Is y'alls curiosity peaked from my title?
Well, good. Because I need some advice and answers.
Class, today we are going to talk about birth control. (Loud cheers expected!) I switched birth control pills about 3 months ago related to an insurance change...and ever since then I have been experiencing some not-so-pleasant side effects. Caution: #wearegoingtogetpersonaltoday My side effects have included: stomach cramping, low grade nausea, and mood changes (aka frequent tears). It's been NO fun.
So y'all may be asking, well why not just switch back to your other birth control? Well, here's the thing, the symptoms definitely were not AS bad on my first pill, but I think they were still there...and this pill just intensified them. So I'm not sure that I really want to go back to it.
However, we are not quite ready for munchkins just yet, so we do need some contraceptive. Here's where y'all come in. Are y'all using birth control? What kind and do y'all love it? What about natural methods?...I'd love to hear more about those! Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Feel free to send me a private message if y'all would rather!
Here's a sneak peak from my sister's wedding weekend:
With my stunning hubby. #heisalooker
The happy couple during their first dance.
It was an absolutely wonderful weekend full of love...and craziness! I can't wait to recap it all!
Love, love!
PS: The E-mealz giveaway winner is Shalyn! Email me! : )
72 comments:
For birth control - I am on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and have been for years. Never any negative side effects for me.
Loestrin. NO side effects. NO period. It's perfect.
I take Sprintec, the $9 generic for OrthoCyclen...and have no problems! And its so cheap! I know 3 couples that tried natural family planning {taking your temperature and charting it and all that stuff} and ALLLLLL OF THEM got pregnant within their first year of marriage. DON'T.DO.IT!!! :)
Whatcha taking poptart? I have a slew of conditions that leave me dying every month but thank goodness YAZ has stopped 99% of the crazy crying, fainting, nauseous shenanigans so I'd probably suggest that or the generic form of that -- which i've taken and works exactly the same for me.. though I know everyone is different! good luck lovey! <3
yay! cant wait for more wedding pics!
(glanced up at Jennifer's comment and now want a poptart..random)
I used to take YAZ also... thought it was great.. I took something else at one point and literally was talking to my best friend with tears streaming down my face going "I truly don't know why I'm crying."
CarissaExplainsItAll
I am on Sprintec. I love it -- I don't have cramping and I don't have side effects.
The thing about the pill is that it is different for everyone =/ I would talk to your doctor and tell them what you are experiencing and that you are wanting to minimize the side effects you are experiencing.
I was on Yasmin and that crap made me a LOONEY-TUNES! But for other people it was perfect.
The body is so strange!
oh and PS -- it looks like your sister used the same colors I did in her wedding =) YAY!
You look gorgeous in that picture!
I am on Camila, a progestin-only pill. I was on Tri-Sprintec but was having horrible side effects and my doctor told me that birth control with estrogen in them is what causes most side effects, including weight gain and migraines which is what I was suffering from. In the two months that I have switched, all of my side effects have gone away. But, like Ashley said, everyone's different and your doctor may be able to direct you in the right way based on your side effects! Hope this helps!
i was on BC for a bit but i had really bad side effects so i got off of it- i may figure out what others could work for me- talk to your gyno? she/he is the best to help you i'm sure. :)
PS LOVE the pics and i'm so excited to see more girl! you and your hubs are stunning as always! xo
I use Natazia and love it! I haven't had any major side effects with it. My gyno gave me a card that makes the prescription $25/month instead of $77!
Good luck - I know it can be very difficult with these side effects!
Side effects from BC are no fun! It took me awhile to find one that worked for me. I have used Sprintec for awhile and it helps me take my pills before I go to bed- seems like I have less side effects that way.
Good luck!
Eeek Megs can't believe you the NURSE asked this LOL you know very well you are going to get over 100 plus different answers on this!! Plus, the main factor is EVERY WOMAN"S body responds DIFFERENTLY to Birth Control. Case in point I can pretty much guarantee you that out of all your seven hundred followers, I'm the only one that will say I'm on Ogestrel. Ogestrel dear friend, is the HIGHEST dose of hormones you can get. Meaning, if I wanted to change my pills and up the dosage, I CANT. I already take the maximum amount allowed. Yeah that's my lovely uterus for you. Doesn't respond to ANY of the Low doses out there.
Side affects: only when I'm OFF the pill waiting for my friend to come to town I'm an emotional wreck. :( I literally count the days till I can go back on it!
