Birth Control - Detroit,MI

I set the alarm on my cell phone and take it the same time everynight and never forget... :) GOOD LUCK...

Lori said it best from my stand point, the condom is quick, easy and cheap. It's always been reliable for me. PLUS less mess. AND we play the "hide the condom" game. One of us hides one in a naughty place (think lunch box/ coat pocket etc.) When the other finds it, s/he has to text the hider "I found it ..." and then we make plans to use it.

Can't stress enough take the Nuva Ring. Best birth control I have ever used.

I was on the Depo for 8 years.The only real side effect I had was a low sex drive.Not great but it could be worse and it affects everyone differently. Now I have the Mirena IUD.It hurt like hell the first couple days(cramps)but it's been fine since then.The best part is that I've had no period.It's nice if you don't want more kids for a while and if you decide you want more you just get it removed.

Im also not the best at a daily pill, but also Im not into the ring thing, I cant imagine having to worry if i put it in right all the time, and mirena just makes me nervous..so I've chosen the depo shot once every 3 months you cant feel it because its on the but/hip area. Also its cheaper then the pills for my insurance.
Hope this helps

I have and IUD and I would highly recommend it. I had the same problem as you, always forgetting to take my pill. The IUD is inserted by a doctor and is good for a number of yrs (I believe it varies depending on the IUD). Also it has no hormones. I gained weight on both the pill and norplant so I was very happy to not have to worry about that again!
V.

the nueva ring is nice becuase you only have to deal with it once a month

try the patch...Ortho Evra.. it was great and you only have to change it once a week! A..

Hi C.,

Personally I use the ring and I love it! The hardest thing to remember is when you put it in versus when it comes out (3 weeks at a time), but if you have a personal calendar you look at daily you can keep track of it with the stickers that are provided with the ring.

The downfall is if you don't have medical insurance it's pricey (50 bucks a month). I went for a check up at my local Planned Parenthood and I qualified for my monthly ring at 16 dollars.

I know many other people on the ring and they all love it too!

Nuvaring works great for me. It's a plastic ring that you insert once a month and take it out for your monthly. I had a major problem too with forgetting the daily pills. I tried the shot thing every three months but that played with my sex drive and drove my husband nuts. The nuvaring doesn't seem to cause any problems for me, but be careful, Some insurances treat it funny and will only allow you to have one at a time (1 month's supply) instead of the normal 3 month's supply at a time.

I have a Mirena IUD and I love it! It lasts for 5 years and I never have to think about it. :)

check out www.paragard.com..i have one and it has been wonderful!

I have an IUD, and it is fantastic. I had one put in right after having my daughter and then when we were ready to have my son two years later I had it removed and got pregnant that night. Yup I really can say that and know it is true. After my son was born I had another one put in and it has been two and a half years. Since I have the copper one in I could continue to breast feed both my children without having to worry about hormones and I had it put in at my first check up after giving birth. Really this has been a great thing for me and my husband because I'm awful at remembering to do the daily pill thing too. If you want to talk more about it just email me.

I had the same issue and now I'm on the ortho evra patch, I change it once per week, it great, and much easier to remember, also I've noticed I get less mood swings than I got on the pill, b'c thje hormones are slowly released during the entire day, instead of once per day on a pill form.

I think the IUD maybe your best choice. I did the shot for a few years and it messed my menstrual cycle up bigtime once I stopped (not to mention I think it's bad on your bones). (A lot of birth control options are full of hormones and may not be a good idea). Since then, I had my tubes tied (which was paid for by insurance) and had an ablation done...a procedure that helps to control your periods, but is completely stops them in about 80% of people and I'm one of them...LOVE IT!! If you are not planning on anymore children, I recommend getting your tubes tied...very, very easy outpatient surgery (I was up and walking right after surgery). If you want the birth control because you want more children, talk to your doctor about the IUD.

