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#1
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birth control and bfing
Hi all,
I'm delurking to ask a question. I have a 2 year old (nursed until he weaned himself at 15 months ) and an 11 week old. My midwife suggested a Depo shot and I'm considering it but wanted to ask you all. Does it interfere with b/fing at all? That's my primary concern. Any complaints? Side effects? Pros? I appreciate any advice. Thanks. Susan |
#2
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birth control and bfing
Susan wrote:
I have a 2 year old (nursed until he weaned himself at 15 months ) and an 11 week old. My midwife suggested a Depo shot and I'm considering it but wanted to ask you all. Does it interfere with b/fing at all? That's my primary concern. Any complaints? Side effects? Pros? Well, I have no experience with Depo, but I have to say that reviews I've seen on this newsgroup have been far from positive. The primary complaints I've seen are that it causes a lot of breakthrough bleeding and that it seems to have a high associated with problems getting pregnant later. Personally, it's not something I'd choose or recommend. What I would recommend wholeheartedly for someone like you is an IUD. You can get either the Mirena IUD, which has some progesterone in it that tends to reduce the heavy periods associated with IUDs, or the Copper-T. I have a Copper-T and love it. The great thing about IUDs is that, aside from checking periodically to be sure the string is still where it should be, you have it put in and then forget about it. I've had my Copper-T for nearly two years now with no problems. Of course, some women DO have problems with them (they don't stop bleeding after insertion or have very heavy/uncomfortable periods), but for the majority who try them (something like 90%, I believe), they are great. If an IUD isn't for you, then I'd recommend mini-pills over Depo. Mini-pills are birth control pills that contain only progesterone, and since it's the estrogen that's associated with drops in milk supply, it does not interfere with breastfeeding. The only down side to mini-pills is that they are less "forgiving" than regular combination pills--you really have to take them within the same three-hour window each day or their effectiveness drops dramatically. (My second child came along rather ahead of schedule as a direct result of this.) Good luck deciding and I hope this helps! -- Be well, Barbara (Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [22 mos.] mom) This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop: "Taxi's R Us" -- name of a cab company Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning. Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls! All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful. Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman |
#3
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birth control and bfing
Susan wrote: Hi all, I'm delurking to ask a question. I have a 2 year old (nursed until he weaned himself at 15 months ) and an 11 week old. My midwife suggested a Depo shot and I'm considering it but wanted to ask you all. Does it interfere with b/fing at all? That's my primary concern. Any complaints? Side effects? Pros? I appreciate any advice. Thanks. Susan Depo doesn't interfere with breastfeeding - at least, I've never heard of any reason it would. I was on Depo for almost 2 years after the birth of my son. I had no problems whatsoever, unless you consider a total cessation of periods to be a problem. For me, it was a bonus. However ... I'm pretty sure being on Depo for any length of time can make it harder (temporarily) to get pregnant, once you go off it. I'm 50, so I considered that bonus #2. A lot of people might not. Some people do have problems with side effects. I can't remember all the possibilities, although irregular bleeding was one (I never had this). I've recently switched to the Mirena IUD. Apparently, after you've been on Depo for some period of time, it's routine to check your estrogen levels. Mine were too low, so my midwives wanted me either to switch from Depo or take an estrogen supplement in addition. Since I hate taking pills, I vetoed that idea and went with the IUD. Clisby |
#4
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birth control and bfing
Michelle Podnar wrote: I wouldn't get on Depro if you paid me. i'd have to agree, and always shuddered at the number of rx's we filled for it from the clinic gyn. Putting aside the other problems (isn't there a class action suit in Europe against DepoProvera?), if there ARE any problems, you can't take it out. You have to wait for it to leave your system. At least with pills, IUD or diaphragm, if there are problems you can stop using them and within a far far shorter period of time have no "residue" to cause problems. Dawn |
#5
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birth control and bfing
Hi Michelle,
We really don't plan on getting pg again. As much as I'd like that to be different, I'm almost 42 and just can't imagine having another baby anytime soon. To have more we'd have to move fast and I'm just not ready. I need at least 2 years to catch my breath and that makes me almost 45 when we'd try again...no way. It took us 3 years to conceive #1 and #2 was a bonus blessing. Thanks for the advice. Susan Michelle Podnar wrote: I wouldn't get on Depro if you paid me. I got pregnant 4 years ago (unplanned), and lost the baby early on (6-7 weeks), but since we weren't really ready to have kids, we decided to wait to try for a family for another year or so. I was on Depro for 6 months (2 shots), and I didn't even begin ovulating for almost a year, and now my LP is all screwed up, and we are now unable to conceive on our own. DD was conceived after going to the RE for amost 2 years, and we now want #2 which isn't happening naturally either, so we are going back to the RE on the weekend. Use a Diaphram (what I used after DD was born), IUD or even the progesterone only pill. |
#6
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birth control and bfing
I won't be trying to conceive anymore (sadly) because I'm almost 42. I
need time to catch my breath and that would make me too old to go through it all over again. I do wonder about the lawsuit though??? My midwife said I can't use a diaphragm anymore. I can't get a very good fit for some reason--I loved my diaphragm. thanks. Susan Dawn Lawson wrote: Michelle Podnar wrote: I wouldn't get on Depro if you paid me. i'd have to agree, and always shuddered at the number of rx's we filled for it from the clinic gyn. Putting aside the other problems (isn't there a class action suit in Europe against DepoProvera?), if there ARE any problems, you can't take it out. You have to wait for it to leave your system. At least with pills, IUD or diaphragm, if there are problems you can stop using them and within a far far shorter period of time have no "residue" to cause problems. Dawn |
#7
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birth control and bfing
I think not having a period anymore is a bonus also.
