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I'm researching contraceptives. Using anything with a hormone (ie: the pill) is not an option for me. The only thing I can think that's left is an non-hormonal IUD. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Or, are there other things I haven't thought of, that are more effective?
great thread, i am very interested also. I cant/wont do hormones either.
I don't think anything is more effective than the IUD besides the Depo shot, but that must be hormonal.
I have a Paraguard (the non-hormonal IUD) and love it but it was quite painful to start out with and I still have worse cramps than I did without it. Other than Para, there's NFP if you're good and barrier methods (m/f condoms, diaphrams), oh and I guess spermicides - all of which don't have the best reliability...I can't think of anything else. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be a lot of options.
ETA: There have been a lot of threads on IUDs if you search around for them. There was one maybe a year or so ago that had a lot of great input.
I just recently found out about Natural Family Planning (NFP) method thanks to some very helpful Bees! I don't know much about it yet but from what I've been learning, you're only fertile for about 5-7 days and with this method you learn which days you are fertile and which days you're not. It seems to be very effective. You can actually put it into search here and it’ll come up with other topics about it. You can also Google it.
Just read that the only two IUD's are Mirena and ParaGard.
Mirena releases progestin (which tins the uterus and thickens cervix mucus)
ParaGard releases copper (and thins the uterine lining).
Well, that stinks. I was hoping IUD could just 'block' things...
@noenyu: While that's true, that only works well if you have a regular cycle and ovulate on schedule. My cycles are all over the map, so this wouldn't work for us.
@noenyu: I'm kind of skeptical about the method. There's a good deal of slop about when you are fertile. The method may reduce your likelihood of conceiving, but it won't bring it to near zero.
Great thread!
@oracle: Well, it's not "blocking" but the swimmers' tails apparently don't like copper as the ParaGuard also hampers sperm motility. I'm guessing your concern is adding things to your body rather than effectiveness though? If that's the case, NFP + barriers might be your best bet.
ETA: Just saw your other response. Never mind about the NFP...
@caitlanc: thanks for sharing your experience with Para - bummer on the cramps!! :( I thought that was the way to go until just reading about the copper. I don't like the idea of copper leaking into me! We currently are doing barrier (male condom) - but are looking into other options because of sensitivity issues.
@oracle: Hmmm. That is tricky then. I don't envy you! Have you read Taking Charge of Your Fertility? I've only read parts of it but learned a lot from even that little bit (and I've always considered myself
quite knowledgeable on the subject!) Actually, you might be able to do NFP and just use condoms more often or any time you're unsure. I'm not an expert on it, but a couple ladies on here definitely are. Is Chelseamorning still around? You might try PMing her.
ETA: How do you feel about spermicide? It's not something I would trust alone but if you're reasonably sure you're not fertile it's probably a safe enough bet. Would that get around the sensitivity issues?
@oracle: Your comment is false and I am proof of that. I have extremely irregular cycles and have used it 100% effective with never a close call. You are most likely thinking of the calendar method however the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) is scientifically rated as 99%+ effective at preventing pregnancy.
@kaylee26: Like I said above it is just as or more effective than HBC's. There are very easy ways to know when you are approaching ovulation and then see when you have already ovulated.
Anyhow, we use NFP and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's works perfectly and is amazing. Search the bee for FAM or NFP and youll see that there are a LOT of us here doing it and some have gone years already successfully.
Before you make up your mind, I really can't rec enough the book, "Taking Charge of your Fertility." It's stupid how we women don't know what in there... every women deserves to know what's in this book and it will help show you your options. Search TCOYF or the whole name on WB and you'll see oodles and hundreds of bee's rec it!
Here are the options I am aware of:
Statistics are intended to provide a general idea of the effectiveness with "average" use.
This is not meant as medical advice. You should talk to your personal physician to find out what is the best option for you.
As far as I know, I've never actually heard of anyone having issues from the copper in Paraguard. You naturally ingest copper, and it's a component of certain enzymes in your body, so the idea of adding extra copper isn't that crazy - your body will excrete everything you don't need. I would talk to your doctor, but if you don't want kids anytime soon, that may be your best option. I know one commenter said she had increased menstrual cramps, but I don't think that's a common reaction.
Not to stir the waters, but I am also a very successful NFP advocate (who has very irregular periods yet has never even had so much as a close call!).
Taking Charge of Your Fertility is amazing and shows you how to recognize fertility, even in the midst of crazy/irregular periods. I would highly recommend that you read it and try charting for a couple of months (do read it in full however, as just learning about certain parts of NFP is where one has potential to mess up)...see how you feel and how easy it is to really see your personal signs of fertility.
