Trans man on testosterone needing help deciding on a secondary BC method

[0h60dd4mni7.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone!

I’m a trans man who takes testosterone, but often go without it due to money issues and needle anxiety. I’ve currently been off it for 3-4 months but plan on starting up again very soon.

I’m in a monogamous relationship with a non-trans man, coming up on our one-year anniversary. We have sex pretty often (at least several times a week, sometimes more than once in a day) and it’s always PIV. Sometimes we start out condom-less and put one on once things move past a certain point, and sometimes he puts a condom on right from the start. He knows his body very well and we’ve never had any close calls.


I DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, want to get pregnant. Lately I’ve found myself thinking, hours after sex, when he’s not around “You’re playing Russian Roulette, and if you get shot, it’s your fault.” Which is a terrible thing to think about sex, especially awesome, loving, safe sex with one’s committed partner. So I’m looking for a second BC method to mitigate that anxiety.

Currently I’ve narrowed down to Implanon and Mirena. My main concerns are:
a) Making sure the method doesn’t decrease the effectiveness of the testosterone, once I start it again
b) Cost (I’m a student with little to no income. I have insurance through my mom's work but I think I’m going to have to call and see what they cover, and my phone anxiety makes that an unfun prospect)

So do y’all have any thoughts on my specific situation, whether just advice about Implanon versus Mirena, other methods that might work better, or general advice that came to mind when reading this? I’ve done a lot of research, but I feel like there’s probably things I’ve missed or just haven’t thought about, and so I wanted to ask this community to weigh in. The only methods I’ve ever used are condoms and spermicide, so venturing into dealing with other methods is a little overwhelming.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[sxdx.livejournal.com]

I think that has something to do with it but also that I've just heard A LOT of feedback about Mirena and not so much about Inplanon. I also like that Mirena is a quicker/less painful removal. The insertion/removal process sends my anxiety sky high. And you have to have it replaced every 3 years, I believe Mirena lasts way longer. Now, I've never use either but I do have a lot of friends who are post baby and need birth control (it comes up a lot in my parenting communities) and the general consensus is for Mirena.

I, personally, am not a fan of birth control and successfully used the pull out method for nearly 10 years but even a tiny risk is too big now plus I don't always like sperm on me. ANYWAY, all of that led me to the mini-pill. Mostly because I am still nursing my toddler but also because it was the least invasive and I don't have periods on it at all. I had minor breakthrough bleeding the first month and after that nothing (it's been 6 months). I even stopped it for a few days (Mardi Gras, ran out, nothing open) and still no bleeding. I hate my period so this was the best outcome. I DO have a pack of pregnancy tests that I will use every month or two for peace of mind.

I hope you work things out, birth control is so confusing and overwhelming. Honestly, I think if you find the right doctor and have your t-note in hand you may be able to get a permanent procedure. I have found that the tumblr blog fuckyeahftm is really great for getting information on these types of things. The age range is like 13-24 (give or take) and the guys there are all in various stages of transition world-wide and usually someone has first hand advice. I find it to be a really active, supportive, and informative community. I hope things work out in the best way possible!

[0h60dd4mni7.livejournal.com]

I actually posted on fuckyeahftms first, and was given some pretty good advice. I then went to the ftm lj community and looked through the tags, and saw a suggestion to come here. There wasn't a lot of consensus on how progesterone interacts with testosterone though, so I figured I'd come here as well.

[sxdx.livejournal.com]

Oh cool! You're way ahead of me! I really enjoy that group. I'm not trans but I do consider myself moderately gender fluid (and have been since I could remember) and I enjoy the posts.

I hope you figure out what you're looking for.

No pressure but if you want a tumblr follower, I'm farside0fnowhere!