birth control: general thoughts

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Permalink Reply by Sjö on April 11, 2008 at 3:38pm

I have been on the pill, low hormone pill, the patch, the ring, lunelle and depo. All of them caused severe reactions and made me miserable. Like you, I would get sterilized if someone would do it but no one will. So last year, I had a copper IUD put in. That made my cramps a millions times worse and my bleeding was so heavy that I'd go though three to four super absorbency pads a day for a full 6 days. I knew that wasn't normal but I didn't have any other option. Ever since I've been raw, my cramps have completely disappeared and the bleeding is down to 3 really heavy days. I know that a piece of copper in your uterus isn't natural but sterilization isn't either and I know that I don't have the time for charting and plotting. If eating a raw diet counteracts the downside to the copper IUD given enough time, then I personally think it's the best choice for someone who doesn't want kids and has a busy lifestyle. Your set for periods of 10 years at a time with the IUD.

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Permalink Reply by Sinfully Raw on April 17, 2008 at 10:15pm

Hey Sjo,
I was considering copper IUD. Was that really expensive? Like you, I have gone through every type of hormone therapies out there with severe reactions. I went through a few types that made me go insane the week before my period, got really depressed, suicidal...I finally stopped everything once I went raw but I'm still looking for an alternative to relying on condoms. Can you feel it in you? Uncomfortable in anyway? Any spotting between periods?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Sjö on April 18, 2008 at 12:09am

My insurance covered it because I had so many problems with other forms of BC so the cost was only my $20 co-pay, which was great. However, it was difficult to find a doctor willing to put it in for some reason. Since I hadn't already had children, they thought it may have complications. It was my last resort so I went for it anyway and I've been perfect for over a year now. Not a single infection. I just had the terrible periods which are no longer an issue since going raw. The only problem was the pain of putting it in. I passed out and got sick to my stomach but I also pass out from whacking my funny bone too hard. haha Now that it's in, I don't feel it or have to worry about it at all. I just check once a month if it's still in the right place by feeling up there and seeing if I can feel the very bottom of the strings attached to it. (they are for removal later) My husband doesn't feel them during sex though and he's a decent size. I love that it last for 10 years and if I ever did change my mind and wanted a child, I can just have it removed and can immediately conceive unlike other forms of BC where it sometimes takes years for your system to be able to conceive again. Oh and I spotted a bit between periods for the 1st few months but not since I went raw.

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Permalink Reply by Sinfully Raw on April 18, 2008 at 8:51am

ooh Great info, thanks. My gyno had offered this as an option when I was switching to a new BC a few months ago but I said no because I was scared. I took myself off BC when I started raw and was looking for another option.

Thanks for the info, I'm going to explore this as an option at my next visit with my gyno.

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Permalink Reply by Valine on April 27, 2008 at 2:45am

Hi

This was such a useful and interesting post - even before I went raw I felt I had a difficult relationship with BC pills. I was put on Dianette (uber strong!! for acne) when I was about 17 and didn't come off that until I was about 22!! I stopped using the Dianette as I thought it had cleared my skin when in reality I was probably just moving into looking after myself better!! I wasn't happy about being on hormones and then by the time I was in another serious relationship I started on Jasmine. Although after the first three months I went back to using condoms as it was playing on my mind.

Condoms however just aren't enough of a guarantee for me. I do also enjoy the comfort of knowing I'm secure in not finding a baby in my uterus with the pill.

I looked into getting an IUD fitted but my doctor (in the UK) also didn't want me to have one as I haven't had children yet either.

I think I'll abstain for now and check out the Persona and use condoms as and when I need to.

Thanks everyone for all your helpful advice on this.

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Permalink Reply by Lydia Rebekah on April 16, 2008 at 11:33am

I been on and off the pill since I was 13. It is a nightmare.

Natural family planning where possible feels best for sure!!

Plenty of books on it etc..as well as modern technology to help!

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Permalink Reply by Breanna on April 16, 2008 at 11:53am

I used hormonal BC in the form of the 'nuvaring' for about a year when I was 20. It's the only thing I've tried, since I can never remember to take pills everyday, let alone within the same hour every day.
I loved it. It brought my periods down to 3 days long with very little bleeding. It was kind of nice to be regular, as I had never been before.
Now that I'm off it my periods are irregular again and average 4 days.
At the moment I'm just using abstinence. The best for of BC. lol. I'm afraid I might not be able to keep my abstinent single life for long and am worried about getting pregnant. I don't really feel like putting hormones in my body again, even if it's a small dosage. Especially if I don't really have a partner and it's only a possibility that I might have sex.

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Permalink Reply by Aj on April 18, 2008 at 4:10am

how about the honey cap? - it's the cap but you use manuka honey instead of a spermicidal (chemical) gel.
you can go and get one fitted properly there's a female doctor in harley street that does it.
i have many friends who have used it all their grown-up life and have children but never had an unplanned pregnancy. It was always easy to get pregnant too cos with the HC there was no chemical inbalance to readjust to like when you might stop taking the pill in order to conceive.
Also, as it is a natural substance you can leave the cap inside you so its not a dash or an inconvenience to put it in place in time for 'the moment' ;O)

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Permalink Reply by Aj on April 18, 2008 at 5:47am

http://thewelltimedperiod.blogspot.com/2007/05/honey-cap.html

check it out.

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Permalink Reply by Renee on January 16, 2009 at 10:44pm

I was on birth control for almost 10 years until I discovered raw foods and I quit putting all drugs into my body-off asthma inhaler, off anti-depressents, and off the nuva ring and I never felt better! After getting off BC, I didn't get my period naturally for 5 months!! I finally got it while I was doing the ejuva detox and I think that is what finally "released" me. I realized the fact that my body had forgotten how to manage its' hormones and it was eye opening to me how much my body was screwed up. I love being independent from unnatural hormones now and everything is better. My periods are even lighter and shorter! I stick strictly to condoms and live by the virtue that if the condom doesn't work, than it was nature's way of saying I was meant to get prenant...(though I have no children and have not been pregnant yet :)) My thought is this....be as natural as possible, especially when it comes to puting pharmaceuticals into your body!

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Permalink Reply by Caitlin on February 17, 2009 at 10:54am

I stay on the pill (AND use condoms) because, lets face it, both methods still have that small chance of not working. I just know that there is no possible way at this point in my life that I could support a child and I want to be able to do everything I can for my children when I have them some day.

The main way that Birth control can be "dangerous" is if you mix it with other medications or if you have an unhealthy lifestyle (alcohol, lack of sleep, no exercise, bad diet). When you take other medications or have an unhealthy lifestyle with birth control, two things happen:
1) You increase the risk of the side effects for the bc and any medication you take
2) The other medications and/or bad habits decrease the effectiveness of the birth control, so you have a higher chance of the pill not working.

So basically I make sure that I try my hardest not to take any other medications and I stay raw. The good thing is that raw food will keep you from having to take medication for things a lot of times, which is great!

So, if you are an average to above average healthy individual (which if you are raw, you are definitely above average), the risks of negative effects are much smaller than if you are including other medications or if you do not eat/live in a healthy manner.

I hope that helps! I grew up around ob/gyn people (my mom has worked in one for over 20 years) and hear a lot about this stuff all the time. Some of the midwives at the clinic are raw as well--they rock!

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