Good luck making this decision!
@arenyth: Yes, Depo is hormonal.
@oracle: An IUD is the most effective route. However, there are of course barrier methods (condoms, diaphragms/cervical caps, etc.). You could combine two or more of those and have a fairly effective method (for example, combining a male condom with a diaphragm, or a male condom and withdrawl + fertility-awareness), BUT an IUD would probably still be better. (Also, re: condoms, be sure to use them properly, i.e. don't use both a female and a male condom at the same time, and most spermicides can damage condoms.) Here is Planned Parenthood's chart of BC effectiveness: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/birth-control-effectiveness-chart-22710.htm
@noenyu: Yes, you are only fertile for a specific period, but that period moves around. For example, many people think that you can't get pregnant if you have sex during your period -- but you can. The problem with NFP is that you can't let it lapse even for a day, even if you've been doing it for years, your cycle could still decide to suddenly change.
@KLP2010: You keep saying that NFP is "scientifically proven" to be 99% effective. What science? When? Which journal? Please reference this point (and yes, I am actually curious; if it does appear in a valid peer-reviewed scientific journal then I would love to know; however, all real-world stats I've seen put it at a 15%-30% failure rate).
@Jenniphyr: correct, but you don't judge your fertility in NFP by the calendar date. It's a day by day thing... Every day when you use the restroom you pay attn to what your body is producing... in the morn. you take your temp. You have to evaluate the symptoms and trust me... your body is screaming them to you. It's very easy to know when your fertility is starting... regardless of if it's day 5, 13,15, or 19 etc... people who practice NFP and FAM do not judge based on cycle day. That's how you fail. You listen to your body. it's actually very empowering.
there are many methods of "nfp." You can just google "nfp" and get accurate rates. It's not "one" method... it's many.. and each has its advantages and disadvantages. 15-30%+ rates are the outdated calendar methods.
What's the evidence that NFP actually is very effective at preventing pregnancy? One person not becoming pregnant while practicing a method isn't much data.
I have the paraguard IUD and agree that it is rather painful to get put in, my cramps have changed and also my cycle has gotten longer (but I think that is probably because I no longer have hormones regulating it and keeping it short). But I also have protection for 10 years and the risks are few and uncommon. I would highly reccomend it. If you have any questions, just talk to your ob-gyn about it, mine was very open with me about all of my options.
Here's a European study: http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/38218-natural-sex-timing-good-as-pill
The Los Angeles Study: 100% Method Effectiveness
"Between 1976 and 1978, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare conducted a prospective study to determine the relative user effectiveness of two different systems of natural family planning.1 Participants were randomly assigned to either the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) or Ovulation Method (OM) sides of the study...The resulting group of 1257 couples had an average age of 28 and had only one child per family... The couples who followed these simple rules achieved a 100% effectiveness rate in avoiding pregnancy, i.e. zero unplanned pregnancies. (The couples who used the OM rules had 5.67 unplanned pregnancies per 100 woman years of exposure, i.e. about a 94% method effectiveness rate. Better OM results were achieved in a five nation World Health Organization study: a standard pearl rate of 2.6; i.e., a 97.4% method effectiveness rate.)2
"A 100% effectiveness rate cannot be sustained in a large population and thus claims made for the STM state '99% method effectiveness'."
The Fairfield Study: 99% Method Effectiveness
"Between 1970 and 1973, 1022 couples participated in a five nation (Canada, Colombia, France, Mauritius, U.S.A.) study called the Fairfield Study after the university of the principal investigator.3...The couples who followed these more liberal rules achieved a method effectiveness rate of 99% according to the Pearl formula (9 unplanned pregnancies in 14,416 months of exposure).
The Roetzer Studies: 99% and 100% Method Effectiveness
"Dr. Joseph Roetzer has distinguished between the method effectiveness of Phase I and Phase III according to his rules.4 In his 1978 study, he reported that coitus during the first six days of the fertility/menstrual cycle yielded one pregnancy in 8,532 cycles, a Pearl rate of less than ).2 per 100 woman years of exposure, i.e. well within a 99% method effectiveness. Using a combination of three days of well elevated temperatures crosschecked by three days of the disappearance of the more fertile mucus to determine the start of Phase III, couples experienced zero unplanned pregnancies in 17,000 cycles, i.e. a 100% method effectiveness rate.
The Creighton Model is a method of fertility awareness developed by Dr. Thomas Hilgers, director of the Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction at Creighton University in Omaha.
