WWYD re: birth control?

[weech]

I'm frustrated and confused and could use some help... Before I was pregnant, I struggled with depression for many years. For a large portion of that time (5+ years) I had been on hormonal birth control. I went off of BC when pregnant with DS and once I recovered from the birth, was feeling fine. Then I went on the NuvaRing and got super emotional and felt like my hair was falling out. Stopped that. Waited a couple months (feeling great again, not depressed), and went on Yaz. Within three days of being on Yaz, I'm getting the same symptoms of depression I had pre-DS (I'm sad, angry, irritable, very pessimistic, sobbing for no real reason, etc). :gloomy:

My question - should I give up on birth control and use barrier methods? Should I wait this out and see if the symptoms go away? I feel like I have post traumatic stress because I'm flipping out about becoming depressed again. This has been a long struggle and has impacted my marriage quite a bit. But if I go off of birth control, then I'm going to be paranoid about getting pregnant before I'm ready.

Is this a no-win situation? :banghead: Ideas? TIA!

[BabyBearsMom]

Have you talked to your OB about non-hormonal bc? There aren't a whole lot of options, but there are options. Depending on what your plans are for future children you could do something like Mirena (I am pretty sure that is hormone free). There are, or course, condoms, spermicide, diaphrams etc. I don't plan on returning to hormonal bc due to how it impacted me and those were the options my OB discussed with me.

[Melaine]

No form of birth control is 100% effective, so I would certainly take the risk of condoms v. the hormonal roller coaster you are currently going through. Condoms aren't fun, but neither is all of the side-effects of the pill or other BC. I found condoms to be the least disruptive to me.

[SoloMelody]

happy me = happy all in the house.

Hormonal bc make me go crazy! I gave up on any bc and use barriers when needed. Might consider paraguard later if/when I need any bc. talk to your OB, but personal experience says no hormonal bc for me.

[JElaineB]

Have you talked to your OB about non-hormonal bc? There aren't a whole lot of options, but there are options. Depending on what your plans are for future children you could do something like Mirena (I am pretty sure that is hormone free). There are, or course, condoms, spermicide, diaphrams etc. I don't plan on returning to hormonal bc due to how it impacted me and those were the options my OB discussed with me.

Mirena isn't hormone free, but the Paraguard IUD is.

OP, it sounds to me that you should not be using hormonal birth control, so definitely talk to your health care provider.

[edurnemk]

I could have written your post. I will never go back to hormonal BC, it's just not worth it for me. When DH and I got married I tried the patch but had terrible side effects, switched to the BCP and slowly suffered more and more side effects: migraine, lack of libido, low energy, felt sad and anxious, etc. I finally had it and went of the BCP and my life changed for the better, I was back to my old happy self. From then on I used FAM (fertility awareness methods), specifically this: www.ladycompUSA.com I used it for almost 2 years until I got pregnant with DS. On fertile days we used condoms and spermicide. I have several friends who have gone this route and none got pregnant when not planning it.

After DS was born, DH was in FT business school, the worst of the crisis hit just before he graduated and he was unemployed for 6 months after graduation. So, even though lady comp is just as effective as any BCP, DH didn't feel as "safe" and asked me to go on BCP when I weaned DS at 13 months. I love him dearly, but never again will I make that sacrifice (and I was so down we never had sex anyway, so what's the point?). I think I may have also had some undiagnosed PPD, plus it coincided with difficult times, but the last year was so bad for me, much like what you describe. I went off the BCP again 3 months ago and I am feeling so much better.

BTW, I saw baby bear's mom mentioned the Mirena, but I'm pretty sure it does have hormones and that the hormone-free one is the Paraguard. This one might be a good option for you, too.

[Tondi G]

I would ditch the hormones! Your mental health is worth more than the security you feel while on the hormonal BC.

I went for the paragard but had it removed after a year... just wasn't working for me. We are very careful as we do not want to be pregnant right now. While condoms aren't the most fun we use them and make it work. So far so good... no pregnancy. We tried out the SKYN (by lifestyles) brand of condoms and really like them (latex often irritated me so these are great). The are made of Polyisoprene.

http://www.lifestyles.com/skyn.php

[MSWR0319]

Yaz did me in big time. I was a freakin train wreck. Actually the whole 5 years before I went off the pill ( I was on Ortho-Tricyclyne and Yaz) with DS I was always very anxious, moody, etc. I tried to tell me doctor I thought it was my BC but she wouldn't listen. As soon as I went off, I felt just like you did, normal again! I was fine on the minipill when I was nursing, but I've gone back to the regular pill and am more emotional again. not quite as bad as I was before, but I'm on a different pill now. So maybe a different type would work better? The one I'm on now I get pretty moody the week before my period, but that's better than all of the time with the other pills I had tried.

