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stablercake posted:
As I understand it, SNRIs are actually used sometimes to counteract the sexual side effects (like low libido) that come from taking things like SSRIs. Just in my own anecdotal, kind of reverse experience I noticed minor changes in my sex drive/functioning (function meaning things like lubrication) only a few weeks after starting the pill. It was fairly minor though and only got to be a problem after a few years. Also I have another Paragard question. What was the recovery like in the first few days? Specifically, I just started a job where I'm doing a lot of moving and minor lifting (grocery stocker). Will it be enough to just take it slow? My period is next week so they may want to do the insertion then depending on how it goes/if they've got an IUD on hand. But my consult isn't until tomorrow and by then it will be too late to ask for time off next week. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Dec 4, 2012 |
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Dec 4, 2012 16:38
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Candygram posted:I've had my Implanon for nine months now, and my periods are usually every 6ish weeks and last for 6 days. I have not had a period in about 8 weeks, so I am hoping that I will have amenhorrea and my periods will stop soon. I get sore boobs for like 2 weeks before my 3 day periods :P I'm on Mirena which is the same hormone. Obnoxious, yeah? Sports bras are the solution. Cymbalta could certainly be increasing your sex drive. Rather, the fact that it helps your depression & anxiety could be mitigating the low libido that typically comes with depression. It could also just be going off the BC, sure. I say enjoy it and don't worry about where it's coming from!
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Dec 4, 2012 20:29
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Cymbalta could certainly be increasing your sex drive. Rather, the fact that it helps your depression & anxiety could be mitigating the low libido that typically comes with depression. It could also just be going off the BC, sure. I say enjoy it and don't worry about where it's coming from! Oh man trust me I am so pumped that it's back and I give no shits what's doing it, it's mainly making me indecisive on my next BC method since I really don't want kids and condoms aren't fool-proof enough for me and I already had heavy periods so Paragard isn't an option. Nexplanon could be an expensive mistake, but I guess I can't know until I try...
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Dec 4, 2012 21:36
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I found that I got larger, sore boobs for 2-3 weeks at a time rather intermittently while on Mirena. Then I'd have long stretches with them being normal sized and not sore. There wasn't any need for a period to happen, eventually the hormones would just shift and they would go back to normal. Mildly annoying but not all that big a deal for me. To deal with it, wear a sports bra or other supportive non-underwire bra as much as possible, including when you go to bed. It helps reduce the sensitivity quite a bit.
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Dec 4, 2012 23:33
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stablercake posted:Oh man trust me I am so pumped that it's back and I give no shits what's doing it, it's mainly making me indecisive on my next BC method since I really don't want kids and condoms aren't fool-proof enough for me and I already had heavy periods so Paragard isn't an option. Nexplanon could be an expensive mistake, but I guess I can't know until I try...  Mirenae: Or ortho-evra (the patch) or Nuvaring. Mirena & Implanon (same as Nexplanon?) tend to be lower hormone though.
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Dec 5, 2012 00:11
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Eggplant Wizard posted:
I'd loving love to for real, but doc said Mirena was a bad idea for now because of my vulvodynia and the nexplanon would be a good bet if I wasn't keen on pills. I'm not keen on the nuvaring for the same reason, vulva is just too big a variable right now, and ortho evra I hadn't considered as much but wrote it off because band aids give me welts on my sensitive baby skin after one day and I figured it was the same kind of adhesive  I have lots of excuses, huh I may ask the doc about Ortho evra for the meantime, that sounds more like an easily and quickly reversible mistake should it end up one, thanks for the help!
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Dec 5, 2012 04:34
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stablercake posted:I'd loving love to for real, but doc said Mirena was a bad idea for now because of my vulvodynia and the nexplanon would be a good bet if I wasn't keen on pills. I'm not keen on the nuvaring for the same reason, vulva is just too big a variable right now, and ortho evra I hadn't considered as much but wrote it off because band aids give me welts on my sensitive baby skin after one day and I figured it was the same kind of adhesive Aww wow you got a raw deal. The nexplanon implant thing is easily removable if it doesn't work out. As for the cost, I'm assuming you're in the U.S., so you may have new/different/upcomingly different coverage than you think you do.
