i'd see about setting up an appt. with your ob/gyn to have it checked out. abnormal cramping is usually a sign something isn't quite right in your body.

shelley j
sigma k

Ortho-Lo has 25 mcgm of artificial estrogen...which is only 10 mcgm lower than OTC.

The lowest-dose pills--Alesse, Mircette, and Levlite--have 20 mcgm of estrogen.

If what you say is true, then women using Alesse--which seems to be one of the more commonly prescribed pills--should be dropping babies like whoa.

I was on Alesse for a long ass time...do I have children I don't know about? :eek:

I think when it becomes a problem with the lower dosage pills is when the person taking them is significantly overweight because that can affect the effectiveness of the pill. So if you're a larger girl on a low dose pill you should talk to your OB/GYN about the possibility of becoming pregnant.

well i guess i didn't understand it properly then munchkin03. i'm not a doctor nor do i claim to know a hell of a lot about it. i'm just speculating from the information i received.

shelley j
sigma k

No worries. I wouldn't have known the difference or the specifics either if I wasn't in the process of switching from Alesse to Ortho-Lo. The reason they put me on that specific one is that the dose was a little higher and will hopefully begin the end of the uterine jihad I've experienced since 12.

yeah that sounds like fun. that's why i was put on in the first place. has made a world of difference.
i realized when you talked about mercette that it was the first bc pill i was put on and didn't have great sucess.

shelley j
sigma k

I was on the "Patch" aka Ortha Evra and got pregnant! I have been on the depo shot and gain all kind of weight and now I am on Ortho Tri-Cyclin Lo and its much better! :p

so i've been on seasonale for a month now and i'm not really happy with it. i've had a lot of spotting and it's quite annoying. i never had this problem with my other bc pill. i'm going to give it another two months (the rest of the pack) and see where we stand.

shelley j
sigma k

I use Depo too, and the only problems I've had was the visit from "my friend" for 3 straight weeks(!) and the weight gain. It took 4 months for it to wear off before I could have another child. Other than that, it's pretty good!

update
 

I'm just wrapping up the first month of the NuvaRing, and for the most part it was okay (though I was psycho like I always am the first month of a new method). This week is my period and it's quite a bit longer and heavier than usual. I had a really bad headache the first day, and I also had some unusual cramping one day, which kind of freaked me out. I'm going to see if next month is better. If it's not, then I'll probably go back on OTC-Lo.

OK, so I'm officially going off the pill starting this week. Is there anything weird I can expect except for the obvious heavier periods, potential more PMS/cramps, etc? I've been on for 2+ years so it's been a while.

I just got off for a month, and I felt a lot of weirdness in my lower back right about 2 weeks after my pill period ended. When I talked to my doctor about it, she said I had probably felt the effects associated w/ ovulation. After 3 years or so, I guess I forgot how it felt.

Oh, and your sex drive might increase, but that might take a month or so to really kick in.

HELP!!!!
 

I am not on any birth control right now, but I have taken Allese which didn't agree with my body at all. I have tried the patch and that didn't agree with my body. I have tried Lunelle (shot) and that made me gain weight so obviously that didn't agree with my body. My Dr and I have come to the conclusion that any hormones added to what I have already will be a DANGEROUS combination. When I say don't agree, I mean I would be sick for days like I have the stomach virus or food poisoning REALLY bad. It would last for DAYS!!

Now, I am in a new relationship and we were wondering with the use of condoms (of course) would spermicide be a good idea? I have never used it myself. I don't even know what brands are out there and how effective it is? Can anyone shed some light on the use of spermicides? Has anyone every used it before and how does it work? Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Q

spermicide would be a good idea i think. you can use the condoms that have spermicide in them along with a spermicide foam. try it and see how your body (bodies, both you and your partner) take it and go from there. you may discover you or your partner are allergic to it, but try.

shelley j
sigma k

Most BC inserts say that if you are over a certain weight, the contraceptive effectiveness will decrease. I actually READ the itty bitty print on my last pill pack. I took the pill to control cramping while in HS. I did condoms for a few years while in college. Had a kid, did the pills for about 6 months after I stopped nursing. Tried the patch, and other than some dryness when I had it on my arm, I loved it. What is the adhesive they use on that thing? DAMN, it hurt to take it off. My sorority sister recommended Instead, but Im kinda leery about insertion (I hate tampons, too). Don't wanna do the shot (friend gained 35 pounds with it), so that leaves the pill, Seasonale or the patch.

