More Mixed Info and Indescsion and Starting the Mini Pill

My birth control saga is still an ongoing battle...

When Skyla expelled, I had the plan to get one again. After all, this one didn't expell because of my uterus, it expelled due to the menstrual cup (uncomfirmed, but that is my theory and it has been come what confirmed by one OBGYN). So, I made another appointment to get another IUD. However, I was dreading the pain. A lot.

As I was sitting in the waiting room, hoping that 4 Motrin would do the trick for the pain this time, I started to second guess another IUD. As I sat there, I debated my other alternative .... The arm implant! I tried really hard to remember all my issues with it and really tried to remember if it lowered my sex drive or was it my circumstances? Was I just not being diligent enough about losing weight when I had it? As I recall, I got it removed because I couldn't lose weight. But what if I tried harder this time around?

I told the nurse that I wanted to talk with the doctor before doing the IUD, because I couldn't really say for certain that this was what I wanted anymore. Since the office was a bit behind, I saw an attending doctor, who was really awesome.

Here is a fun list of things we discussed:

1. Another IUD probably wasn't the way to go
2. The menstrual cup probably didn't cause the expulsion
3. With careful monitoring, I could do a regular pill form of birth control
4. The arm implant is a good choice for me
5. They will do another IUD, but they don't recommend it because each insertion carries more and more risks
6. I should think about which option I wanted and come back in a month do discuss it again
7. For now, she recommended the mini pill

She was one of the nicest doctors I'd ever talked to who really listened what I had to say and how I felt emotionally about my experiences. I was about to commit to the implant, but she said I should wait before I make a decision.

She suggested I at least see the doctor I had an appointment with, if nothing else just to be introduced. So I waited a bit more and then heard some discussion about Lamictal just outside the door.

The doctor and the attending came in, fulling admitting they were arguing over my case.

Here is another fun list of what this doctor told me:

1. She HAS seen cases where menstrual cups pull out IUDs!!!!
2. She said that after 2 expulsions, normally they don't recommend IUDs anymore (and she was shocked i wanted another one)
3. The best options for me, in terms of effectivness are: IUD, Depo, Implant, Mini Pill. Obviously, the IUD was off the table, but she said the Depo shot was my next best option, however since I am sensitive about weight gain, then I probably wouldn't want to do that.
4. Progestrone only birth control lowers the brains threshold to tell when you are full, so many women over eat which causes weight gain. If you are aware of that, you can modify your diet to accommodate for the change.
5. My seizure meds causes any form of bc to be metabolized faster than normal, which is a problem for something like the mini pill because it has to be taken at the same time everyday even for normal people. Making the mini pill a bit of a risky form for me to take.

I can't really say they pushed one form over the other (unlike everyone pushing Mirena over Skyla to the point of worry), but they did emphasize that I think about all my options.

Later, I stewed over the info about Lamictal metabolizing BC faster than normal and I came to an interesting thought.

For those who have read through my posts, you know that my first time with Skyla was fine until about 10 months in, and then I started getting periods every 2 weeks. And when I got it checked out, they said my IUD was in place and that the strings were on the short side. Then, after another round of heavy bleeding, I got a second opinion and an ultra sound, only to find out the IUD had become slight dislodged. It was about 3 weeks between the two appointments, and I was bleeding both times. It's also known that explusion rates are higher when you are on your period, heavy bleeding can dislodge the IUD. When I got my ultra sound, it showed that just one edge was slightly out of place. Otherwise, it was normal. So that really wouldn't explain why I was bleeding so much and so often. But I do know that the heavy bleeding happens when the hormones leave your body and you get an imbalance. It happened to an extreme after I got Skyla removed and Mirena. Those hormones leaving my body causes crazy heavy bleeding. So, my thought was that Lamictal metabolized the Skyla hormones so fast that it lowered the hormones to the point to cause that kind of heavy bleeding. It would also explain why I still had periods on Mirena, when most women don't get periods after 6 months of having it in!

This is just a thought, of course. Can't really confirm that but maybe I will bring it up at my next appointment.

Gotta say, I am leaning towards the implant this time. Or, possibly, if I really wanted it and I could get prescription pain meds for the procedure, I would do Paraguard. But I really don't know.... Right now, I'm starting the mini pill...

Thinking of the next IUD

After almost 3 months of being off of hormones, I gotta say I feel great. My periods last 3 days, my cramps are minimal, and my cycle is regulating! I'm slowing shedding the weight, although I could have been better about working out and eating right. Still, progress is being made.

Now for the downside...

My boyfriend has been having a hard time finishing using condoms. This is getting frustrating to say the least. For the past 3 months, it has happened off and on, but he always attributed to one thing or another. Being to full, being a bit tired, etc. Back when I pushed out my IUD, he was so supportive of me going BC free, assuring me that he wanted whatever made me happy. And while I suspected he was a bit disappointed, he assured me condoms were 100% cool.

