Questions About Birth Control

I asked the same question, and although IUDs are supposed to prevent fertilization, it's not fool proof and it is possible to still get a fertilized egg that would not be able to implant, therefore being like an abortion. I chose against it for that reason. We went the more permanent root, instead, so I have no recommendations. Sorry.

I had awesome success w/an IUD. I also have twins followed by 2 singletons. The IUD was a one time deal, didn't have to remember to take pills w/kids keeping me busy & when we were ready to try for my 4th I just got it removed & that was that.

Hi A.,

Congratulations on your twins! After I delivered my son I used the NuvaRing while nursing. I really liked it, despite the very "hands-on" insertion. I liked not having to worry about something every single day. You put it in, leave it for 3 weeks, and take it out during your period. However, when my son was 7 months old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and since it was hormone-receptive, I had to remove the NuvaRing immediately. Now I am on the Para-Guard IUD and I love it too! This particular one is just made of copper, which acts as a spermicide, so you continue to ovulate. My periods and PMS symptoms were worse for a few months but returned to normal. Statistically, it's more effective than the pill. Your doctor implants it and you can leave it in up to 10 years. There is another one, Mirena, that contains hormones and can be implanted for up to 5 years. I have not used that one, though. I hope this helps!

My doctor has always put me on the mini pill, however you have to take it the same time (within an hour) every day for it to be 99% effective. It is safe for nursing and I have used it after both my daughters. Be sure to speak with your doctor. Congratulations on the birth of your twins!

The best book (IMHO) for learning about drug-free birth control is Take Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Wechsler:
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Annive...
I used this method in the past with great success, both for conceiving and not conceiving. My doctors have also put me on the mini pill while nursing, which, as long as you nurse consistently and fairly often, works fine. Good luck!

I am on Implanon and love it (it's a rod implanted in your arm, and works for 3 years.) It is very effective. However, some women experience nearly constant spotting/bleeding on it (I have not, fortunately). It is safe for breastfeeding. Congratulations on your babies, and good luck!

A.,
I have to agree with Tonya. Any form of hormonal birth control (rod, ring, pill, Mirena IUD) or the Copper IUD (Paragard) works in multiple ways--suppressing ovulation, acting as a spermicide, etc.... but all work (at least secondarily) as an abortificant by preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg. I really, really do not want this to be true, as I would love to get and IUD after by second baby is born in April. However, after much research, I cannot in good conscience use a method that would prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. I realize that everyone has different views and opinions on this matter, and I am not trying to force my view on you or make you feel guilty, but if you are concerned about this (which your question seems to indicate) than the only options are barrier methods such as a diaphragm, condoms, cervical cap, sponge, spermicide, etc... or the Fertility Awareness method (also called sympto-thermo method) which can be difficult to practice during breastfeeding due to night waking and lack of periods. My plan after pregnancy is to use a diaphragm with a spermicide until my periods are regular again or we make a decision on whether we are done having babies or not (I am not quite ready to decide that right now!). Anyway, good luck on this decision. If you choose to do the research, you can look up any brand name's package insert online (usually there is a link from the website) and check under clinical pharmacology or Mechanism of Action. It gets a little technical, but they all talk about alteration of the uterine lining to make implantation less likely. I would be happy to send links to specific options you are considering if you want to PM me. Again, I did all the research HOPING for a better option that I could stomach morally, but I didn't find one. Good Luck.

If you can stay away from artificial hormones you will be better for it. They are so bad on your body. While you are nursing, why not use condoms? I know they probably are not on your peferred list but its better than putting hormones you don't need in your body,and definetely check out the IUD

Hi A.,

I too have boy/girl twins! They are a delight - congrats!
I'd recommend an IUD. Then you don't take the chance of contaminating your breast milk. Best of luck!

Fertility Awareness Method (not to be confused with the Rhythm Method) is very effective if done correctly, as well as very safe. By avoiding intercourse on days with any sign of ovulation, there would be a 0% chance of pregnancy. You can read all the details in Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Taking your temperature might be complicated by waking up during the night, but it's really cervical fluid that predicts ovulation.

