Birth Control - Saint Louis,MO

I've used a birth control patch and loved it. I didn't have to take a pill everyday and I had no negative side effects. I just can't seem to face the thought of using a ring or anything that has to be inserted. Stage 4 endometriosis keeps a person away from anthing foreign being inserted. The patch was perfect for me.

My husband and I use Natural Family Planning and love it. We didn't like any of the birth control options so I bought the NFP instruction book and learned from there. It's available at ccli.org. It's really informative and interesting to learn everything about your fertility. It's empowering to know exactly what's going on in your body. In my opinion, it's definitely worth a look. Good luck :]

The Mirena IUD is good and last up to 5 years. You can always take it out before that if you want another child before then. Some insurances may cover it, if not there is always a payment plan. Talk to your doctor and let them know exactly what you want and they can give options and help you choose.

I'm always an advocate of the copper IUD. So easy to put in post-partum, never notice it during sex, no hormones, and I don't have to think about birth control until we want another, and then it's supposed to be a snap to remove. My periods are a little heavier than they were, but not anywhere near the nightmare cramps that some people describe. Anyway, that's my vote : ) Good luck.

I used the Nuva Ring and loved it. It's a once-a-month thing instead of an every day thing like the pill. The hormones are similar to the pill, so your reaction should be the same as well. Similarly, as soon as you're ready to try for #3, you just take it out, stop using it, and birth control is over. No doctor needed.

If you are looking for long term but not permanent birth control your options are pills, IUD (5-10 yrs depending on kind) or Implanon Implant (3 yrs) and of course the Depo. I've only used pills so I don't have much other advice. I did meet one person on the Implanon and she complained it was hard to lose weight- however I think this is a side effect of all hormonal birth control. THere are two kids of IUD (with and without hormones) so you could choose with that method. Good luck.

i have the implanon. it last three yrs and is a plastic rod they stick in your arm. the first yr n half i loved it my periods were light and only 3 days. but in january i started having problems. my period's have not been less than 14 days straight. march i went every day but 3. this month i started the 2nd and have not stopped. its not light any more never is. so i dont suggest it. im even having a hard time getting a dr to take it out.

Hi J.! Congrats on your new baby! I had the Mirena for almost 2 years and loved it! I just got it removed so my husband and I can try to conceive. No problems getting it inserted or removed. I did have some cramping after insertion and removal. I also was very emotional. I'll admit I almost got it removed because my symptoms were really bad...at first! I had terrible skin, mood swings and cramping for a good 4 months. The mood swings probably lasted about 6 months. After my body adjusted to the hormones everything tapered off. Then it was just really reliable birth control that I didn't have to think about and I barely had a period. Maybe 3 days of spotting that only required a panty liner. I will definitely get it put back in once we are finished growing our family. Good luck!

I have had the Mirena IUD in for almost 4 years. I have not had any side effects with it. I love it and will have another put in next year. The first month I had it in I did bleed most of that time but since then I do not have a period very often, like maybe once every 3 months. Good Luck and I hope you get it all figured out.

I only have time for a quick response, so I'm suggesting you go to www.ccli.org. This is a non-profit organization that instructs couples in natural family planning. All birth control is harmful to your body, the environment, and your marriage. (Just one example is the lower libido that comes as a side effect of the Pill.) Natural family planning is good for your health, good for the environment, and good for your marriage. The method taught by CCL (Couple to Couple League) is called sympto-thermal and is as effective as any artificial birth control method, except for surgical removal of the reproductive organs, and you will feel so much better, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, when you use this natural form of family planning. Try it!

I have the Mirena and I love it. I don't have the side effects others are attributing to it, but every body is different. My Insurance covered it. I guess they figure $300-700 is a bargain compared to the costs of having a baby. For me, $30 a month for the pill ends up exceeding the Mirena after a year, and the Mirena lasts 5 years.

After my five children, I had been on the pill and began having migraines so we started looking for another alternative. I wanted to get off the extra hormones so I went with a copper IUD that lasts for 10 years and has no hormones. It has been great. Others last for 5 years I think, so if you are not sure if you want another baby or not you can go that way. They can always be removed, and its a one time cost instead of a monthly cost and a daily dose.
L.

I have used both types of IUD's. I preferred the copper one over the mirena. I can feel the mirena and it is very uncomfortable, for the first month it felt like someone was poking me with a needle, then it either moved a little to where I couldn't feel it or I just got used to the pain. I still feel it every now and then but it is not as bad as the first month. I cramp more throughout the month with it. With the copper iud I never felt it in me and I never cramped, at times I would forget it was even there.

I had Mirena inserted after my daughter was born. My ob told me I would have absolutely no side effects and I didn't - for about 2 years. After about 2 years on the Mirena, I started gaining weight like you wouldn't believe, I was always hungry, I was starting to get alot of hair on my chin and I was very very very moody. When I brought up these issues with my ob, he told me it was not related to the Mirena since the Mirena had local hormones only. He did blood work, which all came back normal, so he wanted to put me on an additional hormone medication. I never got this prescription filled because something still seemd off to me. A couple weeks later I went to my primary care physician about an unrelated issue (she's a woman) and eventually broke down and told her all of the issues I was having. The first thing she said was that these were all side effects of the Mirena, and almost every woman she saw that had been on the Mirena for 2 years or more was having the same side effects. She also said that women who are on it have 0 interest in sex (which was also a problem for me). I told her my ob said that wasn't the issue and she told me that while Mirena is only localized hormones, all your blood flows through your uterus so those hormones do get in your blood stream. She said that most ob's will say there are no side effects with the Mirena, because that is what the literature states. I left the office and did some research online about Mirena side effects, and I found so many websites and blogs of women who had these side effects, plus some that were suicidal. I immediately went back to my family doctor and had the Mirena removed. Within about 6 weeks, my appetite was under control and I could tell my mood was improving. The weight gain and hair growth that were continuously getting worse on the Mirena and stopped. I did not automatically loose the weight and the hair didn't go away, but it did stop getting worse.

Sorry to be long winded, but if you decide to go the Mirena route, at least keep these things in the back of your mind. And keep an open mind that it is a hormone and everyone is affected differently. Since I always have problems with birth control pills, maybe I am one of the rare cases where Mirena has negative side effects. Like I said, just keep it in mind and listen to your body over your doctor. You know what's going on with you better than anyone else. One nice thing about the Mirena is no periods. That was awesome!

There is another IUD on the market that is made from copper and has no hormones. This one is supposed to cause heavier periods, but I have no personal experience with it.