BACK TO BACK TO CALI CALI!

Iam trying to find the right birth control to! Right now its just good ol condoms... but with me and the boyfriend working opposite schdules Sex isnt really on the menu.. so its not such a big problem for us! Never having a period... that just sounds weird and WAY to good to be true!! haha

Meg, your sister's solution sounds like Seasonique or one of a number of similar ones on the market.  They do reduce the number of periods a year, but there are some drawbacks, and yes, one of them can be weight gain.  The other is that while on it and sexually active you should be having regular pregnancy tests, just in case, and of course using a serious anti-HIV strategy -- either a condom for your partner or regular testing -- because no birth-control pill pprotects against HIV/AIDS.  The upside of these pills -- no injections -- is that the result is usually a reduction in adverse side effects -- lighter flows, less PMS, fewer mood swings.  The biggest reason you should not use birth control pills, Meg, is also the biggest reason you should:  you cannot take it and smoke, so if you want to use it, you will have to quit.  Now.  And all your loyal friends who want you to stick around will toast your decision.  TJ, 9 years smoke free and counting

I am no help either.  However, I am sure that if there is a "silver bullet" solution we will find it here at MM.I am so glad that your trip home was ok.  As I told you earlier,  my parents exhibit many of the same characteristics.  I still do not understand their inconsideration and actions.Welcome Back Meg!

So glad the trip went "well" and I'm glad megken was with you to provide that shoulder of support you so needed! This is no longer an issue for me,one I'm grateful to have behind I might add...God...I remember some of the "original" pills and they made you sicker than a dog,there were very potent! I had my tubes tied after 2 kids in my 20's: it was very controversial back then but my GYN understood that I was "finished..." It was not a popular decision and my Irish/Catholic family was appaled.I was finished in spite of them. :)My sister recently went to hell and back brecently due to her Mirena: it caused an infection that spread to her fallopian tubes and she had to have it removed after a stint in the hospital because of the raging infection.Not fun.My stepdaughter gained 40 pounds in 6 months after haveing the Mirena inserted...she recently said "enough" and had it removed as well.I know it works well for some but I have heard many horror stories regarding this device.I think sometimes greed and marketing get in the way of effectiveness and safety in this area! It would seem that this is one place phara companies might focus on getting their chit together...still seems to be a "negative" that many men might consider "taking care of biz" and they do all us women a diservice by not coming up with products that are more reliable without terrible side effects...is it too much to ask? Not like it's a "new issue" or anything,LOL! Always a tampon on hand in my house...it's a bummer when you have to use 1/2 roll of toilet tissue and many prayers to get you to a store! ;)

Oh baby I feel your pain!  I am on the pill right now, we want another bambino so they have me on it to regulate my flow.  I had forgotten just how HUNGRY it makes me.  I am starving all the time now and have gained 10 pounds in 3 months.  I was totally on a losing streak, losing about 3-5 pounds per month.  I mean COME ON, it's so not fair!  Before the pill it was condoms and the rhythm method for Stylepapa and I.  I'm guessing, the pill your sister is on is the one where you don't take the "inactive" pill portion of the pack for 3 packs.  At the end of the 3rd pack you do take them and usually have your period.  However, it is usually pretty light and very short. Resulting in 4 periods per year, very nice.  If you can find a pill that doesn't make you want to eat your mate it's a great form of oral contraception.  Sadly, there aren't a lot of options for someone with your latex allergy and reactions to OCP.  I think I would probably keep trying different pills until I found one that didn't make me freak out.  My 10 pound weight gain sucks, but it's nothing I couldn't change with more time spent at the gym.  When I say "more" time at the gym, that really means, ANY time at the gym.  So glad to hear that your weekend went well. There's nothing like embarrassing your family into behaving, is there?  They never had a chance with Megken around.   I can't believe I never thought about putting tampons in all of the bathrooms, I am so embarrassed!  They will go in today, thanks for the lesson Mrs. Van DeKamp-Hodge.  I'm always learning something new here.    

