You might have Pmdd and not know it. I have that and most people that have it, can not take birth control pills. Don't ask me why, the doctors don't know. I have tried several different b.c's in the past to try to "regulate" my hormones, and instead found myself in your boat. I have used condoms, withdrawal and and sponges. Obviously the best method is condoms (for b.c), but I didn't mind the sponges either. The only problem is I think you have to insert them in 15 min before intercourse and they are around 80% effective (this is all from memory). I think you'll be fine if you use the sponges and withdrawal. Birth control is REALLY REALLY bad for you and I hate that dr's and nurses push them so much. I have friends that have had clots at 18 yrs old. If you google about women who have taken b.c for years and come off of them, they are a wreck. Some women loose their hair etc. I don't think people should really mess with their hormones unless they get a lot of cysts etc. Even so, there are other methods to prevent that. If you do come to find out that you have pmdd, let me know! Good luck!

Well I am off the pill! I was told it could take up to 3 months to be back to "normal" & if I do not get my period by than that I would need to come in so they can MAKE me get one. Which makes me a bit concerned... Can the pill actually cause infertility?

Well I just hope the true me is happier & not as irritable! I think I already feel a bit better emotionally!
Now the next thing is getting my sex drive back & buying some non-hormonal birth control!

No, the pills doesn't CAUSE problems for most women. What pills do for is hide underlying problems and they don't really become apparent until you stop the regulating dosage of hormones. Some women just can't take hormonal birth control though.

The IUD will probably not help in getting a normal period. Otherwise, non hormonal birth control is fine as long as you double up methods. Condoms and spermicides is a good choice.

i was only on the pill for a month, then "the patch" for like 4 months (which i later found out I should never have been given), and "the ring" for maybe 6 months... avoid everything! I started having pseudo-siezures & I had to have a shunt put in because the fluids were not draining from my brain properly, which they said could have been clogged by the build up of hormones from all that birth control... a year a later i'm still tryin to get completely stable... still get headaches and just stopped gettin regular spinal taps 3 months ago... like i said... ur right to want to stay away from the hormones in birth control.

I was on the pill for about 5 years, then I stopped and went back on it, also tried the nuva ring. Then after that I just couldn't take it anymore. Hormonal birth control gave me awful mood swings, made my depression worse, I also had quite a bit of hair loss, and it gave me systemic candida which caused rheumatoid arthritis, and candida is so difficult to get rid of. I've been suffering from joint pain and muscle aching so much because of it, and it's worse when I have pms. Your best bet is to stay away from hormonal birth control like evlangel89 said. I just tried spermicide w/ condoms which is non-hormonal but I'm allergic to it unfortunately. There's a non-hormonal pill called Centchroman, which was developed in India but I think you would have to order it online because Western doctors don't really have them available. Not sure how effective it is though. I'm still looking for more options that are effective and simple to take, without all the nasty side effects.

I have to agree with Maddie. Birth control pills masks health issues. I was on the pill for 7 years and was asked to go off of it by primary because my iron count was low. I went off in Oct. 2008 and my period never returned. After begging my gyno to run hormone tests in Jan, it was discovered that my prolactin levels were 340. After going to an Endo, it was discovered that I have a small tumor on my pitiuary gland. I've been on meds since, my levels are down to normal, and my period has finally returned on its own. I go next month for an MRI to see if the tumor is gone. If I never got off the pill, I would never have known; but if I was never on the pill I would have known sooner.

I am in the same shoes that you are in. I am 32 and have been thru tons of different types of birth control due to their hormonal changes since I was 21. I was on tricyclin?? for about two years and was fine and then all of a sudden I started to get severe migraines. They were every day all day to the point that I was given time off from work but I didn't know the birth control was the cause. I was in and out of dr's offices getting tested for everything. Then I got married and decided to start a family. I got off the pill and didn't have any migraines at all. After I had my baby my dr put me on Yaz - I loved it for the first few months - light 4 day periods and my skin was just beautiful lol I didn't have any migraines or hormonal changes at all. But then out of the blue I started to get all the same side effects again. It seemed that when I was taking the hormonal pills for the 3 weeks I was fine and then as soon as I started taking the last week of the placebo pills to start my period I would have severe migraines and irritability for the entire week and then just as fast as they came I would start the new package of pills and be fine for 3 weeks till my next period. My husband talked me into not taking them anymore and Honestly I was frightened to death of getting pregnant again right now, my daughter is only 1 year old, but in reality your body is telling you that the pill is not good for you by the side effects and it is better to just practice safe sex with condoms and the pull out method than to risk your health because it will keep getting worse as you get older as it did me and the risks that birth control can cause are just not worth it. I have been off the pill for several months now and I feel wonderful - I have no worries of my health and I have been taking the precautions to keep from getting pregnant - I refuse to "shove" anything up inside me like a diaphram but they do make foams that are very convenient and easy to use they aren't runny or gooey and now that I am off the pill I must admit its the smartest thing I ever did for my body. This might sound stupid but Listen to your body - it knows best and you can't force it to do something that is can't handle. Good luck and take care of yourself