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VoodooSchmoodoo posted:What is it about doctors trying to put you off stuff you think will be better for you? I was all up in the (copper) coil until my doc stressed the fact that it was EXTREMELY PAINFUL to get it fitted etc. etc. In spite of the fact she knows I've had major surgery resulting from a very painful medical condition so am no stranger to pain. In spite of the fact I told her I had problems with hormonal things. It really put me off, and I find now (after being on Cerazette for about 8 months) it was to my detriment. Unless there's some difference I'm unaware of, being fitted/having the copper IUD inserted shouldn't be any more painful than having Mirena inserted. I've never had it done myself so someone else can chime in there, but the painful part doesn't last very long anyway from what I've heard. Some people aren't comfortable with IUDs, especially in women who have never had children - maybe that doctor was one of them. As for your question, the last time I stopped taking a pill I had only been on it for a few months and it still took about 2 or 3 months for things to really normalize. That was a combined pill if it makes any difference
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Jun 9, 2011 22:05
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Pyrotoad posted:Potential Sounds like what most people call a clot. They're kind of gross/weird looking and it sounds like you had a big one, but they happen sometimes. I know I tend to have more of them than I used to now that I'm on the pill but I don't know if that's the pill or just changes with age. Passing the occasional clot is not a big deal, but bleeding like that is worrisome so you might want to ask about that when you go to the doctor (assuming it's still slowed down for now).
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Jun 12, 2011 16:01
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Tigntink posted:Wow gently caress your GPs. I went to my gyn and said " I want a paragard" and they said OK and made an appointment. Maybe they are super inexperienced on inserting one? If that's the case you don't want them to do it anyway. Go to planned parenthood or somewhere that they should have good experience. Could be inexperience with insertion or it could be that they buy into that belief that IUDs are only for women who have previously had children/are in long term relationships. IUDs also still have a bad reputation with some people because of the whole Dalkon Shield debacle. Or maybe the doctor's just set in their ways and prefers this kind of treatment? Hard to say. There's nothing wrong with getting second opinion if you believe that something else would work better for you and you just aren't being listened to.
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Jun 13, 2011 17:56
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Budget Bears posted:For some reason this is something I never even thought would be an issue, but I'm on the patch and it's totally leaving this gunky, BandAid-like adhesive residue on my skin. It's really hard to get off, because the adhesive on these fuckers is designed to stay on you for a solid week without falling off so that poo poo really sticks. So it totally makes sense that this would happen, but it's also gross, and I don't know how to get rid of it. Someone told me to use nail polish remover but is that seriously safe for my skin? I've used nail polish remover on my skin a few times (it's good for taking off hair dye stains) and it's never caused any problems for me. I've had similar luck with toners/astringents like Sea Breeze. In both cases you probably do want to rinse off after but it's never bothered my skin. And this is coming from someone whose skin is so touchy I can't even use things made for it like Nair (or the patch incidentally).
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Jun 18, 2011 02:09
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trapt posted:Tried to find an answer in the FAQ but didn't find anything so... As long as she's taking it as directed and isn't taking anything else that might interfere with it, I think you're pretty much as protected as you can be anytime of the month. The whole idea of most hormonal birth control is that it prevents her from ovulating at all. So no matter when/how often you have sex, there's no egg to fertilize. Not an expert, but that's my understanding from everything I've been told by doctors and the instructions I got when I first started the pill.
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Jun 22, 2011 19:51
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Kerfuffle posted:iirc, the strings don't stay pokey forever, eventually they soften so the danger of that is pretty much eliminated. Also if you leave the strings long enough they often curl back around the cervix and aren't "pokey" anymore. So trimming them super short might not be the best solution.
