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One of my good friends with Paragard swears by Vitamin E supplements for her ParaPeriods. Ibu always works best for me. I think I read somewhere they work better on prostaglandins(?)
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Apr 5, 2016 23:27
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:Hi thread, I got a Paragard today and now I'm being a huge baby and cuddling up to a heating pad and my bottle(s) of ibuprofen. Is there anything anybody particularly recommends for cramps? Is there a better option than ibuprofen as far as over-the-counter stuff? I used to have really bad cramps, but they lightened up considerably over the last couple years and so it is going to be rocky readjusting Naproxen (aka Aleve) works well too. But it lasts longer so you can't take it quite as often as ibuprofen. I've also heard the vitamin E thing, but I honestly never noticed much difference on or off of it.
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Apr 6, 2016 03:06
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Thanks for the replies! I've only ever used ibuprofen for painkillers and it seemed a bit less effective than I'd hoped, today, so I'll pick up some Aleve tomorrow and see how that treats me.
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Apr 6, 2016 03:14
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I'm getting my iud out next month and I'm a little worried. The insertion was really painful so I thibk that's probably tied to it but also, my gyn had to send me for an ultrasound after insert on because he couldn't find it at the check up. it's chilling out, just laying there as far as I know but if he had issues finding it before, won't that impact removal? I'm super paranoid about it now.
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Apr 12, 2016 17:10
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They have special tool to use when they can't just yank it by the string. It will probably be uncomfortable when they go in to hook it on with the tool but as far as actually having it removed, you don't feel much. There is some pressure when they pull but as soon as it is out you have relief. If for some reason they can't get it out this way they send you for surgery.
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Apr 12, 2016 23:15
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MockTurtle posted:They have special tool to use when they can't just yank it by the string. It will probably be uncomfortable when they go in to hook it on with the tool but as far as actually having it removed, you don't feel much. There is some pressure when they pull but as soon as it is out you have relief. If for some reason they can't get it out this way they send you for surgery. Yup. When I had my first Mirena removed my doctor couldn't feel the strings, even looking through a scope. She told me that if she wasn't able to hook it out, they would send me for an ultrasound to look at its position and then try again; if they still couldn't get it they send you in for outpatient surgery and knock you out to open up your cervix a bit more. She was magically able to hook it on the first try with that little tool though, for which I was very grateful!
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Apr 12, 2016 23:33
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So I posted in here a few months ago when I got Nexplanon but I'm seeing my doctor Monday to probably get it taken out. I got it to reduce periods, but I'm basically having 9 day periods now with about 4 days in between. Additionally I'm cramping all 9 days and just constantly mood swinging. I did some research and asked my pharmacist friend and she said that it sounds like I have high progesterone. I did this method because all estrogen birth control made me vomit constantly for six months straight. At this point, I might take the vomiting because at least I will lose the weight that this implant has also made me gain. In my research, something mentioned was that you can reduce your own progesterone levels through diet and exercise. I'm not overweight (5'4", 135 lbs), should I ask my doctor to test for hormone imbalance or sensitivity or just cut this thing out and give up on ever feeling sane without having a hysterectomy. I'm seriously at the end of my rope, and thinking too long about this makes me either cry or want to throw something.
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Apr 17, 2016 02:59
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Eponine posted:So I posted in here a few months ago when I got Nexplanon but I'm seeing my doctor Monday to probably get it taken out. I got it to reduce periods, but I'm basically having 9 day periods now with about 4 days in between. There are definitely options other than the Nexplanon for reducing your periods. Mirena reduces blood loss by 80% at 6 months, 90% at a year, and around a third of women won't have periods at all. It's also a MUCH lower dose of overall progestin to your body as most of its effect is local on the uterus. Depo Provera has a better shot at completely stopping your periods with long-term use, but does so with higher serum levels of progestin. Progestin-only pills could be an option as well. In terms of non-hormonal treatments, tranexamic acid and ibuprofen can be helpful when taken during your period.
