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I went to school in Georgia, and contraception was never taught in sex ed. The only time I remember it being mentioned was in eighth grade, when the students were allowed to anonymously submit questions about sex and the teacher spent a few days answering them, though I don't remember her touching on it more than "these things exist". 99% of sex ed though was genital parts and periods, all the STDs you can get and how terrible they are, and abstinence. Even our textbooks said that abstinence was the best option. Meanwhile, in high school, there was a big controversy about some nearby area that had high teen pregnancy rates. I mainly learned about contraception from friends and later on, the Internet, as my mom only did the facts of life talk with me because it was required for Girl Scouts, so she was no help there. I don't think I knew about any kind of BC except condoms until I got to college. That drat Satyr posted:In school, in the 9th grade we had a 'Health Education' class, which you think would Fun fact: Less than half the states in the US are required to teach sex ed, and less than that are required to teach comprehensive sex ed.
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Jun 9, 2012 22:14
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I grew up in a small town with abstinence-only sex ed. We weren't lectured about saving it for marriage specifically. We were taught how the body worked . . . sort of -- I could tell you all about ectopic pregnancies, but needless to say, the clitoris never came up. Then we were given horrible slideshows of STDs, while condoms (let alone hormonal birth control) were never even mentioned. So I went all "forbidden information, MUST BE INTERESTING," researched a ton on my own, and then in college, I became a residential peer educator specializing in sexual health. This is why I continue to post compulsively on related topics. umbrellar posted:Next week I'm planning on finding out if/how much my insurance will cover for the Mirena IUD. I've never given birth, so I'll need to look for a gyno who has experience giving the IUD to childless women. Are there suggestions for narrowing it down (like, can I ask over the phone when making an appointment) or do I need to just keep making appointments until I find one who will do it? I've always just gone to Planned Parenthood for reproductive issues, because I was too chickenshit to use my parent's insurance. I figure Planned Parenthood might be a good place to try for Mirena, if they accept my insurance.
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Jun 9, 2012 23:06
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i like nice words
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Nobody wants to hear my sex ed stories, they're too terrible/sad/atrocious. I wish I had stolen that "textbook." Turns out it doesn't get better. Can't wait until I have enough money saved up to leave. Implanon update: I am gaining some weight, but I did just start a new job where I'm in close proximity to sugar/carbs/chocolate all day, so that probably has more to do with it. Also it's only been >5 pounds. My period came and went, no weird bleeding, and I've had no other side effects that I can think of.
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Jun 10, 2012 00:04
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Nthing the "STDs are horrible and here's all the stages of pregnancy" health class talks. Nothing about condoms or even how to use tampons >.< My sister for the longest time thought a girl could get pregnant by being hugged by a guy too hard  They barely glanced over the male parts (they separated us by gender for the sex ed talks) and I didn't even know how the two systems interacted til 7th grade when our health teacher that year was fast fowarding a VHS from one part to another and I caught a diagram or something in the fast-fowarded part :/Gabi- that link and many other horror stories are making me glad that I just got my Mirena- there's no way they'd have the ability to come into my home and rip it out of my uterus, so even if Ohio passes some retarded as poo poo bills I'll still be able to have sex til it needs to come out- at which point, I guess I'll just have to learn to like anal? Mirena update: slightly more crampy today, probably just the ibuprophen from Wednesday fully wearing off. I only ever took one per period when the cramps started, so I don't want to keep using it even though I probably should to help my uterus get used to its new friend, right? And another question: how do people take showers when spotting? Mom just told me way back when that it should close up long enough to shower and dry off afterward, but the couple times I tried showering during my period I got blood all over the towel. Which meant I just never showered during my period til my hubby helped me figure out tampons. But now with the Mirena I'm wary of using tampons with it so soon, especially when it's just spotting. Would it be okay to just put one in down at the entrance to keep the mess at bay? Or should I resign myself to having one towel that I use every time things are happening down there (preferably the same color as dried blood so it's not as obvious/disgusting looking)... I'm 23 1/2 now and I still feel completely clueless in so many ways 
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Jun 10, 2012 00:24
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BlueOccamy posted:And another question: how do people take showers when spotting? Mom just told me way back when that it should close up long enough to shower and dry off afterward, but the couple times I tried showering during my period I got blood all over the towel. Which meant I just never showered during my period til my hubby helped me figure out tampons. But now with the Mirena I'm wary of using tampons with it so soon, especially when it's just spotting. Would it be okay to just put one in down at the entrance to keep the mess at bay? Or should I resign myself to having one towel that I use every time things are happening down there (preferably the same color as dried blood so it's not as obvious/disgusting looking)... Whenever I'm on my period or whatever, I usually avoid using a towel down there altogether. Instead I just dry off everywhere else and use some toilet paper to dry the genital area off. It won't take much since you're talking about a fairly small area and you can just flush it or throw it away. Or you could always head to a discount store or something and buy some dark towels I guess.
