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Not Your Senorita posted:Is there any consensus on whether or not antibiotics can gently caress up birth control? I was taking nitrofurantoin for the last two weeks for what I thought was a UTI and started getting a lot of weird cramping/spotting. Or would that just be coincidental? I plan on using extra protection during sex anyway just to be safe, but it seems like there are a lot of differing opinions about this. The current consensus of most organizations, including the WHO, is that antibiotics which are not inducers of drug metabolism will not affect the effectiveness of birth control unless they cause severe diarrhea, or vomiting within an hour or two of taking the birth control. The effects of diarrhea and vomiting only apply to pills and not the patch, ring, injectables, IUD, etc. What you describe could have been due to a mixture of abdominal pain caused by the antibiotic and spotting caused by stress brought on by pain. Or it could be coincidence. Or it could be from what I mentioned above if you had severe diarrhea or vomiting. For your other question, there's a thread in A/T about chronic pain: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3395660
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Aug 14, 2011 17:40
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How was the interstitial cystitis diagnosed? Usually before that diagnosis they would do a cystoscopy, which I had done last summer. Mine ended up being inflammation, for now, but I may do another cystoscopy soon. The test itself is often a treatment for IC.
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Aug 15, 2011 03:28
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I didn't know that. For me they mostly ruled out other possible causes like infection. I have had other tests done in the past because of my frequent UTIs, but nothing unusual showed up then. I was also put on a low dose of amitriptyline to help with the pain/urgency, which does work a fair amount of the time. I have another appointment in a little while to see how I'm doing, so I'll ask about doing a cystoscopy if they don't bring it up. I'm kind of surprised it wasn't mentioned already if that is a way to diagnose/treat it. Also, thanks DRP Solved! for the link.
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Aug 15, 2011 05:45
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I was really careless last night when having sex with my partner - I basically just let go completely inside of her. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but we both remembered afterwards that she switched to a different brand of birth control pills last monday. This morning we went and got her the plan B EC pill and she's taking it as directed but I'm still freaking out. Should I be? I know I was careless.
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Aug 15, 2011 18:03
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Kosani posted:I was really careless last night when having sex with my partner - I basically just let go completely inside of her. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but we both remembered afterwards that she switched to a different brand of birth control pills last monday. You did the right thing and got the plan b. If she changged BC pills seamlessly, as in had the old one's placebo pills, then started the new ones as normal then there shouldn't be much risk, plus you still had about 7 days use which is about the timespan it is recommended to use a backup if switching from progesterone only to a combined pill. What's done is done, don't freak out, but do get a pregnancy test if the period is late.
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Aug 15, 2011 18:55
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If she switched pill types with no gapping in her schedule whatsoever, you're fine. Since she tookplan B then..she's probably really fine. But do be aware that plan B is a hormonal cocktail of sorts, so her cycle is probably going to be out of whack for awhile.
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Aug 15, 2011 19:02
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My wife recently went to her gynecologist to ask about the Paragard non-hormonal IUD. She's not allergic to copper and is currently taking a generic form of Yaz. After basically condescending to and making fun of her, he said he would do it, but then proceeded to scare the poo poo out of her by telling her that she would DEFINITELY get PID and would bleed a lot more and all this other crap. It seemed to me that he just didn't want to give it to her and thought up some bullshit as an excuse, but she's afraid now. From what I can tell the side effects are rare and in most cases clear up. Also, they seem a lot less severe than the potential side effects from her hormonal birth control (myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, stroke, death) which I'M more concerned about. Also the thing can be removed so if there ARE side effects its not like it's a permanent deal. Neither of us want children any time soon, probably ever. Has anyone had one of these things and can shed some more light on it, possibly help to ease her mind?
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Aug 15, 2011 20:14
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It sounds like her doctor is inexperienced with IUDs. Is going to a different provider an option?