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Apr 17, 2016 04:25
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superbelch posted:There are definitely options other than the Nexplanon for reducing your periods. Mirena reduces blood loss by 80% at 6 months, 90% at a year, and around a third of women won't have periods at all. It's also a MUCH lower dose of overall progestin to your body as most of its effect is local on the uterus. Depo Provera has a better shot at completely stopping your periods with long-term use, but does so with higher serum levels of progestin. Progestin-only pills could be an option as well. In terms of non-hormonal treatments, tranexamic acid and ibuprofen can be helpful when taken during your period. I'm pretty convinced that anything with progestin in it will give me the same effect. Nexplanon has about the same rate in reducing periods or stopping them and it has been the worst thing I've done. Unless I can lower progesterone levels in my body, I feel pretty hosed, and not in the fun way because this has also made sex extremely painful.
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Apr 17, 2016 04:45
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Tranexamic acid has greatly helped several people I know, some of whom were sleeping in adult diapers during their periods but couldn't do birth control for whatever reason. Took their bleeding down to almost nothing.
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Apr 17, 2016 05:35
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I got a Mirena put in about a month ago, and now I have acne, especially on my neck for some reason (wtf). Did this happen to anyone else? Does it go away after a couple months, or am I stuck with it?
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Apr 21, 2016 00:57
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legendof posted:I got a Mirena put in about a month ago, and now I have acne, especially on my neck for some reason (wtf). Did this happen to anyone else? Does it go away after a couple months, or am I stuck with it? Yes and no. About 3 months after I got my Mirena my skin got baaaaaaaaaaad. Just loving terrible. From about Sept '12 to February '13 it was just awful. But it finally settled down and cleared up after a 0.5% benzoyl peroxide regimen. However, I still have times where my skin just hella flares up and looks atrocious. I am just coming out of a terrible flare that was pretty much Thanksgiving to now. I will have had the Mirena 4 years come June. Obviously, as with all BC, YMMV. But that's my experience. Even the dumb neck acne and I'd never had that before.
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Apr 21, 2016 01:16
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I had a mirena inserted after a surgical abortion procedure in 2014 and it ended up moving, and gave me weird spotting and pain. I had it removed a couple of months later. I was bummed about it but the strings made me anxious lol Last fall, I got a nexplanon implant and it's really nice and cool, for the most part my periods are gone but for like three? weeks now I've been having weird pink discharge, minor cramping and bad headaches after a semi-period. idk if I have some kind of infection like after my abortion/IUD (I think it was BV) but I don't have any other pain besides really light cramps occasionally. My only issue with the nexplanon is that it moved in my arm, a lot. I'm fat so I'm concerned about it not working in the first place but it's been fine so far, I take a cheapo pregnancy test on the first of every month because ~anxiety~. It's just that, uh, it slid down my arm about an inch during the healing process, and sort of rotated so I can only see and feel one tip. I mean it still seems to work, and I can still feel it, but lmao @ my fat rear end. I'm sure it'll be a bitch to remove. ama about surgical abortions with no sedation prior to 12wks!! 
snoo fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Apr 21, 2016 |
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Apr 21, 2016 01:45
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The Snoo posted:
Go on....
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Apr 21, 2016 21:32
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I wouldn't recommend getting to the point where you'd need a termination procedure, it kinda sucks and is expensive without insurance. I'm very lucky to not only live in a state where they haven't completely gutted reproductive rights, but the Planned Parenthood clinic (where I also got my sweet nexplanon) is on a train/public transportation line so we had an easier time with the whole experience. Husband (then-fiancé) and I hosed up, and honestly it was a terrifying feeling. He and I were 23 and 20 at the time, respectively. We were both really scared because we didn't have money or anything, but we don't want kids now or anytime soon so we were absolutely fine with an abortion. His parents helped out with the cost because they're nice. I confided in my younger brother and he came along with us for support. I don't enjoy sedation; I've had it once for heart surgery and once for wisdom teeth. The clinic said that the earliest appointment they could make would be a day where they didn't have a sedation technician on site, and it would just be local anesthesia. I was fine with that, it was cheaper anyway. I don't think I would've 'qualified' for it, but I didn't want to take the ~RU-486~, the 'abortion pill', because I wasn't entirely comfortable with doing it at home. I wanted it all gone at once. We took the train down and I filled out some paperwork, got a bit of counseling ('are you being pressured into this' 'are you in a safe situation' etc.) and also discussed birth control options. They do a lot of