I'm 24 years old and I have bipolar disorder. I have two beautiful children that are my world I don't know where I would be without them. I am a good mom I love and care for my children like anyone else. I have been struggling with my illness for four years. I was diagnosed when my daughter was born she will be five in June, I suffered pretty bad when I had to go off my meds with my son who is now 7 months. Recently my doctor found me a great medicine which makes me feel normal I have felt better the last month, than I have since being diagnosed. The problem is my medicine will make my birth control ineffective. I know I don't want a new baby anytime soon my doctor said they could try the mirena implant but it seems to have a lot of side effects. I don't exactly like the idea of not having a period and not knowing if I could be pregnant. My sisters friend just lost a baby from getting pregnant on it and had a miscarriage after implant was removed. I have been thinking about just letting my husband get fixed but we are young and we may want another one in the future. I can't stand to live in regret I feel sad thinking of never having another child. The two I have bring me so much joy, but would it spoil things to have another or should I put these things to rest and just do what should be done and give up my chances to have one more?
My husband and I have never used another birth control other than condoms. I don't like the thought of all the chemicals in my body if they aren't necessary. As long as it's not looked at as a burden, it can be a really fun accessory! lol
If your meds would make BC pills not work, Mirena wouldn't work either (it's the same hormones, just in a different location). Was your doc talking about Mirena or the copper IUD (Paraguard)? They're radically different from each other. The very few cases I've ever heard of anyone getting pregnant on Paraguard were all pregnancies that were conceived PRIOR to the insertion, and they all carried to term fine. Even with those, though, Paraguard has a better success rate than even a tubal ligation.
All that aside: here are the non-hormonal options available to you that have low failure/high success rates:
- Paraguard IUD
- Diaphragm (with spermacide)
- Cervical Cap (with spermacide)
- Condoms (male or female)
i am have never been a fan of chemical birth control and have successfully used condoms and abstinence to prevent pregnancy. if you are looking for a less permanent form of BC then condoms are a good choice and there is no waiting period once you decide to conceive again. if you decide down the road that you dont want more kids then go with the permanent methods. have you looked into the shot at all (depo) my sister loved that but had to get off due to an interference with her skin medication
I am so sorry that your sister's friend lost her baby after the mirena was removed. I have had the mirena implant for five years and have loved it. I have 2 children and like you, just weren't sure we were done. As with all contraception, there is a chance to get pregnant but I felt for us, the mirena was the way to go. I continued to have periods although they were very lite- I usually didn't even have to wear a pad as they lasted for only a day or two. They did start to become a little heavier and lasted longer in the last year but I have other issues (fibroids) and wonder if that wasn't the cause of it. Really no other side effects for me and putting it in wasn't bad either. I wish you peace with whatever decision you make!
