HBC newbie

[sockofnether.livejournal.com]

Hello once again, everyone, I'm a long-time lurker of this great community - don't comment much since my lack of experiences/knowledge so far, but I've posted once before and everyone was so helpful, thought I'd give it another shot. Everything I'm saying here is the result of Internet research and my own gut feelings/indecisiveness, so feel free to correct me/dispel my misgivings.

Basics first, I'm a 20 year old student in the UK who doesn't have much experience with HBC. So far in my rather meagre sex life, I've used condoms and only once (a week ago) the morning-after pill, more for my own peace of mind. Recently, I have started a sort-of-tentative relationship with a guy and I am considering a more permanent BC method. At first I was thinking of a copper IUD, but since my partner is rather large and there is some serious cervix-prodding activity during intercourse (rather pleasant, I must say, but I'd rather not stress every time afterwards if it's still in place) I decided to at least give HBC a try, even though I've always been weary of trying anything hormonal, mostly because of the scare stories (hah, preconceptions).

Now, I'm a smoker, and at first it seemed the best way to go was a progestogen-only pill, but I'm not very sure about it after all since I do have some (undiagnosed) history of depression and moodiness without the aid of hormones, I'm not sure if I want to take a chance especially since I have a busy uni semester ahead of me (also, the prospect of losing one's sex drive just now is a bit unappealing). I do know that all of this is trial and error, but for someone who smokes but has no history of blood pressure problems (it's a bit on the low side for my age, but my mother and grandmother have the same thing) or any other risk factors, would the combined pill work better to start off? Or should I chance the moodiness and start off with the single-hormone pill after all?

After a while I will probably try something with a longer lasting effect like an implant, patch or injections - mainly because I don't trust myself 100% to not miss a pill after the initial excitement of being responsible will go away, but since out of those three, only the patch has combined hormones, I'm a bit scared of trying combined, only to have it backfire when I switch afterwards. I am going to a sexual health clinic tomorrow afternoon since I got my period earlier today (less than two weeks after my last one, but since I used emergency contraception I've been told it's not uncommon) and to be honest, I'd rather start some form of HBC as soon as possible now that I have the prospect of a stable partner.

I apologise for the life story and for not even phrasing a very clear question - it just seems like a big step to take and I'd like to have as much info as possible. Any advice or feedback is loads welcome :)

Photo journey of transition from male to female

[inchoate.livejournal.com]

Though VPers may enjoy this : ) The happiness on her face after coming out was fantastic. 

http://www.mdolla.com/2011/02/morphing-int-woman.html

Enjoy!

Vomited after taking pill- only using for period control

[rocks-in-riots.livejournal.com]

Hi Fellow VPers,

I am taking a pill called Natazia. I can rarely find any info on it because it is so new. I took my pill about a 1/2 hour ago and just vomited. It says that vomiting within 4 hours of taking your pill is the same as a missed pill. According to Natazia if I miss the pill I missed I should throw out the pack and begin again. 

I am only using these pills for period control, not as contraception. Do I really need to start a new pack or can I just continue on my merry way with my hormones?

Thanks a bunch!

yeast infection + period?

[xx-socold-xx.livejournal.com]

I've been quite itchy lately. Most of the time its external, not actually inside the vagina. However, there will be times when the actual vagina itches. I have been having pretty normal discharge until yesterday, when I noticed it was kind of in small clumps, which is something I don't usually get.

This morning, I felt like I was having stomach problems so I went to the bathroom. The more I sat there, the more I felt like they were period cramps instead, but I'm not supposed to start for another 4 days. But hey, that's not too far off. So, when I got up and wiped, I had the same clumpy, small discharge but some of it was tinged pink. Could that be my period starting, and just mixing with this clumpy discharge? I do have some cramps, so I'm inclined to believe its not any sort of serious matter, but I don't think I've ever had this happen before so id like to check. :/

I've also been on antibiotics (ceftin) for about. 5 days now.

Sleep disturbances/nightmares before period?

[supercrook.livejournal.com]

Hey, everybody, I'm sorry to make a post about this when it's not exclusively related to reproductive or sexual health, but it's really freaking me out.

When I was younger, all I had for a few days before or the immediate first day of my period was gas and cramps. Now that I'm older, my depression seems to be worst before my period, and sometimes that's the only thing that reminds me it's on its way. (My period's usually somewhat irregular, I'm not on any kind of HBC yet, and I have a hard time remembering to keep a calendar of it or something. On a side note, are there any kind of free sites or programs for keeping track of menstruation/ovulation that don't assume you're doing so for the purposes of conception? I'm triggered by some pregnancy/fertility-related topics, and just keeping an ordinary calendar in my notebook hasn't helped much.)

I'm just about due to start my period, and the past week has been moderately bad depression-wise -- but more than anything else, I've had a ton of nightmares. No difficulty getting to sleep (which is new, though I've been using a lightbox to get my sleep patterns back in order) but I've been having really emotional, awful dreams that wake me up in the middle of the night. There's no extra/new stress in my life, is it possible these nightmares are a new feature of my cycle or are they just a side effect of the depression spike? Has anyone else had experiences like this? Or is this exclusively a sleep problem?