Needing Advice on Going Back on the Pill

I am on Nuvaring, it is the best thing I have been on so far-although we hope for my husband to get snipped soon. I have had a lot of problems with moodiness with previous pills and the ring is working well. I don't have to remember to take a pill everyday and I don't feel like snapping all the time.

I also had simular problems with the pill in the past, so when I went back on it, I let the doctor know my past issues. I have been taking Low-gestrol for 2 years with no weight gain and no emotional side effects, my doctor also has me taking it for 4 months straight and then off for a period! It is great! I would suggest looking into some of the low products, I am sure it is because your body still has an overdose of hormones! Good luck!
T.

I too ended up switching to the Nuva Ring and I love it! I had a couple of periods with break-through spotting, (not every month) and it took a few months to get past that, but otherwise, I think it's awesome! Put it in, forget about it for 3 weeks, and then take it out. It's not tricky at all - you don't have to worry about exact positioning or anything.

Other than the Mirena IUD, which requires a doctor to put in and take out, it's the lowest dose of hormone out there, so it shouldn't cause problems with mood swings. I switched from the pill because I was starting to have problems with migraines, and this dose of hormones is low enough that it doesn't cause me any problems. But it's still effective!

Depo shot works great for me and one of the side effects in my case, I have not had a period in almost 4 years(normal nothing to worry about)

I tried the Depo Shot and gained almost 30 pounds. I went onto the pill after that and had gotten very emotional. We tried a variety of pills, some gave me cramps so bad I was in severe pain. What I am on now is called, Yasmin. It atually helps lower your weight. 1 pound a month. What it does is keeps your water retention low and ends up keeping about 1 pound each month of water retention off. I love it! now they have a NEW pill called YAZ. Pretty much the same as Yasmin, but slightly different. I would talk with you doctor, tell her your problems, what you like and don't like. Together you can try different birth control and see which one you like best and works best for you and your husband.
Good Luck!
M.

i have taken the pill necon for 11 yrs and not had a problem with it. maybe your doctor just has to find the right one that works. there are so many out there. good luck. there are to really nice dvd's out there one is "the firm" the other is "turbo jam". they are not to expensive hope this helps a little

personally im in love with the depo shot! not having periods makes things so much easier and the fact that u dont have to remember to pop a pill each day is nice as well... of course if you are prone to gaining weight on birth controll the shot may have that side effect for you... for me i lost alot of weight on it.. try talking to your dr and ask what they think may be the best solution for you

The pill is the only thing that i can say that works with out major side effects, you might have to switch up brands after a couple of months till you can find the right one for you. But whatever you do, do not get the Depo shot. I'm warning you right now, everyone i know who is either on it or was on it (like myself) have either had abnormally long periods (almost 2 months for me) or because super crabby (for lake of a better word) and extremely emotional. Just give the pill a little while longer before deciding to try something else because i know from experiance that for about 2-3 months after having a child your hormones are still crazy and take a while to recouperate.

H.-

I also went on the Pill 6 weeks after my first child was born. I was nursing, but didn't want to take any chances. The pill I went on did not make me gain weight, but it did turn me into a total witch. I couldn't even stand myself. I decided to try the same pill, but switch off of the generic brand and onto the name brand. All I did was call the pharmacy. I went to Walgreen's, and they apparently put you on generic prescriptions unless you specify otherwise. I switched to the name brand after hearing that there can be a discrepency between the amounts of hormones in each pill day to day when using generic. Once I switched, things were back to normal in a week. Hope this helps. Good luck!

-L.

Hi H.-
I just had an IUD placed on last Monday and so far that seems to be working for me. I have an 8 month old that I am nursing right now so I wanted something safe for her. My doctor is a male but he said of all his female colleagues that is what most would use for birth control.

I've had HORRIBLE side effects from the pill since becoming a mom. I ended up switching to Elesse (or however you spell it) after my son was born. It had a lower dose of hormones and that seemed to work for me. After this last pregnancy, however, I tried it again and I was miserable. I mean, uncontrollable mood swings, crying fits lasting for hours, etc. I thought it might be PPDepression, but the docs ruled that out.

I switched down to the mini-pill and it worked wonders. It's not as effective (I think it's 85% instead of the typical 95%), but it was better than nothing. I, too, dislike condoms, but my hubby and I were planning on our third child coming shortly after #2, so we didn't really care if we were on birth control or not.

