I just want to give props to Crown Skinless Skin condoms. We've been using them exclusively for almost a year now, and I can't feel them at all (and I always felt all of the other ones I've tried). It feels great to have my libido back, as well. #birthcontrolmethods
I've been with my boyfriend for almost 2 years and we use both. Every. Single. Time.
We're poor. We've talked about going without the condom but then we found his his brother was conceived while his mother was on the Pill. It's condoms & the Pill for us until we're rich enough to afford children (which will be never.) #birthcontrolmethods
@hydrogen_jukebox: People rarely mention this, but it's worth repeating – for some (many?) women, the fear of pregnancy is detrimental to their enjoyment of sex. So going without a condom may make you 'feel' it better (though, oddly, most people can't seem to tell when the condom's slipped off or broken), but going with can give you peace of mind. #birthcontrolmethods
Before I entered a long-term monogamous relationship with someone just as paranoid as I am about pregnancy, I used the Pill and condoms. The condoms for STIs, the Pill as extra insurance against pregnancy. Boyfriend-of-Flackette and I also used condoms for a while, but then we got tested and showed each other the results, and went pill-only. The few times we've had to revert to condoms because I was on antibiotics or something, neither of us enjoyed them so we just pursued...alternate routes of pleasure during that time. Honestly, people go on and on about men not wanting to use condoms, but I find them really uncomfortable, scratchy, grabby and weird-feeling (even with lube). Nonetheless, if I found myself back on the market and having sex with non-monogamous partners again, I'd use them. I consider eschewing condoms to be one of the luxuries of a committed relationship (and the ability to tolerate hormonal birth control). #birthcontrolmethods
My birth control "controls" the liklihood that I will give "birth" by making me never want to have sex. It's pill enforced abstinence only birth control. If condoms didn't make the bedroom smell like a balloon artist's workshop and feel like doing it with a bratwurst in a ziplock bag, I'd use them. #birthcontrolmethods
@morninggloria: Ugh. Yes, it's a sucky sucky choice. Also? Large-sized unlubricated (I'm like, allergic to most lubes) condoms are nearly impossible to find. I'm giving the condoms the good old college try though, as the pill-enforced abstinence was really putting a damper on my relationship. Everything is better when I want and get sex on the regular. Everything. #birthcontrolmethods
@morninggloria: I know it's so cliched, but have you tried lambskin? They are expensive and hell, and well, you're doin it with a lamb on your dude's diddler, but they don't get that crinkly feeling. I use those and the polyurethane condoms. I hate latex, it gives me BV.
@GirlFailer: There is a new non-latex condom on the market (it's polyisoprene). It's by Lifestyles, and it's called Skyn. I saw an advert for it yesterday. I wouldn't normally re-advertise for a company, but it might be a good alternative also? #birthcontrolmethods
@elliebean: yup, I've used that one! That's what I meant when I said polyurethane, I should have looked up the actual material! They are very thin, and they aren't nearly as crinkly as latex. They are also cheaper than lambskin. #birthcontrolmethods
@Pantra: Yeah, I do. I mean, they aren't as nice as the real thing, but they are superior to latex IMO. They are really expensive though! Try them out! I wish condoms were in candy cases (like jelly beans and hard candies) so you could pick and choose a few to try out. That way you don't have 20 unused condoms that you hate. #birthcontrolmethods
@morninggloria: You've probably already researched this, but I'm in the same sitch, and I'm going to get an IUD. Maybe something to look into? #birthcontrolmethods
@questionable: I've considered it. Thing is, you're only supposed to get an IUD if you're pretty sure that you're not going to have kids for the next 5 years, and I'll probably want to start sooner. #birthcontrolmethods
"Half of those who use condoms prefer them because they offer STD protection."
