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PopRocks posted:
That's really weird, it goes up in the vagina past where you really have any nerve endings. If you can feel it it isn't in far enough. I honestly haven't had sex wiith it yet but it's not a big deal to take it out and put it back in later. You can have it out for up to 3 hours per day. And I feel ya on the sensitive skin, I can't use Band-aid brand because the adhesive irritates my skin.
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Jan 2, 2012 06:11
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PopRocks posted:I'm thinking about switching to the patch, my main reasons being I can't remember to take the pill every day and have no insurance so it's seems the most flexible/ affordable option. I also really like the piece of mind of having a visual reminder stuck on my body that I've taken my birth control. I've never had any bad reactions to hormones, not even Plan B, so I'm not worried about the high levels in the patch. I really miss hormonal birth control for the regular and pain-free periods. My sister was on the patch for a bit. Her complaints were the residue it left, lots of nausea after eating, and increased anxiety. She has kind of an anxious personality anyway, so it's not surprising it didn't help there. But nausea would suck, so I hope she was in the minority in having that side effect. As for the ring. I ended up having to take it out every time after sex (or it would be popped out), but after a while it became habit- My brain would automatically think "is the ring back in?" twenty or thirty minutes after sex. I left it in at first but after having to search high and low a couple of times when it got flung out I just started taking it out and setting it aside. As far as being able to feel it goes, I couldn't at all. But I use a menstrual cup and can't really feel that either when it's properly placed, AND I had both of them (ring and cup) stuffed in there for a couple of days at the end of every cycle. bobula fucked around with this message at 12:48 on Jan 2, 2012 |
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Jan 2, 2012 12:45
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I had a lot of nausea with the patch as well. Was happy with Depo and am super happy with my Implanon now. (I'm in that % that doesn't bleed at all while on it, for both Depo & the Implanon)
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Jan 3, 2012 05:49
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Yakiniku Teishoku posted:I had a lot of nausea with the patch as well. Was happy with Depo and am super happy with my Implanon now. (I'm in that % that doesn't bleed at all while on it, for both Depo & the Implanon) I was happy on Depo for the simple reason that I didn't have to worry for 3 months, despite the rollercoaster my emotions went through. Plus, my rag dried up! I've been super happy with Implanon, even though I'm susceptible to the irregular bleeding that most of us experience as a side effect. 3 years worry free makes up for any inconvenience!
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Jan 3, 2012 07:00
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On the negative side, I finally got my Implanon taken out a year early because it was making me cry every goddamned day and have a full, heavy period every twelve days like clockwork. Just be warned, not everyone reacts well to the hormones, so be prepared to have it taken out and don't be an idiot like me and wait way too long for things to get better. Edit: I still have short periods after 6 months with it out. Every 21 days. 
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Jan 3, 2012 16:14
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When my Implanon was put in, I was period free for 2 weeks, the bled every day for 4 months, and it was a moderate flow, not super light or anything. My hair also fell out in clumps. As soon as it was taken out I stopped bleeding and my hair started to fill out again! Now I'm back on the pill and I have no side effects!
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Jan 3, 2012 16:37
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Chiming in to say that I also had some pretty intense nausea and vomiting while on the patch, as well as occasional depression. Went away as soon as I stopped using the patch. I also had way shorter periods, which was nice! But not worth the puking and bad moods. 
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Jan 3, 2012 18:20
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I started my period yesterday, which would have been 2nd day of my placebo. These days I usually do not start until the 4th or 5th day of placebo. I did not miss a pill or take a pill at a different time. I haven't skipped a week of placebo in a long time. Can I chalk it up to crazy family stress while home for the holidays (I got back home Sunday), lots of air travel stress, and a way different diet? Or should I be concerned my pill isn't working as well?
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Jan 3, 2012 19:53
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Yakiniku Teishoku posted:I had a lot of nausea with the patch as well. Was happy with Depo and am super happy with my Implanon now. (I'm in that % that doesn't bleed at all while on it, for both Depo & the Implanon) What I like about the patch (and the pill) is the predictable, pain-free periods. I tried depo a while back, and didn't care for the spotting throughout the month. Plus I'm honestly so bad at keeping track of these things, after 5 to 6 months I forgot when I was supposed to get my 3rd shot. I'm hoping that since I didn't have nausea with Plan B that I won't get it with the patch, but I guess if my doctor says I'm too fat it's back to the pill. I was on Yaz which made me feel great but at $80 without insurance I've got to find something cheaper.