prep beforehand. Lots of questions!! My state doesn't require a waiting period or anything, but they performed an ultrasound to determine the 'age', a little over ten weeks, and to make sure there aren't any other issues. Planned Parenthood doesn't have abortion services past ~12 - 13 weeks. They gave me an antibiotic and some painkillers beforehand. They start by injecting local anesthetic into the cervix, and it makes your ears ring. It's so weird. They dilate the cervix gradually. The actual procedure was called vacuum aspiration. I could feel it a bit; it was more like mild menstrual cramps and a weird undulating sucking/pulling feeling, than pain. I don't think it took longer than 10 minutes to do the actual procedure. Most of it was prep and waiting, and then the aftercare to make sure they didn't gently caress up. We were there for about 6 hours. They gave me a mirena IUD after the procedure, for free, since my cervix was already there, ready 2 go!! It ended up getting wonky and I had it removed months later, and honestly I had more complications with the IUD than I ever had with the abortion. They didn't actually provide a follow-up appointment and said to come back if something actually was wrong, and that kinda bothered me but I was okay. Afterwards, we took the train back, and one of my close friends picked us up. We actually just went to trader joe's and hung out at their place for a couple of hours so I wouldn't have to be at my parents' house. It was great to have people around who weren't lovely about this and actually made it easier, even amusing. I'm extremely pro-choice, personally have no moral issues re: abortion, and want people to be allowed to make the decisions they're comfortable with, emotionally/mentally/finanically/etc., but I still had weird feelings months afterwards. Though it was less like 'I'm ashamed' and more like 'what if we couldn't have gotten this done??'. But any feeling people have after this kind of procedure, good or bad, is valid and sometimes it can be hard to think about. If you decide to have an abortion, I hope you can surround yourself with good people who support you and love you. When I was in the room with the nice woman who was asking questions, I noticed that they have a lot of stuff on their office walls about what to do in case of a bomb threat or other violence. Goddamn. (also it wasn't actually a surgical abortion and I hosed that up in my other post, sorry)
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Apr 24, 2016 22:22
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My long-term boyfriend just broke up with me without warning. Aside from the fact that I'm heartbroken and struggling to understand what happened, I don't know what to do about my birth control. I'm taking Apri, and I'm currently in the placebo week. Can I just not take the next pack? Is that a good idea? I know that my hormones will be out of whack for a while adjusting to not being on it, and I'm already a mess: it might just make things worse. But I don't want to keep taking it if I don't need to, and just looking at them reminds me of what I've lost. Any advice would be appreciated.
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May 10, 2016 13:38
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With so much emotional chaos right now, it seems like a better idea to keep your hormones steady rather than adding another big upheaval. Does it help to think of it as something you're doing for yourself, like taking a vitamin, instead of taking them for him? I've stayed on my birth control while dating guys, while dating girls, while not dating, you name it.
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May 10, 2016 16:05
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i like nice words
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That's a good point. I guess I'm just so messed up right now I don't want to see anything that reminds me of him. But you're right; it's better to keep things as steady as possible. Thank you for your input.
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May 10, 2016 16:28
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Does anyone know what BC planned parenthood normally prescribes? My girlfriend went to get birth control for the first time (she was a virgin when we met) and didn't know where else to go, so she just went there. All the paperwork they gave her just says "the pill" and doesn't really have much information on what she's actually being given.
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May 11, 2016 20:53
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They stock numerous brands/formulations, which vary from clinic to clinic. Did they give her a script? If so the pharmacist can give her more info when she has it filled.
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May 11, 2016 21:21
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What does the actual prescription say? If she doesn't have it, they probably phoned it in to a pharmacy. She can call the pharmacy (or go to pick it up) and they'll tell her the brand name. She can also call the PP and ask what she was prescribed.
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May 11, 2016 21:22
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She picked it up from the pharmacy. "Mononessa" I've never heard of it. It looks like its a combination pill? Is there somewhere trustworthy I can read up on it? Call me suspicious, but she said they didn't ask her anything about what kind of BC she wants or spend any time going over her options. I have a hard time believing that all BC pills are the same quality / effectiveness / whatever, and I feel like they probably just gave her whatever was dirt cheap. Someone set my mind at ease, because I just don't trust it.
