Seeking Opinions on the Preferred Method of Birth Control

I've never taken the pill, but I've had the Mirena IUD for almost 4 years now. I love it! You don't have to remember anything! (Except for your regular yearly checkups of course!) I haven't noticed any bad side effects. My periods before used to be horrible & painful, but now I have almost no pain and it's very light! Love it! :)

And it definitely does it's job; I haven't gotten pregnant!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi C.! I second the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It works! We have used it for 7 years to both achieve and prevent pregnancy.

I think some posters are forgetting that your husband's choice is just fine. It's his body and regardless of their opinions, he has the right to refuse a vasectomy. Women go to great lengths to protect their bodies and make their own choices without ridicule, I think we should allow our husbands the same courtesy.

I hope you find exactly what meets your needs!

I've had the Mirena implant for 2 years now and haven't had any side effects at all (no weight gain or mood swings). When I first got it, I bled for a few weeks, then as time went by, periods got shorter and lighter, til they're almost nothing now and last only a day or two. My husband doesn't feel the string and we haven't gotten pregnant yet. We are not finished having kids, so the thing that swayed me was that you could start trying again immediately when you have it removed- which is anytime you want. So it's a semi-permanent form of BC that you can reverse if you change your mind. Research all your options on line and see what you feel fits your needs the best. Good luck!

I'm on the Mirena and I love it! It lasts for five years and you don't have to remember to take a pill every day. I haven't noticed that I'm any more crazy or gaining any weight. But, every woman is different. I hated the shot because I gained almost 15 lbs in water weight. Plus, it depletes the calcium in your body. The pill made me fat too. And that one did make me crazy! LOL! I would spend some time with your doctor and figure out what works best for you. If the IUD is something you're interested in, ask them what happens if you experience negative side effects. I know it can be removed fairly easily.

I use to get the shot years ago... after having the 5 yr arm thing removed (which was recalled - btw). I know there is a new version of the arm thing, but my doc doesn't recommened it because it is new and what most of us went through with the first version.

Anyways, the shot worked every well for me. Personnaly, I didn't have periods when on it, minner spotting when it was about time to get another one. You do have to get them every 3 months. I use to get mine in the upper butt because if I got it in my shoulder where they like to give them my arm would freeze up & I worked in a factory at that time - so I couldn't have that. I did carry more weight when on any kind of birth control... but it didn't matter what kind, they all did it to me. The only other issue I had with the shot is the amount of time it takes to get "out" of my system. I stopped getting it in 2000 and didn't get pregnant till 2003 - but I also have POS, so that could have a major play in that too. But with the pill... I can be pregnant within just a few months of stopping it & have 2 and one on the way to prove that.

Good luck in choosing - sometime I think it's hard to choose a Birth Control method... there are just so many of them.

I chart my cycles and my husband wears a condom when necessary.
Check out "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". It's really easy and a great way to avoid hormonal methods. If your husband doesn't want to permanently take care of it with an easy, out-patient office visit, he should help by being willing to wear a condom.

I have the merena IUD. It is great! It is long term birth control but you can stop using it anytime if you change your mind. My doctor recommended keeping it for at least a year (so that it paid for itself) but said I could have it removed anytime. It has hormones but I think if you can use the pill this will not bother you. You keep it in for up to 5 years and then can decide what to do. I am having another IUD put in... I don't really want more children however I am not ready to say I will never have another. I got pregnant with 2 of my 3 kids on another form of birth control that I was very "religous" about taking(no antibiotic use or anything like that either) so there shouldn't have been a chance of pregnancy but obviously there was. LOL
I don't have any cons about this form of birth control. It hurt just a bit (like a hard pinch or bee sting) the first day or so when it was put in but after that nothing... I forget its there. My husband doesn't notice it either. I very rarely have a period and when I do it is very short and light, that is great too, no PMS, water or other kind of weight gain,etc. I highly recommend this form of birth control.
I have used the pill and the patch. The patch is ok as long as you can find a place that it won't bug you to be. I often put mine on my lower abdoman and it didn't come off or anything but I hated that I got little lint fuzzies stuck all around it from my clothes (Just like a bandade would). Also I have sensitive skin so it really aggravated my skin but most people are not as sensitive as I am so that usually isn't a problem. I don't remember if I was still on this form of birth control when I got pregnant with my daughter or if I was back on the pill (but if you never had a problem with the pill you shouldn't this either).
Good luck, hope this helps :)

You might want to consider natural family planning. It's as effective as the pill, but no side effects. Basically, you learn how to tell when you're fertile by using your body's natural signs and then don't do "it" then. Ask your doctor if there's anyone in your area that could teach the method to you. It takes a few days out of the month where you can't do "it", but the people who do natural family planning actually end up doing "it" more often than those who could do it all month long -- when you're not fertile you make excellent use of your time.....

I have the Mirena IUD like Sandy. I love it! I don't have to remember the pill - which is hard for me to remember anything after two kids. I had bad cramps for 2 - 3 days after it was inserted, but compare that to five years of birth control and no periods - I'll take those cramps.

