I am getting married in June and am a virgin, so am looking into different kinds of birth control. I have my first appointment with a GYN in about a month or two, but would prefer going in there with some knowledge before hand, especially from other women. I don't know whether I should go for taking a pill or try for an IUD as my mom suggested. She said that she had one and had wonderful results with hers, however I'm not quite so sure about the insertion part. I do have a high tolerance for pain, but I've never had anything more than random cramps. I've had back surgery so I've been put through the ringer, but it seems that type of pain would be much different than pain in the vaginal area. I have no desire for the patch because I had a phentanol pain patch and while that was only worn for three days at a time, my skin had terrible reactions at the placement site. I've also heard that the shot isn't too reliable, but that's only what I have heard. So I've reasoned that the pill may be the best for me. However, my mom had breast cancer. But I have done research on Loestrin 24 and nowhere does it say anything about risks with a family history of breast cancer. Because of the family history I should not take many other oral contraceptives. So I guess at this point I am at a loss. Does anyone have any advice or know of any other resources I could look into before my appointment? I know that doctors mean well, but I also know that many of them, especially male GYNs, have never taken for example the pill, so have no personal experience.
Thanks

Well, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Some small percentage of women on the pill do fine, don't have any side effects, but most have some (many women do not even associate these side effects with the pill, but it's true). First and foremost, breakthrough bleeding (bleeding between periods can happen randomly any given time on the pill, you can take it perfectly have no trouble for several years, then just suddenly have 3 weeks of bleeding). Also, most women who are on the pill long term notice a huge decrease even absence of sex drive. It becomes harder to get aroused, sex is dryer and more painful, and often the pill makes you care less about having sex. That's just for starters.

Many side effects creep up on you after taking the pill for several years. You might do fine, then suddenly have a host of problems. I was OK on the pill for 6 years, then suddenly, my body went nuts. I gained 20 lb. of water weight in 1 month (I am not kidding). I started having so many symptoms of pregnancy, I was convinced I was pregnant even though I was not--the area over my uterus became hard and bulgy, I felt like all the cells of my body were pushing outward, I started craving milk (which I HATE the taste of), zero sex drive, but worst of all was what it did to my mood--I became highly anxious and moody, depressed. I started waking up daily on the verge of tears. I have a history of depression, but this pill-induced depression was different from the other. I was convinced I must have a serious mental illness. It really strained my marriage.

I tried switching pills (from Ovcon 35 to loestrin to yasmin to a pill I'd previously done OK on--northo-novum 7/7/7...no luck). Sometimes the side effects would go away a few days, but they always came raging back. I quit the pill 7 months ago, and I am so glad I did! Within 2 months, my mood & attitude improved. I stopped waking up on the verge of tears and crying daily. I began to see my sex drive return (nowhere near pre-pill levels but at least some sex drive is better than none, it's thought the pill may permanently damage your sex drive even after stopping it). I lost 10 lb. but am still retaining water because 7 months after stopping...my periods STILL are not normal!

Now, I'm having very light periods, lighter than pill periods some months (just spotting most of the time of my period). I believe this is causing me to continue to retain water and it makes me think if I wanted to get pregnant now, I might not be able to--I'm thinking the lining isn't building up properly on my uterus, which means a fertilized egg might have a hard time implanting. I want to start a family in about a year and I hope to God my cycles straighten out by then. I'm only 28 years old (well, almost 29). I had perfectly normal periods before starting the pill.

So...consider it carefully...and if you do go on it, be sure to be on the lookout for side effects like these that may creep up over time. It's a nightmare. I really wish I had known this could happen before I started on it.

I too haven't had the best luck on the pill. I have been on the pill for about a year and a half only. I started out on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and things were okay for a few months. Then I noticed that my appetite increased, my periods were worse (heavy and cramping), and my sex drive plummeted. I had a very high sex drive before. I can hardly become aroused now. I stay very dry no matter how much I am stimulated. I started getting migraines as a PMS symptom. I switched to Ovcon 35 in August and I am not noticing much of a difference. Every woman is different though. I have some friends that don't have a problem, and I have some that are really struggling with side effects.

I absolutley LOVE the pill. I went on when I was 16 for my period and I was planning to have sex( which I never did, waiting for marriage). My whole families periods used to last around 1 1/2 and be HEAVY, i'm talking a super plus tampon on an hour heavy. Anways AND my PMS scared even me. I started out with Yasmin and it was wonderful. The only thing was the high progestin in it, which made me gain weight (mostly in my boobs). After a year of Yasmin I started noticing I had no sex drive ( a more common side effect with yasmin b/c of the high progestin) so I'm now on Seasonique and I love it! It's 3 months of straight pills then a week of love estrogen pills to prevent a drastic drop in your hormones( like the placebo pills can). I would definatly recommend the pill. Worse comes to worse you can just stop. I've never been a fan of IUD's, but I've also never had one. Good Luck!

Jodi