As someone who works in HIV/AIDS prevention, I am psyched to hear this. Hooray for important public health messages actually getting through to people! #birthcontrolmethods
@Kivrin: Meeee too! Especially since I just had someone try to tell me a few days ago that condoms do nothing to stop the spread of HIV. I got really close to physical violence when he kept trying to argue that. #birthcontrolmethods
@Kivrin: Glad to hear about the job status! Yeah, he's super super Catholic and the only thing he ever really talks about is how abortion is the most horrific thing on earth.
Another person I know told me a few years ago that if women just kept their legs together, there would be no need for abortion.
@andBegorrah: You're on to something. I'll go for Chanel No. 5, now that superfreakonomics has me psyched for a new career in high-end prostitution. #birthcontrolmethods
Condoms suck, but they don't suck as badly as the hormone induced craze all birth control pills seem to cause. That might also play a factor.
Slightly off topic? I really wish they would offer subsidized vasectomies or tubal ligation to couples who can't afford to pay 700-800 dollars out of pocket without saving for up 2 years. #birthcontrolmethods
@GirlFailer: I had the craze issue until I switched to Yaz. I tried about a million on the way there and they all produced tons of the crazy. A few weeks ago my mom called me freaking out about the quality control issues with yaz and I was just like "sorry, I'll take the risk of blood clots over the risk of a stabbing rampage" #birthcontrolmethods
@GirlFailer: I've been on the same low-dose BC for 5 years now, and it has never made me crazy. In fact, it drastically reduced my PMS symptoms, so I don't even have my monthly hyper-emotional days anymore! I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience with BC; I guess maybe I'm just lucky? #birthcontrolmethods
@GirlFailer: Word. I'd rather reduce sensation a tiny bit than become crazy, gain weight, or stop wanting to have sex, so I'm very pro-condom.
Subsidizing vasectomies and tubal ligation is a great idea! Is that newish, non-surgical version of tubal ligation any cheaper than the original? #birthcontrolmethods
@colormeroutine: Yaz make a me crazy, too. I'm cursed!
@Kivrin: Yeah I think I'm unlucky, as all birth controls including lo versions make me spot, and feel homicidal at the slightest provocation. #birthcontrolmethods
@GirlFailer: Yeah, condoms suck, but I appreciate not having to take hormones. That sucked significantly more and left me very unhealthy, both emotionally and physically. I'm not sure I should be risking my life in order to avoid children--condoms seem the safer bet. #birthcontrolmethods
@colormeroutine: I had a pulmonary embolism while on Yaz. You'd eat those words if it happened to you. Three clots on my lungs. One in my leg. I almost died.
@ytuhermanotambien: I'm not sure about price but Essure isn't actually readily available in a lot of OBGYNs. I think because it's not reversible a lot of doctors don't mess with it. At least my pretty large OBGYN practice in Raleigh doesn't preform it. :( #birthcontrolmethods
@Kivrin: Me too; low-hormone birth control works great for me.
(I would also use condoms when starting a new relationship, but my current boyfriend got tested before I began sleeping with him, so yay.) #birthcontrolmethods
@CissyPants: I'm really sorry that happened to you. And I'm sure I would eat my words if it happens to me. But I'm still staying on it #birthcontrolmethods
@CissyPants: Yeah, my family has a history of protein C or S deficiency, so it's an added reason for me to avoid birth control. And IUD's cost nearly as much as a vasectomy, so I may as well save up for that instead. My fucking reproductive health insurance coverage is the pits. #birthcontrolmethods
@ytuhermanotambien: No, it's not any cheaper than the old-school surgical ones. Mine had to be done in a hospital (cha-ching!) with full anesthesia (cha-ching!) and, with insurance, ended up being around $3,000. I'd love to have had a "non-subsidized" one that only cost $700-800. #birthcontrolmethods
@GirlFailer: I will most likely be getting an IUD in the future since this now makes pregnancy itself risky for me. (I will have to take blood thinners through pregnancy, too.) I haven't even looked at IUD's yet. Right now I'm just enjoying that whole breathing thing. #birthcontrolmethods
@utensil42: Yeah, a vasectomy cost a lot less than female sterilization. (that's the 700-800$ one I was talking about) Even still 3000 dollars is insane! I thought that Essure wasn't done under anesthesia? Does it vary? #birthcontrolmethods
@colormeroutine: I'm in no way advocating for people not to take birth control. I just think people need to take those risks seriously.