I'm using the Mirena IUD right now, and so far, it's working great for me (almost 2 1/2 years now). I hardly have any periods at all, so that's kind of nice, too. From what I understand about Mirena, it uses a combination of things - it suppresses ovulation and prevents implantation (so it's very effective).

Hello A.,

Congrats on your twins. I hope you and your husband are busy enjoying them.

I am glad you asked this question. I have been considering getting the copper IUD because it has no hormones in it. I feel very strongly about limiting the use of unnatural things in my body...

I am interested to see what other woman have found out about these as in option. http://www.paragard.com/custom_images/ppi_eng.pdf

Take Care - C.

Dear A.,
Congratulations on your twins! What exciting news.
About birth control, both the IUD and birth control pills are abortifacient. Especially the mini-pill, as it is the primary way that this one works. It makes your uterus hostile to implantation, so your fertilized egg aborts. I used to use the pill until a friend mentioned this to me. I thought she was WRONG! I argued with her. She gently suggested that I do the research myself, which I did. I was so grieved with what I found out. Planned Parenthood has even testified before congress that if we outlaw abortions, we will have to outlaw the pill. Research everything before you decide to use it. Even my doctor didn't believe that this was true. It's in the package insert! Don't just listen to what your doctor says as they are ill-informed on some things. I'm so sorry your husband has a genetic disorder.
Blessings,
Tonya

Congratulations on your twins! :) I used the mini pill after I had my second daughter and 9 months later, I got pregnant (I was a faithful taker- I even set the alarm clock on my phone to make sure I took it on the exact minute). After I had my son, I got the Mirena IUD, since the mini pill obviously didn't work for me. So far, it has been working very well- no more babies. It caused a lot of cramping when it was first put in (to the point I was nauseous), but other than that has been nice. It's also nice not to have to worry about taking the pill every single night- I imagine with twins, that will be nice. Good luck. I'm glad you are discussing with your doctor the different options.

The most effective birth control for nursing mothers is the copper IUD. It doesn't have the hormones of the others and seems to be good about not restriction breast milk production. I have problems with production anyway so this was very important to me. I don't usually have a period with this but that isn't the case with every woman and so I am not sure if it affects implantation or ovulation.
Good luck
The only down side is bleeding and spotting for the first little bit

you could always do a combination of birth controls such as the pill safe for breastfeeding combined with condoms.

got the mirena and love it. I didn't want any hormones but after researching it out, found it only delivers a small amount to the uterus. So far, it has been foolproof and no periods at all. I am nursing too but it is 99.9% effective. I found that the 2 people that told me they got pregnant with one in, well, they actually had it removed and got pregnant immediately so now I know nobody that has gotton prego. One of them didn't even tell her husband that she had it removed. That has caused a problem for them obviously. Also, I am Christian and against abortion. I know about 15 women that I admire and look up to and they have had or do have it too. I didn't feel good about it 6 years ago and didn't do it but now that I have 5 and really needed to not get pregnant, I prayed and studied it out and it is the greatest thing for me. good luck

I used an IUD for many, many years before I had my IVF B/G twins. I just used the one my dr, recomended, as IUD's have changed over the years. Good luck with your babies. Twins are harder, but not twice as hard. Your children will have a very specail sibling relationship, hold on and enjoy the ride. You will find it gets easeir to have two kids the same age, as they get older. Mine are now 7 but that first year was a bit of a blur.

i see you have a lot of responses, but i can't read them all right now. so just in case no one has mentioned it yet, be aware that the mini pill is progestin-only, which makes it a depressant. so if you have any history of depression, i would avoid it. or if you choose to take it, watch yourself carefully for mood changes. it can cause a person's mental state to change drastically and dangerously.

Since having my son I had the IUD Mirena.
( http://www.mirena-us.com/index.jsp)
It is good for up to 5 years, one simple insertion at the dr office and then you dont have to worry about it. I have some little periods but for the most part can just wear a light day pad so it is very convienient. I don't know for sure but I dont think it changes if you are breast feeding or anything as it continually exudes the same. Check out their website to learn more.