Studies have found it to be highly effective for both avoiding (99% effective) and achieving pregnancy. A 14-year five-state study [Journal of Reproductive Medicine, June 1998] showed the method to have a 99.5% rate for method effectiveness, and a 96.8% use effectiveness rate ("real-life" rate that includes use errors). Research shows oral contraceptives ("The Pill") to have a 97.0% user effectiveness rate.
@kaylee26: I just posted a lot of studies above, but there are a LOT of us here following STM and a few other methods.... a LOT of us. Please feel free to search for all our threads and see more about it and ask us questions! It's very effective, empowering to be in control of your own body, 100% natural, low cost to start (a book and thermometer), and zero cost to practice...
Thanks everyone for you feedback and personal experience, thus far! I have an appointment with my OBGYN next month and want to be prepared and do as much research pre-appointment as possible.
I will look into the Taking Charge of Your Fertility book. I don't necessarily believe in the calendar method (strictly speaking) and do know when my body ovulates (based on the change in cervical mucous) (I never done temperature readings). That said - assuming what I believe to be true: the fertile period lasts for approx 5 days, 1-2 days after ovulation (as the ovum is released and travels through the fallopian tube).
I'm not sure if this is a myth or not, but - if sperm can live up to 5 days, if you have sex prior to visible changes, wouldn't it still be possible to get pregnant? (For example, having sex on Monday, start seeing signs T/W, ovulation happens Th/F - super sperm are still alive and reach egg on F). I'm sure the book would address concerns such as these... I've just assumed there's a window where a female doesn't know she's about to ovulate and sperm are still living.
I guess this discussion is also making me realize that if I want to be 100% either a vasectomy or tubal ligation may be the route to go...
I understand your concern, but sperm can only live in a hospitable environment (sticky/wet cervical mucus). Sperm dies almost instantly in a dry environment. So once you start seeing symptoms of wetness or stickiness, you have to be more careful.
Is there a chance you could take the Mini Pill? It's progesterone only, with no estrogen, which means a lot of the problems associated with hormonal birth control do not come with the Mini Pill.
I can't take hormonal birth control because of a problem I have with blood clots - I've never had one, but I'm more susceptible than the average person. I take the Mini Pill and have had no problems whatsoever. My periods are lighter too, with minimal cramping.
Just an idea - I wasn't sure what your reasons are for not taking anything with hormones.
@MsGolightly: very cool to hear you haven't had any problems with the mini pill. I don't have any specific medical limitation for not wanting to take the pill - I just don't want to introduce hormones into my body, in that way.
@wbninja: is correct. The MAX a sperm can live is 3-5 days and it has to be the right environment. In STM, once you experience fertile CF you abstain or switch to a barrier method. Abstaining is safer as if you dont have sex you cant get pregnant. If you use a barrier you are then subjected to the failure rate of that barrier. People who use this are usually OK with this or double up. Obviously, if it fails you are fertile so there's a chance you can get pregnant. The egg only lives about 24 hrs. People usually wait 48+ of temp rise confirming ovulation and lost symptoms to ensure it dies and if there is a double ovulation etc they're not risking it.
Def. do your research before you Dr and be firm in what you want. It's sad but the reality is that HBC have their hands on the dr's pockets.... A lot of GYNs will be OK telling you to chart to TTC but fail to see how the same system works in reverse. I have to fight my GP's a lot on it because they don't understand how a woman isn't on HBC. i wasn't aware it was the new standard of being a woman.... Don't back down on non-hormonals.... there is no reason for you to take them and I really do believe that once you read TCOYF it will all be less scary and make more sense. Let us know if you have any questions.
The amount of misinformation surrounding this issue which you will realize you have been led to beleive, as well as the amount of factual information about your reproductive system that you were never taught, will absolutely ASTOUND you once you read TCOYF. I promise.
@KLP2010: I know that you don't judge by the calendar date with some methods of NFP. That's why I said to the OP "if you want it to be effective/have a weird cycle, you have to be watching & check every day". Which you basically then reiterated to me, thanks for that. However, all I was pointing out was that a lot of people get complacent if they feel they have a "grasp" on their schedule.
I know that personally, I'd rather have an IUD or take a Pill than have to be paying attention to what colour my mucus is and taking my temperature every. single. day. I realise that some people find empowerment in that, but to me it's just a bother, since FH and I get to have sex maybe a couple times every 3 months.
@oracle: Surgical sterilization actually isn't 100% effective either, unfortunately. : /
I've had a copper IUD for 6 years now. Best thing I ever did for myself. Yes, insertion is a little painful, and my periods are heavier than when I was on the pill (but with no hormones, that's to be expected).
