What contraception do you use?
 

I know, its a borderline TMI question....but I was just wondering what you or/and your partners use?

I (and most of my friends) have a Mirena IUD and although it seriously messes with you for the first few months, its awesome for the 5 years that its in there.

Condoms (natch) for new n non-ongoing encounters.

I ask, because I have been astounded by the number of people that still put all their faith in Coitus Interruptus or Rhythm Method.

Yay for birth control pills! And as soon as I get new insurance, I'm getting snipped. Double yay!

IUD -but it's not very popular over here. (non-hormone version for me -I have enough of my owh :D)

A length of lamb intestine covered in Chuck Norris' sweat as a spermicide. Bruce Willis brand can be used alternately.

None-none-none at the moment, plus crossed fingers for extra luck...! But back in the day, birth control pills all the way. Plus condoms too, when the guys were brand new. Later in the relationship I might or might not allow the condoms to fall by the wayside, depending on the guy and the level of trust and the long-termness and all that.

I also liked that with the pill I could occasionally just skip a period when I wanted, just by not taking the placebo week and going straight to the next month. I know I did that for my wedding, and a few other times like beach vacations and such.

Ohhh - see, I got pregnant on the pill and so did heaps of other couples I know.

It is handy being able to skip a month tho, but my Mirena means that I go months without a period anyways.

I got preggers on the pill too. Now I'm off all contraception and can't get lucky. I'm thinking of going back on the pill. lol

symtothermal- We've been using it successfully for about a decade. It is obviously not a method for singles. I always thought Pete was more emotionally volatile when on the pill despite being on a low dose. Her Mom had trouble with it as well.

You can use the symtothermal method backwards to identify your most fertile days.

In case you were wondering, from the institute of reproductive health at Georgetown: Symptothermal Method


Griff, how effective has that been?

I have used the pill since I was 19, condoms before that. Nothing right now. After baby #2, I'm not sure what I'll do. I know it will be a C-section, so I might have the doc take care of me while he's in there...but that's a ways off.

It has worked perfectly for us. Pete has always been pretty regular though. I'll point her to this thread when she gets back in town. See I just send her away when she's fertile. ;)

FWIW- As far as surgeries go, getting the guy done is less serious.

Bilateral Tubal Ligation. Fairly effective.

I got sterilised when I was 42 or so. Up to that it had been variously the pill, condoms or the cap. They were all OK, but sterilisation is the way to go IMHO. No more worries :p no more scares :eek:

NONE

AGE! And being ugly

My husband has had the V. If he didn't, I don't think I would use anything, since hormonal bc messes with me so dramatically.

I have a 3 year implant in my arm - Implanon single proestogen only if that makes it any clearer.

It's due for renewal, and I'm debating as to whether to bother.
I get on with it perfectly well - no bleeding, no hormonal mood swings, it's been such a boon in that way.

But as I don't have sex any more (:mecry:) I wonder if I can justify it.
I might, just to be on the safe side. Getting it taken out will be pretty grim - I might as well have another one in there at the same time.

I'm quite an evangelist about it in real life - I recommend it to any pre-menopausal woman I meet. Well, if the subject comes up I mean! I've been trying to get my 16yo co-worker on it. She's considering the 3 monthly injection now as a halfway house (I was on Depo-provera for 6 years).

As an aside - it amazes me how many of my friends/ colleagues don't know the name of their contraceptive medicine. I've always known mine - and read up on it independently, even before the internet was available as a tool. I can only assume it's because contraception is free in this country, so people take whatever their given. Me, I like to know about what I'm taking - I had to ask for the implant, it wasn't offered to me despite the fact it saves the NHS money. "We don't find mony women are interested" was the response.

Well, this is a timely topic for me. Prior to polyamory, no BC was necessary as Selene has had her baby making equipment retired. Now, however, the grim world of latex has been foisted upon me. Grim, because, at 50...I can't feel a damn thing with one on. I therefore find myself in the curious and unenviable position of having a lot of sex...but not having a lot of orgasms. While I still enjoy the process, the intimacy, the opportunity to have my partner writhe and moan and be generally appreciative, repeated fruitless gyrations are beginning to wear on my psyche.

I'm pretty sure I'm headed for a vasectomy as a result.

IUD, Mirena. Before that, the pill for over a decade.

Nada. And let me tell you, that can have unpredictable results, even if you think you're past the baby-making age.


Stormie

<who had a baby two years ago - and I'm in my mid 40's now>

I am getting the V on Friday.

My boss was back at work the afternoon he had his V. Fuckwit.

Pie - how long have you had your Mirena and how have you found it?

Stormie - nice to see you around again.

Thanks Ducks! :D I didn't think anyone noticed my lack of posts lately (just really busy, although reading when I can).

By the way, I've used Depo-Prevara shots as well as pills. I have gotten pregnant on the pill and learned that you really must read the fine print carefully. If you get too toasted and worship the porcelan god, use alternative bc. If you take antibiotics, use alternative bc. During the week of placebo pills, use alternative bc. Seriously. I have proof, age 19.

