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NaturalLow posted:With the way they keep changing the lifespan on Paragard, by the time my IUD needs to be replaced I'll be anywhere from 36 to 41 years old. Hopefully old enough to convince somebody to tie my tubes at least. Right? When my Mirena is up, I'll be almost 35, so hopefully someone will give me the ligation. And if not I'll jam another Mirena up there until I'm 40!
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Jan 3, 2013 00:12
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Geolicious posted:Right? When my Mirena is up, I'll be almost 35, so hopefully someone will give me the ligation. And if not I'll jam another Mirena up there until I'm 40! Yeah, the doctor at Planned Parenthood was telling me it was already considered safe for 12 years and they were doing studies or something to see if it could last 15 years.
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Jan 3, 2013 02:12
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The actual insertion for me didn't hurt that much. Don't freak yourself out. I had it done the same week as having my blood drawn and that was worse.
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Jan 3, 2013 03:16
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Pick posted:The actual insertion for me didn't hurt that much. Don't freak yourself out. I had it done the same week as having my blood drawn and that was worse. Yeah I've been trying not to think about it too much, because honestly it does freak me out a bit when I really think about it. But I've been through worse medical procedures, so I try to remember that. That's also why I've been asking so many drat questions in this thread because everywhere else on the internet is just full of people with horror stories of one kind or another and I don't need that right now.
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Jan 3, 2013 03:32
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Yeah I hope I don't scare anyone with my insertion story. The more women I talk to, the more I realize my insertion was unusually rough and is not the norm. In any case, it's pretty quick and like I said, even though mine was bad I was feeling fine 24 hours later. And my Mirena has totally been worth it. Completely.
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Jan 3, 2013 04:03
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I started using the ortho evra patch about a month ago and my doc told me that I could leave the last week's patch on for two weeks so it would stop my period. Everything I've read about the patch and what was told to me from my pharmacist says I probably shouldn't do that because leaving it on for more than a week can make it less effective. I have endometriosis and I use birth control to stop my periods so I am in less pain. Everything else I've used (pills, DEPO(!!!!), and the NuvaRing) has made me insane. The patch, according to my mother, has made me grouchy, but everything has been fine so far. Except for the fact that apparently I cannot use it to stop my periods which isn't helping the endo much. I want to believe the doctor since she's been the best OB/GYN I've had in years, but I also don't want to end up pregnant if I happen to have sex in what's supposed to be an "off" week. Also I am having problems with the skin on the area I apply the patch. I develop a small square of acne in the area after I take it off, but my pharmacist could not tell me if this was normal or not. It's been about 2 weeks since I took the patch off my right arm and there's still a square patch of little tiny pimples.
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Jan 3, 2013 04:08
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Your instinct is correct, leaving it on for two weeks wouldn't protect you for the entire two weeks. If anything, you could try sticking on a new patch and not having an off week to see if that makes your periods stop (just like stacking pills, in other words). My skin certainly got irritated, but I never experienced pimples. I also never put it on my arm; I did the shoulder blade, buttock, and lower tummy/pelvic area. And yes, two weeks was about how long it took for my skin to look anything like normal once taking one off.
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Jan 3, 2013 04:13
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silversiren posted:Also I am having problems with the skin on the area I apply the patch. I develop a small square of acne in the area after I take it off, but my pharmacist could not tell me if this was normal or not. It's been about 2 weeks since I took the patch off my right arm and there's still a square patch of little tiny pimples. Are you sure it's acne? I get a rash from pretty much anything adhesive that stays on my skin for a long time (band-aids, medical tape, etc.) My doctor diagnosed it as contact dermatitis.
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Jan 3, 2013 04:24
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Actually the doc is right, because once you've been using new patches each week for three weeks you would normally have a patch free week. Leaving the third patch on will give you less hormones than if you used a new patch that week, but it will still give you more than if you had no patch for a week. Which should be enough to keep you from getting your period and it won't change the effectiveness at all. It's the same idea as leaving the ring in for four weeks instead of 3 (which can also be done without compromising effectiveness). The key is that you are putting a new patch on at the end of the two weeks with the third patch, NOT taking a patch free week. If you took a patch free week at that point, you would be compromising the effectiveness.
