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Family planning

How many of you in long term relationships use condoms as your only form of contraception?

52 replies

flameprincess · 11/11/2013 23:28

Just that really, I want to know if anyone does just use condoms alone and does it affect your sex life much?

I've tried most forms of birth control, the combined pill gives me awful headaches when I am on my 7 days break, like an almighty dip in hormones - so I'm on a break from it at the moment and I'm quite enjoying it. My skin is better for one! I have tried progesterone only methods such as mini pill and the injection and both just left me with irregular bleeding (which obviously is a GREAT form of contraception). Am using condoms now whilst on a break from the pill and am thinking of suggesting to DP we use them alone. Thoughts?

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Repeatedlydoingthetwist · 11/11/2013 23:33

They're not as reliable as other forms of contraception, I have a 4 month old DD who is living proof of that!

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MistAllChuckingFrighty · 11/11/2013 23:33

We did for a while.

I had major side effects from female contraception, so stopped all of it.

It didn't make any difference to our sex life, in fact the convenience of having a ready-made little bag to prevent the damp patch/gravity-induced leg fall was quite a positive Smile

Anyway, after a couple of years, my H had the snip so that was that.

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MistAllChuckingFrighty · 11/11/2013 23:34

Have you completed your family, btw ?

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DeathByLaundry · 11/11/2013 23:35

We used to. Since swapping to the copper coil I haven't had a single baby. That's a 200% improvement on condoms Wink

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NoAddedSuga · 11/11/2013 23:36

I couldnt use condoms every time

I hate them, feel awful, would rather not have sex than use them.

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TarkaTheOtter · 11/11/2013 23:38

We did. I don't like the way hormonal contraception makes me feel. It was at a point where we wouldn't have been particularly upset to get pregnant though.

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MistAllChuckingFrighty · 11/11/2013 23:47

Depending on what source you look at, something like 97% success rate is pretty good

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flameprincess · 11/11/2013 23:47

I have one DS and haven't made a decision on whether I want another yet. He is 5 now and I still haven't found myself broody but don't want to write it off all together by a permanent solution. I have considered the coil but to be honest am really freaked out by it.
It's microgynon that I have been taking and has been giving me hormonal side effects, is there much difference between the brands?

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impatientlywaiting · 11/11/2013 23:49

I did this for years. Was terrible at taking the pill on time and didn't like the idea of long term contraception. I've never understood why so many people dismiss it as contraception.

It didn't affect our sex life at all. Although DH did prefer it without using condoms, but he was fine to use them.

Not using them now as I'm pregnant, but it was a planned pregnancy.

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flameprincess · 11/11/2013 23:49

and Mist I agree, I'm not missing the waddle the the bathroom after the deed Grin

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flameprincess · 11/11/2013 23:49

*to the

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MistAllChuckingFrighty · 11/11/2013 23:51

Grin

fantastic little convenient seminal fluid catcher

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MortifiedAnyFuckerAdams · 11/11/2013 23:53

We do. been together ten years. pill and condom the first two years, thrn two years of just condoms, back on the pill for about two years, the condoms til we started ttc. pregnant within a month, and havr used condoms since.

Doesnt affect our sex life one jot, and im notworried about a sibling coming along as ive grown to trust condoms and how well we must be using them.

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peggyundercrackers · 11/11/2013 23:54

we do, pill made me ill so came off it. we dont know if we will have another yet, if we do we do, it we don't we don't - its no big deal either way as we are happy with what we have

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WLmum · 11/11/2013 23:55

Yep, for years pre-dc when we had a good sex life, in between dcs and again now that family is complete with 3 dc which leaves no time or energy for sex anyway never found them a problem, much better than feeling crap on hormonal contraceptives and also lack of wet patch/dribble is def a bonus! In many years of exclusive condom use we've never had an 'accident'
All good in my view.

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JoinYourPlayfellows · 11/11/2013 23:56

We use condoms and have done for most of the 13 years we've been together.

I am very fertile and, other than when I had a particular health problem that affected my fertility, have conceived first month 4 times.

