product on doctors & clinics thing. the drug companies drop off boatloads of bc every week & wine & dine the doctors & even me. we get taken to the finest restaurants in town. they bring us lunch & teach us about the benefits of their product so that we push their products & they make even more money. it really is quite a ridiculous system.

ok, i started this post about 20 minutes ago, got side tracked & have lost my steam

[capella]

this has been on my mind lately also. in fact, i talked to kita about it recently.

i went off the nuvaring about 5 weeks ago. i finally decided that i am done with hormones. i just do not like the idea of messing with my body like that. the medication is still not completely out of my body because my boobs are still sore, but i feel mentally better that i am not putting all that estrogen into my body. i am hoping to do FAM once my body gets back to normal.

at my naturopath's suggestion i will be trying the femcap. i have an appointment with her tmw so i may get it then. last week, i also talked with my mom's cleaning lady who had a mass on her liver removed 4 years ago (at the age of 27) that the doctors attributed to hormonal birth control. that is enough to make me confident in my decision.

i do wish birth control was easier. nothing is straightforward. condoms break, the pill has a slew of side effects, barrier methods have lower effectiveness rates, spermicide causes irritation & depo is pure evil. i could go on.
Depo is pure evil. I was on it for a year in college and it was horrible. I mean convenient because I never had a period except for every three months. But seriously, it messes with your body sooooo bad. I was toying with the idea of going back on the patch after recent events but I think I've decided (or we've I suppose) that we'll just let nature take its course.

[SunDevil]

I have never seen a diaphragm before, and I probably have no idea what I am talking about here... But wouldn't a condom be more likely to tear if it was rubbing on the diaphragm?


If you are done having children, you should look into this device to make the guys infertile. They say they need to do more studies to see if it is reversible, but I would think there are other more advanced ways of fertilizing an egg now. So, if I knew I wouldn't want a kid for 10-15 years, I wouldn't mind being a guinea pig in the name of science. I wouldn't imagine that your body would stop producing sperm, but maybe freezing some of the little guys wouldn't be a bad idea.
http://www.vasclip.com


If you look at the bottom of this page, you will see what each method would cost including the failures that might happen.
http://www.vasclip.com/Webpage.asp?MID=937450


(I think I posted about this earlier as well.)

[cornflakegirl]

I have never seen a diaphragm before, and I probably have no idea what I am talking about here... But wouldn't a condom be more likely to tear if it was rubbing on the diaphragm?


If you are done having children, you should look into this device to make the guys infertile. They say they need to do more studies to see if it is reversible, but I would think there are other more advanced ways of fertilizing an egg now. So, if I knew I wouldn't want a kid for 10-15 years, I wouldn't mind being a guinea pig in the name of science. I wouldn't imagine that your body would stop producing sperm, but maybe freezing some of the little guys wouldn't be a bad idea.
http://www.vasclip.com


If you look at the bottom of this page, you will see what each method would cost including the failures that might happen.
http://www.vasclip.com/Webpage.asp?MID=937450


(I think I posted about this earlier as well.)

i am all about guys partaking on the permanent/ near permanent bc.

interesting chart comparing all methods of bc. i don't think i spend $2000/year on condoms though.

[SunDevil]

They also added the extra costs of pregnancies due to the condom or other methods failing. And the more failures, the more expenses there were.

[Bugsey34]

Interesting Kita. I guess I understand about hte diaphragm being inconvenient for spontaneous sex, but I am going to try it out anyway. I mean it doesn't have to be in for hours beforehand, so couldn't I just put it in before? How is it more inconvenient than a condom?

Grrr THIS SUCKS!

[MollyMe]

I don't know about those failure rates and costs...

[kitalyn414]

Interesting Kita. I guess I understand about hte diaphragm being inconvenient for spontaneous sex, but I am going to try it out anyway. I mean it doesn't have to be in for hours beforehand, so couldn't I just put it in before? How is it more inconvenient than a condom?

Grrr THIS SUCKS!insertion of the diaphragm isn't the easiest thing in the world. we're talking "excuse me while i go lay on the bathroom floor to try and shove this thing covered in goo up my hoo-hah." i just had some issues getting it in (and out after a particularly "vigorous" experience).

think sex in the city...

