Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Don't want kids? or my period
So BF and I are 99% positive we don't want children. Obviously, we want to leave the option open though, so I looked into getting my tubes tied, but nixed it (please don't flame!). I am currently on BCP (and have been since 18), which I started using b/c of the possibility that I have PCOS. I didn't have any symptoms other than a completely random cycle where I'd go 6 months or more without a period, so I never got a definitive diagnosis.
Anyway. I HATE having my period. I really want to go on a birth control method that will stop them altogether. I've thought about just taking my pills and skipping over the inactive set, but BF really has concerns about this. I've offered to have him speak to my gyno about his concerns (mainly, how he believes it's medically necessary to have one, etc.) so we'll probably do that at my next appt.
I've also thought about Mirena, but I know it has a high enough failure rate that I'd rather not risk it. And I know that it doesn't stop periods for every person.
Any other methods I might want to consider?
Re: Don't want kids? or my period
Mirena does not have a high failure rate. If it doesn't stop you period it makes it much lighter.
If you are sure you don't want chidlren, there is a procedure where the doctor basically burns out the inside of your uterus and you won't get your period again or ever get pregnant. If you had your tubes tied you would still get your period because you don't need a egg to get your period.
I have my tubes tied and I love it, but it's probably best not to consider any permanent options since you aren't married.
Depo stopped my period for years. Have you considered that?
Out of curiosity, why do you hate your period so much?
It's really inconvenient, the cramping (which has gotten better with the pills, but every so often it's absolutely unbearable!), it dictates clothing choices, I'm constantly worried about leaking, etc. Sounds lame, but I'd just rather not deal.
I hadn't thought of depo, I'll research that option.
And I'll talk to my dr. about Mirena. I just know a lot of people that have had it, and it resulted in a baby (because it got dislodged).
Hm. That sounds like it would be a good option down the road. I would hate to do anything permanent though, until we ARE married and we decide 100% either way.
am i the only one going
over this statement? yes? well, ok. to me, it sounds very childish. but again, that's just me.
Maybe it is childish, but that's how I feel. I was not one of the teenagers who wished for her period to come. I was pissed.
Yeah, I kinda agree. Get a Diva Cup. No leaking, no worries and you can wear whatever you want.
Yeah I'm kinda there with you. If OP was having a really severe, heavy, 7 day period or something like that, I'd understand I guess. But this just makes me wanna say, "So what? Suck it up." Haha!
Obviously, I'm no help to the original poster.
Get a complete gyn checkup. You may have fibroids or endometriosis or some othe condition that is causing unduly bad cramps.
There is such a thing as breakthrough bleeding with BCPs like Seasonale and Seasonique. Maybe Mirena does the same.
I did have breakthrough bleeding last month, which was really fun :-/ I will ask my gyn about the possibility of endo or something. thanks.
You should look up the effectiveness of Mirena; it is almost as effective as tubal ligation.
It didn't stop my periods, but mine were heavy and painful to start with, and now they're extremely light and short. They're only a minor annoyance now.
ETA: And I don't see why it's "childish" to not want a period. Especially considering on BCP's it's just withdrawal bleeding that is caused by stopping the active pills.
Source - http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/studies-and-surveys/menstruation-and-menstrual-suppression-survey/fact-sheet
My best friend gets physically ill from her cramps. We're talking throwing up for the first few days. It's terrible. We were roommates in college and I always felt so bad because there was nothing I could do to help her.
OP I agree with you. I hated my period from the time it started (at age 11) until just this past year. Now I'm ok with it because when it comes (it's very irregular) I know I'm not pregnant and I can finally use tampons (which were physically painful for me to use before 2009) and my period has gotten less painful and intense. So anyways, I don't feel as if you're a whiner or need to suck it up. Maybe that's just me though.
On another note, I thought it was unhealthy for a woman's body to go sans period.
Depending on what birth control pills you take, you may be able to just skip over the inactive pills. Many BCP brands stop the uterine lining from building up, so there's really not much "medical" reason to have your period.
The only thing that skeeves me about this idea (and the reason why I don't skip my dummy pills) is because the first symptom of pregnancy is, uh, missing periods -- I'm afraid I wouldn't know if my birth control had failed.
