Quitting The Pill? - Page 3

MoonLight0 · 02-20-2007, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynastar

this post is such an inspiration to me! I have been on the pill for over 10 years and I too have had my sex drive drop to 0! I used to have a great sex life....I asked me doctor if it was the pill and she said no. I have been wanting to get off and get an IUD. I hope the sex drive comes back. I am a newly wed!
I am a little worried about side effects of quitting the pills after being on them so long. Any advice?

I know exactly how you feel. They say it's not the BC, but I know that it is since before I started taking the pill my sex drive was perfectly fine, ever since it's been down to zero. It's very frustrating.

MoonLight0 · 02-20-2007, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holahanson

I'm also in the same situation as you... I'm also 21 and have been with my bf for 3 years ha. We used to have a pretty good sex life, but now.. it's HORRIBLE. I never want to have sex (seriously, never ever) and half the time I just get irritated when he tries to do anything sexual. I'm in college too and most definitly don't want to be pregnant right now, but I decided to go off BC anyways becuase it was starting to affect my relationship with my bf. He usually takes it the wrong way (that I don't want to have sex because I don't want him/am not attracted to him) but in reality I just don't feel like it, though my mind wants to haha. I don't see the point in taking it, like someone else said, when you don't ever want to have sex, but it's a big decision that you have to make and there are pros and cons to going either way. For me personally, I just want to WANT to have sex again haha... Good luck!

That is exactly how I feel. Our sex life used to be super exciting, now it's just totally blah. And I also tend to feel irritated by it most of the time since I try as hard as I possibly can to get in the mood (mentally) but it simply doesn't work (physically). And the lubrication is a huge issue... I feel like a 70 year old woman or something. Ugh. KY is nice and all, but I feel that I'm way too young to have to use that stuff, haha.
There is definitely a huge difference in comparison to how things used to be, as my bf also feels that I "don't want him" which is definitely not the case. Who knew such a small pill can cause so many issues.
Hopefully I'll resolve this soon. So far he's not too happy about the decision but he's listening and supporting it. So hopefully we can figure all this out together. We both hate the idea of having to go back to using condoms.

StenoLady1 · 02-20-2007, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynastar

this post is such an inspiration to me! I have been on the pill for over 10 years and I too have had my sex drive drop to 0! I used to have a great sex life....I asked me doctor if it was the pill and she said no. I have been wanting to get off and get an IUD. I hope the sex drive comes back. I am a newly wed!
I am a little worried about side effects of quitting the pills after being on them so long. Any advice?

Yeah, my doc told me my libido problems were all in my head, "that the pill just doesn't do this to women."

This conversation would have been in 1998, weeks after my wedding, right after he switched me to Levora because of spotting on the previous one. The Levora in particular dropped my drive to zero. I still remember that doc saying, "This is normal for newlyweds. But if you don't do your duty, your new husband will find what you don't give him elsewhere." Somehow I don't think that was "normal" for newlyweds. Aren't newlyweds supposed to be doing it like bunnies, breaking in every room in the house -- a couple of times? GRRRR!!!

As to your question about side effects, I really only had two negative ones: A longer period by a day or two (but an overall much lighter period) and a nasty pimple somewhere on my body right before AF comes. I was expecting the worst. My mother had a heck of a time with her periods (fibroids, polyps), so much so that docs wanted to give her a hysterectomy when she was 28. As a last resort, a homeopath helped her, thank goodness, because, otherwise, I wouldn't have my brother. I'd always heard and read that however your mother's period is, is probably how your period will be. So I was really expecting something awful when I quit. I was shocked when nothing bad happened, and I felt so alive, vibrant and feminine.

StenoLady1 · 02-20-2007, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoonLight0;280***9

Thanks. Your post is very interesting since the opposite happened to me as far as getting sick is concerned. Since I started the pill I haven't got sick once, not even a minor cold, sore throat, or anything health related. I didn't even think about exactly why, but who knows, it could be due to the pill.
I'm still torn on the whole issue and will have to think about it more till I make my final decision. I still have half a pack of pills left that I plan on finishing, hopefully that will be enough time to figure out exactly whether or not I want to quit or continue taking them.

My boyfriend and I are both noly 21 so I'd hate to have to go through drastic measures not to get pregnant.
I just hope once I quit (whenever that may be), I don't go through serious issues. But my periods have always been relatively normal (though sometimes irregular), so hopefully they won't get totally out of control one day when I decide to quit.

Well, I may have spoke too soon on the colds. Everyone around me has been sick for the last few weeks, and I'm pluggy this morning.

Yeah, don't do anything drastic. DH & I are 35, have been together since we were 20 and felt as confident as we could that we didn't want children. But he didn't rush right out and get snipped. I quit the pill thinking I may have to go back on it, especially if I had some awful reaction to stopping. During those six months, we used condoms, or we mastered oral, lol, if we didn't feel like dealing with rubbers. Initially I was dreading stopping the pill because of having to use condoms, but looking back, we rarely had a need for them. There are so many erotic ways to be intimate that don't involve penile/vaginal intercourse. And for me, I felt like a kid in a candy shop for the first time ... it was all new and great!

It's a hard decision. I began questioning the pill in the mid '90s, became frustrated with it in '98 and finally quit in '06. I think the hard part of the decision is the predictibility being on the pill mixed with the fear of the unknown going off. But, see, that's messed up, too. Docs are so quick to prescribe the pill to young women, and they don't really know what's going to happen to them when they go off. Three different gynos couldn't tell me what would happen to me if I quit. I was told to "expect anything and everything," or "nothing is unusual when quitting the pill." There's something very wrong with that picture.

And the women I know on HRT are dealing with the same issues. They're either afraid to stop it because no one can tell them how their bodies will react, or they're afraid to start it with all the risks that are now in the spotlight.

snogal · 02-20-2007, 12:55 PM

I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen (regular & lo) for over 5 years. My list of pro's and con's looked just like yours. My marriage was really suffering - since I NEVER wanted to have sex with my husband & because I was a complete B*#TCH all the time. About a month ago, I made the decision to quit the pill. I know it was the right decision for me. The first 2 weeks off the pill were GREAT - my sex drive came back and my mood improved greatly. I got my period about 6 days early, and ever since, my sex drive has decreased a bit, and I've been a little more moody. I realize it's probably going to take time for everything to get back to normal and get regulated, so I'm just going to take it day by day. Life off the pill has got to be better than life on the pill.

Like you, I wasn't too thrilled about going back to condoms - they're not ideal, but my husband and I are getting used to them again.