Non-hormonal Contraceptives?

[FauxAngel]

Hi, I have just started my whole30 today and have been browsing all the different resources and was very interested to read the article on non-hormonal birthcontrol. I have long believed that hormone based contraceptives have had negative impacts on my health but have not been able to find a suitable alternative and was hoping by posting the experiences I have had here that someone reading this will be able to suggest something I have missed?

 

Initial attempts: standard condoms... so it turns out I am not allergic to latex but rather allergic to protex which is close enough that I react badly to latex condoms. Non latex condoms also turn out to be far more fragile and after an experience where I had to take the morning after pill which was incredibly upsetting and distressing it was time to look for alternatives.

 

All the pills: over the course of 3 years or so I tried about 5 different pills, none of which agreed with me particularly well. I suffered anything from weight gain of 5-8kg, migraines, severe pain and cramping, terrible acne which I have never had before that which I am still stuck with remnants of and finally it caused my GI symptoms to be worse. 

 

IUD: after discussing it for over a year my current partner and I decided on a copper IUD. Most crappy decision ever. Not only was the process of having it put in agony, but I had constant spotting for 2 months followed by the worse cramps I could ever imagine and a very heavy period when previously I had few minor craps and very light periods. I was also in pain using the bathroom and there was no way I could have sex at all. We tried twice, both times ending in tears of pain and frustration from both of us. We spoke with the Dr who put the IUD in who said give it a total of 6 months then if I still wasn't happy she would remove it. Needless to say a week after the 6 month date it was out. I learnt from the lovely nurse who removed it that usually it is not even considered as an option for women who have not had children for the exact reasons I had struggled with it.

 

Post IUD: the nurse who removed the IUD spent a good hour talking with my partner and I about our options and we ended up back at the pill. I am now on Yaz and have been for about 8 months. I really don't like it, but it is by far the best pill I have taken so far.

 

Ideally I would like to move away from any form of hormone based contraceptive and was wondering what other alternatives would be... Both male/female condoms are out because of allergies. Any IUD is definitely out as a result of bad experiences. Diaphragms/ Cervical caps and contraceptive sponges are out as spermicides are not available in Australia. Which leaves natural family planning... which I am very skeptical of as my cycle has never been consistent, regular or predictable in any way.

 

So I guess my question is this (if you survived reading all this) what else can I do/ choose? 

 

Thank you in advance for any advice 

[Semolina]

If I were you I'd give cycle tracking a go ... read Take Charge of Your Fertility. It's a pain in the bum, and you do have to take your temp every morning (at least until you get the hang of it, and then once you've got the hang of it, only in the first part of your cycle). I learnt a lot (I used it in trying to get pregnant ... helped me figure out I WAS getting pregnant (nearly every month) but then miscarrying really early on ... which made my cycles look all weird) but since then I have been so grateful for it and wish I'd been given the book in my late teens. Knowing when (or if) you are ovulating makes your cycles much more manageable ... and also you have a temp dip just before AF starts which gives you a day or so of warning which can be helpful in unpredictable cycles. It also teaches you WHY your cycles are unpredictable: are you ovulating randomly? Are you ovulating at all? (your cycles might be anovulatory.) Generally a really good thing to know about your body in all stages of your life: trying not to get pregnant, trying to get pregnant, watching out for any gynae issues and catching them early, and watching menopause coming to get you (me, now!). You will end up knowing more than your doctor about your cycles, but I think that's no bad thing.

 

The only thing going against it is that the only time I really want to have sex is right when I'm ovulating (makes sense, no?) and if you are trying to avoid getting pregnant, and none of the barrier methods work for you, then that's a bummer. I have solved that issue and have a copper IUD which I get on with just fine (not so the first few months, but it's been fine since then) -- but then I've had several kiddos now so that might explain why I get on with it.

