Birth control

[Christeen_Trevor]

For those of you that dont want to get pregnant but maybe someday like in 3-4 years might want to have another baby what do you use for birth control. I am taking the mini pill nursing but I am so scared I might get preganet I have not had sex in months. I have pleased my dh other ways. I want to have sex just dont want to get pregnant have a ds 4 months and dd 2 years

[mamato1]

This is not helpful at all, but we use prayer and good old fashioned timing. Not terribly reliable but, knock on wood, so far it has worked for us.

Chris

Mama to Brendan, aka Boomer, my little peanut who is allergic to peanuts! 01/16/04


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[mariza]

The Mini-Pill (granted, I missed a few doses) and timing did not work out for us, lol! Of course, now that my little man is here, I would not change it for the world, but still with a 22 month old and a 7 week old I'd really rather not risk it again.
I've decided to go with Mirena which is being inserted by my OB next week. With 2 under 2 I really didn't feel confident that I would remember to take the pill every day and the new IUD's are safer than before and from what I've read are pretty much instantly reversible upon removal. I'm not ready to say no more babies ever, but not more babies till these 2 are out of diapers seems like a good plan for me.
HTH!

Mariza
Mommy to my "Thing 1" DD 1/05
and "Thing 2" DS 9/06

[new_mommy25]

I have the Mirena IUD, which I have been happy with. I did have spotting for a few weeks after it was inserted. I also had little 'twinges' of pain down there for a few weeks after it was inserted. But ever since then it has been perfect and I don't have any complaints. My OB told me it would cost $200 which I was prepared to pay but my insurance ended up covering it 100%!! It is good for 5 years but you can get it removed at any time.

[MegND95]

I have been using the Mirena IUD for 2.5 years and really love it! I have not had a period since before I got pg with #3. I don't have any PMS to speak of. Did I mention no period??? Most of the women I know who have this IUD really love it.

I did have several months worth of spotting, which was really annoying, and is not uncommon with the Mirena. But, once that ended, I can't say enough good things about this form of bc. I often joke that I should get a commission for all the recommendations I give to use Mirena.

Although I have no plans to have another baby, once your IUD is removed, your fertility should return almost immediately.

[MartiesMom2B]

Yup Mirena is what I would suggest.

-Sonia
Mommy to Martie
& Li'l Girl Bunny to come Feb. 2007
http://bd.lilypie.com/Kchhm4/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[jenmcadams]

I use the Mirena -- we're fairly certain we're done, but I just turned 34 and don't want to make that decision final yet. I had it inserted 6 weeks after my DS was born and it's been great. For me it has had the added benefit of little to no periods (I had a similar reaction to my normal pill). There are tons of old posts on the Mirena if you do a search

[SnuggleBuggles]

Copper IUD...no hormones, lasts up to 10 years, you can have it taken out any time and resume normal fertility, you don't have to worry about it...that's why I picked it. I was a good candidate too as my normal periods were not super heavy already and I wasn't prone to cramps.

I have had it 2.5 years and I love it. I had been on the mini pill before that (while nursing) and before TTC I was on the regular pill. Happy to be done with daily pills!

Beth

[dhano923]

I also have a copper IUD. I got it in March so it's been about 7 months already. My periods are a little heavier than before, but I can deal with that in exchange for not having to remember to take a pill everyday!

[Emmas Mom]

I've had the Mirena IUD since about April, I love it.

[daniele_ut]

Another happy Mirena user here. I've had mine for 16 months and we'll likely start TTC again sometime next summer. My insurance doesn't cover birth control at all, so it was pricey for me at almost $500. At $30 per month for the pill, though, I've already broken even.

[saschalicks]

I was the same way and got an IUD. I wanted some reasurrances these days. I got the 10 year one (copper), although I anticipate having it removed in 2-5 years. It all depends on our financial situation.

[maestramommy]

Hmmmm, glad I saw this thread. AFter dc2 comes I need something more reliable than a condom. dc3 is an option, but I really don't want to get pregnant again that soon.

[pb&j]

Mirena IUD. Best thing ever. I spotted for a couple of weeks, but nothing since. No pain, no remembering to take anything, no wishful thinking. Totally reversible. I'll never use another form of bc ever again.


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, 01/05/06

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[katerinasmom]

We use and have always used condoms and they have worked for us. I have an irrational fear of other forms of birth control doing irreversible things to my body and therefore refuse to use any female form of contraceptive until at least after I am done having all of the children I plan to have.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I don't think your fear is irrational. I have concerns over the IUD (maybe causing scarring or something I hadn't thought of). And I really believe that the pill screwed things up for me for a while hormonally.

