Looking for Birth Control Options Other than Pills

Hi A.,

I can understand your frustration with hormonal birth control and the adverse effects it has on your body. What you are describing are very common complaints among women using hormonal contraceptives. Things such as blood clots, decreased libido, increased risk of certain cancers, mood swings, etc. are all side effects. The reason many women feel decreased libido, get bloated, have mood swings, etc when on the pill is because the pill tricks a woman's body into thinking it's pregnant, thus all those symptoms are symptoms of pregnancy. And personally I believe when you're on the pill for month after month, year after year it can't be good for a woman's system to be subjected to such high levels of estrogen/progesterone for such long periods of time. It's not a natural state for a woman's body! All hormonal contraceptives subject you to this to some extent and for example on the Depo shot women can go a year or more after getting off it before their fertility returns, so yes some hormonal contraceptives can have an adverse affect on fertility.

Because a previous poster seemed to indicate that the pill seems to have more beneficial effects rather than adverse, I'd like to counter that with some additional information that many people aren't aware of. For example, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) part of WHO (World Health Organization) put out a press release in 2005 stating estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives (OCs) were carcinogenic. They placed OCs in their their Group 1 classification, the highest classification of carcinogenicity, used only "when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans." Here's the link to read further: http://www.iarc.fr/en/Media-Centre/IARC-Press-Releases/Ar...

Also, another study by the Mayo clinic showed an increase in premenopausal breast cancer risk. Here's the link: http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/81/10/1290.f...

Not to mention that all the hormones in BC pills that are secreted in women's urine into our water system are wreaking major havoc on the environment (polluting the water, causing aquatic species to change sex, etc.). Here is one article: http://www.pnl.gov/news/2003/03-20.htm , but there is a lot of info on it, just search “oral contraceptives and water pollution.”

In any case, there are natural methods of spacing children based on fertility awareness. One poster mentioned NFP (Natural Family Planning) and the Couple to Couple League and that is what I use. In fact I am a certified teacher of the method and love it as it doesn’t put any artificial hormones in your body and is based on observing your own fertility signs in your own body in each particular cycle. It really does work! In any case the other poster was incorrect in that we teach both married and engaged couples, and on a case-by-case basis we will teach unmarried women as well because the information is awesome information and all women (regardless of marital situation) should learn more about how their bodies and cycles work. If you are interested, you can learn more at www.ccli.org (or just google NFP) and you can find a teacher near you or can even learn at home with their home study kit. If you’re near College Park or Bowie, we even have two classes in those locations starting up the first week of March. Please send me an email if you’re interested or want to know more about NFP.

Well sorry so long, but I hope that helps!
M.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi A.,

After having my 2 kids only 17 months apart I was on the depo shot for several years. I never had any problems with it, but my dr. wanted me to take a break from it for a while. About 18 months ago I switched to Implanon which is a small implant inserted on the inside of your upper arm. It stays in for 3 years & then can be replaced with another one if you want to. I have had a little bit of weight gain, and I do not have normal periods, I only spot once in a while, but I prefer that because my periods were always pretty heavy & uncomfortable. My insurance covered the entire thing so all I had was my regular $20 office co-pay to have it inserted. Might be worth you looking into anyway.

1 mom found this helpful

I do not have any suggestions for you but am in the same boat and will be interested to read your responses. I was on the pill for over 15 years, now have a 2 1/2 yr old and a seven month old - bc is something I am now looking into but feel like I have been on the pill long enough and noticed when I got off that my sexual desire was better and dryness/yeast infections were better. Because I had been on the pill for so long I did not realize that it was impacting my health in those ways and who knows in what other ways. Best wishes and I hope you find something good.

Try reading Katie Singer's book "the garden of fertility". She really lays out how to do fertility awareness (aka natural family planning) from a perspective that makes sense for your own health and well-being (non-religious). Most discussions of fertility awareness focus on religious perspectives and/or how to get pregnant. Her book takes you through the same method but is more supportive of understanding your fertility as a way to understand and listen to your body and is supportive of using the mething to NOT get pregnant! I love the book and I found it very helpful!

I've been using the Ortho Evra patch for about 5 years now and I like it. I was terrible about taking the pill everyday so my doctor switched me to this and now its only a once a week thing. The only bummer I found is that it collects lint from your clothing around it. Overall, I plan to use it as long as I can.

There are some questions to ask yourself to decide what's best for you & your partner. How important is not becoming pregnant at this time? How much spontaneity do you want? How much is your partner willing to be responsible? What does your insurance cover? Even the questions would vary depending on your situation. An IUD requires almost no work once it's inserted, and is highly effective, but if you want to have another child in under a couple years it may not be the best match. Or other reasons may rule that out for you. A diaphram or cervical cap requires a little planning of intimate times- but if you have kids you probably have to plan ahead anyway. They're not as effective as a hormonal birth control, but when used properly every single time they are pretty highly effective. The sponge has similar pros & cons as the cap or diaphram but you don't need a prescription for it. Condoms may be a good idea while you try other methods & find the best match for you. Learning natural family planning- not the "rhythm method" but actual body awareness, charted, learned NFP can be as effective as hormonal birth control IF you are committed to charting & abstaining when you are fertile. There are a couple of great books(a few of which are carried at the library) like "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" which explain NFP pretty completely and sometimes you can find classes offered by the Catholic program "Couples League" but just so you know, they will only teach married couples.
Best of luck finding the best match for you.

