to stay on birth control or not?

[em7568.livejournal.com]

So I'm not longer in a relationship, and thus not currently sexually active. If I become sexually active, it will absolutely involved a condom, and even when I was sexually active on BC I always had sex with a condom because I was paranoid about pregnancy. I've been on hormonal birth control for 2 yrs, my current prescription I get for cheap b/c of my insurance, but I'm considering going off it...

I've been reading here about plenty of other women who have said that their libido or ability to orgasm were impaired by being on BC, and while I never noticed any drastic changes in either, I don't feel that my orgasms have been quite as intense as before I was on BC, but I don't exactly document these things. And I know I've read studies about how women are attracted to men, pheromone-wise, is drastically different when they're on the pill. And well, even though I get my 'script for cheap, it's still some money and I really don't need it for birth control.

Also, I was supposed to see my gyno in August (1yr since my last appt) but won't be able to until December, and I'm not sure if refilling my 'script for that many months without a pap is something they'd be willing to do. I'm at a new school, and I might be able to see a Dr here for cheap, but I'm not sure how my school's coverage works yet, or exactly when it kicks in and start covering me (classes dont' start for another 2 1/2 weeks)

On the other hand, my periods used to be heavy and a little painful before BC, but are now light with few cramps now, plus knowing exactly when it'll come is a great thing. It was more or less regular beforehand, but who knows what my body would do if I went off the pill now? I think my skin is in better condition (less pimply). Plus it's always a backup should I become sexually active but have condom failure... not that that's ever happened to me before.

Basically, I'm just curious to see how my body would react w/o the hormones, but I'm not sure if sating that curiosity is worth giving up the conveniences of having them... any advice? or personal stories? or links to studies on such? I'll be finishing my last pack in a week and a half, and I've yet to come to any conclusions on my own.

Thanks!

Comments

[kuni-bob.livejournal.com]

To be honest, taking a short break from the Pill isn't likely to show you what your body is really like. I quit the Pill on a whim because I was sick of taking so many medications, and I didn't realize how much it would affect me, long-term. It took my body/skin about 3-4 months to readjust; at first, I didn't think there was any difference. By about 6 months, I was startled to realize how much my sex drive and mood had been affected by HBC, as I had never noticed a big difference. Even more surprising, my once erratic, brutally painful periods have never returned; I'm 28 days like clockwork, nearly two years after quitting the Pill (as opposed to the random 21-38 day cycle before HBC), and I rarely get strong cramps (NOTHING like before the Pill, which, honestly, was hell). My pseudoscientific explanation is that the Pill helped "train" my hormones. ;)

I know that many women have severe pain/acne when they're off of HBC, so I'm not saying that everyone's experience would be positive, but in my case, the experiment was SO worth it. (I have a copper IUD now.) Keep in mind, though, that if you decide to find out what your body is really like, you're going to need more than a few months to find out. (Also, if you had troubles during the 3 months that you started the Pill, there's a chance that you might have to go through that again if you decide to go back on it after a few months off of it.)

What it comes down to: everyone's body is different. Isn't that helpful? :\