# switching birth control methods?



## kokonatsu (Feb 22, 2013)

I know there are oodles of threads about birth control, but as each thread is about a specific poster's situation, there is nothing else to do but make my own.. 

I'm on the bcp now.. currently on my last month before I need to restock. so it's making me think about other options I have about birth control.

I really don't want to continue taking the pill, even though it doesn't really have many negative effects for me, other than some mood swings, bad cramps that don't last long, and only am heavy on my first day, pretty light flow the next couple of days it lasts. I just don't like to take it. 

My doctor suggested I google various kind of birth control before coming to him to talk about it, and it seems that the best options to consider are the pill or an IUD. I guess I could do natural family planning, but actually taking the pill every day has been a miracle to me, so I don't feel I could be consistent with that. 

I'd like to get an IUD -- low chance of getting pregnant, lasts a long time -- but I've heard some horror stories about uterus' get punctured, and it terrifies me. I'd like to have kids in the next couple of years too. (I haven't had any children yet, which is another downside to getting an IUD, I've heard.)

I tried to talk with my husband about this, but he said, "I don't know why you're talking to me about it, I'm a guy, I don't know anything about it" so he's not much help.. 

so I have to decide between continuing with the pill, getting an IUD, or going the NFP route. but I don't know what to do. I've done some research, but it doesn't even help me.. 

So really, I would just love someone (preferably older and wiser! ) to bounce ideas of and get advice from.


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## that.girl (Aug 27, 2014)

Natural family planning takes commitment and education. If you struggle to remember your pill, and your husband doesn't care about your BC methods, i strongly recommend against it. You need him on board to make that work. 

But if you do go that route, there's some great devices and mobile apps that will help you keep track of your cycles.

Have you considered the BC shots? I think you only need them every few months.


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## SecondTime'Round (Jan 15, 2015)

In the beginning of my marriage, we did NFP and I really liked it. The good thing about that is that when you are ready to TTC, you're already very educated about your cycle and (in theory) it makes TTC easier, barring no fertility problems.

I haven't had success with any kind of hormonal BC as I get older, but if I could tolerate them, I'd get the IUD. I've not actually heard any horror stories about the insertion of them. I have read it can impair fertility for longer than you'd like, but I'm sure that for every person who experiences that, there's another person who does not. 

Even people "coming off" NFP can have fertility problems. I'm a testament to that .


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## kokonatsu (Feb 22, 2013)

I wouldn't say that he doesn't care, but that he just couldn't really give me advice about it. He does remind me to take the pill/asks me if I've taken it. So he wants to get it done, but doesn't know anything about it. 

I've been interested in the NFP method, maybe i'll check out the apps etc., maybe they'll give me more motivation to keep on it. 

I didn't really consider the shots. I'll look into them. I didn't really consider them because I just don't want to use hormonal methods. but i'm still leaning towards taking the pill, so maybe that'll be a good balance. 

SecondTimeRound, what's TTC? 

The horror stories i've heard about IUDs are that if you have a doctor who's not necessarily practiced in inserting them, they can puncture the uterus.


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## SecondTime'Round (Jan 15, 2015)

TTC= Trying to Conceive .

Back when I did NFP there were no apps! I'm sure it's so much easier now than it was back then, using paper charts and graphing it out yourself!


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## SlowlyGoingCrazy (Jun 2, 2011)

I really liked my copper IUD. I had extra cramping and bleeding for the first couple months but then it was back to normal. 

After about 3 years the strings couldn't be found and it got a little stuck, had to do an ultrasound and extract it which hurt like hell but I had gotten forgetful about checking for the strings and I don't think it would have been so bad if I had been.

Overall I would still pick it again if I ever had to. Hormones don't agree with me and I'm not organized enough for NFP. H had a V so I don't need anything.


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## Anonymous07 (Aug 4, 2012)

I got pregnant while 'using' NFP and we were really careful. My cycles are not consistent and I ovulated early that month unexpectedly(was a really weird cycle), which gave us our sweet little boy. Sperm can survive inside of a woman, in the right conditions, for up to 7 days. If you do not want to get pregnant, I would do something else that is more reliable. 

I know several people who have the IUD and really like it. There is a new one out that is similar to the Mirena, but has less hormones in it and it lasts for 3 years. You can also look into the Depo shot. My cousin uses that and loves it. 