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Jan 3, 2012 20:28
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Geolicious posted:I started my period yesterday, which would have been 2nd day of my placebo. These days I usually do not start until the 4th or 5th day of placebo. I would say stress and air travel are the culprits (though diet is probably in there, too). Travel is especially bad if you change time zones a bunch. De-stress, get your diet back to your normal and see what happens next month. Maybe schedule a mental health day off from school/work in there if you can.
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Jan 3, 2012 21:05
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fine-tune posted:I would say stress and air travel are the culprits (though diet is probably in there, too). Travel is especially bad if you change time zones a bunch. De-stress, get your diet back to your normal and see what happens next month. Maybe schedule a mental health day off from school/work in there if you can. Didn't even think of the time zone madness. Plus, I did a complete 180 on what I ate for a week. For some reason, in the past year, I have become super paranoid about my pill not working. I guess because of all my weight gain in the past year (which I am slowly reversing). But, it looks like I can probably get Mirena in February or March, so I hope that eases my mind. I have not seen or heard about any issues about weight with Mirena. Geolicious fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Jan 3, 2012 |
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Jan 3, 2012 21:24
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Another Mirena question: I've heard that the string can irritate your boyfriend/fiance/husband during sex. Is there any way to prevent this? Does it just go away after a while? How long does it take to stop being an issue?
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Jan 4, 2012 00:41
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uberwekkness posted:Another Mirena question: I've heard that the string can irritate your boyfriend/fiance/husband during sex. Is there any way to prevent this? Does it just go away after a while? How long does it take to stop being an issue? It takes awhile but the strings will eventually soften and roll up. So they aren't pokey forever.
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Jan 4, 2012 01:28
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uberwekkness posted:Another Mirena question: I've heard that the string can irritate your boyfriend/fiance/husband during sex. Is there any way to prevent this? Does it just go away after a while? How long does it take to stop being an issue? Unfortunately there's nothing you can do initially. The strings aren't hard, just inflexible at first. However, with sex/tampon use/just being in your body, they loosen up. My boyfriend could feel the strings for about two weeks, but it wasn't that irritating. He said it felt like a little poke if he went too deep. However, after a couple weeks they softened to the point where he can't feel it at all. Has anyone else had acne problems with Mirena? I can't tell if it's due to the IUD or just because it's winter.
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Jan 5, 2012 01:21
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Semisponge posted:On the negative side, I finally got my Implanon taken out a year early because it was making me cry every goddamned day and have a full, heavy period every twelve days like clockwork. Just be warned, not everyone reacts well to the hormones, so be prepared to have it taken out and don't be an idiot like me and wait way too long for things to get better.
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Jan 5, 2012 01:28
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i like nice words
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Alright! Got a Planned Parenthood appointment on Friday, and I'll ask about Mirena. Thanks, goons!
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Jan 5, 2012 03:33
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Koivunen posted:Has anyone else had acne problems with Mirena? I can't tell if it's due to the IUD or just because it's winter. When I got my Mirena, I had been on Ortho Cyclen (which is known for decreasing acne iirc), so I did notice an increase in acne, but only back to how it was before I went on BC in the first place. Could your situation be the same?
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Jan 5, 2012 05:33
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Kerfuffle posted:It takes awhile but the strings will eventually soften and roll up. So they aren't pokey forever. Note that "a while" can be like over a year. It's different for every couple due to the placement of the cervix, and the size of the penis/vagina in question. It was quite an issue for me and my boyfriend before the strings softened. But I've also had friends with Mirena and I've been told they didn't even feel the strings ever. But my gyno told me I had a very low, front-and-center cervix while she was putting the device in, so frankly it was almost assumed we'd have these issues. I think reasonably a cervical cap could work to provide a barrier if the strings are a problem. Even with the issues, I love Mirena so much more than the pill.
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Jan 5, 2012 05:42
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Eggplant Wizard posted:When I got my Mirena, I had been on Ortho Cyclen (which is known for decreasing acne iirc), so I did notice an increase in acne, but only back to how it was before I went on BC in the first place. Could your situation be the same? That's very possible. I was also on ortho tri cyclen, but I was on it for almost seven years, so I don't remember what my face was like before birth control.