I hope your new pill works out. Sometimes it just takes time to adjust.
I was on Loestrin for years and loved it. I would be cautious of the Natural Method too.. I got off the pill in January and me and the Hubs did the Natural thing for 5 months (very effectively) and then the minute we went "let's just play with fire and see what happens..." BOOM. I am now 8 weeks pregnant. :-) so it can happen fast! I have some friends who loved the Ring too for birth control, since it's concentrated it doesn't effect your emotions too much. :-)
I take Ortho Tri Cyclen. It's the only one I've tried and have been on for 8 years. I don't really have any side effects. I get the routine cramps but nothing crazy. But like CMae said, everyone responds differently, unfortunately! Hope you find something that works good for you! :)
Obviously I'm not taking anything right now, but I took Yaz for almost 4 1/2 years before we got preggo and never had any problems. Once I started taking it I never switched because I never had any horrible side effects. I can tell you that I've had several friends who've used "natural" methods or barrier methods and they seem to work just as well as the pills!
Can't wait for wedding pics :)
I don't know if it's the same as YAZ, because it might go under a different name in Ireland, some meds do, but I used to be on Yazmin, because of the extremely painful periods that I used to have. It stopped all that, and I never seemed to have any negative side effects from it.
I was on birth control the first couple years of marriage, but hated it. I try to stay away from synthetic hormones. We just use good ol' C's. But have you considered getting an IUD? Because people love those and I know there are some with hormones and some that don't have hormones.
Loestrin. No cramps or nausea and barely a period since I started it. No matter what BC I use (always a low dose) I always have terrible mood problems so my doctor finally prescribed Zoloft which apparently is prescribed for premenstral problems frequently and it has definitely helped things a lot! Hope you find a solution to your side effects!
YAZ has worked for me for the past two years and I have had zero side effects. Good luck finding one that works!
I have a copper IUD! It is great, no worrying about missing pills or even taking them! If you don't want to wait at least a year to have kids, then I would say don't get one, because they are good if you want to wait a few years because then the cost per month is dang cheap! The only downside is the cramping is pretty bad when they first put it in you! Other than that, I am glad I have it!
Ashley Sloan
Can't wait for more wedding photos!
BC- I'm on Femcon Fe and I LOVE it!!!
You and hubby look so cute!!! I highly suggest Loestrin Fe24. I have had a wonderful experience with this. It is also very affordable. Best of luck finding the best one to fit you!
I take Reclipsen(a generic pill like Yaz I think) and it is ok for now..I am hoping to get off of it soon though because it def gives me mood swings and lots of bloating around that time :-( Love the pics how cute :-)
I seem to be the only one to say this but we are doing the natural method LOL
I was on BC for years because of acne. The I just stayed on it. But my cramps were getting so bad the pills werent helping. I didnt want to take BC plus motrin or whatever. I hate putting tons of pills in my body. I feel that being on BC for so long can be damaging...my opinion. So hubs and I talked and i got off BC about 9 months ago. We dont use anything...just pull out (sorry you asked LOL). There have been no little munchkins yet, not signs of little munchkins either. It works for us. It makes me feel healthier. I get bad cramps for a day or two and then I am good to go. So I feel like this is the right thing for us. Yes we are careful, but I know there is only so much I can do. We aren't ready yet either, but if a bebe is Gods plan for us we will totally embrace it :)
I know you being a nurse might laugh at my opinion....but have you ever considered going off pills completely and seeing if your body adapts to it?
sorry for being personal LOL
i hated being on birth control pills, no matter what i took i had the same symptoms your talking about all the time! :( so i quit taking them and we just use condoms. we have had no oopsies yet! :)
Love the wedding pics...I wish I had a sister so I could help/go to her wedding!
pull out and pray.
glad i could help.
Oooh birth control. I hate it. I was on yaz for a year and a half. Then I switched to yasmin (supposedly it was cheaper, $5 is not that much cheaper...) then I quit. Then you've read my cries and complaints about what it did to my face. Oh man. If I'd known that would happen to me I never would've taken it! I didn't have any side effects while I was taking birth control though. Just when I stopped.
So now we use condems :) They've worked for us for almost a year now. Eric gets sick of them sometime's but hey! They're doing their job :)
I have been on 3 different birth controls in the last 2 years and none of them have been good for me. They all gave me intense side effects so finally I went off of it for good and I feel great! We are just using good ol condoms and they are doing the trick for now :) good luck!