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Aug 16, 2011 05:54
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lou reed posted:It sounds like her doctor is inexperienced with IUDs. Is going to a different provider an option? I'd also recommend finding a different provider. The risk of complications (perforation, PID and expulsion) are much higher with an inexperienced practitioner, and old-school doctors who only insert for women who've had children, etc, tend to fall on the inexperienced side. It turns out the risk of PID probably isn't connected with STIs or the presence of the IUD at all, but from doctors not using proper sterilization during insertion. And... WTF at condescending and making fun of her? What the poo poo is that? "Yea, gently caress this silly bitch who wants a long-term, no-maintenance, highly effective birth control with far fewer potential side effects than any comparatively effective methods."? It is true that she will bleed a lot more on her periods for a while - they will likely be longer, heavier and cramp-ier for several months after insertion - but that does go away for most women. After about a year or a year and a half after my insertion, my periods went down to about three days of moderate/heavy bleeding with cramps on only the first and last days, and those aren't bad if I get some ibuprofen in me. But that's the only side effect! I don't get any spotting, my sex drive is completely normal, there is no risk of blood clots, no depression (caused by my birth control, at least), I never have to worry about missing a pill. I absolutely love it. The only other side effect to be aware of is a higher risk of a pregnancy being ectopic (if you happen to get pregnant.) The risk of a pregnancy being ectopic works out to be about the same chance of a woman having an ectopic pregnancy if she's not using any birth control. It's just that, of pregnancies conceived while using an IUD, a higher than normal number of them end up being ectopic.
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Aug 16, 2011 13:59
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Going to repeat again, go to a different doctor. If that doctor recommends most people against it, then that doctor probably rarely inserts them and probably gets rejections due to the lack of insertion practice. If you have to then go to planned parenthood.
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Aug 16, 2011 14:42
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I'm going to drop the Ring and go with Mirena, since it's giving me ridiculous mood swings and from what I understand Mirena has less hormones and all that. I seem to remember reading a while back that if you've recently had a UTI, you have to wait a certain period of time before they'll install an IUD. Is this true, and if so how long do you have to wait?
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Aug 16, 2011 19:37
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I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with planned parenthood for Mirena insertion this Monday. So now I have a few questions for those of you with an IUD! How much pain medication is generally advised to be taken before the procedure, how long before, and what kind? What was the worst part of insertion, for you? Were you able to go on about your day/day after? What about sex? Can I have it the day before (I'll just be starting my period so I probably won't, but I'd like to know if the option is open)? The woman scheduling my appointment wasn't exactly a font of wisdom, so I hope someone can shed some light here. E: oh, sorry for the double post!
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Aug 16, 2011 21:27
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bobula posted:I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with planned parenthood for Mirena insertion this Monday. So now I have a few questions for those of you with an IUD! I think they gave me some standard tylenol like 15 minutes prior. The worse part was checking the depth of the uterus. It gave me a little cramp and I felt a bit nauseous from it. I was told no condomless sex the day or two before. You don't want any sperm hanging out in there because it could get pushed up into you and knock you up. (Also, it's kinda rude to go in with gunk up there, haha.) This was for the paragard, but I imagine it's pretty much the same.
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Aug 16, 2011 21:53
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bobula posted:I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with planned parenthood for Mirena insertion this Monday. So now I have a few questions for those of you with an IUD! I was told to take some paracetamol and ibuprofen half an hour before the appt. The worst part was when they were trying to get my cervix open, it refused to budge. I thought my period had started and it'd all be good as I'd had some spotting, but apparently my vag was just playing tricks on me. So the doctor poking it with the sounding thing ('knocking on the door' she called it) was the worst. Since it wouldn't open on its own they injected my cervix with some anesthetic to relax it (only works about half of the time, luckily it worked for me) and everything after that was hunky dory. The actual insertion was really quick and easy once my cervix opened. Stupid lazy cervix   .They said nothing about sex before iirc, but I wasn't allowed anything up there (wangs, tampons etc) for 72 hours afterwards. Good luck  I love my paraguard, I had mine installed on St Patrick's day this year, and my periods are pretty much back to normal now. Should be even better with a mirena!
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Aug 17, 2011 01:10
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I've got an inquiry! I buy Ortho Tri-Cyclen from Planned Parenthood. I buy it three packs at a time usually. Well I'm a pack and a half into my recent purchase and I JUST realized they gave me a different pill this time around. I apparently managed to avoid looking at the front of the packages as I've been opening them. They gave me Ortho Tri-Cyclen LO. In my defense the pills themselves look exactly the same as the normal Ortho. I'm assuming the lady didn't mean to give me the Lo kind. My question is, should I be alarmed? I'm on my period and I'm barely bleeding, I assume that's because of these pills. I intend to call in the next couple days, obviously, to let them know of their gently caress up. 
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Aug 17, 2011 02:19
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I wouldn't guess it's anything to be alarmed about. If you've been taking them on schedule, you're obviously still protected against pregnancy, just to allay any fears in that respect. But yeah, call up PP and ask them what's up!
