I'm on Depo. I've been on and off of it for about 2 years now. I'm single and not having sex but I take bc for medical reasons.

I have noticed weight gain lately and I haven't been able to lose the weight either. I have one more month left so I am going to stop and go without until I get my med insurance all straightened out. Then maybe I can go back on Allese, which I was on for a while before Planned Parenthood freaked out because I am a diabetic.

Sex drive did flatline though.

I'm currently not taking any birthcontrol.

I was on Alesse for a bit but I major spotting so they switched me to Orto-tricyclin. I also had major spotting with that and several other problems.
Since right no there is no need for any birthcontrol I'm not taking anything. When the time comes that I need to take something extra I'll see the doctor again.
I just don't want to take the pill again. I have a feeling that all of them will cause major problems for me.
I can't take the patch either because I'm too heavy and they say that the heavier you are the less effective it is.
I don't want to take depo if it's going to make me gain weight because I have major issues with that.
I think my only option is an IUD.

Has anyone here had an IUD?

i'm on alesse.. my doc said ortho gives a lot of people bad side effects....

IUDs freak me out.. (never tried one)

good luck :o

Really? They freaked. I saw the doctor for Alesse at my university's medical centre (where I'm pretty sure all female students got their BC from) and they knew I was a diabetic but never said anything about it. They were concerned because there's a history of breast cancer in my family and that I was a smoker but didn't say anything about my diabetes.

What did they say to you??

I've been on Ortho Tri-Cyclen since I was 15, so I don't know if it affected my sex drive or not. I have noticed that I feel more like having sex at certain points in my cycle, though.

aaaahhhh.. bc + smoking = really dangerous!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Yes, it is. My mom had a pulmonary embolism caused by smoking while being on the pill. She no longer smokes and went off the pill, but now she has to be extremely careful about bruising, because it could cause a clot to form. Also, she's not allowed to have any elective surgeries. Oh, and she was only 32 when it happened, so it's not something that only happens to older people.

i used to take ortho cyclin back in the day....i'm getting ready to go back on it just for the hell of it. i was a fan, but my boobs got even bigger on it, so that's the only thing that makes me nervous about getting back on it. i need bigger boobs like i need a bigger a$$. :p

and i would just like to put this out there: i have known 5 girls to get pregnant on the shot. my ex's sister, a girl i had class with in college, a chick i worked with (she had TWINS), my friend's cousin, and another ex's ex-wife. so......just be careful on the shot.

and remember, you can catch more than a baby on the pill/patch/shot....so wrap it up!

They misunderstood some of my medical history... and so did I.

When I was little, I thought my mom had a stroke. She actually just had some really bad fainting spells. But I remember my dad sitting over her telling her that she had a stroke. So what did I put on my med history... that my mom had a stroke. I tried to clear it up later saying I had misunderstood my mom but they weren't having it.

I also mentioned something about high cholestoral... which I don't have... it was just elevated slightly from my last testing.

They said if they had my endocronologist clear everything up I could go on the pill. But the whole point of me going to PP in the first place was to not go to Kaiser because then my parents would know and they didn't at the time.

It was a big mess so I just went on depo. I like not having periods at all... quite convinient. But the weight gain hasn't been worth it.

I started out on Alesse but it just didn't work with my body for some reason. Then I switched to Loestrin and now I am on Yasmin. I lost weight after I started taking Yasmin but I don't know if that's from the BC or because I graduated college and stopped drinking so much and eating late at night. Lately I feel like I've been getting extra hormonal (i.e. b*tchy) the week before. I've thought about talking to my Dr. about Ortho Lo because I thought that might help. Has anyone else heard of drs. not prescribing it because of the failure rates like DWAlphaGam said? Thanks for info, by the way.

My SIL can attest to this. She's due in February with their little surprise because the patch failed.

I'd been through Orthocyclin, LoOvral and Desogin before I quit taking BCP. Now we chart to avoid and use condoms when I'm at my peak fertile time. So so so happy to not have the extra hormones running around my body--I have enough as it is!

