What birth control do you use?

Paidiske said:

It's like the old line says, farouk. What do you call someone who uses NFP? A parent.

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Well, I'm sure you must have quite a few one liners like this in your repertoire!

Poppyseed78 said:

One of the reasons I started researching NFP was to avoid the side effects of hormonal birth control.

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A lot of couples can relate to this, I'm sure, right?

Before I got married (just a little more than a year ago!) I started on Microgestin (low estrogen pill) 1/20 3 months before the wedding so the BC could kick into my system! And my Dr. was super awesome and made sure I wouldn't have my period around the honeymoon As far as symptoms, I've never had anything major. In the first half-year, my periods would always happen during the "sugar pill week" but it would either last all 7 days, or 5 days, with a light/heavy flow. It was never consistent, but now, it's like clockwork. Always on a tuesday, always 28 days. I have not gotten pregnant (awesome for me, but I still get paranoid! lol) I have skipped the pill once or twice (not in the same month, and I take the pill right away the next day as soon as I remember) and I am still good! Though, every BODY is different, so I would abosolutely talk to your doctor about which BC pill would work for you.

Moonrise Lu said:

Was the NFP done with nothing else? Or did you use condoms, or something else, along with it? I had been reading about it and curious how effective it is

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We tried NFP for a while and it worked for us.

We used an earlier version of this device:

https://www.lady-comp.co.uk/birth-control/lady-comp-pearly/

https://www.amazon.com/VE-Valley-Electronics-GmbH-Germany-LCF1001/dp/B000NOKX4Q

A lot of feedback in the reviews.

Of course, it does mean you have to abstain during those times in the cycle when pregnancy is likely, or use other methods. And later if you are trying to get pregnant it can help let you know the most likely times for that as well.

We used nothing. HOWEVER...when we were trying to conceive I read lots and lots on forums where women were TTC, and about 80% had been on birth control pills and had been told by their fertility specialists that they may unable to conceive for a few YEARS or carry the baby to term because of the artificial hormone effect on the body. While I am not sure how accurate this is, or what percentage of ALL women, vs those reading fertility forums, this represents, I am sure enough that you should work that into your calculations, and maybe do some reading. It seems that it would be a whole lot better to do NFP and a condom as your backup than to find out that what you had been doing to delay having children until you were in a better financial place made it difficult to have them when you wanted. ALSO check your family history...if there is a history of stroke in your family, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES use a birth control pill...it could quite literally kill you. Many young people do not ask these questions before going into a doctor's office...please do.

Moonrise Lu said:

I will be getting married in a few months and so I've been recently thinking about birth control. My fiance and I want to have kids, but not for a few years so we can get our feet planted in our jobs and also pay off school debts (to be more financially stable to care for children).


I've been looking at different methods online to try to see which ones I should use, but there is so much, and of course there is the varying opinion on which ones are okay to use as Christians...

So I'm just wondering which forms of birth control other Christian couples use? (Or if you don't use it, I guess)

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I use the pill right now (and for a few more weeks until my check-up with my doctor), but I recently got my tubes tied and that will be the main birth control. I think I'll still take the pill because prior to my use of it my periods were really, really heavy and the pill lightened them up real nice, but I won't be a slave to my alarm clock anymore so that will be nice (I could never remember to take it regularly without setting an alarm).

I actually had no negative side effects (that I can realize at the moment of course) with the pill, it has all been positive. I was real hesitant about starting a hormonal method of contraception due to my past, but I was real pleasantly surprised when the pill really toned down my irritability and then of course the lighter periods are nice (and it also clears my skin up quite a bit). So I'm actually not wanting to stop taking the pill at all, just don't want to have to take it at the same time every day. That is very, very difficult for me.

My husband and I are an older couple (he quite a few years older than I), and where we're at in life (with me still needing to pay off my student loans which I'd acquired before I was converted and his situation which I won't divulge out of concern for his privacy), children would not be something we'd plan for. Of course, the Lord can still give us a child as I've heard of people having their tubes tied, vasectomy (their spouse of course), etc. and still ending up pregnant. I just would like to do all I can to avoid the situation.

Yet as all Christians know, man may have his plans but it is the Lord who has the ultimate control over the way things will be in our lives.

IUD.

No worries. No problems. No thinking about it. Six years later.

My wife was uncomfortable on insertion for about a month and it can be a little bothersome for me in the wrong position sometimes, if-you-know-about-scraping-iud-strings. But in general she has almost no period now, which is great for her.

Withdrawal is all we've ever done. He has to know what he's doing, but it's effective. Now that being said, we never worried about an "oops". We figured that'd be a blessing if it happened. We're getting old enough now however a more permanent method is being considered as the thought of starting over is less appealing every day.

OK Jeff said:

Withdrawal is all we've ever done. He has to know what he's doing, but it's effective.

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How well it works depends on how much motile sperm are in the "pre-cum" excreted well before ejac; along with how fertile the woman is. Some guys have almost as much sperm in the pre stuff as their [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]. And some women can get pregnant with a minimum number, while others require the thousands of minions to break thru.

combo of condoms and birth control. I have looked into the IUD. I dont know if there is one that is particularly right for Christians.

We used a combination of condom/the pill. Might as well double up.

Avoid any IUDs. Copper ones can cause copper toxicity and any of them can damage cervix. They are often not recommended for women who still want to have children.

Don't do natural planning or billings method or anything like that if you seriously do not want to get pregnant. It is too risky.

Barrier methods are obviously the least invasive method.

I'm on a triphasic contraceptive pill and have been for nearly 15 years. As a healthcare practitioner, I know the risks and it concerns me that I'v been on it for so long, but it doesn't affect my libido and it mimics a real cycle with hormone fluctuations... It's hard for me to give it up because it gives me freedom. They seem to only prescribe monophasic (one dose every day) pills these days, I don't know anyone else who's been on triphasic.

I have never been pregnant and I don't take it at the exact same time every day. That's your safest bet but they have a window. On occasion where I accidentally missed one, I took plan B once (because I'd recently had sex within days of me missing it), or used condoms if I missed it days after having sex and had sex again. I have only missed one a few times in 14 years. I do shift work and my sleeping pattern isn't good. I take it at night.

My wife has used the pill and the depo shot over the years.

She tried the pill twice over the years. Near as I can tell, it works by making her so mean I won’t go near her.

OK Jeff said:

She tried the pill twice over the years. Near as I can tell, it works by making her so mean I won’t go near her.

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Yeah - things that mess with hormones can do that.

You have to find the right one for you. The first one I tried gave me more "morning sickness" than pregnancy ever did!