hormone free birth conrol ???

[MommyMeow88]

im interested in some kind of hormone free birth control because im actually allergic to the hormones in birth control and i just had my first baby a month ago but not ready for my second right now (maybe in a 2-3 years) ..... i heard about the IUD options but i don't know if its for me ....... someone help me out, PLEASE!

[Jaimee]

Congrats on your new little one!  And welcome to  MDC!! 

The copper IUD is a hormone free option that works really well for a lot of women.  However, I am personally scared of them as they seem to cause a lot of strange side effects for some women and the mechanism for how they work is not even fully understood.  I have to admit that having a piece of metal in my uterus doesn't really appeal to me either.

There are many barrier methods out there like condoms with spermicide that are pretty effective with proper and consistent use, contraceptive film, diaphragms, etc.

Lastly, I would recommend looking into charting to see if that might be the right option for you.  Charting your cervical fluid and basal body temperature is such an empowering tool that allows you to see when you're fertile, when you ovulate, how long your luteal phase is, when to expect AF, if you're pregnant and if there is anything of concern happening with your cycle.  It really takes the mystery out of it!  If you're interested in starting to chart (to just get to know your cycle better, to avoid pregnancy, or later to achieve pregnancy) I highly recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  It's full of interesting information that I did not know about my body prior to reading it.  You can log your charting data on a free site like www.fertilityfriend.com and share your charts with us so we can give you advice, tips, and help deciphering anything that's confusing.  There is also a Charting to Avoid thread you can join to learn even more about the rules you need to follow to avoid pregnancy with charting.  Warning: do not rely on charting to avoid pregnancy until you have charted for several months and understand the rules well.  Use back up in the meantime!

Since you are only one month postpartum you don't need to worry about pregnancy yet.  Statistically speaking you are very unlikely to ovulate prior to 56 days postpartum.  After that knowing the signs of returning fertility will help you know when you need to start protecting against pregnancy.  If you are  breastfeeding you can follow the rules of LAM to protect against pregnancy for about the first 6 months.  Here are some helpful links about that:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/fertility.html#prevent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactational_amenorrhea_method

Breastfeeding can make charting more difficult and there are extra precautions you would need to take while your cycles regulate postpartum and during the weaning process.   If you are interested in more information, just post!

[WildDoula]

Charting is easy and reliable once you get used to it. I would use a barrier method for the first few months while you learn your cycles some, and read Taking Charge of Your Fertility like the PP suggested.

Learning your cycle is kind of fun, plus when you are TTC again it will make things a whole lot easier.

[ShannonBFCDAP]

I had the copper iud. I loved it in the beginning but then I got really bad acne. I never had a cycle while I had it because I was breastfeeding and I am highly sensitive to those hormones. If you have a regular cycle you can look at cyclebeads to help with a visual representation of your cycle. They have actual beads and an iPhone app as well. It can help with charting methods and the beads are pretty. It can be used to prevent pregnancy as well as when you decide that you want to begin TTC. It only works for people who have a cycle within the range specified on their website though.

[samstress]

another here for charting.  i too, very much wanted to avoid hormones.  it's been our only method of birth control for five years.  i've charted to get pregnant and to avoid it.  and like a pp said, learning your cycle is fun.