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Dec 5, 2012 04:36
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Just did my consult appointment for Paragard, but they didn't have anything open for the next appointment until early January. It's going to be pricey since Planned Parenthood apparently doesn't do sliding scale fees anymore, but $500 is still cheaper than any other place I have available.
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Dec 6, 2012 04:55
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NaturalLow posted:Just did my consult appointment for Paragard, but they didn't have anything open for the next appointment until early January. It's going to be pricey since Planned Parenthood apparently doesn't do sliding scale fees anymore, but $500 is still cheaper than any other place I have available. They still have sliding scales; how relatively liberal/conservative they are with who qualifies for it is just based on how much funding that particular office has to implement it. Not calling you out or anything, just want to make sure other people in the thread know it's an office-by-office thing, and not a national one. 
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Dec 6, 2012 15:12
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gabi posted:They still have sliding scales; how relatively liberal/conservative they are with who qualifies for it is just based on how much funding that particular office has to implement it. Oh ok, I didn't realize that - sorry if I misled/scared anyone! Apparently this office lost their group funding so they don't do the sliding scale thing anymore at all, just discounted flat fees, insurance and Medicaid. For anyone who's in Ohio like me, apparently Medicaid here has implemented a special plan that covers stuff like birth control and pap smears for those who qualify. I personally didn't apply because with my living arrangements it was going to be a huge headache, but it seems like a good option for anyone who can't pay that kind of money out of pocket. Not to mention some regular OB/GYNs take it so you don't have to stick to clinics (which are SO hard to find around here it's frustrating).
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Dec 6, 2012 15:48
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NaturalLow posted:Also I have another Paragard question. What was the recovery like in the first few days? Specifically, I just started a job where I'm doing a lot of moving and minor lifting (grocery stocker). Will it be enough to just take it slow? My period is next week so they may want to do the insertion then depending on how it goes/if they've got an IUD on hand. But my consult isn't until tomorrow and by then it will be too late to ask for time off next week. After my Paragard insertion, I was way cramp-ier than I was accustomed to, though I basically had no cramps after going through puberty. What bothered me most was how constant they seemed versus how I remembered "regular" cramps. I would pop a couple ibuprofen or acetaminophen before your work shift if things are bothering you and have the next dose on you just in case. I can only take aspirin, and I just toughed it out during the day then used a heating pad when I got home. Question to other Implanon/Nexplanon users: How long did it take for your insertion site to scab/close up? Just wondering how long I get to be anxiety ridden over changing bandaids & infection. fine-tune fucked around with this message at 22:46 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 22:42
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I'm on my second Implanon. Both times, they had me leave on the ace bandage for a couple days, just to help with compression and padding. I think I skipped a shower the first day, but after that I took it off to shower and just put it back on afterward. By the time I left off the ace bandage for good, the hole was well healed. It's only a very small hole in the first place. Unless your immune system is compromised somehow, I wouldn't worry. I definitely didn't fiddle with antibiotic ointment and Band-Aids beyond what the doctor put on in the first place.
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Dec 6, 2012 23:16
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i like nice words
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Sorry if this has been answered before, but this is a long thread. I missed a couple of months of my NuvaRing because a)we were short on money and b)I kept forgetting to go to the pharmacy. We've been using backup contraceptive methods and I finished my last period a week ago (last Saturday). I've got a new NuvaRing, now, but I haven't put it in yet. Can I insert it now, use backup methods for a week, and be protected? Or do I need to wait until my next period to insert it to be safe? (Note, it's been 5 days since my period ENDED.) I read the instructions on their webpage and don't see anything about inserting it late.
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Dec 7, 2012 06:24
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I would think a week would cover you regardless of period status, it seems to be sort of a rule across the board for hormonal birth control. I know when I first started I used back up for a month because it was what my GP advised, but I think that's maybe a leftover from oral birth control where they want women to get into the habit of taking it on time.