Beth

[jenjenfirenjen]

I was starting to think I was the only one using condoms. I don't want to use any hormones and we decided to wait on an IUD until we're done having kids. Neither one of us minds the condoms (except remembering to buy more when we run out...sucks to get all worked up and then find out that they're all gone!)

[fortato]

I used a lot of shouting... like "Get off of me!" or "NOOOO" that worked for a couple of months.

Seriously, I was on the mini pill, but went off as soon as my milk supply slowed down. Then I went back on my regular pill (Ortho Tri-cyclen-LO).

I would recommend the book "Taking Charge of your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. It's all about tracking your fertility signs and how to be better able to know when you are ovulating. It's not just about taking your basal temp.
I got a lot out of this book and used it when we were TTC. I use it now to keep from getting pregnant.

Good Luck!
Hope the book helped.
Kristen

[Puddy73]

>I used a lot of shouting... like "Get off of me!" or "NOOOO"
>that worked for a couple of months.
>
LOL! This has been pretty successful for me, too! We just use condoms. The mini-pill is expensive and I can't remember to take it at the exact same time every day. My MIL had to have a hysterectomy at a relatively young age because of the Dalkon shield and her experience has scared me from ever using an IUD.

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/08/03 & Finn 10/31/05

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

[tarahsolazy]

Happy Mirena customer here too. I had one for about a year, had it out, conceived DS the same month. Got another after he was born, and had it out about 19 months later. It did take a little longer to get PG this time, about 8-9 months.

I think I'll get another after this baby, although we don't plan more kids. I like the no-period aspect of the whole thing.

[kozachka]

We use condoms. I was thinking of getting an IUD but my ob-gyn did not recommend it. And taking a pill seems too toxic and waistful considering how often we need protections :(.

[Mommy_Again]

I just started using the Nuvaring and love it. You put a new one in every month, and you don't feel anything "up there."

[ribbit1019]

Mirena IUD user here!
When we decide to have more I'll have it taken out, it will be nice not to have to worry for 3 years on taking pills or injections etc.

Christy
Wife to Richard
My Waterbabies
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[mum1day]

I have the Mirena UID, many thanks to the wonderful reviews I read on this board. It's been wonderful, although I did bleed for about 3 months. I had mine inserted at my 6 week pp checkup after my pap came back normal.

It has a small amount of progesterone, but no other hormones, which is great if you are nursing.

[ShanaMama]

Since there have been so many pro-Mirena replies, I just wanted to throw some cold water on the party. Disclaimer: I never had the Mirena.
I was on the mini pill while nursing, which I am told has a high failure rate. Meaning if you miss even one pill you can ovulate= you can get preg. Then I switched to the regular pill (I took Yasmin). This one has more hormones so you can miss one or two with less chance of ovulating.
Suffice it to say that the hormones made my life miserable. I am going thru a difficult time right now, & I am certain that the BC added to my mood swings / almost depression. I just switched to Paraguard (the copper IUD), and I literally feel free. I cannot describe the difference in my daily life, but it's huge.
I chose not to get the Mirena because it has the same hormones as the pill, & presumably can cause the same moodiness. I don't know that for a fact, but my reason for switching precluded experimentation.
My best friend also had moodiness & severe migraines due to the pill & is now contemplating the Paraguard.
I am telling this whole novel just to give some devil's advocate. With so many posters having excellent experiences with Mirena, I just want to caution you that some ppl react strongly to all those hormones. Don't flame me- just trying to give some perspective.
I'd love to hear from experienced Mirena users if they experienced any/ the same level of moodiness with the Mirena & the pill.

[calebsmama03]

I seem to be the exception to the rule, with so many happy users here, but I had HORRIBLE reactions to the Mirena. I wanted SO badly to love it :( I tried reasoning that there was no way the Mirena could have caused my symptoms because everyone loves it and supposedly so little gets into your blood stream so I kept it for about 5 months. Getting it removed was the best things ever. I had all the typical hormone s/e (except weight gain b/c I was too nauseas to eat much). Skin problems, migraines, low libido, nausea and much more, in addition to the bleeding, which had finally started to normalize just before I had it removed. So just another word of caution that if you are historically sensitive to hormones you *may* have issues with Mirena :(
Mommy to C 3/03
And Miss P 5/05

[denna]

Another satisfied Mirena customer. I had spotting for about 2 months (not every day) just here and there, but when I saw my OB for a follow-up she said that was perfectly normal since I was only 6 weeks post partum and had just weaned DS when I got the Mirena inserted. I did a lot of research and spoke to a lot of other Mommas on the boards about this and I am very comfortable w/ my decision. I plan on having it removed in about 18 more months so we can start trying for #2 (but like pp said it is good for 5yrs).

Best of luck,

Denna

[aliceinwonderland]

Yes, I have the Paraguard for 2.5 yrs now and am reasonably happy as well.