I have not had a single pregnancy scare since I got it. I love that there's no pills to worry about. I originally got one because I was about to lose my health insurance, so it's saved me a ton of money on pills, too.
Really the best person to have this conversation with is your GYN...a good GYN won't try to push anything on you. If yours does, then find a new Dr!
Just my my own personal experience.....I have a Mirena. I wanted off the pill and really wanted to be hormone free. I talked with my Dr, and decided that Mirena was the most effective method for me....apparently the hormones in Mirena are "localized," so they don't affect you the same way the pill does.
Good luck with your decision!
Another fan of Taking Charge of Your Fertility here. I bought a few months ago after reading about it on the boards here. It was so enlightening.
I started charting two cycles ago. It's amazing how much you learn about your body, and it's super, super easy -- no more difficult than remembering to take medicine, I'm sure.
I was just so thrilled to have found a non-invasive, non-chemical way of avoiding pregnancy. Look into it!!
Thanks, everyone, for your advice and sharing your experiences.
I just ordered TCOYF on Amazon and will have more questions after reading it, I'm sure :)
@Jenniphyr: Other than the "calendar method" which is the most outdated form and some new "cycle bead" crud, NFP and FAM does not utilize the calendar... at all. You don't have to check all the time and once you know what you're doing you don't "have" to take your temp every day. "checking your CF" is as time consuming and "inconvenient" as wiping after you use the restroom. It's kind of obvious if you're "dry" or "not dry," it's VERY obvious. It could be day 3 or 19... you know when it starts if you use the restroom (which I hope everyone does :). That week or whatever of fertile fluid is the only time you "attentively check." Otherwise it's just second nature. Once you have confirmed ovulation you don't "have" to take your temp. It is good however to do so for consistency as well as you'll know the DAY your starting your period... which I find convenient. I pre-medicate so I never have to worry about cramps and other icky symptoms of my period... :) I also get a "true" period and know what my hormones are doing. If I was to develop any sort of fertility issue, hormonal issue, and other types of lady problems I would actually know right away... In fact, some bee's here have actually been diagnosed with what their fertility issues are due to charting which allowed them to treat and move on in their TTC more quickly.
I guess another way of looking at your situation... is that for about 2-3 days out every three months.... you're altering your naturally functioning system to not work correctly so if on the off chance one of those "encounters" happens during 15 potentially fertile days out of 90 you won't get pregnant. For me, That's a lot of hormones and money waste making it a lot more inconvenient than using the restroom (which I do anyways :) and taking my temp for 60 secs.... which is about the same amount of time it takes to get your pill, water, and take it. Then there's also the fact that you don't need an annual exam (co-pay and lots of time. *of course you follow your dr's rec. schedule for paps etc. which right now is 2-3 years if "normal"). In the end... there are trade offs either way you choose hence the personal decision :) I do think it's VERY worth it for women to learn how easy it actually is to do things naturally and work with their body instead of fighting against it... and think it should be put forward as actual options... but it's up to each woman to evaluate her needs and the risks. Obviously, I choose the way that I perceive to have the lowest cost and risks to my health after a lot of research... which also means that I'm passionate about misinformation and stereotypes :).
@oracle: WOOHOO! Ask away once you get it! I'm sure you're going to be blown away reading it :) imho, it should be standard text in the "what's happening to my body" talks in grade school :) I was ticked when I was reading it that I was never informed about all this...
I had a paraguard (non hormonal IUD) and it sucked for me. the doctor said this is not really recommended for women who've never had children, but I wanted to try it anyway. also, I have a tendencey to have bad cramps and again, the doctor tried to warn me away from it. I should have listened to her.*
my cramps were EPIC. the first few days after getting it, I was taking handfulls of ibuprofen. the second it wore off, the pain was unbearable. I swear, they should have prescribed percoset for me! and then after that, the cramps were random and totally unpredictable. they came along any old time of the month, and when they came along, I had to curl up in a little ball (even if I was walking down the street). when it was time for my "monthly" period, the random cramps got even worse. it would last for 2 weeks and it was like the hoover dam had burst. I can't believe I actually kept it in for 6 months! it never got better.
*note that everyone's experience is different! my doctor warned me that I was not an ideal candidate for that paraguard, and I didn't listen to her!
I've been on the mirena IUD for 5 years and I LOVE IT. but if you absolutetly can't tolerate hormones, then it is not for you.
I am so thankful to have found this post!!! For the past 4 years, I have been unable to take any hormonal birth control methods due to an extreme reaction. I have never heard of the Mini Pill, but think it may be what I am looking for. Much research to follow, of course but I really appreciate the knowledge you ladies have shared.
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