Being on the Ring question
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| Tue, 05-04-2004 - 9:06pm |
1) Before/At the beginning of your period
2) Anytime
I did option number 2. I'm not sure that, after two weeks of use, that I am protected.
This past week, my boyfriend and I have been using the withdrawal method. Yes, it is not a very effective form of birth control but since the Nuvaring instructions say it would be effective after 7 days of ring use.
I was supposed to get my period 5 days ago. This either means it's working or I'm preggers. I don't think so though. I am having side-effects of the ring: tender breasts, more vaginal discharge, mood swings...
I don't know if I should be worried or not?
Thanks for your counsel! :-D
PS: Hmm, sex hurts after a session or two. I think it's because his member is too large (we use lots of lube), any ideas?

As for the painful sex, I have a few insights.
first off, if you're having frequently painful sex that doesn't seem to be dependent on position, you need to talk to your doctor about the possibility of an infection or other disease. these can often cause painful sex. occasionally endometriosis does, too, and hormonal contraception can help with that over time. When was your last pelvic exam?
If it's not frequent it could be a positional thing; where exactly does it hurt? i occasionally have a problem where it feels like he's hitting my cervix head on, quite painfully. one time he outright pushed it up and over, which hurt like crazy and was blatant enough that he stopped and said "what the heck was that?!"
anyway, i've found that i need to have my hips slightly elevated for missionary position to keep him at the right angle. if i'm on top, i need to lean forward, as sitting straight up and down can cause some pain. the position that never causes me any pain is from behind, especially lying on our sides, spooning. hope that wasn't too graphic.
anyway, my best course of action if something hurts has always been to pull back, readjust and go in more gently. he's on the long side, which is probably why i'm having this problem in the first place. A few weeks after it started (oddly enough, after about 20 months of being with this guy), I talked told my doctor about it during my annual pap test. she said everything looked perfectly normal and not to worry about it.
Either way, you should be protected after seven days, but it doesn't hurt to use backup (reliable backup) until after you get your next period to see what your "new" periods are like. Though I'm not sure how much reassurance it will give you since you've been using withdrawal....it still can't hurt.
As far as pain, not all women are cut out for multiple sessions in the same day, don't feel bad if you're not! My rule of thumb is that if it hurts, don't do it. Pain is a signal that something isn't going well, and once you've ruled out things like infections or other problems with a doctor, then it's something to learn to work with. All the lube in the world doesn't help sometimes! I have pain sometimes after the first time (well, most times), but always after the second time within 24-36 hours, it doesn't matter what birth control I'm using, but the partner does matter, if you catch my drift.
Good luck!
Judie