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Jan 3, 2013 04:50
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Just wanted to thank you all for telling me to take out the nuvaring. I feel relatively back to normal. I let the NP know that I'm taking a month off of hormones to get myself reset and then I'm going to the women's clinic to have someone who specifically deals with bc work with me and figure something out. That being said, is there something that the doctor could do/prescribe to make the insertion of the Mirena possible? That was the first thing I was going to try, but they couldn't even get my cervix opened far enough to sound it.
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Jan 3, 2013 07:08
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NewsGunkie posted:Just wanted to thank you all for telling me to take out the nuvaring. I feel relatively back to normal. I let the NP know that I'm taking a month off of hormones to get myself reset and then I'm going to the women's clinic to have someone who specifically deals with bc work with me and figure something out. That being said, is there something that the doctor could do/prescribe to make the insertion of the Mirena possible? That was the first thing I was going to try, but they couldn't even get my cervix opened far enough to sound it. I know some doctors prescribe something called misopristol to be used the night before insertion for some women because it softens up the cervix. However I think there's some debate now about whether it actually makes things any easier or not. I think it would be worth discussing your concerns with your doctor though.
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Jan 3, 2013 16:27
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NaturalLow posted:I know some doctors prescribe something called misopristol to be used the night before insertion for some women because it softens up the cervix. However I think there's some debate now about whether it actually makes things any easier or not. I think it would be worth discussing your concerns with your doctor though. Are these the pills you shove up there the night before? Cause they made me cramp so badly I ended up puking ~5 times that night because I was in so much pain (not to mention the pacing back and forth while shivering and crying and yeah...). I finally had my husband dig them back out after several hours and the effects still took over an hour before I was finally able to relax enough to try to sleep. When I told the gyno about it before the insertion that morning she had an incredulous look on her face because I guess it normally just causes mild unpleasantness? Maybe I just had a bad reaction to it or something  I'd definitely ask the doctor about it, and also about that numbing shot that some people've used that also loosens the cervix.Still loving my Mirena though, the insertion itself was cake compared to the poo poo that I went through the night before. Everyone's different, and there've been lots of people in here who went through the whole process flawlessly so don't let me scare you away! Also- did you go in during your period? Your cervix should be naturally dilated a bit because it needs to let the blood out.
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Jan 3, 2013 19:54
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BlueOccamy posted:Are these the pills you shove up there the night before? Cause they made me cramp so badly I ended up puking ~5 times that night because I was in so much pain (not to mention the pacing back and forth while shivering and crying and yeah...). I finally had my husband dig them back out after several hours and the effects still took over an hour before I was finally able to relax enough to try to sleep. When I told the gyno about it before the insertion that morning she had an incredulous look on her face because I guess it normally just causes mild unpleasantness? Maybe I just had a bad reaction to it or something Yeah, that's it. Your reaction was quite atypical though. I had them and was just mildly crampy. Not pleasant but nothing like what you had. NewsGunkie, I would definitely talk to whoever you go see about the numbing. It doesn't work for everyone and the majority of women can tolerate insertion just fine without it (which is why it's not a standard practice), but it can help in certain cases. I had my cervix numbed both times for my IUD removals (my uterus eats the strings so my removals are more complex and painful than normal) and it made a HUGE difference. I was able to tolerate a lot more than I could without it (the first one they attempted it without numbing it at first). Also, the best times are either during your period or during ovulation. If you tried during your period last time it might be worth trying during ovulation next time. Your cervix is slightly open at that time just like during your period, but it's also softer than at other times in your cycle. You'll need to learn a bit about how to tell when you're ovulating to go with that option though!
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Jan 3, 2013 21:15
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I had no idea they could numb me. When they tried the insertion the first time, they resorted to a nitroglycerin tablet to attempt to get my cervix to spasm, and it did not work the way they had hoped. The NP emailed me back and seemed to think that it wasn't the best choice I have available. As much as she has been helpful during my issues with the implanon, I think I want to see someone else about it from now on.
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Jan 3, 2013 22:17
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At the same time, I don't really get why it's considered unusual to numb it. I mean, we used to do most dental work without numbing and people "tolerated" it, but you're not going to find a dentist who just goes to town on your teeth without it nowadays. Anyway, I thought I was good on my Mirena until last night when there was another big bleed. This puts me at three straight weeks of this crap (inserted at end of period, now 2 weeks in). Where the gently caress is this blood even coming from? Stupid uterus.
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Jan 3, 2013 22:19
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Yes. Ask for Hurricaine spray. It's the best. Pick, my gyno said to expect 6-8 weeks of spotting, sometimes heavy.
