How long does it take for BC to wear off? + cervical caps

[draba.livejournal.com]

Hi,

I'm not sure if it's OK to ask this, or if has been asked before, so if I'm cluttering things up, please let me know where I should be asking this question. . .

Anyway, I have been on a low-dose birth control pill for just over a week-- the kind with both estrogen and progesterone. Basically it has been a week from hell, with unbearable digestive disturbances of various kinds (bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, gas, almost everything one could imagine other than actually throwing up, which is something I very rarely do), mood swings, hot flashes, crying at stupid things, and generally not feeling able to cope, as I am in my first month of grad school. I can't deal with any of this right now, so I am stopping the pills and will be looking into other options as soon as I have time to call Planned Parenthood.

So, two questions:
After having been in the pill for a week and a half, how long should it take for these awful symptoms to go away? I'm hoping days but imagining/fearing I'll have some effects for a couple months. Help please. . . I know a lot of people might say "stick it out, the side effects should go away" but I just can't deal with feeling so awful when I need to be at my best for grad school.

And, I am wondering what people's experiences with the cervical cap have been like. I'm pretty sure that's one of the only options left to me/us (my boyfriend and me), since I tried the copper IUD w/ bad results and I seem unable to tolerate hormones.

Thank you superstars!!

Comments

[vertbio.livejournal.com]

My one friend who has tried a cervical cap didn't like it at all. It had a tendency to move and slip. She kept getting yeast infections from it too, not sure if it was the cap or the spermicide or what. She was using it right, but I don't know if she had a funky cervix or her partner was large and kept bumping it or what. That's the only experience I somewhat have with them.

Have you thought about Mirena? It's only progesterone, no estrogen (which is often the culprit for a lot of ill effects people get on the pill) and it's delivered locally to the uterus, so not as much is flowing through the blood. HBC pills have to go through the blood.

I'm really sensitive to drugs usually, though I've never been on HBC pills before, always been too afraid of them. I have the Mirena and there's no negative side effects whatsoever. Obviously everybody is different, but it might be worth a try, especially if you can get insurance to cover it or get one for low cost/free from a special program or clinic.

[draba.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I appreciate the info about the cervical cap. I just called my region's Planned Parenthood today and it turns out that they no longer even do them at all-- and the woman who answered the phone didn't even know what it WAS!!!!!

I am scared of all artificial hormones now. I really don't want to use them-- I'm even scared of getting the Mirena, since I know that a lot of people do notice a good deal of hormonal side effects on that, at least at first, but in order to consider the copper IUD, which I had before, I have to get an allergy test and I don't know how much they cost and since I just moved I don't know where I'd go to get one. Ugh. . .

Anyway, thank you to both of you for trying to help.

[princessselene.livejournal.com]

The one time I tried Seasonale (I had been on Ortho Cyclen) was the worst six weeks of my life. I had the exact same issues, but once I was back on my normal HBC, the issues all vanished. We think it was probably due to the binding agent, which I could've been sensitive to (my body didn't like the binding agent difference between the brand name and generic of Ortho Cyclen either). It can take a few different tries before finding something that will work. My sister had similar issues plus endometriosis and found the Mirena worked well for her. Maybe that would be worth a shot?

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

I can't take synthetic estrogen at all -- it makes my migraines way worse and triggers depressive episodes. However, I had to do something about my very heavy menstrual bleeding. The Mirena, which I've had for about 18 months, has been HUGELY helpful. The only side effects I've noticed are a slight uptick in my acne (treated with zinc tablets) and more of a tendency to bloat before my period (helped a great deal by giving up wheat).

Sometimes I feel like this is my hobby-horse on VaginaPagina, I'm the girl with a mood problem and heavy bleeding and I heart Mirena.

I should say, though, that my mum used a diaphragm for many years and never had an unintentional pregnancy. I really wanted to try one for contraception but it turns out I'm allergic to spermicide so it wasn't an option. That's interesting about the cervical cap...hmm.
Diaphragms are larger than cervical caps so might not slip around as much, but you might find that you have a spermicide sensitivity, too.

[draba.livejournal.com]

Thank you-- unfortunately I am allergic to both spermicide and latex. . . and the large size of the diaphragm doesn't appeal to me.

I'm just afraid to mess with my hormones in any way at all now, after what I have been going through. I think the paragard might be my only option. I'll see if I am allergic to nickel and/or copper, I guess, and go from there.

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

Bummer -- I've got the same allergies. If it's any consolation, I was - not - allergic to the Paragard.