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Jan 6, 2012 23:57
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This may/may not be the place to ask this, but here it goes. (if it isn't, just tell me where it goes and I will remove/re-post appropriately) I feel awkward asking this but... My girlfriend and I have been having unprotected sex for almost 2 years now. We both know we are disease free and very comfortable with each other. She takes her birth control religiously (ie. pretty much the exact same time each day and never forgets a day). When we have sex I obviously pull out, however today we got to the discussion about me not pulling out. I feel as though it should be okay considering how strict she is with taking her birth control, combined with the fact that it (read: birth control) is pretty much 99% effective and the whole point behind taking birth control (aside from period regulation) is to make getting pregnant almost impossible. How safe/un-safe is the idea of not pulling out? I guess I'm asking if it's okay to not pull out considering the above information. Please feel free to educate me (yes, I know the consequences can lead to kids) TIA goons!
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Jan 9, 2012 22:59
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azerdude32 posted:This may/may not be the place to ask this, but here it goes. (if it isn't, just tell me where it goes and I will remove/re-post appropriately)  And you're right, you should be fine so long as she's good about the pill. You're fine not pulling out, but also no birth control method is perfect. poo poo can happen, so I think it's always a good idea to talk ahead of time about the *what if* with long term partners.
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Jan 9, 2012 23:26
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azerdude32 posted:I feel as though it should be okay considering how strict she is with taking her birth control, combined with the fact that it (read: birth control) is pretty much 99% effective and the whole point behind taking birth control (aside from period regulation) is to make getting pregnant almost impossible. How safe/un-safe is the idea of not pulling out? I guess I'm asking if it's okay to not pull out considering the above information. Please feel free to educate me (yes, I know the consequences can lead to kids) The pill is a highly effective form of contraception when used correctly (basically, when taken every day). Less than 1% of women using only the pill (correctly) as contraception will get pregnant over a year. It really is intended to be the sole form of birth control, and the chances are very high that the two years you have been having sex with your girlfriend, all the pregnancy prevention was handled by the pill. The only time that pulling out would contribute to pregnancy prevention is in the very slim chance that her birth control failed and she ovulated, and you had sex at around that time. No one who knows anything about contraception is going to call you irresponsible or stupid or anything, because the pill -taken correctly- is so effective. Whether you use a back-up method (pulling-out, condoms, whatever) is really a personal preference. Some people can't help but feel anxious if they don't use a visible, secondary form of birth control, even when the secondary birth control is less effective than their primary method. I've relied on "just" my IUD for almost four years now, and I'm completely comfortable with that. My boyfriend and I know what we will do if I do somehow end up pregnant (while the chances are extremely small, no contraception is 100% effective), and having a plan really helps any anxiety I might feel. That might not help you decide, but no one can tell you if you should or shouldn't - that depends on your comfort level (and your girlfriend's, obviously) and current situation.
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Jan 9, 2012 23:26
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Bagleworm posted:I've relied on "just" my IUD for almost four years now, and I'm completely comfortable with that. My boyfriend and I know what we will do if I do somehow end up pregnant (while the chances are extremely small, no contraception is 100% effective), and having a plan really helps any anxiety I might feel. I have never used a backup method with the bf, I was on the pill for the first bit of our relationship and got Implanon back in April and that's all we used (except pulling out for the short time I was on antibiotics for a UTI), but this was after we had a nice long talk about what we would do if the birth control failed and only after we agreed on what would happen were we able to continue, though that's a conversation that should happen anyway, no matter that birth control method[s]. Just adding this as another "If you're comfortable with it, go ahead and enjoy"
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Jan 10, 2012 00:50
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azerdude32 posted:When we have sex I obviously pull out Obviously  With perfect use (her being strict with it) the failure rate is something like 0.3%, so yeah, you're probably fine. I was on pills for seven years with no babies.
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Jan 10, 2012 09:59
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oliven posted:Obviously Also just to clarify for him, that is 0.3% per year out of I believe 1000 women using birth control.