I won't be trying to get pg again so maybe it's the one for me. My main concern is my milk supply. ox Susan Clisby wrote: Susan wrote: Hi all, I'm delurking to ask a question. I have a 2 year old (nursed until he weaned himself at 15 months ) and an 11 week old. My midwife suggested a Depo shot and I'm considering it but wanted to ask you all. Does it interfere with b/fing at all? That's my primary concern. Any complaints? Side effects? Pros? I appreciate any advice. Thanks. Susan Depo doesn't interfere with breastfeeding - at least, I've never heard of any reason it would. I was on Depo for almost 2 years after the birth of my son. I had no problems whatsoever, unless you consider a total cessation of periods to be a problem. For me, it was a bonus. However ... I'm pretty sure being on Depo for any length of time can make it harder (temporarily) to get pregnant, once you go off it. I'm 50, so I considered that bonus #2. A lot of people might not. Some people do have problems with side effects. I can't remember all the possibilities, although irregular bleeding was one (I never had this). I've recently switched to the Mirena IUD. Apparently, after you've been on Depo for some period of time, it's routine to check your estrogen levels. Mine were too low, so my midwives wanted me either to switch from Depo or take an estrogen supplement in addition. Since I hate taking pills, I vetoed that idea and went with the IUD. Clisby |
#8
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birth control and bfing
Was it painful to insert the IUD? Also, did your insurance cover the
cost? How much do they cost? Do you pay the midwife practice or is it like a prescription? Thanks so much. Susan Circe wrote: Susan wrote: I have a 2 year old (nursed until he weaned himself at 15 months ) and an 11 week old. My midwife suggested a Depo shot and I'm considering it but wanted to ask you all. Does it interfere with b/fing at all? That's my primary concern. Any complaints? Side effects? Pros? Well, I have no experience with Depo, but I have to say that reviews I've seen on this newsgroup have been far from positive. The primary complaints I've seen are that it causes a lot of breakthrough bleeding and that it seems to have a high associated with problems getting pregnant later. Personally, it's not something I'd choose or recommend. What I would recommend wholeheartedly for someone like you is an IUD. You can get either the Mirena IUD, which has some progesterone in it that tends to reduce the heavy periods associated with IUDs, or the Copper-T. I have a Copper-T and love it. The great thing about IUDs is that, aside from checking periodically to be sure the string is still where it should be, you have it put in and then forget about it. I've had my Copper-T for nearly two years now with no problems. Of course, some women DO have problems with them (they don't stop bleeding after insertion or have very heavy/uncomfortable periods), but for the majority who try them (something like 90%, I believe), they are great. If an IUD isn't for you, then I'd recommend mini-pills over Depo. Mini-pills are birth control pills that contain only progesterone, and since it's the estrogen that's associated with drops in milk supply, it does not interfere with breastfeeding. The only down side to mini-pills is that they are less "forgiving" than regular combination pills--you really have to take them within the same three-hour window each day or their effectiveness drops dramatically. (My second child came along rather ahead of schedule as a direct result of this.) Good luck deciding and I hope this helps! |
#9
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birth control and bfing
Susan wrote:
We really don't plan on getting pg again. As much as I'd like that to be different, I'm almost 42 and just can't imagine having another baby anytime soon. The Copper-T IUD last 10 years. If you have one put in now, it's fairly likely that you'd never need to do anything else for birth control, since at 52, you'll most likely be menopausal or nearly so. If you go with Depo, OTOH, you'll have to get shots every 3 months for quite a while. I know which I prefer g. (I'm 39, BTW!) -- Be well, Barbara (Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [22 mos.] mom) This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop: "Taxi's R Us" -- name of a cab company Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning. Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls! All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful. Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman |
#10
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birth control and bfing
I use it, and have had no problems with it and breastfeeding. Since it's
progesterone only it's not supposed to be a supply killer and is one of the few hormonal methods they say is OK for breastfeeding. The first shot I got, I bled lightly for 2 weeks, the second, I spotted for 2 weeks, the third... nothing. "Susan" wrote in message ... Hi all, I'm delurking to ask a question. I have a 2 year old (nursed until he weaned himself at 15 months ) and an 11 week old. My midwife suggested a Depo shot and I'm considering it but wanted to ask you all. Does it interfere with b/fing at all? That's my primary concern. Any complaints? Side effects? Pros? I appreciate any advice. Thanks. Susan |
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