BC question: mini pills?

pixiesis

pixiesis

Cathlete
Hi Cathe ladies! I was wondering if any of you have any experience or knowledge about mini pills. From what I've read, the mini pill is the low dose progesterone only pill that is supposed to have fewer side effects that normally happen with the combined pill (because of the estrogen). I hated taking the pill before b/c of side effects (nausea, weight gain and mood issues being the worst). But the mini pill is supposed to be much better when it comes to these side effects. Any info anyone might have is greatly appreciated. (PS, the iud does sound good, but the procedure really scares me so thats why i'm looking into this). TIA!

Amy
 
Not experienced with the mini-pill, but just thought I would throw out there that I've had a great experience with the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning (NFP). Many people aren't aware that the modern methods of NFP are 99% effective (as good as any other method) without any side effects. I personally find it very empowering to be able to know whether I'm fertile or not on any given day just by observing my natural bodily signs. And I also like that using this method encourages my husband to respect me and the way my body was made rather than expecting me to chemically alter myself just to be sexually available to him at every moment. We've found that our marriage actually improved with this method - so much so that we now teach it to other couples (totally volunteer - we don't make a cent off of promoting it).

If you are interested you can get more info here:
www.ccli.org/nfp

I should point out that since this is the method encouraged by the Catholic Church for family planning, you will find explanations of the religious reasons for NFP vs. contraception on the site, but don't let this put you off if you are not religious - many people choose to use NFP just because it is so healthy and effective.

Heather
 
I have never read any literature that describes a "natural" method of birth control to be so incredibly effective. In fact, many are around the 70% mark and quite frankly a little too risky as far as I am concerned.

I could never and I mean never tolerate birth control in my twenties. I had terrible breast tenderness, and very bad cramps but a shorter cycle so I stuck with it as long as I could. I gave up after two years and for ten years stuck to condoms

When I reached 32 I tried Yasmin at the recommendation of my physician and it has been a godsend. My period is 4 days, I have no breast tenderness and no cramping. My flow is very very light.

I would recommend it wholeheartedly!
 
I took the mini pill for a year after I had my son (while breatfeeding) without any problems. I do think it reduces the side effects you mentioned. I got back on regular pills because I get pregnant easily and the mini pills are slightly less effective than regular birth control pills. You have to be extra careful to take them at the same time everyday. Forgetting a Mini-Pill or taking it late increases the chance of pregnancy more than missing a regular birth control pill. I've had a few friends get the iud and they love it. So if you're not planning on having kids within the next 3-5 years or longer I would go with the iud. My doctor does not recommend an iud for short term use. Hope that helps a little.

Laurel
 
The effectiveness of the mini pills also depends on your weight. If you are over 160 lbs they may not be as effective.
 
Amy,
Just wanted to let you know I have never had any children and I had an IUD put in and it was not that bad-it was not painful just some cramping. I liked it but it did not like me-I did not get my period at all on it and I could not stand that-I am one of those people who have to have it every month-so I had it removed. You should look into it. HTH
Lisa
 
I'm a Yasmin gal, too. So far no issues, no probs -- No cramps, very light period. No harsh side effects with tenderness, etc., except I will say any BC pill lowers libido for me. So, while I do prefer to go au naturel so I can "feel like a woman!", I'm on Accutane, so I have to be on BC.

Keep in mind every "body" is different...you might need to just experiment and see what works with you with the recommendations of your gynecologist.

Good luck!
 
Amy,
Another thumbs-up for the IUD. I too have not had children yet and have opted for the IUD after having bad side effects from every kind of pill I took.
I have been quite pleased with it. My periods are very short, (1-2 days) and I only have cramping for 2-3 days. HTH!
Calee
 
I've heard that mini pills are very good and effective BUT if you have PCOS or any other female hormonal imbalance, they can actually aggravate your symptoms. Just something to keep in mind if you have any of these health issues.
 
The women in my family are fertile Myrtles, so the low dose pills only lead to babies for us. My sister, 2 of my cousins, and my second cousin all got pregnant on the low dose pill. But we're all tall gals (5'9 and up) so that could have something to do with it.
 
Thanks all for your responses. I think the mini pill is not the right choice for me. From this thread and others on the forum, it seems like a lot of you love the iud and the nuvaring. I've also been reading good things about mircette. Can anyone share their experiences with this, or with other BC methods that they've used? Like I said earlier, I've had weight gain and mood changes from BCPs in the past, but I've never been on the ultra low dose pills like mircette. If there was something out there that wouldn't cause these problems, that would be so great! Along with the nuvaring and mircette, I'm seriously considering the iud now. Still kind of scary though so I want to try a less invasive method first. Fertility awareness does sound great, and I have TCOYF, but I'm just not too confident in my abilities to do it right, and I'm hoping that there is an easier method out there for me before I decide on this one. This BC stuff is SUCH a pain and I hate how us women seem to bear the brunt. Any additional advice anyone has would be great!

Amy
 
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