Depo Provera?

[pumpkincat210]

I am on ortho tri cyclen lo.. Yuck. It makes me have 2 week periods and no sex drive.
I want the Paraguard IUD(copper, no hormones), and i have a prescription for it, but it costs $600!! So instead i'm making husband get a vasectomy.

 

[xbrookecorex]

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[lara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xbrookecorex are there really? Oh brother. So basically everything has its major drawbacks?

Not everything is a major drawback, but it's a matter of personal risk management. If you know there's a history of ________ in the family and product X is known to trigger ________, then you and your doctor need to decide if the risk is worth it.

Re: Nuva Ring mentioned above - this isn't suitable for all women, especially if you have a short vaginal canal or a tilted cervix. Involuntary expulsion can be fairly common and annoying.

If you're looking at progestin/estrogen hormonal birth control, try Yasmin or any other the latest generation BC pills. The hormone synthesis is nearly equal to natrual hormones, so side effects (weight gain, mood swings, decreased sex drive) and conditional triggers (thrombosis, heart palpitations) are reported through 5 year studies as being way, way down. They're also recommended if you have histories of ovarian or endometrial cancers or irregularities in the family.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkincat210 I want the Paraguard IUD ...but it costs $600!!

That's absolutely disgusting. Paraguard IUDs should only be retailing at US$15-$25. Mirena IUDs should only be costing you US$35 at the very most.

A tip if you want to claim BC on your health insurance but can't because of your health insurance has religion clauses - nag your doctor into writing a letter on his/her letterhead that your BC is prescribed for period and hormonal managment, even if you just have it for birth control. Most health plans will cover all/partial costs of birth control if you take it for management purposes, you just need something on paper to prove it to them.

 

[MeganGMcD]

My husband's insurance covers viagra.
Not Birth control!
I need it for hormone management and thats how I got it.
No fuss really, because I am on Ortho cyclen which is commonly used to treat PCOS and other hormone/cyst issues.

 

[litlaur]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lara Since when does having your period mean you can't have sex?

AGREED!

What's worse is when the birth control you're taking makes sex painful.

I'm done with hormonal birth control...at least for a while. I took Mircette and Alesse. Both caused painful sex and yeast infections (!!!) about as regular as my period.

I had 2 shots of Depo (total time on pills and Depo being 4 years). It was...ok. The sex wasn't painful, but it definitely killed my sex drive. That (and painful sex) is when you start asking "What's the point?" I gained a few pounds, nothing terrible. I also had the perma-period.

I really like that hormonal birth control regulated my cycle (pre-BC cycle was anywhere from 30-45 days), and I also had lighter, shorter periods with virtually no cramping. Now that I'm out of school and I'm about to start working at home, I can deal with being "out of commission" for the first day or two of my period.

I just started my first non-BC period yesterday...seriously heavy! The cramps aren't too bad, but I am moody as ever! The worst side effect of going off BC for me though are the horrible breakouts

 

[alysia]

I'm on it and I love it, but I'm on it for hormone regulation. I was on about 6 differnt pills and none of them worked & I switched to this. Other than a bit of spotting once every 3 months I'm good.

 

[Shimmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeganGMcD My husband's insurance covers viagra. Not Birth control! I need it for hormone management and thats how I got it. No fuss really, because I am on Ortho cyclen which is commonly used to treat PCOS and other hormone/cyst issues.

Something y'all need to be aware of:
It's not the INSURANCE company that has religion clauses and what not, it's generally the EMPLOYER.
When the employer meets with the insurance company to decide coverage, they get to decide what they want to cover and what they don't, and determining that determines the overall premium.
I.E. companies (employers) can decide to cover (or not cover) the child of a minor daughter (grandchild coverage), same sex partner coverage (regardless ofmarriage or no), birth control, whatever. It's totally up to the employer to decide what it wants covered on its plans offered to employees.
eta: I only told y'all this so if you want your coverages changed, you know to talk to your employers and not the ins company.

 

[Raerae]

omg lol... aren't hormones fun... I've been riding the mood rollercoaster the past few weeks because the postoffice in it's quest to put as much junkmail into my mailbox as possible, managed to lose the slip that said they attempted delivery. And all the USPS website said was "enroute" and when I called they were like, "well delivery can take up to 14 days, blah blah"

I've been off my pills since the 10th and its what? thats 21st now?

Finally got through to someone who actually cared about helping me, and i'm supposed to get my package tomorow. I'm so sick of it all, between needles and pills.

I can't wait for more effective BC for him. Then i can get him to take it with me LOL, and maybe he'll understand how much of a pain in the butt this really is LOL.

 

[NutMeg]

Yeah tell me about it. Or when they seem to think that you got your period just to annoy them. Like we don't get horny too!

 

[joytheobscure]

Depo Provera- Two words about my experience- Anaphylactic Shock,
My throat closed, I couldn't breathe in or out, I passed out in the waiting room they lost my blood pressure, I did come out of it but they almost had to use the crash cart . now I have my own big red sticker on my medical chart - and two more little boys.

