Personal question...

[Prana]

What method of birth control do you use? I am taking myself off BC pills, but not ttc. Just curious how many others have come off the pill not yet ready to have children, and what methods of birth control you have found to be the best. I don''t want to use any type of hormone type birth controls any longer.

Thanks!!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I stopped taking BCPs in August of ''08 and successfully avoided using no contraception at all. We''ve just now started trying. I used a charting and hail mary technique that involved abstaining in the middle of my cycle when ovulation was likely. It worked for us, but we were at the point where a pregnancy would be OK if it happened on accident.

 

[April20]

I went off hormonal BC in Oct 08. I use FAM (fertility awareness method) with charting and we use condoms until after I''ve ovulated. Once ovulation''s been confirmed, we''re good to go as the window of "opportunity" has passed. So far, so good after a year. We''re really, really not looking to have kids, so we do have to be careful and follow the "rules". It can be effective as long as you don''t "cheat".

If you''re interested in FAM/charting, you should check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It explains it well. You can chart for free on Fertility Friend.

 

[D&T]

IUD... got pregnant on the pill the first time. Then switched to an IUD. Love it! have had it for about 11 months now, Auntie flow visits less often too

 

[MustangGal]

I also have an IUD, but most doctors won''t do one until you''ve had a child. I did go off the pill 5 months before we were ready to TTC, and we just used condoms.

 

[Prana]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think that I am going to do the charting method, and use condoms while I am getting into the swing of that. I really appreciate all of your replies, and the link to the website!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

GF, I also recommend Taking Charge of your Fertility and FertilityFriend.com before you really drop the pills.

 

[cellososweet]

Date: 12/28/2009 10:22:01 AM
Author: April20
I went off hormonal BC in Oct 08. I use FAM (fertility awareness method) with charting and we use condoms until after I''ve ovulated. Once ovulation''s been confirmed, we''re good to go as the window of ''opportunity'' has passed. So far, so good after a year. We''re really, really not looking to have kids, so we do have to be careful and follow the ''rules''. It can be effective as long as you don''t ''cheat''.

If you''re interested in FAM/charting, you should check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It explains it well. You can chart for free on Fertility Friend.

This is what kept us kid-free for 4 years. It''s a great method, but you have to be careful and really know what you''re doing. If you are the research-friendly type who loves knowing what''s going on with your body, it''s great. If you''re the type who used to think "Uh-oh, when did I take my last birth control pill?" it''s probably not the best method for you.

I think you also have to be ok with having a baby if you make a mistake because it''s not the most user-friendly method in the world.

Good luck!

 

[Haven]

We use condoms. I haven''t used birth control since college, when I used it for just a year or two before I decided that I didn''t like putting unnecessary medication into my body. (I don''t take Advil or anything like that, either.) SO, in the 5+ years that we''ve been together, DH and I have always just used condoms for BC.

We''re not TTC now, and we don''t plan to for at least a couple years.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/28/2009 11:05:10 AM
Author: cellososweet

Date: 12/28/2009 10:22:01 AM

Author: April20

I went off hormonal BC in Oct 08. I use FAM (fertility awareness method) with charting and we use condoms until after I''ve ovulated. Once ovulation''s been confirmed, we''re good to go as the window of ''opportunity'' has passed. So far, so good after a year. We''re really, really not looking to have kids, so we do have to be careful and follow the ''rules''. It can be effective as long as you don''t ''cheat''.


If you''re interested in FAM/charting, you should check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It explains it well. You can chart for free on Fertility Friend.

This is what kept us kid-free for 4 years. It''s a great method, but you have to be careful and really know what you''re doing. If you are the research-friendly type who loves knowing what''s going on with your body, it''s great. If you''re the type who used to think ''Uh-oh, when did I take my last birth control pill?'' it''s probably not the best method for you.


I think you also have to be ok with having a baby if you make a mistake because it''s not the most user-friendly method in the world.


Good luck!

Yes-WELL SAID. FAM can be a great tool in the right hands but in the wrong hands it can result in pregnancy VERY easily. So make sure you 100% understand what is going on at all times or else you might find yourself pregnant.

 

[radiantquest]

I use the depo provera shot. I love it. I get a shot every 3 months and never have a period. A lot of the women don''t like this because it can cause weight gain and they do not like the idea of not having a period. I love it and have been on it for 10 years. I went off of it for a year to see how long it would take for my body to regulate and it only took 3 months. I can''t imagine using something else. I always ask my doctor to make sure that it is ok and they test me and I am fine. There is nothing wrong with me or my reproductive system.