My aunt told me that this was often because people will get the shot ever 3 months instead of every 3 cycles (a cycle being 4 weeks). But it made her bleed for 2 months straight (did not make her happy) so she went off of it after three shots.

i started taking ortho tri cyclen years ago, then my dr put me on OTC-lo for a year or so

I just found out that OTC is available in generic form now
so i had him switch me back to it because 25/month sucks ass
now i pay 10/month yay!!

i take tri sprintec now -- i will have to wait and see what if any side effects occur

i started bc when i was in college. don't remember what my first one was, but i had a lot of breakthrough bleeding so i stopped that one and was put on ortho cyclen. that also gave me breakthrough bleeding so they stepped me up to ortho TRI cyclen and that worked well. i went off of that after college b/c i couldn't afford it (even at planned parenthood) and i wasn't sexually active so i found it pointless.

well about 6 months ago my ob/gyn put me on ortho tri cyclen low for ovarian cysts. it helped reduce their sizes (i have three). i've been on that for the last 6 months and it works fine.

when i do have sex i ALWAYS use a condom. like most of you have said, i don't want a lil surprise to happen. but more importantly, you don't want to end up with some disease you can't get rid of. if you are in a committed relationship (like a lot of you are on here) then get tested together (if you haven't already) and decide from there. if you are not in a committed relationship, don't play russian roulet with your life. not worth one night of sex to have a lifetime of illness.

shelley j
sigma k

ps - this has been a public service announcement from yours truly :D

I use Yasmin and I really like it.

Before that I used Ortho Tricyclen and Ortho Lo...both of them worked ok for awhile and then eventually they would make me so sick that I couldn't go a day without throwing up. So while my PMS kind of sucks with this Yasmin stuff at least I am not puking all the time. :)

Also, I don't know if this has been said already but even if it has it can stand to be repeated. I read that some of you don't use condoms b/c you're on birth control but that does NOT protect you from STD's!!!! I think it's fine if you're married to not use them, but even if you have a boyfriend just please guys be smart about it b/c you never know 100% what could happen.

/soapbox :)

I got switched to Tri-sprintec too, and now I pay $5 a month rather than $20!

My HMO just switched me from Ortho-tri to Tri-Sprintec and Tri-Sprintec has made me a hormonal b*tch. Plus I had really bad cramps with my last period and I never got cramps on Ortho-tri.

I'm going to talk to my doc about trying Seasonale or OrthoLo.

People have gotten pregnant from OTC-Lo? Freaky! That's what I'm on.

I'm thinking of switching to the Nuva-ring because I don't want to run the risk of forgetting pills anymore. Anybody else on it?

RE: IUDs. I was thinking about getting one, but you can't use Instead if you have one, and I'm far too attatched to those things.

KKC: is "instead" those rubber cup-thingies? i've read about them and they sound great, but i'm too scared to try it. can you tell us a little more about them?

the way i understand it is that ortho tri cyclen low is a lower dose of hormones making the potential to get pregnant higher than with most other bc pills. at least that's how i understand it.

shelley j
sigma k

ps - one more reason to use condoms on ortho low

Wine&SilverBlue: Instead are disposable cups made out of a rubbery plastic, shaped like a diaphragm. They're good internal protection for women who've had or are concerned about TSS because bacteria cannot breed in the plastic. You can wear them up to 12 hours and even get busy with them in. I've used them for more than a year now and I'm never, ever going back. Check out their website for more info.

</hijack>

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to switch methods. I'm torn between the NuvaRing and DepoProvera. On the one hand, I'd like not to have my period. On the other hand, I hate shots, and I don't want to have to worry about making an appointment and going back to a clinic every three months. So we'll see. I think I'll give the NuvaRing a 3-month test drive and decide then how I like it. Anybody have any thoughts?

I always hated shots before I went on Depo... it was my biggest concern about starting it.

Honestly, though, it doesn't hurt... it stings for a second sometimes, but most of the time I don't even realize the nurse has done it. The worst that ever happens is that my muscle gets sore for a while.

(by the way, I really suggest getting it in the arm... I got it in the hip once and it hurt like hell.... it never hurts in the arm, at least for me)

I've had to get shots for other reasons since I started the depo and it's made them a lot easier for me... I'm not nearly as afraid of needles as I used to be (but still don't try to take my blood!)

so i had my yearly today and my dr. decided to put me on seasonale so i'll let yall know how that works out.

shelley j
sigma k

ps - it came with a really cute pink and black bag/purse. i'm so going to carry it. too cute not to. lol

I'm on Depo for numerous reasons other than birth control, but with my doc, I don't have to make an appointment to go in for my injection. I just have to call ahead and make sure one of the nurses is there to do it.