I tried many kinds of birth control pills but ended up having crushing chest pain, even on low-estrogen doses. Because many of the other options available involved hormones, I started researching Natural Family Planning. I don't chart my cycle or taking my temp every morning as is recommended, but I learned to notice the signs of ovulation and my husband and I take precautions at that time of the month. I love it because it doesn't alter my sex drive and I don't have to worry about side effects. It's worked for us for 7 years and 2 planned pregnancies. If your cycle is consistent, you may want to look into that option.

Good luck!

Dear C. T.,

Years ago when I was still fertile, I used an I.U.D. and it does not require daily remembering. Once you get it placed inside and the next check up and things are going fine, you only have to get it checked by the doctor once a year unless things have changed. I had a woman friend who had the same one in for over 12 years the last time I had talked to her and no problems. Talk to your doctor about ideas too, and check on the internet for methods of birth control that don't require daily remembering. I'm sure there are things out there I don't even know about since I am not of the child-bearing age any more.

L. C.

C.,
I was the same way. I've found that the NuvaRing works best for me. It's inserted for three weeks, out for one week and then back in. Depending on insurance it can be pricey, but my OB/GYN actually gave me three of them to start!
Hope this helps.

Happy Wednesday,
B.

You have to find the right one for you...b/c certain types of birth control doesn't work for everyone...I can relate, I forgot all the time to take my pills, and then when I did take them like I was suppose to I still got pregnant and when I was using the ring, it helped me b/c I only needed to remember to remove and renew it once a month. But they have other ones of course that just requires for you to research and ask your doctor if they feel that other forms would be good for you and your body...Remember some of these BC'S do have side effects and some just may not work for you or your body.

I agree with the other moms on the Mirena IUD. I been on it for almost 4 years. my is due to come out in the december of 09. it is awesome. I was the same way couldn't remember to take the pill or have to remember to get the shot or the patch . I was on it all. but this was far the best. hope you find one you like.

I've had the Mirena IUD for almost a year now. I love it! I can't remember the last time I had a period! Like the other moms have said, it's good for five years, but can be removed at any time if you want to get pregnant again. They say you can get pregnant immediately after it is removed. I highly recommend it.

I had that exact same problem. I take the pill but I now set an alarm on my cell phone that goes off at the same time everyday so that I can remember. Works great!

A couple of months ago I had an IUD put in and I LOVE it! It's good for 5 years - you don't have to do anything. If you decide you want to have more children, you can have it removed and could get pregnant right away (if you're so lucky). They are not good if you're not in a monogamous relationship and they are expensive, so make sure your health insurance covers it. Best of luck!

I use Mirena and love it! Although both my pregnancies were planned, I hated having to remember to take the pill and was always playing catch up. I've had Mirena for 6 months now and so far no problems at all.

Hi, C.. I've had a Mirena IUD for about a year and I LOVE it. It takes a month or 2 to get use to, but after you won't even know it's there. My periods are light, the cramps are mild. My husband can feel it a bit during relations, but no major catasrophies have taken place! It'll stay in place for up to 5 years and then your doc will take it out. It's turned out to be the right choice for me because although I'm almost 100% sure we're done having kids, my hubby and I are still fairly young (34 & 33 respectively) and don't want to go the vasectomy route just yet.
Hope this helps...Good luck.

I am using an IUD for that reason. It is hard to remember to take the pill every day. I have had it for almost 3 years and the down side is LONG periods. I am going to have it removed and start using the hormonal ring. It's like the pill, but you put it in your vagina and it's good for a whole month. You can even skip your periods with it if you like.

I was just reading that the IUD is really underrated. My sister has had it for quite a while, the only complaints she had was right after it was put in she had some heavy menstruation but it normalized after a month or two. Other than that, she loves it. She was really bad at remembering to take her pill, too. I guess the IUD is more effective than several other methods of birth control. However, this method would only make sense if you weren't planning to get pregnant in the next few years because of the procedure.

I love the Nuva Ring. It is birth control that you do not have to think about. I switch 2yrs ago and would never go back to taking the pill.

Check out the web site: http://www.nuvaring.com

Good old fashoined condoms work. :0)

I'm sure other people have said this but the Nuva Ring is awesome. Depending on your insurance it can be a bit expensive, but you only change it once a month.

if you are done having kids i would say have your husband get a vasectomy, recovery is just a few days, and there are no worries now.

