BC opinions please

[Bellabaz]

Dd2 is 13 months nursing on avg 5 times in 24 hours and loves her solids.

Our current method, which I hate,is condoms but I strongly suspect that I am allergic to something they put in/on them. We have tried several brands. I have spent the last year with repeated yeast infections, vaginal swelling, itching, burning and tearing. (sorry if tmi). It is too difficult for me to follow NFP at this time becaue I still have no AF and with all the infections I don't know what is what down there.

The only time I tried hormonal bc was after dd1. I tried the mini pill for one, maybe two months. I was very moody and nasty. Maybe it was pp hormones, maybe it was the mini-pill. Either way, I don't want to try it again. Plus I have heard too many stories of people getting pg on it.

The options I am most interested in are:

Nuvaring-yes I know about the possible supply issues, but I am comfortable with that risk at this point in our nursing journey. Mostly worried about side effects like weight gain, mood swings, anxiety. My periods have always been long and heavy for the first 3 days, so a 7 day period would not be weird for me (I have read some have this side effect). Was also hoping a little estragen might help with the vag dryness. It seems like there is a very quick return to fertility.

Copper IUD-little nervous about the implantation thing-not the actual procedure, but how its not in my control to take it in or out. Plus not sure what would happen if I ended up preggo on it. Does the doc take it out? Can it effect the fetus? But like That I don't have to think about it. Since its non hormonal there should not be a delay in returning to fertility right? We will most likely try start ttcing with in the next year, so maybe not worth it for us.

Implanon- I don't really know much about this or anyone who has done it. Again, the implantation factor is there for me. I am in France and haven't checked the availability. Again, maybe not worth it since we are only talking a year of bc, but I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used this.

Anyway, thanks for weighing in mamas.

[Katie T]

I have tried the nuvaring and it was fine but would come out while dtd.
sorry no caps nak. i have the copper iud and while i dont love it it is the best for me right now. I don't know if it is worth it since you are going to ttc in about a yr. If your insurance will cover a good chunk than maybe. yes fertility usually returns right away and if you get pg with it in they like to remove but sometimes they cant and you are considered a high risk pg. The insertion isn't bad (at least for me) just a slight pinch and mild cramping. I have had mine since July or August of 08. Lots of women have been able to take it out themselves with no issues. The biggest issue with that is the strings are slippery and hard to get a good grip on or cut too short to reach. It is suppose ably as effective as a woman getting her tubes tied.

I am not sure how much the nuvaring affects your supply compaired to hormonal bc pills but would be worth asking your provider. It does seem like a good option for you.

You might also try asking over in family planning. There are lots of people who don't like the iud's over there but they are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to bc.

[madcap150]

I used the Nuvaring for several months starting when my DS was 22 months old. In our case it wasn't for birth control per se since we were ready to TTC, but to try to "jump start" my hormones back to normal. I was low on estrogen because of nursing and had low sex drive, and DTD was uncomfortable. My dr suggested Nuvaring because it would put the hormones right where I needed them.

For us, it worked great. I started having a much more normal sex drive and DTD was not uncomfortable, although I had to check the position of the ring beforehand so that it didn't get pushed around awkwardly.

I didn't notice side effects at all. If anything, it improved my mood because DTD was more comfortable and appealing. As for supply, I didn't notice any problems, but of course my DS was old enough that he was eating quite a few solids and nursing more for comfort than nutrition, so I don't think it would have had a big impact.

I stopped using the Nuvaring in June and became pregnant in September. That is faster than I got pregnant when we were TTC before.

Hope the input helps you make a decision!

[annettemarie]

Moving to Family Planning

[Bellabaz]

Thanks for the in put ladies. I think I am going to ask for the nuva ring. It would help kill two birds with one stone-no more condoms and hopefully help with vag dryness due to estrogen.

The copper IUD sounds interesting too btu my dh is concerned about the toxciticty. I realize the IUD doesn't bother alot of women but having read some threads here and some other info on the web, I don't know if it is an option I will consider now.