[writermama]

Have you thought about adding a barrier method? If you're really nervous about BC, you could stay on your pill (unless you have other issues with it) and then also use condoms or a diaphragm with a spermicide jelly. If you're super nervous, do all of the above along with the "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" method PPs have suggested.

The important thing here is that the method you're currently using isn't working for you if you don't feel confident enough to use it, so you're doing the right thing by looking into other options.

[MegND95]

Before kids, I was on the pill for several years and had no problems. But after my first two were born, I tried to go back on the pill each time and it was terrible. Horrible mood swings, migraine headaches, nausea etc. I stopped using the pill, and we used condoms until we could decide which route to take (I was very seriously considering no more children as this point) and I got pg with #3. We are very happy with the size of our family but are not prepared to take permanent steps. Mirena was the right choice and I have not had any of the same issues I had with the pill. Obviously, each woman reacts differently, but for me this is the dream bc.

[Tondi G]

I talked to my OB about IUD's and she said she recommends the Paragard over the Mirena. She said she had so many patients that weren't happy with the Mirena (spotting/bleeding for long periods of time etc.). I chickened out on getting an IUD so we use condoms and I try to read my body signals (CM, CP etc.) so we can enjoy our safe times without condoms! We are hopefully going to ttc next year so at this point I am going to wait on any IUD since it would be a waste of money to have it removed in a year or less! I am pretty sure that I will go for the Paragard after #3 though!

I am prone to Migraines so I am hesitant to take BCPills again or use Mirena!I do think it's great that so many people have the Mirena IUD and like it! Anyone get a paragard IUD and not have a good experience?

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[StantonHyde]

Mirena. I used Ortho Tri Cyclen (sp?) for 17 years. Saved my life--no cramps, no horrible PMS, livable periods. Mirena is very different for me. But being pg changed my cycles. I did the mini pill for 1 year after DC 1, and then used condoms (ugh--I got married so I wouldn't have to use them!) until time to get pg with DC 2. We are done now, so the IUD is great. It is actually more effective than sterilization but is reversible! Completely different than the Dalkon Shield. The Nuva Ring is nice--depends on how you do with the hormones. As a Planned Parenthood Educator, I can't recommend natural fertililty methods--it usually leads to parenthood. It worked great to get me pregnant! The bottom line is that there is a BC method out there that will work for you!!!

[tchrmom13]

I am taking Yaz - new birth control. Only have AF for 1 day a month. Not bad..... no major side effects so far, but I have only been taking for 4 months.

Good Luck,

Heather

Mommy to William 3/20/06

[mainepotato]

I'm nursing and just started using the nuvaring. I had been on the mini-pill, but my baby is 12 months old and it's time for something a little stronger. I went for my pap last week and asked about the Mirena IUD, but my doc suggested that I try the Nuvaring first. I'm still nursing and was concerned about the estrogen drying up my milk, but she said that the Nuvaring contains less estrogen than most BCPs and plenty of women nurse while using it without any problems.

I've only had mine for about a week, but so far I have not noticed any reduction in my milk supply and or any other ill effects. If I ever do, all I have to do is take it out, which is done quickly and easily at home. Also I can choose whether to have a period or not or to go 4 months between periods, or whatever. So far so good!

[crAbbymom]

Just a note, Way TMI but...I've been on NuvaRing for about 6 months now. I haven't had a problem with most of the side effects, most of them went away. Except one. NO LIBIDO. NONE. I may as well not be on any birth control! Unfortunately, we aren't doing anything that would cause pregnancy anymore. It's gotten worse the longer I'm on it, but I don't want to stop because I love being able to control my periods! Ugh. I have 2 more left, so I will use them up and probably go back to condoms. Assuming my libido EVER improves! ;)

[Alice523]

We use condoms here, too. We don't like using them, but oh, well! I feel the same way about the hormones and my body. I'm just not comfortable with it.

[himom]

I read this with interest, hoping to find a great solution for us once DS is born. I'm kind of disappointed with the choices, though!

I was hoping there'd be some wonderful new breakthrough in birth control since the last time we were in this situation...I hate condoms, but we were really stuck with them because I was bf'ing and there was no way I could be consistent with the mini pill. And IUDs I have a moral problem with.

Ugh.

Maybe the Nuva ring can be the magic bullet? I have to put some research in. No libido doesn't sound too bad at this point. :)

[Jenn98]

I am so not trying to start anything here, but can you explain your objection with IUDs? I think I am going to agree with what you have to say, so I'm just looking for more education. Or if anyone can point me to a good/reputable resource on this, I'd appreciate it!

[maestramommy]

I seem to remember years ago that some prolifers had a problem with IUDs because it doesn't prevent fertilization, but prevents implantation. So I guess it would depend on your personal definition of when life begins.