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Running out of ideas with BC
I've previously posted about my frustration with my BC pill and the bad effects it's had on my sex life with my new DH. We're going on three months married and as much as I want to be hot and steamy the way we used to be, it's just not happening! I have to take hormone BC due to the fact that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome-and if not treated with the BC, I would probably have to undergo surgery again and/or lose the function of one of my ovaries. I do intend to start a family further down the line, which is why I stick the side effects out. I've talked to my doctor about this, however, the Loestrin is one of the lowest hormone dose BC available. What can I do to make my sex drive come back?!
It's been suggested that I try the nuvaring, but I'm incredibly hesitant to 'install' that hardware if it's still going to mess with my hormones which is basically what is causing all this difficulty.
Any suggestions? At this point I'm open to diet and/or lifestyle changes.
TIA!
Re: Running out of ideas with BC
Everyone is different, but I personally noticed an increase in my sex drive when I switched from Alesse (well, the generic) to the Nuvaring. For me, of all the various BC methods I tried, the ring has been by far the best.
Bonus, I dropped a few lbs when I switched too. But that's me, everyone reacts differently.
We'll just not tell H about this little fact, m'kay?
I have been using NuvaRing for about 4 months and I love it. No side effects for me (I've been on the mini-pill with no effects and mirena IUC which I had issues with).
Everyone makes such a stink about insertion when I tell them I'm on it! It's no big deal. If you can put in a tampon, you can handle the NuvaRing. It's like a rubber bracelet that you squeeze together, insert, and push up as far as you can. If it does not agree with you, pull it out! It's like like an IUD that you're stuck with until you can get in to see the doctor.
Nuvaring is easy to insert and you can take it out if you want. It's not like an IUD that you have to have inserted by a doctor.
On that note, Nuvaring really messed with my moods, but so did BCPs.
I hated taking the pill. I tried the NuvaRing, but I could always 'feel' it, plus I broke out like crazy while on it and it destroyed my sex drive. I have the Mirena in now and I'm not crazy about it. I've had bouts of depression and my face looks like a pizza, and (TMI) I've also had horrible yeast infections and BV, but it is nice not having to worry about having anymore children.
Read the book "Taking charge of your fertility"
I've been on the fertility awareness method FAM since March and its not for everyone, but it is certainly awesome if you are dilligent and dont want hormones or condoms messing up your life.
I had major trouble with the bc pills too. Major major depression and sex drive decrease. I've been off for about 6 months and I feel better on all counts except i'm back to having heavy painful periods. I need to find something new. I was thinking the Nuva ring but now i'm not so sure.
I definitely know how you feel though about the whole mood change thing.
If I was merely concerned with not getting pregnant at the moment, I would go the fertility planning route-in an instant! I HAVE to take some sort of hormonal contraceptive to prevent cysts from repeatedly growing on my ovaries...
As for the depression/mood swings, I cry for ANYTHING. Generally, I am a sensitive person, but now, if I have the slightest sad thought, I can start tearing up in public-with no shame! It's terrible. I can deal with the mood swings, but life without a sex drive is driving me crazy! I go back and forth between just giving up on pills altogether and just going for the ring, but I've never inserted a tampon and sex is painful as it is, so I don't particularly want to insert anything in there.
The only solution I've really been given is the option to go off of the pills for a few months, but only to end up right back on them in the end. I'm not sure if the shot would be any better.
I have no idea if this particular article is valid or not, but I have heard that there are ways to deal with PCOS without being on birth control. Taking birth control is the "band-aid" approach that many doctors unfortunately seem to take that does not really solve anything but simply relieves the symptoms.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Should-I-take-Birth-Control-Pills-to-Combat-PCOS
Maybe if you google info about PCOS and NOT using bc to treat it you may find some helpful info.
I'm really going to look into this! Really and truly, at a glance, you wouldn't notice I had pcos-even when it was at it's worst. If anything, I'm underweight-and the pills just keep me from going over 85 pounds (I'm under 5 foot, so proportionally, I'm healthy). I don't have oily skin, hair loss, irregular periods or ANY of the symptoms other than the fact that I grow multiple cysts on my ovaries. The only reason I even found out about this was because of unbearable pain, which led to a sonogram which led to a scheduled surgery. I've spoken to my doctor about this, and lifestyle changes mentioned in the article are for people with the symptoms. Personally, I wouldn't see the harm in following their advice, but from past research, it all goes back to a hormone imbalancement-and even without the pill, I think I would need some sort of hormone treatment-which would still mess with my system. Thanks for the info, though!