Birth control options...

[freaky-saiyuki.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone,
so i have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. Its going to be my boyfriends birthday in 3 weeks and we have decided to finally have sex for his birthday. However my GP told me that i should start my birth control pills the next time i have my period so im waiting till then to start them, but according to my calculations im due to have my period a few days before his birthday. Hes also said that he would like to have sex bare without a condom, and i said only for special occasions. So, ive been thinking his birthday is a special occasion and id like to have sex without a condom. But my GP said even after a week using the pill i should still use a condom.

so ive come up with a few options
a. dont start the pill have sex then use the morning after pill.
b. use the pill and use condom aswell
c. use the pill have sex withOUT condoms and use the morning after pill the next day.

I guess my main concern is...does the morning after pill interfere with the pill? And is being on the pill only reliable enough..?
Ive been prescribed LEVLEN ED TABLET 150mcg/30mcg (21), inactive (7) what are your experiences with this particular brand?

Im still a virgin and have never been on the pill before so...i would like to get some opinions.

many thanks

Comments

[loototherah.livejournal.com]

I get that a lot of guys prefer to have sex bare, and I know you want to make your boyfriend happy, but that shouldn't mean compromising your safety and health.

In my humble opinion, Plan B should only be used as a backup plan. Anecdotally, none of my friends who have ever used it PLANNED to use it, because it can really screw up your cycle/health for the following few weeks. I would not take the idea of taking Plan B lightly.

What I would do, if I was in your shoes, is tell my boyfriend that you want to give him the special occasion, no-condom sex, but that you'd like to postpone it until your BC is in full effect. You can tell him you will still have sex on his birthday, WITH a condom, and that you'll make it up to him in a few weeks.

He needs to understand the risks you all would be running if he does not wear a condom on his birthday. Trust me when I say that him wearing a condom for one night is not going to affect him nearly as much as you having to take Plan B.

[juliiie87.livejournal.com]

Also, about birth control : read through your pamphlet, but according to planned parenthood online (somebody provide a link please?) you can start most pills, or at least the 21/7 ones ANY DAY and consider ir effective by the 7 th pill. However, I still agree that adding a condom is much safer for both of you. You shouldn't take risks for a few seconds (or minutes ^^) of added pleasure.

[archangelbeth]

A is, forgive me, extremely sub-optimal. Plan B is Plan B, not Plan A. It is very effective, but it still has a failure rate, and the high dose of hormones may make your system upset, and almost certainly will make your bleeding cycles wonky -- and has a chance of doing that even if you are on another form of HBC. Basically... save Plan B for a real emergency.

Now, the thing about HBC. It takes, for most brands of pill, 1 week to hypnotize the ovaries ("Youuuuu already ovuuuuulated! Don't dooooo it again!"). If you start on the first day of your period, that week overlaps with the days of bleeding which, on your natural period, are a very good sign that you are not ovulating, so you are considered protected "immediately" if you start on your period. If you start at any other time, you are protected after 7 days (on most brands, including Leven Ed).

Now, there are still good reasons to use backup contraception even when you are fully protected. Primarily, if this is the first time that you have been on HBC, you do not yet know if your body will react okay (as most do), or if you will have side effects. And though it's rare, some people have side effects (such as an allergic reaction!) that require them to discontinue the pill immediately. (That's where Plan B would come in, potentially.)

No one can tell you if your body will react well or badly to this pill. NO ONE. Everyone gets to make their own roll on the Random Side Effects Table. However, finding out if the side effects are just too awful or not tends to show up in... the first month.

Likewise, if you take your first 7 pills perfectly, but then your habit of pill-taking falls apart and you miss days, you could put yourself at risk of ovulation. And to establish a habit securely takes... about a month!

Which is basically why doctors suggest taking a month before relying on the pill alone. They don't want you to be scared to take the pill or second-guess yourself into thinking you have side effects (when all you actually have is stress about side effects, or really minor side effects magnified by stress), so they don't say that part. And they know that most everyone will say, "Oh, it's fine, I can take my pills perfectly from the start!" when human nature is such that a lot of them won't.

So it's a good idea to use backup contraception for at least a month, but it's not because you're not protected -- it's because there are a couple things that could go wrong that could compromise your protection.

Now, using a backup form of contraception doesn't have to be condoms. It can be spermicidal foam (or film, or suppositories), contraceptive sponges, or even withdrawal, if your partner is good at that. (And the withdrawal method is simple in concept, but often very hard to master, especially for younger penis-equipped folks.) You could go bare for a short time and then put on a condom. You could use an expensive lambskin condom (NaturaLamb brand in the US), which my spouse says feels about as good as bare!

