The Birth Control Thread - Because Aunty Flow Motherfucking Blows

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Sending feels for your uterus, friend. That is not a good time. (:_(
I don't have an opinion on options other than the pill, I get not wanting to deal with that if you can't take it at the same time every day which I think you're pretty much supposed to.
Your dude will assure you that it's totally safe if you missed it and he remembers reading articles about it.
 
Patches are for chads. The continuous method you mentioned is probably the best way to go if your periods are a serious issue. You have to remove the old one and put the new one in a different bodily location on the same day every week, though, so if you’re trying to be discreet, try to keep it on areas that will be covered by your clothes.

It’s easier than having to take a pill at the same time every day and costs less than an implant. If you want kids just stop wearing them. Easy peasy. An implant probably costs less over time, is simpler, and carries less risks though, so if you can cover the cost of it upfront you’ll be set for a couple years and not have to worry about it. If you do decide you want kids while you have the implant, you’ll have to go get it removed, so that’s something to keep in mind.

It’s definitely something you should talk over with your doctor so they can help you decide what is best for you personally, though. I wish you good luck.
 
With your schedule OP I agree that patches are your best bet. I'll warn about the adhesive though I've heard it can be annoying.

A warning I'd give about the IUD option is that it may also make you bleed for up to 3-6 months (how biology does this is beyond me). A friend of mine got the IUD and had to deal with bleeding for six months.

For anyone else looking for solid pill recommendations I would definitely recommend LoLoestrin Fe. It's the lowest dose possible but still works great. Due to the low dosage side effects are minimal as well. It probably won't work if your on the larger end of the scale though.
 
Avoid the Depo shot like the plague, it weakens your bones and osteoporosis is a huge problem for older women.

As others have said, the copper IUD will likely make your periods longer, heavier, and more painful.

I also agree that all contraceptions are terrible in their own ways, physically and mentally. I personally don’t use any for this reason.

My advice: treat the PMS itself. Look into changing your diet and taking things easy when it’s period time. Sleep more, I think working shifts could be affecting you.
 
Probably a bit of pl in this post, but nothing that I give a shit about or am not open about anyway. I'm a grown ass child free woman. Started the pill in my teens, loved it. Always had bad cramps and acne before, after, no cramps, less acne, great! Parents decided my irresponsible ass needed norplant, which was good for a while, but ended badly with awful PMS. Horrible mood issues. After having it removed, I relied on condoms for years to try and get my body hormone free and back to normal. Then I went on low hormone pill, and all was fine. No PMS, no cramps, very regular, happy lady. But then I turned 30. I'm a smoker. And everyone knows that smokers over 30 who take the pill have a higher risk of stroke. And I figured, since I gotta use condoms anyway, because boys have cooties, I could ditch the pill. So I did. And had a stroke anyway. Fml. So now I have a copper IUD. It did come with cramps and irregularities for a while, but not having any hormonal or chemical problems is really relaxing. And since it's good for 10 years, it should hold me until menopause.
The fucked up thing is that I tried to get an IUD when I was a teenager,and in my 20s and no doctor would approve me. After my stroke when I told my doctor I wanted one I expected a fight. But no fight. Just jokes from my bro about detonating remote targets.
 
The pill was horrendous for me. It messed with my appetite severely; I never received the signal from my body that I was full, and I was constantly hungry. Moods were not good. It also created other bodily changes I still deal with nearly ten years later. Fuck that, I wish I'd never used it.

Switched to copper IUD a couple years back because I didn't want the hormonal side effects or the stress of missing a dose. Bit uncomfortable for first few weeks but periods are fine and I don't have to worry about jack shit. I don't know why hormonal birth control is offered willy nilly by doctors for contraception when many women react badly to the hormones (including someone I know who went from having daily rages and crying fits to being completely fine within 24 hours of having the rod removed).

That being said, I think hormonal options can be great for people that experience severe PMS, PCOS etc, but that wasn't me.
 
Hey, no non-uterus havers should be responding in this thread. You don't have the parts, you don't get to have a voice.

/terf

I like the Nuvaring. I think about it once a month. It doesn't fuck with my weight or my head, nor does it implant a creepy metal device in my abdomen (sorry, I've seen Tetsuo too many times). I'll probably keep using it until menopause, which seems to be nigh anyway.
 
Hey, no non-uterus havers should be responding in this thread. You don't have the parts, you don't get to have a voice.

/terf

I like the Nuvaring. I think about it once a month. It doesn't fuck with my weight or my head, nor does it implant a creepy metal device in my abdomen (sorry, I've seen Tetsuo too many times). I'll probably keep using it until menopause, which seems to be nigh anyway.
Kinda agree on the non uterus carriers and the relevance of their opinions on this subject, unless said non havers are obgyns or endocrinologists or somesuch, but in my case, and lots of others' the nuva ring plan could kill me. Itty bitty plastic doodad with copper tips, not killing me. I like the not killing me option. But what really counts is not who has A uterus and who doesn't. It's who has YOUR uterus. Find the most healthy thing for you.
 
