no boys allowed in the room!!!!

haha that's even better actually

OB here as well. one of my friends used to get heavily discounted stuff from a pharmaceutical company he worked for and ordered them in bulk for the women in his family, i'm kinda jealous.

lol Amanda

I like it as a random meme a lot more than I like it as a breast cancer awareness raiser.

diva cup for me, thanks

Dare I admit...

Diva Cup/reusable cloth pads

Now you know.

xp YAY!

x-posts Yeah, me too - that's what I meant. Probably wouldn't have done it if I had known what it was for.

Me too! The email I got suggested that we "let the boys figure it out". Barf. Breast cancer bras boobies boys.

I can't use a diva cup because I have an IUD. Tampax here or sometimes OB. I like both. Cloth pads here too but only for sleeping.

I used a Diva Cup when I had an IUD. No probs. Why aren't you supposed to?

Wait me= too slow.

I had a bad experience with the product known as "instead" so I'm OB original...bampon. I did not post about my bra to boost breast cancer awareness on fb.

Jenny you had your iud removed? You didn't tell me!

Not that you should have but I remember taking the bus with you on the way there. <3

They don't recommend using Diva Cups with IUDs because there is a risk of catching the string and pulling out the IUD when you remove the cup. Some people do use them together but doing so is generally not recommended. The idea of yanking out my IUD is so awful that I just don't want to risk it.

I got it taken out awhile ago. It was the Mirena kind with the hormones, so I after about six months, I stopped getting a period, which in and of itself is not terrible, but I also got a full-on hardcore compliment of PMS symptoms. So I'd be minding my own business, when WHAMMO with no warning, crying like a crazy woman, my face would break out, I'd be suuuuuuuuuper bitchy (more so than usual), my boobs would hurt and then... it would stop. No period at the end of that sentence. It made me a little crazy.

Erin, had I read that same warning, I would have heeded it. Thinking about accidentally yanking out the IUD was awful for me to contemplate, too. But as noted, I barely got a period so it was kind of a moot point after awhile.

Huh that really sucks that the Mirena had that effect on you esp since it's a local and not systemic hormone delivery system. It's not supposed to cause the dramatic side effects that oral or injected contraceptives can cause in some women. :/

I have the copper IUD so still get periods and while I'd love to try a Diva or something similar, I'm going to err on the side of caution. Btw, it's Erica. :D

Out of curiosity - how painful was the removal? Sorta dreading the day I decide or have to get mine taken out. I know it's be quick but my insertion was pretty bad so I'm sorta nervous.

^ "it's" should be it'll

I'm so sorry! I have been calling you "Erin" in my head for like at least a year now. Erica. Erica Erica. Got it.

I don't know that the IUD caused the PMS (I get PMSy to some extent no matter what), it just dried up my period so there was no notable endpoint to the PMS. That sounds weird, like a non-problem, but it really got to me. Like it was all anticipation with no denouement. I wanted the copper IUD but my period is super heavy on it's own and the gyn thought it would be a bad move.

The removal was a PIECE OF CAKE. I've had pap smears that were more uncomfortable. The insertion was awful awful awful, so I feel you about the nervousness. I was nervous, too, and pleasantly surprised.

contraception is just an awful thing to deal with. it is weird but kind of funny to be married and still using condoms... but the pill just doesn't sit well with me, and being in a new country i'm not super psyched to have some strange doctor shove something up my uterus (plus we did too much research and i kinda scared myself out of getting one, ever), so we felt like the best option was good ol' fashioned condoms. my husband is incredibly great about it, was the first to suggest it, but i do feel bad that it's not really the 'best' option for him. when will the day come that contraception is painless and side-effect free.

we can dream...

i hate the pill, too!

Gotta heartily recommend:

http://media.empr.com/images/2009/05/12/todaysponge_box_53131_53132.jpg

I was gonna get one to see if it would make my migraines go away, but my doc said it wasn't worth it. The thing was also going to cost me like a squillion dollars so forgetit.

AMEN to painless side effect free contraception.

i did not realize they still sold sponges!

They took them off the market for a while but reintroduced them a couple years ago.

Sponges, that is.

http://www.feministing.com/archives/015702.html

They are not perfect, but as someone in an exclusive relationship for whom an unplanned pregnancy would not be the end of the world, I'm a big fan.

yeah i was gonna say this is not a very safe option for me and i don't understand how someone like elaine benes could be all about em!

Plus we did too much research and i kinda scared myself out of getting one, ever.

Justine, there is A LOT of incorrect or misleading information out there regarding IUDs. There were a lot of problems with the ones in the 1970s but today's models are extremely safe and aside from sterilization, they're one of the most effective forms of contraception. I am 100% happy with mine and am really pro IUD in general. I love the fact that it's non-hormonal and that I never have to think about it. Also, it's extremely cost effective. There is a slightly higher risk of expulsion in women who have never been pregnant but it's a small increase in risk. Insertion is painful but you can get an anesthetic and take ibuprofen to lessen the pain and it's brief. I can't recommend the IUD highly enough tbh. It sounds like you're happy with condoms but I had to give it a plug because I get really pissed off that they get such a bad rep unnecessarily.

Btw, I have a Paragard: http://www.paragard.com/paragard/index.php

my major concern with getting one is that i've kinda got wacky periods - really irregular, sometimes super heavy and painful - and i read that copper ones can make it worse... or make it better... and i just don't want to go through the hassle of figuring it out. plus yeah, super expensive here, i bet, and i don't have great health insurance coverage.

i would like to more about this sponge thing.

i don't understand how someone like elaine benes could be all about em!

