To be sick and tired of taking the pill

[TorySteller]

I’ve been taking the pill for 13 years (I’m now 30). I’m convinced that it isn’t doing any favours for my sex drive, or my mental health.

I have spoken to friends about other options but have just heard horror story after horror story about the implant/coil etc which puts me off.

Have spoken to DH and he’s happy to start using condoms, but to be blunt I hate them - and I think he does too, but he’s willing to start using them again.

It feels like the only other option is to start tracking my cycle, but I’m well aware that this method isn’t foolproof.

Has anyone come off the pill when trying NOT to TTC? Have you gone back to using condoms? How did you find it? Can anyone recommend anything else that I haven’t thought of? This has been on my mind a lot recently and I don’t want my sex drive to be affected for the next 10 years.

I was on the pill for years. Came off of it about five months ago for no real reason and (sorry for TMI) my sex drive increased MASSIVELY. My mental health does feel better also although that may be a coincidence. We use condoms now but I don’t want to rely on them forever.

Sorry not very helpful but you really do have my sympathies.

There's another hormonal coil called the kyleena, which is smaller so fitting is easier and it only releases one third of the progesterone as the mirena does. I had it fitted this year and I wish I did it years ago. Absolutely no problems after the first week or so (which was a bit twingey). Google it

I came off the pill because whatever brand I tried the side effects weren't worth it. Didn't get on with 2 types of coil. I 'resorted' to diaphragm & spermicide, and never had a single problem.

Condims aren't so bad once you get used to them, and there is the advantage of no mess to clean up after, no damp patch
I have a copper coil, like a bad smear having it fitted, no probs since - periods a bit heavier but shorter.
I would recommend stopping the pill and see how you feel and get in with other options.
Your nurse friend will only see the people who have problems, not it the millions who get on fine with coil.
Contraception stories are like birth stories - only hear the horrors. 'It was fine' doesn't make for a good story.

As you can see from all the threads on conception - it’s not that easy! There’s really only a 24-48 hour window in the month where you can get pregnant. If you have pretty regular cycles and track them then you can narrow this window down to around 4-7 days when you have any chance of getting pregnant. This means you only really need to use condoms for 20% of the time. And that’s assuming you have sex every day! They’re a lot better these days too.

Hi, yes I had various pill's over the years from late teens because they were also trying to help balance hormones because of bad acne. But after being told I had PCOS and where they didn't want to add to hormone issues, and many pills caused migraines etc, they stopped them. And so yes, condoms had to be used again. I was then spoken to a few times about the coil that has no hormone lining in it, that could be the Mirena i think. I have heard bad stories but good ones too, some swear by it. I currently, since having DC and no longer being in a relationship, have had to just go with condoms because of it being new partners etc.

Wow thank you so much for all the helpful responses! It’s nice to know I’m not alone

I’ve not heard great things about ‘cycle tracking apps’ so if I were to do it I’d probably do something like billings.

It’s nice to hear that a few people have had no issues with the copper coil. I am tempted to give it a go.

I have 2 packs of pills left before I need more, so I might stop once they’re both finished and stock up on condoms for now, then see how we get on - if we don’t like using them I might consider the copper coil.

I've got the copper iud because I was fed up with pumping my body with hormones. It lasts 10 years and I've had no problems at all. It was quite painful to have it put in but about 3 minutes of pain for 10 years contraception is good! My periods haven't been heavier as some people say happens if anything they're slightly lighter and no more pain than usual. It's worth a try the worst that can happen is it doesn't work for you and you have it removed.

If it's not working for you then YANBU to consider other methods. 13 years is a long time to let it affect your mental health though. There's several other things you can try, injection, patches etc. If you don't want to get pregnant and don't like condoms though you'll have to consider more options than tracking your cycle.
I'm on the mini pill though I don't need to be pregnancy wise it's nice to avoid periods. Try different options out so you can find something that suits you.

I came off the pill three years before TTC. It was brilliant I was so much happier (but had some terrible withdrawal symptoms at first!)

We carefully monitored ovulation for years and avoided it for a good few days either side.

The first month we TTC, we conceived 🙂 so this will be my method moving forward. I will never take the pill again and definitely won't have a coil.

There’s a really interesting book called ‘the pill changes everything’ that I read earlier in the year.

I had been on the pill for 15 years. I stopped taking it 6 months ago, after reading the book.

All I can say is that I feel much better now, much more like myself. I have higher highs and lower lows, but I genuinely have a much higher sex drive.

I was convinced by the science discussed in the book that the pill can have a profound affect on personality and mood.

I wouldn't trust condoms alone tbh.

Fell pregnant with what would have been no.3 using condoms, didn't seem to be anything wrong at the time, no sign it had broken or anything.

Did not want to be pregnant. It was incredibly distressing and I had a miscarriage really soon after finding out I was pregnant.

It's left me with a lot of trauma and a massive fear of unwanted pregnancy and I would never trust condoms by themselves now.

Vote for mirena. If you are ok on the pill then the hormones are a lot less on mirena. Agree fitting was just like a smear. I was unsure because I’d read so many bad reviews. I absolutely love it.

I had a coil fitted. Best thing I ever did. I had it fitted in July. Bled for a few weeks. Very light. Didn't even really need to wear a pad. No periods since.