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Jun 10, 2012 00:54
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Get period blood on the towel and then wash the towel? Get white towels and then bleach them. My mom never let me use tampons when I was a teen so she just got white towels and bleached them (she had a hysterectomy when I was 9, so we never period'ed together). Seriously, don't sweat period blood on stuff. It comes off.
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Jun 10, 2012 00:56
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I rinse the area last thing, then dry it first (while standing in the shower). There's never been an explosion before I could put a pad/tampon back on/in. I don't think I've ever had blood on a towel; it's never even occurred to me. e: I just realized, if all you do is rinse the exterior, maybe that's why it starts again so soon? Don't be afraid to get up in there to rinse (with water, no soap) the whole deal, with a handheld showerhead if you have one, and/or a finger.
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Jun 10, 2012 01:05
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I can't really blame her. Even with bleach and soaking/pre-treating the hell out of stuff, blood is a real pain in the rear end to wash out and still tends to leave a stain. Also in my experience anyway, it's not the result of not washing off properly. It's just sometimes a few drops that manage to get out there. Basically just enough to show up on your towels, it's not like a bloodbath or anything. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jun 10, 2012 |
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Jun 10, 2012 01:06
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I have a set of chocolate brown towels that I use during my period, and they're darker than any potential blood stains.
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Jun 10, 2012 02:58
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Unless you're particularly sensitive, your vagina won't melt if you gently wash it with warm water. 
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Jun 10, 2012 03:32
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uberwekkness posted:I was okay on the pill, since my period was like clockwork. but since I switched to Mirena, and my period disappeared, I've had much more anxiety about pregnancy. If it was out of place, and I got pregnant, how would I know? But I've been doing pretty well with it. Gabi, that link is terrifying, and I am very glad I don't live in the US. UK sex ed was a bit focussed on the mechanics rather than any discussion of the emotional side of things, but it was very thorough. Both of my coils and the pill I was on before have all been completely free thanks to the NHS, and while the uni I went to didn't give sex ed classes (cos they knew it would all have been covered at school) they spent a lot of effort on promoting safe sex to the point that you could nip into any of the campus bars and grab a handful of free condoms from a basket. I've always heard the best way to get a blood stain out is to rinse it ASAP with cold water - apparently hot will set the stain as the stain is protein-based  BlueOccamy, have you thought about using a cup instead of tampons? I've been using a cup since before I got my first coil, and it's been great.
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Jun 10, 2012 09:32
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radioaktivitat posted:This is why I chose to stick with Paraguard at the exchange I've just had done - they did offer me Mirena if I wanted it but personally I like the reassurance of having a period. New coil has settled quite happily, as far as I can tell - I had a few days of cramping and spotting for about a week (which rolled straight into my period, yay) but once my period was over the spotting had stopped and it's all been OK since. I have a checkup in a few weeks just to make sure things are OK but I'm reasonably sure they are. It's funny, even as backward as the U.S. tends to be about sex and reproductive issues I've had a much easier time getting free contraception and pap smears than I have with any other form of medical care. Also although it's fine to use a cup with an IUD in general, from what I understand it's not really recommended that first month after insertion, until everything kind of "settles" and the risk of expulsion goes down.
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Jun 10, 2012 09:52
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NaturalLow posted:Also although it's fine to use a cup with an IUD in general, from what I understand it's not really recommended that first month after insertion, until everything kind of "settles" and the risk of expulsion goes down. Totally true. If you do want to try it after that, though, Softcups are great in my experience. They don't create a vacuum seal at all, so I assume (although I have no proof for this) that there's less risk of yanking your IUD out. It certainly feels better.