Well, after numerous occasions of him not being able to finish, I finally asked him if it was because of the condoms, and he admitted he had been struggling with it. He didn't want to say anything because I was so content without BC, but I think he is having a harder time than he thought.

I know what he means, I hate condoms too. I dry out faster, and I always have a smell after we are done. We go through lube a lot too. And while I always thought that men having problems with condoms was their own damn fault, I can't really say that for my boyfriend. We are 30 years old now, he has gone his entire sexually active life wearing condoms - as have I -  and this is the first time we've ever gone without one to finish. He isn't comfortable with starting without a condom and finishing with one, so that option is off the table.

So, now I am re-reading my posts, trying to remember the best of the bad bunch. The copper IUD kinda scares me, but is also tempting. Then I think of Skyla and how I didn't have a loss of sex drive nor did it effect the intensity of orgasms. It might have hindered by ability to lose weight but I also remember when I started to work out more, I was losing weight. It just took a bit more effort.

I do know that I will never do Mirena again.

All I do know is that this is a struggle and a decision I need to make soon. Updates to come....

All Clear!

The bleeding has STOPPED!!! I'm so excited for that to be over.

I don't think I am over the Mirena Crash 100%, this weekend I was moody and emotional. I warned my boyfriend, but I still felt bad for the way I acted.

Also, I lost 2 pounds even though I made bad food choices all weekend!! For the past month, I have been running and doing light weight lifting 4 to 5 days a week, and then eating healthy, with lots of veggies and protein. NOTHING. Not one pound was shed, I think I even gained 2 pounds. There is the argument that I was gaining muscle, but I was not weight lifting enough to warrant that kind of result. It's these kind of changes that make me never want to take birth control again. Feeling more awake at work, seeing the results of my hard work with diet and exercise, and not having the random shooting pains. I also noticed it was worse whenever I did kegel exercises, which is weird, but I stopped doing them because of that.

I have decided (for now) to reach my ideal weight and then pick a birth control option. Might be Skyla again since I didn't experience a loss of sex drive or really gain any weight. But I might also try Paragard, at the risk of heavier, crampier periods. Who knows though, I change my mind constantly.

Well, readers, This will probably be my last update for a good long while. I hope this information finds you and it helps you make a more informed birth control decision.

Last Update For Awhile

Today, I actually feel like the bleeding is letting up! And I am still in love with my menstrual cup and mad I hadn't bought one YEARS ago. I still had to get up at 3 am and change it out, but that was after almost 4 hours! Plus, it was really more because of the clots than actual blood.

I also felt more awake today and actually slept pretty well last night. I'm thinking the Mirena Crash has worn off now. My sex drive is in full gear, so I'm pretty happy about that (just wish I wasn't still bleeding :/). I've even noticed I'm not gaining weight after one cheat day too! It's so frustrating that feeling normal means not having the safety of birth control....

Anyway, this will be my last post for awhile. I've been updating a lot with out any major updates, so I promise to only do another post when there is actual news.

The Implanon experience - Day 1

Alright! This is my blog about my experience with the birth control Implanon (Now called Nexaplon). If you don't know or aren't familiar with Implanon/Nexaplon, it is a small, thin, match stick like piece of plastic that is inserted into you arm. It can stay in your arm for 3 years and it is progestrin only.

To give you a brief amount of background, I am creating this blog because there was so much mixed information out there about this form of birth control. When I researched it, I found tons of negative reviews and very few good ones. I was scared and I didn't really didn't want to even try it.

However, Implanon quickly became my only choice for a variety of reasons.

First, I take a seizure medication (anti-seizure perhaps?) called Lamictal, which can lower the effectiveness of birth control AND birth control, in a pill form with estrogen, can lower my medication levels. I didn't know this and I have had a seizure from the lowered medication levels! This was upsetting for one because none of my doctors told me this and because I had to stop taking a birth control pill I hadn't been having any problems with.

This incident happened in October of 2009 and for months I researched all my options. My safest options were the following:
- Ortho Evra (the patch -- see below)

- Nuvaring ( I later found out that this is false. The ring and the patch have both progestrin and        estrogen, and no matter how it is introduced into the body, estrogen or any form of it goes through the liver. Progestrin does not, which is why it is safe to take with most seizure medications)

- Depo shot

- Implanon

I ruled out the patch because of the estrogen based hormone.

I wanted an IUD but I've had an abnormal pap, so that is no longer an option. ( And no, I do not have childern, but my OBGYN said she would do an IUD because of my situation. **Update: My how medicine has changed! Now my GYNO pushes an IUD on me like no other!).

I have heard numerous horror stories about the Depo shot and even though my OBGYN told me that I have probably only heard the negative and that most women respond very well to the shot, I still did not like the idea that it would stay in my system for 3 months!

