birth control-what is safe to use?

[nicole]

I understand that most birth controls out there are toxic and loaded with hormones not to mention can effect your future fertility. What is safe to use. Does the rthym method work well? I understand that egg is only alive for one day of the month? i refuse to take plan b or have an abortion. i would like babies but not quite ready. my boyfriend and i have sex alot these days. thank you.

[goodsamaritan]

I rib my fellow pro-life buddies that this is called "Catholic Contraception" it works:

Natural Family Planning

Attend a seminar, a coach, it works. Absolutely.

Your local pro-life charity will teach it to you for free.

[yuli]

The rhythm method is never 100% safe, it failed on me...
I can`t stand birth control pills either they make me literally insane...last time I took Plan B and as en emergency measure its not too bad of a choice. It made me bleed for 2 weeks and then delayed my regular cycle by 1 and a half weeks, but other then that no big issues (and I can't stand BC pills), this is a good thing for an emergency, and you only take it once instead of BC pills which you have to do every single day almost, yuk.
But for every day birth control you can
- force your guy to use a condom (even though we all hate them lol)
- or do other sexual things, use you imagination and not have him actually penetrate you
- just use the rhythm/withdrawal method but one day it will fail on you you just don`t know when that is ha ha
other then that there is not much else that I can think that I would try - not many other good options  

[Josh]

how about vaginal contraceptive film?

[RawZi]

    I guess eating a half dozen bunches of parsley just before your period is due might work.  Parsley makes you urinate, and is fabled to be an abortificent.  Black cohosh is supposed to bring on the period, while possibly damaging the adrenals.  I don't like putting chemicals in my body, I never liked that.  I think Yuli's ideas sound good.  Is your bf totally onboard with you not getting pregnant?  (Or) is he paleo (all natural)?  Isn't there a male contraceptive pill yet?

[djr_81]

how about vaginal contraceptive film?

My wife and I have used it before. It's quite a physical irritant most of the time.

[wodgina]

Is plan B RU486?

[King Salmon]

Use Non-Latex condoms.Avanti for example.They feel better for both partners,and are non-allergenic.A lot of women have sensitivity to Latex.Men prefer the fit and feel of non-latex.

[SkinnyDevil]

1) Rhythm method. This works perfectly IF you cycle is writ in stone. If not, you better know your body VERY well.

2) Lambskin condoms. Thin, slick, no latex....effective.

3) Coitus interruptus (withdrawal method). It works if one is honest & controlled.

4) Diaphram or other pessary.

I don't like the idea of pills or herbs or devices, so I'm partial to items 1, 2, & 3 above, but not item 4 or other alternatives.

[Brother]

I understand that most birth controls out there are toxic and loaded with hormones not to mention can effect your future fertility. What is safe to use. Does the rthym method work well? I understand that egg is only alive for one day of the month? i refuse to take plan b or have an abortion. i would like babies but not quite ready. my boyfriend and i have sex alot these days. thank you.

condoms. Take it or leave it. All alternatives to those (pun) fucking things come with possible complications. Condoms come with none except for the fact that it removes just about all the pleasure and feeling of intimacy for both parties. which sucks...but isn't poisonous. ..edit, forget that.

[Josh]

I guess there's no great choice...but I use the films some of the time when I know someone and haven't had any issues or irritation. Maybe mix it up with condoms to limit much nonoxynol-9 you're getting.

If I used condoms all the time, I'd go crazy.

I have seen an article by someone who believed that the contraceptive pill was not as unnatural as all that, as women naturally produce progesterone for 2 years or so when nursing which prevents conception. He advocated changing the balance of hormones in the pill to more closely reflect nature though.

I don't know what research is being done along these lines, but it could be a way forward for the future.

[RawZi]

I have seen an article by someone who believed that the contraceptive pill was not as unnatural as all that, as women naturally produce progesterone for 2 years or so when nursing which prevents conception.

    I've heard natural progesterone tauted as "the feel good hormone".  I thought progesterone was DURING pregnancy (pro for gestation pregnancy).  I thought prolactin kicks it out after, breast-feeding.  Maybe a woman can take prolactin, have milk, and not get pregnant like nursing mothers don't (oh oh).

