Yea or Nah...Birth Control

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Permalink Reply by Laurgirl on November 9, 2008 at 12:31am

I went off oral contraceptives recently and decided to start tracking my ovulation via urine LH test strips. You can order online pretty cheap. Basically, the strips tell you when you're about to ovulate, and you know when to be especially careful or avoid sex altogether! An egg being ovulated is only fertile for two days at most, but sperm can live up to five days in our body, so that's where we have to be really careful. So, main point is to avoid sex up to a few days before ovulating, which, for most women is one and a half to two weeks after the first day of her last period.

Augh, you almost need another degree to figure this stuff out!!

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Permalink Reply by Jenny on November 9, 2008 at 11:24am

where online did you order those strips?

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Permalink Reply by sally whelan on November 10, 2008 at 5:09pm

oh my god! i have been on the pill on and off for about 6 years and during this time have had the worst immunse sysytem ever! and have never been able to put my finger on why, maybe this is the answer, the little buggers are sapping all my B vits and Folic acid!
everyone of my freinds says im the worst advert for healthy eating as i eat super super well, nearly completely veggie, and i do yoga, running cycling everyday, yet i still suffer from illness on an almost clockwork basis. my beyfriend is completely baffled and gets very upset that i work so hard to keep my body fit yet one day ill just suddenly get so sick for no reason.
I dont take any sort of folic acid suppliments as i heard it wasnt reccomended for women my age (23) and more for pregnancy.
im going to look into it as i really dont want to be on the pill anymore, i cant stand the thought that not having a period for 6 years could potentially stop me having babies.
thank you so much for opening my eyes a bit more!
sally
xxx

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Permalink Reply by Sharon on March 7, 2008 at 10:20pm

My favorite topic! Birth control.
Just as the FDA and processed food companies have successfully deceived the masses into the fake, "nutrition" that is harming and killing us -so too have the medical and pharmaceutical worlds deceived the masses by their deliberate omission of facts as to the many negative effects of artificial birth control on a woman's body (not to mention... dare I say - abortion! (another subject)

Chemical forms of birth control can cause many unwanted effects. Read the package inserts.
The Pill, specifically, is associated with problems that range from minor to major. It appears that many of these problems are related to blot clots caused by the artificial estrogen in hormonal birth control drugs. The same is true of the Shot (Depo-Provera), the implants, and the patches. The hormone-releasing intrauterine devices have their own sets of problems. What you won’t find in the package inserts is the relationship between the Pill and breast cancer. The younger a girl is when she takes the Pill and the longer a young woman takes the Pill before her first full-term baby, the higher her risk of contracting breast cancer as she gets older. Specifically, if a woman takes the Pill before her first full-term pregnancy (FFTP), she suffers a 40% increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who do not take oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Remember this the next time you read about an allegedly unexplained increase of breast cancer in women in their thirties and early forties.

So what's the Good News? NFP (Natural Family Planning) This is NOT the rhythm method.
This is the only safe, effective and completely natural way to postpone pregnancy (and to achieve it.)
NFP is practiced most popularly by the sympto-thermal method (tracking your waking body temp. and checking cervical mucus patterns each month.) This takes all of 2 minutes per day. If couples understand the rules and follow them, NFP can be 99% effective in avoiding pregnancy. It is NOT counting calendar days (shooting in the dark and hoping for the best....which is the antiquated rhythm method). Most people today assume that NFP is the same as the rhythm method and haven't educated themselves any further on the subject. I asked my OB/GYN why he has so many posters advertising every form of birth control under the sun, but nothing on NFP when he has more than 12 women in his practice who use NFP. He said, "get me the posters and the brochures and I"ll put them up!" (I need to do that!)

My husband and I have been practicing NFP for 11 years.
I easily avoided pregnancy for the first 3 years of our marriage. And we conceived our first child
the first month we "stopped" tracking my mucus and temperature rise.
We now have 4 girls, which we want. (We don't have four children because we messed up
and got pregnant more times than we wanted to like some of our disgruntled family members would like to think :-) The couple who taught the course we took on NFP have two children and they have practiced NFP for 38 years of marriage. Other families we know have more children, not because NFP is not effective, but because they desire larger families. Personally speaking, Natural family Planning is awesome because it respects the natural cycle of the woman's body as opposed to tampering with it and altering it. It also increases communication and fosters respect between the husband and wife during those days of abstaining. (which aren't many)

Ask your doctor how to find an instructor who is specially trained in teaching natural family planning.
He might look at you funny, but maybe you can teach him a few things!