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Jun 12, 2012 04:29
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Hubby's been getting antsy about trying out what one of our friends has dubbed my "Baby Blocker 9000" but I'm making him wait til Wednesday afternoon cause that'll have been a week since I got it in. Told Mom and Dad about it today, Mom didn't have much of a reaction but Dad said "so in 5 years and 9 months I'll be a grandpa, right?" >.< No, Dad, I'll be getting another one and maybe by then they'll be made to last longer. Still having to wear pantyliners, I'm kinda glad the gyno put mine in when I was supposedly ovulating instead of during my period cause this way I'm not having to deal with gushes and gushes of blood in addition to the cramps. Looking forward to Wednesday, by then I might be able to function again! I've back-slid on so many things because I'm not good at focusing on anything when I'm in any sort of pain/sleep deprived Since last Tuesday I've done all of one load of laundry (which is sitting in the dryer still), no dishes or the rest of the laundry or scooping cat pans or even a shower cause I just don't feel up to it. Pain + my normally depressed/anxious disposition do not go well together. /mostly EN post.
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Jun 12, 2012 06:36
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Innovative Salad posted:Totally true. If you do want to try it after that, though, Softcups are great in my experience. They don't create a vacuum seal at all, so I assume (although I have no proof for this) that there's less risk of yanking your IUD out. It certainly feels better. As far as I know, the problem with menstrual cups and IUDs isn't the suction, but the strings getting caught by the rim of the cup, or pulled when removing the cup. I don't think a soft cup would make much of a difference in that case. (Some doctors will tell you not to use tampons, but I think that's to reduce the risk of infection, not expulsion)
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Jun 12, 2012 14:51
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I decided to have my coworker go with me on the 20th. She said she doesn't mind at all and I kept thinking if something goes awry or if I just feel lovely, I am not going to want to drive the 1 hour and 15 minutes back. Re: Tampons: I thought you could go back to using those after your ~2 week window of letting everything bounce back. I can't go back to pads. I'm already dreading having to wear them after this thing goes in.
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Jun 12, 2012 15:12
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The tampon advice seems to vary a lot from doctor to doctor. My doctor told me I could start using them the day after I got my Mirena in. I wonder if the differences have to do with marital status and/or medical history. Or maybe my doctor is less risk averse than others... that's a little scary to think about. After the initial spotting though, I've only had to use a tampon a couple times since getting my IUD in (about 16 months ago now). I feel a bit silly for buying the big costco size box of them before getting my Mirena but I guess I will always be prepared forever now.
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Jun 12, 2012 15:20
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quote is not edit
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Jun 12, 2012 15:21
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Good to know. I'm really hoping this thing puts a kibosh on my period.
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Jun 12, 2012 15:23
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I got my Mirena last Wednesday around 11am, and my hubby's been raring to go ever since then. So we took a shower together after he got off work today and then went at it. First time not using a condom, he says it felt awesome but I didn't notice a change cause I was the one moving and was focusing on making sure nothing hurt for either of us. He didn't feel the strings at all, didn't hit my cervix at all so not sure if it's still tender. The best part: We can just cuddle afterward and I don't have to hop off til I god damned want to. No more worry about him going soft in there and semen leaking out of the condom. This is the best thing  A+++ will buy again in 5 years!
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Jun 14, 2012 01:44
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I am a 2-year Nuvaring user, and I am experiencing off-cycle spotting for the first time today. I inserted it on the second, and I usually leave it in for three weeks/one week break. I read elsewhere on the internet that I should remove it for four days, store it, and reinsert. Has anyone done this? Am I going to get knocked up? Should I ignore it?
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Jun 14, 2012 16:19
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Breakthrough bleeding at random is not an unusual thing on birth control and usually isn't something to worry about, besides being an annoyance. I've been on the pill for years and it still happens to me occasionally for no apparent reason. If anything, I would think removing it would just make the bleeding worse by destabilizing/lowering your hormone levels (same way you do when you remove the ring for the break week). And if you're sexually active at the time, taking 4 days off mid-cycle seems risky pregnancy-wise. I will say that having a period usually seems to make the spotting stop, maybe that's what they're referring to?
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Jun 14, 2012 17:29
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NaturalLow posted:I will say that having a period usually seems to make the spotting stop, maybe that's what they're referring to? The sources I've read said that I have too many hormones in my system right now, and taking it out for four days with allow those to relax. That doesn't sound right, but I wanted to know if anyone in here could verify. I'll just leave it in and hope it goes away. Thanks!