I have been on the pill in the past and am currently on depo. I was on depo a couple years ago and then switched to the pill right before I got married knowing that my husband and I would be wanting to start a family shortly after getting married.

I've never had any problems with the pill or with depo. The convenience of depo is that you don't have a period, however, I find that I am a bit freaked out about that now because I just keep wondering "what if I'm pregnant and don't know it". When I started depo I didn't have the option of taking the pill because I was breastfeeding. At my annual visit this summer I am going to switch back to the pill.

An IUD is something I won't consider. For starters, I know 3 people who have gotten pregnant with the IUD in and ended up having to have a d&c because it was an ectopic pregnancy. The risk of permanent damage to the uterus from the IUD also scares me.

You could try Natural Family Planning where you track ovulation and avoid or use condoms on fertile days. This only works though if you have a regular - to the day - cycle. There is a lot of room for error with this method. I honestly wouldn't suggest this method unless you would be able to handle it if it fails to work for you.

NFP all the way! (natural family planning)
Here are some links...
http://www.fertilityuk.org/
http://www.ccli.org/
http://www.creightonmodel.com/

It really works and is good for your body and your marriage. I don't have time to write a long explanation right now, but check out the links, and I'd be happy to answer questions.

We've been using natural birth control methods and withdrawl and so far(26 months) it has been working wonderfully:))

7 years ago I was in the same situation as you. After giving birth to my son and deciding that i was going to breastfeed I did not want any type of birth control that had hormones in it. I decided to go with the copper IUD. it is hormone free. It last for 10 years ( but can be removed earlier if wanted...I also have a 2 year old...then got it put back). Also because you are married FYI your husband don't have to pull out. The only side effect that I have had was having a heavy versus medium menstral flow. Good luck.

Hola A.... Personally I don't do well with being on the pill, never have... so, the best thing for me has been an IUD. There are two different type, one with hormones that you leave in for 5 years and the one I have is without hormones (don't like anything that messes with my body like that:) and you leave it in for 3 years. Actually, I'm due to change mine this next month but I love it and wish I had done it years ago!! We have 3 kids and I started using it just after my last baby was born. Just keep in mind, the first three months you may have really heavy menstrual cycles (and lot's of bad cramps) but other than that, it's been great... or at least for me, and a few of my friends, it's been super easy and great!! Hope this helps a little... Good luck!!

I've been on the pill for the better part of 20 years and a few times I had decreased libido which was fixed by changing the pill (I'm on a triphasic now). When I stopped taking the pill to have children, I was pregnant within a month of stopping, both times. I tried the Depo Provera shot after I had my first child. I was on it for about a year. I lost all sexual desire, about half my hair (which has never grown back to it's full thickness) and in that year I had about 2 months where I DIDN'T have my period. I bled all the time it seemed. I would imagine some women fare better than I did with the shot, but I absolutely hated what it did to me. I went back on the pill after that and stopping only to have my second child, I've been on it ever since.
I'm honestly just tired of taking a pill every day so I looked into other options. I've been considering getting an IUD as my gyno says it would be a good option for me. He recommended the Mirena IUD, but my insurance doesn't cover it, so I've put off getting it. Additionally, this particular IUD is kind of new and I wanted to give it a little more time to see what some longer term studies show, but when I have the $500 it's going to cost me, I've pretty much decided I'm going to get it. In the meantime, both my gyno and my primary care doctor have assured me that the long term effects of the pill are more beneficial than anything else and I have nothing to worry about with having been on it so long. If you don't like how your pill is affecting you, I would suggest a different pill. There are a ton out there to choose from, you just need to find the one that works best for you. Some pills will cause a decrease in sexual desire and maybe even some acne issues (which is rare), but as for decreasing fertility and screwing up your body's ability to produce its own hormones, it's just not true. If you have such problems, it's not going to be because of the pill. Women have been using the pill for decades and all studies show long term benefits, such as decreased risk of certain types of cancer, rather than adverse effects.

I'm with you A., I don't like the idea of taking hormones. There is also some info to suggest that hormonal bc can make women more prone to certain cancers and set them up for a worse menopause than they would have had otherwise. So anyways, I have the Paragard Copper IUD. Since you've had a child, they should be willing to give it to you. It has NO hormones and it's good for 10 years. It's also totally removable for when you want another child. I love my copper IUD. I feel that it's very convenient and dependable. The hubs and I have put it through it's paces and never had a problem in the 1 1/2 years I've had it. It's just about as effective as the pill and with NO hormones to worry about. Truly set and forget birth control.

I hope this helps.

Condoms? Ive also used VCF or Encare suppositories. But with those 2 I also tracked ovulation and avoided the 3 days before/after to be safer. YOu can also use the pull-n-pray method w/ the VCF or Encare.
There is the sponge and female condom. But I do not know where you ccan purchase those.

Have you considered Natural Family Planning? It's a method where you take your temperature and check for signs of fertility. There are classes available in the area in how to do it. I have been doing it for 8 years with great success. I have 2 kids, my youngest is 4 months old. When I wanted to be pregnant it was easy to tell when I was fertile. I also used it to space my kids. My oldest will be 3 next month. Just a thought.