Right. Not ready for another one yet - who wants to sort out my anti-baby protection?

[funnypeculiar]

Have always been on the pill, but have realised having had stretches off for pg/bf that it really affects me/my levels of shagging desire. Have nooo idea about anything else ... advice please??

mirena coil......no periods after a while, don;t need to remember to do anything, lasts for years, but can be removed if you want to have more children. i love mine !

Normal coil if you don't want to mess with your hormones. I didn't get on with the pill at all, despite trying lots of brands, so have a normal coil. It makes the first day of my period heavier but it's no longer and no more painful than it was pre coil. Mine can be left in for 10 years so no thinking about it for a while either.

so what's the diff with mirena coil? Don't like the idea of no periods somehow (strange but true)
Have a (presumably irrational) feeling that the coil will 'escape' & rip my inards out....

I've got a normal coil in too. As I understand it, it is made from copper which in minute quantities sort of kills the sperm, but I'm no scientist so don't quote me! All I know is, fertility was never a problem for me and the coil has kept me from having any more babes for the last 4 and a half years. Not sure if it isn't responsible for a bit more period pain than I had before. Also, I have just had a smear back with some kind of infection showing which is associated with the coil. My doctor was pretty chilled about it, but I am having my coil (which was due to be replaced at the end of the year), replaced next Wednesday, which I am told will put paid to the infection. I am not looking forward to the procedure though - it was pretty uncomfortable for me, although I know of other people with no problems like that. Good luck, whatever you choose.

Condoms... easy, free, hormone free, very reliable, etc.. etc.. you can see i,m into condoms!

hmm, have dd thanks to a condom nanninurse

Second a coil. I only have a plain one though, not a Mirena. I wanted to be artificial hormone free after years on the pill. It is fab - put it in, then forget about it for 10 years

Having tried the mirena coil, the mini pill and 3 different combined pills in the last 3 years I am now rediscovering the joys of condoms! I got fed up with all the hormones and various side effects - spotty skin, no sex-drive, headaches, irrational behavoiur, heavy periods, even hair loss! The side effects were different for each but they were always there. DH was very anti-condoms but when we ran out of options (short of the snip) he reconsidered and we're getting on just fine now. And I've recently realised a particular benefit of condoms that I had forgotten about after all these years....no mess!

BTW - lots of people love the mirena coil, but an equal number of people have had terrible experiences on it. You might want to search the archives and see.