BC questions.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
BC questions.
3
Wed, 06-23-2004 - 11:10am

Hi. I have

babies
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: kinakat
Thu, 06-24-2004 - 1:12am
Hi Katrina, welcome!

Here is a list of contraceptive choices, their pros & cons and their approx. costs. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/bc/cchoices.html

A lot of posters here love NuvaRing, http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp the vaginal ring that is inserted for 3 weeks and removed for one for your period. It has the lowest hormone dosage of and combined method on the U.S. market. NuvaRing is very low maintenance with a cost comparable to the pill, about $35 per month in most places.

But, if you have high BP then will you doc permit you going back on a estrogen/progestin pill? Possibly not.

An IUD is a possibility. It is very effective and low maintenance, however it is rather expensive up front but over the life of the device (5-10 years) it is very cost effective. . There are 2 types of IUDs currently available in the U.S.: ParaGard (the copper-T) http://www.paragardiud.com/ a non-hormonal device good for about10 years. With ParaGard you cycle naturally and some women experience more cramping and heavier periods, at least at first. Libido is unaffected on ParaGard. The other IUD is Mirena http://www.mirena-us.com/ which is good for 5 years and which continually releases a tiny bit of progestin which usually makes periods lighter and shorter. I think the Mirena might be your best choice if you can swing the cost. I will just mention a diaphragm. It is low cost and with spermicide is as effective as condoms. If you are interested in a diaphragm there is more info in the FAQs on the Board Webpage at: http://pages.ivillage.com/cl-judie_rae/id1.html Let us know what you decide, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2004
In reply to: kinakat
Thu, 06-24-2004 - 11:24am
Katrina,

Jill give very good sane advice. From a personal stand point, I've been on several different b/c pills, used condoms and now have a Paragard IUD. I'm 36 years old and not sure about more children. My insurance didn't cover the IUD either, but I considered the cost of other methods, plus the cost of an additional baby right now, and found that the Paraguard was reasonable. I've had it inserted for a little over a month now and I love it. I don't have to think about b/c. I don't have to worry about an unexpected pg. I've only had one cycle while on it, but it wasn't too bad, nothing to complain about. So, my 2 cents is... get an IUD, it's wonderful.

Good Luck

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: 05-21-2004
In reply to: kinakat
Thu, 06-24-2004 - 4:17pm
Hi Katrina,

As Jill indicated, I'm one of the dedicated NuvaRing users. Like you I had a bad experience with Depo- like 2 straight months of spotting and really heavy periods. I have never had "menstrual migraines", but I have gotten them before, but since going on the Ring I haven't had one migraine.

I can't really speak to the costs since I have some awsome insurance that covers is at 100%! But it's painless, and rather brainless too! It stays in for 3 weeks and is removed for a week in order to get your period. I couldn't be happier with this choice!

Good luck!

Kati

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