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Dec 7, 2012 06:36
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fine-tune posted:After my Paragard insertion, I was way cramp-ier than I was accustomed to, though I basically had no cramps after going through puberty. What bothered me most was how constant they seemed versus how I remembered "regular" cramps. My main worry was that with so much lifting and bending (plus not having kids) it would worsen my chances of expulsion. I asked the doctor about it and she didn't seem to think it would be much of a risk. And both she and the nurse had IUDs at one point too, so she has some experience here. I usually get two days off a week anyway and being so far in advance, I may just see if I can get the day after off. Just to baby myself with Advil and a heating pad if need be. Nione posted:Sorry if this has been answered before, but this is a long thread. From what I understand, you can start anywhere in your cycle and be protected after enough time has passed. I think they usually go with the whole "Sunday after your period" thing because it puts you on a schedule of starting your week of pills/rings/whatever neatly at the beginning of the actual week. I know in the information packet that comes with my pills there are instructions for how to start the pills with your period and for starting pretty much whenever in your cycle.
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Dec 7, 2012 09:13
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Awesome, thanks guys!
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Dec 7, 2012 15:43
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Well, after a year and a half of having the implanon, it's coming out. I've had huge issues with it, and the NP's exhausted all of her ideas on how to get it working correctly again. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, but I'm consistently getting bleeding that's not normal spotting---I had that with Seasonique, and could deal. But I can not handle having two period-heavy flows in a month, especially with how difficult it is already to keep my iron up. I think that I'm going to go back to the Nuvaring, if I can, given the migraine auras I get. poo poo.
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Dec 10, 2012 18:03
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Thanks for the advice. Sports bras and massage helped a bunch. My breasts have been trashed from temporarily having implants when I was a dumb kid so I guess they are just really sensitive when I get PMS. I did get a period a few days ago so they are not sore anymore. I think my periods are getting farther and farther away from each other since I started Nexplanon (Implanon) and they are now every two months or so. I'm still really happy with this form of birth control and I recommend it to any woman that will listen.
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Dec 10, 2012 20:38
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Man I come back here a lot. So I stopped my Sprintec about a month ago and my libido came ROARING back and my vulvodynia is even starting to become less of a factor which has got to be at least partly related to my undercarriage deciding it's better to be a river than a desert. So in short, are there any kinds of BC that are less likely to deplete one's ladyjuice? Or even a BC that's likely to increase it?
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Dec 17, 2012 14:26
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Well, I haven't paid much attention my, uh, ladyjuices, but I had a huge bump in libido when I got Mirena. I had no idea the pill had even decreased my libido, since I was always down for a throwdown. But after the Mirena settled in I was a total horndog.
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Dec 17, 2012 17:54
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I'm hoping to get an implant or an IUS/IUD in the new year. However I play a contact sport and I'm worried that this might be a contraindication for these methods, especially the IUS/IUD. Does anyone have experience using these methods while playing contact sports?
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Dec 19, 2012 12:54
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My wife had the mirina iud few years ago. During this time she had intense mood swings, gained about 20lbs and developed a bald spot on her head. Fairly common side effects, anyway we had it removed. Few months later my wife was having a lot of lower back pain. At first we somewhat brushed it off as work related and not exercising enough but it got bad enough that we had a CT scan done. Turns out my wife had a dermoid cyst the size of a grapefruit attached to her ovary. We were lucky that it turned out to be a benign tumor and had it removed along with her ovary. Fast forward to the present and the CT scan last week shows another cyst the size of a golf ball attached to her other ovary. So where now in the process of appointments and another surgery in the near future. I hope they can save the ovary as she'd need expensive hormone therapy otherwise. Anyway my point to all this is were convinced the mirina was the cause. My wife has never been on any other hormonal birth control.