I love the mirena IUD. Your OB puts it in and you don't do anything with it for 5 yeas. It also makes your periods lighter, or nonexistant (which is the best part for me!). Good Luck!

Try the Nuva Ring. You only have to worry about it once a month. Works great.

Hello C.,

My husband and I used natural family planning for 25 years before he passed away in 2003. We also taught it to other couples for 20 years. It is 99% effective and has no side effects. It also increases communication between spouses and helps one to see the beauty and miracle of female fertility. It is such a gift. We always appreciated working with the natural cycle of life instead of thwarting it. The couple simply abstains from marital relations when a pregnancy is being postponed. The responsibility for regulating births is thereby shared between husband and wife and not solely the woman's responsibility.

NFP can also be used in cases of marginal fertility to increase the chances of conception. NFP teaches the couple to recognize when a woman is fertile, which is only for a certain time during the cycle.

When I was a young married woman and a nurse, I could not bear to ingest any hormones which would alter my natural fertility, which I see as a beautiful gift from God. Personally, I was not willing to sacrifice my present or future health by altering the hormonal intricacies of my body. There are always side effects of every medication, and artificial hormones are medication.

I also could not use the IUD; along with its hormonal component, its potential method of effectiveness could be an early abortion. And the horror stories of the early years of IUDs are still possible today. I just talked this morning with a woman who spoke with the mother of a nurse who works in NICU, where she is caring for an infant born with an IUD implanted somewhere in its tiny body. (IUDs are not 100% effective at preventing pregnancy.)

NFP avoids all health issues and is a real marriage booster as well.

See www.ccli.org for more information if you are interested.

F.

Hi C....
Well, I was going to suggest the Mirena, which I have, and other than the insertion SUCKING, It has been pretty good. You feel crampy and bleed for a few days after it's in, but my periods are now shorter and not very heavy.
But, after reading the other post, I might try the ring next:)

Hi C.,

I've been doing the nuvaring for about 8 months now and I LOVE it! You just insert it in "down there" and leave it for 3 weeks. You take it out the 4th week, have a short period, and then put a new one in for 3 more weeks.

I had done the pill before and the hormones really messed with me and I kept forgetting it. Then we tried nonhormonal birth control and I had a baby! oops... So, the nuvaring has really worked for us...you can even take it out for 2 hours for intercourse if you want, or you can leave it in.

Let me know if you have any other questions about it I could answer.

After my son was born in 2006 I didn't want to start taking any pills again (since that was my 2nd child, my memory is horrible...lol) and I just didn't need one more thing to remember to do and I was not ready to make a permenent choice so I talked to my doctor and I ended up getting the 5 year IUD Merena. It has been a great choice for me and a bonus is that I have only had a few menstrual cycles since I have had it (I'm loving that!!. There is alsa a 10 year one, but my OB recommended the 5 year one. Talk it over with your OB, mine was very helpful. Good Luck, I know what a hard decision that is to make!!

NuvaRing - the once-a-month flexible vaginal birth control ring is fabulous. No muss, no fuss. You can't put it in wrong. If you forget to take it out, it's ok. You can even leave it in during the week you normally would take it out for your period. Then put a fresh one in the next week, so you have a continuous supply of hormones that also bonuses at keeping your emotions on even keel. That way you don't have a period too. It's ingenious!

The patch is ok too, once-a-week to remember, but it leaves a sticky residue on your backside (or wherever you put it) and then gets dirty from clothes rubbing it.

I've used the Mirena IUD. It's great - once inserted, it can stay in place for up to 5 years (and then you can replace with a new one). It has a small dosage of estrogen, so it's likely your periods will stop (after the first 6 months or so of spotting). I have used it for about 4 months now with no problems, and no weight gain. Most insurances cover this.

Have you looked into the birth control shot? I can't remember what it's called, but my big sis has used it for quite some time and has been pretty happy with it. You'd need an injection every three months. Only one possible issue with it--if you have a history of osteoporosis in your family, you might not want to go this route, as the shot tends to lower bone density.