Infants? In MY Vagina? Birth Control Megathread: Now w/ free BC for all! THANKS OBAMA

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Infants? In MY Vagina? Birth Control Megathread: Now w/ free BC for all! THANKS OBAMA

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thebehaviorist: Jan 11, 2009

Kerfuffle posted:

She absolutely cannot guarantee that and the experience with her other patients has nothing to do with you. Get what you feel is best. I'm seriously curious to why she was pushing Mirena so hard. Do doctors get some kind of commission for certain birth control?

Whoops, totally missed your post. This was kind of what I was thinking because they had all these brochures for the Mirena, as well as a little display of what it looks like. They had absolutely nothing for the Paragard and she immediately dismissed it when I told her that's what I wanted. I am assuming the drug reps are pushing Mirena so she has some incentive to put it in as many people as possible. Maybe this is incorrect, but it certainly seemed like it.

# ? Sep 16, 2011 06:56

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 12:33

Drugraid4am: Jan 16, 2004

I finally got a NuvaRing. I had a horrible, constant, headache for almost 36 hours after I inserted it, but it's better now. Also had minor nausea. It seems OK now almost three days later.

It's a dumb question but how far is this thing supposed to be inserted? It is HUGE and I was surprised by it's size. I haven't tried having sex with it yet but I'm worried about that as well. Stuff is also horribly expensive even with insurance. It's $90 for three months even with insurance. I must have misread my insurance policy I was expecting $15 a month.

I'm planning to keep it in for four weeks at a time and use it to skip periods. I'll see how that pans out.

# ? Sep 16, 2011 07:31

Nicol Bolas: Feb 13, 2009

Drugraid4am posted:

I finally got a NuvaRing. I had a horrible, constant, headache for almost 36 hours after I inserted it, but it's better now. Also had minor nausea. It seems OK now almost three days later.

It's a dumb question but how far is this thing supposed to be inserted? It is HUGE and I was surprised by it's size. I haven't tried having sex with it yet but I'm worried about that as well. Stuff is also horribly expensive even with insurance. It's $90 for three months even with insurance. I must have misread my insurance policy I was expecting $15 a month.

I'm planning to keep it in for four weeks at a time and use it to skip periods. I'll see how that pans out.

I was on Nuvaring for 3 years, and yeah, sometimes I had to adjust it up so it didn't try to make any escape attempts--whenever you're not aroused / actually having sex, it kind of feels like it lays along the whole length of your vagina. When you have sex, though, your vagina kind of stretches out and expands. Most guys can't feel it, but if yours does (or if it's uncomfortable for you) you can always take it out for sex.

What helped me keeping it comfortable on a day-to-day basis was making sure it was slipped under my cervix, and not stuck on it. If you stick a finger in there and do some spelunking you and push it around to a better position, and the ring will mold to you a little bit and your body will get more used to it.

# ? Sep 16, 2011 13:38

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Drugraid4am posted:

I finally got a NuvaRing. I had a horrible, constant, headache for almost 36 hours after I inserted it, but it's better now. Also had minor nausea. It seems OK now almost three days later.

It's a dumb question but how far is this thing supposed to be inserted? It is HUGE and I was surprised by it's size. I haven't tried having sex with it yet but I'm worried about that as well. Stuff is also horribly expensive even with insurance. It's $90 for three months even with insurance. I must have misread my insurance policy I was expecting $15 a month.

I'm planning to keep it in for four weeks at a time and use it to skip periods. I'll see how that pans out.

Varies by the lady I'm sure, but sex as actually sets it more securely in for me. And yeah $30/ring blows, most expensive birth control out there that will never get a generic. :/ But totally use the printout nuvaring coupon, I'm actually not sure how it effects sets of 3 or not, but if it does take $15 off each ring that cuts your payment in half.

# ? Sep 16, 2011 17:22

kdc67: Feb 2, 2006; WHEEEEEEE!

Kerfuffle posted:

Varies by the lady I'm sure, but sex as actually sets it more securely in for me. And yeah $30/ring blows, most expensive birth control out there that will never get a generic. :/ But totally use the printout nuvaring coupon, I'm actually not sure how it effects sets of 3 or not, but if it does take $15 off each ring that cuts your payment in half.