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Jan 10, 2012 10:19
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This is only partially related to birth control but this thread gets lots of traffic so I figured someone might know what was up. I have a Paragard and have had it since last February. On Saturday, out of the blue, I got a bad pain in my lower middle abdomen. It wasn't horrible Saturday and Sunday but it was pretty constant. It felt worse on Monday so I went to an instacare center. They took a urine test (normal) and a blood test (elevated white blood cell count) so they sent me for a CT scan, which I had today (still very painful.) The doctor said my scan was totally normal except for a grape-size cyst on my left ovary. My period should arrive Friday. This is so painful that I'm perplexed it's only a little cyst. It's bad enough that I missed work today and am considering calling in tomorrow, and I can barely stand up straight. I have never had this kind of pain before, ever. The doctor said maybe going on the pill or switching to Mirena could help alleviate the cysts, which I don't really want to do because the whole reason I got paragard in the first place was to avoid hormones (not to mention my Catholic employer won't cover any type of BC, so the paragard was out of pocket.) Anyone have any experience with this? It's ridiculous and I can't do this again in a month. I have a copy of my scan and an appointment at Planned Parenthood for Thursday. I'm also going to ask around for recommendations for a regular OBGYN.
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Jan 11, 2012 00:44
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Getting Mirena Sunday morning!
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Jan 11, 2012 01:59
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An (almost) 6 months user of Implanon checking in here. I had it put in back in July, had one period in August, and other than spotting, that's really been it. The one thing that I've noticed, however, is the increasing intensity of headaches at the back of my head. Has anyone else had that problem? Other than that, I've not had any issues whatsoever. I'm rather happy with being baby-free for 3 years.
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Jan 11, 2012 06:24
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So I have a weird question. On Thursday night, the BF and I had some pretty wild sex. I didn't feel any pain during, but afterward my cervix started cramping BAD. Like, within 5 minutes it hurt to walk down the stairs of our apartment building. I walked into the house we were going to and headed up to the bathroom, very nauseous... I felt like I was going to vomit. It hurt in my lower abdomen to move positions (I was sitting on the floor with my head against the wall). After about 10 minutes, I stood up (pain still) and we went back home. I decided that in the morning if it was still as painful, we'd go to Emerg but I didn't feel like sitting there waiting all night to be sent home with nothing. The best way I can describe the pain is that my cervix was trying to give birth to my IUD. The next couple days, I was okay and had a twinge of pain if I jumped in the car too hard, or suddenly jumped up out of a chair, but nothing else except for a missing period (should have started Saturday)! I took a test last night and it's negative. I have a Dr's appointment in a couple days just to check and make sure everything's still okau with my IUD. I've tried calling a couple times and have either gotten the busy signal or they're on lunch. Does anyone have any ideas? Did all the cramping halt my cycle? 
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Jan 11, 2012 18:51
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The Peacock posted:So I have a weird question. On Thursday night, the BF and I had some pretty wild sex. I've definitely experienced the kind of symptoms you had. Happens to me after particularly deep penetration which bumps up against my cervix, and I never feel it till after the sex is over. The pain is almost debilitating and it scared me pretty badly the first time it happened. When it happens now I curl up into the fetal position (doesn't really help) to ride out the worst of it, which is usually ~5-10 minutes. After that I can move around more easily though I am still sore. I've always felt normal by the next day. However, I don't have an IUD, and that could exacerbate your pain (IUD ladies c/d?). I don't know if the cramping would mess with your cycle (although it's possible, the body is sensitive to all kinds of stressors).
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Jan 11, 2012 19:48
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lou reed posted:The doctor said my scan was totally normal except for a grape-size cyst on my left ovary. Firstly, I want to make very plain that I have no experience with cysts. That being said, a grape-sized cyst doesn't sound "little" to me. That sounds huge. My questions for you are these: Did the doctor say that the Paragard caused the cyst? If so, why have you not gotten cysts before now? Or have you? Also, why would you have to go through all this again in a month? Are you expecting another cyst to develop? I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you as I don't really know anything about cysts, but those things popped out at me.
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Jan 11, 2012 19:59
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lou reed posted:This is so painful that I'm perplexed it's only a little cyst. While it may be "only" the size of a grape, you have to keep in mind that your ovary is roughly the size of a walnut. It's no surprise it's so bad. Get thee to a gyno and go from there.
