I have no other contraception options?

[littlepieces]

I spent my late teens and early 20s being angry, sad, depressed and struggling with my weight. It was because of the contraceptive pill. I tried loads of types but it never worked for me. I came off it aged 24 and never looked back.

I'm now in my mid 30s, in a long term relationship and we use condoms, but our sex life is suffering. I'm absolutely terrified of getting accidentally pregnant and only have sex on my least fertile days (with condoms) to reduce the risk as much as possible. I would have the coil, but I'm worried about the hormones. I have mild endometriosis and have been recommended not to have the copper coil. Also, my periods have been as regular and they've ever been over the past few years and I don't want to mess my cycle up again with hormones. So what the hell do I do?

My doctor isn't interested in my concerns - she just wants to shove a Mirena in me and send me on my merry way!

If you're in in your 30s+ what contraception do you use?

Might be of interest…..

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/family_planning/4403928-where-can-i-get-a-diaphragm

Also, there are lots of new and different pills. Have you tried the mini pill? That’s the only one that’s ever agreed with me. No periods at all for 8 years now (after an initial few months of spotting).

I took the mini pill for several years and then had the mirena coil

Cap plus spermicide before sterilisation, assuming you haven’t finished having kids.

It is boring to have to plan sticking it in, but preferred to condoms. Why are they ruining your sex life though? That does seem a bit strong..

Also with barrier methods belt and braces is to avoid fertile periods, not reliable on its own obviously, but might reduce your anxiety.

Mirena coil. It's great.
Do you have non PIV sex during fertile times? Has he considered vasectomy?

The Mirena coil is less likely to result in side effects, as the hormone release is localised. The problem is, if you don't get on with it, there's no guarantee you can get it removed quickly.

I really got on with the mirena and the nuvaring, have you looked into that?
I hate the pill and the implant.

I've used a copper IUD for about fifteen years, although DH is now snipped.

I'd probably make sure I could get it taken out quickly if I disliked it and try one of the coils, tbh. As I understand it, Mirena is a significantly lower hormone dose than oral contraceptives.

If you’ve had problems with hormonal contraception in the past I would avoid Mirena like the plague. It sent me into psychosis and I lost a year of my life to it. A consultant psychiatrist told me to never use it again.
I cringe when I hear doctors recommending it for people who suffer psychological side effects from hormone therapy.

Condoms are still very effective. I wouldn't worry too much about using them

I don't understand why the Cervical Cap is not routinely offered. When used right consistently it is very effective and also doesn't detract from your sex life in any way (unlike other barrier methods). You should definitely look into it.

I'm like this , pills are awful and I won't have another could because they are traumatic!
I've just had the injection and it's ok so far ! I would happily get sterilised but they don't do it routinely anymore !

I had a coil after being on the pill for years. I got pregnant. I would never recommend the coil. Ever. Having said that, I have no ideas of alternatives for you. I’ve not managed to get DP to get the snip so we use condoms.

Nuvaring might be worth a go as the hormones are not having to pass through your liver first so that may be better (and you can take it out if it doesn't work out).

I spent ages looking at Mirena data and came to the conclusion that there was actually a lot more hormone circulating than you would expect, especially at the beginning. It might be worth trying a minipill with levenorgestrel, if it still exists, before getting one.

What’s the problem with using condoms? If pregnancy isn’t a consideration, would you consider sterilisation or is it just that you don’t want to get pregnant now?

I'm in a very similar position to you but have medical reasons why can't use anything hormonal. I haven't tried a cervical cap but had been under the impression they stopped being used years ago as not v effective- clearly not! Are they as effective as condoms though? The whole having to stop to put a condom on thing is a real issue for our sex life too.

I would recommend you look into a Kyleena coil, works similarly to the mirena but with a low dose of hormones. I would also recommend contacting a proper contraceptive clinic instead of your GP, I suffered for years on the contraceptive pill and wasn't really made aware of all the options open to me until I my friend suggested that I try a proper clinic, it was a game changer.

At my contraceptive clinic I got the diaphragm. They only offer one type and they don’t offer the cap. For me it’s ok because we are happy with the risk of contraceptive failure.

I am the same as you, I spent about 15 years trying hormonal contraception and it was all crap.

Ps. I dont have kids, and undecided about whether I'll have them at all. Our financial and living situation not right for having a family in the next 2/3 years at least.

Isn't the cap a massive faff?

For me, the mini pill has been fantastic. I take destrogestrel, which is not like the minipills of old (ie different artificial hormones, different method of working and you have a wider time window to take it safely. And no pill free week, so no withdrawal bleed!).

Copper coil, combined with cap and spermicide or sponge and spermicide would be my suggestion.

I've been told the mirena releases far fewer hormones than the pill, because it's already in the right area so needs just enough to have a local impact, rather than a whole-body one, and because it constantly releases a smaller dose, rather than a big dose once a day that tapers off over 24 hours.

Not trying to convince you about something you’ve decided. But I didn’t realise that:
The pill = comparatively big dose of hormones
Implant = smaller dose of hormones as direct into the bloodstream
Mirena = really tiny dose of hormones as in the right local area already.
I thought that if I had bad experiences with the pill, it would apply to all hormonal contraception. Not true in my case.

Mirena, particularly as you have endo. I'm on my 5th and final one now. Not had a period for over 21 years and it completely took my pain away.