There's nothing to say that NuvaRing won't ever have a generic. It most likely will. The problem is with patents. NuvaRing's first patent doesn't expire until April 2018, so there won't be one before that. This period of exclusivity is where the companies make their money, and when a patent expires, they come out with a new or slightly different pill they can patent. See: Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo

# ? Sep 16, 2011 17:45

Zantie: Mar 30, 2003; Death. The capricious dance of Now You Stop Moving Forever.

I only skimmed the last page or so sorry if this is a repeat. There's a recall for several BC pills for possibly giving you the wrong dose on the wrong day.

http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/news/20110916/recall-of-birth-control-pills

quote:

The recall affects these products: Cyclafem 7/7/7, Cyclafem 1/35, Emoquette, Gildess FE 1.5/30, Gildess FE 1/20, Orsythia, Previfem and Tri-Previfem.

# ? Sep 16, 2011 23:24

Sexual Panda: May 9, 2007; Once upon a time, a little doggy poo lived on the side of a road. He felt all alone in the world. He believed that nobody needed him for anything.

I have a question about acne and birth control. I've always heard that BC will clear up acne, but I've been on it for 2 months now, and I swear my acne is worse than before. I used to get horrible pimples around my chin a couple days before my period, but now it's pretty much just all the time.

Should I talk to my doctor, or is it possible that BC isn't going to clear up my acne? Even though my boyfriend hates condoms, clearing up my acne is an even bigger priority for me. If it matters, I'm on Aviane, and like I said, only for 2 months now. I know it takes 3 months to adjust so I'm hoping someone will tell me my skin will clear up in a month.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 00:59

Ceridwen: Dec 11, 2004; Of course... If the Jell-O gets moldy, the whole thing should be set aflame.

Rockets posted:

With all this IUD chat, I might as well ask.

Has anyone else had, well, a horrible experience having it put in? I was supposed to be sporting some fancy copper uterus-jewelry as of today, but it went horribly wrong.

About 3 weeks ago my period was late. I took a pregnancy test, and although I had been using the NuvaRing, it was positive. So I took myself down to the local women's clinic and made an appointment, as I did not want to continue the pregnancy. Long story short, the doctor was fabulous, I wound up miscarrying anyways, and we scheduled today to put in a copper IUD.

That's where things went wrong. I came in today and the staff had me written down for a follow-up exam, not an IUD insertion. The awesome doctor was not there, instead it was a nurse practitioner? I think? She seemed confused because she doesn't usually insert IUDs in women who haven't had children. She told me she prefers to have the doctor there in those cases, in case she can't get it in, but she asked me if I wanted to try anyway, and I said yes.

The pain was so horrible, I don't want to sound over-dramatic but it was awful. The not-doctor woman did say things like "now a pinch", "you'll feel a cramp", but she didn't explain what was happening, what instruments she was using, she didn't even show me the IUD before-hand. After about 10 minutes of trying, I couldn't take it anymore and had to ask her to stop. When she withdrew the instruments I bled like a stuck pig, and still am (about 4 hours later).

She told me I should re-schedule with the doctor. To be fair, she did apologize, and she asked me several times throughout the procedure if the pain was too much before I finally tapped out. I was a little taken aback when she said she wouldn't charge me for this IUD - like she was doing me a favour?

I threw up on my way out of the office - I've never thrown up from pain before.

Anyway, I'm shaken by this experience. As in, I actually feel kind of violated. Kind of having a breakdown about this. If anyone has any thoughts on my experience, I'd like to hear them. Whether I'm over-reacting or yeah, that was messed up.

If you click the ? under my name you can find some of my posts about my IUD experience in this thread. This includes my experience having my old IUD removed to have a new one put in. The doctor who inserted my first IUD cut the strings too short and they disappeared into my cervix, making the process of removal (which is normally a quick and easy procedure) very painful and long.

If the doctor has difficulty inserting the IUD when you go back, or you having problems with the pain, ask if you can have your cervix numbed. Getting the lidocaine injected sucks a bit (enough that it's not worth it for an uncomplicated procedure) but once it kicks in everything is MUCH less painful.