Since February. Getting it in hurt like a mofo! I had premedicated with Advil -- didn't make a damns' worth of difference. (To calibrate to pain scale, I've had gallstones -- this hurt worse.) Took the whole day off work (Friday) and had the weekend to recuperate. I had a week of bad cramping, two weeks of milder cramping, 1 week of very light cramping... And some light spotting of blood for the first two months. I continued on the pill for the first month as a "backup" method (since spontaneous expulsion can happen early on.) I've had one light period since I went off the hormones back in March.

It's been trouble-free since. I make it a habit to check for its presence once in a while, otherwise I'd never know it was there... My GP warned me that my insurance would probably not cover it, but they did! I was out $50 total - copays for two visits (pre-screening & actual insertion). Not too bad!

I was lucky with the pill, because I didn't notice any change to my moods, physical wellbeing, etc. I decided to go for a more long-term method since I am quite firmly in the "no-children-desired" camp. My husband is not so sure, so I promised that I wouldn't do something irreversible. This was a good compromise.

-Pie

Oh, and DN -- if you've had kids, the procedure is far less painful. Being a nullipara makes it a lot worse.

I've had mine in since last July.

I didnt have much trouble with the insertion as I am pretty good at relaxing apparently (mild discomfort and lots of *think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts* going on).

Cramping was fine, but I found I went a bit weird for a few months, like mood swings and paranoia...which I have never had with hormones before.

My big thing is spotting after sex...especially...umm....vigorous sex...but I guess thats a bit of a pay off for months of no periods.

Condoms. Lifestyles brand. Lots of them.

Both getting an STD test this week, and she's going on the pill.

TMI?

Too Much Info.

Woo Hooo PeeWee - you will be bare back in no time :D

I use a combination of two actually:
1. Pull Out Method
2. Prayer

I've wanted a nick-name my entire life. Thanks, DN. I appreciate it. *sniff*

Apparently no time means, "2 weeks for results." My results are ready 15 minutes after my test. (Private doc vs. Free clinic)

Over the years I've used:

1. Pull out method (My first time and never again. It worked, but I wouldn't recommend it for obvious reasons.)
2. condoms (it was new, and I loved it, so the condoms didn't bother me)
3. birth control pills (awesome after those damn condoms)
4. nothing (kinda scary cause I wasn't sure I was ready for kids even though we were trying for them)
5. pills again (excellent)
6. nothing (I was cool with it this time and liked it)
7. condoms (hated this stage a lot)
8. vasectomy (awesome again)

there better be no number 9 for this list...

Marriage.

*rimshot*

All you have left is dismemberment. :thepain:

Although as a form of contraception, this one's bound to be a little less popular than some of the other methods...

I probably shouldn't post this since my friend swore me to secrecy, but since you don't know her and never will, it probably doesn't count. She's been using a coil as a way of tackling heavy periods as well s birth control. I just got off the phone with her, she's got all the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy.

She and her boyfriend (who is also a friend of mine) have been seeing each other for less than a month. Hell of a thing to have deal with that early in.

Nothing until I recently started the quarterly cycle pills. The hormones have always scared me a bit, but I really super duper don't want to get pg again at this point.
I'm hoping and bugging that LJ will step up and get the V... I mean, I did happily suffer thru natural childbirth of his giant spawn, but obviously its his choice, and I probably won't get cancer from the pills...

That abbreviation puts BigV's username in a whole new light...

In case any lurkers out there are wondering, a vasectomy is really no big deal. The only thing I would suggest is that you find a urologist who routinely performs no scalpel vasectomies. The first urologist I went to (referred to me by my primary care doctor) only did it the old school way of making an incision that needs to be stitched up and the stitches later removed. Fuck that.

The more modern and superior way is to make a small puncture, do the procedure, and then close it up with liquid bandage (super glue.) I found a local doctor who does hundreds of these a year, and the process was fast and the recovery was no big deal at all.

Oh yeah, and then drop off a sample a month later to make sure no stray swimmers are hanging around.

did it hurt?

is yer mangravy thinner now?

did your health insurance pay for it?

did it hurt?

LJ - I will let you know on Friday afternoon how it goes. According to my doc, it will be a non-event. He did say that after seeing my junk...

FYI: I only have to pay my $25 co-pay.

Yes. They spray you in the very beginning with a numbing spray. They didn't tell me why, but I was happy to be numb down there with the all the attention being paid to my privates. (Two female nurses and a male doctor.) Then came the "novacaine" shots. I felt them and they hurt, but they felt just like any shots you ever get. The procedure itself was painless but felt a little weird. I could feel what he was doing, and it didn't feel "right" when he was cutting apart the plumbing. I'm not talking about a sexual way or a homophobic way or anything like that, just that I could tell he was doing something that was changing me and it felt a little unnerving. But I mentally reminded myself that that was the whole point. And it was fine. Then when the "novocaine" wore off later at home, it felt like I'd been kicked in the nuts earlier in the day. Not the intense pain of getting kicked in the nuts at that moment, but the memory of having been kicked in the nuts earlier in the day. I just sat around and watched tv for the rest of the day. The next day I went back to work, and I felt fine even though I was swollen the size of a softball. The day after that, I was basically back to normal. It was a little tender if I was probing around the site, but if I wasn't thinking about it, I didn't even notice it.