Anyway, you'll notice that the only thing I've said is that using Plan B as Plan A isn't optimal. The rest is information, so you can make your choices.

(Further data:
• No, the morning after pill will not interfere with HBC. Plan B is basically a larger dose of a progesterone, and your pill is a combined estrogen/progesterone pill anyway.
• Yes, you can always pair up forms of contraception. Check out http://www.scarleteen.com/article/reproduction/the_buddy_system_effectiveness_rates_for_backing_up_your_birth_control_with_a_s for more data!
• When you are on your withdrawal bleed, it is NOT your period. It is your withdrawal bleed. The hormones drop, your uterus gets that as a signal to bleed, and your ovaries start waking up. This is why you need to follow the 21/7 rule. 21 (or more!) days of active pills, and no more than 7 (fewer is fine!) days without them. If you go longer, then even if your uterus is still bleeding, your ovaries may wake up enough to ovulate.)

I must run! Good luck!

[the-bone-doctor.livejournal.com]

Hi there, I'm glad you felt comfortable to post to this community! If you are ready for sex and excited about it, then congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful first time. Since you are asking for opinions, I'll share my own experience. I have had to use the morning after pill a few times, and each time it has thrown my cycle off significantly- excess bleeding, longer cycle, and intense emotions. I also had a lot of tummy issues (diarrhea, upset stomach). Finally, one of the times it was ineffective and I got pregnant even though I took it within 12 hours. Plan B is great as a backup plan, but it doesn't always work and is probably not a great frontline plan. Condoms and/or oral contraceptive pills have a much much higher rate of effectiveness, so I'd strongly suggest using them separately or together. As you've already found out, you won't be optimally protected during your first week of using the pill, so it's best to double up or simply wait for that week. As others have mentioned, perhaps there are other ways to make your boyfriend's birthday special? Maybe even a sexy IOU? (Although sex is not a transaction and I hope you know that you don't need to do it if you're not 100% into it.) People are giving you all sorts of great advice here- I hope you aren't overwhelmed! Remember, have fun, and safety can be sexy too!

[misspaigeb.livejournal.com]

You can start taking your BC any time, you don't have to wait for your period to start. So if I were you I'd start it ASAP so you can get used to taking it on time and be fully protected by the time your boyfriend's birthday rolls around. You also don't need to take Plan B if you're using your birth control correctly, but if you feel more comfortable using a condom + BC totally go for it. Lots of people do that for added pregnancy protection and STI protection.

[fushigi-na-chou.livejournal.com]

I wanted to add my two cents regarding starting your pill immediately. Like others have said, you can totally do that if you choose, and you will have full pregnancy protection by the time your boyfriend's birthday rolls around. The only potential downside is that it can have side effects of its own. I'm often too impatient to wait for a Sunday start or first day of my period when switching brands (I've done it twice now I think?), and usually start the day I get my prescription. In my experience, I have gotten breakthrough bleeding (which, for me, was like having a period for two weeks straight) and minor cramping. However, your experience may be completely different. You may not get breakthrough bleeding at all, and if you do, it may be spotting, or it may be like a period, and it might last for a day or a few weeks. Everyone's body reacts differently. Just something to consider when thinking about starting your pill as soon as possible rather than waiting for a Sunday start or the start of your period.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Is the pill Levlen? I can't find Leven anywhere...

I was going to say that for combined pills, if you start on the first day of your period you are protected immediately. But when I looked up the instructions for Levlen, it says it takes 14 days. This isn't what I've heard before...but I guess it's the most reliable info.

If anyone knows what this is the case, I'd love to hear. :)

[lurkch.livejournal.com]

There's some question as to how Plan B works so it may not prevent pregnancy in all cases, which is something to ponder.

The other thing is that depending on the length of your cycle, getting pregnant in the first 3-5 days of your period is unlikely (but not impossible).

Have you considered giving your boyfriend his present belatedly? As in, giving him an I.O.U. for sex without condoms to be redeemed at a future date when your birth control has kicked in (after all, birth control is not just protection for you but protection for him as well)?

[freaky-saiyuki.livejournal.com]

Firstly i just want to thank you all, all of you have been very helpful.

I have thought about it and will stay on the pill and tell him to use a condom.

Also i just wanted to add,i do adore my boyfriend. But there is no pressure involved AT ALL! We get really heated while making out and being naked with each other we come close to just having sex. At times i just beg him to make love to me! But obviously we weren't prepared with the appropriate contraception so never went all the way. But it happens to be that as we are both ready to take that step and prepared (with BC pills and condoms) its close to his birthday :D

Although i will listen to my heart and my body when the time comes and if im not ready we will wait till i am :D

Many thanks again.