Good luck with your next insertion attempt. I hope it goes better with the doctor than it did with the NP. Unfortunately it sounds like the NP is relatively new to inserting them (though it appears she did try to communicate that to you). Tell the doctor specifically the things that made that insertion experience difficult for you (like the NP not explaining what she was doing). That way he (she?) can make sure not to repeat the same mistakes in your next insertion, and hopefully the NP can find out some of the things she's doing wrong to make her better with future patients. It doesn't sound like she was trying to be cruel to you, just that she's less experienced than would have been ideal.

As for the Mirena-is-the-same-as-all-hormonal-birth-control stuff. No one version of HBC is exactly the same as another and the only ones that even get especially close are generic versions of name brand pills. Just because you reacted badly to 1, 2, or even 10 pills doesn't mean poo poo about how you will react to Mirena. Don't make the mistake of thinking that "non-hormonal" means side effect free. It doesn't. You are trading one set of potential side-effects for another, that's it.

Personally, I tried 4 pills, the patch, and the ring before I got a Mirena. All caused intolerable side effects for me. Most made me sick to my stomach (the ring didn't), some made my migraine headaches worse, some dulled my sex drive. Mirena does none of those. It does give me a bit more acne (which I never had with any of the others). It eliminates my periods (which none of the others ever affected). It reduces my migraine headaches.

If you really think the Paragard is best for you, by all means go for it. Especially if your periods are not bad and you have to pay for the whole thing yourself (Paragard is about half the price of Mirena). But if the only reason you are not considering the Mirena is because it has hormones you should really reconsider. There are some benefits to the Mirena over the Paragard (lighter/no periods, more effective, less cramping) that make it worth considering for most women.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 01:07

DRP Solved!: Dec 2, 2009

Sexual Panda posted:

I have a question about acne and birth control. I've always heard that BC will clear up acne, but I've been on it for 2 months now, and I swear my acne is worse than before. I used to get horrible pimples around my chin a couple days before my period, but now it's pretty much just all the time.

Should I talk to my doctor, or is it possible that BC isn't going to clear up my acne? Even though my boyfriend hates condoms, clearing up my acne is an even bigger priority for me. If it matters, I'm on Aviane, and like I said, only for 2 months now. I know it takes 3 months to adjust so I'm hoping someone will tell me my skin will clear up in a month.

Birth control can take anywhere from 3 to 9 months to have a positive effect on acne. I think it's a good idea to stay with it for a few more months to see if there's an improvement. In the meantime, you can also start using topical benzoyl peroxide to treat the acne (assuming you aren't already).

# ? Sep 17, 2011 01:15

Kimmalah: Nov 14, 2005; Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.

Sexual Panda posted:

I have a question about acne and birth control. I've always heard that BC will clear up acne, but I've been on it for 2 months now, and I swear my acne is worse than before. I used to get horrible pimples around my chin a couple days before my period, but now it's pretty much just all the time.

Should I talk to my doctor, or is it possible that BC isn't going to clear up my acne? Even though my boyfriend hates condoms, clearing up my acne is an even bigger priority for me. If it matters, I'm on Aviane, and like I said, only for 2 months now. I know it takes 3 months to adjust so I'm hoping someone will tell me my skin will clear up in a month.

For the first two months or so after I started taking the pill I had pretty terrible acne, but it settled down and cleared up probably around month 4. And my pill is specifically approved for acne treatment. :v:

So if you can stand it, maybe wait and see if it's just your body adjusting?

Of course everyone reacts differently to different pills and they won't make acne milder every single time either.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 03:00

HappyKitty: Jul 11, 2005

my fianc�e and I are working out birth control solutions. We're wondering if cat's claw is at all effective, or just a bunch of hooey. Since nobody's really talking about it in this thread, I'm guessing the general consensus is "hooey", but if anyone knows anything more informative than Google (which basically says "hmm... well, yeah, I guess it could be contraceptive, I suppose...")

# ? Sep 17, 2011 12:07

HelloIAmYourHeart: Dec 29, 2008; Fallen Rib

Are you seriously asking if an herbal supplement is an effective birth control? Because I can assure you that the answer is "no." If it were effective as a non-hormonal birth control, people would be all over it and you'd be able to find plenty of information on it. It would probably be an actual medication.

What's your objection to actual medication?

