first time contraception?
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| Mon, 03-20-2006 - 2:53pm |
I'm planning on having sex for the first time sometime in the near future and I'm kind of at a loss for what contraceptive method(s) would be best for me and my partner.
My boyfriend and I are both virgins so something easy to use would be best as we can't really afford to be making mistakes. We're both in university so pregnancy is definately not something in our plans right now. STDS are not so much of an issue as we've been both tested clean.
I've tried three different brands of the pill (including the mini-pill) over the course of this year and experienced many side effects (migraines, nausea, extreme dizziness, depression, acne, etc.) and would like to steer clear of hormonal methods. I was interested in the cervical cap or diaphragm but they both seemed messy and maybe a bit too hard to use for our first time, although they may be good methods for later on. Also two of my aunts got pregnant using diaphragms so I'm a little wary of their effectiveness.
I'm very interested in the sponge (I think the brand name is the Today Sponge??) and was wondering if anyone had information or experiences about the ease of use for that method? Also, if anyone could offer some opinions/experiences about the ease of use and effectiveness of any other non-hormonal methods it would be greatly appreciated.
We're planning on using condoms as well, we'd just like another method to be as safe as possible. I've also heard that the sexual health clinic at my university will prescribe Plan B in advance so I could have some on hand incase of emergency, but I'll have to get down their and ask about that to be sure. Any information would be greatly appreciated! I'd like my first time to be as pleasant as possible and worrying about pregnancy definately doesn't fit in with my ideal.
Thanks for any help you guys can offer!

I used condoms for my first time (it seems like so long ago!), and for the next four years after that.