And just like that, I was on the Ring - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Sultana · 01-23-2007, 07:51 AM

Alrighty, I finally made an appointment to talk to my doctor about returning to birth control to control my horrible cycles (even after I asked hubby to get a vasectomy, lol!).

I am very pleased because she spent a lot of time talking to me about the options. I brought up the IUS (non-copper IUD), pills, and the ring (completely because of Snowy writing of her consistently positive experiences with it).

My chief concern is avoiding a diminished sex drive and weight gain.

In regards to pills, my doctor brought up Yas (Yaz?), but I am not keen on pills as I've had problems getting refills in a timely manner, which was one of the reasons I got exasperated with the whole bc issue in the first place.

If I wanted to do the IUS, I'd have to go to a nearby OBGYN office, as my medical office didn't keep them in stock, as it were. The OBGYN office is a pain, as they tend to be busy and I often have to wait a couple weeks at least to get in. I wanted to start sooner.

Lastly--they had free samples of the ring in my office! So hey, I know they're a very low-level bc, if not the lowest, and so I opted to give that a whirl for 3 months and see how things go. I'll keep you ladies updated on my experience.

Thanks Snowy!

abaya · 01-23-2007, 09:07 AM

YAY for the Ring!!! I am a big fan, too. I've never been on any kind of pill, and I hope I never will... but I love the Ring. Sooooooo easy and such a low dose.

Of course, if you've been off hormonal for a while, you might have a few usual side effects when you start (for me, it was boob enlargement/soreness and some nausea), but don't give up just because of that! Good luck!

snowy · 01-23-2007, 09:13 AM

I miss the ring...I'm actually back on the Pill now because my local birth control center doesn't stock them and Planned Parenthood said I was above the blood pressure threshold, so they wouldn't give me the ring either (instead I went back to my birth control clinic and got the Pill, which is fine, though my clinic called BS on Planned Parenthood's blood pressure threshold). This is what happens when your health insurance won't cover your family planning visits or contraception and you are left with only Planned Parenthood or the county health clinic as support.

C'est la vie. I still miss the ring. I'm glad you're enjoying it, Sultana. One thing I noticed with it is that my breasts had a tendency to get really sore for the first couple of days it was in. But otherwise it was fine.

*Nikki* · 01-23-2007, 12:35 PM

I love the ring, however it DOES make your sex drive take a hike.

Sultana · 01-23-2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Nikki*

I love the ring, however it DOES make your sex drive take a hike.

Well, I'm going to be watching that very closely. Every form of hormonal bc has that potential, but I can't imagine that every single woman on all forms hormonal bc has a reduced drive (god, I hope not!).

Also, I'm hoping that the lower dosage will have a correspondingly lower likelyhood of that happening. In the materials I read, it said less than 5% (IIRC) of women taking it had that side effect.

*crosses fingers*

abaya · 01-23-2007, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Nikki*

I love the ring, however it DOES make your sex drive take a hike.

Well, you still managed to reproduce, right?

Hehe.

I've been on the ring for about 18 months and I don't think it's reduced my sex drive much. Then again, I've been on HBC (previously, the patch for a year) since about a month after I started having sex... so maybe I'm just used to this "level" of sex drive.

Seriously though, I still like to have sex 5-7 times a week, as far as I can tell, which seems fairly normal to me.

Let us know how it goes!

*Nikki* · 01-23-2007, 02:34 PM

Well it didn't have any effect on my ability to reproduce

however I did notice it was harder to reach an orgasm and it took a little bit more of an effort to "get in the mood". All of these things are trivial though compared to how well the product works and the low dose of hormones.

abaya · 01-23-2007, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Nikki*

I did notice it was harder to reach an orgasm and it took a little bit more of an effort to "get in the mood".

Hmm, now that DOES apply somewhat to me...

but for some reason, I still want to have sex (even if I'm not consciously horny). So I guess there are more complex effects on the sex drive than I have considered before. I will have to see what changes if/when we try to conceive in the future. But as you said, the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

raeanna74 · 01-23-2007, 06:49 PM

The more I hear about the ring the more I wish I'd tried it before I went off the pill completely. It sounds pretty great. I don't need the birth control anymore though so no point in me going back on any of it.

