Help please!

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-05-2004
Help please!
3
Sat, 04-03-2004 - 11:51am
I was just wondering if you guys could help. I am thinking about starting the pill/patch/etc. I have never been on it before or even looked into it. So I need advice. If I go on it it would only be for a couple of years - nothing long term - if things work out ;). Here are my big concerns - I am 33. So is age an issue and will it be hard to get pregnant when I am ready due to the pill? Also, I am curently losing weight and need to continue doing so but I have heard about lots of weight gain issues. So I am wondering if you guys can help. I am calling to make a dr. appt. on Monday and just need to have a general idea to know what questions to ask and think baout things before hand. I thought about just using condoms and spermicide but that stesses me out just thinking about it - to much gambling for me! Thanks so much for your help guys!
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
In reply to: sissy310
Sat, 04-03-2004 - 12:13pm
Hi sissy!

Your age is not an issue as long as you are a non-smoker; many women take bcps in their forties for cycle control. They wont affect your fertility, though it can, for some, take awhile for your body to ovulate again; but not everybody. The weight gain thing is iffy, in my opinion. I did gain weight on the pill, but not everybody does. Ive heard the lower the dose of hormones, the less side effects. Have you heard of Nuvaring? It is a flexable ring inserted in the vagina for three weeks and then removed for a week(your period). http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp?SetSession=Yes&strGUID={F6904471-AECB-4983-BB04-2F612A6CB4B0}&SID=545725034 I rarely hear a bad thing about it. Our cl Judie uses it and loves it. It has the lowest dose of hormones available. If that doesnt interest you, maybe you could ask your dr to start you out on a low dose pill. Hope this helps! Let us know what you decide to use!

Josie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2004
In reply to: sissy310
Sun, 04-04-2004 - 12:17am
My personal experience and advice would be to stay away from depo, if you were considering it. Just because I have had so many problems with it(I gained a huge amount of weight and experienced a lot of not fun things). Also there seems to be a lot of woman who have a lot of problem's getting pregnant afterwards. When I was on the pill, it didn't affect my weight at all. But I think that it just depends on your bodies reaction. Also if you do plan to get pregnant at some point in the future, it would seem logical to stick to something that is somewhat short-term like the previous member had said about the ring and such. But anyways, that probably didn't help at all! And I'm sure there are woman who would disagree about depo but it is just my opinion. Good luck finding something that works out for you! Also congrats on your weight loss!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2003
In reply to: sissy310
Sun, 04-04-2004 - 10:17pm
i've been on the pill for almost 3 years. i don't believe age is an issue. but it does have some side effects.

some people gain weight and some people lose weight. i myself gained weight and feel bloated all the time. and i don't know if this has anything to do with the pill but i realize that it's harder for me to lose weight then when i was off the pill. but my main concern is my sex drive which almost does not exist anymore. your libido decreases dramatically when you go on the pill because of all the hormones, even if you use a low dose one. and remembering to take one every day is hard for me.

i have made the decision to stop taking it and i will by the end of my cycle. i talked to my gyno about it and she suggested that i try a copper IUD called the paragard (as opposed to the marena IUD which contains hormones). the IUD is costly ($500) but your insurance might cover it (mine does). i personally wouldn't really recommend the pill. true it is very effective, but there are natural alternatives out there which i prefer now that i've tried hormonal ones.

i think you should talk to your gyno about the many methods of birth control there are and then decide from there.