Depo Provera doesn't work well for all women. My friend not only got really chubby, she almost became violent 1 minute, bawling the next. I am 45 now, when i was younger i tried the pill, condoms, foam, the diaphragm, (that was a joke, how does this damn thing go in? fold it in 1/2, then what? That doesn't feel right, hmmm. I never did figure that stupid thing out!) spermicide, the rhythm method, do u know what u call a women that does the rhythm method? Mom!! I finally got a tubal ligation at 23 after 2 kids. Me, tie my tubes, Dr you're 23, me i have 2 kids, Dr you're 23, me I will be 24 and I don't want more kids, Dr u r 23 tho, I finally convinced him to do it.Meg, an American company came up with a device, but they only sell it in Germany and UK etc. why, bc Birth Control is big biz and big money. This device is $150, you pee on the wand, if you're fertile, the light blinks red. The device lasts a life time, or a long long time, women love it, bc like us, a lot of women are sensitive. BC, especially the pill, made me sick sick sick!! Americans made this device but bc it lasts so long and bc phamacies don't cash in, they don't sell it in the USA. I would really recommend you either order one online or if you have a friend or family member in UK have them send you one. No Hormones, shots, pills, surgery, or latex. You just pee and that is it!!

Had a 42 day period on the pill and we are talking double tampon with a pad most of the time.  Was allergic to the sponge.  Oh yeah, over Christmas when not one doctor was in his/her office and I damn sure wasn't going to the ER with that one.  I could feel the moment PMS hit, the moment and I would warn my family to run fast and far.  Then I had an early partial hysterectomy (had my kids, as many as I wanted and then some) because I had a fibroid that grew to the size of a second trimester pregnancy.  I want whoever did this to women to pay for it. 

I have no need for b/c at this point in time.  I'm wary of the Pill though and especially wary of that Seasonique.  Four periods a year?  To me, it seems like if you menstruate roughly once a month then that's the way God and nature intended it.  So I have no plans to mess with any of that.  Plus anything that messes with your hormones like that kinda makes me nervous.  Anyhoo.  I did a little research for ya.  Got on Google and looked up condoms.  Did you know that there are other types of condom materials besides latex?  There are lambskin condoms (not made from skin but the intestinal membrane.  It does have 'pores' if you will but they are too small for sperm to pass through.  But they are large enough for STDs to pass through.) and polyurethane condoms and a new type made of polyisoprene, which is supposed to be good for people allergic to latex and polyurethane.  There are barrier methods as well.  Chemical and physical.  An example of a chemical method would be a spermicide and physical example would be a diaphragm.  The diaphragm would require a fitting to ensure a good fit.  Of course, you use a diaphragm with a spermicide.  Spermicide is only good for two hours though and is a one dose for one hit kind of a thing.  So if you used it and wanted to go again, you'd have to add more. 

Just wanted to say that calcium, with half as much magnesium, is wonderful for the pain of cramps.  Take maybe 1,000 mgs cal. w/ 5oo mgs mag.  3 times a day, at the height of it.  Experiment.  Use the minerals w/ something to eat.  You'll see a definite difference!

I, like you have a latex allergy, so lots of the solutions don't apply to me.  But I agree with you and your readers who feel that there should be a birth control method that doesn't turn us into an alien-waiting-to-happen. Maybe the food manufacturers would have to raise the cost of food and treats, when we don't eat as much, but it would be worth it - especially when buying clothes that actually fit each month.  And you are so right about having feminine supplies on hand for guests.  I make sure to have something at work as well -there is no such thing as a reliable hormone.

no help here, but wow it is hard to be a woman sometimes :)

I did the Depo shot because all of my friends told me told me that it was the best thing since sliced bread.  None of them had thier periods with Depo, but I had my period for 3 months, it was hell.  Since then I've done well with the generic versions of Ortho-Tri-Cyclen.  However, I really don't like the idea of putting hormones in my body because of all the possible side effects.  The wand that Vicci wrote about sounds really cool.

Oh, P.S., for STD protection - trojan just came out with a new plastic condom, and there are very cool commercials on TV. But they've been around for a while, and are ~ as reliable as latex, and actually a bit thinner!