 

I don't monitor my temperature every morning anymore (life is too short) but because of what I learnt when I was, I know my body well enough to tell when I'm coming up to ovulation, and when I am post-ovulatory anyway. I wouldn't want to rely on my "intuition" if I were very sexually active and really didn't want to get pregnant (and didn't have an IUD in!), but that's not where I am right now, so I don't bother.

 

Why are diaphragms out in Australia? That was a form of contraception I didn't get on with, because they gave me cystitis ...

[paddlepop]

Hi FauxAngel,

 

I've also been wanting to get away from hormonal contraception after stopping the pill a few months ago. I'm also in Aus. I went to see a gynaecologist just afterward and he was fairly insistent that my only option was Mirena, an IUD which does not cause the same problems as a copper IUD, but does use a small hormone dose about equivalent to two pills a week. Over time the uterine wall stops building up (while the thing is in), and so periods stop for a lot of women. I didn't like the guy at all which is the primary reason I haven't been back, but as I am not in a particularly long-term relationship I am glad to have the extra motivation to use condoms at the moment.

 

I think the bottom line is that we are geared to get pregnant, so there is no easy way out of it! I hope you find an answer that works for you. The Whole30 is working magic on my post-pill horrible skin, glad to leave that behind!

[FauxAngel]

If I were you I'd give cycle tracking a go ... read Take Charge of Your Fertility. It's a pain in the bum, and you do have to take your temp every morning (at least until you get the hang of it, and then once you've got the hang of it, only in the first part of your cycle). I learnt a lot (I used it in trying to get pregnant ... helped me figure out I WAS getting pregnant (nearly every month) but then miscarrying really early on ... which made my cycles look all weird) but since then I have been so grateful for it and wish I'd been given the book in my late teens. Knowing when (or if) you are ovulating makes your cycles much more manageable ... and also you have a temp dip just before AF starts which gives you a day or so of warning which can be helpful in unpredictable cycles. It also teaches you WHY your cycles are unpredictable: are you ovulating randomly? Are you ovulating at all? (your cycles might be anovulatory.) Generally a really good thing to know about your body in all stages of your life: trying not to get pregnant, trying to get pregnant, watching out for any gynae issues and catching them early, and watching menopause coming to get you (me, now!). You will end up knowing more than your doctor about your cycles, but I think that's no bad thing.

 

The only thing going against it is that the only time I really want to have sex is right when I'm ovulating (makes sense, no?) and if you are trying to avoid getting pregnant, and none of the barrier methods work for you, then that's a bummer. I have solved that issue and have a copper IUD which I get on with just fine (not so the first few months, but it's been fine since then) -- but then I've had several kiddos now so that might explain why I get on with it.

 

I don't monitor my temperature every morning anymore (life is too short) but because of what I learnt when I was, I know my body well enough to tell when I'm coming up to ovulation, and when I am post-ovulatory anyway. I wouldn't want to rely on my "intuition" if I were very sexually active and really didn't want to get pregnant (and didn't have an IUD in!), but that's not where I am right now, so I don't bother.

 

Why are diaphragms out in Australia? That was a form of contraception I didn't get on with, because they gave me cystitis ...

Hi Semolina, thank you for the reply! Diaphragms are out because of no spermicide here... and to be frank, I don't trust one without the back up... I will go do some more reading/research too 

[FauxAngel]

Hi FauxAngel,

 

I've also been wanting to get away from hormonal contraception after stopping the pill a few months ago. I'm also in Aus. I went to see a gynaecologist just afterward and he was fairly insistent that my only option was Mirena, an IUD which does not cause the same problems as a copper IUD, but does use a small hormone dose about equivalent to two pills a week. Over time the uterine wall stops building up (while the thing is in), and so periods stop for a lot of women. I didn't like the guy at all which is the primary reason I haven't been back, but as I am not in a particularly long-term relationship I am glad to have the extra motivation to use condoms at the moment.

 

I think the bottom line is that we are geared to get pregnant, so there is no easy way out of it! I hope you find an answer that works for you. The Whole30 is working magic on my post-pill horrible skin, glad to leave that behind!