Ah. The good ol' BC question. I'm on NuvaRing and LOVE IT! I know it's pretty expensive without insurance (like $120/month), but with my hubby's Tricare military insurance it's only $4/month and it's so convenient. I have few effects, lighter periods, and easier cramps. The only thing is that I cry a LOT more with BC than I did without it. But I highly recommend NuvaRing.
I'm surprised I'm only like the 2nd one to say NuvaRing! I love it too! I haven't had any side effects, and with insurance it's only $15 (which I'm able to pay with our benefit card anyway). I've also had lighter periods and fewer cramps, and I used to have TERRIBLE cramps and very heavy periods. It's easy to use, and you can almost forget it's in. I'd highly recommend it!
I'm starting my 3rd year on the pill- the fist 4-5 months were the worst! But after that everything adjusted and was fine, some months i have really bad cramping all month, but others it is fine. It is what fits for our budget, we both hate condoms, and i would rather go through some cramping than have a kid for the rest of our lives!
I'm using BC and have used Cryselle with amazing results. All my gfs use it as well. I have very light cycles and little to no cramping. I'm so glad I found this magic pill because I tried 5-6 before I found this one!
you and your hubs are flippin adorable!
I use ortho tri cyclen Lo and LOVE it. Have had no side effects! I'm such a freak about BC. I take it every day at 7 PM literally ON THE DOT. I get so worried otherwise lol
my friend uses that rubber ring thing that you put inside (which I find really freaky) but she likes it and never notices it!
if you feel all those symptoms, deff switch to something! thats no fun at all!
xoxo
if you do want children, go ahead and see if your doc will give you Mirena, and see if your insurance will cover it. I stopped having a period after having Mirena 2 months with no side effects. I loved it. Now, we're trying, and because I had Mirena for so long the excess hormones that can prevent pregnancy are gone from my body. That's my suggestion.
I enjoy reading your blog! You're too cute
Wish I could be of assistance, I don't want kids but BC scares the crap out of me with the possibilities of strokes and high blood pressure... nope, count me out! My aunt is a doctor and she even pokes fun at me but oh well....
And can't wait to see more photos from the wedding!
I just love weddings! So excited for your sister and her new hubster:-) As for the pill...hmmm. I loved mine, BUT, apparently I'm miss fertile over here, so, I'll switch it up next time! haha! xoxo
ive been on the same pill for 20 years so i'm prob not much help, i do know someone who has the injection though, which they have no trouble with, and you don;t need to remember it every day!
First of all, you guys are so cute! I'm so glad you had an awesome time at your lil sis wedding :-)
Second, I don't use any birth control right now, since there have been way too many issues that close friends and family have had from them (ex: they took out a good chunk of my mom's liver out due to birth control pills. Not cool). But I used to be on NuvaRing and absolutely loved it. Short periods, and you don't need to remember to take it every single day. And I never got any side effect from it.
Shoot, I have 2 kinds of b-control sitting in my bathroom and I can't remember what they are but they have no side effects that I ever noticed. I loaded up on them since I stopped taking them to be normal again. I think it's ortho something.
I've done the injections every 4 months and was fine w/those. Stopped for a year, took them again and my body went haywire, apparently I changed.
Then I did the copper thing you insert that's supposed to be good for 5 years and I was miserable w/that. Cramps every day for 4 months straight, spotting every single day, felt horrible and removed it. Waste of money!!
That's all I have for ya. =)
I was on a generic brand of ortho tri (sprintec) and loved it; never a problem; then my pharmacy switched brands to mononessa; and now I have cramps and cry at random moments too; I'm going to try and go back to sprintec cuz I loved it!
I'm off birth control now since we're ttc, but I switched pills several times over the years & always experienced problems for the first few months I was on the new pill. Eventually they went away, but it was tough in the beginning!
I recently got the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and it is seriously amaaaazing! I'm obviously using it to help me get pregnant, but it's an incredible resource for natural birth control!! It has me considering never going back on the pill! Especially since it took me like 3 months to get my cycle back to normal after completely going off of the pill.
