Non-hormonal birth control

[scarsnsouvenirs.livejournal.com]

I'm posting on behalf of a friend who's not a member of the community. Her problem:

"I can't take any form of birth control pills (I was on Nuva Ring) anymore because the hormones appear to make me dreadfully ill. Apparently I am one of the people at risk for strokes, seizures, etc. because HBC gives me migraines so severe that I have numb spells where I can't feel my hands, feet, or other body parts. I'm sexually active and I also have PCOS. My doctor doesn't recommend copper IUDs, and I've done some research and I agree with her."

Any suggestions, recommendations, or similar sories to share? Thanks, guys.

Comments

[buickbaby64.livejournal.com]

There are a few other options, such as a diaphragm, which is a latex or non latex cup which is placed inside the vagina. It should be used with a spermicidal lubricant or foam. There is also the depo provera shot that can be given every 12 weeks by your drs. office. You should advise her to make an appointment with her practitioner or dr for a consultation. Hope everything works out!

[lady-door.livejournal.com]

Regarding Depo: That's hormonal, too, so if the OP's friend has a problem with hormones in general it's prolly not going to work so well for her.

To the OP: Did she mention why a copper IUD would be a bad idea in her case?

[liquorlyles.livejournal.com]

I'm really curious on this one too. I know the copper one MAY cause more servere cramps in some people (this is what I was told) and if you have PCOS then that might be a problem for some people.

[lady-door.livejournal.com]

I just wikipedia'd PCOS, and the article mentioned that women who have it tend to have really heavy periods. I know copper IUDs tend to increase bleeding, so if the OP's friend has heavy periods to begin with, she'd want to avoid anything that would exacerbate the problem. So that would be my guess as to why her gyno doesn't recommend that she get a copper IUD.

[lady-door.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, if her reaction to HBC is due to the amount of hormones, she might look into the Mirena IUD. If I understand correctly, it releases only a tiny amount of hormones, so women who have been unable to deal with other types of HBC can often handle it just fine. And unlike the copper IUD, it tends to reduce menstrual bleeding.

[liquorlyles.livejournal.com]

Condoms (female and male), diaphrams, femcap, the shield.


I'd recommend she goes to plannedparenthood.org and they give lots of non-hormonal methods of birth control and lists the pros and cons of each one.

[lileprechaun.livejournal.com]

The fertility awareness method may be an option for her. She could use it alone or in combination with a barrier method such as condoms.

[geminigirl]

With PCOS, cycles are often anovulatory, or inconsistent. Typical ovulatory signs may not be present, or clearly able to be interpreted. Trying to use FAM may actually help diagnose PCOS because there usually won't be a visible pattern or ovulatory spike.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Agreed totally.

[geminigirl]

For future reference (not necessarily yours, but in general) there's actually several sections in Taking Charge of Your Fertility about PCOS and FAM.

[mermaiddrowning.livejournal.com]

And I would also like to point out there are several herbal remedies that help women with PCOS to help their conditions and to help them have regular cycles so something like FAM might be an option. I posted the herbal remedy a while ago, I'll see if I can find it for you. There herbal remedies I found were in these two books: Herbal Remedies for Women by Amanda McQuade Crawford and Herbal healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar.

And I agree with everyone else that a barrier method might be the best choice for her.

[angel-eyes224.livejournal.com]

Was NuvaRing the only form of HBC she tried? I would really suggest she talk with her ob/gyn about this. We can offer her tips on non-normonal bc which many people have already done. But I know very few women who found the right HBC the first time. Maybe she could go on a low dose or a progestin only.

[ncsu-lady.livejournal.com]

I was getting severe migraines (well still do but thats another story) so we wanted to eliminate hbc.

I now have a Mirena IUD. Personally it was the best decision I have made. While I'm still adjusting to it (I also have endometriosis), I'm thrilled because I have noticed a decrease in my migraines and also have the conviences of a non-barrier method birth control.

[myfavouritescar.livejournal.com]

This is a link to PP's birth control info, it lists pretty much everything under headings, ignore the hormonal methods and the rest are her options.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/;jsessionid=C88364B6EB3C70FC1ECCFA76D7945F9E

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

"I can't take any form of birth control pills (I was on Nuva Ring) anymore because the hormones appear to make me dreadfully ill. Apparently I am one of the people at risk for strokes, seizures, etc. because HBC gives me migraines so severe that I have numb spells where I can't feel my hands, feet, or other body parts."

