Post # 1
Member
10851 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
Alright. I know this has been discussed before, but I’m looking for a bit of first hand advice/experience here. I’ll start by saying that Darling Husband and I are not TTC, we’re a couple years off. I’ve noticed over the last couple of years my sex drive has been dwindling and now is pretty minimal (poor Darling Husband, he would never complain though). I know a lot of you ladies have said that you found it had to do with your birth control pills and that going off BC made a big difference. I’ve been on BC since I was 16. I’m on Synphasic and I’ve been on that brand for a good couple of years I believe. We talked about me going off the pill to see if it would help with my sex drive and investigate other methods of birth control like an IUD or Depro or just plain old condoms.
I went to speak to my doctor about this today and he basically told me that my low sex drive has nothing to do with birth control and that it’s stress. Ummmm I’m really fortunate that I have very little to nothing to be stressed about… He said that an IUD isn’t a good option for me since I’ve never had kids, so my uterus would be too tight for a copper coil IUD, and the Mirena is better for someone with a heavy period. Then he said that Depro isn’t good if you’re planning on having kids since it can take 3-12 months from stopping the shots until you can concieve. His final words of advice were to keep taking my BC pills and be less stressed, sex life generally slows down the longer you’ve been with someone. What?! Totally not the answer I was expecting from him…
Darling Husband and I have talked, and we’re thinking I should maybe go off BC pills, we’ll use condoms and track my ovulation (I know a few of you swear by one method, please remind me what it is!!!) but it’s a bit terrifying since I’ve been on BC since I was a teenager!!! Anyone have any advice or thoughts to offer?
Post # 3
Member
1986 posts
Buzzing bee
Well, I was affected by BC, by the pill, though, not the patch as much. We use FAM and condoms now though 🙂 I will never use Depo, it made me evil and gain 10lbs in a month.
Post # 4
Member
10851 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
@Belle2Be: My doctor never even mentioned the patch. I wonder how common it is (or if it exists?!) here in Canada come to think of it… FAM! That’s what I was thinking of. Any input or recommendations there?
Post # 5
Member
714 posts
Busy bee
I was on the pill for 15ish years and I had some diminished sex drive. I have been off the pill for about 5 months and it is slowly returning. If you would like to learn more about FAM you should get the book Taking control of your Fertility. Your doctor is right about some of the info. The diminished sex drive could be a number of different factors…the pill could be one of them, but don’t expect going off the pill to be a quick fix. Good luck!
Post # 6
Member
1361 posts
Bumble bee
Uck, doctors and “you’re stressed”. My mom was sick for almost a year (physical symptoms!) and he told her that she was just stressed and that’s it. Grrr…why do you guys go to school for so many years if you’re not going to investigate and figure things out!?
Sorry, no other advice. Just a slight rant/sympathizing.
Post # 7
Member
2867 posts
Sugar bee
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is the book you want and a lot of Catholic Dioceses offer NFP classes through couple-to-couple league.
Unfortunately, due to some reproductive disorders, I have to take birth control to alleviate some of my symptoms. I only recently was dxed but learned about NFP before. It’s pretty reliable if you’re willing to put in the little effort in the beginning (learning how to chart and read fertility symptoms). As a final suggestion, I’d look into a different GYN/GP if s/he is going to dismiss you.
Post # 8
Member
42 posts
Newbee
Do you have Implanon where you are? Some of my friends use it and find it a great b/c, others are not so pleased. I think it’s one of those things that you don’t know how you’ll react until you try it. I also have two friend’s who have got the Mirena IUD (neither of them have had kids), maybe talk to another doctor about it as Mirena seems really good. I hear horrible things about Depo, it can linger in your body and mess with your fertility for a long time.
Personally, I had bad results with the pill and then Implanon, for similar reasons. We’ve been using just condoms for two years now, and it’s working really well. We haven’t had any slip ups. I’m happier, because I feel the less medication I put in my body the better, I feel healthier and the sex drive has rebounded. So, from my point of view, going off birth control and switching to condoms has been totally worth it.
Post # 9
Member
4137 posts
Honey bee
ugh my doctor told me the same thing! i was thinking of going off bc after the wedding.
the patch was taken off the market a few years ago, and i don’t think it’s been reintroduced.
Post # 10
Member
411 posts
Helper bee
I switched from BCP to the NuvaRing, and my sex drive went sky high!! Too bad my acne wasn’t a fan of it : I LOVED being on it.
Post # 11
Member
441 posts
Helper bee
I stopped taking BC after my wedding. I had a really low sex drive, but even worse, I had terrible mood swings where I would be horribly sad and crying for absolutely no reason. I also hate putting medication into my body that’s not medically necessary, but that’s just a personal thing. Anyway, I’ve only been off for a month now, and I can say the mood swings have been gone so far (thank god!). My sex drive is still low, but it can take a while to come back, or it could be due to other things than BC.
It’s not going to hurt you if you stop taking BC for a few months to see how you react. There are other birth control methods out there (we use condoms) that work well, but as always, you should be prepared for the chance of a baby. Good luck!
Post # 12
Member
3762 posts
Honey bee
Best Wishes! I went off BCP about 8 months ago. We have been using condoms, charting, and POM throughout the month.
Post # 13
Member
103 posts
Blushing bee
I’ve been off and on birth control for about 12 years now. And I definately notice an upswing in sex drive (and overall wellbeing) when I am off from it. I’ve switched brands a number of times to try to get the best results (fewer cramps and mood swings without low sex drive and depression) and have found each to give different results. I have found for myself the low estrogen ones tend to not reduce my sex drive as much as some of the others. If you want to stay on the pill you could ask to try something new.
Good luck!
Post # 14
Member
614 posts
Busy bee
I was on loestrin from 3 months before my wedding till recently. I went off BC just a few weeks ago for the same reason as you, and that I was worried about blood clots–my SIL had a bad episode with a blood clot due to her BC last year. After talking to my gyno, she suggested just using condoms. So… that’s what we’re doing. We’ve been married about a year, but we plan on having kids in about 2 years. I have noticed a definite increase in my sex drive. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I’m happy about it regardless!
I plan to try FAM in addition to condoms, just to be safe, but I have to get a little more regular. 🙂
Post # 15
Member
10851 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
@beekiss2: Agreed. My doctor is really hit and miss. Some times he’s fantastic, some times his answer to everything is “it’s stress” which is really annoying. I’m going to try to get into DH’s doctor, but she’s been closed to new patients for years. I’m hoping he can pull the wife card though and they’d be willing to squeeze me in. But really, I don’t want to be dismissed when I ask what I think are pretty valid questions.
@Hard Hat Purple Boots: We don’t have Implanon in Canada. I’ve heard varied experiences with it as well though.
Thanks for your input ladies! For those of you who went off BCP what was it like the first couple of months? Weight gain/loss? Acne? I realize any sense of AF’s regularity is going to be thrown out the window…
Post # 16
Member
322 posts
Helper bee
If you are still a couple of years out from wanting to have kids, I would stay on some type of BC… just so you don’t have an accident, for whatever reason.
I have been on many different BC pills, as well as the patch, and none of those really worked for me – I would either gain a ton of weight, or my sex drive would be next to nothing. I was put on the Nuvaring and I absolutely love it. Not only do you not have to worry about taking it every day, but I didn’t gain any weight (I actually lost weight). And my sex drive went way up!