This is not something Dr's do just because you don't want to deal with a period. It's called an ablation and is done when medically necessary not as a form of permanent birth control.
I know a lot of women who don't have a period with Mirena but some do, there are other forms like Depo and Implanon where you don't have a period but again everyone is different you may still have a period on them when other women don't. Also having your tubes tied or getting the Essure procedure are not going to stop your period.
Thanks for the info, I will definitely ask my Doc about Mirena. I knew that your period on the pill wasn't technically the real thing. Thanks for the link, I showed it to my BF and he seemed to understand how it works much more clearly. That's another option too. Thanks!
Obvs talk to your doctor...blah blah blah
I was on Depo for 6 years. (after 4 you need "permission" from your doctor because of a black box warning, that said I just took calcium every day). I had crazy heavy long periods...like change a super every hour or so. My period stopped I think right away.
I love love love'd it. It was very easy to remember to schedule my shot and boom I was done. I always abstained with DH right before I was supposed ot get a shot but I was just a weirdo prob. I didn't want to take a chance ya know!
I only got off it because I got pretty sick and went through two rounds of antibiotic's. No one (cause I'm not usually sick) ever told me about yeast infections and it was crazy and literally we had sex maybe ten times in the course of a year. It was AWFUL! Took forever to figure out and since we were adjusting other issues down there I just went off Depo too.
It took about 6 months for aunt flo to come back. Lucky for me she appears lighter then she used to be. That said I HIGHLY rec the diva cup as pp did. It changed my life. I'm not boosting...literally it's free'ing! If you want more info check the girls on the Green Living board.
ETA: I know three people on an IUD and two of them had "oops" babies so BE careful in that last year!!
I took Depo - I still bled but it was random, heavy or light, so I was never prepared. I gained a ton of weight (a co-worker asked me when I was due!), lost all desire to have sex, and turned into a total emotional psycho biatch. I was ticked I couldn't just stop taking it. I would never do that again. Just my experience, though, so hopefully yours would be better.
But really, women the world over since the beginning of time have dealt with this. Nobody is jumping up and down for joy for menses, but it's not like you've been dealt an unfair card and having to suffer alone. We would all prefer to walk around crazy hormone free, and feminine product free, cramp free...
BFP 11.8.12 * EDD 7.17.13 * MC 12.20.12
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over!
Yes take your BF to the gyno with you. There is no medical reason to have a period other than to have kids, and who knows, your doc might just say skip your placibo pill...
That said, you really need to get checked out. you have been on bcp for possible PCOS?? Get that checked out. Get a diagnosis! There could be serious medical reasons leading to your hatred! I have had luck for three months on Merina with no period, but that does not happen with everyone, and I did spot for two days in that time. There is no promise that it will take your periods away though! The only way to stop them for sure...get it all taken out, or that burned out procedure, and adopt if you decide down the road...or freeze some eggs and get a surregate...but please talk to your doc about what the real reasons are!
MARRIED 10.10.10 !!
October 2010 Siggy Challenge - walking down the aisle!
#1: An endocrinologist will diagnose PCOS with hormonal blood tests
#2: They won't tie tubes of youngish people who are unmarried or don't have kids yet.... my BFF NEVER wanted children and is 36 now and they still won't tie hers.
If hating your period (because of reasons listed above) is immature, then I guess I am also immature. I hated my period. Sure, I could deal with it, but that didn't change the fact that it sucked. Fortunately, I got Mirena six months ago and haven't had a period since (love that thing!).
Other women have much worse issues with menstruation than worrying about what they're going to wear. You should probably just stick with doing what you can to lessen the issue.
I used to have horrible periods too, id be laid up in bed for the first three days, if i didnt take pain killers i'd be physically sick, if i did take pain killers i'd have to force myself to eat some food, and i'd be sick, bringing up the painkillers and not being able to take any more for a few hours, when i was younger i wanted rid of everything to do with it.
Im now 24, and here in the UK we have an implant that goes under the skin of your arm and lasts three years, it has a very high sucess rate and with most people stops periods altogether,
The first period i missed due to it, i cried with relief, as i am now able to work every day needed in a month, instead of planning days in advance to take days off work and hoping that i would be regular enough to start on those days.
To the people who say that it is childish to hate your period enough to want to stop everything, yours are obviously not that bad and you should consider yourselves lucky.