My husband and I use condoms. I can't take hormonal birth control for medical reasons and IUDs are off limits for a different medical reason, so we stick to condoms because I don't want to get pregnant again right now(NFP didn't work out so well).


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## SecondTime'Round (Jan 15, 2015)

Anonymous07 said:


> I got pregnant while 'using' NFP and we were really careful. My cycles are not consistent and I ovulated early that month unexpectedly(was a really weird cycle), which gave us our sweet little boy. Sperm can survive inside of a woman, in the right conditions, for up to 7 days. If you do not want to get pregnant, I would do something else that is more reliable.
> 
> I know several people who have the IUD and really like it. There is a new one out that is similar to the Mirena, but has less hormones in it and it lasts for 3 years. You can also look into the Depo shot. My cousin uses that and loves it.
> 
> My husband and I use condoms. I can't take hormonal birth control for medical reasons and IUDs are off limits for a different medical reason, so we stick to condoms because I don't want to get pregnant again right now(NFP didn't work out so well).


NFP is definitely trickier if your cycles are not regular! Mine always were.


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## kokonatsu (Feb 22, 2013)

mine were always regular... until i met my husband and finally those hormones went crazy.. he was my first, my only boyfriend ever, so i had that all under control until he came around. 

I've been more intrigued by NFP lately, and I'd like to try it, but feel like I should wait until we're actually in a good place to have children.. 

ugh, why is this such a hard decision??


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## Anonymous07 (Aug 4, 2012)

SecondTime'Round said:


> NFP is definitely trickier if your cycles are not regular! Mine always were.


My cycles were fairly regular, every 29 to 31 days apart. The month I got pregnant, I ovulated a full week before I normally did, so the times we had sex that would have been "safe" ended up not being so "safe" after all. My husband refuses to do NFP again, since we can't afford another surprise. 

If my body could handle hormones, I think I'd try the arm implant Nexplanon. Easy, don't have to worry about it, no scary issues such as with the IUD, and so on.


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## FeministInPink (Sep 13, 2012)

If you're OK with hormonal BC, I would tell you to consider NuvaRing. It's been my hormonal BC of choice for a long time... you just put it in and forget about it, and it has a lot of the benefits of the pill in terms of shortening/lightening your period, or even skipping it. (The NuvaRing instructions say to leave in for 3, take out for one so you get your period, and repeat. But the ring has enough hormones for 5 weeks, so you can leave it in for 4-5 weeks and then swap it out for a new one if you want to skip your period altogether.)

My past/present partners have reported that they can feel it during sex, but it doesn't bother them or feel weird. I don't notice it at all.

This was a great solution for me, because I was never good about remembering to take the pill, and forgotten/late pills always caused me a lot of anxiety.


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## batsociety (Jan 23, 2015)

I wouldn't trust NFP as far as I could throw it. Way too risky. And you know that anything sanctioned by the Catholic Church is going to be kinda shonky. 

But as an intersex person my experiences with birth control are limited. My only options have ever been condoms, a specially made shot (in cis women these last around three months fairly well, in me it was like maybe a month, maybe four, maybe it won't work at all - I'm pregnant right now so that was super useful) and a copper IUD. The IUD horror stories turned me right off. A friend of mine from college had one and when I asked her about it she was very clear that I shouldn't even think about it. 

My SIL gets an implant in her upper arm that lasts three years. I think insertion/removal/replacement is about $50 with her insurance. She says her periods were irregular for the first few months, but then everything went back to normal. She didn't have the same problems with pain and moodiness etc she had while on the pill. You can also have it removed whenever and you're ready to be fertilised pretty much straight away, so it's not an issue if you decide you want to have kids a year from insertion.


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## MrsDraper (May 27, 2013)

IUD's and reversible long acting contraceptives are now the preferred method of birth control for ALL women. Even teenagers.

The drug company for Mirena just came out with a new IUD that should cut down on some of the complications women who had not been previously pregnat had. It is called Skyla. The biggest risk with regular IUDs was expulsion (or pushing out) the IUD. That usually happened within the first 48 hours or so. So instead of using a Mirena, now Skyla is now recommended for women who have not had a child. Skyla is a bit smaller and the expulsion risk is less. 

It should be noted that Skyla lasts only 3 years while Mirena lasts 5. These products both contain the same drug and work by using the same mechanism. 

