I gave up on the pill because I was just so sick of taking it every day...so I switched to a non-hormonal IUD (similar to the Paraguard). It's pretty much AWESOME. No hormones, no remembering, and best of all, NO BABIES! I didn't even pay for it, thank you NHS. I will say that while the insertion was REALLY uncomfortable, the night after was the worst because I didn't time out my pain pills properly.

For those of you in the USA it can be hard to find a OB/GYN who will do an IUD insertion on a girl who hasn't had kids (in Britain you just have to assure them you're in a long term relationship). Apparently, there is a slightly elevated chance of rejection for those who haven't had a kid, and insertion can be more difficult. Word around the water cooler is that Planned Parenthood will do insertions on women w/o children. As for the possibility of infertility...I'm ok with that because I'm not a kids person...at all....ever. I find it kinda strange though that drs hesitate to do tubal ligation/essure on younger women. Apparently we're old enough to decide we want children, but not old enough to decide we DONT want children?

But I look at it like this....my former pills were costing $10/month, every month. So, 120 a year, give or take. My IUD is good for 10 years. That's 1,200 I've saved, and I don't have to freak about taking it.

I know. There seems to be an assumption that all women want children. "Sure you don't want children now, but what about in three or four years? Maybe you'll change your mind! Just stay on the pill for now." :rolleyes:

Why did you have to assure your doctor that you're in a long-term relationship? It shouldn't be any of their business.

[QUOTE=HotDamnImAPhiMu;1773413]That reminded me. Another trick is to keep your pills in your purse. That way if you ever forget, the pills are right there with you. Otherwise if you take it in the morning and you forgot and went to work, being 20 minutes late turns into 8 hours late because you have to wait until you're done working to go home and take the damn thing. IF you remember by then!
[QUOTE]

That's exactly what I do! I take mine at 10 PM because I know that I'm going to be awake then, and although I may be out, they're in my purse so I can easily take it!

You're a good saleswoman. :) You made ME want to get an IUD!

As an aside - I'm always surprised by women who say they're irritated or frustrated or tired of taking the pill every day. I've been taking it so long it's just sort of a part of my day... just like brushing my teeth. I can't imagine someone talking about how frustrated they are that they have to brush their teeth every day, you know?

Of course, I have the added benefit that I put my pills on autopilot - every morning, the alarm goes off and I take the pill. I don't have to think about it when I'm out at night or wonder during the day if I took it. Which is nice. Not for everybody, but works for me.

Haha, the IUD evangelism! ;). Well, I know the IUD isn't the solution for everyone, but it was a pretty perfect solution for me and my husband. I wanted to get off the hormones, but I didn't want to do FAM or charting, and I didn't want to keep using condoms, because we're married for pete's sake! We wanted a long term, low cost, no hormone treatment, and it worked out. It is one of those options that's been kinda overlooked because the "old" IUDs weren't as good as the new ones (both hormonal (Mirena) and non-hormonal (Paraguard)) and people still have these IUD horror stories.

As for why I had to assure them I was in a long term relationship, it wasn't anything more than, "what is your partnership situation like at the moment?" and I told them that I was engaged, etc etc. And they said, "Ok, if you decide to open up your relationship to outside partners, please remember to use a condom b/c this doesn't cover STDs." It was more of a "hey, this will work great in this situation, BUT if the situation changes...." counseling type of thing.

RE: the pill frustration. I think it comes down to the consequences and the stress tied to them. If you screw up one day and the stars are aligned in the right way, BAM, pregnant. If you forget to brush your teeth...ehh no biggie, you just have stinky breath for the day. As a diabetic, I know how much it sucks to be tied down to medicine, even something you take routinely day in day out. It just feels like a burden sometimes, even if it is simple to take. Just depends on perspective.

I think the number of bc options out there is awesome. I just wish that there was more education on the more obscure ends of the spectrum. A lot of women are shocked to find out that there are options outside of the pill, FAM, and condoms.

I talked to my gynecologist about taking the pill a few years back, but I'm high risk for a boatload of cancers (as in, recent family history), and this was even before my mom was diagnosed and lost her battle with bladder cancer. I qualify for pretty much every "warning" at the end of a BC commercial.

My doctor was extremely wary of even prescribing the Depo shot, so I just gave it up. I use condoms and while I don't chart everything out I know about the time when I'm a fertile myrtle and try not to push my luck.

The funniest thing is, I've had fewer pregnancy scares than most of my friends who have been on the pill for years. This is weird, too, but if my cycle is wonky, I'm still not surprised by my period very often. My body is pretty good at giving warning when it's ready to start that all up, and if I'm not sleeping or incredibly busy I usually notice it getting ready an hour or two before bleeding starts.

It sounds like you're really in tune with your body. I think you have much better luck preventing pregnancy if you're very aware of where you are in your cycle and what that means for you.

Then there are girls like me, who take the birth control pill and STILL get surprised by their period. :rolleyes: I've only been getting my period since I was ten. I should be figuring it out any day now.

I'm like you HDIAPM, I still get surprised by this sucker and I've had it since I was 9! Being in tune with your body does help, but sometimes, when it seems like life is getting in the way, being worried about that sucker isn't on the top list of my priorities at that time.
I took the pill for only about 3 years but I had to take it when I was having a period for a month. Most of the time, I could remember to take it, but it was because of the number of medicines I took at that time. When you take 19+ pills a day, you tend to just throw that one pill in with the rest. However, when I finished the pack one day, I threw it in the trash and told my dr. I that I'd run out on the script and didn't want to take them anymore and she didn't prescribe them from me anymore.

Makes me feel better that I'm not the only one!

You know what else surprised me? I had no idea things like The Keeper and the Diva Cup existed. They don't cover that in school.

I wish schools and doctors' offices were better about presenting ALL your options for things like this.

When will they actually do them?

One of my friends is dead-set on having this procedure done. She's 25 years old and is absolutely convinced she never wants children. She has been to 4 different doctors, and none of them will do the procedure for her.

Is there a set age at which they will generally give the ok?

I have never known a Dr. to approve a tubal ligation on a woman who has never had kids.

I think it's a tad ridiculous, but their rationale is that you may change your mind. But aren't those procedures reversible?

Ok, that makes sense. I was wondering if they would have turned you down for an IUD if you weren't in a long term relationship. Condoms and abstinence are the only methods that protect against STDs - and a reminder of that fact never hurts.

I've seen a study (give me a minute and I'll try to dig it up) where regret rates for permanent sterilization were shown to drop off after age 30. Childfree women over 30 have the lowest regret rates. So it's a lot easier to get a TL/Essure once you're 30.

Edit: Drat, can't find the study.

It kind of seems like we can't be trusted to make good decisions on our own.

The doctor knows better. Knows we'll change our minds within a year or two, because EVERY woman wants children, right?

Although to be fair, I've heard the surgery is pretty serious stuff. It's not just like a guy getting a vasectomy. So maybe it's more about the fact that it's invasive elective surgery than the doctor making a value judgement.

I haven't since 2004 and probably won't ever again. I was on them for ~6 years and while they didn't cause any issues, I just don't feel comfortable with putting those hormones in my body anymore - especially as I have a family history of cancer.

I'm married, have two kids and would like at least one more. I chart my cycles and we use condoms. That's what works for us. I also don't think that we'll pursue more permanent forms of BC once we're done having children.