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Jun 14, 2012 17:32
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Honestly I don't really know for sure. I'm just working under the impression that lowering your hormone levels tends to cause bleeding rather than stop it. That's why the placebo week on a pack of pills has no hormones in it at all for example. If you're having any other symptoms or something's changed that might have caused the spotting, by all means don't ignore them on my account. But if everything's fine except for that it's probably just your birth control being weird/annoying.
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Jun 14, 2012 18:12
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Tig Ol Bitties posted:The sources I've read said that I have too many hormones in my system right now, and taking it out for four days with allow those to relax. That doesn't sound right, but I wanted to know if anyone in here could verify. I'll just leave it in and hope it goes away. Thanks! I'll verify that it's not right. Do not take it out for four days mid cycle; that defeats the purpose of using birth control. Spotting can randomly happen, even after 2+ years on the same type.
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Jun 14, 2012 18:44
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Reformed Tomboy posted:I'll verify that it's not right. Do not take it out for four days mid cycle; that defeats the purpose of using birth control. Spotting can randomly happen, even after 2+ years on the same type. That's all I needed, thank you internet!
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Jun 14, 2012 19:16
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Tig Ol Bitties posted:I am a 2-year Nuvaring user, and I am experiencing off-cycle spotting for the first time today. I inserted it on the second, and I usually leave it in for three weeks/one week break. I read elsewhere on the internet that I should remove it for four days, store it, and reinsert. Has anyone done this? Am I going to get knocked up? Should I ignore it? I've had spotting a few times on the ring. Every single time it was related to stress. Just sit it out. If it persists for another cycle, consider switching or ask your doctor what's up. e: aw I'm beaten, but it's staying here anyway 
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Jun 14, 2012 19:18
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Wasn't sure where would be a good place for me to ask this, but someone here might be able to help me. I have the Paraguard IUD, which means I have heavy, bloaty, long periods. Luckily, they're always right on schedule. And I'm due to have one when I'm on vacation the end of July. I really don't want to be bloaty, crampy and worrying about changing tampons while I'm on vacation. Suggestions? I've been on bc pills before as well as Nuva Ring and they both made my periods super light and managable. Would I be able to go to my gyno and ask for this? Do I have any other options?
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Jun 16, 2012 03:06
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I've heard of people doing that before, but I kind of wonder if starting a pill or anything now would be enough time to really make much of a difference on the heaviness of your period by the end of July. Not to mention the possibility of dealing with the usual side-effects of starting hormonal bc during your vacation. If it's possible, maybe you could just explain the situation to your doctor and see what they suggest? I'm not really sure about other options myself.
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Jun 16, 2012 03:47
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It MIGHT. There's about a month. Worth a go. JustinMorgan, in any case, get yourself a menstrual cup. There's a huge thread about them somewhere in A/T. They are so much less obnoxious than tampons.
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Jun 16, 2012 14:21
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Bagleworm posted:As far as I know, the problem with menstrual cups and IUDs isn't the suction, but the strings getting caught by the rim of the cup, or pulled when removing the cup. I don't think a soft cup would make much of a difference in that case. That's probably true. I don't know that you can yank it out with the vacuum a regular cup creates. Said vacuum can feel like absolute rear end as a cup settles into place with an IUD, though, and I like not having that. 
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Jun 17, 2012 06:48
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JustinMorgan posted:Wasn't sure where would be a good place for me to ask this, but someone here might be able to help me. I have the Paraguard IUD, which means I have heavy, bloaty, long periods. Luckily, they're always right on schedule. And I'm due to have one when I'm on vacation the end of July. I find since getting my paragard (and the heaver periods that come with it) if I make sure to take a couple of ibuprofen each day of my period right from the start, it is way more manageable. Lighter *and* shorter (3-4 days vs 7). I remember reading somewhere - maybe here? - that it can lessen your bleeding, and even if it is a placebo effect it seems to work for me.
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Jun 19, 2012 11:23
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IUD tomorrow. Kinda nervous. Had weird dreams last night where I had the insertion I was bleeding uncontrollably everywhere and ruining a white bathroom.