BTW this birth control only costs about $200/year. It is $25 for the shot at the pharmacy and $20 for the nurse to check my vitals and inject me.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I got off of the pill earlier this year since I found out I have a blood clotting disorder and DH and I have been using condoms ever since. Neither of us really like them and have cheated a few times, but I''m thinking about getting a Mirena IUD my next cycle. I have my yearly gyno visit in January and I mentioned it when I made the appointment. I''m a bit skeeved out by having it in my body, however, it''s looking like DH and I won''t be able to have any more children, and I''m not allowed estrogen of any kind so the pill is out. I tried the Depo shot in college and it made me into a madwoman so I don''t really want to do that again. I''d love to hear PS''ers Mirena experiences!

 

[Steel]

Date: 12/28/2009 10:55:43 AM
Author: girlface
Thanks everyone for your replies. I think that I am going to do the charting method, and use condoms while I am getting into the swing of that. I really appreciate all of your replies, and the link to the website!

I don''t know what your circumstances are. But it might be a good idea to consider the impact of a pregnancy on your lives; insurance, emotion, physical etc just in case you do get pregnant once you come off BC. If it is completely off the cards at the moment you could check with your dr. as to how to best avoid getting KFU.

I was on implanon for 6 years (

) and the pill before that for too many years to count, I came off BC early this year. DH and I talked about the risk of getting pregnant once I came off it and while we are still careful we know it is a risk and are happy about it.

 

[Blenheim]

We use a combo of FAM and condoms, with the caveats that were posted above. Love it.

As far as the Mirena goes, I think there have been other threads about it here before. I had one a couple of years ago (before George, by the way - some doctors are fine putting it in if you''ve never been pregnant) and hated it, but I know some other people loved it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

We use condoms and avoid when I think I am fertile, which is actually very hard to tell now because I am breast feeding still.

But we would be ok with getting pregnant. Not great, but ok. That is the only reason I am willing to risk this method of bc. It is not 100% so I would never trust it 100%. And in my research TTC it became clear that while charting is a great tool, it is actually not super accurate.

I think after #2 we will try to mirena IUD. When we are done for sure, DH gets the old snippity snip

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I''ve had two IUDs and had terrible luck with them. I wouldn''t recommend one, but try charting instead.

 

[sunnyd]

I used pills off and on starting in HS through college, but they always messed me up. I started using NuvaRing 1.5 years ago and loved it, but DH wasn''t so happy with the drying side effects.

I stopped it in June and we''ve been using condoms ever since. I want to look into TCOYF and FF, but still use condoms just in case! We won''t be TTCing for another 2 years.

 

[princesss]

I''m using Mirena and I love it. Stress free, super effective, long-lasting (and my insurance covered everything but the co-pay!). I could sing its praises all day long.

 

[joflier]

Condoms. I''m another one that doesn''t like putting unnatural hormones in my body. I may change my mind on that in the future, but this works for now.

 

[ponder]

Using a natural method like FAM can be great (works for me), but until you are 100% sure of what you are doing you may want to also use ovulation predictor strips. You can get them in the pharmacy near other otc birth control. They work like a pregnancy test, but detect the LH hormone that peaks with ovulation. Easy to use and cost about $20 per month. Also good to use to try and get pregnant. It tells you when you are ovulating, you then decide to have sex or not.

 

[Prana]

Thanks, I''m really grateful for all your responses.

I''ve been on BC pills for about 6-7 years now. I HATE being on any meds, I don''t even take tylenol for headaches... That aside, I just feel like BC pills are a danger to me, and are really messing with my natural body and hormones. FI and I are in a very good position to have a child, we have stable, good jobs and own a house together, but we are getting married in 5months and I want to be able to fit into my wedding dress. I could probably stay on the pill for another 5 months, but I really don''t want to, and have been wanting to come off it for a really long time now.

I think that while we are trying out the FAM method, we will use back up protection for a while, until my body readjusts to its natural patterns, and until I learn what those patterns are.

Thanks again to everyone!

 

[Aloros]

I''m using a non-hormonal IUD. I was a bit terrified before getting it from all the horror stories I''d seen online, but these are the exception rather than the rule. It cost me $15 for the copay, and I was in and out of the office in 20 min. No horrible cramps or super-duper heavy AF. Haven''t had kids, and I did it after only taking a couple ibuprofen. It was like stubbing-your-toe pain.

Once in a while I feel like it''s...hmm...poked me or something, but 99% of the time I don''t even know it''s there. If I decide I want kids later, they pull it out and I could potentially get pregnant same-day!