# ? Sep 17, 2011 15:25

DRP Solved!: Dec 2, 2009

HappyKitty posted:

my fianc�e and I are working out birth control solutions. We're wondering if cat's claw is at all effective, or just a bunch of hooey. Since nobody's really talking about it in this thread, I'm guessing the general consensus is "hooey", but if anyone knows anything more informative than Google (which basically says "hmm... well, yeah, I guess it could be contraceptive, I suppose...")

As with most herbal products, Cat's Claw is promoted for a million things, yet very poorly studied. Even if it even had the theoretical ability to prevent any step in conception, there haven't been any human studies to test for effectiveness. Not to mention that if it does fail, there is no telling what effect it'll have on a fetus since, surprise, that hasn't been studied either.

You'd be much better off sticking to tested methods of birth control. Natural health products are definitely not the way to go here.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 15:28

Rockets: Nov 8, 2003; Fitness is rocket science

Ceridwen posted:

If you click the ? under my name you can find some of my posts about my IUD experience in this thread. This includes my experience having my old IUD removed to have a new one put in. The doctor who inserted my first IUD cut the strings too short and they disappeared into my cervix, making the process of removal (which is normally a quick and easy procedure) very painful and long.

If the doctor has difficulty inserting the IUD when you go back, or you having problems with the pain, ask if you can have your cervix numbed. Getting the lidocaine injected sucks a bit (enough that it's not worth it for an uncomplicated procedure) but once it kicks in everything is MUCH less painful.

Good luck with your next insertion attempt. I hope it goes better with the doctor than it did with the NP. Unfortunately it sounds like the NP is relatively new to inserting them (though it appears she did try to communicate that to you). Tell the doctor specifically the things that made that insertion experience difficult for you (like the NP not explaining what she was doing). That way he (she?) can make sure not to repeat the same mistakes in your next insertion, and hopefully the NP can find out some of the things she's doing wrong to make her better with future patients. It doesn't sound like she was trying to be cruel to you, just that she's less experienced than would have been ideal.

Thank you for this. Although I knew all of these rational things in my head, I was having difficulty disentangling them from my emotional response to the experience. I will be seeing good doctor on the 11th regardless of whether I want to go through with the IUD or not. I am still weighing my options.

# ? Sep 17, 2011 19:02

big shtick energy: May 27, 2004

Just curious: Does anyone have any links or info to how birth control pregnancy rate statistics are determined? As in how the studies are set up? I did a bit of googling but I wasn't able to find anything. Is it just a survey? Is there some grad student with a clipboard watching how a couple puts on a condom before going at it?

# ? Sep 18, 2011 21:32

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

DuckConference posted:

Just curious: Does anyone have any links or info to how birth control pregnancy rate statistics are determined? As in how the studies are set up? I did a bit of googling but I wasn't able to find anything. Is it just a survey? Is there some grad student with a clipboard watching how a couple puts on a condom before going at it?

If I remember right, it's something like 1000 women use birth control for a year, and the results of if they get pregnant while on birth control ( I think both "perfect" and "typical" are tested). So the protection %s you hear are based on that. 99.9% perfect use protection means 1 of those 1000 women got pregnant over the course of 1 year using X birth control with no mess up/late time taking/etc.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 21:53

Kimmalah: Nov 14, 2005; Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.

DuckConference posted:

Just curious: Does anyone have any links or info to how birth control pregnancy rate statistics are determined? As in how the studies are set up? I did a bit of googling but I wasn't able to find anything. Is it just a survey? Is there some grad student with a clipboard watching how a couple puts on a condom before going at it?

Apparently there's the Pearl index or the alternative decrement table.

You'll have to take the research from there because I suck at statistics/probability and there's no way I could explain it myself.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 21:54

DRP Solved!: Dec 2, 2009

DuckConference posted:

Just curious: Does anyone have any links or info to how birth control pregnancy rate statistics are determined? As in how the studies are set up? I did a bit of googling but I wasn't able to find anything. Is it just a survey? Is there some grad student with a clipboard watching how a couple puts on a condom before going at it?

I don't have any links to illustrate it, but birth control studies are typically designed in the same manner as studies assessing other drugs:
1) There are variations to this depending on what you're comparing the birth control to, but generally you take a bunch of women who are interested in participating in the study and randomly place them in a group either taking the birth control pill, and one group taking an inactive pill (or in some cases, a group not taking any birth control).

