low libido due to bc

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2004
low libido due to bc
9
Tue, 06-22-2004 - 5:01pm
hello--

i've been on the pill for 6 years. for the 1st 3 years, i was on ortho tri-cyclen & experienced no side effects. however, i began to notice a decrease in libido & remained on the same pill for another year. the doctor then switched me to allesse, which only i only noticed a minor change in increased sex drive but an increase in moodiness, so i began another brand of pills & again experienced no difference! so i then switched to ortho tri-cyclen lo. it was great to begin with, but i've now been on it for 6 months & have been experiencing low sex drive again for the past few months! i'm going to the doctor in 2 days & am interesting in switching to the patch. do you know if this may help? if not, what might help? i love being on birth control, but miss my libido!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2003
Tue, 06-22-2004 - 6:19pm
hi bp

i know exactly what you're going through. i was on ortho tricyclen for almost three years and as the days passed, my libido slowly died. in bed i would most of the time have to fake it because really i wasn't feeling anything. i asked my gyno about the patch and she told me that it would have the same effect (libido-wise). so we talked about other options and i decided to insert a copper IUD (there's also a horonal IUD but that has the same effects as the pill). when she inserted the IUD it hurt and i was bleeding for the next three weeks with minor crapms (like a really long period). but that's normal when you insert an IUD. but then after that, it was like i had died and gone to heaven. sex has never been so great!!! i can't believe i missed out on so much when i was on the pill. and on top of that, i feel so light and my body so clean. the pill made me groggy and the mood swings were terrible and i hated the fact that i was taking smething to control my body. i don't how to explain it. but i will tell you that switching to the IUD was one of the best decisions i've made since i got married! maybe you'd want to look into that too. i suggest discussing it with your doctor on your visit. keep in mind that you want the copper IUD not the hormonal one. the copper one is a completely natural form of birth control.

good luck and let me know how it goes:)

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-15-2004
Tue, 06-22-2004 - 6:47pm
I too had a low sex drive with the pill. I also switched to the copper IUD and am very happy with it. There are some side effects with the IUD most get better with time including heavier periods and more cramping. Check out the web site if you are interested, www.paragard.com Your body will ovulate and cycle naturally, this is something that make me feel great, but you lose your ability to move your period.

If you don't want to give up on the hormones just yet you might want to look into the ring. It has the lowest level of hormones, you insert it in your vagina for 3 weeks and remove it for your period. You will still have control over your period with the ring. I never tried it but other users have liked it.

Good Luck finding the right BC for you!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2003
Wed, 06-23-2004 - 12:09am
hi!

i just read your posting on how you stopped the pill and switch to the IUD. i was wondering how your period was after you inserted the IUD. did it regulate quikly? i put mine in in early april and stopped the pill just a few days after that. but my period is still messed up. this month i'm a week late. is this normal? did the same happen to you? before any contraceptives my period was very regular!
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2004
Wed, 06-23-2004 - 9:05am
I'm with these other women. I was on and off the pill for years. Each time I was on the pill my libedo dissappeared. I felt bloted, muddle headed, fat, moody and so on... the only benefit I saw to it was it did help my acne. I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which causes irregular periods, the pill kept me regular. I recently inserted a Paragard (copper) IUD and I love it. Prior to that, I was using condoms. I've been off the pill now since '98 and I'm not going back... All I can say is the IUD was the choice for me. Talk to your Dr. You might find it the right choice for you.

Jenn

"Many Persons have a wrong idea what constitutes true happiness.  It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."  Helen Keller
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2004
Wed, 06-23-2004 - 9:48am
i thank you all for your recommendations! i will definitely ask about the copper iud! i'm very excited to know that there's a great option! i was starting to feel pretty hopeless about it!

thank you!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-15-2004
Thu, 06-24-2004 - 7:37pm
My first period with the IUD was a little early, but I have never had a regular cycle. After reading about FAM I have discovered I can predict my period fairly well with cervical mucus. My cycles range from 23 to 40 days, so with out FAM I would never know what to expect.

I guess it just depends on the person.

I hope your body finds it "normal" cycle agian.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-01-2004
Thu, 07-01-2004 - 2:39pm
I can't believe I found this discussion. I'm not the only one who experienced this. I thought there was something wrong with me. I too experienced low/no libido while on the pill. The problem though, I had been on it since I was about 17 so by the time I got married at 26 I didn't notice anything "unusal". I thought it was just me. Then, I had stopped taking the pill to give my body a rest, I had just turned 31 and suddenly my sex drive went through the roof. I thought it was one of the perks of being 30 something. About 5 months ago I started having irregular periods and my OB/Gyn prescribed BCs for me. After only 2 weeks, in addition to the constant nausea, I noticed my sex drive went south; way south. I didn't even want to be touched in a loving way at times. I put two and two together and realized this was a side affect of the pill. A light went off in my head. This was the same way I felt throughout my whole marrage, too. Oh my god. I basically faked sex during my whole marriage, but it was because the BCs took my libido. I felt so robbed. Needless to say, I stopped taking them after that first month. I had my tubes tied after my second child, so birth control is not an issue for me, anyway. I only re-started the pill to regulate my cycle. But I would definitely recommend alternative forms of birth control. If BCs can do this to a woman's body it shouldn't be used. It's not natural. My vote is for the IUD, take Advil until the cramping subsides, and keep a pad/tampon with you at all times until your cycle regulates. I actually wish I'd done that instead of the drastic tubaligation route.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 9:15am
Along with preventing ovulation and thickening cervical mucus, they need to add "no interest in sex" as one of the ways the pill prevents pregnancy!!! You never realize how bad it was until you go off the pill and your sex drive skyrockets!
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 9:52am
Yep, after 2 years on OTC that happened to me too! :( It took me a year to figure out OCs might be my problem. Within a week after stopping my libido came roaring back and I felt so much more alive and vibrant! So, for the past 2 years I've been using a cervical cap as my primary method of contraception and loving it!

      Jill