I walked around for about 1.5 years with major clots, headaches, and chest pain. Why? Because I never really understood the risk. I wasn't 35, or a smoker or any of that stuff. I was a 33 year old marathoner. I went to the doctor a few times, and THEY didn't even think to check for clots. #birthcontrolmethods
@colormeroutine: I had the exact same experience. So far, 2.5 years in, Yaz is the only birth control that doesn't cause my head to spin around, Exorcist-style. Now I'm a bit worried about the clotting issue, but debating whether it's worth giving up reliable BC that doesn't make me insane. #birthcontrolmethods
@CissyPants: See, this is what scares me. I'm seeing my Dr. in a couple of weeks and going to have a chat about the Yaz. My issue is I really need reliable BC other than condoms, Yaz so far is the only one that gives me that without the crazies, but I'm also scared of the clotting factor (which I realize is present with all hormonal methods, but seems to be increased with Yaz). I'm contemplating asking about an IUD or the NuvaRing. #birthcontrolmethods
@Flackette Goes Retro: I could be wrong about this, but I was told the increased risk with Yaz was actually not because of the pill itself but because the company wasn't doing the appropriate quality-control testing with the batches. I would imagine that after all this came out, they had to start doing better with that. Or at least, that's how I talk myself to sleep at night #birthcontrolmethods
@eatsshootsleaves: Just making sure! It's terrifying to me the number of women (and men) who don't know this and go sans condoms thinking they're safe. #birthcontrolmethods
@eatsshootsleaves: Just making sure! It's terrifying to me the number of women (and men) who don't know this and go sans condoms thinking they're safe. #birthcontrolmethods
@GirlFailer: Essure isn't supposed to need anesthesia, or if needed, only a local. But they were worried about not being able to get to my left fallopian tube because of a septated uterus, which would require the surgical procedure, so they anesthetized me just in case. That way, if surgery was needed, I wouldn't need two rounds of anesthetic. #birthcontrolmethods
or, you could use both until your boyfriend of 6 months finally breaks down, starts a fight about not trusting him, but goes with you to get tested anyway, (and does in fact test negative of all STIs)... which may or may not have been the plan all along. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything. #birthcontrolmethods
@AtomiClash: humanitarian misanthrope: In a past relationship I had the "not trusting him" fight. He said it was a trust thing, but admitted he hadn't been tested recently. My view was that it wasn't about not trusting him, but the fact that if he hadn't been tested since a few partners ago, he had no way of really knowing if he was in the clear. Of course, about the time he finally talked me into going sans condom, I found out he was cheating on me and had to get tested myself. Fun times! #birthcontrolmethods
@AtomiClash: humanitarian misanthrope: Just a warning (not for you, but for everyone) – a lot of guys think 'getting tested' means getting tested for AIDS. And nothing else. Even if they know other STIs can have no symptoms in males, why take the trouble/time/money to see a doctor if you aren't in pain? #birthcontrolmethods
Did they tally how many women use both? Because I've been on the Pill for a long time, but if I'm in a new relationship you'd better believe I'm also using condoms. #birthcontrolmethods
@funnyface: Mine is coming back after being off the pill for a couple months. It's amazing. My body actually wants sex--not just my mind thinking it's probably a good addition to the relationship! #birthcontrolmethods
@banana_grabber: Good to hear! It's been a month for me now and no real change other than my skin totally wigged out for a few weeks there. #birthcontrolmethods
@funnyface: I had to do the same thing, and within a few weeks I was already noticing a change. All of a sudden it was like my body just woke up and was itching for attention.
I hope you have a similar response!
