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  1. #11
    larig's Avatar
    larig is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    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.

  2. #12
    elektra's Avatar
    elektra is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    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.
    DD
    DS

  3. #13
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    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.
    Margaret and
    (DS 2/06) and (DD 3/08)

  4. #14
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    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_3...pplicators.htm

    I figure both methods are about 95% effective on their own, so combined together, it as affective as using hormonal BC.
    Mama to "The Fantastic Four":
    DS 02
    DD 06
    DS 09
    DD 12

  5. #15
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by larig View Post
    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

  6. #16
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    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.
    momma to DD 12/08 & DS 3/13

  7. #17
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    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.
    Last edited by american_mama; 09-27-2010 at 04:37 PM.
    Advice and commentary on living overseas

    DD1 15, DD2 12, and DS 9

  8. #18
    weech is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    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 Hopefully I'll be back to normal in a few days... being depressed is exhausting!
    Rachel
    Momma to my sweet little bubba
    04/2010

  9. #19
    DrSally's Avatar
    DrSally is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    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.
    Sally

    My Joyful DS
    My Lovely DD

    Please excuse the typos. Getting used to a virtual keyboard

  10. #20
    nov04 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    We were very happy with condoms for years. We also avoided when I knew I was fertile.
    Jos
    dd1 10/2004 prenatal stroke survivor w/ speech delay and dysarthria
    dd2 02/2007 asthma

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