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calamity_chk
Dec 11, 2003, 4:14 AM
Post #26 of 31
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Registered: Apr 23, 2002
Posts: 7994
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if your gf has had problems with depression while on the pill in the past, then let her stay away from it. *trust me* .. you have no idea how horrible it can be .. and yes, it does depend on a lot of things, but if she already has a history of it, then leave her alone about it - unless you want your wonderful gf to morph into a ball of raging hormones, complete with unpredictable yet possibly violent mood swings, endless sobbing over nothing, and random fits of "wtf" .. not to mention the guilt trips - "i'm going through all of this so that you dont have to wear a condom"
i'm not trying to be catty, but it's a real possibility. it may not happen, but it may. i have horrible problems with depression and anxiety any time i take the pill for more than a few months, and it's cost me tons of heart ache every time.
my best advice is very honestly to just leave it alone. if your gf doesnt want to be on the pill, then trust her judgment - screwing with your hormones can very honestly do some sucky things to your psyche. for example, last year i went from being an incredibly upbeat, happy-go-lucky person to being one big miserable, obsessively-depressed panick attack. why? i went on the pill for about 7 months because i was in a relationship and didnt want to mess with condoms. the only other times in my life that i have had problems with severe depression were when i've spent more than 3 months on the pill. some women simply cant take it.
as for my body, i'll probably get my tubes tied soon. i already have a wonderful son and dont really want to start motherhood all over again. i'd rather read, write, travel and climb.
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jsh
Dec 11, 2003, 8:41 PM
Post #27 of 31
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Registered: Oct 24, 2003
Posts: 118
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Amber: do some research into tubal ligations (I did - I considered it, but not after doing some reading). It's not as side-effect free as it may seem, and not particularly reversible (ie, if you have side effects, they're permanent).
I had my share of problems on the pill (2 lbs a month add up real fast!), and that *included* the NuvaRing. Both the ring and the patch are different ways of delivering the same drugs - so they have the same side effects.
I used a diaphragm for a while in college - it's fine, but about as 'easy' as a condom, and more error-prone.
Tried sponges - got two of them stuck beyond my reach (and I'm not squeamish). 'Nuff said.
Most recently and most nightmarish: I tried an IUD. They're better these days, but as it turns out, I have nerve endings in my cervix (some of us do, some of us don't. Traditional view has been that none of us do, propogated by a largely male medical field. Things are changing), which made the insertion a scene from a horror movie (think screaming in an empty hall), and every month a crippling experience (filling super-plus tampons in an hour, 8 Advil every few hours that only took the edge off the pain). IUDs may work better for women who've had a baby; but beware - if PAP smears are hard for you, an IUD is pretty much a constant PAP smear in terms of touching your cervix.
So, we're back to condoms.
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calamity_chk
Dec 11, 2003, 9:35 PM
Post #28 of 31
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Registered: Apr 23, 2002
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jsh, thanks for the heads-up and i'm certainly doing as much homework as i can on tubal ligations before getting under the knife, but it seems to be the lesser evil of my options - a firm stance on no more hormones limits the choices pretty drastically.
i considered an IUD for a while, but ruled that out for fear of complications if i were to take a good fall some day. (i burst an ovarian cyst last year while climbing in the fishers, and that was painful enough - i can only imagine what it would feel like to have a tiny piece of wire puncture your uterus while climbing .. ouch!)
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missedyno
Dec 12, 2003, 2:02 PM
Post #29 of 31
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Registered: Nov 21, 2001
Posts: 4465
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In reply to: ok, i forgot that you were from america and that your healtcare is controlled by major corporations... but neither my gf, my sister or a few other friends had any side effects from lowhormone pills. maybe US pills suck??? anyway, if the girl doesnt want to take pills, oyu have no right to force her. its her body.
AH! america! no no no i'm from canada...
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calamity_chk
Dec 12, 2003, 4:00 PM
Post #30 of 31
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Registered: Apr 23, 2002
Posts: 7994
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In reply to: In reply to: ok, i forgot that you were from america and that your healtcare is controlled by major corporations... but neither my gf, my sister or a few other friends had any side effects from lowhormone pills. maybe US pills suck??? anyway, if the girl doesnt want to take pills, oyu have no right to force her. its her body. AH! america! no no no i'm from canada...
no, jess is just so cool that she should be an american .. ;)
hehehehe
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tonithegreat
Dec 17, 2003, 9:05 PM
Post #31 of 31
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Registered: Jan 22, 2003
Posts: 51
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On the subject of American Gynos:
I do think that you can find Drs that will talk to you truthfully and caringly about your options here- it just takes a lot of looking, especially if you're constrained by insurance. I was lucky enough to start my bc discussions with nurses and Drs at the student health care clinic at my college. They weren't on the dole from the big pharm companies, because as an arm of the state university system, they got all of thier drugs at cheap state contract prices. So I was spoiled by starting out with docs that actually had time for me, who didn't jump for the newest and most expensive forms of bc first. Now that I am out in the real world of Blue Cross Blue Shield and the big offices that accept it, I'm crying. And freaking BCBS won't pay for depo provera unless some doc will sign off that I need it for medical reasons other than as bc. You'd think they'd want to keep me on bc! But I guess that's not how it works.
Toni
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