The Pill omg

[soma_stardust]

both raspberry leaves and cramp bark are great for cramps, especially together.

i heard about the raspberry. i can't remember if it actually worked for me or not. i <3 herbal remedies.

[Nos]

Thank you to Voltaire and Xavialune for the advice I'll be looking into those options soon ....

[Xavialune]

they say it will give you lighter less often periods...mine just stopped all together, but on most birth control i've tried it pretty much stopped

it didn't make me gain any weight, and I dont have to think about it, it was a quick appointment with very very little pain or discomfort. it lasts for five years, i got it right after my son was born so i know when my son turns five i need to go get it replaced. Oh and, there is no wait time to be able to get pregnant again, when you take it out it's done. I know when I was on depo i didnt have a period for over a year after my last shot...

Thats another thing. I have heard to get the IUD you need to have had a child. But when I went to planned parenthood to get counseling on it, they never mentioned this requirement to me.

I dont know. I just feel having a foreign object in my uterus to be a big off-putting. It can make scar tissue in there, and the damage it can do is vaguely linked to uterine cancer.

[inox]

Thats another thing. I have heard to get the IUD you need to have had a child. But when I went to planned parenthood to get counseling on it, they never mentioned this requirement to me.

Seriously, sexual health is no place for hearsay. Always verify things with a doctor; don't go on what you hear on the street.

[batzilla]

Its my experience that letting a guy do whatever he wants (aka open relationship) is a recipe for disaster. They'll just go out and have sex with whoever they want,most of the time without your knowledge at all even if you agreed to tell each other who you slept with. If it works for you more power to you..but it doesnt seem to work for very many people unfortunately. I for one dont believe true and straight monogamy ever really works, thats why Val and I are open to 3somes (but we're really picky lol..and have no interested friends).

If someone's that willing to lie to you, they've revealed themselves as being not worth your time anyway. It seems to me that has more to do with the character of the person than with the setup.

[Xavialune]

Right but one would not neccessarily know they had been lying to you until it is too late...and that could be disastrous.

[Xavialune]

Seriously, sexual health is no place for hearsay. Always verify things with a doctor; don't go on what you hear on the street.

Well I saw the IUD commercial, and they said "Candidates for Mirena have had a child..."

[batzilla]

Right but one would not neccessarily know they had been lying to you until it is too late...and that could be disastrous.

That is true for a relationship where the rule is to be monogamous, too. Either way, someone is going back on something they promised and concealing it.

[inox]

Well I saw the IUD commercial, and they said "Candidates for Mirena have had a child..."

Exactly. So do some research to make sure you aren't just dealing with fundie wackadoos. GFE. This link explains what the actual issue is:

"The IUD can sometimes slip out of the uterus. Sometimes it comes all the way out. Sometimes it only comes out a little. This is more likely to happen to women who are younger and who have never had a baby. If the IUD slips out of place, pregnancy can happen."

Emphasis added.

[inox]

Or, even better: http://tinyurl.com/b2doxw

[Amelia G]

I was advised to be on the pill because of my cramps. (Which can get so bad, I pass out.) It has helped but not as much as I had hoped ... in fact if I had to change prescriptions because the first ones did nothing to help after a year.

I'm about 3 months into the new prescription and I'm now developing more condensed pain on my right side during my period. - Fuck I don't know. I'm about to toss the whole thing. It worked so well when I first started on it but I feel it's just fucking me up even more now.

I'm also at the mercy of Planed Parenthood right now. Don't get me wrong ... they provide a great service. It just sucks when you need a real Dr. and can't afford it.

Yeah, pill really helped me for the first two or three months. Then got progressively suckier. Never again.

[Amelia G]

I know how you feel about planned parenthood. Its ridiculous what health insurance costs. good health insurance would cost my bf and I 800 bucks a month because we dont have a company that employs us that offers it. Its sad...

But yeah, you might try a more natural approach. Herbs are great for this..maybe see a holistic healer or professional herbalist in your area?

Insurance is the big lie of American healthcare. Just because you can't afford thousands for insurance does not mean you can't put together a few hundred dollars for important health treatments.

A visit to a really top notch professor level industry leading ob/gyn once a year would cost you like $400 max including tests. Around $200 is a more likely price tag for a normal doctor. Most people don't get more than one pap smear a year.

You do not need to be insured in some corporate job or on welfare to get the basics taken care of.

[Amelia G]

Devils' Advocate: Maybe because the girl he wants to do at that moment isn't into girls?

Do you by any chance have a law degree?

[Xavialune]

lol! i didnt know one could do that. not the googling, but you know what I mean.

I havent googled it or looked at it again simply because *I decided I am not going to get it done*.. I said previously that I do not like those types of birth control. They are unnatural, IMO, and screw up your body (Ive been on all kinds of them..depo, patch, pills, etc). I dont like the idea of having a foreign object inside my uterus, which can cause scarring and all that jazz.

I much rather just use condoms, as they are safe and effective..no hormones, no foreign objects..

[Xavialune]

Insurance is the big lie of American healthcare. Just because you can't afford thousands for insurance does not mean you can't put together a few hundred dollars for important health treatments.

A visit to a really top notch professor level industry leading ob/gyn once a year would cost you like $400 max including tests. Around $200 is a more likely price tag for a normal doctor. Most people don't get more than one pap smear a year.

You do not need to be insured in some corporate job or on welfare to get the basics taken care of.

oh no I wasnt talking about that. I was just saying health insurance in general. Like, if we were to get into a car accident tomorrow..what would we do? We'd be SOL, thats for sure. It brings up a whole slew of issues such as, the docs are more likely to let you die if you arent covered, organ harvesting, all that crap. The Plannned Parenthood offices though, they are just like any other type of community healthcare. It takes forever to get seen, and the quality isnt all that good. Here in this little place we live in, I dont even know if we *have* a ob/gyn in the area, let alone one who is worth seeing. It is likely I would have to travel to portland to find one, which would be a hefty bill including travel expenses, setup fees and the charge for the actual visit and whatever tests were performed.

But as for pap smears and all that, Ive just been busy. I do have health insurance until I am 25..but after that its a no-go. Often times when you go to see a ob/gyn for the first time they charge you even more money for a setup fee. I know one does not need more than one pap a year but Ive gone almost a year and a half without one. Actually, I believe people in Europe have theirs done every 3 years, but Im not sure. I would feel safer getting one once a year anyway.

[inox]

Do you by any chance have a law degree?

Guilty as charged. ;D