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Dec 19, 2012 13:38
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jacksbrat posted:I'm hoping to get an implant or an IUS/IUD in the new year. However I play a contact sport and I'm worried that this might be a contraindication for these methods, especially the IUS/IUD. Does anyone have experience using these methods while playing contact sports? It is not a contraindication at all. Your body offers a lot of padding. It will not be dislodged. It's going to be safely tucked all the way up into your uterus. I wouldn't think for the implant either. I mean, a hard hit to the implant site my be uncomfortable, but it won't affect it. Joink posted:Anyway my point to all this is were convinced the mirina was the cause. My wife has never been on any other hormonal birth control. Mirena does have a higher risk of benign cysts while it is in, but it can't really be the culprit after it's been removed. At least that's how it seems to me. Has she been evaluated for PCOS? I used to get ovarian cysts before I started birth control. Which is why I started birth control. My mother was riddled with ovarian cysts and was never on BC in her life. Cysts happen. The Mirena might be to blame for that first one, but the second one months after it's removal seems unconnected to me. Have her ask her doctor. Geolicious fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Dec 19, 2012 |
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Dec 19, 2012 18:59
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I was going to get an iud today but it turns out I'm part of the 1% of women with a bicornuate uterus. Am I hosed as far as iuds go? I don't want to use hormones; everything I've tried makes my depression flare up, turns me into a crazy bitch, kills my sex drive, and makes my migraines worse/more frequent. I also don't want progesterone because I lift weights seriously. I've posted in here before and paragard was sort of the only conclusion. The diaphragm is not safe enough for my tastes, and I wouldn't trust saheli on its own. Condoms suck and if they gently caress up (which I have had happen twice in the past two months) I have to take plan B. Have I overlooked any options? Finding out that I can never have an iud is pretty crushing news.
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Dec 20, 2012 00:30
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Hello, my girlfriend was on the pill for two years and then stopped because the doctor wanted to see if it was affecting proteins in her blood. She is still off it 5 weeks later waiting to hear back. During that month we had probably a total of 30 sec of unprotected sex over three sessions wherein I was pretty far from ejaculation. Anyways, she is now a few days "late"(that is a few days after she would get it if she was still on the pill) so we got a box of epts. The question: she went on birth control BECAUSE she had a really messed up cycle and the pregnancy tests seem to be sensitive to exactly when they are taken around the expected period time. Is there any guidance on how long we should be waiting before we can get an accurate result? It's probably been almost three weeks since the last insertion, which I figure is long enough but want to be sure. Thanks!
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Dec 20, 2012 00:54
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Crazyweasel posted:Hello, my girlfriend was on the pill for two years and then stopped because the doctor wanted to see if it was affecting proteins in her blood. She is still off it 5 weeks later waiting to hear back. During that month we had probably a total of 30 sec of unprotected sex over three sessions wherein I was pretty far from ejaculation. You would be fine now. It should show a pretty dark obvious line if she's actually pregnant by this point.
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Dec 20, 2012 01:49
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Awesome well we did it and no bebe but what a fun little toy! Thanks a lot for the quick response!
Crazyweasel fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Dec 20, 2012 |
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Dec 20, 2012 02:12
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muscat_gummy posted:I was going to get an iud today but it turns out I'm part of the 1% of women with a bicornuate uterus. Am I hosed as far as iuds go? Do you want children in the future, or at least want the option? Have you talked to your OB/GYN about the severity of of the bicoruation? From skimming the wiki, it looks like there's lots of reproduction issues related to this condition. If you want to stay away from hormones, can't get an IUD because of bicornuate uterus, and you know you don't want to give birth, I would look to get your tubes tied.
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Dec 20, 2012 02:55
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fork bomb posted:Do you want children in the future, or at least want the option? Have you talked to your OB/GYN about the severity of of the bicoruation? From skimming the wiki, it looks like there's lots of reproduction issues related to this condition. If you want to stay away from hormones, can't get an IUD because of bicornuate uterus, and you know you don't want to give birth, I would look to get your tubes tied. I'm 25; don't think a doctor exists who would do that. This is a random picture I found on google that shows about what my uterus looks like:  It might be arcuate or subseptate instead of bicoruated, but it still doesnt look like it would work with an iud I think?