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Aug 17, 2011 03:11
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Clumsy Card House posted:I've got an inquiry! From looking at the drug information, they're essentially the same except that the the Lo version has .025 mg of estrogen instead of the .035 mg in Ortho Tri Cyclen. The progesterone levels are the same for both pills. I can't think of any reason it would hurt you or anything, except maybe side effects from your hormone levels being a bit different. It's still meant to protect from pregnancy and everything so you should be good there.
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Aug 17, 2011 03:30
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My old gyno told me that OTC-Lo is meant for women that weigh less than 150 lbs. if you weigh more than that I'd be using a condom til you get it straightend out. It may not be as effective if you weigh more. I had a regular doctor prescribe that for me and the side effects where awful (I am above 150) and he seemed to indicate that it wouldn't be as effective for me. Better safe than sorry!
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Aug 17, 2011 05:00
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evelynevvie posted:My old gyno told me that OTC-Lo is meant for women that weigh less than 150 lbs. if you weigh more than that I'd be using a condom til you get it straightend out. It may not be as effective if you weigh more. I had a regular doctor prescribe that for me and the side effects where awful (I am above 150) and he seemed to indicate that it wouldn't be as effective for me. Better safe than sorry! The only birth control that really has a reduced effectiveness with higher weight is the Evra patch (in women ≥ 90 kilos). *Both Tricyclen and Tricyclen Lo have the same amount of progestin* (0.18 mg on week 1, 0.215 mg on week 2, 0.25 mg on week 3), which is the hormone that's actually stopping you from getting pregnant. There may be more breakthrough bleeding or spotting with the Tricyclen Lo versus Tricyclen because it has less estrogen (25 mcg versus 35 mcg). *Assuming the contents of these products are the same in your country as they are in Canada.
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Aug 17, 2011 05:29
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Moto Punch posted:I was told to take some paracetamol and ibuprofen half an hour before the appt. Thanks for the info! If anyone else has anything in particular to point out, let me know. I want to be prepared and ready for the aftermath with whatever meds/heating pads/whatever I need. More echoing on yes/no sex beforehand would be nice too.
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Aug 17, 2011 10:44
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I looked through the OP and wasn't able to find anything fitting my situation, and this is a long thread, so I apologize if this was asked before. I am switching from the NuvaRing to the Patch. I'm on my period right now (ring removed). They said I would need to use a backup method for up to a week until the Patch will fully protect me. Is it possible to put in another ring as the backup method, or would that screw it all up? Thanks for the help, I'm new to birth control and it's been troublesome to find a method that works for me.
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Aug 17, 2011 16:22
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Jesoteric posted:I looked through the OP and wasn't able to find anything fitting my situation, and this is a long thread, so I apologize if this was asked before. No, the 'other birth control' statement should really be phrased as 'other, non-hormonal birth control'. Using both nuvaring and the patch at the same time is going to lead to unwanted side effects, up to and including pregnancy. Time to break out the condoms, or abstain.
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Aug 17, 2011 17:58
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Why didn't I go to my university's clinic before? The doctor I'm seeing there is awesome, especially compared to that douche I mentionned in my last post (Dr. It's-unnecessary and my subsequent "fraud") I went in today to get a sample for the HPV test I couldn't get last time.  : So, did you say it was your gynocologist who wanted those tests done? : Well actually, it was Dr. Douche. My gynocologist bla bla bla... [long gynocological history of being transferred around]: But you've had 2 colposcopies and they found lesions, so you know there's an 80% chance you still have it? Yeah I know. I'm just thinking of future relationships and, you know, my peace of mind...... Well that's a perfectly valid reason. Here's your sample and your form.  Thank you. Oh and there's something I forgot to ask Dr. Douche last time [I did actually, but was dismissed  ). Have you heard about Drug X to minimize pain during IUD insertion?: I know the drug, but I've never used it in that context. You've never had children? [No] An abortion? [No]. Well it makes sense to use it for the pain. Here's a prescription. Thank you! You're welcome. Come back in a week for your results.This woman rocks, gently caress Dr. Douche. He better not make any trouble for me about those STD tests, the prick.
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Aug 17, 2011 18:03
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EoRaptor posted:No, the 'other birth control' statement should really be phrased as 'other, non-hormonal birth control'. Using both nuvaring and the patch at the same time is going to lead to unwanted side effects, up to and including pregnancy. Oh, okay! Thanks, sometimes BC usage guidelines can be vague or confusingly written.
