Help! Methods of contraception apart from The Pill/Depo?

[Calista]

I've been on the Depo injection for about 18 months, which has killed 99% of my sex drive , and made me REALLY moody and irritable, honestly, I fly off the hook at the slightest thing, and dh and ds's deserve more.

I can't have the combined pill because I get migraines, and the mini-pill I found difficult to remember to take within the time frame each day, plus it's the same hormone as the Depo, so would prob affect me the same.

What other methods have you found effective?

TIA

coil?

Mirena?

I really liked the coil, completely hassle free once it was in and I had the regular one so no hormones to contend with either. Believe the mirena coil is good as well.

What's the difference between a normal coil and Mirena?

I read a bit about the coil on the FPA website, my initial concerns were:

a)Really heavy periods - does it affect everyone this way?
b)The risk of it dislodging or going into your womb
c)Sounds a bit weird about having to check the threads
d)that dh might be able to feel the threads during sex! Made me squirm a bit that one!

Message withdrawn

My dd2 has this implantwhichlastsuptothreeyears

To answer some of your questions about coils:

a)Really heavy periods - does it affect everyone this way?

Initially the normal coil does tend to cause heavier periods, but if you can stick with it for 6 months they do tend to settle again. This is very different to the Mirena coil which contains progestogen hormones like the injection, and is completely different.

b)The risk of it dislodging or going into your womb

Er, the coil is already in your womb because that's where it is put in the first place! I think you're worried about it disloding and falling out, which is possible, but fairly rare. This is the reason why we teach you to try and check for threads regularly so you can feel that it is still there (see next question...)

c)Sounds a bit weird about having to check the threads

So you check the threads to make sure its still in place. Fairly easy to do, but lots of women don't bother. You can always go to your GP / family planning clinic every few months to get it checked there if you're squeamish!

d)that dh might be able to feel the threads during sex! Made me squirm a bit that one!

This is really unusual, but if he really can feel it, then it means the threads haven't been cut short enough so you return back to the clinic and get them trimmed a bit. Only takes a few minutes.

HTH!!! Let me know if you have any other questions

I had lighter periods with a regular coil. First coil came out so had a different shaped one put in the next time. Knew it had come out (couldn't miss it!) so no worries there. Thread thing is no problem, could feel them if I tried but dh never noticed (or admitted he'd noticed...!)

Had the implant most recently, took a long time for spotting to settle down but really liked it once it had. Had it removed as am now TTC, better I'd say for a longer term contraceptive, not good to go through the hassle of having it put in and taken out again within 6 months like I did.

Thanks everyone.

hellomama, so if the Mirena coil contains hormones like the injection, does it carry the same possible side effects such as changes in sex drive and moods?
Re my worry about the coil going into your womb, I thought it went in the neck of your womb and envisaged it possibly working it's way through so it ended up floating about inside your womb or getting embedded or something! I do have a slightly overactive imagination!
Thanks

The mirena does have the same hormones like the injection but in MUCH lower quantities as they work directly on the womb and ovaries. The same side effects are possible, but i do know a lot of women who haven't got on with the injection and have found the mirena coil brilliant, and vice versa. I think the main thing to remember is that no method of contraception is forever,(except sterilisation!) and you can try things out and see how you get on with them. If you don't like it, change it for something else! I would maybe try a normal coil and see how it goes? And yes, the coil is fitted in the main part of your womb! It doesn't float around as an un-pregnant womb is very small (about 5cm big). Sometimes , very rarely, the coil can be expelled (usually during a period) and it just falls out through your vagina. Its extremely unusual for the coil to get embedded actually in the womb lining. This normally happens if it is not fitted correctly, or left in too long - I've known 75 year old ladies have an x-ray for a broken hip and seen a coil in there still from 50+ years ago! Now that probably would be difficult to remove!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad I found this thread! I am looking for a long term contraceptive following dd's birth. I've heard a few people say that they didn't like the depo injection. I'm the same Calista, I get migraines with the pill and can't use it and the mini-pill is a pain to remember. I'm sort of edging towards the idea of the implant. Has anyone got any direct experience of it? Apologies for the thread hijack...

bump

ive just had a mirena coil fitted one of the reasons i choose it was because the doctor said it had 1000 times less hormones than injection or implant
getting it fitted was far less traumatic than i thought (my doc is excellent) it was a little uncomfy after (like a period pain) i bled for about a week with my first period- have just had one spot for my second and im hoping there wont be a third-as it should stop them-fine by me cause ive got so used to not having them as ive been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for the last three years !

I vote for the Persona machine.

It's totally natural. I used the so-called "rhythm method" for about six years after I came off the pill (predicting when you are fertile and avoiding this time).

I finally bought a persona and found I'd been predicting far too many "fertile days" - there were only about five or six according to the machine.

It worked like a dream and when I wanted to conceive, I just used it in reverse.

Costly at first - about £90, then £10 a month for the sticks. Not everyone wants to pay for contraception, but I didn't like the possible unknown side effects of synthetic hormones and had been on the pill for 8 years

My friend has been given a "patch" to use for contraception.

Its new on the market so not sure what the stats for it are, but you wear one patch for a week for 3 weeks and then have a week off.... seemed to do the trick!

Not sure what its called but docs should know.....