I've never had a pregnancy where a condom failed.

IME if you use them properly, and make an effort to figure out which brand and type fits (this really, really matters, they are very much NOT all the same) and which ones you prefer (they vary enormously in terms of how much you notice them) then they are a very effective method.

They also have the advantage that if they do fail (burst, split, come off), you have a pretty high chance of noticing and being able to take secondary measures to attempt to prevent a pregnancy.

I prefer sex without them, but I even more prefer not to have another baby at present.

I have used condoms in the past that reduced the sensation significantly. But the ones we use are pretty good.

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MistAllChuckingFrighty · 11/11/2013 23:56

The Pill nearly fecking killed me

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JoinYourPlayfellows · 11/11/2013 23:58

Also, microgynon is the work of the fucking devil.

I will never forget how much better I felt when I came off it.

No more fake female hormones for me.

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ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 11/11/2013 23:58

Yes. Big difference between brands.I think microgynon cheap so prescribed first.

Gave me horrendous headaches that made me vomit and heavy bleeding.

Doctor switched me too binovum, no issues.

Now on implant, no bleeding for a bit then irregular but very manageable periods.

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Nessalina · 12/11/2013 00:15

I used to use microgynon but then I had a friend rave about how much better she felt not using it so I thought I'd give it a go. I was always rubbish at remembering to take it so we often had to use condoms anyway which neither of us minded, so it seemed like it was a bit pointless!
Felt no different without, but used condoms for two years prior to TTC, no issues! Smile Quite liked getting to know my body's natural cycle a but better.

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BeaWheesht · 12/11/2013 00:20

Yes just condoms here, been together 13 years, married 8 and have 2 young kids - conceived deliberately not because of condom failure! Dh now trying to build up courage to go for the snip - I will be sad if / when he does even though we definitely should not have another baby.

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MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 12/11/2013 00:27

We're supposed to, but tend to just do lots of stuff other than PIV because we cba to fish them out Blush

I'm too old and overweight for the pill now, too disorganised for the minipill, injection gave me horrible side effects the one time I tried it, ditto the coil and a really close friend had an unplanned pregnancy at 40+ 5 years after her DH had the snip (vasectomy is still counted as successful due to low rate of sperm, but it only takes one and I would never be able to trust it)

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MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 12/11/2013 00:33

Actually I should be honest - I'm not a big fan of PIV (doesn't do a lot for me, it's nice but not the be all and end all) so having to be imaginative and finding other ways of doing stuff has only improved our sex life imo. So condoms in themselves haven't actually affected anything, but trying to avoid using them definitely has Grin

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flameprincess · 12/11/2013 00:54

Some really positive responses here, thank you all. Also having a titter at the 'imaginative' ways of avoiding using them. Something tells me there is just as much of a clean up job involved there Grin
Sounds like a lot of you have managed just fine with them which is reassuring. I guess I will just see how we get on using them alone and if DP really dislikes it I will talk to GP about another brand.
All of my friends seem to be on Microgynon too so I think whoever said its cheap and gets prescribed first is right Hmm

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BerstieSpotts · 12/11/2013 01:10

Yes there are differences - try asking for a different brand. Microgynon gave me awful mood swings and depression, then tried mini-pill (micronor I think) which made me bleed constantly. I am now on Marvelon which is absolutely fine for me although I get horrible mood swings if I run two packs together, so I try not to do that! Marvelon is apparently prescribed when someone has had a lot of problems with different contraception and is dubbed "Marvellous Marvelon" because it tends to induce side effects in fewer women.

Microgynon is indeed the cheapest. I saw a list once online with all of the prices on Grin

Just on a quick google, Microgynon uses ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel whereas Marvelon is ethinylestradiol and desogestrel. So they do actually have different ingredients. Desogestrel is apparently a "third generation" synthetic form of progesterone which might be why it is better? Yasmin, which is supposed to be "the best" (but is also the most expensive!) has something called drospirenone which is a much lower dose than the other two, so I am assuming this works differently again. I got all this from netdoctor.co.uk if you want to look up various options.

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