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Dec 20, 2012 03:21
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muscat_gummy posted:I'm 25; don't think a doctor exists who would do that. I think the point is a doctor might be more open to doing a tubal ligation even at your age because of your uterus. I'm not a medical expert, but I'm guessing your condition would make pregnancy difficult or possibly even dangerous, which combined with your history on hormones might make a doctor more willing to consider the option.
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Dec 20, 2012 05:59
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NaturalLow posted:I'm not a medical expert, but I'm guessing your condition would make pregnancy difficult or possibly even dangerous, which combined with your history on hormones might make a doctor more willing to consider the option. Exactly. muscat_gummy posted:It might be arcuate or subseptate instead of bicoruated, but it still doesnt look like it would work with an iud I think? I think this situation is out of the realm of this thread unless someone wants to chime in with their exact same experiences. You need to get some def diagnoses from you doc and be honest and stubborn with what sort of treatment you want going forward. If you just want to prevent pregnancy, I'm not sure what options you have outside of hormonal (besides condoms). If you don't want to ever be pregnant, honestly, you need to push Push PUSH for tubal litigation. I'm sorry that I sound so peremptory. However, bicornuate uterus doesn't leave a lot of options. Def get a second opinion and find out how severe the separation is.
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Dec 20, 2012 08:49
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I have a bicornuate uterus, which I found out about when I had my first c-section. Mine isn't as severe as the picture in the post, however. I used the Mirena IUD for several years..so it can be done.
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Dec 20, 2012 14:14
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Mirena trip report! I've read many pages of this thread and it has been really helpful in convincing me to get an IUD. I had been on the pill on and off for the past 4 years (also tried the patch before that and it was not a positive experience: gained weight, lost libido, was moody). My most recent pill was Loestrin 24Fe and it was awesome - very short light periods, no side effects that I could accurately measure (my weight fluctuates a lot naturally). However, it was just getting so expensive ($30+ a month with insurance) so I decided to try Mirena. It was a low-cost chance to take because my insurance covers the Mirena completely. While I was waiting for it to come in, I tried taking a generic pill (Junel I think) bc it was free (thanks Obamacare!) but it definitely made my periods longer than Loestrin 24. Anyway, I went for my Mirena insertion yesterday and after reading all the trip reports here, was preparing myself for the worst. My wise doctor prescribed me vicodin and xanax to take beforehand so by the time I got to her office I was feeling pretty great. I rambled to her throughout the insertion - she used some numbing shot and then told me to breathe deep. I felt two quick cramps and then it was over! I didn't take any additional painkillers and didn't have any cramping, just some normal period pains, as the doc insisted I come in during my period. The worst part of all this is having to wear pads again - something I haven't done in a good 12+ years. They are like diapers how does anyone do it??!? So all in all, it was a surprisingly positive experience... though it may have had the unfortunate side effect of inspiring a xanax addiction  Now fingers crossed my periods will be light or even better, nonexistent! I do have a few questions though: -My doctor found a fibroid in my uterus during the pre-IUD screening. She said it may cause me to bleed more once I am off the pill and on Mirena, since I will start ovulating again. However, I have heard the opposite from some online sources, saying that actually Mirena HELPS with fibroids and bleeding. Thoughts? -And a more fundamental question about how Mirena works -- you still ovulate but it just makes your womb an inhospitable place for your eggs? Then where do the eggs go if you don't have periods?? 
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Dec 20, 2012 16:42
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Hi_Bears posted:
They just disintegrate and are absorbed. They aren't any bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. The Mirena IUD makes your uterus a bad place. The progesterone thins out your uterine lining so nothing can take hold, your cervical mucus thickens so sperm have a hard time swimming, and the foreign object in your uterus produces leukocytes (white blood cells) which attack foreign cells (sperm). And for some women, ovulation is inhibited as well. I think I've ovulated maybe twice since I got mine. Well, twice that I could feel. Glad your insertion went well. The more women I talk to about it, the more I realize my insertion was probably anomalously painful because of my tipped uterus and scarred cervix.
