Questions about bc methods?

[sonya_mamafor4]

Hi,
I'm currently using the IUD but want to change it for moral and also health issues.(I having some reactions,infections and such.)
I did not realize that the IUD caused possible abortions.I do not want to use anything that might possibly do that.So that also rules out the pill,the shot,the ring,the patch and anything else that might cause abortions.Also condoms are out because of dh.
So I'm thinking about the diapragm and NFP.
Dh says that he doesn't want anymore kids,but I feel very strongly that I at least want the possibility of another child.So I don't want anything permanent.I told dh that if he felt that he HAD to get a v.that was up to him,but I don't want my tubes tied.
I don't think he is going to do it anytime soon,we'll have to see.
Oh yeah,one last thing.I'm very fertile.I had my first the first time I had sex.The second using the pull out method.(and it only took three months.)The twins were concieved on the pill and I swear that I took it every day on time like I was suppose to.
Need lots of good advice.
What about the cervical cap?I don't hear about that being used a lot.Is it harder to use since it is smaller?
Please help.
Sonya

[headlongamy]

very fertile - me too!

Hi sonya,
I too am very fertile. Had one baby, got period once, got preg again! Before 2nd baby, I used the diaphragm for years and really liked it. Convenient, especially if you aren't having sex too often. If you use them right, they are really effective.
When I got pregnant it was because I was being (somewhat intentionally) lazy. But for about 10 years before that, it worked beautifully.
I tried a cervical cap, but found it harder to reach for insertion and removal -- it's a lot smaller. But my cervix is sort of tipped back. You have to try them both at the midwives office and see which is more comfortable for you.
I wonder why diaphragms aren't more popular -- I think they are great. I would never use pills, and find condoms too much of a turn off.
Good luck!
Amy
mom of Ruby (3) and Dexter (1)

[mehndi mama]

We do straight NFP - I once read somewhere that the diaphragm isn't really designed to block the migration of sperm very well (especially on fertile days!) - it's there basically as a place to put spermicide, so the sperm hit the spermicide before getting near he cervix.
So.....that means you have to weigh your views on spermicides, which, I have read, have been linked to birth defects in babies, and can cause major infection/irritation in sensitive women. (I stopped using spermicides after I realized they were the cause of my recurrent yeast infections.)

ETA- I was fitted for a cervical cap after Amber was born, and found out that none of them fitted me! I have a very flat cervix when I'm fertile, so the time when I'd need it most is the time that the thing would be most likely to fall off! I was also told that if your husband is well-endowed, and tends to "hit bottom" during lovemaking, then the cervical cap is a poor choice. It can get popped off too easily.

I'm very fertile, too - basically, we have a baby every time I say "Oh, heck, let's take a chance & see what happens!"

I've been charting my temps & cervical fluids. I'm not ovulating yet (16 mos PP, 2nd PP cycle), but know I could at any time, so I'm trying to keep track!

What books have you read already?

[sonya_mamafor4]

Hi,
Actually I haven't read any books yet.Have looked at some websites and thngs.(I just started looking into this Wed.)
My dh and I seem to change the patern of our sex life a lot.
Right now it is about once a week and other months it will be daily.(Dh wants daily now,but he'll have to live with it.)
So would inserting a diaphragm become a hassle?I'm afraid to use just one method right now because I know that while I want the "possiblilty"of another baby in a couple of years I have my hands full right now.And since dh is against having a baby period getting preg.right away or even in the next year would not be good.
Oh and it is possible that dh could make some "pop"off
so I don't want something that would tend to do that too often.
So is the cervical cap more likely to do that than the diaphragm?
There was another one that I had found in my research that you could get from the pharmacist called the "Lea contraceptive" and it is suppose to have a loop for easy removal.Has anyone ever heard of this one?Or better yet used it?What is the comparision to the diaphragm?
Thanks,
Sonya

[mehndi mama]

I don't think the diaphragm can pop off like a cervical cap can - a diaphragm is big (I can imagine a teenage girl looking at one & wondering how something like that could ever fit in there!), but the cervical cap is quite small - it only covers the cervix, and is held in place by suction. And considering the natural changes in shape & firmness a woman's cervix goes through just in the course of one cycle, it seems to me that you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find one that would work well all the time. There's no way that I would be able to use one when I'm in my fertile phase - my cervix is practically flat & totally squishy! NOTHING's gonna suction-cup onto that!

I think you would probably find The Art of Natural Family Planning most helpful right now - it teaches straight NFP and the Billings method, and is very comprehensive. It also covers a lot of what you were talking about as far as reasons to ditch the IUD. I think this book would be the best fit, as the moral questions are important to you, you tend to get pg even with birth control, and you're very serious about not having another baby.

[LizD]

I did not realize that the IUD caused possible abortions.I do not want to use anything that might possibly do that.So that also rules out the pill,the shot,the ring,the patch and anything else that might cause abortions.

I know IUDs are abortifacients, but I don't know what you mean by the pill or other hormonal contraceptives. These things might cause miscarriage if overdosed during pregnancy (such as emergency contraception), but they prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation (and there is no proven relationship between conceiving while on the pill and birth defects). An IUD does not prevent ovulation or even fertilization, just implantation. What do you mean when you say these might cause abortions?

[Elphaba]

the pill does not always prevent ovulation, but by stopping implantation. that nice tidbit is buried in the package insert.

have you considered the contraceptive films? i personally could not use anything with spermicide, but many people like them.

[Palmetto210]

What I found...

Just to add what was already noted about the Pill. I had no idea about this subject until I started investigating it. Hope this is helpful.

The Pill basically works in one of 3 ways: it supresses ovulation by convincing the Pituary gland not to produce LH, and if that fails, it dries up the cervical fluid making it harder for sperm to migrate through the cervix, and if that fails, then it thins the inner lining of the uterus (called the endometrium), depleting it of glycogen (a type of sugar) and blood supply. (that is why some women take the Pill to decrease their menstrual flow/cramping)

Here is what I have found doing online research:

There are legal records indicating the abortifacient effects of the Pill: "In 1989, attorney Frank Sussman argued before the U. S. Supreme Court that ". . . IUDs [and] low dose birth control pills. . . act as abortifacients."17. Argument by Frank Sussman, Lawyer for Missouri Abortion Clinics (Apr 27 1989). New York Times, National Edition, 15."(Cited from http://ccli.org/contraception/pill.shtml)

interesting, eh?

[crazy_eights]

I used a cervical cap and loved it - except for the little detail that I got pregnant using it (and yes, I used it every time)! It is not as effective for women who have had children b/c the upper part of your vagina is laxer and allows it to slide around, even if it remains suctioned in place. I believe that for women who haven't had children it is over 80% effective, for women that have, it falls to 60% or so.

Good luck with finding something that works for you.

[EnviroBecca]

I loved the cervical cap, but it's not for everyone. You can't have short fingers, and your cervix needs to be perfectly positioned and not too flat. Don't get one except from a dr. or midwife who has special training in fitting cervical caps.

The cap is more convenient than the diaphragm because you can leave it in longer and don't have to add spermicide every time. I usually took mine out in the next shower that was >8 hours after sex, cleaned it, and put it back in. If we had no sex for 72 hours then I'd clean it that often.

I had the same cap for 9 years and used about $17 worth of spermicide per year--quite a bargain!

Edited to say 72 hours instead of 72 days--that really would be !