[wolverine2]

I'd try a Paraguard IUD. I've got one and have had no issues other than my period is a little heavier and longer than it used to be. Kind of a pain, but would be worth it if hormones don't work for you. It's good for 10 years too!

[Melaine]

I would ditch the hormones! Your mental health is worth more than the security you feel while on the hormonal BC.

I went for the paragard but had it removed after a year... just wasn't working for me. We are very careful as we do not want to be pregnant right now. While condoms aren't the most fun we use them and make it work. So far so good... no pregnancy. We tried out the SKYN (by lifestyles) brand of condoms and really like them (latex often irritated me so these are great). The are made of Polyisoprene.

http://www.lifestyles.com/skyn.php

Good point about Lifestyles condoms. I kind of had assumed that all condoms were irritating to me until I tried Lifestyles. Much better!

[larig]

I love love love my paraguard IUD. Nothing like many years of BC without having to remember anything but a monthly "string check." My period was a little longer initially, but I'm coming up on 2 years and things seem to be slowing down and getting back to normal. I too have headaches and other side effects from hormonal BC, so the paraguard IUD was ideal.

[elektra]

I would try condoms too. I did a poll awhile back on what everyone uses for BC and condoms had a surprisingly (to me) large percentage of the vote! It might have even been the most used BC method by the BBB'ers.

[elephantmeg]

I am a wreck on BCP and the mirena has done fine with me. I feel like I did with condoms. But we did do condoms for about 2 years and that was OK too.

[daisymommy]

I have the same story as you. There was a long thread discussing low-libido the other day where I posted about this. I am absolutely positively miserable on ANY form of hormonal birth control I stopped using it over 4 years ago when I got pregnant with DD, and will never go back on it again. I am like a new woman after getting off hormonal BC.

I use Natural-family planning, along with http://www.drugstore.com/qxp240160_333181_sespider/options/conceptrol_vaginal_contraceptive_gel_10_prefilled_ applicators.htm

I figure both methods are about 95% effective on their own, so combined together, it as affective as using hormonal BC.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I love love love my paraguard IUD. Nothing like many years of BC without having to remember anything but a monthly "string check." My period was a little longer initially, but I'm coming up on 2 years and things seem to be slowing down and getting back to normal. I too have headaches and other side effects from hormonal BC, so the paraguard IUD was ideal.

My experience too. After the 1st 6 months everything went back to normal with length of my period and heaviness. Even if it hadn't it would have been well worth it!

Beth

[Snow mom]

I'll put in my vote for Paragard too, unless you are planning another soonish (TTC within the next year or so.) It seems the negative side effects get better with time so having longer before you are planning to TTC would be better. I guess whether or not insurance covered it would also factor into whether it is worth it for a shorter period of time. My insurance covered all but my office visit copay so I'm not going to be heartbroken if I don't get many years of BC from it.

[american_mama]

It sounds like you have a history of hormonal birth control causing emotional symptoms, but I did want to point out one thing. Many women experience significant but temporary hair loss at about 3-5 months after the baby is born, late enough that they no longer expect to be experiencing anything post-partum. It certainly caught me by surprise when my first baby was born. That part of your symptoms may have been real, not imagined.

For non-hormonal, non-permanent birth control, I think your options are:
1. Spermicides (gels, foam, suppositories)
2. Condoms (you can get them in different materials and with or without spermicide, which many women find to be irriating)
3. Paraguard IUD
4. Diaphragm
5. Cervical cap (but wouldn't recommend because it is MUCH less effective for women who've given birth)
5. Natural Family Planning
6. Breastfeeding
7. Withdrawal (famous as not so effective though)
9. Sponge

If you are breastfeeding, you might want to consider doing that as long as possible, with no supplementing with formula and delaying solid food until 6ish months. It's not a guarantee, but exclusive breastfeeding does tend reduce fertility, so it would be like a second layer of protection. I would not rely on it as my only birth control. If your period has already come back, you're not breastfeeding, or your baby is breastfeeding very little, then skip this advice.