Birth control ISN'T just for pregnancy prevention, there are women with conditions like Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or Endometriosis. Those conditions can be very painful, and without birth control for a lot of individuals life would be very difficult. I know my own personal pain when dealing with the matter and without the medicine I take, I would be boned.
 
The only legal birth control should be late-term abortions.
I overheard a woman in her twenties on the tram one night, she was talking to a friend and said she wanted a child but she's had seven abortions in a row because her desire for weed always took over. That's one way to be a responsible adult I guess.
 
Avoid the Depo shot like the plague, it weakens your bones and osteoporosis is a huge problem for older women.

As others have said, the copper IUD will likely make your periods longer, heavier, and more painful.

I also agree that all contraceptions are terrible in their own ways, physically and mentally. I personally don’t use any for this reason.

My advice: treat the PMS itself. Look into changing your diet and taking things easy when it’s period time. Sleep more, I think working shifts could be affecting you.
When I worked for vague healthcare organization there was sort of a rule to discourage suggesting the Depo shot to minorities because it is one of the most dangerous options, and the media was catching on that black women were disproportionately getting one of the more dangerous forms of birth control.
And apparently historically doctors weren't trusting black women (probably other minorities and poor women) to take their birth control responsibly, so the doctors wanted to administer the shot themselves.

Also if anyone's approaching 35 and/or smokes cigarettes, rethink hormonal BC and consider the IUD.
 
The fucked up thing is that I tried to get an IUD when I was a teenager,and in my 20s and no doctor would approve me.
I think there can be two reasons for this: first, doctors assuming that you must want kids, and second, doctors apparently finding it more difficult to insert them into women who haven't had children.

someone I know who went from having daily rages and crying fits to being completely fine within 24 hours of having the rod removed
The implant is also very sketchy and can make you bleed for weeks to the point that they often prescribe the pill on top to regulate the bleeding, which just seems a bit stupid.

The implant also has the same downsides as the IUDs and shot in that you can't undo it yourself (or at all). If you know it is making you feel bad, you might still have to put up with it for weeks until you can get an appointment and have it removed. The shot you can only wait until it is over. The pill at least has the advantage that you can stop immediately.
 
I went on hormonal BC three months ago. I didn't want to, but after months of pressure from a family member it was essentially foisted on me due to my having increasingly severe menstrual pains (crying, screaming, passing out. The only pain i've ever had that was worse, was a kidney infection). I wasn't happy about it, because I think it's unnatural to fuck with my cycle, but I also don't want to miss any more work or be out of action for days at a time because of sudden incapacitating pain. I'll add- I didn't have any tests or go to a doctor before being given the pill. I went to the GP afterwards and she was a bit worried that I'd just ~gone on the pill~ without having my blood pressure checked.

The side effects have got me fucked up, to the point that when my next strip runs out, I won't be getting a new box. My skin is ruined, my mood is all over the place, my digestion is extremely irregular, and the swelling and pain in my chest is making me completely miserable. I was told that the side effects would dissipate, but they really haven't. I would actually rather have the menstrual pain; at least that only lasts a few days.

This whole experience has been exhausting, mentally. I'd already had months of pressure from a male family member telling me to just 'go on the pill for my bad periods' like it's nothing, followed by him going ahead and getting them for me wihtout asking and having me take one while i'm half passed out in pain. I feel like I wasn't listened to or taken seriously at all, and that some men don't even try to understand why fucking around with periods is a sensitive issue for some women, or why the pill isn't the easy quick-fix solution that it's often advertised to be.
 
I genuinely fear the implants.
Rings.
The uterine implant.
Hell no.
Absolutely not. Just freaks me the fuck out on some psychological level.

Been on the same pill my entire life and haven't even experienced high tide for the last 2 years despite my relatively young age which is a GOD-SEND since I had a similar issue to @verygayFrogs. I'd go into details but it's honestly way too graphic. Just glad I managed to survive puberty SOMEHOW.
 
I genuinely fear the implants.
Rings.
The uterine implant.
Hell no.
Absolutely not. Just freaks me the fuck out on some psychological level.

Been on the same pill my entire life and haven't even experienced high tide for the last 2 years despite my relatively young age which is a GOD-SEND since I had a similar issue to @verygayFrogs. I'd go into details but it's honestly way too graphic. Just glad I managed to survive puberty SOMEHOW.
Anything implanted into my body is a strong NO. But the ring is basically like a round plastic tampon. It's not stuck in there until a doctor removes it. If you don't like it, you pull it out.
 
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