¿What's your preference for non-hormonal birth control?? For example the DUI.

Carissa - posted on 01/28/2009

thanks again ladies!

Laurie - posted on 01/27/2009

Fertility Awareness Mthod...check out the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility"...it's great for avoiding pregnancy, but also for pregnancy achievement.

Kimberly - posted on 01/27/2009

The IUD will not prevent pregnancy, it will only prevent the egg from being attached to the uterine wall. I personally feel this is like an abortion-like method to prevent a baby. I think couples should be responsible in their method they use to PREVENT pregnancy, not just to assure one does not go full term.

Julie - posted on 01/27/2009

I second the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". You can acheive natural birth control. The hardest part for me was taking my temperature, since anytime I woke up in the middle of the night or in the morning at a "restful" state, I was rushing to my crying baby or running late for work! It takes a little while to check your temperature and I just wasn't disciplined about it, but I did pretty good by paying attention to my cervical fluid.

There is also a great website www.fertilityfriend.com. There is a "free" membership and one you can pay for. But you can keep track of your charts and temps online. Its awesome.

Leah - posted on 01/26/2009

You should be able to search the book on amazon.com and usually get it used for a discounted price. I always look there first. Good luck.

Carissa - posted on 01/26/2009

sounds like the IUD is really not what they make it out to be. Any one else have any stories about the IUD?? I am going to try and see if I can find this book...TAKING CHARGE OF YO FERTILITY...I am in Spain so getting books like this is hard. We will see whats out there.

Becky - posted on 01/25/2009

I would not go with an IUD. I had one for 9 months and had to have it removed. I was cramping on a off, I was struggling with moods, and wasn't enjoying relations with my husband as much. Once I had it removed I lost 10 pounds in 2 months without any changes in my eating or activity. The more I read about IUDs the more I wish I hadn't made that choice.

Shiloh - posted on 01/25/2009

Every women should read Taking Charge of Your Fertility, I read it and was shocked at how much my body was telling me about my cycle.  So if you are preventing or trying, read that book!  If I ever have girls they will read parts of it when they reach puberty, so educational!

Leah - posted on 01/25/2009

Unfortunately I had an IUD at one point. I went to the Dr to get a different kind of birth control and they didn't have it so they offered me this without explaining to me what actually happens. Finding out later, I feel HORRIBLE. On top of how it works it was the most uncomfotable thing I have ever had to live with. It hurt everytime my husband and I had sex. He could feel it poking him at times and it made my periods heavier. I would not suggest it to anyone for even one of the reasons I listed. Good luck on your search.

Nicole - posted on 01/24/2009

I highly suggest reading Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler.
After reading the book I had a much greater understanding of what my body was going through and I choose to chart my cycles and use condoms during my fertile times. It has worked wonderfully for us. I use www.fertilityfriend.com to chart. Good Luck with your choice...It is a very personal choice and different things work for different people.

Patti - posted on 01/24/2009

Quoting Krystal:

I agree as anurse who worked OB/GYN for a time i can say that the less envasive and closest to "natural" that you can get is to use a diaphram. Having implanted IUD's (intra uterine devices)or any form of implants or shots are detrimental to a female's health and the results can last for years and sometimes cause issues with conception in later years. I hope this helps with your decision.

What "detrimental" effects can IUD's (non-hormonal), cause to a woman who has already had a child?

Krystal - posted on 01/24/2009

Many of those implants and hormonal BC's increase androgen levels (equivalent to testosterone) which causes cysts on ovaries, weight gain, Hirshitism (hair on neck chest chin etc) all of this which the suppliers and physicians fail to mention. Also not having a monthly period caused by these BC's may be convienient to some but causes issues latter. Glad to hear that many women are searching for natural ways (alternative) ways of BC than using unnatural hormones. Good luck and God Bless. Oh yeah, not having a period after birth especially if you breast feed is normal but you can still get pregnant, I am sure you already know that.

Carissa - posted on 01/24/2009

wow...ok...lot of info. Sounds great to look up these web pages. I actually haven´t had a period yet, since I have had my first baby about two months ago. So, I don't know if the beads will work. I was on the NUVA RING before we got pregnant (for about 1 yr), but it was HORRIBLE!! I gained a lot of weight and I was really moody. Anyway, I am definately looking for something that is NON HORMONAL and of course something that will actually prevent me from ovulation. Which I thought that was what the IUD did...??

Brooke - posted on 01/23/2009

You can find more info about cycle beads here if you're interested: http://www.cyclebeads.com/

Brooke - posted on 01/23/2009

Oh, I totally forgot.  I hated being on hormonal BC because I experienced many unpleasant side effects.  I finally found cycle beads which worked very well for over a year until we got pregnant - operator error!  It's SO simple, which I really liked.  You just put the rubberband on the red bead the first day of your cycle, then every day you move the marker to the next bead.  On the days you're on a brown bead, it's safe to have unprotected sex.  On the day the marker is on the white bead, you need to use a barrier method.  The cycle beads cost $12 one time - MUCH cheaper than paying monthly for BC.  The only catch is that you need to have regular cycles each month, between 26 and 32 days.  I just kept the beads in my bathroom by my toothbrush so I'd remember to move the marker each day. 

Brooke - posted on 01/23/2009

Many times doctors won't explain that there are 2 different types of birth control.  1. Prevents fertilization of egg by sperm.  2. Allows fertilization, but keeps the egg from implanting in the uterine lining, basically causing spontaneous abortion.  As a Christian, the difference between the two types is very imortant to me because I believe life begins at conception.  Here's a website that explains all of this a little more: http://themarriagebed.com/pages/biology/...  It also breaks it down so that you can look up many types of BC to find out which of the two categories they fall under.  It looks like IUDs allow fertilization but prevent the egg from implanting. 

Krystal - posted on 01/23/2009

I agree as anurse who worked OB/GYN for a time i can say that the less envasive and closest to "natural" that you can get is to use a diaphram. Having implanted IUD's (intra uterine devices)or any form of implants or shots are detrimental to a female's health and the results can last for years and sometimes cause issues with conception in later years. I hope this helps with your decision.

Diana - posted on 01/23/2009

I don't like using hormones for a few reasons. First of all some of them actually kill the fertilized egg. Secondly they seem to impact my body negatively every time I've tried them. Last but not least I'm breastfeeding and even though the Dr. says it's safe...I don't want to risk it. Do I use the diaphragm and it's worked well for us. You need to make sure it's inserted correctly but at least both you and your husband can feel like everythings "normal" unlike condoms. You can't feel it at all and neither can he. So it's very unobtrusive.