Good Luck.

surferlove007 · 01-23-2007, 11:23 PM

I've been on the ring since October and its awesome. The convienence is wonderful. The only negative thing I didn't like about it was the mood swings. I hit alot of depression points when first adjusting to it. Months later I've not hit depression because of it anymore I don't think.
Also my boobs grew alot with it..so yay.
I've never done the pill before so I wouldn't have any experiences but the ring is wonderful. I'm all for it.

cadre · 01-24-2007, 09:08 PM

Congratulations Sultana, I wish you the best of luck! Finding the right birth control for you is hard so hopefully your search will be over with this.

Does anyone that has experience with both the patch and the ring have an opinion on which is better? The patch works really well for me but I am considering changing to the ring since it would be easier. Either way it is temporary because I plan on getting an IUD when I can.

jRuntlets · 01-26-2007, 10:12 PM

I have expirence with both the patch and the ring. I'd have to say that I LOVE the ring five million times more. I only have my "visitor" for three days, rather than the whole week I'm off the meds. The ring is once every three weeks rather than once a week. I feel like there's a more constant stream of meds. With the patch every week when I'd change it I'd have a day or so of funny med stuff (boobs hurt, moody ect..), with the ring there's none of that.

AND! AND! The best part about not being on the patch is I don't get congratulated because people think I'm quitting smoking. I couldn't stick it on my butt or shoulder because I ride horses and sitting in the saddle and sports bra ruined that. I had to sport it on my bicep. Blegh.

Sue · 01-27-2007, 07:28 AM

I've preferred not to have any BC inserted anywhere in me. I like the pill. It's easy for me b/c I take it at a certain time every morning before I leave for work, and I've never missed taking one. My doctor had me try out Yaz, and I'm very happy with it. No mood swings, no depression, no long-lasting periods (very short actually!), and no weight gain.

That's just my personal preference though. So if any ladies here prefer taking pills, I'd highly recommend Yaz!

Sultana · 01-29-2007, 09:05 AM

I don't know if it's just because this is my first cycle on it, but my cycle wasn't any shorter, and I have moodiness still (ask poor hubby, LOL!). It's helped with the constant pain (to a point, at least I can now control it with midol) and the extreme tired-ness, but I wanted more. I'll go for another 2 months, and if I'm still not getting the relief I wanted, I'm gonna try Yaz.

01-23-2007, 07:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	And just like that, I was on the Ring Alrighty, I finally made an appointment to talk to my doctor about returning to birth control to control my horrible cycles (even after I asked hubby to get a vasectomy, lol!). I am very pleased because she spent a lot of time talking to me about the options. I brought up the IUS (non-copper IUD), pills, and the ring (completely because of Snowy writing of her consistently positive experiences with it). My chief concern is avoiding a diminished sex drive and weight gain. In regards to pills, my doctor brought up Yas (Yaz?), but I am not keen on pills as I've had problems getting refills in a timely manner, which was one of the reasons I got exasperated with the whole bc issue in the first place. If I wanted to do the IUS, I'd have to go to a nearby OBGYN office, as my medical office didn't keep them in stock, as it were. The OBGYN office is a pain, as they tend to be busy and I often have to wait a couple weeks at least to get in. I wanted to start sooner. Lastly--they had free samples of the ring in my office! So hey, I know they're a very low-level bc, if not the lowest, and so I opted to give that a whirl for 3 months and see how things go. I'll keep you ladies updated on my experience. Thanks Snowy! __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.

