HBC and sex drive

[naked-beauty-21.livejournal.com]

Right now I'm on Seasonale and I'm LOVING it because I have horrible, miserable periods. But I'm HATING it because it has definitely lowered my sex drive and instead of orgasming 99% of the time I've been orgasming about 10% of the time. I'm pissed, I'm sick of it, and my husband is getting frustrated too, because he sees my frustration. I was on Desogen before Seasonale and it did the same things to me. I'd LOVE a non-hormonal form of birth control but my hubs and I both hate condoms and I don't feel like I'm responsible enough at this point in my life to effectively practice the rhythm method or whatever it's called. It wouldn't be a tragedy if I got pregnant but it would be super bad timing right now.

I've thought about getting a copper IUD, but I'm kind of terrified of the insertion process and my cervix is very low so I'd be afraid to use my menstrual cup. And I've heard the copper IUD tends to make periods longer and heavier, which would be ridiculous because my periods are horrible already.

So I'm kind of leaning towards maybe the implant? It would be different because it's only one hormone instead of two. And I wouldn't have to worry about taking a pill at the same time everyday, like the progestin only pill. From what I understand it's really important to take that one at THE SAME TIME every day. Do progestin-only methods affect sex drive as much? Any personal experiences? Any other ideas for me?

Thanks, lovlies.

Comments

[tigress35.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to chime in that I have heavy periods and used to have debilitating cramps. I desperately wanted a very low failure rate, low maintenance non-hormonal method, so I decided to give Paragard a try... I figured, how much worse could it get? For me, not any worse. Blood loss is very close, if not the same as before, measured by Diva cup. It's spread out over more days, so I find it slightly more manageable though annoying at the length of my periods (10 days). I also worked with a naturopath type doctor on my hormones and diet and my cramps are not a problem anymore, better than before Paragard. So just wanted to give my experience, that Paragard didn't make my bad period already worse. If its something you really want and you're financially able to be able to remove it if it doesn't work out for you, it could be worth considering a trial run. No advice on the cup as I don't really know how low my cervix is. Easily reachable during my period and I've not had a problem, I just make sure to keep my strings tucked away, but worrying about it would be no fun so that might be the dealbreaker.

[mennamachine.livejournal.com]

I'll second the fact that paragard did not change my off HBC period levels. I think a lot of the reports that it increases period heaviness are because many women switch to Paragard after being on HBC, which does reduce period symptoms. I read a journal article about it recently, even.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Curious, but would you be able to link the journal article and/or abstract?

I don't disbelieve you; this is just something I've been curious about myself. I'd read stats that copper IUD blood flow can increase by something like 20%. However, that wasn't in anything peer reviewed. And like you, my natural flow (as measured by menstrual cup) was equivalent to my Paragard flow (as measured by same).

[mennamachine.livejournal.com]

I'll look tomorrow when I have time, I think it was linked in IUD Divas within the last few months.

[timeprojectile.livejournal.com]

Sensitivity to hormones (and/or devices) is a very individual thing, so I can't say how you react. The implant is great in terms of the "forget about it" factor. I just let it sit there in my lower arm and it takes care of everything for me. No periods since inserting it 2 months ago. Best effectiveness as birth control on the market (failure rate is 1 in 2000, mostly due to doctor errors which you can check for by feeling for it in your arm to make sure it's inserted under the skin). I personally seem to respond well to birth control hormones so I haven't noticed any of them affecting my sex drive much except for Nuva Ring, but that was because it mechanically dried me out, not the hormones, I think.

A copper IUD risks making your horrible periods worse, or just longer. My response to one was similar to the other poster (they pretty much just got longer), but I'll mention that I got full cramps 2 days every period instead of just 1 (though they were similar in intensity), and it slipped out of place/partially expelled after a year and had to be taken out, an issue that users with no children have two or three times the risk of compared to those who have given birth. (10 or 15% vs. 5%). So it sounds like in your case you have to make a trade off between sex-drive and period control.

