Officially off bcp... woohoo!

[luvthemstrawberries]

Hey folks.

I've read a lot on here about the pill, its side effects, alternatives, etc... and on the rest of the web too (hehe this is always the most helpful source, of course!)...

I switched to Yaz 2 months ago after being on 2 other kinds for years before. I think I've been on it constantly since I was about 17. Original purpose was to help with cramps and heaviness. It usually didn't help that much. The only plus was being regular and having a schedule down to the day.

Well I'd been getting headaches for a while, my moods don't match my personality, I've been feeling kind of "off" lately... I think I'm just sick of pumping my body full of fake hormones. So I'm taking a (possibly permanent) break. I was pretty regular before, so hopefully after whatever adjustment time there is, I'll go back to that. I think I'm going to try charting too so that maybe FI and I can use that when we get married.

Aaaanyway, tonight would have been my first pill on a new pack... it's kind of weird not taking it! HA!! Like I'm gonna miss it...

Just wanted to rejoice with you guys - long live all natural!

Here's to hoping it goes well!

 

[LaraOnline]

Hey strawbs!

I'm not sure you girls would have this brand over there, I don't recognise the brand 'Yazmin', but I thought the pill called 'Loette' was pretty damn good. It was a very low dose pill, and your cycle reverts to normal very, very quickly after stopping.

Or, you could do what a lot of women in Asian countries do - apparently - and just use a mini-pill (as you would if you were breast-feeding).

If you've got a date booked to marry, and you are using cycle charts as your main method until then...well, better stay organised!

Some heavier pills really seem to take a toll on young bodies, cycles may take a year or so to get back to normal... but those pills are old-fashioned and not in common use anymore, right?

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Hey Lara!

Yeah we don''t have a date booked yet for the wedding, haha, so that makes things even more up in the air. We''re not "active" so there''s no worries for oopsies right now, but there''s time now to hopefully get some possible charting done before whatever date is set. Hey, I still may end up back on a pill, who knows. I just haven''t been off of it for so long that I figured now was a good time to try without it.

Thanks for advice on other alternative pills... I''ve heard Loette mentioned before on here, but never in any other circumstances. I''m not sure if it''s around over here.

Yeah I''m hoping it hasn''t taken a huge toll on my body. I''m all about tring to do things in harmony with my body instead of working against it. I''m hoping it feels the same way and goes back to normal soon and we get along!

I do think though that I''ll I''ve taken are the lower doses. I think the higher doses have mostly been tossed out now.

 

[mia1181]

Woo-hoo LTS!!!!!

I am on my 5th cycle off BC! I am loving it, and I hope you will too! I was on BC for so long it''s hard to remember what it was like before, but I could have sworn I didn''t have cramps. On BC I had miserable cramping. But.... I haven''t had a cramp since my first cycle off BC!!!!

I haven''t had any skin problems either, which was one thing I was worried about. You will be charting, right? I am charting and love it. At first it was so exciting to enter each temp into the chart, but now it''s just a routine to take my temperature and not a big deal. It''s still exciting around ovulation time though, so much fun trying to predict when that little eggie will drop!

Good Luck!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 4/24/2009 11:56:20 PM
Author: mia1181

Woo-hoo LTS!!!!!

I am on my 5th cycle off BC! I am loving it, and I hope you will too! I was on BC for so long it's hard to remember what it was like before, but I could have sworn I didn't have cramps. On BC I had miserable cramping. But.... I haven't had a cramp since my first cycle off BC!!!!

I haven't had any skin problems either, which was one thing I was worried about. You will be charting, right? I am charting and love it. At first it was so exciting to enter each temp into the chart, but now it's just a routine to take my temperature and not a big deal. It's still exciting around ovulation time though, so much fun trying to predict when that little eggie will drop!

Good Luck!

Hahaha mia how fun!! The little egg comment made me smile. Yes I'm going to try to start charting. I've seen some websites on here people have mentioned, and also the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility to learn how. Do you have any specific way you prefer or method you use?

That's GREAT that you're not having any cramps and aren't having any problems!!!!

I do have really bad cramps, and I'm pretty sure I did before. But some large (doctor approved, of course) doses of ibuprofen and those little portable heating pads, and I live through them.

