birth control options

[oneearthmama]

Hey fellow natural mamas, I need a little help! Tomorrow I have my annual obgyn appt and I want to change my birth control. I currently have the IUD Mirena which was put in exactly a year ago after my first child was born. I hate it. I'm one of the few who feel that a period is normal and I want to have one. The Mirena prevents it and because I breastfed for the first year I've only had one since he was born!! My emotions feel out of whack and I want it out.

Anyway, I need something that doesn't make me more emotional than I already am. I also need something that doesn't make me gain weight or skip periods. Any thoughts??

Thanks!

[Spring Lily]

If you like the IUD, why not get the copper one? It doesn't have hormones like the Mirena does, but it just as effective, according to my OB. It sounds like you don't want to be on artificial hormones at all.

[puffingirl]

It's not as effective as an IUD (not  much is) but I think the diaphragm is good option if you want something totally non-hormonal.  Safe, won't interfere with weight or cycles, easy to use, and fairly effective (you can always double up with a condom if you chart your cycle and know when you are fertile).

[oneearthmama]

Thank you both for your input. I will definitely look into both options. I'm trying to research all my options as much as possible right now.

Thanks!!

[Subhuti]

When I was able to use it, the diaphram was great.  For me, ultimately it puts pressure on my urethera and causes UTIs, more so after I gave birth, so it's a no go.  We chart instead.  Not perfect, but so far so good.

[urbangoddess2]

If you don't like hormonal BC, you can try natural family planning/charting.  This way you get to experience your natural cycle.  I recently went off the BC pill (after 6 years) and I didn't realize until after I stopped taking it how it affected my mental health (depression, anxiety, anger), not to mention the fact that I wasn't ovulating and to me that isn't normal.

[lactatinggirl]

I got my Mirena out 45 days ago and I'm so incredibly happy that I did. So many things that were issues just disappeared within a week or two of getting it out (acne, lack of sex drive, etc.). My original plan was to do Fertility Awareness Method (like NFP, but you don't abstain during your fertile phase) with a diaphragm during my fertile phase. After getting use to the diaphragm, it's pretty alright. We just had to learn out to place it right or my husband would feel it. A couple of weeks ago, we ran out of spermicide (you're supposed to use it with the diaphragm) so we decided to try withdrawal. I've been researching it online and apparently if you do it right, it's a 4% failure rate. Diaphragm is 6% and male condom is 2%. Only things lower than that are hormonal (which I am SO not going back to). So we've decided to do FAM still, but during my fertile phase use withdrawal.  

[Spring Lily]

Originally Posted by lactatinggirl 

I've been researching it online and apparently if you do it right, it's a 4% failure rate. Diaphragm is 6% and male condom is 2%. Only things lower than that are hormonal (which I am SO not going back to). So we've decided to do FAM still, but during my fertile phase use withdrawal.  

I don't believe that's true. The copper IUD, the Paragard, has a 1% failure rate as long as it stays in place, which is the exact same as the Mirena. But it has no hormones and the Mirena does. I've been thinking about going to get one, because we're currently using NFP and it would be nice to not have to worry about it. And diaphragms don't work well for women with a tilted uterus or cervix, just like the diva cup.

[lactatinggirl]

My mind has been thinking about non-hormonal, short term BC, so I forgot to include the paragard in my post. You're right though. It does have a better rate than all the ones I mentioned above. Just not an option for me because we're going to TTC soon so I'm trying to get the lining of my uterus back to normal.

Originally Posted by Spring Lily 

Originally Posted by lactatinggirl 

I've been researching it online and apparently if you do it right, it's a 4% failure rate. Diaphragm is 6% and male condom is 2%. Only things lower than that are hormonal (which I am SO not going back to). So we've decided to do FAM still, but during my fertile phase use withdrawal.  

I don't believe that's true. The copper IUD, the Paragard, has a 1% failure rate as long as it stays in place, which is the exact same as the Mirena. But it has no hormones and the Mirena does. I've been thinking about going to get one, because we're currently using NFP and it would be nice to not have to worry about it. And diaphragms don't work well for women with a tilted uterus or cervix, just like the diva cup.

[jessimonster]

I just got my IUD out and wanted to try a barrier method.  My fiance and I tried condoms, but true to memory, they really sucked.  So I went out and bought some Today Sponges (which are more expensive than I remember them being back before I got pregnant with my son).  We were pretty excited, until I read the instructions in detail and realized that they're only 68% effective after childbirth!  That's less effective than the pull out method as it's commonly used!  The only thing less effective is not using any birth control at all!  Too bad that it was after I had already used them, and I think I may have ovulated the first night we used them!  It's not the end of the world if I get pregnant, we were thinking about starting to TTC in August after the wedding, but if I get pregnant now I'll have another baby born in the holiday season, and I REALLY wanted to avoid that.  My son was born on Black Friday, it's really hard having a birthday that close to Thanksgiving!

My issue is that I've never paid much attention to my cycle, and it's always been pretty erratic, so I really don't know when I'm fertile and when I'm not.  The idea was to take this time between getting my Mirena out and actually TTC to learn all of that about myself.  I'm on a waitlist for Taking Charge of Your Fertility at the library as we speak.  We'll see what happens.

[homebirthissafe]

I would say definitely look in to Natural Family Planning options.  It is safe, effective, totally green, and surprisingly easy to do.  My DH and I learned CCL first and have since learned Creighton and would probably recommend Creighton more, but it is all what you are comfortable with.

There are tons of studies on effectiveness and, even with real-world use, it is right up there with artificial birth control.

http://wp.me/pRNSg-3m

[jessimonster]

Thanks for the link!  Natural family planning was definitely something I wanted to check out, but until I felt comfortable with it I thought it was a good idea to have a back up.  Everyone in my Holistic Moms Network chapter and a few of my clients recommended Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which I'm totally going to read, but your blog is really helpful too, thanks so much!  I also liked the info on the dryer balls.  I might deconstruct some old sweaters and make some.  Thanks a lot.

Another thing about the sponge is that since it contains spermacide, it can cause UTIs.  I found that out the hard way just this morning at the doctors.  Now I have to take antibiotics for three days.  Ugh.  Wondering if I should hold off and see if I can treat it myself ... hmmm ... that's probably a discussion for another forum.

I'm a little ashamed that, as a doula, I've never taken the time to learn this stuff about my body.  Even though I'm not against hormonal birth control (as someone who had an unplanned pregnancy in a really terrible relationship I was about to end anyway, I'm pretty much down for anything that will prevent pregnancy when you're not ready for one), I recognize that having been on it since I was 16 pretty much jacked up all my chances of ever being that in touch with my body.  Now here I am, 27 years old, just figuring all this out on my own.  Was that slight cramping I felt for a couple of minutes on Friday, followed by an intense desire to track down my fiance at his work for a nooner (which I did not do, but could not stop thinking about all day) ovulation?  I don't even know.  I don't even know when my real last period was.  Was it the spotting on the 1st and 2nd, or was it the heavier bleeding on the 14th through 18th?  Or was that heavy bleeding just from the Mirena removal on the 14th?  I have some work to do.  I'd like to have this sorted out before we start trying for a baby in August.