Contraception - any suggestions

[Tillysmummy]

Hello ladies,

Im back from the wilderness. Have been feeling crap lately with this Pityriasis Rosea skin thing and also the flu last week. As a result of the PR I have been to see a homeopath, a reflexologist and finally a Chinese doctor as I am just literally covered in it on my face, neck, chest and back. The Chinese doctor's remedy finally seems to be doing the trick.

Back to the point, all of these have said that they don't think I should be on the pill as it's not natural etc, etc. I know this is because they are alternative therapists and don't believe in artificially altering the body. I also know that my GP doesn't agree with this. Anyway, I have been on the pill for nearly 15 years with a brief break when I was pregnant and feeding dd. Really feel like it's time for a change. I was looking into the alternatives and wondered what others thought. I can't see the Myra (spelling?) coil being any good because of the Progesterone, same with the mini pill. I guess this only leaves the cap, condoms (dh hates these and must admit Im not too keen), copper coils (my mum had one of these and is sure it gave her cervical problems) and the natural methods.
It all seems a bit daunting. We are thinking of trying for number 2 in September so I would like to get my natural cycle back into gear before then. Before I had dd I had polycystic ovaries and was told to go back on the pill when I had already decided to come off it to help this condition.

Hope this isn't too rambling. Just really wanted some advice on alternative contraception.

tillysmummy, because the progesterone in the mirena coil is localised, the dose in the rest of your body is very low (MUCH lower than taking the pill). I've heard such great things about this method, I woulddn't dismiss it on account of the hormones.

a question about the pill, I've also found it the only thing that makes me funtion as a normal human being with various disgusting and unpleasant side effects only for not being on it, but this week my doctor decided I'd been on it so long (or my age? 40 now) that I should go on the mini pill. When I picked it up, the leaflet seemed to suggest you wouldn't get a period. Is this usual for the mini pill or just my prescription (Cerazette)? It just doesn't sound very healthy.

Am I the only one who relies solely on 'natural' contraception? I know it's not very popular, but it's worked for me for the past seven years. (Admittedly, having a child who didn't sleep through the night ONCE during the first 15 months and not having a very busy sex life probably help )

nmd - don't worry if you don't have a period. The periods on the Pill are completely fake - the pattern of taking it (ie 4weeks than a 'period' was just to reassure women when the Pill was new. Bleeding on the Pill serves no natural or health purpose as the Pill prevents the build up of womb lining that happens when you aren't taking it. It is more accurately called a withdrawal bleed because is it quite different from a period. I personally take the Pill with no breaks (& have been doing so for years) as it is fantastically convenient, much nicer not to have to bother with blood, tampons etc, and it is excellent for preventing ovarian problems from polycystic ovaries and cysts to ovarian cancer. HTH. Personally, I LOVE the Pill! BTW I am 39 and take the combined Pill still. I think provided you don't smoke and aren't very fat, it is fine.

rosie t my dp and i also use the natural method,it wasnt until after i came off the pill when trying to conceive did i realise how awful i felt on the pill,tired all the time ,no sex drive at all.
my dd is nearly three and although we dont want anymore children weve used natural methods since her birth!
dont really want to go back on the pill for the above reasons,the mirena coil sounds great but i have problems with my womb like my mum had and she couldnt use the coil,i feel although we dont want any more children sterilization is a bit final and as for condoms....im concerned.....ive recently discovered i have a balloon allergy i cant touch the things if i do i start going blotchy etc....i darent try a condom ...im sure you get my drift!!!!

I did consider the coil after ds was born, but was put off by my horrible doctor. I pointed out that the leaflet about the coil mentioned you might feel "a little discomfort" having it fitted., to which she replied in an Ann Robinson-like tone "Hmph ? discomfort? I think that's putting it mildly!" I'm afraid I didn't feel inclined to take the matter any further and have changed my doctor since (for other reasons) but this did put me off.
I'm sure it depends a lot on the skill of doctor/nurse fitting the coil, but I'd be interested to find out from those of you who've had one fitted, how much "discomfort" are we actually talking about here.

RosieT, we also rely on 'natural' family planning and have done so for past 3 years. We are pretty careful, though and as others have said, sex is much more of a rarity these days! Its not a method I would use if a) I was not in a stable relationship or b) if getting pregnant again would be the end of the world. We are not planning on having more kids (we have 3) but I do feel much more in tune with my body, although this is a horribly naff thing to say! Also, I became pregnant straight away with #3 as I knew exactly when I was most likely to conceive. I was on the pill for 10 yrs before baby #1 came along and it took me two years to get pregnant and even then I had 2 miscarriages before a pregnancy went to term.(Not suggesting the pill and m/c are linked, but just made me feel uneasy about using pill again)

nmd - I think that bleeding on the mini pill varies from woman to woman. At the moment I'm taking it (mines called micronor) and am not having any bleeding but I'm breastfeeding so thats probably why. When I took it before I had my ds (my blood pressure went up on the combined pill so I had to stop taking it) I had almost continual lightish bleeding (lovely). According to my GP its not harmful to either spot all the time or have no bleeding at all but I found the constant bleeding very annoying. I also read that some women carry on having their periods as normal while taking it so you might be lucky.I think the reason for this is that in some women the mini pill works by stopping ovulation and implantation but in others ovulation still occurs but the pill prevents implantation if an egg was fertilised. For this reason I think some prolifers don't like the mini pill. Think this is right - I'm not an expert but seem to have taken an awful lot of drugs (sadly only the most boring ones) in my time!

Have to say, I took the Pill pretty much constantly for 12 years, and got pregnant (at 37) on the third month of trying - ie three months after stopping.

Yes, like oxocube, I got pg first time of asking when we decided we wanted to "go for it" ? think relying on natural contraception does make you very aware of your cycle, which is great if you're wanting to conceive in the pretty near future.
If you don't have an absolutely regular cycle & want some help with natural family planning, your health visitor should be able to give you advice.