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Jan 11, 2012 20:04
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The Peacock posted:So I have a weird question. On Thursday night, the BF and I had some pretty wild sex. I would not stress too much. Have you been completely regular since you got the IUD in? Looking back through your posts it doesn't seem like you've been off hormonal BC for all that long, so your cycle could still just be working itself out. Even if your IUD had somehow gotten pushed around by the cramping, it should not affect your cycle, so I would bet the two things are just coincidence. Cramping that severe is worth getting checked out though. I'd suspect you just managed to really piss off your cervix, which is probably not 100% used to the IUD yet. I would take some ibuprofen or naproxen and use a heat pad if it happens again. lou reed posted:This is only partially related to birth control but this thread gets lots of traffic so I figured someone might know what was up. Don't change your birth control over a single cyst! Switching to Mirena would be an odd choice as it can actually cause ovarian cysts. Paragard doesn't cause them, but it does allow them to form more than the pill because it doesn't stop ovulation. Just because you got this one does not mean you will continue to get them. Additionally, even if you get more, it doesn't mean they will be painful (the vast majority aren't). Definitely see what the folks at planned parenthood say but I'm pretty sure your best bet is to just wait things out for at least 2-3 months to let this one go away and see whether you continue to get them. If you do, you can talk about going on the pill for a little while (no need to remove the Paragard to go on the pill) to see if it helps or otherwise altering your birth control method.
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Jan 11, 2012 21:40
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I previously had an unfortunate, rather horrifying Mirena insertion, but after consulting with my doctor we concluded that we could try again. I just got home from the new insertion and holy hell, it is so much better. They had to do a few things to ensure no craziness would occur this time, but the effort was worth it. We had to do the following things: 1. Taking a medicine (forget the name) the night before to help soften the cervix 2. Injection of Toradol into my butt/hip area (its like motrin on crack apparently) 3. Cervical block prior to insertion 4. Ultrasound immediately following insertion to check that the IUD was in place. 5. Pain meds dispensed to me afterwards just in case Oh and to those who might remember what had happened, the ER staff was utterly retarded and didn't even take proper pictures of the IUD (I would imagine some of it would have had to do with the unsupervised student taking my ultrasound...). It wasn't even twisted at all, just one of the arms didn't even open completely. My doctor was very thorough this time and I feel pretty fantastic right now. No babies for five years = 
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Jan 11, 2012 22:20
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Aw yay, I'm glad it all worked out after all the trouble it caused you. Happy worry free years. 
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Jan 12, 2012 02:37
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Awhile back I was diagnosed with PCOS. I started taking Loestrin 24 Fe to help manage the symptoms, which has been fine. I'm a lesbian, so pregnancy isn't an issue here. I moved to a new state and got a job and my health insurance doesn't kick in until March, and I don't have enough Loestrin to get me through until then. One of my friends has extra from when she switched prescriptions. She's offered to give me two months of Gianvi which is the generic form of Yaz. Is switching to this until I can get another prescription a bad idea? My options are basically to go off BC, take this, or see what Planned Parenthood might be able to do for me for a month.
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Jan 12, 2012 07:51
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When I was on Loestrin, I got a coupon from Warner Chilcott that made my prescription only $24/pack, even when I was on an insurance that only paid for generic BCs. Definitely worth looking into. I got my card from my gyno, but I bet PP has them too.
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Jan 12, 2012 12:30
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Jenkin posted:Awhile back I was diagnosed with PCOS. I started taking Loestrin 24 Fe to help manage the symptoms, which has been fine. I'm a lesbian, so pregnancy isn't an issue here. I'd talk to Planned Parenthood. It's never a good idea to take prescription medication without a doctor. You don't know the possible side effects & interactions available, or whether Loestrin has some quality that helps your PCOS that Yaz doesn't. I mean, yeah, you probably can google it, but that's not the same, and personally I wouldn't take that risk. PP should be able to help you, especially since it's only on a temporary basis...
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Jan 12, 2012 15:39
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Eggplant Wizard posted:I'd talk to Planned Parenthood. It's never a good idea to take prescription medication without a doctor. You don't know the possible side effects & interactions available, or whether Loestrin has some quality that helps your PCOS that Yaz doesn't. I mean, yeah, you probably can google it, but that's not the same, and personally I wouldn't take that risk. PP should be able to help you, especially since it's only on a temporary basis... I called my old OB/GYN office and the nurse said she didn't think it was a great idea, but then she offered me some samples of Loestrin that one of my friends is going to pick up and mail to me. Hooray!
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Jan 12, 2012 21:22
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Jenkin posted:I called my old OB/GYN office and the nurse said she didn't think it was a great idea, but then she offered me some samples of Loestrin that one of my friends is going to pick up and mail to me. Hooray! Awesome! We should have thought of that-- my old doctor used to give me a couple sample packets every time I went to see her.
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Jan 12, 2012 21:51
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