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Jun 27, 2011 14:52
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swagger like us posted:This wasnt in the FAQ but I believe its a fairly popular question here. From what I understand the general consensus is taking birth control AND condoms is not necessary but how can I convince the new gf this? She uses birth control but still wants me to use condoms "just to be safe" because birth control still has a chance of failing (even if it is only .03% chance). I mean, its her body and I'll respect her wanting to be as safe as possible I guess but isnt using a condom with birth control sort of defeat the purpose of birth control? If anyone can explain to me the sides of this debate I would appreciate it. If you're really paranoid about pregnancy, sometimes taking the pill is just to give yourself a little more peace of mind, not necessarily to stop using condoms altogether. I was like that for a while and the main reason I started the pill was just as a way to help me relax during sex and not be in bed worrying so much about stuff like "what if the condom breaks!!  " I didn't start taking it with the specific intention of not using condoms, just more as an extra layer of security in case something happened. No condoms didn't come until later when I was more comfortable with and knowledgeable about birth control.It can be kind of scary at first to rely solely on the pill. At least when a condom fails, you (usually) know it right away.
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Jun 27, 2011 23:56
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Budget Bears posted:I'm on the patch, been on it for 3 weeks. Today I'm starting my first no-patch week, and I understand I'm supposed to get my period during the no-patch week. When is my period supposed to start? First day of no-patch week? Within the first three days? Does it vary? I'm just wondering at what point I should be worried, if I take the patch off and don't get my period right off the bat. Like everyone said, it varies. Mine usually starts on Tuesday night or Wednesday (after starting the placebo pills on Sunday).
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Jun 30, 2011 19:01
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lunarian posted:I have a question about libido, bc pills, and testosterone. After having my copper IUD removed my doctor put me on Lo Loestrin FE (apparently the lowest dose bc pill). I've been on it for 4 months and the only real side effect I've noticed is loss of sex drive. Completely. I reported this to my doctor and he sent me a prescription for testosterone in petrolatum 2%. He said to rub it on the lady parts every day for one week and then 1-3 times per week as needed. He said it's completely safe and will increase my libido. I am worried about the side effects of testosterone so I haven't even filled the prescription yet. Has anyone ever heard of this before or tried it? Any reason not to try it? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! On the one hand, testosterone would most likely help your libido since that's part of what it does but on the other I too would worry about side effects. It seems like an odd first choice for something like this. I had libido problems when I was on a really low dose pill (Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo). I was switched to a version with a higher estrogen dose and my sex drive has been normal ever since. I'm not an expert and assuming you don't need to be on a super low dose of estrogen, but I would look into something like that first. I hate to sound all  but I wonder if this doctor is doing some deal with pharmaceutical reps. Testosterone treatments are being pushed hard right now from what I've heard from doctors on the forums and Lo Loestrin is being advertised like crazy too.
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Jul 1, 2011 12:00
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Tigntink posted:I have a question: Does ovulation cause anyone pain? I'm asking because I think i'm probably ovulating for the first time in my life normally (the timing is right and the pain location is too). I personally don't, but apparently it's common enough to have a name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittelschmerz
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Aug 1, 2011 00:45
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Theoretically posted:I've got a question. The hormones in the pill are metabolized by the liver so I guess interesting things could happen there. If it makes you feel any better, they have the same interaction listed for my birth control pills and I've never noticed any ill effects from drinking. Of course I don't really drink a lot - maybe a few beers every 3 or 4 months. The alcohol doesn't seem to have any different effect on me, which seems to be what Drugs.com is warning about anyway. I'm not a medical expert though, that's purely my experience.
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Aug 5, 2011 07:42
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Gutless Wonder posted:Man, this whole thread is making me feel less and less certain about potentially getting the Paragard IUD implanted. I talked about it to my gyno and she seemed to think it was a great option and is willing to implant it. From what I understand estrogen is the hormone you need to worry about if you're at risk for clotting. Which means you still have the progesterone-only options like the Mirena IUD, "mini pills," Depo Provera, Implanon, etc. Obviously check with your doctors first and everything, but you might have more options than just the copper IUD. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Aug 5, 2011 |
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Aug 5, 2011 18:58
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Stump Truck posted:I'm sure this has been asked before, but it should be a simple enough question. My girlfriend just got the shot because she finally realized that she's horrible at taking the pill at regular times. The OP lists the "typical use" failure rate at 3% and the "perfect" use failure rate at 0.3%. How are "typical use" and "perfect use" different for the shot? Don't you either get it or you don't? Since you have to get a shot of Depo every 3 months, my guess is the main "user error" would be not going and getting your shots on time. Apparently the perfect use and typical use for the shot were actually the same (.3%) until 2004 when they started using some other standard to measure it. I couldn't access any of the sources on that, so I'm not really all that clear on what changed it.
