(no subject)

[ravenfyre.livejournal.com]

alright... so i flipped through numerous pages of backposts, and i think only one question came up about these so...

i'm thinking of trying to find an alternative method of contraception/birth control. (i'd much rather have a hormonal method than a barrier method.)
but taking the pill every day doesn't seem to be doing so well for me - i get so incredibly worried that if i take a pill late or miss one completely (which has happened a few times the past couple months) that i'm going to get pregnant, and i hate being so scared all the time :\

so i'm thinking of trying either Nuvaring or Ortho Evra. does anyone have any experience with them? i'm wondering if they have the same side effects and such as the pill (mostly i'm worried about spotting and things like that).
and does anyone know if they're available in canada yet?
also, can you feel Nuvaring during intercourse? that kinda worried me, i don't want it to be uncomfortable.

sorry i have so many questions, i'm just trying to get as much info as possible. i checked both their websites already, but i'd like to hear personal experiences...
much thanks :)

Comments

[brandyshea.livejournal.com]

I don't have much experience with either of them, but my friend just started using Nuvaring and so far she loves it. She says once it's in there you can't feel it at all. I'm thinking about going on this or the patch next month when I go back to the doctor. I would think they have about the same side effects as the pill, but I can't say that from personal experience, just speculation.

[geminigirl]

IIRC, you remove Nuvaring during intercourse, so no, you wouldn't feel it. (And I'm pretty sure it's available in Canada, I was doing research for a Canadian friend about it last week.)

As for side effects...similar. I recall reading (sorry, no citation, I've been doing a lot of reading recently) that the Patch had a lower incidence of some side effects than the pill did, but if it's spotting you're worried about, that will probably be at a similar rate. I suspect it's things like the nausea that people have less of with the ring or patch because it doesn't have to go through the digestive system to work.


If you're worried about missing pills, have you considered Lunelle? I'm not sure about the availability of Lunelle in Canada, but it's a monthly injection of estrogen/progestin, the same hormones that are in the combo pills. It's not Depo-Provera which is every three months and is progestin only, like the mini-pills are.

If you're over 190 lbs, the patch is less effective.

[urania.livejournal.com]

Never used either, but NuvaRing at least is supposed to be very low-dose hormones, and I think the patch is too. Because it's low-dose, the side effects like nausea, weight gain and depression (which can occur with the Pill) are supposed to be minimized... not impossible but even more unlikely. And from what I've read in the newspaper, it's not likely that a man will feel it during intercourse... and it can be removed for an hour or two (but no longer) with no ill effects. (Note: I don't know if that's an hour or two a day, or an hour or two a month, or what. Didn't read the article that closely :) You might see if there's a webpage on it... I bet there is somewhere