[meaty ogre]

What is working for you (if you don't mind answering a personal question)?

I have 2 kids, not sure if there's going to be any more in the future. Tried and hated Mirena. I've yet to find a pill I'm 100% happy with, but I'm thinking my only option is keep trying until I find one that is tolerable. I can't do the copper IUD because it contains nickel and I have a severe allergy.

I'm eternally grateful to anyone willing to share such personal info here.

[Belair]

I was on Mircette, and then a generic Mircette (Kariva), and had absolutely no problems with either. Several months ago I decided to try Mirena as I'm not planning on having another child. I hate it. I've changed nothing and have gained 6 lbs so far, and am much more irritable and depressed. I'm planning on having it taken out and going back on Kariva. It's so much better.

[Tazzie]

I'll look forward to the responses for myself too!

[lcw579]

I was going to suggest the Mirena. I have my 2nd one in and love no periods. Just curious about why you hate it?

[hAlterHorse]

I think I tried almost every brand of bc pill out there over several years, trying to find something that worked with my body. Everything either made me sick to my stomach, or a crazy emotional wreck. I brought up the idea of Mirena to my Dr and she instead suggested I try the Nuva Ring. (I'm 24- no kids- thats why she didn't want me to do the Mirena) I have been using the Nuva Ring for over a year and I LOVE it. Low maintenance (put it in- leave it for 3 weeks- take it out for a week- put a new one in). It really worked well for me because unlike a pill it releases a steady amount of hormones into your body. I don't feel emotional (well more than normal lol), don't get mood swings, and don't get the queasy/nausea feeling I used to always get from my pills. People ask me if it's weird to put/have in, but I dont think so. It's kind like putting in a tampon- maybe it's a little weird the first few times you do it but it just takes a few seconds and you get used to it. If it's in right you shouldn't feel it there (I never do). I don't have any problems with it riding or anything like that. Feel free to PM me with any questions! I LOVE the ring and I really struggled with BC for YEARS.

[JollyBadger]

I have the Mirena and love it. . .no kids yet and no plans for them. . .ever. I've checked into Essure and having a TL as well but, sadly, it's hard to find doctors who will agree to do either on a woman who doesn't have children because they're afraid she'll change her mind.

Ummm. . .I've known since I was a preteen I didn't want kids. . .in my thirties now and I'm even more convinced than ever that I don't want to reproduce. If necessary, I'll just keep getting the Mirena replaced until my reproductive organs shrivel up on their own.

[equinelaw]

Ham sammchies

[Miss J]

I was on Diane 35 for quite some time, I had origanlly started taking it for my skin, as it is (or was) the leading bc for mild acne, but was also a bc. I had no problems with it at all.....I had thought that I didn't gain weight with it, but I stopped taking it two months ago and have lost a solid 4 pounds...so maybe gained 5+/- lbs.

[meaty ogre]

I was going to suggest the Mirena. I have my 2nd one in and love no periods. Just curious about why you hate it?

I also encountered weight gain with it (unattributable to diet/exercise changes), terrible cystic acne, mood changes (totally flat affect and complete loss of libido). After the initial irregular bleeding, I was fine for a few months and then started noticing the odd symptoms. The ones I've listed above were bad enough, but the final straws were the hair loss and anxiety. I've never been an anxious person, the exact opposite really, but would have the strangest, most urgent sense of panic come over me for no apparent reason. I would sit there and rack my brain wondering if I missed a major deadline, left something on at home, etc. but could never come up with a reason for the sudden anxiety. That, coupled with the increasingly alarming hair loss prompted me to talk to my doctor. We didn't come up with anything, but the nurse mentioned that 2 other mirena users in the office had complained about hair loss. I googled and found some similar complaints online, so I opted to have mine out. I lost 10lbs without any diet/exercise adjustment, the acne resolved, as did the anxiety and hair loss. I think it may work well for some, but for me and my hormone balance, it was bad. having no periods was the only benefit, and definitely heavily outwieghed by all the other stuff.

