Whats the next best thing to "the pill"?
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Whats the next best thing to "the pill"?
| Wed, 11-10-2004 - 1:04am |
I'm going off the pill - been on it for 8+ years and now that I'm in early thirties and expecting to start a family soon, I just want off. Especially since a few of my friends who have also been on the pill for this long have recently started experiencing problems with ovarian cysts and breast lumps...
Anyway, I'm seeking recommendations about why you chose your "other" form of birth control, and what the pros and cons are about it, so that I can make the best decision on switching. I don't want the ones that mimmick the pill either - like the patch ones or the ones you have implanted, but that essentially do the same thing to your hormones. The idea is that I want to get away from telling my hormones to do other than what they want to do... trying to get as "al natural" as possible here...
Thanks for your input!

Good luck making your decision!
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie, I know zero about cervical caps and you've got me curious. Can they be taken out frequently enough to check your cervical fluid so that I could still abstain when most fertile and have a cross check for my temps? I'd definitely consider getting one if its workable.
Since you would like to go ‘natural’ as much as possible perhaps you might want to consider a cervical barrier such as a diaphragm or cervical cap. There is a post in the FAQs about diaphragms and caps that covers some of the plusses and minuses. You might also want to look at the information about diaphragms and caps on the Planned Parenthood site: Contraceptive Choices http://www.plannedparenthood.org/bc/cchoices.html and a comparison of Method Effectiveness http://www.plannedparenthood.org/bc/bcfacts2.html I love my Oves cervical cap. I've been using an Oves since June of 2002 and haven't had a single scare. I also use a Milex diaphragm for contraception and flow control during menses. Barriers can be high maintenance and do take discipline to use correctly and consistently so they aren't for everyone.
If you really want to get into ‘natural’ you might want to consider using the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). With FAM you chart your fertile signs basal body temperature, cervical position and cervical fluid to tell when you are fertile. Then during your fertile times you can use a barrier or abstain. Charting your cycle and abstaining during fertile times is known as Natural Family Planning (NFP). With FAM/NFP it does take some time to learn to chart your cycle and interpret your signs correctly, but is very effective if all the rules are followed all the time. A wonderful book on FAM is Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. It's available in local libraries or most bookstores. If you are interested in a diaphragm or cervical cap and have more questions, please ask. I hope you find a method that works well for you. Let us know what you decide, ok?
Good luck,
Jill
With a cervical barrier you have to leave it in place and undisturbed for at least 6 hours after IC. I know a number of successful FAM users who wear cervical caps or diaphragms. They set up their wearing regimens so that they can check cm usually several times a day, but of course that will depend on when they have IC. Another thing is that when using a commercial Nonoxynol-9 spermicide checking cm can be more difficult. What these ladies found is that it is easier to check cm in the dome of their barriers if they were using the aloe vera/lemon juice spermicide or the European commercial spermicide Femprotect which is made with the active ingredient 3.5% lactic acid. Let us know if you have more questions.
Take care,
Jill
I started my family early, but when I wanted to try birth control it was driving me crazy what it does to your hormones,I mean we have enough problems with them without having something to make them chaotic.
Well my point is my self and my husband use over the counter birth control such as:
Foam contraceptive
Film contraceptive
Vaginal insert contraceptive
some names are:
Encare and VCF
and they do work.
Hope this helps.