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May 11, 2016 22:45
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KillHour posted:She picked it up from the pharmacy. "Mononessa" Mononessa is just another brand name for Ortho-Cyclen, which is a well known birth control formulation that's been on the market for at least 20 years now I think? I'm not sure what will make you feel better. Just because it's a generic or cheaper or whatever doesn't mean it isn't going to work. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 22:56 on May 11, 2016 |
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May 11, 2016 22:46
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Kimmalah posted:Mononessa is just another brand name for Ortho-Cyclen, which is a well known birth control formulation that's been on the market for at least 20 years now I think? I'm not sure what will make you feel better. Just because it's a generic or cheaper or whatever doesn't mean it isn't going to work. I just don't trust oral birth control in general. 8% typical failure rate is really really high to me. And being on the market for a long time is a downside in my mind. To me, it means it's old technology and doesn't work as well as the latest and greatest. I don't know, I'm probably being paranoid, but if it came out a week ago and cost $1000/pill, I'd probably trust it more. Edit: I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm being irrational and that what she got was the right thing to get KillHour fucked around with this message at 23:10 on May 11, 2016 |
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May 11, 2016 23:00
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KillHour posted:I just don't trust oral birth control in general. 8% typical failure rate is really really high to me. And being on the market for a long time is a downside in my mind. To me, it means it's old technology and doesn't work as well as the latest and greatest. I don't know, I'm probably being paranoid, but if it came out a week ago and cost $1000/pill, I'd probably trust it more. "Typical use" generally means the failure rate you get when you're really bad at taking the pill everyday, on time, making sure you're aware of drug interactions etc. If she's taking it everyday as directed, she's much closer to "Perfect use" effectiveness which is .3% Combination pills in particular are actually very forgiving in this regard. Also some of the most effective birth control methods out there have been around a long time. I used a copper IUD for years and years and that particular model went on the market 30 years ago (and the general concept is much much older). Frankly, if something like the pill is still too risky for you to feel protected against pregnancy (especially for a weird reason like "it's cheap") then maybe sex in general isn't something you should consider right now.
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May 11, 2016 23:09
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KillHour posted:I just don't trust oral birth control in general. 8% typical failure rate is really really high to me. And being on the market for a long time is a downside in my mind. To me, it means it's old technology and doesn't work as well as the latest and greatest. I don't know, I'm probably being paranoid, but if it came out a week ago and cost $1000/pill, I'd probably trust it more. Afaik, the 'typical use' failure rate is usually because of mistakes/etc. the people taking it make, not the pill itself. edit: drat it I should've refreshed 
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May 11, 2016 23:10
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KillHour posted:I just don't trust oral birth control in general. 8% typical failure rate is really really high to me. And being on the market for a long time is a downside in my mind. To me, it means it's old technology and doesn't work as well as the latest and greatest. I don't know, I'm probably being paranoid, but if it came out a week ago and cost $1000/pill, I'd probably trust it more. Yes, you are being paranoid. All birth control pills have the same fail rate because they're virtually identical in that sense, only the side effects vary from person to person from the specific hormone mix, not the effectiveness. I don't know where you're getting 8% fail rate from, it's usually thought to be 2% or less and that's from user error not the pill itself. The pill is among the most studied medications in history. They're not just loving around with this, its tried and true and it works. The options with a lower failure rate are the internal long-term ones - the Depo shot, the Implanon/Nexplanon arm implant, and IUDs. Here's everything you need to know about every option, send it to your gf, look over it yourself, and relax- https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control
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May 11, 2016 23:10
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How does your girlfriend feel about it? PP doesn't make or save money by prescribing cheaper options. They're not in the business of hoping to make a few bucks by prescribing something ineffective. Also, if you think a 8% typical failure rate is high, hope you haven't been trusting condoms until now!
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May 11, 2016 23:11
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Well all birth control will be free if it's generic brand and covered under the ACA. For oral BC, is typically due to user error. You have take the pill every day at exactly the same time to be extremely effective. You should always be using back-up birth control: condoms are cheap and readily available, especially if you haven't both been tested. If she likes what she has, there are many types of oral birth control. If not, she can make another appointment and do some more research on what she wants. Planned Parenthood is a good start, but any GP can prescribe any birth control as well, although a nurse-midwife or gynecologist can do IUD or implant insertions.