 

[Raerae]

wow, thats a scary allergic reaction to have.. Sorry =(

 

[jess]

Umm please don't take it - anyone, I had it 1 years ago when it first came out (in this country), I am convinced it caused me to get glandular fever and I now have chronic fatigue as a result of the glandular, seriously I have never been so sick in my life and wouldn't wish it on anyone, anything would be better than to feel like you are dying - I started to get sick a few weeks after have the depo, sick as in I was so weak I could not turn over in bed, l would sleep for 3 - 4 days - this was every 2 - 3 weeks for 3 - 4 years, doctors could not tell me what was wrong with me - ross river fever, hepatitis - I heard it all and had blood tests every week - I only found out it was glandular after it has left my system. Havign Depo was the biggest mistake of my life I missed out on so much time in my teenage years lying in bed thinking I must be dying as I was in so much pain.....

 

[neotrad]

After I tried some of the hormonal birthcontrol methods, I figured they weren't for me. They made me gain a lot of weight and made me so very moody that I even hated myself, but wanted to blame things on others. Bad..

Then, I searched on the internet, and heard from some people about how risky it could be for SOME women(not all of them) to be on the BC pills, etc, and the side effects cause really serious diseases and even some young girls died all of a sudden because of being on the pills. I started to work out after I noticed I was putting on weight, but I got tired very easily and sometimes it was hard for me to even breath after working out, especially jogging. I know this doesn't happen to all women though, it was scary.
By the way, when I was on the pills/the shot, my sex drive didn't change at all and I liked them just because we didn't have to use a back up method which I think was the only thing I really liked about being on the pills/the shot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkincat210 I want the Paraguard IUD(copper, no hormones), and i have a prescription for it, but it costs $600!! So instead i'm making husband get a vasectomy.

Have you tried going in Planned Parenthood nearest you? They offer you various kinds of birthcontrol methods/services at a reasonable price because how much they charge you depends on your income. When I was a full time student with no job, I could get all kinds of services/bc methods for free from them.

 

[NutMeg]

I'm starting to think more seriously about an IUD. The shot is starting to have some unpleasant side effects, as in sex is much less fun. The only problem is that I talked to my mum and she said that when she had an IUD she got pelvic inflammatory disease which kind of turns me off of it.

 

[lara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutMeg I'm starting to think more seriously about an IUD. The shot is starting to have some unpleasant side effects, as in sex is much less fun. The only problem is that I talked to my mum and she said that when she had an IUD she got pelvic inflammatory disease which kind of turns me off of it.

PID can only be linked to IUDs in the case of pre-existing sexually transmitted diseases, STDs caught after insertion or poor hygiene on behalf of the user or the doctor who inserted the device. In and of temselves, IUDs aren't linked to increased rates of PID without the influence of pre-existing STDs, unsafe sex post-insertion or medical/personal poor hygiene. Unless you're in a serious one-on-one relationship and have both been screened for STDs, wrap that wang up and keep your pink bits in a healthy, functioning state.

 

[sunsational]

Getting the shot was the worst mistake i ever made:
-mood swings
-severe depression
-gained 30 lbs.
-daily migraines
-non-stop periods

i will never ever do it again

 

[macluver]

I was on it for about 2 years and I really liked it. It was a great fit for me. The only thing that I did not like was that:

1. I had to watch my weight a little more (I gained probably 5lbs)
2. The first month on it, I bled the whole time, but after a few months, I stopped getting my period, or maybe had 1-2 days of spotting.
3. Getting off it was kind of hard. My body took some getting use to not having it anymore. But it was nothing major.
4. After getting off of it, it took me 8 months to get pregnant. I heard it generally can take up to a year to conceive after getting off the shot.

Hope that helps!

 

[NutMeg]

Don't worry Lara, I'm in a serious monogamous relationship and we're both clean. And my mum did mention that she had chlamydia, but my poor little ears didn't want to hear it. Lol. Anyway, you seem to have researched this pretty thoroughly, what's the advantages and disadvantages of an IUD? And which one is better?

 

[glittergoddess27]

Hmm, I have been on the Depo Shot for 12 years straight,... since my son was born,..(He turned 12 in July) It's hard for me to get weight off,.. but I haven't noticed any gain/loss really as a side effect. Not having a period/cramps/ and rarely bloated is a blessing,.. and I only wish it was killing my sex drive,.. I am single and not planning to get with anyone,.. (I am still man-hating from a miserable and abusive marriage) soo it would be nice if I had that side effect. Really I havent noticed any other effects besides the lack of period and not being able to lose the weight??

Here's the kicker I noticed,.. The insurance will not cover it if I have the shot administered in my doctors office, charges me $70 a hit. BUT,.. if I order it by the prescription mailing service,.. I get 3 shots (9 months worth) for $70. The shots come directly to me,.. and then I just either take them in to my Doc's office to administer them or I have a bunch of friends that are professional nurses that will do it for me. Isn't that crazy?? They will send me some syringes,.. and say here ya go,. but they won't pay for it to be done in the doc's office,.. ???

 

[KirstyTL]

I found depo worked very well for nearly a year and then just started bleeding. I decided not to go for me next shot and waited for the bleeding to stop... about 2 months start to end. I didn't get weight gain or acne or any other side effect but the thing with my period scared me. I get ocular migraines so the regular pill isn't sutable.

I'm now on the mini pill (POP). I've not had a single spot of blood in 6 months which is fantastic as its the main reason I started taking contraception. I have no side effects and would recommend it over and above depo.