Natural hormones drive me wild - help!

[Galatea]

This is really becoming a problem. I have been using NFP for about a year since my period returned after ds2. My cycles are regular. The problem is that for the week before I ovulate, when I am most fertile, I am way on edge - wanting sex all the time, feeling restless and edgy, wanting to crawl out of my skin. It then fades after I ovulate. My mammal brain is so nuts that I think that getting pg is a great idea during this time, even though the rest of the month I do not want another child yet. I even notice other men on the street, even though I would never want anyone other than my dh.

This may sound silly, but it is really messing with my mental stability. Dh works a lot and with the 2 kids, we don't get a lot of opportunities to have sex. I am seriously considering going on some sort of hormonal birth control so I can be neutered like I was when I was on the pill years ago. Does anyone else have this happen to them and how do you deal with it?

[Mylie]

I don't have any advice for you.....

But I am curious as to what natural hormones you are taking...If you don't mind telling me that is...

The reason I am asking is my doctor is talking about putting me on hormones and I would rather take natural ones versus the precribed ones...Thanks...And I hope someone else can help you...

[texaspeach]

I took it to mean that the OPs natural hormones were making her feel "on edge" not that she was taking anything...

I get baby crazy when I'm fertile. But we use a barrier during those times, as we practice FAM. It isn't as effective as NFP because your effectiveness rating drops to that of your barrier of choice. I just don't have the heart behind abstaining during the fertile period, and this was the best option for us. I do understand how you feel though. The hormones make me think it would be GREAT to have a baby. However, I can't get pregnant for the next two and a half years while I"m finishing nursing school.

I would try to look for other ways to be intimate with your DH during that time, IYKWIM and aren't against that.

If you're having anxiety because of the hormones messing with you (I get that during the LP as part of pms) you might try taking valerian or doing some focused breathing/meditation

[Galatea]

Yes, I meant the hormones my own body produces.

I don't know the correct technical term for what we do - charting and withdrawal during fertile times. Anyway, we never abstain, except that dh works too much and it is hard to find times to do it.

So valerian and meditative calming techniques. I'll look into it.

[Mama Poot]

I have been dealing with the same problem. I just saw a CNM yesterday about the problems I've been having. I get the crazy wild sex drive thing too, only problem is after I ovulate its like coming down off crack and I get really depressed and crazy. I've also been having skin breakouts, night sweats, almost menopausal-like symptoms. I've been breastfeeding for 8 months now and 7 of those it was exclusive. My CNM told me the lack of estrogen is the culprit. Right now we're going to try the mini-pill, and hope that it suppresses my ovulation entirely. While it could make things worse initially because I'll have an even larger gap between my estrogen/progesterone levels, she thinks it should level things off....although it could destroy my sex drive too- something me nor my marriage needs right now. So like I said, we'll give this a few months and see what happens. I don't want to be on the pill, I don't like going the pharmaceutical route with anything really, but something must be done because the mood swings, PMS, painful ovulation, sex drive all over the place, is RUINING my life. I hope you find a workable solution, too.

[MidgeMommy]

I don't know how you feel about more medical methods of birth control, but have you thought about an IUD? I always have problems with hormonal birth control (for example, they don't work!! I got pregnant and apparently ovulate despite the pill) but IUD's have fewer symptoms and complications, and none of the higher risk factors of the pill, such as blood clots and possible cancer increases. I also always felt like the pill changed my sex drive. Since you are practicing NFP, I feel like maybe you chose this because of an aversion to medical methods, which I can understand. But you mentioned considering taking the pill, and the IUD is an option which won't change your hormones as much.