2) Follow these women (a clinic visit every month or so... no creepy sex-watching) for 1-2 years (sometimes more) and take notes on whether they become pregnant, how adherent they were to using the birth control properly, frequency of sexual relations, BMI, and other factors.

3) Take the proportion of women who got pregnant in each group and standardize it to a certain time period. The Peal Index (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Index) is typically used to measure pregnancy rates.

# ? Sep 18, 2011 22:06

Peggy Lee: Nov 17, 2005; You give me fever.

My mood has been in the shitter lately and I want to try fish oil for it. (St. John's Wort is out since it fucks with OCPs, and I really like the 25 pounds that came off after I stopped Effexor. Also, not getting 'didn't take my medicine' hangovers rules.) The Google is not very helpful in saying whether or not it might interact with OCPs, I was just curious to see what the collective wisdom of SA had to offer.

# ? Sep 19, 2011 01:59

Bone Storm: Aug 3, 2011; BUY ME BONESTORM
OR GO TO HELL

The Sex Questions thread told me I should post this here instead. I'm sure this is asked frequently, so I apologize. I read through the info in the OP, I'm just looking for more detail.

Can someone fill me in with some more info about oral contraceptives causing depression? I've been dating a girl for about 3 months now. Long story short she was a confident perky ray of sunshine when we started dating, she got on the pill because of all the rad sex we wanted to be having, and she's been kind of sliding downhill emotionally ever since. She's had problems with the pill and depression in the past, but had heard it's not as severe when you're older (she's 24, was last on it around 17.) Unfortunately, I do not know what the specific medication she's taking is called.

I've had my own severe struggles with depression, and I'm quite sure it's what I'm seeing. I'd like to hope (for her sake) that it's just being caused by the pill. She thinks that might be what's going on too. She's thinking she'll stop taking it and see what happens.

So what I am wondering is:
*If the pill is what's actually causing this, and she stops, how long until the effects wear off?

*Should she stick it out for the rest of this (the 3rd) month, since side effects supposedly go down then?

*What's the usual severity of the kind of depression caused by the pill? I ask because it's quite severe for her (she's not suicidal or anything, but relative to her "normal" self it's quite drastic).

# ? Sep 19, 2011 02:33

DRP Solved!: Dec 2, 2009

Peggy Lee posted:

My mood has been in the shitter lately and I want to try fish oil for it. (St. John's Wort is out since it fucks with OCPs, and I really like the 25 pounds that came off after I stopped Effexor. Also, not getting 'didn't take my medicine' hangovers rules.) The Google is not very helpful in saying whether or not it might interact with OCPs, I was just curious to see what the collective wisdom of SA had to offer.

I'd advise you ask your pharmacist or physician next time instead of asking non-experts on the Internet. Fish oil shouldn't interact with oral birth control pills, though you should probably space them out by at least an hour anyway.

Bone Storm posted:

So what I am wondering is:
*If the pill is what's actually causing this, and she stops, how long until the effects wear off?

*Should she stick it out for the rest of this (the 3rd) month, since side effects supposedly go down then?

*What's the usual severity of the kind of depression caused by the pill? I ask because it's quite severe for her (she's not suicidal or anything, but relative to her "normal" self it's quite drastic).

It's difficult to answer these questions since studies haven't really shown a clear indication that birth control pills actually cause or worsen depression. I would recommend that she not stick it out, especially if her symptoms are severe. See if her mood improves within a few weeks and get her to see a doctor if it doesn't. The time in a woman's life when she starts using birth control and when mood disorders start popping up often overlap, so it's difficult to really say whether birth control plays any part in depression, especially since depressive episodes tend to last around 3 months or so.

# ? Sep 19, 2011 02:43

silicone thrills: Jan 9, 2008; I paint things

Bone Storm posted:

The Sex Questions thread told me I should post this here instead. I'm sure this is asked frequently, so I apologize. I read through the info in the OP, I'm just looking for more detail.

Can someone fill me in with some more info about oral contraceptives causing depression? I've been dating a girl for about 3 months now. Long story short she was a confident perky ray of sunshine when we started dating, she got on the pill because of all the rad sex we wanted to be having, and she's been kind of sliding downhill emotionally ever since. She's had problems with the pill and depression in the past, but had heard it's not as severe when you're older (she's 24, was last on it around 17.) Unfortunately, I do not know what the specific medication she's taking is called.