    I nursed.  I felt well and healed super fast during that time, in more ways than before.  Natural prolactin may be a "feel good hormone" too, in addition to bc, if dosed every couple of hours.  I bet a prolactin hormone patch would do it, for bc, AND maybe help women who say they have no milk for their baby.  I wonder how natural form of prolactin they could put in a patch like that, or if they already have it.   

[Josh]

Yes you may be right. I can't find it so don't know exactly what he was discussing. According to wikipedia

it also decreases normal levels of sex hormones — estrogen in women and testosterone in men.[4]. It is this inhibition of sex steroids that is responsible for loss of the menstrual cycle in lactating women

The pill contains oestrogen and an artificial progestin though. Dunno, wish I had the article to show you.

[goodsamaritan]

I believe the caveman / paleo method is:

Have sexual relations if open to pregnancy.

If not open to pregnancy stop having sexual relations.

Male moves on to the next female open to pregnancy for sexual relations.

Repeat many times.

[Josh]

Well that would have worked in a paleo society, but how could it work in our societies? I'm sure you can see the problems.

[goodsamaritan]

Well that would have worked in a paleo society, but how could it work in our societies? I'm sure you can see the problems.

This is why polygamy exists.  Up to four wives for Islamic Filipinos.

Most "monogamous" societies go on birth control.  
Aside from NFP which most mistakenly deride as "rhythm" method,
And condoms which SUCK so bad,
No other form of birth control is healthy... all else is UNHEALTHY. (honest fact)

I had always loved my wife too much to condemn her to any unhealthy contraceptive crap.

Polygamy is more paleo, more natural.

[Josh]

Well maybe where you're from you can afford a good standard of life, but in most of the West anyway people would find it hard to afford unlimited kids, and looking at it from a social point of view our countries wouldn't stand up to educating and providing a good standard of living for all of them.

Here polygamy exists in terms of dating as people move partners, but if polygamous marriages became the norm realistically it would be men with multiple wives, so that leaves us with a situation where competition for females is the norm and alienated males create violent unrest. The entire structure of having an extended adolesence to learn complicated things would break down and we'd end up in some kind of grim backward society, which would be far from paleo as it would be based on serf agriculture.

[goodsamaritan]

Let's stop the hypothetical, Josh.
Back on the topic of HEALTHY birth control.
The word "safe" has a vague meaning in the English population control language.

Birth control / contraception is the most in demand item in these obscenely POOR times.
People can't afford REAL SEX.  This is how POOR society has gone.

Most "monogamous" societies go on birth control.
(most of them are pretty harmful, that is why their women are whack jobs on hormones)

NFP is pretty good and works pretty well.
My uncle and his wife are monogamous and did NFP so they only have 2 kids.
Worked pretty well for them and bunches of other people who do not mistakenly dismiss it as "rhythm".

And at the bottom rung of society, condoms work for those more "shake hand" like sex...

[Josh]

Well it's hardly fanciful imagining. You don't have to be a sociologist, just think for yourself what the consequences would be if everyone started doing it without birth control.

Talking about NFP is a bit of a u-turn GS as you said 'Have sexual relations if open to pregnancy.'

You can do NFP if you want, but the majority of people around the world can't handle it, they'll just have kids.

[goodsamaritan]

Well it's hardly fanciful imagining. You don't have to be a sociologist, just think for yourself what the consequences would be if everyone started doing it without birth control.

Talking about NFP is a bit of a u-turn GS as you said 'Have sexual relations if open to pregnancy.'

You can do NFP if you want, but the majority of people around the world can't handle it, they'll just have kids.

Come on Josh.
Stop answering questions as if you are writing for "the world" to solve all the ills of "all humanity".

I just answer the cold hard facts for our original poster: NICOLE

I understand that most birth controls out there are toxic and loaded with hormones not to mention can effect your future fertility. What is safe to use. Does the rthym method work well? I understand that egg is only alive for one day of the month? i refuse to take plan b or have an abortion. i would like babies but not quite ready. my boyfriend and i have sex alot these days. thank you.

You mean what is NOT HARMFUL?