I was on the Patch (Ortho Evra) for 4 years. I absolutely LOVED it! It was the best...i didn't ever have to remember to take it. Then, insurance changes happened...and i had to go on Sprintec-and it was pill form. I just found out i was pregnant about 8 weeks ago...and i was not planning on having a muchkin so soon, but god has blessed us...and we are very happy. I was not taking my pills the way i should've...so that is what happens. I really loved the patch, despite the horrible reviews.
okay- you need to call your Dr. and tell him/her of your side effects. The very first pill I was on caused severe nausea, and I just dealt with it. when I went back for my annual, I told her, and she prescribed me another kind. Apparently there are 2 types of pills, and the one I had been taking was one that had more of a ccertain drug in it than the other kind that has less or none at all. So tell him/her of your issues, and they can prescribe you a different kind that still fits in your insurance needs.
I take microgestin! It's a once daily pill and I've never had any side effects! Also, I'm not sure how you feel about it but my friend has Mirena. She loves it but it's mostly recommended for women who have already had at least one child (something about the uterus being different after that). But she's never had a child and she really likes it. She said it even took away her period completely! How wonderful would that be!
SPRINTEC- $9 HOLLA!! Lol
No but for reals..been on it SO long and no probs :)
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYYA- I am so happy I won!! Thanks again so much for hosting the giveaway, it will definitely come in handy! Emailing you now;-)
I have to put in a good word for the Nuva Ring- I have been on it for 4 years and haven't had a single problem. I put it in after my period ends and dont have to think about it again at all until me next period is about to start- its seriously amazing because if I was on the pill we would already have 4 kids due to my forgetfulness!
First of all....BAHAHHA to Meg's comment. Reminds me of the Hanky Panky comment on skype that one time.
As you know, I'm on the generic brand for Yaz for bad cramps/regulating my period and I've never had any bad side effects. Works like a charm and get muchhhh less painful cramps, too!
great topic!! i do the natural method of charting temps and checking mucus (YUCK) and it has been awesome. we have a very short "safe" window and just use condoms the rest of the time. i hated having "fake" hormones in my body and feel so much happier when not on the pill or the nuva ring. email me if you want any more info on natural family planning, it can totally work :)
I used Yaz for a while and loved it.
Now I'm on Aviane (generic for Alesse) and I love it.
Some people say birth control makes them crazy...I have found birth control makes me less crazy ;)
Good luck finding what works best.
Congrats to your sis!! What a wonderful day it must have been!
And I may throw you for a loop here, but my husband and I practice NFP (Natural Family Planning). Its really blessed our marriage, and may be tough at times, but I love it for more reasons than one. There are so many crazy short term and long term effects from most birth control unfortunately including cancer, so even if it wasn't a Christian belief, I would use NFP for the health reasons alone!
If you ever want to read up on it more here is a pretty informative website: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/fertilityawarenessNFP.html
Let me know if you ever want to chat more about it:)
<3,
Anna
I've had alot of friends get pregnant while on BC so I was always kinda hesitant about it. Hubby and I have always just stuck to good ol' fashion C's, and after almost 6 years together we haven't had any issues. It's defenitely not his first choice but I'm not willing to change something that's working, we aren't ready for little ones yet :-)
I had similar problems with my birth control, and they actually have me on other medicines to take care of the side effects. I feel like there needs to be a better way...
I used the patch for a really long time...but when I changed insurances it was $$$ so I switched to a generic made by Zarah. I had to go through a couple to find ones that didn't make me feel like I was going to lose my mind. The one I'm on now is seriously the best ever. The lowest amount of emotions I've had around my period time and hardly any cramping. Sometimes I think--my stomach is hurting a little today I must be getting my period. It's that awesome. But, I've heard that you have to switch around and find one that works for you. I tried Yaz, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Lev-lite, a ton of others before I found one that didn't make me hate my life! Good luck, friend!
I haven't been on BC for years. It makes me crazy, and aggravates my migraines like you would not believe.
My new gyno asked if I was on BC a couple months ago, and I told her no and told her about my migraines... and then she said that I can NEVER take BC again because new studies show that women with my type of migraines (with aura) are 10x more likely to have a stroke while on the pill.
CRAZY, right?
So, we are just careful. But sometimes I wonder if we'll have fertility problems, because we're not THAT careful. Hmmm.
I am not on it. I was when I first got married but forgot to take it and we got pregnant 3 months later. I am not the best to answer this hehehe
BCP + me = a hot mess! Check out NFP (natural family planning). We got some literature on it before we got married. Or just wrap it up. :)
You and your hubs looked GORGEOUS (he looked handsome if he doesn't like to be called gorgeous!) at your sis's wedding!
