quitting the pill, lack of sex drive

[andyrea.livejournal.com]

hello all! i looked through the memories a bit but i guess i'm hoping for more of a specific answer.

i've been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for almost exactly a year to the day. it's been good so far for the most part. i definitely became more emotional but the biggest problem is that i have no interest in sex anymore. i mean mentally i'll kind of want it, but i just don't get horny anymore! at all! i used to be a freakin horn dog so this has been very upsetting. and it's not only a mental thing. i feel like physically i'm not even responding anymore. i can have an orgasm if my bf really works at it but...it's completely different from how i used to be. yeah, it really really sucks. i guess i have a few questions

i'll be going back home overseas for a little over a month and i'm thinking about quitting the pill for this period of time just to see how i feel. then when i get back to the states i might want to start it again. so first off, how does one quit the pill? do i just stop taking it or should i wait until my placebo week?

and is this in any way bad for me? to stop it and then start it again only a month later? am i just going to be throwing my body completely out of wack?

and in terms of birth control, would anyone be willing to tell me their experiences with any other brands of pills? basically is anyone on a pill that hasn't killed their sex drive? i'm open to suggestions haha. i have to admit, i'm kind of squeamish and for some reason the idea of an iud or nuvaring don't really appeal to me. and i know everyone responds to things differently but i've had too many friends go through extreme side effects with the shot and yasmin. thanks everyone!

Comments

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

just some personal experience - i was on lo ovral (not a phasic pill, same low dose throughout the month) for probably 8+ years. at first, no problem, but i had negative sex drive for the last year+. it was bad news. so i quit - i quit at the end of a pack (so during the placebo week), and i've been 100% better since quitting. my interest is back - my husband is happy & so am i! :)

i'm not sure what would happen if you stopped & started within a month, hopefully others have good advice for you.

we're strictly using condoms now (pregnancy wouldn't be the end of the world for us) because i didn't want anything else hormonal & the idea of an iud (or anything internal, really) freaks me out too.

good luck!

[andyrea.livejournal.com]

thanks for the info! yeah i'm really not sure where the whole internal thing stems from...i love my divacup but the idea of getting too up close and personal with my cervix gives me shivers. totally thought i was the only one!

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

nope, you've got a buddy. scares the bejesus out of me for some reason!

[laurensellscorn.livejournal.com]

Omg, yes. When I first heard of the IUD, I thought of metal as in spikes up there, digging into the uterus. I have NOT been able to shake that no matter what I do!

So, no, you guys aren't the only ones!

[electric-colors.livejournal.com]

I <3 my diva too. Since I ran out of time this year, come to my program next year about resuable menstrual products!

[andyrea.livejournal.com]

definitely :)

[ratherbewater.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem with the Nuva Ring, which apparently is quite common. I've been off of it for about a month now and my sex drive is in full force again. I'm trying going off of HBC for a while to give my body a break after having been on it for 10+ years.

[sherarara.livejournal.com]

You know, I hadn't even thought about it before, but I've been on the same drug for about three years, and lately I've been experiencing the same thing. Totally weird. Well, at least I know that it's the Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo and not me.

[tankgirledward.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend thought I was either sick or dheeting on him, I went from having the libdo of an 18 year old boy to noting. It sucked. I thought that the ortho LOW wouldn't be so bad

[andyrea.livejournal.com]

ugh me too!!!!

[megz17.livejournal.com]

im on nuva ring also and my sex drive is non existant... its ruining my relationship, but i need it to balance my periods out... just thought id let you know it happened to me too, its not just you guys!

[aimforlove.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm in the same boat, and I didn't notice it until I read your post. I've been on B/C for a year now and my sex drive is completely gone. I use to be able to do "it" atleast 2-3 times a day ahah, and now I actually find it bothersome or a burden to put out. Wth?

I'm interested in seeing responses though. I need to switch or find a different method.

[h0rsegurrrl.livejournal.com]

Can I ask why the idea of an IUD doesn't appeal to you? It's really the way to go if you want little to no hormones, extremely high effectiveness, and allow for your natural libido.

[andyrea.livejournal.com]

it's the whole internal squeamish deal. i can't explain it. i just don't like the idea of people feeling up my insides if that makes any sense...i kind of mention it in the first few comments

[vasha321.livejournal.com]

I've gone through about 6 different pills before settling on one that seems to work the best for me, which is seasonique (this is my first cycle with it, but i was on seasonle for about 2 years prior). some pills would kill my sex drive, others made me dry, some left me with my painful cramps and so on.

seasonique seems like it might have increased my sex dirve some compared to seasonale, but it might be all in my head as well. i also enjoy it as it reduces my periods to 4 times a year, and although it doesn't eliminate my cramps (another brand or two I tried before did, but had some other side effect that I didn't like) it does reduce them, and having to suffer 4 times a year is much better than 12.

I recommend going to your doctor and letting them know about the side effect(s) that you are having, and they should be able to recommed a different pill (one that has a little more of this, or a little less of that) that may work better with your personal chemistry.

It really sucks, but ot may take trying several different pills for 3+ months each before you find one that is ideal for you.

[andyrea.livejournal.com]

thanks so much!