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Jan 3, 2013 22:58
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Geolicious posted:Yes. Ask for Hurricaine spray. It's the best. Yeah, I may consider asking about this myself. I've noticed among doctors (not just those in women's health although it seems to be pretty prevalent there) a tendency to expect people to just "tough it out" through some pretty painful stuff. Or maybe they just underestimate it if they've never been through the procedure. My doctor and nurse both had IUDs themselves, so I'm hoping they'll be good about the whole thing.
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Jan 3, 2013 23:20
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The first time I had the cervical block it was just the injections with no spray/swab to numb the surface first. Which kind of sucked but wasn't nearly as bad as letting him fish around in my uterus for the IUD without the block. The second time (different doc) he used some kind of lidocaine swab or something like that to numb the surface before the injections. That one was awesome. I had no pain at all until I got a small cramp when he managed to grab the IUD and pull it out. That doc was loving awesome though. As for why they don't always do it: Added complexity, added expense, the procedure is over *very* quickly if things go well (much faster than a tooth filling), and there's always the potential for a reaction if you use a med. Not to mention that it just doesn't end up doing much for some women because the pain doesn't always come from the cervix but can come from the uterus itself (which the block doesn't numb). I wish they would offer it as an option at least but I can understand to some degree why they don't. Now why they aren't more likely to try it if going without doesn't work and the woman is interested in making another attempt with the block. No clue.
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Jan 3, 2013 23:44
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Ceridwen posted:Now why they aren't more likely to try it if going without doesn't work and the woman is interested in making another attempt with the block. No clue. Like NewsGunkie was already saying, it sounds like it might be time for her to consider another doctor if that's an option.
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Jan 4, 2013 00:23
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NaturalLow posted:My doctor and nurse both had IUDs themselves, so I'm hoping they'll be good about the whole thing. My doc does, too, and she talked some hilarious poo poo about male docs who refuse to use Hurricaine spray.
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Jan 4, 2013 00:35
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Geolicious posted:Pick, my gyno said to expect 6-8 weeks of spotting, sometimes heavy. I'm starting to see why this is such an effective birth control method.
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Jan 4, 2013 08:20
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Thanks for the replies, guys. I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to wearing another patch for the last week. My birth control is so expensive that that alone is making me think that I should just deal with the pain and be b/c-less until I can find a cheaper alternative. As it stands right now, with insurance, my birth control is $60 a month and it has gone up since last year. I am on my parents' insurance and that is about to change sometime this month so I expect it to go up yet again. It was $48 dollars.. not that that is any better. Everything I've been on, save for pills, has been so expensive, I just don't know what I'm going to do. I COULD go on pills but I am one of those people that I just cannot remember to take them at the same time at all. I have pills that I already take every day but I don't take them at the same time. I just take them at "bedtime", which can range from 7pm to 2am. If I had to remember to take a birth control pill every day, surely I would end up pregnant and that isn't anything I can handle right now. As for the site reactions from the patch, I am sure it is acne and not a rash. It is literally in a square where the patch was and it's little raised white spots. The area feels kind of dry as well but I think that is because there's such a large concentration of the little acne spots in that one area. When I first got the patch, I tried it on my buttock but it kept coming off. I'm too fat to put it on my hip area (I have a pooch so there's no flat surface), so the arm was the only other option. It also tends to leave a very sore spot after I've taken it off. I know it burns the first time you put it on, but that isn't what I'm taking about. It's like someone's punched me in the arm with all their might, just in that one area. Sigh. I just wish I could go ahead and get a hysterectomy or something, so then I wouldn't have to worry about pain or babies.