In theory yes. In reality, I notice no change.

The insurance company told me before hand that it was 100% covered, but I forgot that since it was in a "surgery center" instead of in the doctor's office there was a deductible applied to it. So I ended up paying like $200 or something like that. Pissed me off, but they were right. I just wasn't expecting to pay anything for it other than a $25 copay.

Oh yeah, there was another weird thing. For a couple weeks afterwards, I felt like I had "blue balls" right after coming. Like I could feel that there was a new blockage in the way and I wasn't getting the release you normally feel. I didn't like the feeling, but it was a very mild one, and went away after a couple weeks. Just a mild annoyance. I can't tell you when that feeling went away because it was gradual, but things work and feel just like before now.

Edit: In case I sound too negative above, let me state clearly that I'm happy I did it, and I'd do it again without hesitation. I just wanted to be honest.

glatt, your post did not make me feel better about the process.

Sorry. It's really not that bad. Kind of like going to the dentist. I think getting a filling hurts, but I go anyway, and it's no big deal. This is similar.

TOG: Just think of how much another child will cost. This pain is far, far less, and far, far more temporary.

LJ - here is the run down for you - I am sitting here on the couch the day after with very little discomfort. I was sure to follow the doc's recommendations yesterday and didn't move off of the couch much. Ice on for 10 min. Then, off for 20 min for about 12 hours. I should be able to do just about anything I want tomorrow. No sex until Tuesday and I am not supposed to exercise for 7 days.

The procedure itself was rather uneventful. There was some discomfort during - more pressure than pain. But, other than that, it was very simple and painless.

However, I was in so much pain on Thursday night that I wasn't sure I could go on with it. What's that you say? Wasn't that the night before the procedure? Yes.

Word of warning to any going in for the V. DO NOT USE NAIR ON YOUR BALL SACK! It hurt like hell. It burned me to the point that I couldn't even have sex the night before the procedure. My sack was fireball red and hurting to the point that I could not walk. How crazy! My wife thought she would help me out and put some sunburn ease stuff on it. She sprayed it on, I yelled, and about came out of my skin. I was in so much freaking pain, but all I could do was laugh. All because I didn't want to nick my sack with a razor.

If anyone is thinking about getting a vasectomy, but hesitant. Just do it. I agree with Glatt now. It really is no big deal.

Ugly, & when that fails, nerd.

Well, I'm glad it turned out OK.

Nair, huh? I didn't have to shave, the doctor did that for me, and only partially. The procedure's wasn't a big deal, and nothing compared to what moms go through with childbirth. It's kind of silly of me to even compare the two. It's like a hangnail compared to a, um, I dunno, a very painful thing.

And for the record, if it's a C-section the women get shaved too. Cheapass Bic disposable razor too... grumble grumble

Clod - Brazilian!!!!

All three of my kids were born on three different methods of birth control - The Pill, condoms and a diaphragm. After our third child I got snipped and she got tied (C-section anyway). No more probs since then. I don't remember the surgery being that big a deal, but I do remember a really large older nurse with a 5 cent Bic razor and an evil grin.

We use Birth control pills. I don't really like them, but I loathe condoms. They are ok once in a while, but not on a regular basis... they just make me feel really sore afterwards. I want to get something like the Mirena, but since I haven't had any children I didn't think I could.

How were you able to get yours, Pie? Did you insurance cover it? I think I might be willing to undergo lots of pain just so I don't have to take the damn pill anymore. Once we decide on the children issue then he will get the V, and I will get my tubes tied just to be safe.

Yep, insurance covered it. I was out a total of $60 (2 doctor's visits at $30 per). It's good for 5 years. I've never had children, and that wasn't an issue.
See here for my whole story.

cervical cap
 

I was on the pill for a year and hated the irritability and all the horrible side effects, so now I have gotten a cervical cap-the femcap- and use that will spermicide and also my boyfriend doesn't ejaculate inside me, so I think we are taking more than enough precautions to not get pregnant but he is still so paranoid about it, he still doesn't think that that is enough-the femcap, spermicide and withdrawal! I don't think that is being irrational but rather responsible, but I can't seem to convince him otherwise...

I've found that anal sex works quite well. If you get her pregnant that way, it's probably a good sign that you're going at it too hard.

True. And just to make sure no pregnancy occurs, I only fuck guys. ;)

We use the Hysterectomy. Works wonders.

According to Mr Binky, not that much pain, insurance paid, mangravy is fine, and great worry free sex afterward

Mrs. Dallas had her tubes tied after kid #2.

Anal,oral, headache!