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Aug 10, 2011 00:46
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sarah synonymous posted:Also, I don't know if this would help you at all, but I know that many gynos will let you keep the top half of your outfit on if you aren't getting a breast exam. The last time I went I was wearing a dress, and all I had to do was remove my underwear and hike up the dress. You still have to remove some clothing, obviously, but you aren't shivering naked in a paper gown. I've never had to take everything off for an exam, even when they're doing the breast exam too. Every place I've gone to has just had me unhook my bra (but keep it on), lift up my shirt for the breast exam and then I stay covered the rest of the time. I've never had to do the paper gown thing actually, just a big paper sheet to kind of drape over my lower half/cover up while I'm waiting. Maybe it's because I've always gone to small clinics like Planned Parenthood and the health department instead of a full on gynecologist.
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Aug 13, 2011 01:12
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Clumsy Card House posted:I've got an inquiry! From looking at the drug information, they're essentially the same except that the the Lo version has .025 mg of estrogen instead of the .035 mg in Ortho Tri Cyclen. The progesterone levels are the same for both pills. I can't think of any reason it would hurt you or anything, except maybe side effects from your hormone levels being a bit different. It's still meant to protect from pregnancy and everything so you should be good there.
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Aug 17, 2011 03:30
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Lanthanum posted:Thanks gals My guess is that it probably is a side effect of NuvaRing. I've had a similar experience to yours, except that I'm on the pill. My periods have gotten much shorter and lighter as time has gone on. I even had a similar pregnancy scare last month when my period suddenly decided to shorten some more and started a day later than usual (right after a long visit with my boyfriend of course, great timing  ).
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Aug 19, 2011 07:10
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Triangulum posted:Don't get the ring, they can give you yeast infections like crazy. I HATED the ring for that exact reason and I'm not even particularly prone to getting them normally. Have you tried non-latex condoms by any chance? A lot of condoms are pre-lubricated too, so it could also be something like glycerin in the lube they use. I used to get yeast infections like crazy back when I used those kind of condoms.
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Aug 19, 2011 21:09
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Mr Kapu posted:I'm sure this has been asked before, but I just switched oral contraceptives from seasonique (which was amazing and amazingly EXPENSIVE) back to cheapo orthotricyclin after being on the seasonique for six months. This morning was my third day of the pack and around 1pm I was puking up a raging post-lunch storm. I distinctly remember having a similar problem a year or so ago back before the initial switch. I don't want to go whining to my doctor about some nausea, but I also don't want to be puking my guts out when my fiance comes home Monday from a year long deployment. When I first started taking the pill and the nausea thing was at its worst, it helped me to take it later in the day. I was taking it at night and tended to get nauseous in the morning, so taking it in the late afternoon (4 or 5:00) helped me, but your experience will probably vary depending on when it usually hits. Like Mr Kapu said, there's also the option of nausea remedies. Stuff like Dramamine, ginger ale or tea, peppermint, etc.
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Aug 26, 2011 19:37
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evelynevvie posted:I would double check on that, it doesn't make any sense to only offer it for new policies. It's a national law, much like the parts that prevent insurance from denying people for "pre-existing conditions." I haven't read or heard anything about it being for new policies only. It just doesn't start til next August. From reading over the page about this law from the Department of Health and Human services, it looks like she might be right. The preventative care requirements (which the women's health care coverage stuff falls under) only apply to plans created after March 23, 2010. It doesn't apply to plans that are "grandfathered" in i.e. created before that date. It would still be worth looking into though. There seems to be more to a plan's eligibility than just the creation date, so definitely check on it before you give up on the possibility Geolicious.