Nuvaring was a close second, however I still live at home and Nuvaring has to be placed in the fridge on your off week because the hormones are released at body tempuature. Needless to say, I did not want to have my bc next to dinner leftovers and my Dad doesn't want to see that either.

So, I decided on Implanon, despite all the negative reviews I read, it quickly became my last option if I wanted birth control at all.

All I could hope for is that I would be one of the women who didn't post anything because it did not give me side effects or at least the worst ones. The side effects that have been posted and the doctor told me about are:
 - Non-stop bleeding for months
 - Spotting sporadically for months
 - Acne
 - Weight gain
 - Loss of sex drive
...much of what you hear of most bc but the non-stop bleeding and crazy spotting was the biggest thing I read about.

The next issue I ran into was finding a place that had anyone who was trained on how to insert Implanon. My OBGYN did not do the training, but she gave me a list of places that she thought might. Of the 10 names she gave me, only one place had two ladies who had the training. I'm not from a huge city but it's not small either, however Implanon is so new and not that well known, there isn't much of a demand.

Despite my struggle, I finally made an appoint for a consultation. There, I asked about the non-stop bleeding which she said was being reported as a problem recently but only one girl asked to get it taken out because of that problem.Not the feedback I was looking for but it still gave me enough hope. I also asked if the procedure was painful and she told me that it was no worse than getting blood taken. I was also told that they only considered taking it out after 6 months because it can take that long to your body to get used to it.

A month later, I had my appointment. On that day, I had to take a pregnancy test, which I was not worried about because I have not been sexually active for a year. Next, I was taken to a small room, almost exactly like a dentist set up, complete with the long chair. The nurse told me to lay down and the doctor would be in shortly. My wait wasn't too long, and I asked the doctor the same questions (this was a different doctor from the one I originally talked to). She said that only one girl wanted the implant taken out because of the non-stop bleeding and about 90% of women who have it do not have dramatic side effects and most of the side effects went away after 6 months. This gave me some hope!

Then, it was game time! My arm was placed in a semi awkward position because it is inserted in the underside of your non-dominate arm. In any event, the area was cleaned well and prepped for the local numbing shot. She told me it would sting and I was thinking "Ok, it going to sting but then it will be just like getting my blood taken".

WRONG!!

This shot not only HURT but it also STUNG very, very badly and it seemed to go on forever! I think it was put in three different places, so each time there was a renewed sting. Yet, the shot numbed the area and I could only feel displaced pressure. The doctor proceeded to show me the plastic, match stick length insert and the instrument that would be shoving it in my skin, which was not huge but big enough to be glad I was numbed.

The insertion part I could not feel, but judging from the wiggling, pressure and force that she applied, I knew that a discomforting amount of force was being put into this procedure. This part went fast, though and before I knew it, she was done.

Next, the area was cleaned again. A small round bandage covered the insert spot, then gauze and that tan binding stuff which I do not know the name of but is used for things like ankle sprains was wrapped around my arm. I was told to keep the binding on for 24 hours and if any soreness or bruising occurred, I could take Ibuprofen and ice the area.

In all the reviews I read, only some talked about bruising or soreness but not enough to keep me alarmed. Most seemed to have no problem with the area.

I however was not one of those people. The underside of my arm hurt quite a bit and it was very sore and tender. I didn't unwrap the binding until later that night to look at the area. It was not pretty. The round bandage was not big enough for the amount of bleeding I had, the area was red and two long, red marks traced over the implant. I was afraid to touch it because my entire arm ached. I iced it right away, which really helped and by the next day, it didn't hurt as much. But it still hurt enough to notice.


As I write this blog, I am on day 2 of having Implanon. So far, nothing! No side effects! Granted, it's day two. I was supposed to get my period on the 20th but I was really stressed out from school and my two jobs and stress ALWAYS messes up my period. So, no period to speak of to this day.

 Here is a picture of my arm today, day 2 of having the insert:

It doesn't look too good, I know! And it is still tender, but before this scares you, understand that I have VERY sensitive skin. I can't use many over the counter make-up, face lotions, face washes, detergents because I will break out in one form or another. Plus, the underside of your arm is very sensitive, so also keep that in mind. You can see the two red marks that run perpendicular to the insert too that I was talking about. The bruising is pretty recent and the pic doesn't give you ALL the green that is surrounding the red marks.

Overall, even with the painful procedure, the scary reviews and the bruising, I do not regret getting it. Of course, time will tell if the side effects change my mind. I wanted to write this blog to let other women know a personal, updated experience and even women who also take Lamtical and are confused about which bc option is best.

 I will get my blood taken to check my medication levels too and make sure that Implanon isn't lowering the levels, which I will also blog about.

 I hope that someone out there stumbles upon this blog and I hope it helps!