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Jan 4, 2013 14:32
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silversiren posted:As it stands right now, with insurance, my birth control is $60 a month and it has gone up since last year. I am on my parents' insurance and that is about to change sometime this month so I expect it to go up yet again. It was $48 dollars.. not that that is any better. Everything I've been on, save for pills, has been so expensive, I just don't know what I'm going to do. To deal with this, I usually just designate a time that works well with my schedule (like for example I usually work late so my pill time is 10:30 PM.) Then I set a recurring alarm on my cell phone since I pretty much always have my phone around. That way I take it the same time everyday and I don't really have to remember it. You could do the same thing with a watch alarm or something though. Although from what I understand, with the combined birth control pills (with estrogen and progesterone) there's actually a lot of leeway with the time. As long as you're taking one everyday, the timing is not a huge deal. They mostly recommend it to get you into a routine so you won't forget. "Mini-pills" that are progesterone-only are the ones where you have to be super strict about the timing. Generally combined-pills are the most common unless there's some reason you can't/won't do estrogen. Since you have insurance, have you looked into any of the more long-term options like IUDs or Implanon? I don't know if they would work for since it sounds like you have other medical issues, but it might be worth discussing with your doctor if pills and everything else is a problem for you. If cost is the problem, I know for Mirena at least there's the Arch Foundation that will donate an IUD for free if you qualify income-wise. And usually insurance will cover stuff like that too, but I guess that depends on the plan.
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Jan 4, 2013 18:40
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silversiren posted:I COULD go on pills but I am one of those people that I just cannot remember to take them at the same time at all. I have pills that I already take every day but I don't take them at the same time. I just take them at "bedtime", which can range from 7pm to 2am. If I had to remember to take a birth control pill every day, surely I would end up pregnant and that isn't anything I can handle right now. Edit: Ah, hadn't refreshed the page before posting and just saw the reply above me saying the same thing!
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Jan 4, 2013 18:52
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NaturalLow posted:To deal with this, I usually just designate a time that works well with my schedule (like for example I usually work late so my pill time is 10:30 PM.) Then I set a recurring alarm on my cell phone since I pretty much always have my phone around. That way I take it the same time everyday and I don't really have to remember it. You could do the same thing with a watch alarm or something though. Although from what I understand, with the combined birth control pills (with estrogen and progesterone) there's actually a lot of leeway with the time. As long as you're taking one everyday, the timing is not a huge deal. They mostly recommend it to get you into a routine so you won't forget. "Mini-pills" that are progesterone-only are the ones where you have to be super strict about the timing. Generally combined-pills are the most common unless there's some reason you can't/won't do estrogen. I asked about the implanon and my doctor said it was probably not a good idea with the endo (hormones n poo poo), but the mirena has been shown to help with endo pain. It has never been an option though because it is so expensive. I will check out that link though, getting it for free would almost certainly literally be a life-saver.
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Jan 4, 2013 20:03
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silversiren posted:I asked about the implanon and my doctor said it was probably not a good idea with the endo (hormones n poo poo), but the mirena has been shown to help with endo pain. It has never been an option though because it is so expensive. I will check out that link though, getting it for free would almost certainly literally be a life-saver. When I was about to get a Mirena through Arch, my clinic had to fill out a lot of the paperwork and they submit it so you might have to print it out then bring it in to your doctor to talk about. Also the new health insurance law should make it so your company has to cover birth control like Mirena, but I don't know maybe they've found some kind of loophole with that. It also might be worth considering going to some kind of low-income clinic if you don't already. A lot of them will still accept you as a patient even if you have insurance and they can work with you on the cost more. For example in my case, going to a regular OB/Gyn for Paragard was going to cost me a total of about $1400 (this is without insurance though), while at Planned Parenthood it should clock in at around $580.
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Jan 4, 2013 20:28
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Yoyoyo if you parents are updating or getting a new insurance plan, birth control should be completely covered from from that birth control bill. Or did republicans gently caress that up already.
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Jan 5, 2013 00:59
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Kerfuffle posted:Yoyoyo if you parents are updating or getting a new insurance plan, birth control should be completely covered from from that birth control bill. quote:republicans did gently caress that up already. I heard it isn't supposed to go into affect until 2014 but I try my damndest not to watch the news so I could be wrong.
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Jan 5, 2013 01:29
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I think *THINK*, that all new policies that opened or renewed after August 1, 2012 are supposed to follow the birth control mandate. I could also be wrong. Also, 26 states have birth control equity laws. Which means insurance operating within that state must cover contraceptives, though I am sure it varies from place to place. It's how I got my insurance to cover my Mirena in Nevada. http://www.nwlc.org/resource/contraceptive-equity-laws-your-state-know-your-rights-use-your-rights-consumer-guide-0
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Jan 5, 2013 01:50
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My birth control went from $15/pack to $0. Thanks, Obama.