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Aug 17, 2011 20:13
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bobula posted:Thanks for the info! If anyone else has anything in particular to point out, let me know. I want to be prepared and ready for the aftermath with whatever meds/heating pads/whatever I need. More echoing on yes/no sex beforehand would be nice too. When I got my mirena in I didn't go back to work for the day, but then I didn't have to. The heating pad is nice because you'll likely have cramps for the rest of the day. But the next day I was totally fine except for the occasional mild cramp. I took pain meds as needed but I don't remember anything excessive. As for sex goes, I wouldn't but I don't recall them saying anything specific about beforehand, but I agree with the person above who mentioned the abstain for a few days after. My reasoning for no sex before is that it will probably create more lesions. Plus my doc gave me the cytotec to put up there the evening before and I'm pretty sure sex would mess with that and it kind of makes your tummy, er, rumble. So in short, if you have a heating pad it would be nice, but IMO you don't need to go buy one just for that. As for meds, just have whichever you prefer to use, no need to have RX strength.
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Aug 17, 2011 20:15
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bobula posted:Thanks for the info! If anyone else has anything in particular to point out, let me know. I want to be prepared and ready for the aftermath with whatever meds/heating pads/whatever I need. More echoing on yes/no sex beforehand would be nice too. The worst part for me was right after; I'm prone to vasovagal reactions, and had one so bad the doctor wanted to take the Paragard out. It passed and I kept my little copper baby though. After I was able to walk the mile or so back home and even went to my afternoon class. (I probably shouldn't have walked it, but I can be a bit of an idiot about that sort of thing.) Otherwise what everyone else has said--regular ibuprofen should do it, heating pads are nice. The cramping was aggravating but didn't kill me.
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Aug 17, 2011 20:40
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Bloody Mayhem posted:Have you heard about Drug X to minimize pain during IUD insertion? Just FYI if the "Drug X" that you're referring to is misoprostol, it doesn't reduce pain, ease insertion or increase the chances of a successful insertion, but does increase your risk of getting nausea and cramping prior to insertion. I just thought I would mention that since most women, including goonettes, seem to be getting this drug for IUD insertion as current standard practice, but it's not at all based on evidence.
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Aug 18, 2011 00:52
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DRP Solved! posted:Just FYI if the "Drug X" that you're referring to is misoprostol, it doesn't reduce pain, ease insertion or increase the chances of a successful insertion, but does increase your risk of getting nausea and cramping prior to insertion. I definitely didn't get it. We raw dogged that poo poo. I was doing full time 8-5 new job so it was a bitch to get a day off and I scheduled it for my period and the doctor wasn't going to do it at first, she wanted me to insert some poo poo into my vag over night but when she saw how much of a bitch my scheduling conflicts were she was like "gently caress it, take that poo poo off and i'm gonna put it in" and bam. I had paragard cramps on top of period cramps but a heating pad was my best friend for a few days and it all worked out. That reads like a weird porn. I'm leaving it that way. edit: oh i'm 23, no kids, long term monogamous relationship.
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Aug 18, 2011 00:56
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Guys I'm freaking out right now. I've been using NuvraRing for the past two months. The first time I took the ring out for a week my period came on a Wednesday, as it also did when I was on OrthoTriCyclen-Lo. Last Sunday I took out the ring and yesterday my period did not come. I am not experiencing any cramps or and pre-period symptoms and I never took the ring out for the three weeks that it was in for. Could I be preggo? My boobs are a bit sore, but I thought that might be a side effect of the Ring, as it has been less than three months that I've been using it. I was going to wait till tomorrow to take a test, but If it doesnt come, should I put a new Ring in on sunday? Or wait till I get a period? What should I do? I really reaally reaaaaally don't want/need/cant afford a kid at the moment. Help me ladies!!! 
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Aug 18, 2011 17:12
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Lanthanum posted:Guys I'm freaking out right now. I've been using NuvraRing for the past two months. The first time I took the ring out for a week my period came on a Wednesday, as it also did when I was on OrthoTriCyclen-Lo. If you've used the ring properly for the last 2 cycles then you're probably fine. When I started Nuvaring after the patch I experienced similar delays in my period. It started out normal, I'd get my period 2 days after I took the ring out. Then it went to starting just 2 days or so before I was supposed to put it back in! If it puts your mind at ease, take a test (I love the ones posted earlier that are just a $1 each for this reason), and relax!