I'd like to know if Nuva Ring was the only hormonal birth control she's tried. If so, it's entirely possible that her reaction may have been to Nuva Ring specifically. However, as someone who's had pretty extreme reactions to HBC myself (though more along the lines of majorly inconvenient -- mass amounts of vomit -- than life-threatening), I understand any reluctance to do the trial and error thing because sometimes, if you can avoid it, it's just not worth the side effects.

"I'm sexually active and I also have PCOS."

Because of the PCOS, I'd also rule out the Fertility Awareness Method, which I'm usually way into recommending as an option. The PCOS makes it a distinct possibility that she'll produce fertile cervical fluid (maybe for several more days than is "normal") without actually ovulating. Essentially, it may mean that some of the fertility signs she observes may not actually match what's going on inside her body, which could end up ungood.

"My doctor doesn't recommend copper IUDs, and I've done some research and I agree with her."

I'd also be interested in knowing what her reservations are concerning copper IUDs. (Because, as you might remember, aside from my uterus resenting her little metal tenants and deciding to evict them, I thought they were the most fab birth control ever.) If her concerns are with risks for infection or expulsion, I may be able to find some sources that help explain with the most current information available.

If, however, her primary concerns are with side effects like cramping and heavy bleeding, she may want to consider a Mirena IUD. Though it does contain small amounts of progesterone (the equivalent of 1 or 2 POPs per week), many women who thought they were unable to use hormonal contraception go on to use it successfully. And unlike copper IUDs, Mirenas tend to reduce menstrual flow rather than increase it.

Condoms are also a non-hormonal option, as are diaphragms, cervical caps, Lea's Shield, and the Today Sponge. (Still on the market in the US, correct?) If the failure rate (and I'd look at typical use maybe more than perfect use) of any one method is too high for her comfort, she can also consider combining methods.

[aeone.livejournal.com]

I was just reading up on some other forms of non-hormonal BC.

Centchroman is one option, there is a TON of information regarding it on this website:

http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php

[maramaria.livejournal.com]

Actually the insert that I found on this website (I had never heard of Centchroman before) says that women with PCOS shouldn't take it. So Centchroman doesn't really seem to be an option.

[aeone.livejournal.com]

Yesterday, (or was it the day before?), was the first I'd heard of it, as well. Needless to say, I was merely tossing it out there as an option for non-hormonal BC for the poster to do his/her own research on.

[maramaria.livejournal.com]

Yes, I understand your intentions :) Well, if it doesn't work for the OP's friend, I guess that there are other women who would find the information useful. It is odd that this pill isn't discussed more widely.

[flexagon]

Nobody has asked whether your friend wants children at all. If it happens that she doesn't, then tubal ligation and Essure both become reasonable, permanent and non-hormonal options.

[scarsnsouvenirs.livejournal.com]

Good question. She isn't sure whether she wants children or not.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Though it should be added that depending on one's age, marital status, and/or parity, finding a doctor who will perform either a tubal ligation or Essure sterilization may be difficult. (I've been looking for nearly 6 years, though with more energy at some times than at others.)

[jocelina.livejournal.com]

Your friend might be able to get a Mirena IUD, even though it does contain hormones. A cousin of mine is also unable to take any sort of hormonal birth control (long story, but basically she got a blood clot a few years back and is on anti-clotting medication on a long-term basis) but she's had a Mirena for several years now and absolutely raves about it.

I don't know if that would be an option for your friend, but it couldn't hurt to ask. My cousin told me that her doctor said the level of hormones released by a Mirena are much, much lower than what regular hormonal b.c. (even the low-dose varieties) put in your system, and that's why it's safe for her to use.

[sandi1743.livejournal.com]

i know a few people have already ask if the ring was the only method that was tried and i too am wondering. I have PCOS and have been on yasmin for about a year after massive problems like your friend had. i have been pretty happy with it and i do not stop, just go from pack to pack and have been loving life ever since.
just a thought from one gal with PCOS to another.
also, as stated barrier and chemical methods do work well when used properly and every time.