It's so neat to not be taking the pill! Haha I'm very quickly going to forget that pill-taking in my routine - I'm already not even thinking of it at night, and this is only the second day - usually it's something I do every night at 9PM, but it's already so easy to not even think about it!

Thanks!!

 

[Sha]

Good for you!! It sounds like you''ll feel more of ''yourself'' on it, and more in control of your body too. I also hated the idea of pumping my body with fake hormones. When I took that last pill about a year ago, it felt great! Even better starting a new cycle without having to take a dreaded pill every day.

I do the fertility awareness/charting method now. So far it''s helped me both in avoiding and achieving pregnancy. Plus, I have a much better understanding of how my body works. It''s not for everyone, but I''ll think it''ll be one of my main birth control methods now, instead of the pill.

 

[mia1181]

Lovethem- Yes, I definitely recommend reading the book TCOYF. I loved it although I did laugh at some parts of it (she goes ON and ON about how empowering it is for women). It was very eye-opening for me, but nothing earth-shattering, KWIM? But yeah that''s a good place to start. I also sunscribed to Fertility Friend''s e-course on charting. they sent me an email every day with a new chapter on charting. But be warned that FF does not advocate using FAM for TTA (trying to avoid). Therefore, the information and their software are more about TTC. That''s why personally I loved the Ovusoft software. You can adjust the settings to be very conservative and they even have a forum with a TTA section if you need any help. FF is free, although you have to upgrade to the VIP membership in order to use their forums and unlock some features that come with TCOYF software. TCOYF costs ~$30 I think, but it is a one-time payment in contrast to the annual? membership on FF. Oh and I should add, you can access FF online from anywhere, but TCYOF is software so you have to be on your home PC to enter data (you can upload it though for viewing online, or posting in forums). Also if you have a Mac, TCOYF is not an option since it is only made for Windows at this point.

It''s funny that you mention the pill taking routine, because I was never good at that. I actually went on the ring because I was always forgetting to take the pill. But since I have been temping, I have only missed taking my temperature at times when I was traveling or up all night. I never forget to take my temp. I think difference is motivation. Not that I wasn''t motivated to avoid getting pregnant on BC, but I like adding my little piece to the puzzle each morning. Plus you do it while laying in bed! Pretty easy!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Sha - thanks for your response! That''s what I''m really excited about - being much more in touch with my body, and understanding it. I''m just looking forward to being more natural and hopefully knowing that at least my moods or whatever''s going on is not a result of fake hormones.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Mia - thanks for your response too! That is such an awesome amount of information - thank you SOOOO much for all that and for the specifics and benefits/etc of what you've used and your experience. I really appreciate it!

Yeah I got pretty good at remembering to take the pill - I used to set an alarm on my phone every night. But I got lazy to where I was ignoring the alarm and not getting up out of my seat to get the pill pack, haha. Then taking it 2 or 3 hours later before I went to bed. And I know that technically doesn't make it as effective as if you take it at the exact same time every day. So I really wasn't that good at it either.

I like your idea of motivation with the temping! You get to take part in discovering what your body is doing, instead of just taking a pill and letting it alter your body. I'm gonna start doing this I think - guess I need to do some reading and learning now!!

Thanks again!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Just have a question for those of you who are now off the pill... did you alert your doctor about it or anything? Or did you just do it and go with the flow, then let your doctor know at the next visit? Any reasons? Just curious.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I just went with the flow and figured I''d tell my doc at my next visit. I know her only concern would be ensuring that I was still going in for annual visits. The annual bcp Rx pretty much guarantees that you have to go in for a pap and she''d be concerned that I''d forget...

 

[mia1181]

Yup I just WWTF too. I casually mentioned it to my doc when I was in for something else because I wanted to confirm which of my acne meds I could still use since I could have an oops. She was supportive of my decision. But some Dr.s think you are planning on using the "rhythm method" so be prepared for questions.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Thanks Hudson and Mia!

Hudson - good point - I never thought about how that''s been my only reminder for an appointment. I''ll have to write a reminder on the calendar.

Mia - thanks for the heads up about the probable questions.