Hi Paddlepop, so glad to hear I'm not the only one! I'm wary of the mirena because of the hormones and the other dramas I had with the copper IUD. Over all I didn't find it a pleasant experience so am not keep to do it again. I think IUD's are a great option for some women, but I guess that goes for all methods I wish I could get my skin to clear up, just need to find a solution!

[Karen]

Ditto on tracking your cycles! I use a barrier method when I'm close to ovulating, though, so you might want to come up with something else if needed. I , too, have had irregular cycles and it has helped me get to the bottom of my issues quite well. Good luck!

[Karen]

Oh, and I had an IUD (Mirena) and it sounds similar to your experience, though I gained 8 pounds in 1 week! It was an awful torture device...

[FauxAngel]

Thank you Karen. 

[FauxAngel]

Oh my... so I have always been aware of side effects of OCP's the whole time I have taken them, but I've read some really scary things about yaz the last few days. Especially the things about the chances of blood clots being 7-10 times higher, the depression and anxiety linked directly to yaz and the long term fertility dramas as well as all the hyper around migraines and such... Considering my history of migraines and family history of PE's, my known depression and anxiety issues so I called my local fertility nurse who said stop asap!!! So I did... so doing a ton of reading now about NFP and how I can track everything once things cycle wise start to settle down.

[mountainfarmergirl]

Has anyone tried skyla? Supposedly it's a lower dose version of mirena. I've been off of hormonal birth control for 4 years now and just using condoms, but I miss the ease and flexibility of not having to think about contraceptives during sex. I don't want to go back on nuvaring or oral contraceptives though after reading about the blood clots, and I just don't like the way they make me feel.

[GLC1968]

I have multiple friends who did have good luck with the copper IUD who have never had children, so I'm a little surprised that your experience was so awful.

 

I was on the Mirena for 4 years but I would not recommend it.  While it took some getting used to and I did not have periods (I cycled, but I had no lining to shed), it caused a whole host of other issues that I won't go into here.  Looking back, I'm not sure if it was worth the convenience or not.  The best part was that after I took it out and my natural hormone levels returned to normal, my cycle was very regular and very light and remains this way today (5 years later).

 

Today I am totally hormone free - my husband had a vasectomy.  Best birth control method ever as far as I am concerned. ;-)

[healthyAbby]

I had a pulmonary embolism back in december of 2012. The whole 30 I completed in july/august was the only thing that gave me a mental clarity that I hadn't had since my PE. Now I am not allowed to be on hormonal birth control pills, and my period was never bad I had just been put on the pill because I had some minor acne. It's too bad there's not spermicide available where you are and condoms don't work because of allergies, as I've been told that those two things together are just as effective as the pill. 

 

I've been curious about charting my cycles as well, but have yet to buy the book. It really helps you gain a better understanding of your body? 

[Talie1706]

Hiya, I have the copper IUD and have never had kids.  The first one was a really small one but moved and caused (referred?) pain after a couple years.  I got hte courage up to have another fitted back in November and despite the initial pain for a fortnight and about 6-8 weeks spotting (which is normal) I have been fine.  My periods were pracitically non existent anyway and the light ones i get now arent any real bother.  The pill caused me to get even worse PMT, or to generally feel dreadful at TOM but everyone is different.

 

There are free online monitoring apps for cycle available.  i found one called monthyl info as my periods are so light and irregular anyway i am tracking them  under Doc instructions.

[Semolina]

I've been curious about charting my cycles as well, but have yet to buy the book. It really helps you gain a better understanding of your body? 

 

Yup. It takes some commitment so I would say you need to be pretty motivated to do it (in my case was VERY focussed on having children when I first engaged with it) but I am so glad I did ... there are online tools to help you too, but it is worth having the book as it obviously goes in to much more detail ... I never read it all (skipped bits not relevant to me at the time) but still refer back to it from time to time (recently looking up what pre-menopause looks like, for example).