Is this the right place

Avatar for itsgoodtobeme
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Is this the right place
1
Wed, 08-24-2005 - 11:31pm
I haven't had sex in 4 years. I miss it. I'm not dating and not sure what to do about all of this. I had a friend over the other night and just couldn't do it. I'm a single mom with two kids both concieved off different types of birth control and I'm worried about having another child becasue I don't need one of those. What do I do?
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Thu, 08-25-2005 - 12:43am

Hi itsgoodtobeme, welcome!

I understand your anxiety. No method of contraception is 100% effective except the one you have been using for the last 4 years, abstinence. What might work for you is using multiple methods simultaneously, for example hormonal contraceptives and a barrier (condoms, a diaphragm or cervical cap). There are new hormonal methods Ortho-Evra (the patch) www.orthoevra.com or NuvaRing (the ring) www.nuvaring.com that are low maintenance. With Ortho Evra you wear one patch each week for three weeks and then have a patch free week for your period. NuvaRing is a soft 2 inch diameter plastic ring that continuously releases hormones when worn in your vagina for three weeks and removed for one for your period. NuvaRing can be worn continuously for up to 4 weeks with no decrease in your protection so it is really easy to reschedule your periods when using the ring.

Then if you used condoms or a diaphragm and spermicide along with your pills, patch or ring your chances of an unintended pregnancy would be a lot less that 1%. The key to successfully using any contraceptive method(s) is to use it or them correctly. You might want to visit our sister board, Birth Control at: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-bhcontracept and look at the posts in the FAQ folder for more about contraceptive choices, hormonal side effects and how to use your hormonal contraceptive correctly. There is a bit more to it than taking a pill at the same time every day. Thanks for posting. I hope you can find an effective method that will work well for you. Keep in touch and let us know how you’re doing, ok?

Good luck and hugs,

      Jill