Further, a lot of women like Mirena / Skyla as it gradually decrease the lining of the uterus - so periods are not as heavy, or the user may not have a period at all.

If you get a Paraguard IUD - that product has no hormone in it (in comparison to Mirena and Skyla). A Paraguard IUD lasts 10 years. It works on the principle of irritation alone - so women report heavier periods, very thick vaginal secretions, and cramping when using this IUD.

I would look at Skyla. Skyla® | Home | Official Website


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

I am considering a diaphragm as I do not want to take pills.

If anyone has used this method before, please tell me how you like it or didn't like it.


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## Cynthia (Jan 31, 2014)

My husband and I used the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) for years. I used a chart, took my temperature, and checked cervical fluid. I don't remember if there was anything else. They now have tiny microscopes you can use to check your saliva to see if you are in your fertile phase or not. You have to chart for many months before it can be considered a method, because you don't have enough information until you have a chart and understand the signs.
Many couples use a back up method when they think the woman may be fertile. Couples that abstain during the fertile phase are the only ones that can really be considered to be using the FAM method, because if a couple has sex during the fertile phase, they really aren't using it as birth control. That being said, my husband and I used a backup method during my fertile phase. That is why I new exactly when our son was conceived. It was a failure of our backup method, not the FAM. It was actually due to FAM that I knew exactly when I conceived and was aware that I was pregnant the day my period should have arrived. My cycles were never exactly the same, but due to FAM I knew exactly when my period would arrive based on knowing exactly when I ovulated. Due to my charts, I was always able to tell what day my period would start.
You can't really start using FAM to avoid pregnancy until you have been doing it a while, but you can't do it while on hormonal birth control either. This means that if you go off the pill, you would be using no birth control, unless you use condoms or a diaphragm. Apparently condoms are more effective than diaphragms.
I think that most people who get pregnant using the natural methods are having sex when they know or think the woman may be fertile. That is really not a failure of the method.
There is a group called The Couple to Couple League, which teaches NFP. I believe it is a Catholic organization. I never used it, but have heard that it is very helpful for really understanding NFP. It does work for a lot of couples, but not for everyone. On the other hand, nothing is 100% effective. Pregnancy is caused by sex. Our bodies are designed to reproduce and no form of birth control is always able to over-rule that process.


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## Cynthia (Jan 31, 2014)

Also, for couples who use a backup method during the time they believe the woman is fertile, they are really relying on the backup method, not on NFP, so in reality they are probably relying on condoms. It is hard to abstain during a woman's fertile phase, because that is when she is the most interested in sex.


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## Anonymous07 (Aug 4, 2012)

CynthiaDe said:


> Also, for couples who use a backup method during the time they believe the woman is fertile, they are really relying on the backup method, not on NFP, so in reality they are probably relying on condoms. It is hard to abstain during a woman's fertile phase, because that is when she is the most interested in sex.


My husband and I did that. NFP and then condoms during fertile periods, but it didn't work out. I charted for about a year before we got married and then once we got married, we started using NFP. I got pregnant 3 months after our wedding because I ovulated much earlier than I ever expected(very weird, short cycle), so what should have been a safe period was not. 

We followed the Creighton Model, which is supposed to be highly effective, but didn't work out for us. I still chart my cycles, but will never rely fully on it for birth control. Just as many will say breastfeeding can be used as birth control(per the rules of ebf, no bottles/pacifiers, etc), but that is not reliable either. I followed all of the the "rules" and got my period back at 7 weeks postpartum. If I had used it as birth control, I would have had kids very close in age. 

I don't recommend NFP as birth control, but would only recommend using it as a way to achieve pregnancy.


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## Cynthia (Jan 31, 2014)

NFP works very well for some people. It would have worked great for us if we would have abstained during my fertile phase. Despite not being regular, it was clear when I was fertile, when I was not, when I had ovulated, etc. I am not saying this is true for everyone, just that it really does work great for some people and not for others.


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## Boottothehead (Sep 3, 2013)

I have a paraguard, and I can attest to the cramps and heavier periods. HOWEVER, for some weird reason, I am more regular than when I was on the pill, and insurance paid for the whole darn thing- thanks Obamacare!


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## Hopelessus (Oct 29, 2014)

I used the patch. I loved it. No cramps, no boob pain light cycle


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