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Sep 1, 2011 00:30
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Geolicious posted:I am not that comfortable with lying about it since there are so many women who ARE uninsured and low income. I know I'm not stealing from them (I hope), it just feels wrong. It would take me about a year to save up 1100 bucks, if I was lucky. Well, when you think about it you sort of are uninsured in this specific situation since your plan won't cover an IUD. It's not like your insurance company is willing to pay for it and you've just decided to go to Planned Parenthood for fun. You aren't covered for an IUD and can't afford it otherwise - which is the whole point of places like Planned Parenthood offering the discounts they do. I know that's kind of rationalizing, but I don't see what difference having insurance makes in this situation if they won't cover any of it anyway.
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Sep 2, 2011 21:11
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Triangulum posted:Are you making GBS threads me? Your boyfriend is a dick, just a heads up. Judging from what she posted after that, it doesn't sound like she even asked him to because he makes less money than her and wouldn't be able to afford it, not some "I don't pay for girl stuff  " attitude.
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Sep 7, 2011 00:32
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Triangulum posted:Fair enough. From what you initially said it sounded like he absolutely refused to help, which is lovely. The idea isn't offensive but you probably could have expressed it in a calmer, less offensive way.
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Sep 7, 2011 22:38
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Suntory BOSS posted:So before putting on a condom, I sometimes go a little while bare, just to enjoy the sensation. After a few minutes, I pull out, put on a condom, and renew the festivities with the necessary protection. If she has the textbook 28 day menstrual cycle, she would be at peak fertility on or around day 14 (so two weeks before her period rather than one week). However a lot of women don't have 28 day cycles and they can vary month to month, so that's just a general estimate not a set in stone date to live by.
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Sep 12, 2011 04:45
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Suntory BOSS posted:I think I'm just being overly paranoid, but it'd be a lot smarter to be overly cautious instead. Having said that, I really wish Japan had some form of contraception other than just condoms. Yeah, I agree caution is probably the best policy here. In the future, peeing/cleaning up a little between rounds of sex can help clear sperm out of your urethra. It's not a 100% guarantee and I know it's not convenient but it's something that might help and give you some peace of mind. And from what I've heard anyway, they do at least have the pill in Japan but their regulations make it a giant pain in the rear end for the women that take it. Which I guess is probably what you're referring to.  Edit: Although looking at Wikipedia at least, it seems there are some doctors in Japan that overlook the "pelvic exam every 3 months" rule and just do yearly exams for the pill instead so it might be worth checking into if you haven't already. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Sep 12, 2011 |
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Sep 12, 2011 06:20
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AngelusNixon posted:A question to those using the pill: I've just started Microgynon 30 ED. I was on it from ages 16 to 21, and then had a gap where I only used condoms, and now I finally have a stable partner again, and I've decided to go back on the pill. I'm just starting my second month. I can't really answer the Microgynon/libido question for sure as I don't have any experience with that specific pill. Low libido is a fairly common side-effect so it's always possible. 3 months seems to be the usual waiting period to see if side-effects will go away with a new pill. I'm not sure what you mean by "reset" exactly?
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Sep 14, 2011 13:15
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Yeah, if the Microgynon lowers libido too much other pills are always an option. There are tons of formulations out there with different hormone levels/types and that can make a big difference. I had to switch pills at least once before I found one that didn't have an effect on my sex drive. If Microgynon doesn't work it doesn't mean you're doomed to have the same problems with other pills. And of course there are always other contraceptive types and options if you don't have any luck there. 
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Sep 15, 2011 01:36
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Geolicious posted:Completely different BC, but when I started the pill way back when I had some pretty severe hair loos for about 6 months. It got super thin. It eventually stopped and a lot of it came back, but I will have to say my hair has never been as thick as it was before BC. But, as long as I have no bald spots, I'm cool. This happened to me when I started the pill too. It did eventually stop (sorry I can't really remember how long it took) but even now if my pill schedule gets really off track and then I start again, my hair will fall out like crazy again for a few weeks. I've always had unmanagebly thick hair, so really the thinning has just brought it closer to what's probably normal to most people. Never had any bald spots - that would be a dealbreaker for me personally but then I don't have the endometriosis to consider.