I'd debating an IUD, but I fear the insertion and haven't taken the time to really read up on it. #birthcontrolmethods
@funnyface: After reading these comments, I feel like I may be the only female on BC that has a normal sex drive. Since I started before I was sexually active, I honestly never knew that this was a problem. #birthcontrolmethods
@p0rt3r is hungry for brains: I also started before I was sexually active/before I understood "sex drive", and I wonder if my sex drive would change without the pill. It wavers, but sex has often been something that I mentally have to psyche myself up for, not something my body just does. I'm tempted to change to an iud anyway, so I think I might go off the pill for three or four months in between, just to see if there's a difference. #birthcontrolmethods
@elliebean: Sex before the pill was something I wanted, something I would initiate. Sex after the pill?? Wouldn't even cross my mind. Somehow, on the pill, physically I'd be a-OK if my partner and I never had sex again, though that causes me to suffer emotionally and feel disconnected from my partner. It also frustrated me because it would take me forever to get "warmed up" even when I WANTED to have sex. I want to want to have sex with my partner, and I'm hoping that in a few weeks, that "want" will return. #birthcontrolmethods
@funnyface: I wish sex columnists would great every single letter and complaint about 'the wife not wanting to have sex' with the question 'Is she on hormonal birth control?'
It is such a common side effect, and such a common complaint from men (though I've heard the opposite a lot), you'd think everyone would be putting two-and-two together instead of going straight to the usual 'Well, women have lower sex drives... wine and dine her... bla bla bla.'
@funnyface: Me too. My sex drive was ZERO after a few years on the pill and I'm trying to go without it now. I miss genuinely wanting sex for myself, not just to make my boyfriend happy. #birthcontrolmethods
@colormeroutine: I hear you on the neurotic man front... I used to use the patch. My boyfriend [now husband] used to pat around... like I was being frisked... to find it. Très romantic.
I'm happy to report that he doesn't attempt to "find" my mirena.
That would be a deal-breaker.
Anyway, we stopped using condoms after our most recent STD tests years ago. #birthcontrolmethods
@braak: I don't understand people who keep on fucking guys who they don't trust to take the pill (and not trust in the "oh, he wouldn't care" way and not the "he can't remember less important things. I should deal with this" way).
@Newsgirl: Nope. I need to use condoms to protect against STD's anyway, so it wouldn't make a difference to me if a guy were on or off boypill (outside extra security IF he's taking it, and taking it right).
I can see it benefiting couples in monogamous relationships.
@greengrey: I can also see it benefiting those guys who swear ladies are trying to trick them into having babies. Don't want to get caught by a "gold digger?" Well have I got a plan for YOU!
@Newsgirl: If you're not monogamous, you should still be using condoms. If you are and you don't trust them, maybe you shouldn't be monogamous.
Him: 'I'm on the PIll, so don't worry.'
Her: 'Great. Because I'm not, and I'm really, really fertile and wouldn't mind having a kid. Okay, let's get to it.'
Him: 'Uh...'
@HeatherNumber1: reminds me of the conversation I had with a dude after stupidly going bareback.
He was freaked because he's a cop and doesn't make enough to support a baby and i was like 'dude, what honestly makes you think I'd be carrying anything you plant in my uterus to term?'
Yeah. I could trust some guys. I'd trust my long term boyfriend, for example. Or a husband. Or anyone else I was in a solid, monogamous relationship wtih.
I wouldn't trust some random guy I didn't know very well, but I think men who do that with random women are also idiots. Wear a condom with people you don't know well and aren't monogamous with! It's so simple!
@BeckySharper: Amen. We're already planning that. Last baby pops out and he'll go into the hospital as I'm leaving.
Of course, you could be like my CRAZY ASS Evangelical cousin who says that vasectomies are of Satan because they separate men from his holy, life-giving seed... his words.
@inabook: ' two contraceptions is better than one!'
This does make me wonder if the old adage about birth control (for some women) – that it works great because it makes you feel like never having sex again – would go double. Hmmm.
