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birth control and bfing



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 6th 04, 06:14 PM
Susan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 06:31 PM
Circe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 07:23 PM
Clisby
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 07:54 PM
Dawn Lawson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 08:27 PM
Susan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 08:30 PM
Susan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 08:31 PM
Susan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 08:33 PM
Susan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 08:44 PM
Circe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old January 6th 04, 08:49 PM
Mom2Aries
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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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