I was on the Nuva Ring for about a year and I loved it. I was on ortho-tricyclin for years but I was always freaked out that I would forget. Nuva Ring was cool but I was paying $50 a month in copays for it. I wanted to stop the hormones because I think it was messing with another medication I am taking and making my sex drive take a nose dive. Both my docs say its my other medication though.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it but there are 2 kinds of IUD’s Mirenas have a low dose of progesterone so it thins the lining of the uterus which is why you have less or minor periods.

There is also the Copper IUD that has no hormones but my doctor says it will make your periods heavier and more painful.

Since I am fresh from the table I’ll tell you the 2 things I learned yesterday. Take advil before the procedure and ask to be numbed. My doctor only did it after she saw how I jumped with the first half of it. Also its easier to do when you have your period because your cervix is more open.

And the reason a lot of doctors won’t do it is because it was approved by the FDA only for women that have had children. That changed earlier this year because I had asked my doctor to do it in 2008 and she wouldn’t. There is a risk of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Those are the major threats with a slim chance of happening. For me the pay-off was greater than the risk since now I know I won’t be knocked up for the next 5 years.

For your situation, I would go to Planned Parenthood and stay on the pill as a stop gap measure until you have insurance or feel strongly one way or another about a different method. Let them know you just moved here, have no insurance and no job. They are good about the sliding scale. Plus you get fun flavored condoms so that’s always fun, right?

My husband could feel the strings for about a month, but they softened up and we stopped having that problem.

The only problem I had with it was when it was removed I had some pretty major bleeding (that my OB’s office assured me was normal). I did some science on my own and figured out that drinking red raspberry leaf tea (Traditional Medicinals is my brand of choice) made it stopped. No, for real. It’s a uterine tonic.

Anyway, when we’ve had our 3rd kid (we’re trying), I plan to get another one instead of having my husband get a V! Because his vasectomy won’t stop my migraines, right?

Moving on to types of BC… I started on the patch but it seriously made me crazy. Clots are more prevalent with the patch, too, so I strongly suggest you avoid it. I switched to Ortho-Tri-Cyclen and it was decent. The hormones were still mildly apparent, the sex drive was there, but I’m telling you, a pill a day is a PAIN IN THE BUTT. I’ve been on the NuvaRing for over a year now and it’s not ideal but probably my best option, though I’d LOVE to discuss the IUD. I have no sex drive on the ring. It’s an issue. But no weight gain, no real change in emotions, fabulously easy periods, and very few cramping probs. How I generally feel throughout my cycle tends to outweigh my lack of enjoying my newlywed status, if you catch my drift.

Looking forward to comments about the IUD. And seriously, if you ever have any questions or just want to vent, I sorta love talking about this stuff so feel free to shoot me an email!!

Now, you have to actually follow it, so your pre-Cana couple’s example is not a good one. They could have just as easily “forgotten” to wear a condom or take the Pill that day as well. They shouldn’t blame NFP for an “accident” in that case.

We use NFP and think it’s the best thing we’ve done for our marriage. I have written about it a bit on my website, and NFP really draws a lot of interest. I’d suggest at least giving it an honest try. I think you’ll love what it does for your marriage and your health.