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Sep 15, 2011 22:50
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Sexual Panda posted:I have a question about acne and birth control. I've always heard that BC will clear up acne, but I've been on it for 2 months now, and I swear my acne is worse than before. I used to get horrible pimples around my chin a couple days before my period, but now it's pretty much just all the time. For the first two months or so after I started taking the pill I had pretty terrible acne, but it settled down and cleared up probably around month 4. And my pill is specifically approved for acne treatment.  So if you can stand it, maybe wait and see if it's just your body adjusting?Of course everyone reacts differently to different pills and they won't make acne milder every single time either.
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Sep 17, 2011 03:00
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DuckConference posted:Just curious: Does anyone have any links or info to how birth control pregnancy rate statistics are determined? As in how the studies are set up? I did a bit of googling but I wasn't able to find anything. Is it just a survey? Is there some grad student with a clipboard watching how a couple puts on a condom before going at it? Apparently there's the Pearl index or the alternative decrement table. You'll have to take the research from there because I suck at statistics/probability and there's no way I could explain it myself.
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Sep 18, 2011 21:54
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I'm have a question about the whole antibiotics/birth control thing. I've been taking doxycycline for the last two weeks and I'll be taking my last dose this coming Tuesday. How long should I use back up birth control afterwards? Is it just the usual seven days once the antibiotic is out of my system? I know the jury is still out about whether there's any effect at all, but I'd like to err on the side of caution here.
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Sep 25, 2011 10:07
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Peggy Lee posted:The most conservative length of time I've been recommended is 'until you finish that month's worth of pills'. The reasoning behind that is that if your pill failed to prevent ovulation due to the antibiotics this cycle, you will start being 'covered' again when you start your next cycle with an uninterrupted dose of hormones. Again, this is the most conservative estimate - but if it makes you feel most protected against pregnancy and thus least stressed out, I'd say follow it. I haven't been sexually active while on the medication, so it hasn't really been an issue right now. I'll be visiting my boyfriend next weekend though, which is why I was checking. And if it makes a difference at all, I'll be on the first week of a new pack once I finish the antibiotics. I guess on the bright side, I'll finally get rid of some of those free condoms I get from the clinic. They've been piling up. 
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Sep 25, 2011 20:37
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DRP Solved! posted:The time that it takes to get out of your body varies significantly from antibiotic to antibiotic, for example it's 3-5 days for doxycycline. If you subscribe to the idea that antibiotics decrease the effectiveness of birth control (doxycycline doesn't), then you would want to use backup for 7 days after the antibiotic has cleared from your body (so 10-12 days after finishing doxycycline) in order to get a guaranteed 7 days of consistent hormone levels. Thanks for the guidelines, that's what I was looking for. The websites and drug information insert haven't been very helpful beyond the vague "use back up birth control for a while." I'll probably still use it for a bit just because better safe than pregnant I guess. (Thanks to everyone else who contributed too of course. )
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Sep 25, 2011 20:57
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samizdat posted:I've been having really bad fatigue issues for the past several weeks and only now realized that it seems to coincide with when I started taking Tri-Nessa, the generic of Ortho Tri-Cyclen. I had been on the brand name but switched to a different pharmacy and they just gave me the generic and I took it. I don't know for sure that it's the cause, or exactly how it could be causing my problems. Usually when I search for a drug through Google, the first results I get are from pretty reputable sources like the NIH and Mayo Clinic. They'll give you a list of side effects among other things. Since the active ingredients in generics are supposed to be exactly the same as the name brand, I doubt they're going to distinguish between the two though.