01-23-2007, 09:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	YAY for the Ring!!! I am a big fan, too. I've never been on any kind of pill, and I hope I never will... but I love the Ring. Sooooooo easy and such a low dose. Of course, if you've been off hormonal for a while, you might have a few usual side effects when you start (for me, it was boob enlargement/soreness and some nausea), but don't give up just because of that! Good luck! __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran

01-23-2007, 09:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	I miss the ring...I'm actually back on the Pill now because my local birth control center doesn't stock them and Planned Parenthood said I was above the blood pressure threshold, so they wouldn't give me the ring either (instead I went back to my birth control clinic and got the Pill, which is fine, though my clinic called BS on Planned Parenthood's blood pressure threshold). This is what happens when your health insurance won't cover your family planning visits or contraception and you are left with only Planned Parenthood or the county health clinic as support. C'est la vie. I still miss the ring. I'm glad you're enjoying it, Sultana. One thing I noticed with it is that my breasts had a tendency to get really sore for the first couple of days it was in. But otherwise it was fine. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

01-23-2007, 06:49 PM	#9 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	The more I hear about the ring the more I wish I'd tried it before I went off the pill completely. It sounds pretty great. I don't need the birth control anymore though so no point in me going back on any of it. Good Luck. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

01-24-2007, 09:08 PM	#11 (permalink)
cadre The Worst Influence Location: Arizona	Congratulations Sultana, I wish you the best of luck! Finding the right birth control for you is hard so hopefully your search will be over with this. Does anyone that has experience with both the patch and the ring have an opinion on which is better? The patch works really well for me but I am considering changing to the ring since it would be easier. Either way it is temporary because I plan on getting an IUD when I can. __________________ My life is one of those 'you had to be there' jokes.

01-23-2007, 12:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
Nikki ~~~~~~~ Location: Charleston, SC	I love the ring, however it DOES make your sex drive take a hike.

01-23-2007, 02:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
Nikki ~~~~~~~ Location: Charleston, SC	Well it didn't have any effect on my ability to reproduce however I did notice it was harder to reach an orgasm and it took a little bit more of an effort to "get in the mood". All of these things are trivial though compared to how well the product works and the low dose of hormones.

01-23-2007, 11:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
surferlove007 Junkie	I've been on the ring since October and its awesome. The convienence is wonderful. The only negative thing I didn't like about it was the mood swings. I hit alot of depression points when first adjusting to it. Months later I've not hit depression because of it anymore I don't think. Also my boobs grew alot with it..so yay. I've never done the pill before so I wouldn't have any experiences but the ring is wonderful. I'm all for it.

01-26-2007, 10:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
jRuntlets Crazy	I have expirence with both the patch and the ring. I'd have to say that I LOVE the ring five million times more. I only have my "visitor" for three days, rather than the whole week I'm off the meds. The ring is once every three weeks rather than once a week. I feel like there's a more constant stream of meds. With the patch every week when I'd change it I'd have a day or so of funny med stuff (boobs hurt, moody ect..), with the ring there's none of that. AND! AND! The best part about not being on the patch is I don't get congratulated because people think I'm quitting smoking. I couldn't stick it on my butt or shoulder because I ride horses and sitting in the saddle and sports bra ruined that. I had to sport it on my bicep. Blegh. __________________ Horses come and go, but some leave permanent hoof prints on your life.

01-27-2007, 07:28 AM	#13 (permalink)
Sue Teufel Hunden's Freundin Location: Westminster, CO	I've preferred not to have any BC inserted anywhere in me. I like the pill. It's easy for me b/c I take it at a certain time every morning before I leave for work, and I've never missed taking one. My doctor had me try out Yaz, and I'm very happy with it. No mood swings, no depression, no long-lasting periods (very short actually!), and no weight gain. That's just my personal preference though. So if any ladies here prefer taking pills, I'd highly recommend Yaz! __________________ Teg yw edrych tuag adref.

01-29-2007, 09:05 AM	#14 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	I don't know if it's just because this is my first cycle on it, but my cycle wasn't any shorter, and I have moodiness still (ask poor hubby, LOL!). It's helped with the constant pain (to a point, at least I can now control it with midol) and the extreme tired-ness, but I wanted more. I'll go for another 2 months, and if I'm still not getting the relief I wanted, I'm gonna try Yaz. __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.