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After having three children, our family is just the size that we want, so we are faced with the decision of what birth control method to use going forward.
When I was younger, I was always on the birth control pill. It happened to be my method of choice.
I was disciplined about taking it daily. For me, it was easy and effective. But now, I am not so sure that this is the route that I want to go.
It has been eight months since I have decided to go back on the pill. I have been on multiple pills and am starting to get frustrated and exhausted from the process of finding the right one.
I am questioning that this is the right birth control choice for me.
My biggest issue is that I don’t like putting the hormones into my body. Every time I start a new pill, my body goes through an adjustment.
I am always told that the symptoms will subside within a month or two. Great. Until then, I experience nausea, cramping and other PMS symptoms.
The second thing is there are so many options of different pills.
Too many.
When I started the first pill, I was given an office sample. When my doctor called the prescription in and I went to pick it up, my co-pay was over $100 a month.
What ever happened to my $20 co-pay? I called my doctor to ask for a similar pill that wasn’t as expensive.
My second pill was supposed to have hormone levels similar to the first one that I tried. But with this pill, I went two months without getting a period.
“This is normal,” I was told. It just made me feel paranoid about pregnancy if I could never count on a period.
So my doctor switched my pill for something with a different hormone level.
I had another month of my body trying to adjust to what I was putting into it. Hey, at least the birth control part was working.
Except, I was feeling so bad that I never wanted to have sex. I didn’t need a pill for that method.
After one normal month on that pill, I began spotting on the second month in mid-cycle. The bleeding seemed abnormal so I went in to my doctor to have things checked out.
Nothing unusual was detected. She decided to try a third, different pill. She gave me another office sample.
When I called my insurance company, I was told that this pill would cost me $120 out of pocket, per month, with my insurance.
I should have known. Another expensive pill.
As I discussed other options with my doctor, she was kind enough to give me a couple of extra pill pack samples to use as I tried to make a decision.
I began to consider other methods. I knew several friends that were on the Mirena. I researched it.
I had the same objection, it would be placing hormones that I didn’t want into my body. I also was skeptical.
After my second son was born, the NuvaRing was the method that everyone was talking about. Everyone seemed to love it as a birth control choice.
Fast forward to now, seven years later and I continue to see media coverage about the health complications that some people are experiencing. As with most birth control methods, there are potential risks.
For me, I just don’t want to put anything into my body and I would like to avoid surgery. That limits the birth control options.
Another friend mentioned Natural Family Planning to me. I began the research process. It does seem to be a very natural method, and hopefully effective if followed correctly.
I find much more on-line about how to get pregnant with this method than avoiding pregnancy but when you are counting your ovulation days, it is essentially the same thing.
I read that to avoid pregnancy, I will need to abstain from sex from days 8-19 of my cycle. For a busy Mom, that should be no problem.
But when my husband finds out, he might just be making a run to the drugstore in search of the small boxes behind the counter. (Do they even keep them behind the counter anymore?)
When did birth control get this complicated?
Edited by Jody Smith
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