Dee

Well, I decided to give the Nuva a go today. I've had problems with breakthrough bleeding before, and I don't want to deal with the first 3-6 months of Depo being a consta-period. I'll let you all know what I think of it.

I've been on Orthro-Tricyclen Lo since I started the pill. Now that my boyfriend and I broke up, I'm debating switching brands or going off entirely. I'm thinking about trying the NuvaRing actually. I see that KKC is just trying it. Is anyone here on it? I don't have problems remembering the pill though, so maybe I'm just fascinated by it.

Do y'all just use the pill when you're dating someone? Or do you use it all the time as a safety net? I'm not sure what I should. Since I'm in college it's a minimal cost right now, but if I don't "need" it, then why stay on? But then something might come up.

Confusion.:confused:

Not for nothing but why would there be a lot of soon-to-be investment bankers at your school?

-Rudey

I recommend Nuvaring, but not if you're skittish about "going there" since you have to insert and remove it once every month. It's not difficult and I've yet to have any problems with it. I also had the added benefit of less painful and shorter periods, which with endometriosis is a blessing. The only downside I can see is that it gives me a pretty nasty headache the first day of my period.

W&L is one of the few top 15 or so liberal arts schools in the nation that has strong programs in management and accounting. We have a whole school dedicated to such things--the Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics. At any rate a lot of students who want a small liberal arts school but want careers in accounting, consulting, IB, etc. go to W&L. Like half a graduating class usually has a Williams School major.

I don't really know that much about it since I am humanities person. I have had a few sisters go on to IB and whatnot.

Umm not a single bank that I know of recruits from there (Goldman, JP, Citi, Bank of America, etc.) and to be honest I've seen a lot of first year analyst class breakdowns and I've never seen your school at any bank. But whatever.

-Rudey

Well whatever. As I said I don't know that much about it. I think consulting is a lot more popular actually, and law school. And there's a lot of nepotism floating around. I don't have any personal stake in it, I just know what I hear people talk about which is probably overinflated. You're probably right.

I do know several people that have done IB though. I promise.

I was prescribed for "other reasons" when I was 16, it was my doctor's way of going around my insurance's Byzantine policy stating that they were not going to cover contraceptives for birth-control purposes. :rolleyes: But then, I realized that it got rid of the horrid cramps I had since I was 12.

I've been on it ever since I was prescribed, relationship or no.

i am on it b/c of ovarian cysts. when i was in college though i totally was the same way as you are. no point if i wasn't dating someone. see if you can get your pills from you school's health center or if there is a planned parenthood nearby you can usually get pills for a low or no cost. it's dependant on how much you earn.

shelley j
sigma k

I am currently on depo.

I CANNOT take any pills or patches. I have been put on EVERY possible pill and the patch. I get so sick, it was just like when I was pregnant. (Only I had no idea that's how bad morning sickness would be all of those pre-pregnancy years.) So, I was put on depo.

Now, with depo, I am a raving bitch. And, I have gained back 10 of my pregnancy pounds I had lost. I am constantly bloated. AF is here to stay. And, I have NO drive, which is EXTREMELY odd for me!

I have 2 more months of this crap to go. Then, the only other alternative is the nuva ring. I want to get it badly, but it's a bit expensive compared to the shot at my doctor's office.

But so worth it.

you poor thing. i'd hate to go through that crud.

i've had a couple of friends who haven't been able to take birth control pills. i have one friend who can't take any form of birth control due to her tirets (sp?) syndrome. worst part is that she may have to have a full histerectomy to take care of a lot of problems she's been having primarily with her ovaries. did i mention she's only 24........

shelley j
sigma k

Unfortunately I have a friend in almost the same scenerio, except the histerectomy. BUT she is also allergic to latex. I feel so bad for her.

that would be awful! i guess she has become the queen of alternative birth control methods. how awful to have to find non latex condoms and so on.
yeah i feel very badly for my friend. she might be able to get around it and only have the one ovary removed, but she's not sure yet.

shelley j
sigma k