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Sep 26, 2011 21:56
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Geolicious posted:Wow. My college gave out Durex for free... by the drat handfuls. I had more condoms than I knew what to do with by the time I left college. Yeah, my university clinic sat out big glass bowls full of condoms in the waiting rooms and pretty much anywhere else they could get away with. There was also usually one of the ubiquitous "brown paper bags" in each of the exam rooms. I too had an impressive collection of free condoms by the time I left. Even now the clinic I go to pretty much forces me to take a bag of 20 condoms and a weird little can of spermicidal foam with me everytime I visit even though I don't need them. The last ones were rainbow colors.  I can't really comment on their effectiveness since everytime I needed them the other person usually had their own brand name supply. Like Kerfuffle said, the Sex Questions Megathread seems to have a lot of wisdom about condoms.
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Oct 2, 2011 21:45
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Mechafunkzilla posted:My girlfriend had Mirena installed about three weeks ago, and all the soreness had gone until last night when we had fairly vigorous sex and I may have hit her cervix. Today she was complaining of pain in her cervix similar to when she had it installed. She also had some light bleeding that may or may not have been related. She's worried that the IUD may have moved or that something else might be wrong, like a puncture. Would it be possible for her to call the doctor and ask about it? My guess is that if she had a puncture or something like that she would be in a pretty severe amount of pain, but I'm not an expert either. If she could get advice from her doctor, it could save her a trip and give her some peace of mind (or get her an early appointment, whichever is necessary). Chicken Doodle posted:Hi ladies, I posted a while ago about being depressed on birth control... I just wanted to say that since I stopped taking it my head has been SO much clearer. I've kind of lost track of all your posts in the thread, but what kinds of birth control have you tried? Sometimes it takes a few tries and being depressed on one formulation doesn't mean you're doomed to be depressed on every other pill/patch/ring/whatever. It's tough until you find it, but periods like that are worrisome. I'm pretty sure going through a pad and a tampon in an hour is when a lot of people start advising an ER visit.
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Oct 3, 2011 20:18
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Bollock Monkey posted:About the condom thing, don't they have to conform to standards? They do here in the UK, at least- they all carry a logo to say they've been tested and certified. Good point. Maybe it's just a case of the "you get what you pay for" mentality with a little confirmation bias thrown in. I guess it's also possible that people have gotten bad batches or something. There's no telling what kind of conditions some free condoms are stored in - like in my previous post where they were just kind of left sitting out wherever for god only knows how long. It would be pretty easy to grab a bunch that were expired or stored improperly which will increase the chances of failure.
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Oct 3, 2011 23:59
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muscat_gummy posted:A few questions: I can't really say anything about strength gains and hormones. I know we had a poster with a similar dilemma once, but I can't remember her name offhand dammit. Are you looking at typical use failure rates or perfect use? Because typical use failure for diaphragms and condoms both appear to be way above 6%, depending on the population you're looking at so they're both kind of high for you. Perfect use is lower than 6 which is why I'm getting confused here. And to my knowledge, Saheli isn't legally available in most countries so unless you're in India or have some other means to get it I'm not sure that's an option. Edit: Took too long with my post. You all got that covered fast!
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Oct 4, 2011 04:49
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2508084 posted:She didn't specify 1000mg. I didn't mean to phrase it like she had. That is actually my family's standard dose. You always take 1000mg. I never questioned why, I didn't even know it was unsafe :\ I might be completely missing the point of your question here but the copper IUD is made of plastic too. The copper part is wire wrapped around it. I personally heaven't heard of materials making a difference other than something like a metal allergy.
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Oct 4, 2011 07:29
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2508084 posted:Is paraguard copper around plastic? I hope this isn't a dumb question because I thought copper IUD's were.. entirely made of copper. I feel so dumb about birth control It's copper wrapped around plastic. Don't feel too bad, I always assumed it was solid copper too until probably a few months ago when I looked at the Wikipedia article about it. There's a picture of it with the article that might be helpful too.
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Oct 5, 2011 02:59
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Ms. Happiness posted:One more thing. I use a Divacup for periods and have heard it mentioned that you can't use menstrual cups with IUDs. Is there any truth in that? I don't really know, but this thread might be another good place to ask.
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Oct 6, 2011 06:44
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