birth control suggestions ?

PARAGARD IUD, and Mirena IUD are the MOST effective birth controls around, next to tubal ligation.

Paragard IUD is non hormonal, so no nasty side effects.

MANY docs will not insert IUD's in women who have never given birth, BUT planned parenthood will.

I wouldn't do any IUD if you are serious about wanting to have children in the future. There is reason why many docs are not willing to insert IUD's on women who never have given birth or otherwise they would recomend them. I would advise not to go in the Depo shot because that one is health hazard while it seems to be a favorite because of the ease of not having to remember to take a pill everyday. Have you tried different pills? There is a gazillion of different bc pills out there so you might just need a different one. I had to change mine. Tried several until I found one that fitted me.

ACTUALLY....

THE most KNOWLEDGEABLE DOCTORS around recommend IUD's to anyone...

UCLA medical center

Emory University..

The problem is that too many doctors are not informed about the DIFFERENCES of todays IUD's versus the IUD's of the past.

PLENTY of women use IUD's for 2-10 years before having children, they may have 2-3, and then have another IUD or tubal ligation.

I work in birth control, and I see this all the time.


The IUD does not damage, scrape, infect, inflame, or maim the uterus.

The PROBLEMS that occur with IUD's are due to women catching an STD.

IUD's have gotten extremely safe. There used to be versions that were less safe, but that was 40 or so years ago. Since then, they have gotten perfectly safe to use.

Carifairy I know you work in birth control but likewise I still remember a gyn nurse talking about the risk of IUD's for women that never have had children. I recall well saying that a womb who has never had a child tend to reject anything that you put there. Other problem with the IUD fitting to the tiny uterus. Then there is the risk which is small of PID. Rare to happen but "what if". I wouldn't take that risk for nothing in this world and now that I'm ttc and I'm seeing is not that easy to get pregnant very glad to know that I have not taken any risks. Today I'm content that I got my period after being on the pill for 3 years. Just reading on the board of women being on Depo shot and ttc afterwards to learn it took them more than a year just to get a period. Omg I don't want to imagine the desperation that must have been. I got mine just one month after the stopping the pill. Whew.

Quoting from http://www.epigee.org/guide /iud.html

IUD Complications
The IUD has been associated with a number of health risks that, although rare, can occur. IUD problems include:

* Uterine puncture: Occurs in one to three out of every 1,000 insertions. Usually realized right away. If not, the IUD may migrate to other parts of the body necessitating a surgical removal of the IUD.
* Expulsion: As much as 7% of all IUDs will be expelled by a woman’s body within the first year, mainly within the first few months. Women who fail to realize that their IUD has been expelled are likely to become pregnant. An expelled IUD accounts for 1/3 of all pregnancies that occur to women using an IUD.
* Tubal infection: Not common, but the process of inserting an IUD may cause naturally occurring vaginal bacteria or an STD to be pushed up into the uterus leading to infection. Mild cases can be cleared up with antibiotics. In some, more serious cases, the IUD may need to be removed. In very rare, but serious instances, the infection may require surgery and possibly leave a woman sterile. Infections that are left untreated may be fatal.
* Pregnancy: If you think you are pregnant, you should have your IUD removed. A pregnancy that results while a woman is wearing an IUD increases her risk of en ectopic pregnancy, serious pelvic infection, preterm labor and miscarriage. During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a woman who has an IUD in place has a 15 to 50% chance of miscarrying. After this time, the risk goes up to 50%.

NIGHTANGEL-

This may surprise you..

In order for an IUD to be inserted into *ANY* woman, her uterus MUST measure 6 cm.

Now, mine measures 7... I have never had a baby, and my being pregnant and having multiple abortions would NOT make my uterus larger.

There are women who have had 1-2 kids who only measure 5 cm, and they DO NOT qualify for an IUD.

Just because you have never been pregnant does not make your uterus *tiny* or rejecting of an IUD, it s about the SIZE.

This info is widely available, and is standard for our NEWER IUD's, but not all doctors or nursing staff even know of this.

PID is caused by STD's, if you are in a monogamous relationship, your risk of STD's are incredibly rare.


THE OLD IUD's were not measured!! They just ASSUMED that a woman who had children would FIT into them.

Nurses who are 30+ years old rarely are educated on the newest birth control trends, unless they take classes or have special interest, LIKE ME =)

IUD'S are based on FITTING. ANY woman can fit an IUD, zero children, or 10, as long as her uterus is at least 6 cm.

Carifairy thanks makes sense of the measurement however that's not convincing to me to be my first choice for BC as for never having children. However I do plan to consider IUD's after I'm done with children. Then I could care less about any IUD complications.

Will be long time before I think of bc again. Glad to be done with them!

Ive only been on 2 kinds of birth control, ive tryed a pill called Ortho Micronor, and i didnt have to many problems with that, for the first few months after i got it i had a small headach all the time, but it went away after my body got used to the pill, and my breasts were really sore on it. The only other side effect i had on it was no peirod, but thats not to bad of a side effect lol.

The one im on now is Implanon, ive only been on it for a month, but so far so good. I havnt had any side effects yet. Not many people have heard about Implanon, ill tell ya incase you dont know what it is. Its a match sized plastic rod they stick in your arm and its protects you for up to three years. And with all the reasearch ive done on it i havnt found any one that had gotten pregnant on it when it was insurted correctly.

Remember that every ones bodys react differantly, so you might have differant side effects than i do, or non at all.

Hope i helped a little, Have a good day!

thank you for your responses! I am going to call the gyn today and ask her opinion, but she's my mom's best friends so its kind of awkward....

A few things you'll want to consider and discuss with the doc:

Any health constraints?

What intended effects to you wish? Is a shorter period important to you, less cramps, regular period, acne, etc.

How reliable will you be taking something every day? Do you have a regular schedule that permits that, or would something more convenient be better?

What does your insurance cover, or what can you afford?

What kind of pregnancy risk are you willing to deal with? For example, for someone who wouldn't mind a lower protection rate, a diaphragm might be a good option. But for someone really concerned about pregnancy, a pill plus condoms might be good. It's up to you to decide what you're comfortable with. Hormonal birth control, if taken correctly, is very effective.

Hope that helps!

Perhaps you should find a new OBGYN.

You need someone to be HONEST and open with, and your mom's best friend may not be the best thing if you feel awkward.

Hello everyone!
I think I could agree with Pixie cat alittle...I used that same type of Bc that was supposed to last up to five yaers but i had to stop it after almost two years. During which time i had no periods at all- didnt bother me.
I was never worried about getting Pg at all. But it aused me lots of stress and i was always feeling so tired and moody- eventually i stopped and 6 months later had my 2nd baby who is now 5 months. Dont know which one to use now.
Am thinking of IUD in Africa here, dont know if i can get a good one...what can i do?
Mc Jank