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Aug 18, 2011 17:56
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Lanthanum posted:Guys I'm freaking out right now. I've been using NuvraRing for the past two months. The first time I took the ring out for a week my period came on a Wednesday, as it also did when I was on OrthoTriCyclen-Lo.
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Aug 19, 2011 02:12
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I've had a Paragard a little over six months. My periods so far have been heavy and between 5-8 days, this one was considerably lighter and 3/4 days. I know it's common for periods to improve over time with the paragard, but it this normal? Truth be told the stronger cramps and the heavier bleeding were a little reassuring, since I felt that if it was giving me grief, it was working. I checked it and everything feels fine - should I be worried that there was such a dramatic improvement in a month's time?
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Aug 19, 2011 04:29
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Thanks gals My period did come, but it is suuuuuper light, and I have no cramping or anything. Is this another side effect of using the Ring? I usually have heavy hellish periods, but this is such a dream! Almost too good to be true.
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Aug 19, 2011 05:49
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I skimmed here, but I had a question about the NuvaRing. I went today to get a papsmear in order to take the first step to getting BC. I really want a copper IUD, but my health insurance doesn't cover it at all. I'm very worried about weight gain so my doctor recommended the NuvaRing to me. Anyone else have issues with being able to tone up or loose weight while using it? I stay in shape now, but I could be better. Unfortunately the other reason I was in there was I had a Bacterial Vaginosis infection. I always get this or yeast when I use condoms. I recently started seeing someone and they are very much not ok with using pull out as a main BC method. If condoms irritate my vagina this much is the ring going to do the same thing? Am I better off with something else? I got a few days to decide. They won't prescribe me any form of BC until my tests come back clean and this thing clears up (way worst then yeast ugh).
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Aug 19, 2011 06:06
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Hm, if you have yeasty problems already from something as minimal as condoms, I wouldn't recommend Nuvaring, as it can be known to cause yeast infections even in people who aren't particular sensitive. As for weight gain and such, it varies by person with hormonal birth control as a whole. Is there any way you could save up bit by bit for the remaining cost of the IUD? Lanthanum, I'm glad your little spook is over, and hopefully you'll continue to have happy light periods. Things will probably even out over time and your periods will be more consistent.
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Aug 19, 2011 06:30
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What's up with that legislation that all bc will be covered by insurance carriers? Has that trickled down yet?
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Aug 19, 2011 06:38
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fork bomb posted:What's up with that legislation that all bc will be covered by insurance carriers? Has that trickled down yet? That doesn't start until next year. Sorry
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Aug 19, 2011 06:48
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Lanthanum posted:Thanks gals My guess is that it probably is a side effect of NuvaRing. I've had a similar experience to yours, except that I'm on the pill. My periods have gotten much shorter and lighter as time has gone on. I even had a similar pregnancy scare last month when my period suddenly decided to shorten some more and started a day later than usual (right after a long visit with my boyfriend of course, great timing ).
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Aug 19, 2011 07:10
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lou reed posted:I've had a Paragard a little over six months. My periods so far have been heavy and between 5-8 days, this one was considerably lighter and 3/4 days. I know it's common for periods to improve over time with the paragard, but it this normal? Truth be told the stronger cramps and the heavier bleeding were a little reassuring, since I felt that if it was giving me grief, it was working. I checked it and everything feels fine - should I be worried that there was such a dramatic improvement in a month's time? This happened to me, too. I got a period about a year after insertion that was whole days shorter and had fewer cramps. Then I think the next one was the usual length and pain... so figured it was a fluke. Then all my following periods were short and less painful and then they kept getting shorter and less cramp-y and I realized it was going to remain like that. It happened very suddenly for me, too. I don't think there is anything to worry about. Just check that your strings are still in place, and welcome the shorter period.
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Aug 19, 2011 16:22
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Bagleworm posted:This happened to me, too. I got a period about a year after insertion that was whole days shorter and had fewer cramps. Then I think the next one was the usual length and pain... so figured it was a fluke. Then all my following periods were short and less painful and then they kept getting shorter and less cramp-y and I realized it was going to remain like that. I'm on my second month with the paragard and I am keeping my fingers crossed this happens to me! I went from no period on nuvaring to ~THIS~ and it is a bit overwhelming.
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Aug 19, 2011 20:13
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