Also, they (doctors) will tell you that it's OK for a breastfeeding mom, but that's not 100% true. Progesterone IS safe for a nursing mom, but it WILL drop your supply, often significantly. You have to dig through all the safety information to find this. It irks me that they seem push this as a good alternative for nursing moms.

For anyone considering it, I'd try a progesterone-only pill or maybe the depo shot (isn't that all progesterone too?) first to see how your body reacts before you get married to the Mirena for 5 years to cut the chance that you'll end up like me and others who opt for early removal.

I think it is very hard to be on something so static because hormones are cyclic in nature. I've been off of hormonal birth control for a while now and have never felt better, but I'm definitely not wanting another child right now so I really need to find something with a lesser fail rate.

[ace**]

Another vote for Nuva Ring - same reasons as above poster - steady release of hormones and no mood swings yay!

[meaty ogre]

The Nuva Ring is sounding like a viable option. I liked the convenience of a semi-permanent method, but after my Mirena experience I like the idea of being able to switch to something different if it doesn't work out. And I have read that orally ingested hormones tend to have more side effects than transdermally administered ones.

[lcw579]

Ham sammchies

Thank God I had swallowed my soda!


Meaty Ogre, thanks for that. I guess I would have had the bad reaction by now but you have given me some symptoms to watch for.

[tarynls]

Depo provera. One injection 4 times a year and you're good to go. I've been on it since 2004 and haven't had a period since I started it. No weight gain for me.

Prior to the Depo, I had tried eight different BC pills and couldn't tolerate any of them - got horrendous migraines (well, I get them anyway, but they were much more frequent), weight gain, and I was a complete b*tch on all of them.

Love my Depo. Just make sure you take a calcium supplement daily (not bad advice for all women!)

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

ETA: If it makes a difference, I just turned 32 - no kids.

[CamdenLab]

I was on Yazmin for a bit and it worked well for me. Except, it may have contributed to gall bladder disease and a weird tumor thing on my liver, which it turns out is not a big deal. But, but being tested for terminal cancer and having CAT scans every year for three years to be sure it's not growing can cause some SERIOUS stress. I'm practically radioactive now and will likely get a different kind of cancer! Any type of BCP can cause the liver thing as it can be from excess estrogen. They only found it because of my gall bladder.

If you decide to nix the thought of anymore kids, my sister got that thing they put in your falopian tubes that cause them to close with scar tissue. She had three kids and no problems. I'd do that if my husband wasn't "fixed." I'm 35 with no kids of my own. Not worrying about BC has been amazing. Too bad we don't take advantage of it more.

[deltawave]

One of you could get your tubes tied. Doesn't have to be the woman.

[tikihorse2]

Ham sammchies

Youse a bad, bad, girl.

Kim

[meaty ogre]

One of you could get your tubes tied. Doesn't have to be the woman.

Oh, that's the definite end plan, but we can't really do that until we're sure we're done having kids. Ligation of tubes is pretty final.

[deltawave]

You could always make like a good breeding program and have "him" frozen. Just in case.

[trubandloki]

My hysterectomy is working well as a form of birth control for me. But I suppose that is a little more extreme than you are looking for.



I was on Yasmin for many years and it seemed to work well for me.

[bort84]

NuvaRing!

I love it. I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for a long time and never had any issues with it - no weight gain, no mood swings, no babies, etc. However, I hated having to take it at the same time every day. I was in college and had a very odd schedule, so I switched to the NuvaRing and couldn't be happier.

You don't feel it, it doesn't interfere with anything, and you don't have to mess with it for 3 weeks, which makes it much more reliable for me (since the oral pill reliability rate drops significantly just from taking it at a slightly different time). It's great. Personally, I've never had any issues with it, though I had one friend who didn't like it at all - she felt it made her quite moody and emotional. Overall, most of my friends that are on it, love it 100% and would not go back to the pill.

Are there any other IUDs besides Mirena that might work? One of my friends had one for quite awhile and loved it. I think it was the hormone free kind.