First off, by our conversation I came to the conclusion that a lot of guys just expect the women to do what they have to do to make sure they don't get pregnant. Excuse me... But unless you want a bunch of baby mama's I suggest you do your part to keep that from happening.
I also came to the conclusion that there's a lot of misconceptions about what birth control does what. That inspired me to post this blog... To hopefully educate.
I've done a lot of research myself and tried a lot of different methods. Obviously, they've all worked for me, but I've preferred some over others. I'll put my personal rating beside each method. Obviously, you're entitled to your own opinion.
Condoms
87–98% effective
Protects against nastiness but some people are allergic, and it can be uncomfortable. Bet you didn't know it's effectiveness could be that low either! The female kind is only 75-95% effective.
Contraceptive implants
99% effective
The good news is it can last up to 3-5 years, bad news is the side-effects can be bad. It cane cause some scarring when it's put in, and sometimes it can be hard to get taken out.
Depo-Provera injection "the shot"
99.7% effective
It's nice because you only need it once every 3 months, and you don't have a period. But the bad news it is can cause you to eat a lot more and since it's SO much hormones at once, it can cause ya to act a little crazy (crazier than just the pill in my opinion).
Ortho Evra aka "The Patch"
About 99% effective
Nice because you only have to think about it once a month. But I'm not sure about the stickiness bein' on me all the time. And according to this site, depending on your health, this can raise your risk of blood clots.
NuvaRing aka "the ring"
About 99% effective
Still fairly new, but it's nice that you only need to worry about it once a month, and it's real effective. I haven't tried this one but I like the sound of it.
Birth control pills
95–99% effective
Cheaper, and reduces cramps but sometimes harder to remember. I know it's pretty effective but I seem to meet a lot of people who get pregnant when they were on the pill, it was hard for me to remember to take, and it made me a little moody.
Mirena IUS (IUD)
Over 99% effective
It's nice cause you can have it up to 5 years, it reduces cramps, and it doesn't have the hormonal effects some birth control pills do. You can take it out whenever you want. Bad news is sometimes it can slip out. If you don't check it occasionally you may not notice.
ParaGard (Copper T IUD)
Over 99% effective
Can last up to ten years, but can increase cramps and aunt flow.
Fertility Awareness Methods: (Basal Body Temperature (BBT), Sympto-thermal, Billings Ovulation, "Rhythm.")
88–98% effective
I personally won't use this method until I know I'm closer to WANTING to get pregnant. 88% effective isn't effective enough for me, it takes a lot of work and with my luck I'd mess it up. On the other hand, there's no side effects whatsoever so that's a plus.
Withdrawl aka "Pull out method" -
Typical use: 73% effective Perfect use: 96% effective
Of every 100 women whose partners use withdrawal, 27 will become pregnant (with typical use) and 4 will become pregnant with perfect use. In my opinion this is a bad idea, so I give it a negative gold star.
13 remarks:
I've used the Nuvaring and I liked it a lot but since then I've seen commercials saying that it has been shown to have some serious negative side effects which scares me.
I've also done quite the research on contraceptives...personally I wouldn't use anything other than the pill...it has the least (long lasting, scary) side effects along with one of the highest success rates. Something you didn't note, and may not even know...is that when it comes to birth control, generic brands are less effective than the name brand. Some doctors and pharmacists won't even admit to it. However, if you do the research you'll find it to be true. (Matt also did the research after I mentioned it to him...and spoke with a doctor and pharmacist who admitted it was significantly less effective-but didn't want the public to know, because then people who couldn't really afford the name brand would still opt for it-seems like a bad idea to me. I'd want to know. Crazy huh?
I got the Mirena a few months after Audrey was born. It was nice for the first couple of months. THEN, I started feeling like I was pregnant (which would have been scary). All the symptoms--nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and cramping. This went on for months, but I kept getting negative pregnancy tests so I had no idea what was going on. I went to the OBGYN and got tested for all sorts of infections but there was nothing. Just a lot of pain in my abdomen.
Finally, it got so bad one night I went to the ER. They ran all the usual tests and still couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. They ended up giving me some Lortab and suggesting I have my IUD removed. I went to the doctor the next day, and sure enough, when she took it out, it was covered in yellowish discharge (I know, TMI!). I was so freaked out! They got me on an antibiotic and my symptoms went away in a week or two.
Needless to say, I went back to the regular ol' pill and I am very happy with it. I just set an alarm on my cell phone and it goes off every day at 9 pm so I never forget to take it. Yeah, I miss not having periods, but I do NOT miss the weird cramping and pregnancy symptoms!
Pull Out Method-- stupid
Rhythm-- uh...doesnt work
Pill-- good. Just dont get Ortho Evra, makes you bitchy. I like Yaz LOTS!
Condom-- "Ribbed for her pleasure" doesnt mean jack. Au natural is so much better! (Cmon, we are all adults here)
Nuvaring: I want to try that... can you feel anything during...ahem..you know--the naked dance?
I have been on the ring for a few years and I LOVE it. No side effects for me at all.
I used the Nuva Ring for a while and I liked it. I made the husband insert it and take it out because I'm squeamish. Occasionally we could feel it during sex, but it was no big deal. I don't use hormonal contraceptives now b/c I have a major history of blood clots in my family. Good ole condoms for us. We did have an "accidental" pregnancy, but it was only a couple of months before we were planning to get pregnant anyway so we were being lazy...
Here's a thought:
We use fertility awareness to know when I am fertile, and then (if we decide we don't want to leave the door open this month) we'll use a condom or spermicide JUST THOSE NIGHTS. The average woman is fertile for about 5 days of the month, so even if you just go with condoms, you don't have to worry about the discomfort etc very often.
:)
I've been on the Nuvaring for about two years now and I mostly love it. I get super nauseated the first couple days of a new ring, but other than that it's fantastic.
I was on Yazmin for about 2 months and hated it so much I don't want to try other pills.
I tried Depo once and had my period the entire three months (which is a common side effect). I hated it. Prolonged use also increase risk of osteoporosis and it can take up to 18 months after the last dose for fertility to resume. Just FYI.
As someone who can only take the shot in hormonal bc, I love it.
I had the Mirena for about a year and a half and I loved it! It was great not having to worry about good ol' Aunt Flo coming around, but the worst part was that I gained 30 pounds with it and I can't seem to lose! I did worry from time to time that it did get dislodged, but all was good when it was eventually removed. It was great at first, but it seems that going back to the pill was the best for me as I didn't have any previous issues with weight gain with the pill.
Wow so informative! Thanks! Keep up your wonderful work.
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