Welcome back, Meg!If your sister is having NO periods, it sounds like she's on Lybrel (lybrel.com). You just take it year round. There are no "off" pills. She could probably also take a regular pill year round skipping the "off" pills, but in order to skip periods, the dosage has to be at a particular amount, so not all pills are great candidates for that. (Also, if one intends to use pills that are meant to take monthly to skip periods, the doctor would have to write a special note on the prescription saying that refills need to be more than once a month, along with a larger prescription than usual. A lot of insurance companies will not refill pills more than once a month unless a doctor indicates it on a prescription.) In order to have 4 periods a year, there are Seasonale and Seasonique. I'm pretty sure the noticeable difference between the two is that the former has a week of inactive pills, while the latter has a week of low dose pills. While on those weeks, there will be a period. I've been on Seasonique for a year. It has been a little unpredictable. First cycle (3 month cycles) there was spotting all over the place! Second cycle went as it should with only minor spotting. Third cycle was absolutely awful!!!!! It was like 2 weeks of the tampons! Fourth cycle went like clockwork w/o any spotting at all. I'm a little tired of the lottery, so after talking to my doctor, we decided that I should take a regular monthly pill for 2 month cycles. I'll go from 4 to 6 periods, but maybe I'll get rid of a lot of guesswork and spotting. I have to finish this last pack of Seasonique that I had already ordered before switching.I've tried A LOT of BC: Ortho-Tricyclen, Yasmin, Mircette, the Patch, Nuvaring, Ovcon 35, and Seasonique. Whew! I think that's it, but I may have missed one. My main problem has been trying to find a type and level of hormones that keeps away spotting. I've never had the weight gain or crazy problem (knock on wood). I never had cramps b/4 I started BC, either. Now, they can be quite awful. Before BC, I never knew when a cycle was coming along. One month later? Three months later? Would it be a mere speck or would I think I was going to bleed to death? They were SO unpredictable! The year b/4 I started BC, I think I had 4 periods. I got my pills in a January and waited until April to get a cycle so I could start them, and it was so scant I almost didn't notice I had one! (Maybe I could've started them earlier, but I was 19 and listened to my doctor's, "Start them the Sunday after your next cycle starts...") Ovcon 35 has been the best pill, next to Seasonique. The Patch was scary because the corners could peel up, or it could slide a little. I had to be so careful with showers and lotions. I was always afraid it was going to fail. (Also, there are some controversies regarding its safety.) I LOVED the Nuvaring, but alas, it did not love me... My cycles started almost exactly the same time every month, and only lasted 3 days without cramping. It was awesome. Turns out, though, I'm built a little small down there. I had to readjust the ring almost daily. Men are not supposed to feel it during sex, but my boyfriend (now husband) did, and it did not feel good to him. When I went for my annual check up, the doctor wondered if I was in a lot of pain. I was not, but evidently, my cervix (I know, TMI) was inflammed as all get out! Turns out, the ring hit it constantly. The doctor made me stop using it. How sucky! Stupid low cervix.I'll restart Ovcon 35 on 2 month cycles when the Seasonique is out. I've always been really good about taking my pills on time, but I wish I had another option. It gets old taking the pill all the time. I hesitate to take a shot or get an implant. I hear they can be awful with spotting. Oh well, guess I have to wait for science to come up with something new.......P.S. I too concur that all women who expect other women guests should keep spare pads/tampons, regardless of her own periodlessness. I once was a bar manager at a restaurant, and the District Manager (male) voiced having a problem with keeping a stash of tampons in the office-- He did not win that argument, my friends! Can you believe he had the nerve to say that the female staff should just know when they needed to bring in feminine products? We should just know, gals! Oh, he got an earful. And the tampons stayed. 

I love nuvaring!  I have been singing the praises of it for about 5 years now.  It's a bit tricky to get in the first time or two but now it's totally fine.  I have had to take it out from time to time due to shape and piercings but I got over that a long time ago.  Sometimes it will also work it's way out and become an ill fitting penis bracelet. (Oh sorry that may be tmi) But all in all no strange side effects, wait my boobs did get bigger, Damn! No cravings, no more moodiness than usual, no fat ass.Get yourself one and try it, you can take it out if you don't like it, unlike mirena.

im glad im normal! lol

i prefer being mortally wounded once a month to make sure there are no buns in this bakery

i think having an at home std kit is no biggie - or waiting till they come back with a slip that says im aok... and sign a contract to find the cure in case theyre lying.... right

The pill used to make me crazy too and I didn't use it for 11 years for that reason.  Then my doctor talked me into trying a new one that came out a few years ago.  I hardly ever get my period, maybe twice a year and they are super short.  Also no mood altering side effects.  The name of the pill is Micronor.

Oh, the joy of being a woman! :P

You can use any birth control pill continuously (just start the new pack instead of taking the fake pills).  It seriously saved my life, my periods were horrible & irregular.  I never have to worry about PMS, cramps, or tampon emergencies, not to mention my acne improved quite a bit.  What a relief!  You may have to try a few pills to find one that works for you, but it's worth it.