Oh and I never understand why guys do not want to get the snip. My previous boss had it done and said it hurt for about 2 days. That was it. He was out of the office for that time and back to work afterwards. My husband is considering it. But then again, us women have to be proactive with our bodies... sigh.

Good luck!

Always count the costs and by that I mean the risks. Ask which birth control are abortofaciants. The copper IUD works in that it destroys the head of the spermozoa before it has a chance to impregnate. Some of the others work after the egg has been fertilized. Also with regard to visectomy, a man can develope prostratitis which can continually send shooting pains down his legs.

You should also check out the non-hormonal IUD. You can keep it in longer then the hormonal one and plus you don't have hormones being put into your body. I (personally) will never use a hormonal form of BC again after talking with MANY women that have had issues from infertility to problems with their period to many other problems after being on the pill.
I used the non-hormonal IUD for 6 years, no infections, no pregnancies, no problems with placement or any other issues. My periods were slightly more heavy then what they normally were but that's about it. I got it taken out the end of June and we got pregnant in August so if you DO decide that you want more children there is no waiting for your body to go back to normal to get pregnant.

What are his concerns with getting a vasectomy? My husband too has struggled in getting one, but I keep saying, "All your friends have done it." You carried and birthed children, he owes it to you to get a vasectomy. There is no reason for you to continue birth control unless your doctor believes you should for health reasons. My insurance barely covers the cost, so its nearly $50/mo. My husband has come around and knows its the best thing and easiest thing to do. Do remember that no form of birth control is 100% safe. I have known a few couples who have gotten pregnant after vasectomies and while on birth control. I would only stay on the pill if my doctor said so for health reasons which is why I have been on it for so long in the past, I have a history of ovarian cancer in my family so it protects against it, but so does having children. Good luck, try and keep talking to your husband, hopefully he will come around like mine!

I don't think that it's been mentioned much here, but a tubal ligation is a permanant form of birth control and it's not anything like most people think. Yes, you do have to go under ansethetic, but it's very routine and simple. I had it done right after my last child and no problems since then. It's really the leasty risky after the fact and you literally have NOTHING to worry about since it's very effective. You do still have normal periods and all and of course there are no side affects.

Good luck!

Hello C.:
Tell your husband that the LEAST he could do for you after childbirth is to have the surgery. A vasectomy is an outpatient procedure that will allow you both to relax in regards to birth control, both mentally and physically. Your body will not be under the influence of hormones (birth control pills); messy creams/foams with condom/diaphragm use will not be needed (which will lead to a greater, more spontaneous sex lfe, not having to mess with the pre-sex preparations). Do some research on the procedure, maybe this will help with his fears? My husband got "fixed"...it's not as bad as he thought it was going to be ;)
Tell him to "take one for the team"! You'll both be the better for it.
M., RN

I had Mirena and HATED it. It made me miserable and seriously crazy. I had mood swings, I gained a bunch of weight without a change in diet, I felt pregnant and looked pregnant, I did not have a regular period just bleeding from time to time without any warning, I was achy and tired. I had the Mirena removed and within a week of removal I felt so, so much better. I did a little googling and there are a bunch of women who experienced the same thing. But then again I know some women who love it. Also, I have a friend who had Mirena and she is now 16 weeks pregnant with the IUD still in place. I am now pregnant and due in March. I will be having a tubal ligation. If you are ready for permanent birth control maybe you should look into the Essure procedure.

i was on ortho tri cyclen lo for ever then i got off it and got pregnant. then got on camailla (birth control while breastfeeding) now i want to get on mirena!!
everyone says its the best!!! dont take shots or patches they are bad. dont take yaz or anything that hasnt been around for a long time. right now my husband and i are just using condoms and pulling out til i get on mirena...
cuz i forget to take the pill alot. if your body was ok taking pill birth control mirena (5 years) should be fine. but if you gained weight or had hormones problems i would go with the copper ball (Paragard) 10 years. but mirena is more efficent then paragard... hope this helped.

I have used the nuvaring for 8 years, you only put it in once a month and my periods are lighter.

I would recommend the copper IUD not Mirena. The problem with Mirena is hormones that can cause side effects you might find unpleasant. Any hormonal method runs that risk. Paragard is completely without hormones. We used it for a few years till we decided we did want to have another baby. It is easy for the doctor to insert. There is a slight pinch when they put it in. We used it with no problems and forgot it was there most of the time. It can be left in for 10 years and then removed and new one inserted at the same visit. It's success rate is comparable to sterility and no side effects from hormones. I did have bleeding for a few more days when I first had it put in but that went away over time. Usually I had 5 day periods and it went to 7 then back to 5. It was the ONLY form of Birth Control that we did NOT get pregnant on. Loved it. Would go back to it after this child but my hubby is getting the big V. Best wishes for you and your family.
-M. W.

I have been on the depo shot since the birth of my daughter 8 years ago. It was the only safe method of birth control that still allowed me to breastfeed my daughter. It's a shot you get in your buttox every 90 days and I have been on it ever since. I love it. You should read up on it and ask your doctor if it's something safe for you to consider.

I can't really advise you, but don't rely only on condoms. We were using condoms regularly, and now, baby #2 is coming.