You know, I was actually thinking about that on the way home from work today! It was pretty irresponsible of her.

Also, I had my IUD for two years, I think, and I am also pro-IUD even though it turned out not to be right for me, if that makes any sense. It's a really good option. My least favorite bit of IUD misinfo is that you can't get one of you haven't had a child. I know women whose gynecologists told them that!!!

http://www.todaysponge.com/about.html

Justine, where do you live? In the US, they are located in the condom aisle. A box of three is $15 in Chicago, so probably a lot cheaper elsewhere.

...condom aisle of the drug store, I should say. And it's not really a whole aisle, just sort of a little section at the end of an aisle.

the thing i like best about condoms is the ~material-ness~ of it, as a contraceptive. like, when i was on the pill i would look at the little bugger before popping it in my mouth and think to myself 'how the shit is this gonna stop babies???'. and i always lived in fear that i would be one of the 2% or whatever that ended up pregnant. but with a condom at least you know if it worked or not (had to make an early a.m. pharmacy visit early last year, but just that one time).

would like to take this opportunity to give props to my husband, ytth, for doing most of the research when i was considering an IUD (i've had exes who wouldn't even pick up tampons on their way home because EWWWW)

think i'm gonna have to find some stats of the efficacy of this sponge first - an unplanned pregnancy WOULD be pretty much a complete disaster for us right now

Copper IUDs can cause an increase in cramps and bleeding for the first six months (I won't lie - I experienced this) but it wasn't anything that some extra strength OTC pain meds couldn't tackle. After six months the body usually adjusts and it sort of evens out/returns to normal. For me the potential benefits outweighed that risk but I can totally understand being nervous about that given your history. I was willing to chance it and it worked out in the end. Cost - even if you pay full price (which I believe is about $200) an IUD is the most cost effective method of BC provided you intend to use it for two years or more. Also, if your insurance doesn't cover it, Paragard let's you set up a payment plan pay it off over 12 months. OK, /IUD commercial. I promise they're not paying me ;).

How effective is the contraceptive sponge against pregnancy?
The contraceptive sponge may be less effective against pregnancy for women that have already had a baby. The contraceptive sponge is 87% effective with typical use. This means that if 100 women use the contraceptive sponge, 13 women will become pregnant in a year with typical use.

http://www.todaysponge.com/images/pdf/sponge-pregnancy-chart.pdf

so that's around as effective as condoms right? i always wonder about that "in a year with typical use" standard for bc, how much sex does that actually involve? as in what is the per-act probability of pregnancy? i am v. much a numbers person and it drives me crazy that i can't break it down, even though i know that statistics are not predictive.

btw can i just say that i hate nonoxynol 9

Summary of Clinical Efficacy Study:

Today Sponge is 89-91% effective, what does it mean?
• Over 1,850 women used the Today Sponge over a 1 year period
• Over 230,000 acts of intercourse produced 179 pregnancies
• Translation: One Pregnancy for Every 1287 Acts
..of Intercourse*

Pregnancy Rates for Birth Control Methods
(For One Year of Use)

In clinical studies with Today® Sponge, the pregnancy rates per 100 women during the first year of use were:

= About 1 out of 10 women (9-11%) became pregnant when using this correctly all the time.

= The possibility of getting pregnant increased to about 1 out of 7 women (13-16%) when this product was not used correctly.

^ posted for the extra numbers for Maria.

I believe that condoms are a little more effective overall if I'm reading these stats correctly.

it seems like it might be easier to use condoms 'effectively' than a sponge which requires specific placement or something?

xpost holy shit i memorized the numbers from high school health class and i thought the pregnancy rates were much lower for most of those methods.

xpost again - than you jenny! that maes me feel better, as someone prone to pregnancy paranoia

You can at least see where condoms are going. You have to insert the sponge and position it so it is like a little cup over your cervix, which can seem tricky at first, but you can feel when it's in the right place pretty easily.

But yeah, with a condom you can visually verify that all is well, which you can't do with the sponge, unless you have a special attachment for your Conair three-panel make-up mirror.

lolol

looool that reminds me of the time my doctor insisted that i 'feel' my cervix (right there and then) and get to 'know' it.

Sadly I've had to beg off all hormonal contraceptives at least for now. I smoke, so regular pills arent a wise idea... and I've tried both Implanon and Depo Provera and both sent me into nasty depressive episodes. Condoms for me, oh well.

Aaaah I have tried so many different kinds of pill hoping to find one with no side effects but no luck so far. I had just found one which only gave me migraines on the week off and was like "well fine then, I will just not have any weeks off (even though my GP says not to do that)" but then some other side effects appeared and made it clear that my hormonal levels were wrong so I got put on yet another kind instead.

Anyway you didn't need to know that but I got all excited by seeing that I was not alone because I had kind of been thinking "this cannot be normal, why does universe hate me" etc about it all, esp. given that I am partly on the pill because NOT being on the pill = bend-over-double acetominophen-resistant ovary pain for 3 days a month

sorry for tmi but excited that I am not quite as weird as I'd thought! though this does mean that if the universe does not hate me especially then the universe hates women even more than was already apparent so that is less pleasing news.

No contraceptives just generally suck. :(