herbal birth control and infertility

[eatmyveggies.livejournal.com]

anyone had luck with using herbs or herbal supplements as a form of birth control?

i just got the depo provera shot a few months ago, which i seriously regret.  i was in the process of trying to lose weight which was going smoothly, but post-shot i gained the weight all back plus more.  i've also felt pretty lackluster and unambitious, and my sex drive is totally DEAD.  i can't even orgasm.  so basically, i would never get the shot again and i'd like to find birth control options that wouldn't affect me so much hormonally.

also, i'm interested in sterilization.  i don't want to have kids, but i'm not sure that a doctor would perform an infertility procedure on a single, childless woman under 25.  any experience with that?

Comments

[sarasnee.livejournal.com]

You always have a copper IUD as a more permanent option of birth control that is non-hormonal but doesn't make you lose your fertility if you can't find a doc to take away your fertility completely. They can be worn for 5-10 years, versus a hormonal one that is 3-5 years. At any rate, depo isn't a good example of all HBC types, you could always just try a different one with a different hormone dosage based on your doc's recommendation. Some affect libido, some don't, it's unfortunately kind of a crap shoot. good luck!

[eatmyveggies.livejournal.com]

hmm, i've never talked to my doctor about using an IUD. i've used other HBC before and the low-dose kind didn't affect me all that much, but i'm terrible with remembering to take them daily. the main reason i don't want to use HBC is that i do not plan to have children (naturally), and i do not want to take HBC for the decades until menopause. i just can't imagine what that might do to my body over the long term.

[sarasnee.livejournal.com]

I totally understand that (I'm a past anti-hormones conspiracy theorist), sounds like IUD is a cool option if your doc is anti-infertility-procedures at your age.

[minisecret.livejournal.com]

Although I completely understand that you're just generally unsatisfied with what you've experienced of HBC, I would imagine that taking it for 10 years or so and then getting sterilised wouldn't do much harm to your body.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

HBC really hasn't been shown to have negative side effects over the long-term - it actually reduces the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers, and by virtue of getting women in for yearly exams including breast checks it helps find early signs of breast cancer, which is very much more treatable than later cancers. Not that HBC is the be-all, end-all, but it's an alright thing in the interim, you know?

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

I'd be afraid of herbal things or things not researched and approved by the FDA simply because it's a Big Deal if it fails.

My recommendation is to look into nuvaring (as you say pills were OK but you didnt remember them), look into IUDs, with the ultimate goal of finding a doc who'll do sterilization for you. It might take time but many women find that the ring or IUDs are good stopgaps until you can find that magic doc. I think sterilizationqanda has a directory of providers, maybe. And I hope I got that comm link right!

Good luck!

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

damn, it's sterilizationqa

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

It might take time but many women find that the ring or IUDs are good stopgaps until you can find that magic doc.

Very much agreed.

OP, I'm 25, single, and childless. I've been actively seeking a doc who will sterilize me since I was 21 or 22, and it's just not happening.

However, I did find health care providers who were more than willing to prescribe Nuva Ring -- which is kind of nice 'cause you only have to remember it once a month -- and IUDs -- which last 5 or 10 years depending on the type. It still wasn't exactly what I wanted, but those options were definitely a step in the right direction.