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Jun 19, 2012 15:13
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Geolicious posted:IUD tomorrow. Kinda nervous. Had weird dreams last night where I had the insertion I was bleeding uncontrollably everywhere and ruining a white bathroom. You'll be fine, no worries  Speaking of weird dreams though, last night I had a dream where I was 9 months pregnant, in a hospital about to give birth, and the staff were all smiles and friendly and helpful til I made a comment about how I was leaving the baby there when I left. Then they got pissed off at me, frowning and shoving their hands up there hard and getting blood everywhere >.< I thought these kind of thoughts would stop once I got my Baby Blocker 9000, but apparently it's gone from conscious thoughts (going through situations where I'd be forced to carry a baby to term, what I'd do during the pregnancy and who it'd be left with if I didn't miscarry, etc) to unconscious thoughts (the dream last night). I'm not sure if this is an improvement or not :/
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Jun 19, 2012 17:19
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Soo...in the process of losing weight (Yay!), my implanon and hormones have decided to whack out on me! Ugh. The NP put me on Premarin to see if that ends up fixing it, but I'm concerned that as I get closer and closer to a healthy size, my implanon is going to continue loving up. Is there anything I can do, other than keep checking in with the NP that placed my implanon? Gah, gently caress you, uterus. The implanon was supposed to fix you!
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Jun 19, 2012 21:26
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NewsGunkie posted:Soo...in the process of losing weight (Yay!), my implanon and hormones have decided to whack out on me! Ugh. The NP put me on Premarin to see if that ends up fixing it, but I'm concerned that as I get closer and closer to a healthy size, my implanon is going to continue loving up. Is there anything I can do, other than keep checking in with the NP that placed my implanon? What problems are you having?
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Jun 20, 2012 02:48
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2 full-on, needing tampon periods in less than 3 weeks. After going a year with just slight spotting. The NP seems to think that my body is yelling at me that it needs more estrogen, hence the Premarin.
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Jun 20, 2012 03:07
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TBH, that just sounds like you're experiencing the common side effect of Implanon: ~irregular bleeding~ and your weight issues are probably playing into this less than you think. Anecdotally, I also have Implanon and have experienced some hosed up menstruation, including 2 full periods within a month. I've also bled for 3 weeks straight. >.< For me, the mental reassurance of the pregnancy-free insurance that Implanon has provided has been worth it (doesn't mean that I enjoy it though!) so I've dealt. Please post an update on the Premarin (is this a low-dose pill?)
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Jun 20, 2012 05:13
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I was posting for Mirena reassurance over at Jezebel and someone told me I needed to use back up for 6 weeks. I thought if you had it done during your period (which started today) you were protected from the get go but you just had to wait two weeks for everything to bounce back. I guess my doc will answer that for me. Normally it wouldn't be a thing, but I am actually seeing my guy in 5 weeks. edit: OK, she clarified her position to say if I felt unsure the Mirena was in place to use back up to allay my worries about a knock up until a check up to check for placement. Whew. Sorry. I'm freaking out bad today. Geolicious fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Jun 20, 2012 |
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Jun 20, 2012 19:28
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Geolicious posted:I was posting for Mirena reassurance over at Jezebel and someone told me I needed to use back up for 6 weeks. I thought if you had it done during your period (which started today) you were protected from the get go but you just had to wait two weeks for everything to bounce back. I looked through the pamphlet several times trying to find how long after insertion you needed to wait, just checked again and loving hell it repeats "most women gain fertility back within 12 months" and "check your strings once a month" like 10 times but never even ONCE says how soon you can get back in the saddle. There's even a question about "how soon after giving birth can I have a Mirena inserted?" but no "how soon can we ditch condoms?". Mrph. I got mine in the middle of my cycle (the gyno who did mine always does it then, because apparently the cervix is slightly open for ovulation) and we had sex a week and several hours after that. Of course, we could have royally hosed up, won't know til my check up on the 9th, but everything had mostly settled down by then cramps and general icky-ness wise. When you're telling us your trip report, let me/us know what they say about middle of cycle insertions? I'm trying not to panic now (also condomless sex is the best I'm kind of glad anyway that we didn't wait) >.< Edit: oh hey you edited your post while I was typing this. Welp I guess we'll just wait and see then, I've started cramping again the past day or two (worst time, since I've had two interviews recently and have another on Friday) and I think I'm starting my real-period (as opposed to the fake period that's been the spotting since insertion- this time it's mostly red instead of brown and has had a few blood clumps. So since it doesn't hurt 99% of the time I'm going to say it's period and not it going out of position or whatever.) BlueOccamy fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Jun 20, 2012 |
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Jun 20, 2012 19:53
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