#1 - No sex =  not harmful... but not enjoyable
#2 - Condom = not harmful... but not enjoyable either
#3 - NFP (this is the 21st century) =  not harmful... but you have to follow the schedule, plus learn body signals, temperature, mucus quality

#4 - the rest of the bunch = all harmful

There you have it.  My honest answers.

It's Nicole's body and Nicole's decision.

[Josh]

No GS, not having it. You know as well as I do that making statements like

I believe the caveman / paleo method is:

Have sexual relations if open to pregnancy.

If not open to pregnancy stop having sexual relations.

Male moves on to the next female open to pregnancy for sexual relations.

Repeat many times.

are provocative and are going to inspire discussion, and you are also answering as if solving all the illls of humanity with many of your arguments, so saying you're just giving facts is disingenuous.

If you think the discussion should stay practical fine bring up NFP, but let's have some even handedness...don't open up this kind of wider discussion then try and shut it down when you don't like it.

[goodsamaritan]

No GS, not having it. You know as well as I do that making statements like
are provocative and are going to inspire discussion, and you are also answering as if solving all the illls of humanity with many of your arguments, so saying you're just giving facts is disingenuous.

If you think the discussion should stay practical fine bring up NFP, but let's have some even handedness...don't open up this kind of wider discussion then try and shut it down when you don't like it.

Oh so you wanna go back to that topic?
Ok.

Well it's hardly fanciful imagining. You don't have to be a sociologist, just think for yourself what the consequences would be if everyone started doing it without birth control.

I was not suggesting this at all.

Talking about NFP is a bit of a u-turn GS as you said 'Have sexual relations if open to pregnancy.'

NFP is a VALID CHOICE.

ABSTINENCE is another valid choice.

You misunderstood me.

You can do NFP if you want, but the majority of people around the world can't handle it, they'll just have kids.

Anyone reading this has to make their OWN CHOICE.
You cannot make that choice for them.
You CANNOT tell them that "they can't handle it."

I believe in FREEDOM TO CHOOSE.

---------

So these are my perceived choices:

NOT HARMFUL contraception / birth control?

#1 - No sex =  not harmful... but not enjoyable
#2 - Condom = not harmful... but not enjoyable either
#3 - NFP (this is the 21st century) =  not harmful... but you have to follow the schedule, plus learn body signals, temperature, mucus quality

#4 - the rest of the bunch = all harmful

There you have it.  My honest answers.

It's Nicole's body and Nicole's decision.

[Josh]

Alright, I don't really want to go back to it. I agree that it's about choice and NFP is as valid a choice as anything else for people reading this.

I just want to make you aware that if you make statements like this

Up to four wives for Islamic Filipinos.

Polygamy is more paleo, more natural.

it's going to inspire wider discussion perhaps about society, and I didn't really like it when you wanted to shut down what I was saying after dropping that into the mix.

[goodsamaritan]

Alright, I don't really want to go back to it. I agree that it's about choice and NFP is as valid a choice as anything else for people reading this.

I just want to make you aware that if you make statements like this
it's going to inspire wider discussion perhaps about society, and I didn't really like it when you wanted to shut down what I was saying after dropping that into the mix.

Actually polygamy or multiple girl friending is a valid choice for a good number of people.

Some females don't like having sex continuously every year, that's a guy thing. 

I probably slip and mention these things because there is a different set of laws for islamic filipinos here where I live.  And they are very much into this polygamy thing.  Just like the islamic married movie star Robin Padilla still openly asks left and right a new pretty girl if she would like him to court her.

Probably some cultural exposure here for you and me.

[yuli]

I like the idea of multiple partners (polygamy, polyamory)...but I am the reverse...I prefer two husbands (I believe there is people like this living in the world). However that really doesn't solve the not getting pregnant thing now does it   .

Is plan B RU486?

Apparently not wodgina, plan B is emergency birth control, so for up to 48 hours after you have had sex and your condom broke or whatever, you are still not technically pregnant but could be, plan B will make sure that you don't get pregnant...it will still that little sperm guy before he reaches his goal  

RU486 terminates a pregnancy after it has already occurred, after 48 hours (and no more than 49 days since a woman’s last menstrual period).

If you take plan B and you are already pregnant it wont stop or harm the pregnancy it can only prevent one.
If you take the RU486 it blocks progesterone and causes abortion/miscarriage.