Has your husband considered getting a vasectomy? If the concern is the genetic disorder he could pass on, and you both don't want more children, I believe he should take on the responsibility of preventing that from happening. Not that I don't believe in women taking birth control, but the risks are greater in women for one. Besides, no birth control is 100% effective. Also, if you do the math, it is way less expensive for him to get a vasectomy than it is to pay for birth control until you go through "the big change". For us, there was not even a question about what we should do for birth control. My husband "manned up" and volunteered to take care of it. He didn't want me to have to be on any weird medications (that may or may not work) and he didn't want me to have to go through getting my tubes tied. That was 4 years ago, and I heard the procedure is even better now. My husband said it really wasn't that bad. He just had to be careful when our oldest (boy) wanted to play for about a week. If I remember correctly, he had the procedure (in and out in about an hour)done on a Friday, and he was back to work on Monday. I gotta tell you, as silly as it sounds, he is my hero for doing this. I don't have to worry about a pill, a shot, or anything like that, and after 4 yrs we are never worried about being surprised with another baby.

I have the copper iud. I chose it because it does not release any hormones. It has worked fine, but menstrual cramps are more severe, and periods heavier. It works for 10 years. There is also a 5-year option that releases a small amount of hormones. It is supposed to help with cramps and periods, but I just wanted to stay away from hormones. I was on the mini-pill for the month before the iud was inserted. It was safe for nursing, and reliable. Good luck>

Could you use spermicide on top of the birth control? I don't know if that is safe while nursing, or use a barrier method (diaphram spelling?)plus the birth control. There is an IUD that uses hormones, but I don't personally know anyone who did well on it. But it may be worth a try, just check on the ovulation part.

I can see that many people have already responded (and I haven't read them all), but I can certainly offer that a traditional copper IUD is great. No hormonal issues, no unintended pregnancies (so far, nor do we anticipate any). I am very wary of introducing any sort of artificial hormones into my body because I used to have endometriosis, and so I have found that this solution works well for us. There is a tiny risk of pregnancy esp. during the first year, with potential ectopic pregnancy being the biggest issue, but obviously it's lower than no birth control at all. I noticed no slow-down in my milk production with my daughter. We do not intend to have more children, but a vasectomy seemed a little too final at 34, so we went with this. I understand you can remove it whenever you want6, but it is designed to stay in there for up to ten years. Good luck!

If you are worried about milk supply, anything with hormones has the potential to effect it! The mini pill in theory does not, but I can point you to a number of women who have had it dry them up, and on top of that, it must be taken at the same time every day or it's effectiveness is drastically decreased. And even at it's most effective it's still not anywhere near foolproof (as indicated by my third child, conceived while exclusively nursing and on the minipill).
I have ended up just using FAM (read Taking Charge of Your Fertility) after conceiving my first three children on three different types of bc. Thankfully it has been much more effective for us though it has taken some personal effort until it became part of my regular routine (and back up is obviously necessary at times).
If you do look into IUDs, you would want to go with the Paraguard, as it does not use hormones. Mirena is supposed to not cause issues with milk supply either, but I have two friends who just had babies the same time that I did (July) that both went with Mirena b/c they were told it would not cause problems with nursing, and they have both had it removed b/c their supplies have just dropped hugely. Apparently it's one of those side effects that is more common than most drs realize.
No matter what you do, you'll probably want to use some barrier method in addition to it, just for that extra added protection!

A.-
Congrats on the babies! I got the Mirena IUD (18 mos.ago) and love it! It's nice not to have to remember to take anything, which would be key in your situation since you absolutely shouldn't get pregnant. I haven't had any other side effects, but did bleed for a month or so. It tapered off and now my periods come exactly on time and they are light and last only a few days. I had mine inserted at my 6 week post baby check up and it was easy, painless, and cost only a copay. That's it! Good luck!

A.,
I started taking loestrin FE after both of my kids at about 3 months. Before that the mini-pill works well as long as you are nursing exclusivly. if you are not I owuld HIGHLY reccomened a low estrogin pill.

I have steered clear of IUD's due to excess bleeding after birth that they can cause.

Good Luck and Congrats on the twins!