What about an IUD? I'd almost try one, but I'm afraid of the procedure.

I really want to get one. I've asked doctors, but they think that I'm going to be all irresponsible with it. :rolleyes:

seaonale isn't all it's cracked up to be. i've been having breakthrough bleeding consistantly for the last month and i'm really tired of it. i've also been having cramping. i called my doctor to make sure this was normal and evidently it is. she said it takes the first three months (aka first pack) to get into your system and that in the next pack or next three months it shoudl subside.
all i know is i'm getting tired of this crap. :mad:

shelley j
sigma k

I was on OTC for quite a few years, switched to OTC Lo in the spring b/c it was cheaper. Had more mood swings, some spotting, etc. Switched back to OTC now.

Depo pavera is the same way. After the first cycle (3 months) depo was great. The first one sucks though.

yeah, i'm getting to the end of my first three months and the breakthrough bleeding has started to stop. i get random times where i'll have a quick spell of bleeding, but then it stops and i'm fine for like 24hrs or so. just weirdness, but i'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

shelley j
sigma k

I'm now on Month Three of the NuvaRing and am pleased to report that all the weirdness has cleared up. I would definitely recommend it to others. You just put it in and forget about it. It's more effective than pills because the chance of human error is so low.I'm told that the procedure's not that bad. If you request it, most places will sedate you for it.

I use birth control, and I use a backup when it's with some random person. But in all my monogamous relationships, I didn't. It's more a "I don't wanna catch anything" thing than a pregnancy one. I'm super careful about my pills, and (knock on wood) nothing has happened yet.

So I take it you're not very concerned about HPV.

quite honestly it's difficult to protect against HPV. my cousin has it and she always used protection when she would have sex. irony is she got it from her ex who she had sex with one time after dating him for over a year.
reality is you can get it simply from touching. if you give a hand job to someone who has it, then turn around and touch yourself, you can get it.
last i heard it was nearly 90% of the female population (18-34yrs old who are sexually active) has it.

shelley j
sigma k

ps - please feel free to correct that statistic if it's incorrect.

Birth defects. Often quite severe. And frequent miscarriages. If you miss a period when you're on the Pill, you must see your doctor immediately to discuss your options.

Right, it's pretty easy to get...but isn't it just smarter to protect oneself? Yeah, condoms aren't the most sensational form of protection, but when there's a pretty high correlation between cervical cancer and HPV, it's up to us women to protect ourselves.

My old doctor said that 60% of her patients of childbearing age had some form of HPV. I could see how it could be higher based on the population.

I know that I am probably preaching to the choir, but here goes. That's why medical exams and PAP smears are so important. I know a few women who had cervical cancer and quite a few who had pre-cancerous cells because of HPV. I agree with Munchkin that we really do need to protect ourselves. Not just with condoms, but also regular exams.

i absolutely agree with both of you. i'm just mentioning the fact that it is so common and so easily contracted. i guess the reason i mention this is to say that you shouldn't feel like your dirty or a slut or something b/c you have it. not that you were insinuating that, but it came to my mind.

shelley j
sigma k

I miscarried while on the pill. The effectiveness was reduced for me because I ovulate twice a month and I was on the tricylic pill. It wasn't enough hormones to stop the second ovulation apparently. I wasn't considered overweight at the time either.

The female condom is more effective against HPV than the male condom is, as an FYI.

Dee

really? i've never used a female condom. has anyone ever used one? i know that they act like velcro when used with a male condom. are they comfortable?

shelley j
sigma k

no idea.. I just read that...

The pamphlets on the pill say that it will be less effective for women over 198 lbs. I have no idea what the percentage is, but I'm opening up a new one tomorrow, so I'll check. :)

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/bc/

here ya go ladies. This is the Planned Parenthood national site. It has a pro/con section on BC (that's what I directly linked to). It includes all the popular forms as well as other forms.

Thoughts on going off the pill:

The PMS has been a little worse but nothing I can't deal with. However, I have no freakin' clue when my period is coming anymore. I'm going to have to start writing it down because I can never remember.

Soooo... I got off Depo because I was gaining weight and figured since I wasn't dating, what was the point.

Now I just read that side effects from Depo can last up to 12 weeks after you get off the shot. While on the shot, I stopped having my period. I still haven't gotten it back yet and it's been almost 2 months since I got off.

The thing is that I am dating again. And I wanted to try going on the pill again, but I only can start the pill with a period... which I am not having! :mad:

I don't think I have ever wanted my period more than I do now. Weird.