A Mirena IUD will lighten your periods and can sometimes be prescribed expressly for that purpose (getting around the non-FDA approval for childless women as birth control, though doctors can just ignore that anyway), many childless users report being happy with it, and it has the lowest hormone dose (progesterone) of any hormonal birth control on the market. The implant, on the other hand, has an intermediate dose somewhere between mini-pills and the high-dose Depo. So maybe talk to your doc and/or research on Planned Parenthood about a Mirena prescribed primarily for period control with birth control as a beneficial side effect.

If you're worried about expulsions, which I think can happen at similar rates to copper IUDs, then think about the implant, but think about ways you might try to recover your sex drive. A lot of sex drive is psychological, and I've found that how easily I get off can be changed an awful lot by my frame of mind. When I'm less focused on what I'm doing and especially more anxious about not being able to get off in a reasonable amount of time, I take longer; when I'm excited and confident and focused on sexy thoughts, I take less time. Maybe try improving mental focus on your current birth control before switching, so you can sort out roughly how much is psychological vs. hormones and decide accordingly.

[whiterabit.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to jump in and say that I was on BC for 7 years and I had a very high sex drive in the beginning. Towards the end of the 7 years I could not lubricate even if I wanted to (which I never did) and generally had NO interest in sex.

Honestly going off birth control has been its own drama (I have acne for the first time in my life) and I am generally freaked about condoms only. But my sex drive has returned almost 2 fold. It's a lot more intense than I remember it being but its definitely a welcome change to the HBC doldrums of not feeling aroused or excited at all.

[joe johnstun (sli) (from livejournal.com)]

Or HE could get a vasectomy..

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Funny how women are expected to make radical changes to their bodies in order to prevent conception...hmmm....

[naked-beauty-21.livejournal.com]

Uhh, we're in our early twenties and want to have kids in the near-ish future so that's not an option.

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

I got the Mirena to cope with my very heavy (20 oz + per month, as measured by the Diva Cup) periods. It hasn't made my periods go away, but it's made them much, much lighter. It also hasn't triggered my migraines or mood disorder, as oral contraceptives do.

I have not had a child and cannot have one at present because of financial / general life circumstance. While I didn't get the Mirena specifically for contraception, I am also very comfortable with its effectiveness.

For me, I liked that the Mirena could be quickly removed with very little fuss. Rationally or not, the implant or injection always seemed very invasive and like something I couldn't undo quickly if something went wrong. One other factor in my decision was that I travel a lot, and often to places where medical care is unavailable or not the best. Although I would NOT suggest removing one own's IUD, my care provider did talk to me about doing it myself if the need arose.

I think it really comes down to a matter of personal preference / how much you can spend / what happens with the stuff when it ends up in YOUR particular body, etc. But, if you want to read more about IUDs, you might visit the IUD-Divas livejournal. I am so, so happy with mine and I wish I'd gotten it years ago!

[hbfrois.livejournal.com]

I just got the implanon removed due to low sex drive. I caution you about this method because it's more troublesome than going cold turkey with pills or other relatively more temporary methods. It was okay in the beginning, I had a sex drive that was mildly affected. But my sex drive before birth control was abundant and overwhelming sometimes so I didnt mind the change suddenly... Later, I couldn't get turned on no matter how my partner tried. He felt rejected and shameful for his own urges and I felt less feminine. I am soossso envious of women that experienced an increase in libido. I would have loved this form of HBC. If you're still considering it see how you react to progestin-only "mini pills." Or even depo. The depo/mirena/implanon's efficacy depends on the same hormones. I mention the mini pill because it's the most temporary. also, in my case I believe I'm one of the women that react badly to progestin. If you do some research, you'll learn that some females react to progesterone and its synthetic versions as a stress hormone. My experience with implanon started with a slight decrease in sex drive, and I'd like to say it progressed into no libido as well as chemically induced migraines.. Thankfully in the worst of my migraines (ER trip etc) I had a removal scheduled and my migraines ceased within 24 hours. Good luck I hope you find the best method.