[Bugsey34]

insertion of the diaphragm isn't the easiest thing in the world. we're talking "excuse me while i go lay on the bathroom floor to try and shove this thing covered in goo up my hoo-hah." i just had some issues getting it in (and out after a particularly "vigorous" experience).

think sex in the city...

Oh God.... I imagined the same but my doctor made me do a practice run for my first time yesterday and I did it perfectly the first time, and I was predicting not being able to do it at all, so I thought maybe it would be OK. I understand the removal problem though... was a bit difficult to me. But it seems like one of those things you would just get used to if you were using it all the time... I dont know... :(

[capella]

OK so my update. I had been going back and forth over whether to go back on the patch or not. I weighed the leg pain issue with the effectiveness issue. Basically my Gyn suggested going off of it because A. it's a precaution in case the leg pain thing and heart palpitations were caused by the BC B. I have a family history of issues with taking BC and C. Sean and I were thinking of trying to conceive.

Sooo.... then the whole shitty thing happened and now I think I'm fairly certain I'm not ready to try that all again right now. I'm young and I've got a lot of time. So I thought well to hell with FAM (I'm scared it won't work), I'm kinda terrified at the idea of getting PG right about now and emotionally I can't handle it at this time... I'll go back on the patch.

Well it's been about a week now and the bummed out feeling that I had for basically my entire time on BC, which disappeared mysteriously when I was off of it, has returned.

Has anyone else noticed a correlation between their mood and depression and hormonal BC?? It's like everything bugs me so much more about now. I get down a LOT easier about stuff that I would ordinarily just let roll off me. What's the deal?

[shinyleaf]

Has anyone else noticed a correlation between their mood and depression and hormonal BC?? ?

Does Shimmer like the word "shit"?

mood fluctuations go hand in hand with hormonal BC for MOST women... physicians just don't tell you that when they're pushing them on you. They're obligated to tell you the physical symptoms like increased risk of blood clots, etc. but for some reason pass over mentioning that you might have psychological side effects. I honestly think it's because they don't know enough about mental health, but I might be biased there.

I went kookalookoo on the Pill, I felt utterly possessed. By a demon.

I'm doing FAM now too (6 cycles)... I was scared at first, and didn't really trust it but I can't believe how fast I came to trust it, and myself (and my husband.... it takes a degree of control for sure!)
But the thing about it is, there is no panic (no "ack! the condom broke" or "ack, I forgot to take my pill!")... it's all up to you and you learn your body really fast. It's really a great feeling of control that I wasn't expecting. I would recommend it to smart responsible women in committed relationships for sure. Hey, that's you!

[capella]

Does Shimmer like the word "shit"?

mood fluctuations go hand in hand with hormonal BC for MOST women... physicians just don't tell you that when they're pushing them on you. They're obligated to tell you the physical symptoms like increased risk of blood clots, etc. but for some reason pass over mentioning that you might have psychological side effects. I honestly think it's because they don't know enough about mental health, but I might be biased there.

I went kookalookoo on the Pill, I felt utterly possessed. By a demon.

I'm doing FAM now too (6 cycles)... I was scared at first, and didn't really trust it but I can't believe how fast I came to trust it, and myself (and my husband.... it takes a degree of control for sure!)
But the thing about it is, there is no panic (no "ack! the condom broke" or "ack, I forgot to take my pill!")... it's all up to you and you learn your body really fast. It's really a great feeling of control that I wasn't expecting. I would recommend it to smart responsible women in committed relationships for sure. Hey, that's you!

Thanks Shiny. :) Yeah, I never noticed it before because I've been on crap since I was 16 years old and I was always sorta angsty and depressed as a teenager. I never knew how abnormal I was feeling until I got off the hormones. I mean BAM it was like a miracle or something. I felt so great. And then I went back on the patch for like a week and all of a sudden it was like a dark cloud just hovered back over me.

I took it off last Saturday. I started feeling perfectly fine about a day or so after I took it off. I really think the BC was messing with my mood and feelings. It's horrible. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think BC is the best thing ever for single folks. But I'm married dammit. I'm pretty sure there was a vow in there somewhere about being able to fuck without the hassle of wacko causing hormones :twisted:

I think I'll try the FAM again. It sure as hell does wake me up in the morning to stick a thermometer down my throat anyhow.

[shinyleaf]

But I'm married dammit. I'm pretty sure there was a vow in there somewhere about being able to fuck without the hassle of wacko causing hormones :twisted:
.

LOL! Amen!!