What about no birth control?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-03-2004
What about no birth control?
1
Mon, 05-03-2004 - 1:27am
I have a query as to how other couples deal with birth control, or lack of it. I have been on the pill (well, off and on) for nearly 10 years. I've been married almost 9 and we have three children. I do not want anymore, and have felt for a long, long time that I do not want to continue taking the pill. My husband has never once done anything about birth control from his end and I feel I've done enough. I do not know what the long term effects are of the pill and abhor taking it. I often forget. I stopped about three or four weeks ago and even though he says he's fine about having more children, I won't risk it because I fall pregnany easily. He doesn't want a vasectomy, and doesn't want me to have my tubes tied. It's too final a step he says. Too medical. Where do we go from here? How does a couple compromise on something like this? Any advice?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 05-03-2004 - 8:44am
What about an IUD? It's long-term (5-8 years), hormones are optional, it's as effective as the pill or better, doesn't require any maintenance except checking that the strings are still there once a month, and it's not "final". They can be expensive (over the long-term, though, it's cheaper than the pill), and the insertion is difficult for some women, but it's a very popular method of birth control all over the world.

I guess my own feeling on birth control is that there does need to be some compromise at least as far as permanent solutions go. In my own situation, I'm engaged and 29, and we have no children. My fiance refuses to use condoms unless I can find condoms that feel totally natural, we're not ready for kids yet, so using anything that doesn't give me 100% confidence is pretty well out (I don't feel confident in my gyn's ability to fit a cervical cap). So right now we're stuck with hormones, but I'm hoping it won't be that way for the rest of our lives! So you're not alone in the lack of compromise department, but I can't really offer you any suggestions either, as we can't get our own issues worked out!

Good luck, if you are interested in an IUD, just holler or do a search, there's plenty of information here!

Judie

Judie Cl for Birth Control