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Dec 20, 2012 17:12
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Geolicious posted:They just disintegrate and are absorbed. They aren't any bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. The Mirena IUD makes your uterus a bad place. The progesterone thins out your uterine lining so nothing can take hold, your cervical mucus thickens so sperm have a hard time swimming, and the foreign object in your uterus produces leukocytes (white blood cells) which attack foreign cells (sperm). And for some women, ovulation is inhibited as well. I think I've ovulated maybe twice since I got mine. Well, twice that I could feel. Ooh thanks for the explanation! I guess I always thought of my uterus as a glass jar with one opening (the vagina) and never considered that it was a part of my body where things can flow in and out through tissue and poo poo (clearly not a doctor over here). What does ovulation feel like? Even when not on BC I don't think I've ever consciously KNOWN that I was ovulating. Am I so out of touch with my body that I have no idea what's going on in there?
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Dec 20, 2012 17:17
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Hi_Bears posted:Ooh thanks for the explanation! I guess I always thought of my uterus as a glass jar with one opening (the vagina) and never considered that it was a part of my body where things can flow in and out through tissue and poo poo (clearly not a doctor over here). What does ovulation feel like? Even when not on BC I don't think I've ever consciously KNOWN that I was ovulating. Am I so out of touch with my body that I have no idea what's going on in there? Not all women have mittelschmerz during ovulation or every ovulation. For me it's just a pinching in my right ovary (my left is under functional) for a couple of hours. Nothing serious. Some women have it very bad and some don't have it at all and some have it intermittently. My final push to get Mirena is when I felt mittelschmerz on the pill.
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Dec 20, 2012 17:20
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Absolute Evil posted:I have a bicornuate uterus, which I found out about when I had my first c-section. Mine isn't as severe as the picture in the post, however. I used the Mirena IUD for several years..so it can be done. Mirena acts hormonally though, right? From what I understood, the concern with paragard was that it would move into one half of my uterus, leaving the other unprotected. I might just try even more pills I guess. There has to be one that doesn't kill my libido and makes me depressed, right? I'm only 95% or so sure that I don't want kids one day (and there is corrective surgery for my malformed womb so it is possible), so getting my tubes tied isn't something I want to pursue quite yet.
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Dec 20, 2012 18:12
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muscat_gummy posted:I was going to get an iud today but it turns out I'm part of the 1% of women with a bicornuate uterus. Am I hosed as far as iuds go? Why not Implanon? I know it's a progesterone one, but combined pills are too. I know there are women in the lady lifting thread in YLLS that have dealt with birth control + lifting and I believe it's not a huge deal. Schroedinger has posted in here about it for sure.
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Dec 20, 2012 19:18
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Why not Implanon? I know it's a progesterone one, but combined pills are too. I know there are women in the lady lifting thread in YLLS that have dealt with birth control + lifting and I believe it's not a huge deal. Schroedinger has posted in here about it for sure. If I'm going to try hormones again I'd rather try something I can stop quickly if it causes depression and/or worse migraines! I read up more about progesterone and muscle growth and only a few types might affect it so that's not as much of a concern anymore. It's really the brain problems that have made the pill suck for me and that I'm the most worried about.
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Dec 20, 2012 19:40
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muscat_gummy posted:If I'm going to try hormones again I'd rather try something I can stop quickly if it causes depression and/or worse migraines! What is nice about Implanon/Nexplanon is that you can have it removed lickity-split and the hormones leave your body fairly quickly. The brand boasts that you are even able to conceive within a week. I've had mine for 9 months now and I did not notice a difference in muscle growth. Pills made me feel kind of crazy too, and I love the Nexplanon because it's a nice steady dose of hormones and is a low dose at that.
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Dec 20, 2012 20:03
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