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We're poor. We've talked about going without the condom but then we found his his brother was conceived while his mother was on the Pill. It's condoms & the Pill for us until we're rich enough to afford children (which will be never.) #birthcontrolmethods
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Belts and Suspenders, FTW. #birthcontrolmethods
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My birth control "controls" the liklihood that I will give "birth" by making me never want to have sex. It's pill enforced abstinence only birth control. If condoms didn't make the bedroom smell like a balloon artist's workshop and feel like doing it with a bratwurst in a ziplock bag, I'd use them. #birthcontrolmethods
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As someone who works in HIV/AIDS prevention, I am psyched to hear this. Hooray for important public health messages actually getting through to people! #birthcontrolmethods
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Another person I know told me a few years ago that if women just kept their legs together, there would be no need for abortion.
Maybe I need to make some new friends. #birthcontrolmethods
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Slightly off topic? I really wish they would offer subsidized vasectomies or tubal ligation to couples who can't afford to pay 700-800 dollars out of pocket without saving for up 2 years. #birthcontrolmethods
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Subsidizing vasectomies and tubal ligation is a great idea! Is that newish, non-surgical version of tubal ligation any cheaper than the original? #birthcontrolmethods
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@Kivrin: Yeah I think I'm unlucky, as all birth controls including lo versions make me spot, and feel homicidal at the slightest provocation. #birthcontrolmethods
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(I would also use condoms when starting a new relationship, but my current boyfriend got tested before I began sleeping with him, so yay.) #birthcontrolmethods
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I am joining a class action lawsuit against Yaz. #birthcontrolmethods
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I walked around for about 1.5 years with major clots, headaches, and chest pain. Why? Because I never really understood the risk. I wasn't 35, or a smoker or any of that stuff. I was a 33 year old marathoner. I went to the doctor a few times, and THEY didn't even think to check for clots. #birthcontrolmethods
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@Eriu: I know this. I have been vaccinated, however, so my chances of getting cancer or warts are fairly low. #birthcontrolmethods
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I hope you have a similar response!
I'd debating an IUD, but I fear the insertion and haven't taken the time to really read up on it. #birthcontrolmethods
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It is such a common side effect, and such a common complaint from men (though I've heard the opposite a lot), you'd think everyone would be putting two-and-two together instead of going straight to the usual 'Well, women have lower sex drives... wine and dine her... bla bla bla.'
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I'm happy to report that he doesn't attempt to "find" my mirena.
That would be a deal-breaker.
Anyway, we stopped using condoms after our most recent STD tests years ago. #birthcontrolmethods
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But seriously--would you trust me to? If I'm lying, I'm not the one at risk of knockeduppedness.
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I can see it benefiting couples in monogamous relationships.
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All those guys who REALLY don't want to have kids would have another option.
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Him: 'I'm on the PIll, so don't worry.'
Her: 'Great. Because I'm not, and I'm really, really fertile and wouldn't mind having a kid. Okay, let's get to it.'
Him: 'Uh...'
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He was freaked because he's a cop and doesn't make enough to support a baby and i was like 'dude, what honestly makes you think I'd be carrying anything you plant in my uterus to term?'
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Yeah. I could trust some guys. I'd trust my long term boyfriend, for example. Or a husband. Or anyone else I was in a solid, monogamous relationship wtih.
I wouldn't trust some random guy I didn't know very well, but I think men who do that with random women are also idiots. Wear a condom with people you don't know well and aren't monogamous with! It's so simple!
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I'd still keep taking mine though, because pregnancy is one of my biggest fears right now, and two contraceptions is better than one!
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Of course, you could be like my CRAZY ASS Evangelical cousin who says that vasectomies are of Satan because they separate men from his holy, life-giving seed... his words.
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This does make me wonder if the old adage about birth control (for some women) – that it works great because it makes you feel like never having sex again – would go double. Hmmm.
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