 

[Clio]

Date: 12/28/2009 1:18:17 PM
Author: DivaDiamond007
I''d love to hear PS''ers Mirena experiences!

I got the Mirena last year, and I LOVE it. There is an adjustment period, and I spotted/bled for about 2 months after it went in, but since then it''s been great. The insertion itself was somewhat painful but nothing I couldn''t handle. For about a week or so afterward, I was a little freaked out over having this device inside my body and was convinced that I could feel it. I got over that pretty quickly.

I love the fact that my periods have pretty much disappeared (and when I do have one, it''s very light spotting that lasts a couple of days) and that I don''t have to think about birth control for 5 years.

 

[icekid]

Date: 12/28/2009 1:23:05 PM
Author: Blenheim
We use a combo of FAM and condoms, with the caveats that were posted above. Love it.

Ditto this. But we''re also okay with getting pregnant, so it works for us!

 

[Octavia]

I've used NuvaRing for about 5 years and it's the best kind of BC I've been on (was on Depo in early college, switched to the pill at the end of college after a few months of no BC during which my cramps were so horrible I had to resume something, and then to NuvaRing about a year later). I think it has something to do with my low libido and headaches, though, so I'm planning to try ditching hormonal BC again in a few months. I have to travel internationally in August/September and can't risk flight restrictions, so I'm going to wait until late spring or early summer to stop, I think. At that point, an "oops" wouldn't be the end of the world, even though we're definitely not trying yet. DH is on board with using barriers and FAM when the time comes. I'm a little worried about those wretched cramps coming back, but I think it's about time for me to let my system clear out. After we have a baby in a couple years, I'll probably go for an IUD, but I don't think it's worth it to get one before that.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 12/28/2009 2:23:46 PM
Author: joflier
Condoms. I''m another one that doesn''t like putting unnatural hormones in my body. I may change my mind on that in the future, but this works for now.

Same here.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I'm another NuvaRing lover.

For those worried that hormonal contraceptives are dangerous, while I absolutely respect your caution, I've asked many well respected endocrinologists, gynecologists/OBGYNs, and researchers about it. And not only have many of them used it themselves, most actually believe there may be benefits to it for certain women such as reducing the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer (though it's certainly true that some women get side effects as well). The theory goes that evolution designed the human body to be pregnant and breed, but more and more women are choosing to have fewer or no children, and the human body wasn't necessarily designed to ovulate/cycle that many times.

Funny story, but the original marketers of the pill put in the 1 week "break" not for health or safety reasons, but to make it seem more "normal" and natural. I've also asked a few physicians about the safety of skipping periods, and was also repeatedly reassured that it was not dangerous.

Hope that's reassuring to those of you who are on hormone BC! Hehe.

 

[plantationcatt]

We use condoms. I had a bad experience with BC pills (bad migraine history + pills = bad) and then developed a reaction to spermicide, so that ruled out the diaphragm we''d been using, otherwise that was fine with both of us. I''d rather be ''barrier free'' but condoms have worked for 2.5 years without fail. Be warned, be careful about using hand lotion, vaseline, etc. soon before *ya know* because latex doesn''t like it. Good luck!

 

[MustangGal]

Date: 12/28/2009 1:18:17 PM
Author: DivaDiamond007
I got off of the pill earlier this year since I found out I have a blood clotting disorder and DH and I have been using condoms ever since. Neither of us really like them and have cheated a few times, but I''m thinking about getting a Mirena IUD my next cycle. I have my yearly gyno visit in January and I mentioned it when I made the appointment. I''m a bit skeeved out by having it in my body, however, it''s looking like DH and I won''t be able to have any more children, and I''m not allowed estrogen of any kind so the pill is out. I tried the Depo shot in college and it made me into a madwoman so I don''t really want to do that again. I''d love to hear PS''ers Mirena experiences!

I got the Mirena put in last April after having baby #1. It didn''t feel any worse than a normal pelvic exam, and I went back to work after the appointment. I had light spotting for a few weeks , but it was also only 10 weeks PP for me, so that could have contributed to it. I then had regular periods until last month, when I was a week late and much lighter. So far I love it, and plan on keeping it in there for a while. I also only had to pay a $25 doctor co-pay, so it''s already saved me money, and I do''t have to worry about taking a pill every day. I don''t feel it at all, and DH checks the strings for me once a month

.

 

[february2003bride]

I was on birth control pills but stopped after I got pregnant on them (and sadly miscarried). After that we used condoms. I decided about 2 months ago that I was definitely done having kids (we have three beautiful children) so DH got a vasectomy almost 2 weeks ago. We joke it''s my Christmas present, lol.