I've had my own severe struggles with depression, and I'm quite sure it's what I'm seeing. I'd like to hope (for her sake) that it's just being caused by the pill. She thinks that might be what's going on too. She's thinking she'll stop taking it and see what happens.

So what I am wondering is:
*If the pill is what's actually causing this, and she stops, how long until the effects wear off?

*Should she stick it out for the rest of this (the 3rd) month, since side effects supposedly go down then?

*What's the usual severity of the kind of depression caused by the pill? I ask because it's quite severe for her (she's not suicidal or anything, but relative to her "normal" self it's quite drastic).

This is actually why I went to Paragard because after trying 10 different pills and nuvaring I was still always depressed. I've been feeling a ton better since I completely dropped the hormones.

# ? Sep 19, 2011 02:51

Bone Storm: Aug 3, 2011; BUY ME BONESTORM
OR GO TO HELL

Tigntink posted:

This is actually why I went to Paragard because after trying 10 different pills and nuvaring I was still always depressed. I've been feeling a ton better since I completely dropped the hormones.

Unfortunately she's already got pretty gnarly, painful periods so an IUD might not be a great idea for her. I hope there's something out there that will work. While I'm more than willing to wear a condom if it keeps my girlfriend from being miserable, I loving hate condoms. Dammit, science, where's the male oral contraceptive?

# ? Sep 19, 2011 02:54

Kerfuffle: Aug 16, 2007; The sky calls to us~

Bone Storm posted:

Unfortunately she's already got pretty gnarly, painful periods so an IUD might not be a great idea for her. I hope there's something out there that will work. While I'm more than willing to wear a condom if it keeps my girlfriend from being miserable, I loving hate condoms. Dammit, science, where's the male oral contraceptive?

There's always other pills and birth control types too. One kind might cause depressive symptoms for her but another won't. Encourage her to keep trying other options, make she tells her doctor why she wants to switch pills. She isn't at all alone in this one either, there are quite a few people who have come in here with similar issues. If her depression is seriously effecting her everyday life then there's really no reason she should continue on it.

Good luck, hopefully she'll get something better for her.

# ? Sep 19, 2011 04:16

Anne Whateley: Feb 11, 2007; i like nice words

Bone Storm posted:

Unfortunately she's already got pretty gnarly, painful periods so an IUD might not be a great idea for her. I hope there's something out there that will work. While I'm more than willing to wear a condom if it keeps my girlfriend from being miserable, I loving hate condoms. Dammit, science, where's the male oral contraceptive?

You can always try other stuff like a diaphragm or female condoms. Just a different brand/style of condom can make a big difference, too.

# ? Sep 19, 2011 04:35

Dr. Fraiser Chain: May 18, 2004; Redlining my shit posting machine

Zantie posted:

I only skimmed the last page or so sorry if this is a repeat. There's a recall for several BC pills for possibly giving you the wrong dose on the wrong day.

http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/news/20110916/recall-of-birth-control-pills

Hey! Turns out my GF's BC was among those recalled! Wooo....

# ? Sep 19, 2011 18:37

Lixer: Dec 3, 2005; What does Depeche Mode mean? I like kinky sex with a scoop of ice cream

Bone Storm posted:

Can someone fill me in with some more info about oral contraceptives causing depression?

When I went on the patch I got very depressed, but it went away after switching to nuvaring. It's definitely something to look into and play around with. Good luck!

# ? Sep 19, 2011 22:49

sarah synonymous: Sep 14, 2007; somewhere that's green

I have an odd Paragard question.

I've had mine in for about a month and a half now, and I'm getting the normal side effects of frequent spotting and cramping (awesome). The cramping hasn't been too bad, all told; I've had a day or two where I needed some Advil to get through, but most of it has just been some low-level twinges. However, I've started noticing that maybe... 70% of the cramping seems focused on the left side of my abdomen. Again, it's really minor cramping, and it isn't constant; I just realized today that I usually feel it right in the middle or on the left side. Do you think this should be cause for concern, or does it seem pretty normal?

# ? Sep 20, 2011 22:43

silicone thrills: Jan 9, 2008; I paint things

sarah synonymous posted:

I have an odd Paragard question.

