Birth Control and IC

[wowandflutter]

Hello.

It has been a while since I visited these forums, as life has been quite busy for me lately.

I have recently been looking into a safer alternative to the birth control pill (as it can cause some dangerous health implications) - so I was looking into the cervical cap. However, in reading some information on it, it is recommended to bring to the doctor's attention if the patient has vaginal discharge, which I do. So I don't know if this would be a good option for me, both because of that and because of my problems with IC.

Any thoughts?


Thank you.

[Embers]

What kind of health complications are concerned about with the pill? If you're worried about things like blood clots and strokes, the benefits of taking the pill usually outweigh the risks unless you have other risk factors such as being a smoker. There are a lot of misconceptions and unwarranted fears about birth control pills.

The biggest problem with the cervical cap is that it's pretty ineffective compared to other methods. Out of 100 women using it as a method for a year... somewhere between 15-30 of them will experience an unintended pregnancy. Compared to 0-8 with other methods such as the pill and IUDs, it's not something I would recommend to 99% of women, and in the other 1%... it's not the first thing I would recommend.

Although I haven't heard anything specifically about IC and the cervical cap (it is so rarely used - I only had 2 patients who used it out of the thousands I saw while working in family planning), the fact that it can cause vaginal/cervical irritation, make intercourse more painful and may increase the risk of urinary tract infection leads me to believe it may not be the best idea for someone with IC.

There are a lot of other options that are more effective and some may actually help with IC symptoms. NuvaRing, the patch, Depo, Mirena, Paraguard, the "mini pill" (progesterone-only), Implanon, etc etc are just a few to consider besides the standard pill and cervical caps. I'd highly recommend finding a good doc that is up-to-date and knowledgeable about all the current options of birth control and exploring your options with them.

[tierney]

I do take a birth control pill continuously because I have freakishly long and heavy periods, but if that was not the case I would be interested in talking to my doctor about ParaGard, an IUD. It is not hormonal or anything, so to me, it sounds like a dream for an IC patient seeking birth control because IC patients tend to be so sensitive to hormones. Ask your doctor about it. Best wishes.

[angelladybug99]

Marvelon

hey

i just switched to marvelon from yasmin
and i think it saved my life cause all the bad i was feeling is gone
i had this feeling of tight duck tape all around me
and i was on yasmin for a few years and finally i said im switching my doctor said it was no need to
but anyways my heart was racing ...peeeing lots...burning..yeast (i think it might be normal anyways) but anyways
my uro said he said yasmin might be a wrong choice !!!
so just wanted to put my experience out
also my uro said iuds arent the greatest but it all depends on the person and im not a doctor so go ttalk to yours

[bjcov]

I have the Mirena 5 year IUD and I LOVE it! No periods!

[tierney]

The only thing about Mirena, is it is recommended for women who have given birth, and I am jealous of those ladies who can use it and have success with it! Haha.

[Kesariss]

Just to clarify, Mirena is RECOMMENDED for women who have given birth vaginally, but it is not a requirement by any means. I just got it put in 2 weeks ago and I have never even been pregnant, much less given birth. Talk to your gyno, Tierney!

[tierney]

Ahem!

I am sorry if you did not understand my post; I too used the word, "recommended." Maybe you did not see it because it was not typed all in uppercase letters. I as well suggest talking with your medical professionals because I am not a medical authority, as you can see in my signature.

As it states on Mirena's website,(http://m.mirena-us.com/index.php) "Only you and your healthcare provider can decide if Mirena is right for you. Mirena is recommended for women who have had a child." My doctor and I concluded it was not a beneficial option for me as my vagina is small, and it would be difficult and painful to insert and remove the IUD in my case; I did not develop some kind of theory on my own! I am blonde, but I am not that dumb, haha! I also felt there were other more logical options for me, my health, and my lifestyle as everyone is different, and I was not too thrilled with the idea of threads! Eek! Please do not judge me for my choices; after all, it is my health.

Kesariss, thank you for your concern; I have talked to my gynecologist. And although I may be wrong, it seems you doubt that, so let me know when you would like to talk to them yourself! Thank you and best wishes.

[tierney]

Kesariss, I truly hope Mirena works for you! I am not fortunate enough for it to work for me. To suppress my periods I have to take a BCP which has a dosage for a 300 lb. woman, despite being 128 lb., and I still get spotting, and I continuously test negative for hormonal imbalances. I do not know what I will do if the pill I am on now every stops working! I envy you! Good luck with the Mirena!

[Kesariss]

Meow! I'm blonde, too, as a matter of fact, and thank you ever so much for reminding me why I should stay a lurker on online forums, because otherwise I get *****ed at.

[tierney]

Kesariss, I have PMed you; I feel this may not be the most appropriate place for our conversation.

Other ICers, I apologize for going off topic! At least thread certainly got, "bumped!" Best wishes.