Birth Control - Covington,KY

I had the Morena for about a year and a half after my son was born and I loved it! It was so nice not having to worry about taking a pill or relying on condoms and I didn't have a period at all after about 3 months. I had it removed in May which was a very simple, pain-free process as we were planning to try for baby #2. I had a miscarriage in August and we decided to wait so I went back to the pill. I was on ortho before and went back to it this time. I prefer the Morena over the pill and hope to go back to it once we are able to have another baby. Good luck!

I switched to the mini-pill and was very pleased to discover a return in sex drive, from the pill I was on before. Nice change. I had the spotting from missing a pill that Krista mentioned, too.

I just got a copper IUD last month, with nothing negative so far. Check out drugs.com for "paragard" - they have the package insert, and physician instructions.

I have also tried the shot, and personnaly, I was miserable on that. I only got one, and was assured that after the second shot, the side effects lessen, but I just couldn't handle another 3 months of mood swings and depression. For the same reason, I was scared of the Mirena, and the rods (can't remember the brand name, sorry). I have a girlfriend who toughed the shot out, and she liked it once the effects wore off, but she would find herself moody and irritable when it was time for a new shot. She is loving her Mirena now, because you don't get that low when the shot is close to wearing off. I don't think the shot, rod, or Mirena will work while nursing, though.

I would go for the IUD. I was on the paraguard for 3 years and I loved it. I had the one that lasts for 11 years. Its just nice not having not to worry. I got preggo on the pill so that was definitely out after my son was born, and my sex drive also was gone, not to mention it made me a crazy woman with horrible mood swings. I recently took the IUD out, its been about 2 months. I have had two periods since then. The first period I was about ten days late, and the second one I was about 6 days late. Your OBGYN will tell you its normal to have an irregular period for about 3 to 6 months after removal. But when I had it in it was amazing!!!! With having little ones its hard to remember a pill every day, and the nuvaring can be so messy.Hope this helps!!!

My OB put me on the mini-pill after my son was born. His theory is that "less sythetic" the better...it's fine. No change in sex drive (for me & not aware of whether or not that's universal). The ONLY downside is that I find if I forget to take a pill and take it in the afternoon, I will have some spotting b/c there isn't a "build up" of estrogen. Other than that, it's fine and I nursed my son while on it without complications.

The rhythm method is not the same as the fertility awareness method. This is from the website of Toni Weschler, auther of "Taking Charge of your Fertility:" (http://tcoyf.com/content/FertFAQ-birthcontrol.aspx) Please consider this option. I've used it successfully to both avoid and achieve pregnancy.

What are the differences between the various methods of natural birth control?

* Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is the generic term used to describe all scientifically validated, natural forms of contraception. It involves the daily charting of the primary fertility signs which indicate the fertile phase surrounding ovulation. The three signs which are charted are waking temperature, cervical fluid, and cervical changes. It allows for the use of a barrier contraceptive during the woman's fertile phase.
* Natural Family Planning (NFP) is virtually the same as the Fertility Awareness Method, but it requires abstinence during the fertile phase. It is typically practiced by those individuals who think of the method more as a way of life and tend to be more religious-oriented.
* The Rhythm Method is an antiquated, obsolete, ineffective method of contraception which is based upon a strictly mathematical computation of the average of a woman's past cycle lengths, with absolutely no daily observations to determine impending ovulation of each individual cycle . The Rhythm Method is the greatest obstacle to the acceptance of FAM and NFP as valid, effective methods of contraception, since it is often erroneously associated with the two, even though FAM and NFP are based upon scientifically validated principles which treat each cycle uniquely.

How effective is FAM as a method of birth control?

If used perfectly every cycle, including abstaining during the fertile phase, the FAM rules have a failure rate of approximately 2% per year. This is considered lower than any barrier method, except the condom, which is also 2%. But unlike other methods of contraception, this method is the most unforgiving, since, if you make a mistake, by definition, it will occur during your most fertile time. So in actual use, failure rates may be higher, depending on the motivation of the couple to adhere to the rules.

How many days do you have to abstain when using the Fertility Awareness Method for birth control?

You never have to abstain when using the Fertility Awareness Method. This is different than Natural Family Planning, which does require abstinence during the fertile phase. However, if you do have intercourse when you are potentially fertile, you must use a barrier method of contraception. The fertile phase will vary, but in practice this means that the average couple would have to use barriers about 8-10 days per cycle. The average cycle is 27-31 days, and thus for the typical couple, barriers (or abstinence) would be required for about 30% of the cycle.