I've had mine in for about a month and a half now, and I'm getting the normal side effects of frequent spotting and cramping (awesome). The cramping hasn't been too bad, all told; I've had a day or two where I needed some Advil to get through, but most of it has just been some low-level twinges. However, I've started noticing that maybe... 70% of the cramping seems focused on the left side of my abdomen. Again, it's really minor cramping, and it isn't constant; I just realized today that I usually feel it right in the middle or on the left side. Do you think this should be cause for concern, or does it seem pretty normal?

Mine is the same way. It was always on the right for me. It went away completely after four months.

# ? Sep 20, 2011 23:09

Sharks Below: May 23, 2011; ty hc <3

This is probably a really stupid question, but I'm on Yasmin (about to start my fourth month) and it was meant to help with my problem skin and fluid retention. It hasn't, that's fine, I know my experience will be different to others and vice versa. But is there a correlation between taking the pill at the exact same time of day every day and increased efficacy? Has anybody got personal experience in that sense?

# ? Sep 20, 2011 23:24

DRP Solved!: Dec 2, 2009

Sharks Below posted:

is there a correlation between taking the pill at the exact same time of day every day and increased efficacy?

Only in the sense that it allows you to set a routine that makes you less likely to miss a pill. The hormones in a combined birth control pill stay in your body long enough that if you take the pill within 24 hours of the intended time (in other words, don't miss a day), there shouldn't be much of a variation in your hormone levels.

# ? Sep 20, 2011 23:52

Nicol Bolas: Feb 13, 2009

sarah synonymous posted:

I have an odd Paragard question.

I've had mine in for about a month and a half now, and I'm getting the normal side effects of frequent spotting and cramping (awesome). The cramping hasn't been too bad, all told; I've had a day or two where I needed some Advil to get through, but most of it has just been some low-level twinges. However, I've started noticing that maybe... 70% of the cramping seems focused on the left side of my abdomen. Again, it's really minor cramping, and it isn't constant; I just realized today that I usually feel it right in the middle or on the left side. Do you think this should be cause for concern, or does it seem pretty normal?

I'm just gonna chime in here and mention that I had this--it got stay-home-from-work bad while my IUD was settling--and my gyno said that if your uterus was going to perforate, it would have done so on insertion, and you would have been in lots of pain well before a month and a half in. The IUD just has do get comfortable in there. Even now I get cramps primarily on the left-hand side, but they're not the stabby twinges they were before, just normal cramps.

I guess my point is, pain does not mean perforation and don't be a paranoid person like me? Lots of people (including me) get really scared about uterus perforation with an IUD.

Nicol Bolas fucked around with this message at 13:42 on Sep 21, 2011

# ? Sep 21, 2011 13:36

Triangulum: Oct 3, 2007; by Lowtax

Well this loving sucks. I called Planned Parenthood last night because I have my appointment to get the Mirena inserted today but my period is late. Not only could they not tell me whether or not they would still insert the IUD without me being on my period (said it was up to the clinician), they also informed me that I was not allowed to bring my fiance into the back room with me. Even though its PP policy to allow the patient to request someone come with her. Based on the reviews of the clinic I read, they aren't going to budge on this topic. He's coming with me anyways and we're going to try to explain to them why I need someone I know to be there with me but goddamn, I am dreading this appointment now.

Why can't I deal with this poo poo like a normal person :sigh:

# ? Sep 22, 2011 15:20

Eggplant Wizard: Jul 8, 2005; i loev catte

Triangulum posted:

Well this loving sucks. I called Planned Parenthood last night because I have my appointment to get the Mirena inserted today but my period is late. Not only could they not tell me whether or not they would still insert the IUD without me being on my period (said it was up to the clinician), they also informed me that I was not allowed to bring my fiance into the back room with me. Even though its PP policy to allow the patient to request someone come with her. Based on the reviews of the clinic I read, they aren't going to budge on this topic. He's coming with me anyways and we're going to try to explain to them why I need someone I know to be there with me but goddamn, I am dreading this appointment now.

Why can't I they deal with this poo poo like a normal ~~person~~ clinic

Fixed for you. You are clearly not the problem here. Good luck

It will be okay in the end.

# ? Sep 22, 2011 17:55

Triangulum: Oct 3, 2007; by Lowtax

Eggplant Wizard posted:

Fixed for you. You are clearly not the problem here. Good luck It will be okay in the end.

