01perfectminute
5:11 pm - 05/17/2012

Having Trouble Finding the Right Contraception for Me and My Guy
I've been on the Nuva ring for maybe the last four months, but I want to get off birth control and be back to my normal cycle for a while. I'm OK using hormonal contraception for a few months at a time, but I don't like to be on it all the time because I value my natural cycle and don't like the feeling of being controlled by outside hormones.

The problem with getting off the birth control is that my boyfriend looses erections really easily with condoms.

Does anyone have any tips? Advice? Suggestions? Things to try, methods of contraception to look into?
Lend a hand
knittinggoddess 18th-May-2012 02:03 am (UTC)
If you are interested in really really low-dose hormones, Implanon and Mirena (especially the Mirena) might be low enough for you.

Otherwise, the copper IUD (Paragard, Nova-T, Gynefix, Multi-load, etc) is the only super effective, foolproof, hormone-free birth control around. If you're in the States, the only copper IUD available is Paragard. Other countries have other models.

FAM (fertility awareness), withdrawal, and barrier methods are other options, but you sacrifice effectiveness and ease of use for having something shorter-term and less expensive. Here's a Besider.org side-by-side comparison of a FAM method (there are a bunch), withdrawal and diaphragm: you can make your own comparison by clicking the symbols on the top bar.

As for the condoms, is your boyfriend open to working through this side effect? For all his faults, Dan Savage has written a lot of good information about conditioning yourself to not lose your erection. In his POV, it's pretty much a mental thing, and there are ways to get around it.
01perfectminute 18th-May-2012 02:45 am (UTC)
Isn't the Mirena an IUD? If I were going to get an IUD, I'd just go with a copper one. But the insertion process feels too invasive.

I would not be surprised if the loss of erection (even if it is only when using condoms) were a mental thing for my boyfriend, but I'm don't think he wants to hear that. I'm not sure how to broach the subject.

Thanks for the input! I looked at that chart.
knittinggoddess 18th-May-2012 02:53 am (UTC)
Aw, bummer! If you were open to an IUD, it would be so much easier! (But I totally understand why you are squicked by it. I feel similarly about Implanon.)

A big part of Savage's approach is in making condom use a sexy game. So, if you introduce it as "hey, this sounds sexy", that could be an in.

fam might be useful for you as well.
Lend a hand
This page was loaded May 25th 2013, 4:01 am GMT.