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Jan 5, 2013 07:48
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Stop nuvaring immediately, call doctor. I'm surprised your doctor let you on a combined hormonal method with a history of aura migraines. Okay this is from like a page or two ago but this startled me - I don't get actual headachey-want-to-die migraines(at least, that's what it sounds like the real deal is from friends who do) but I do get purely visual migraines(annoying, lasts 20 minutes usually, triggered by stress I thought?) and I've been getting them a lot more often in the past couple months - I had two in one week over Christmas, whereas before a few months ago I'd only ever had one once a year or so. Are these linked to my BC somehow? I've been on a combined pill since February last year and have had zero unpleasant side-effects, but are the ocular migraines something I should tell my doctor about? I'm due a pill check soon so I guess I can tell her then, but I've also been thinking about changing to an implant because I had a little scare just before Christmas - missed a pill and didn't remember til the next day, spent entirety of Christmas/New Years break freaking out, never been so glad to get my period as I was yesterday. I'm normally pretty good about remembering to take it on time but man I don't want to go through that again.
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Jan 5, 2013 21:14
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I think it would be a good idea to tell your doc about your ocular migraines simply because they should be aware of everything that's going on with your body, especially if medication is in the mix. I love my Implanon and recommend the implant to everyone. It's so less stressful than having to remember a pill.
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Jan 5, 2013 23:25
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Yeah, migraines with aura are the problem, so the aura should be taken very seriously even if you don't have a splitting headache. You should really lose the estrogen.
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Jan 6, 2013 00:32
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i like nice words
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Oh, poo poo :s What are my options for more permanent BC that doesn't mix badly with my eye-migraines, then? I never realised these were actual migraines...
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Jan 6, 2013 00:46
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floofyscorp posted:Oh, poo poo :s What are my options for more permanent BC that doesn't mix badly with my eye-migraines, then? I never realised these were actual migraines... For migraines with aura, the main danger is estrogen - which can increase your risk of a stroke. So basically anything that is estrogen-free (progestin only)would be fine. That would include "mini-pills," and on the more permanent-ish side Implanon, Depo Provera, both the Mirena and Paragrd IUDs, annd I'm probably forgetting something so hopefully someone can chime in with whatever I missed. There are also really permanent things like tubal ligation and Essure, but I'm guessing you either can't or don't want to go that far right now. I can't really say for sure whether any of these will have an effect on the frequency/severity of your migraines but they would be less risky.
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Jan 6, 2013 04:29
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Oh good, I was hoping to change to Implanon. I'd get a tubal ligation yesterday if there was a doctor in the country who'd do it for a healthy 25 year-old, but the implant sounds pretty good.
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Jan 6, 2013 12:58
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floofyscorp posted:Oh good, I was hoping to change to Implanon. I'd get a tubal ligation yesterday if there was a doctor in the country who'd do it for a healthy 25 year-old, but the implant sounds pretty good. Yeah I'm in same boat really, which is why I picked the IUD. Oh and I think there may be a newer version of Implanon out now called Nexplanon, but I don't know much about it beyond a poster I saw in Planned Parenthood.
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Jan 6, 2013 17:07
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NaturalLow posted:Yeah I'm in same boat really, which is why I picked the IUD. The only difference is Nexplanon can be seen in an X-ray and comes in a preloaded applicator for easier insertion. They are identical in every other way as far as hormones.
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Jan 6, 2013 17:10
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From what I remember, both my Implanons came in preloaded applicators also. I think it's kinda nifty that they added something that shows up on an xray, since nobody knows you have an implant until you tell them. I always tell my doctors that I have Implanon when they ask if I'm on any medications, even though I haven't heard of any scary reaction stories. With Nexplanon, people would have an easier time determining that you have an implant if you were unconscious or something.
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Jan 6, 2013 19:27
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fork bomb posted:From what I remember, both my Implanons came in preloaded applicators also. I think it's kinda nifty that they added something that shows up on an xray, since nobody knows you have an implant until you tell them. I always tell my doctors that I have Implanon when they ask if I'm on any medications, even though I haven't heard of any scary reaction stories. With Nexplanon, people would have an easier time determining that you have an implant if you were unconscious or something. The Nexplanon applicator is better somehow (falls out less easily & helps the doc get the implant right under the skin I think) and the x-ray visibility is quite helpful if the implant migrates. My NP said to always mention the implant when asked what meds I'm on, since it does contain progestin. I'm at a month now on my implant and the spotting hasn't been too bad. Definitely weirds my husband out to feel it in my arm though!
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Jan 7, 2013 01:06
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