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May 11, 2016 23:13
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I'm just a little paranoid because she won't consider abortion if it fails. And we may want children some day, so a vasectomy is out of the question. I'm just looking for reassurance that she isn't going to get pregnant. Edit: wow, that's a lot of replies. I know I'm being silly, I just want the best for her.  Edit: the 8% number came from the OP. KillHour fucked around with this message at 23:19 on May 11, 2016 |
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May 11, 2016 23:14
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For real though, the question is what does she want to put in her body. Is she okay with the pill? Was she curious about other options? Did she ask about them?
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May 11, 2016 23:18
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Anne Whateley posted:For real though, the question is what does she want to put in her body. Is she okay with the pill? Was she curious about other options? Did she ask about them? She wants to not get pregnant, but really doesn't care past that. I care what she uses because that affects my decision on whether I put my dick in her.
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May 11, 2016 23:21
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KillHour posted:I'm just a little paranoid because she won't consider abortion if it fails. And we may want children some day, so a vasectomy is out of the question. I'm just looking for reassurance that she isn't going to get pregnant. There is no perfect contraception, dude. Even vasectomy fails. There is ALWAYS a fail rate. Hormonal birth control is as close to 1% as science can get. There is no new technology or new drugs for this. We've known since the 1950's that 2 kinds of hormones end the ovulation cycle and that's it. That's all we need to know. There is nothing beyond that now, just new ways to get those hormones inside you (like the development of the patch and the nuvaring, etc). You have to be okay with this or sex is not for you. Whatever you were using before, hormonal BC is better.
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May 11, 2016 23:21
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Scudworth posted:There is no perfect contraception, dude. Even vasectomy fails. There is ALWAYS a fail rate. Thank you. This is what I was looking for.
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May 11, 2016 23:22
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I know it's terrifying to have that chance of pregnancy (on both ends), even vasectomies and tubal ligations can fail. Having good communication with your partner and a plan in case BC fails is super important.
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May 11, 2016 23:26
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The Snoo posted:I know it's terrifying to have that chance of pregnancy (on both ends), even vasectomies and tubal litigations can fail. Having good communication with your partner and a plan in case BC fails is super important. That's the scary part for me. She has made the decision that she is not comfortable with abortion for religious reasons. Reversible male birth control can't come soon enough....
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May 11, 2016 23:28
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KillHour posted:That's the scary part for me. She has made the decision that she is not comfortable with abortion for religious reasons. Reversible male birth control can't come soon enough.... If you're not okay with the possibility of ending up a dad, and she's not okay with having an abortion if her BC fails, then maybe you shouldn't be having sex with her. Just saying: of all the things you want to be 100% on the same page about, that is a big one.
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May 12, 2016 07:57
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Not having sex would probably end a relationship that I'm otherwise very happy in. There's always a risk in everything you do; I'm just trying to minimize it. We will probably still use condoms while she is on BC until/unless we ever decide to try for kids. I just wanted to make sure that there isn't a "better" BC she could be on, and the answer is apparently no. And obviously, I know that condoms are less effective than the pill. It took her a while to get an appointment.
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May 12, 2016 13:20
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The only thing "better" is the IUD because user error is not applicable. But that's *her* decision and hers alone. That said, I took the combo pill for a decade. Every day, on time, never got pregnant. The only thing I will add, and only if this is applicable to her, is that some studies have indicated that some forms of HBC (combo pills, POPs, implant) may not work as well in women over a certain BMI (~30). I have never been able to get a straight answer from any gyno about it, but it played into my decision to get the IUD, which is not contraindicated by weight. If you're not OK with being a dad right now and still want to proceed with having sex, I think you both need to have a talk about expectations should the BC fail.
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May 12, 2016 18:16
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| # ? May 31, 2024 17:19 |
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Well, of course her BC is her decision. When did I ever say it wasn't? We had a short discussion about what she wanted to do, and she pretty much just said "whatever the gyno suggests." I brought up that there are alternatives to the pill that she may want to look into if she didn't want to have to worry about taking something every day and left it at that. The "what if" talk is going to be pretty much "If you're not comfortable with getting an abortion, I'm not comfortable using only one form of birth control. Let's keep using condoms."  Also, she's not overweight at all, so the BMI thing isn't a concern. Edit: She said she had REALLY bad nausea all day. The OP says 3 months before the side effects taper off. Will it really take that long? Or is the first week particularly bad? KillHour fucked around with this message at 21:08 on May 12, 2016 |
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May 12, 2016 21:03
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