While NFP is promoted by the Catholic Church, many others (mostly holistic folks) have stumbled upon this method in their search for a safe and healthy alternative. You can get the best how-to information from: ccli.org

Hope this is a little helpful.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon on March 7, 2008 at 10:58pm

Kath,
I agree with you on the big picture stuff.
I'm so glad that I found this raw food community who has educated me about the milk myth (especially.) "Now drink your milk kids!" (And you'll be wearing a bra on your 9th birthday!) They don't even like milk and now they think I'm the coolest for tossing the mandatory milk drinking in the trash and feeding them leafy green salads instead (which they love.) It's so easy and it's all right in front of our eyes (nature). Why do we make things so complicated with "advanced technology". (advanced being the operative word). We have to "fear" that which we have created.

I could rant myself on this!

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Permalink Reply by Jan Roberts on March 8, 2008 at 11:15am

Hi Tae,
You're right to be nervous about the ill effects or oral contraceptives. Just one of many effects on nutritional status - the pill disturbs the zinc to copper ratio in the body – copper (which is a zinc antagonist) rises (and actually mimics what happens in pregnancy) and zinc falls. It’s often very difficult to reverse the zinc deficiency in long-term pill users. A colleague of mine is just about to publish a book on The Pill – she quotes an eminent IVF specialist who says almost 100% of his patents were on the pill in their teens and 20s. What's more, women who have taken the oral contraceptive pill right up to the time of conception will begin their pregnancy in a zinc compromised state, with potential negative effects on every stage of their pregnancy and on the future health of their baby. I don't want to frighten you, but only to confirm your intuitive decision, and also to refer you to more on this topic at my website http://betterbabies.well4life.com.au - check Research/Articles. Kris Carr has also just asked me to establish an "expert' blog, so I'm looking forward to sharing more of this type of information

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Permalink Reply by Jan Roberts on March 8, 2008 at 11:30am

Want to share details of a product that you might find helpful.... Femmenessence Macaharmony is a natural product that many practitioners are now prescribing for young women whose cycles are irregular (replacing the pill for that application) or for women whose cycles have been completely disrupted by Pill use, restoring normal menstrual cycles in 3-4 months.This is important because one of the foundations of healthy reproduction is a normal 29-day cycle, so it’s great to have a product that will effectively promote the body’s own production of hormones across the board. You'll need effective contraception of course, but learning about your cycle and charting signs of fertility is very empowering. I can suggest great ways to learn about Natural Fertility Management. I'm not trying to promote my products and services, but I really believe this type of knowledge should be available to all women. Charting the cycle is NOT the infamous rhythm method but involves observation of changes in cervical mucus, taking basal temperature and knowledge of your personal “lunar return.” It's never taught through mainstream channels, but knowledge about fertility and menstrual cycles, their connection to the moon, and more, can heighten awareness of the need to preserve and enhance, rather than override and manipulate with pharmaceuticals! Your intuition is already guiding you away from chemical contraception - and that's great!

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Permalink Reply by short dark and veggie on March 10, 2008 at 3:29pm

I have been thinking about stopping the pill as well. I was scribed the pill because my pms was getting bad. Anxiety attacks and royal bitchiness. The pill has helped with this, but at what price? I have depression and takingthe pill makes it worse. Did i just trade one sucky symptom for another? Im goingto look up herbal PMS stuff and see if there are any alternatives. I dont want to take the pull anymore.

Thanks for tossing this topic outthere tae!

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Permalink Reply by Jan Roberts on March 10, 2008 at 4:02pm

You're right - one symptom replaced by another (maybe two) ... lots of women on the pill report low libido, which is a bit ironical. For help with PMS, normalizing cycles (and to support emotional balance) you'll like Femmenessence Macaharmony, then you need to get informed about charting your cycles. It's very empowering once you understand what's happening and recognize the very clear signs that nature gives of approaching (and declining) fertility!

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Permalink Reply by Dawn on March 14, 2008 at 4:24pm

I was on birth control (the pill - about ten different kinds, the patch, the ring, etc.) for 11 years. I went off a few months ago (part of my real health plan, and part because I couldn't stand being a SPAZZ). Although my hormones are still adjusting (I have weird teenage breakouts going on), I feel like I'm ME again. I was absolutely bonkers on birth control and it kept getting worse. I feel good to be in my own body and it had been a LONG time since I'd felt that way. I will do anything to avoid going on birth control ever again - even though now I again have k-i-l-l-e-r cramps. *sigh* womanhood....

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Permalink Reply by Jan Roberts on March 14, 2008 at 4:58pm

Hi Dawn,
I think a lot of women would be surprised how much healthier they feel when they're off the pill, but hey, you don't have to put up with those cramps and you can make sure your cycles are really regular, which makes Natural Fertility Management so much easier. Product called Femmenessence MacaHarmony - all natural and stimulates your body to regulate its own hormone production.

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Permalink Reply by Dawn on March 15, 2008 at 12:19pm

Thanks so much Jan!! Is that product also called Femenessence MacaLife? I was looking on the Natural Health Intl. website and found that one, and also one for post menopause (I am 30 y/o).

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