After this pregnancy I plan on returning to the mini-pill, and if that doesn't pan out, I'm going to try the Natural Family Planning method. (My mom has used that method her whole life and had her pregnancies planned down to perfection.) Sorry I can't give you a more definite answer, but know that you're not alone in this. :)

Beware of Mirena if you have ovary issues. When they tell you on the commercial that you should not use Mirena if you have a history of etopic pregnancy. I have not had an etopic or tubal pregnancy but I have had MANY issues with my ovaries and ovulation is more painful for me then my period (my doctor told me that the egg is not releasing right and I have a greater risk an etopic pregnancy). I tried the Mirena after my daughters birth and endured 7 months of bleeding and then became very ill with a lot of cramping in my sides, nausea, vomiting, etc. I thought I was pregnant again. I wasn't but the doctor told me that Mirena was screwing with my ovaries. I had it removed and my symptoms went away almost immediately. Oh, but then my youngest daughter was born 10 months later. I guess it was God's way of telling me he was sending me another angel. :-)

Have you considered an IUD? I am very sensitive to hormone imbalances. I could never make it through the process to find a good pill for me. That said, I had a Mirena IUD but had it removed within a couple of weeks. It has very low doses of synthetic hormones, that are supposed to stay locally in the uterus. I found that I suffered the same emotional problems as with the pill. The emotional side always seems to be down played by doctors.

Anyhow, there is a copper IUD available that has no hormones. I plan on using this once we've decided that we don't want any more kids in the next year or two.

After my first pregnancy I tried the nuva ring and I really liked it. You put it in for 3 weeks then take it out for a week. The only side effects I had with it was some nasea in the first month, but then my body got used to it and I didn't have any trouble with weight gain or anything else. I never had any discomfort wearing it either, which some people are worried about. It also worked out well for me when I really didn't want to get pregnant again, because even trying to take the pill in a routine at the same time everyday there were still days I'd forget. This way I only had to remember 2 days a month instead of 21... hope this is helpful!

Like Deby, I also got a Mirena IUD after my last pregnancy and so far things have been great. I'd suggest you research the pros and cons of it, but it has worked great for us! It is suggested for women in a monogomous relationship(one partner), good for 5 years, can be removed at any time in order to get pregnant again (or if there are problems.) It's a win-win-win for me!
PLUS - You do not have to remember to take anything everyday at the same time. It's always there! :-)

I didn't have the exactly same problems as yours, but I did have so many issues with pills such as constant bleeding( every week! imagine that!!) or much reduced "desire."(the worst part of it!!) I started trying different types of pills one year after my child was born but nothing worked. After the second one, I've decided to go with an IUD, and the one I chose is Mirena. It has far less hormones than pills. I thought about a copper IUD, but with a copper one women tend to get heavier periods. I love execise too, and heavy bleeding doesn't really help that. I now have VERY light periods, there's no side effect on me, it's so easy (no need to remember everyday!!!), I just love this thing. I think you really want to consider a Mirena. Good luck!

Keep trying different formulations of the pill. There are a lot of different formulas (that don't seem to make a difference for their overall effectiveness) -- just ask for a different one. Eventually you'll find one that works!

Hi H. -
I went on the pill again after I had my first child (I'd been on & off prior to having him for around 7 years) & hated it - so I stopped after about 2 months. We were as careful as we wanted to be (my husband isn't a fan of condoms either) & I ended up having my second son 18 months later (am OK with this tho). Long story - but after my second I knew the pill wasn't right for me & I ended up trying the Nuva Ring. The first month was hard but knew I needed to try for a second month to know - and I LOVE it now! No pills to take, no weight gain side-effects, but very effective & you really don't know it's there until you have to remove it. I'd ask your doctor about your options or explore the web yourself to see what you think of the Nuva Ring - it's really been a great solution in my life for knowing I wasn't going to have #3 after another 18 months. :)
Good Luck!
Nancy

NUVA Ring has worked wonders for me. I have never in my life been "regular" and I am terrible about taking pills. 3 weeks on, one week off. I get headaches toward the end of the 3 weeks but nothing bad. That's the only side effect I have had.

are you married?if not use condoms...if you are married try something else...birthcontrol pills scare me with to many side affects...

I totally agree with the women who are using the NuvaRing. I have always had a hard time remembering to take the pill, and the depo shot didnt work for me either. I also tried the patch, but it hurts to take off. The ring is the best thing I have ever used, and all you have to do is set a reminder on your cell phone calendar (or your computer) and you dont have to worry!

Yeah I would go with and IUD!
I was one the pill had 1st child then went on the shot gained weight, hated it! Then went back on the pills got pregnant again (so I won't use pills anymore) I wanted to stay away form hormones so went with the copper IUD good for 10 years totally removable. Only bad side effects I am a bit more crampy and bleed really heavy for a day or two then it is pretty normal. I have been on it now for a year. They put it in about 10 weeks after birth so you are just about there.
Oh yeah and no weight gain only loss since the baby born NO hormones!!!

I got a Mirena IUD and haven't had any problems with it. I'm breastfeeding so I didn't want to take the pill. I'd highly recommend the IUD.