Restarting BC
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Restarting BC
| Mon, 05-17-2004 - 2:31pm |
I was supposed to get my depo shot in February and decided against it because there was no need for it without a relationship. Since then I have developed a romance with someone I've been close to for 1 1/2 yrs and his job just transfered him 2,000 miles away from me. So our personal time together is going to be limited, at least for a while. My question is when going back on the shot how important is it to stay strictly to the 5 day window. When I get to my appointment it will actually be 8 days after the start of my period. But I am going to see him in a couple of weeks and want to make sure we are protected. Neither of us are big fans of condoms, but will use them as a last resort since we are even less fans of an unplanned pregnancy. If there are other forms that I can get started on, I would consider switching to something different. My cycles are just now started to regulate, and I also don't want to confuse my body even more and end up on a period when I go see him. Any suggestions??

The five-day window, I think, is to make sure that you get your shot early enough in your cycle to prevent ovulation, otherwise it's a little iffy if you'll be protected right away. As far as whether those three days make a difference, I think I'd ask my doctor.
But if you're interested in something not as disruptive to your system as Depo, which can have irregular bleeding as a side effect, the pill, the patch, or the ring are other hormonal options that are very effective and will allow you to have regular bleeding intervals (not periods because you're not ovulating). As always, whenever you start a method of hormonal contraception, it is possible that you'll have irregular bleeding in the first month (or two or three, depending on how you do).
There is always the option of a diaphragm or cervical cap, but the success of those methods require a good fitting by a physician who knows what s/he's doing and how good you are at using them. They can be as effective as condoms and they don't affect your menstrual cycles at all, but you have to be diligent about using them properly. The upside to a cap or diaphragm is that you only are using birth control when you actually need it, it's not something that you have to worry about every day like the pill (though the patch is once a week and the ring is once a month).
And I hate to throw this out there as one more thing you have to think about, but if you both haven't been tested for STD's, you really do need to keep using condoms until you both come back with clean tests. It's the only form of birth control that will help protect you from STD's, I'm afraid, and not too many people like them! But sometimes they're a necessity.
So you still have a bunch of options that are open to your personal preference! My DF and I don't schedule sex around periods, it's something we deal with and hasn't ever been an issue--dark towels and candlelight can help with a lot of the ick factor, and there's always the option to get romantic in the shower!
Good luck, if you've got other questions please just ask!
Co-cl for Birth Control
There are also spermicides that work that do not contain nonoxynol-9, which is what the typical allergen in spermicide is. For more information on these, you might e-mail cl-dancer31, she has a lot of experience in this area and I've learned a lot from her!
You can use a diaphragm as flow control during your period (the Instead softcup is similar and intended for feminine hygiene rather than contraception), which may help keep sex clean if you wanted to start the pill and ended up with some unexpected bleeding. The other thing is that you should practice having sex with your diaphragm while using another form of birth control so that you can get the bugs worked out without the swimmers working in. I know it sounds like a pain in the neck, but at least there are options out there and you're not down to the wire yet!
Co-cl for Birth Control
So thanks so much for everything! Without you and this website, I'd be walking around with very little info or encouragement, questioning if I made the right decision.
Let us know how you like it, ok?
Jill