Thanks, I'm sure it will be too. I've managed before without someone going with me, I'm sure I can again. And hey! Maybe they will let him come! I'd think that if anyone was sympathetic to "hey I've been sexually assaulted and taking my pants off around strangers is super scary now" it would be PP. And if they are terrible assholes about it, I may just go to a different PP clinic. The downtown clinic has absolutely HORRIBLE reviews on Yelp/Yahoo.

Also I like your new avatar :3:

# ? Sep 22, 2011 18:02

Sharks Below: May 23, 2011; ty hc <3

Triangulum posted:

Thanks, I'm sure it will be too. I've managed before without someone going with me, I'm sure I can again. And hey! Maybe they will let him come! I'd think that if anyone was sympathetic to "hey I've been sexually assaulted and taking my pants off around strangers is super scary now" it would be PP. And if they are terrible assholes about it, I may just go to a different PP clinic. The downtown clinic has absolutely HORRIBLE reviews on Yelp/Yahoo.

Also I like your new avatar

I didn't think they were allowed to stop partners coming into the procedure room unless there was a significant IC risk

I live in a different country though. That sucks. Do you have a GP who could write you a letter stating that you need your partner to come in with you? No one likes performing a procedure on a very anxious patient anyway, you'd think if there was an easy way to reduce your anxiety they'd do it..

# ? Sep 22, 2011 23:13

minema: May 31, 2011

Hi, I just had a question about the pill, I have read the OP but I'm still not entirely sure what to do.

Basically I want to start the pill and I have it ready. My doctor told me to take the first one on the first day of my period. I just now started my period at half past midnight (I'm in the UK). Since I want to take the pill every morning should I wait until I wake up and have the first one then? Or take one now and kinda slowly go back an hour or so every day until it's the morning? I am probably completely overthinking this but it's not the kind of thing I want to mess up!

# ? Sep 23, 2011 00:46

Triangulum: Oct 3, 2007; by Lowtax

Sharks Below posted:

I didn't think they were allowed to stop partners coming into the procedure room unless there was a significant IC risk I live in a different country though. That sucks. Do you have a GP who could write you a letter stating that you need your partner to come in with you? No one likes performing a procedure on a very anxious patient anyway, you'd think if there was an easy way to reduce your anxiety they'd do it..

My GP loving sucks rear end and it takes well over a month to even get an appointment. I ended up canceling my appointment with PP because everything I read online about that specific clinic said that they absolutely refuse to let the husband/boyfriend/whatever into the room with the patient. I'm gonna call other PPs and see if they are a little more chill, the one I had an appointment with seems to have a lot of super rude, rear end in a top hat staff members and seriously gently caress that poo poo it's gonna suck enough as it is to get it put in.

# ? Sep 23, 2011 01:22

The Royal Nonesuch: Nov 1, 2005

minema posted:

Hi, I just had a question about the pill, I have read the OP but I'm still not entirely sure what to do.

Basically I want to start the pill and I have it ready. My doctor told me to take the first one on the first day of my period. I just now started my period at half past midnight (I'm in the UK). Since I want to take the pill every morning should I wait until I wake up and have the first one then? Or take one now and kinda slowly go back an hour or so every day until it's the morning? I am probably completely overthinking this but it's not the kind of thing I want to mess up!

Take it in the morning whenever you want your time to be. It's a Day 1 start, not an Hour 1.

# ? Sep 23, 2011 01:38

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 12:33

Lanthanum: Oct 19, 2008; I wish I had a robot husband. That would be baller as fuck.

Triangulum posted:

My GP loving sucks rear end and it takes well over a month to even get an appointment. I ended up canceling my appointment with PP because everything I read online about that specific clinic said that they absolutely refuse to let the husband/boyfriend/whatever into the room with the patient. I'm gonna call other PPs and see if they are a little more chill, the one I had an appointment with seems to have a lot of super rude, rear end in a top hat staff members and seriously gently caress that poo poo it's gonna suck enough as it is to get it put in.

Which PP did you go to? I went to one in SD that let my boyfriend come in with me when I had my implanon intserted/removed

# ? Sep 23, 2011 01:40

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Infants? In MY Vagina? Birth Control Megathread: Now w/ free BC for all! THANKS OBAMA

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