And she looked GORGEOUS too!!!!!
Congrats to the bride and her new hubby!!!!!!
hey lovey...sorry you're feeling so bad :( i went through a ton of bc and now use aviane...love it!
aw...what a wonderful picture of you two. As for the b control, I use Portia. It's around 18 buckeroos and has always worked out for me! Well, no baby yet anyway :) And no crazy side affects...so it's a win win winnner to me. Sorry you aren't feeling well with the new stuff :(
I'm also on Tricyclen low for almost 2 years now and I love it. It goes with the flow of your body more, how the hormone dosage increases each week. My mood swings are a little worse...but I feel much more natural on this pill instead of one that just levels off my hormones at one consistent level, which is not how things work naturally. I wouldn't switch back. And no problems so far for me.
I just switched from a low estrogen back to ortho tri cyclen because it was giving me spider veins. Crazy huh?
If you're not having babies in the next 5 years, what about an IUD? I've heard counting cycles is like asking for it.
I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen and recently switched to BeYaz. I really like both. I did experience some increase in moodiness when I switched but I think it took a few months for my body to get adjusted. Everything is back to normal now.
I am in the same boat!!! I am so limited with what I can take because I am breast feeding. Also, because Cabrini is a Catholic hospital our insurance does NOT pay for birth control, you have to pay out of pocket!!!!!! So I am currently on the Depo shot which I was SUPER nervous about, I've only heard bad things about it. But so far so good! Haven't had any problems yet! Before baby, however, I was on Ortho Tricyclen LO and loved it so much. Good luck!!
Oh and P.S.
I'm a bad bff!! I totally forgot to mention just how HOT you and your hubs are!! I LOOVE that picture of you two!!
And congrats to your sister and her new hubs :)
I was on Sprintec for a while. Took it everyday, faithfully. Well I ended up being that .01% who gets pregnant, lol. Good luck!
I wish I had some advice! I have some personal issues there and had been put on 13 different kinds of BC before I was 20 years old and they all made me crazy and sick all the time. So, I just quit taking them at 20 and I haven't looked back. We've been married almost 5 years and have had 2 miscarriages, but no babies, so that's the method we're sticking with. Very risky, but I feel a thousand times better not taking it!
I have a Mirena. I know the commercial says you have to have a child first but my GYN placed it on my sorority sister without being married or having kids. I love it!!! I'm really bad about remembering to take pills so this was perfect. No pills to take, no shots, no patch. It's truly the way to go (and I don't really have a period anymore!)
I'm a little late on this one but my advice is by the most important right? So I have to chime in.
First, I would say that I would NEVER go the natural methods way. No disrespect to the peeps who do that, but um, I think that chick from 19 Kids and Counting uses the natural method, and well, look at her now.
I also personally would not want to implant anything into my arm/leg/vahoohoo either. Just weird.
my final verdict? just have kids already. I know you said you weren't ready, but if people waited til they were ready, NO ONE would have kids ever. (was that totally annoying advice?) Anyway, my sister decided she was ready and went off the pill and it took her a year to conceive, so see? Just go off I say.
oh one more thing. and I hope this isn't too personal or raunchy for me to say, just go off the pill and use the pull out method, that seems to be pretty reliable :)
Great topic!! The birth control (Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo) I am on doesn't make me have an side effects other than I feel extremely emotional, sometimes it makes me concerned because I could cry at the drop of a hat. But I'm not sure if that is the bc or just part of the cycle all together. Anyhoo I've thought about trying something different because I am horrible at taking it at the same time every day, so this was very helpful.
P.S. Can't wait for more wedding photos!!
-Brittany
Aww congrats to your sister! I have been on ortho tri cyclen lo and it was good. However (sorry if this is TMI) my periods were a solid 7 days so I switched to Loestrin 24. This wasn't enough hormones for me because I would spot frequently. So now I'm done with the pills and I am on the nuva ring. In all seriousness, I would never go back. It is great! Let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to fill in any details!
Okay, I'm not married so don't think I'm awful but BK and I just use condoms and the pull out method.
I tried birth control and it made me SO sick and throw up! I'm on some other meds though so I think they just counteract one another and too much medicine isn't good. Anyway - I hope you find what works best for you. Hormones are never fun and they are just awful when they make you cry and weepy all of the time! Sending you a hug girl, xoxo.
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