The Patch

Knock on wood, I do ok w/ the pill and hormones but do worry about having used it for so long. I do benefit from it though re: PMS and cramping. I've looked at other options but keep coming back to the same thing.

I think that whoever can invent some form of b.c. that is easy to use/not an interference, not totally messy, and not hormonal (or with really low hormones and side effects) will be some kind of absolute genius. Oh, and not as painful sounding as the IUD insertion! Ouch!!

[Auspicious]

Knock on wood, I do ok w/ the pill and hormones but do worry about having used it for so long.

Why is that?



I love my pills. Looovvve them! If I never needed birth control again I'd still stay on them because this is the clearest my skin has been since I was 10 and I like having a completely predictable cycle and being able to skip a period if I want. If I'd known all that was going to happen I'd have gone on them years earlier. (Although I did have to try 3 different kinds before I found one that didn't cause me any negative side effects, and for the first year and a half I had to set an alarm clock to remind me to take them.) Kudos to Pincus, Colton, Djerassi, and Rock for inventing them, and double kudos to Margaret Sanger and Katherine McCormick (and Rock again) for making sure they were actually available to women.

Oh, just worry I guess. I know that the Pill has been proven safe....but it feels kind of weird to toy with my hormones every month. But why am I complaining?? Toying with my hormones leaves me feeling far better in terms of PMS and cramping than I would feel otherwise. And I guess I toy with my histamine levels by taking allergy medication! And I'm not about to stop doing that because I would itch my skin off.

A friend of mine in her late 30's quit taking the pill because she felt like it was making her depressed. She tried a couple different types to no avail. At first, she was skeptical of this and thought it must be something else (she is a physician and very scientific in her thinking). She had taken the pill for years with no problems but just realized....her mood and mental state was a lot better without it.

So, I guess her experience has me wondering....is this ok to take so long term? But as long as it's not a problem, I guess I shouldn't worry about it, huh?

My mom went on the pill when she was 14 because of SEVERE acne and painful cramping. The only time she was ever off of it was to get pregnant with my brother and I. She stayed on the pill until menopause and has absolutely no regrets about it and (knock on wood) has absolutely no medical problems. They made a huge difference for her. I like mine too with no side effects. I guess it is just finding what works for you.

Robin

[DCJenn]

Well- I have tried nearly everything so-

Spermicides=horrible yeast infection. It's practially immediate. No one was "spongeworthy" in my book, I would never willingly put myself through that again. I remember my ex-husband bought condoms with that nonoxynol 9 crap on it and 30 seconds into "things" I just knew. Oh my, what pain.

Norplant- I had no problem with the Norplant other than the fact that I gained 30 pounds, lost my libido, and also have a nice scar on my upper arm because 1) when they were inserting them, the doctor forgot one and I had to go back and have it inserted [and I remember thinking- ok, you've been to medical school, yet you can't count to six...] and 2) the removal- let's just say that was a 'challenge' for the nurse practitioner. She couldn't find the one that had been inserted later. She was literally digging in my arm trying to find it. She found it but I almost had to go for a scan. Thanks- no.

The pill- I'm a horrible pill-taker. or as my husband says "noncompliant with medications" However, I started on the pill when I was 15 (bad girl, smart decision!) and was on it until I was about 26 and then again from 31-34.

the patch- never used the ones for contraception but did use the patches to quit smoking and they were great. One caveat though is to be careful where you put them. I found that there were certain areas that just couldn't take the adhesive- I tried my inner arm one day and had the patch torn off in roughly 15 minutes. I used shoulders, and thighs for the most part- I found my back was too itchy as well.

However, the kicker is now that we've gone 2 years without with nothing happening- how mad will I be if it turns out I didn't need to go through all of that!!

Jenn

[mommax3]

We don't use condoms with the film, but you could if you were worried about it not being enough by itself......I looked at the insert in the box since we have all been posting about this and there is a website: http://www.apothecus.com click on consumer products on the opening page and you will be able to get information.

I have had sensitivity to foams/suppositories in the past, but this hasn't bothered me at all.

Sally

[Auspicious]

She was literally digging in my arm trying to find it. She found it but I almost had to go for a scan. Thanks- no.

It makes me lightheaded just reading that! I think they've removed norplant from the market, but I don't really get why (limitations in component supplies? huh?): http://www.norplantinfo.com/hcpl.htm

However, the kicker is now that we've gone 2 years without with nothing happening- how mad will I be if it turns out I didn't need to go through all of that!!

Well you wouldn't be alone--that's exactly what happened to my brother and his wife. Worried for nearly a decade about accidental pregnancy and when they finally started trying to conceive it turned out it was never going to happen without medical intervention anyway. The caveat: Having baby 1 evidently "fixed" whatever was going on, because baby 2 arrived unexpectedly barely 11 months after the first. [/quote]

[Rapunzel]

I've learned something new! Wow, Sally! You're like sex ed for married grown-ups with kids! 8)

I've learned something new! Wow, Sally! You're like sex ed for married grown-ups with kids! 8)

Very true!

About the norplant -- I don't know why they removed it from the market but just about anyone I've heard of that had it had a tough time getting it removed. Maybe that is the real reason?

[mommax3]

You guys crack me up --- actually, you have my husband to thank since he tries to stay up on the various forms of birth control because of his job. But I'm happy to share any information I get and hope that some of you will find it helpful!

Sally

[SueC]

My sister even had trouble getting Norplant removed. She is as skinny as a stick and you could actually see each individual piece of it underneath the surface of her skin. Aside from that she loved it and experienced no adverse side effects.