I would call your insurance and find out about the cost of the Mirena and Paragard IUD. Paragard will probably be a little more because it lasts 10 years and Mirena lasts only 5. If the cost is low, why not try it with the option of having it removed if you don't like it? If the cost is not low, then you'll have to weigh the pros and cons a bit more. I have pretty good insurance and my Paraguard cost about $100 by itself, plus co-pays for about two office visits and I think $10-20 for some pre-insertion labwork. So maybe $150 total. That is not nearly as cheap as the methods I describe below, but I put the IUD first because it's so reliable and so easy to use (as in, get it inserted and then do nothing!)

You could also do the same research and same thought process in terms of the diaphragm. I used one briefly after my first child was born and it was not very expensive (maybe $30 plus a co-pay, or even less? Of course, that was 8 years ago.) I did not care for it, but it wasn't dreadful. I hear mixed statistics on the effectiveness of the diaphragm; condoms are more effective for sure, but sometimes aren't as well-liked.

I don't know tons about the sponge. It's over-the-counter, so you could just order some from the internet or see if your local drugstore carries them and try them quite easily. I am pretty sure they are kind of expensive per use, so that would be a factor depending on your frequency of sex. Then again, a happy form of birth control is worth a lot to you right now, and you could use it for 1-2 months to see if a non-hormonal birth control seems to improve things for you. I am not sure of the effectiveness of the sponge, especially for a woman who has given birth. I suspect it's a bit below the diaphragm. Then again, if you wanted to just go for something easy to see if it makes a difference, condoms are both much cheaper and more reliable, so that would probably be the best choice to start with.

[weech]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. I feel better knowing that a lot of people struggle with this... I seriously thought I was losing it!

I think I'm just going to take a break from birth control for the moment and use condoms. Once I've had a breather, I'll look into the Paragard to see if it's covered by insurance. I did talk to my HCP about this and she never mentioned Paragard, only Mirena... so we'll see.

So glad I can come here for advice from mamas who have BTDT :grouphug: Hopefully I'll be back to normal in a few days... being depressed is exhausting!

[DrSally]

I would try the paraguard or condoms. I do believe that hormonal BC does mess with some people big time. I would definitely talk to your OB about it.

I'm on Ocella and the only SE so far is major hair loss. I've got extremely thick hair, so it's not impacting my look too much, but it is disconcerting to see.

[nov04]

We were very happy with condoms for years. We also avoided when I knew I was fertile.

[american_mama]

>> I did talk to my HCP about this and she never mentioned Paragard, only Mirena... so we'll see.

I wonder why she left Paragard out? That seems like a major omission in the realm of birth cntrol choices and even greater when non-hormonal is what you are looking for. There are many women on this board who use Paragard (including me) and my midwife said that in her practice, it's 50/50 in terms of women choosing Paragard vs. Mirena. In the general population, Mirena seems to be more popular, but Paragard isn't a rare choice at all.

[karstmama]

i'd like to add that there are two hormones in what we usually think of as 'hormonal' bc - estrogen & progesterone. it sounds to me from way over here that you haven't tried progesterone-only bcs. that would be mirena, the mini-pill, depo provera shots, and i think the under-the-skin rods.

if that's true and you've only had bc with both hormones, give one of the progesterone-only methods a try for a while & see if you still have symptoms - like maybe one cycle of the shot. it lasts three months, then the protection fades. you'd find out if the progesterone puts you off-kilter, too, or just the estrogen.

that would be valuable info going forward - you'd know if you needed to avoid mirena, you might have options like depo that you didn't think of, etc.

good luck!

[dhano923]

I'd try a Paraguard IUD. I've got one and have had no issues other than my period is a little heavier and longer than it used to be. Kind of a pain, but would be worth it if hormones don't work for you. It's good for 10 years too!
:yeahthat:

I've had my Paraguard for 4.5 years and love it. The heavier periods are worth not having all the mood swings I used to have while on BCP.

[daisymommy]

I know everyone is different, but I did the mini-pill, the rods (have the removal scars to prove that one!), and the shot. It all felt the same to me (combo of hormones versus single hormone).

[ewpmsw]

Haven't read all the posts yet, but have some experience with this issue. BC methods that used hormones really made my depression symptoms worse (depo shot was the worst, pill and nuvaring also not fun). Midwife and doctor have agreed that the best option in my case is paragard (long term BC, non-hormonal). My midwife suggested Mirena, as the levels of progesterone are very low. My prescribing doctor advised against it, as progesterone can aggrevate some people's depression symptoms. He didn't seem to feel as strongly about estrogen, but my unprofessional guess is that different hormones are going to impact different people in different ways.

Good luck, OP. Hope that you find something that works for you soon. :)