Should You Try The Pull-Out Method?
Birth control pill-induced weight gain means new consideration for the withdrawal method.
Not to get all TMI on you—we're all friends here, though, aren't we?—but my husband and I are thinking about changing up our birth control to the ol' pull-out method. Actually, correction: I'm thinking about it and he's biding his time, not saying too much, hoping I come to my senses before my prescription for the Pill runs out. The Frisky: MERRIme, A Web Comedy About Online Dating
But the thing is, I'm beginning to hate the Pill. While I'm not experiencing the emotional side effects that I have in the past—thank God!—I am suffering from what I call the Big Boob Effect. My boobs have grown a whole cup size in the two years that I've been taking the Pill on the regular. I'm now a D-Cup, which may sound sweet to some of you, but remember, I went through surgery once before to have smaller boobs, so these Ds are not welcome in my book. In addition, I've gained about 10 pounds and no matter how much I exercise, I can't seem to shed the extra weight. I've gone up a dress size in everything, and I've had to replace practically my whole wardrobe. I'm a confident person, but lately I'm pretty uncomfortable in my skin and I blame it on the Pill. The Frisky: Does Going On The Pill Curse A Potential Relationship?
Despite my essay the other day about having babies on the brain, I'm not quite ready for motherhood yet, so there has to be some kind of birth control in play for us. We hate condoms, so those are out. All that other stuff that—shots, IUDs, diaphragms, sponges (wait, do those even still exist?)—don't appeal to me either, which basically leaves us at the withdrawal method. A study came out earlier this year that said when it's practiced perfectly, it's almost as effective as condoms. A friend of mine told me the other day that she and her husband have been practicing withdrawal for years and it works for them ... so maybe it could work for us? The Frisky: Should Sex Educators Teach The Withdrawal Method?
More on relationships from The Frisky:
Discussion
I have never used BCP, or any other hormone contraceptives for the following reasons. 1)My family has a strong history of breast and ovarian cancer. Putting extra hormones into my body can actually cause these cancers to develop. 2) I don't want to/can't afford to gain weight. 3) I like my boobs the way they are.
I'm not a doctor, nor are the people who have responded (with some very rude comments)...Everybody is different and what works for you may not work for somebody else.
I have used the withdrawal method along with fertility awareness for the past 2 years, and both my boyfriend and I are happy with it. You MUST know what you are doing. You must keep a very strict and exact schedule of your cycle. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Sperm can survive for longer than you think. An ovum only lives for 24 hours, but the exact date that you ovulate can vary. You may also want to check out the basal body temperature method. Using withdrawal alone is not recommended...fertility awareness can work, if done correctly.
Good luck with this, and don't take to heart what other people say. Most of them do not understand your particular situation.
I always disliked the idea of taking a pill, or a shot, or getting something stuck up in my vag just so I wouldnt get pregnant. And ho hum, I hate the way condoms feel. So, whats a girl to do? What I found that works for me and hubs, is a product called Encare. Its a spermicidal pill looking thing, that you put in every time you have sex. He can c*m inside you, and all is well with the worth. Its a bit messy, but worth it!!!!
First of all, I understand what you're talking about and I think that pretty much everybody here has given good advices... There IS other good birth control options out there... talk to your doctor about maybe trying a different pill or just trying another method. I STRONGLY discourage the use of the ''pull out'' method because the precum produced by the penis can contain sperm and thus can make you pregnant... It's not all about the ejaculate itself so as pretty much everybody said... IF you want to try this method combine it with a spermicide or a diaphragm because if not, you are extremely likely to get pregnant. :) Good luck
i can understand completely the frustration of the pill... but the specific pill you are taking might not be the right for your body chemistry... im only 18 and im not married or planning on it any time soon, but i know that any baby shouldnt be unplanned, you have so many things to do with your husband that you shouldnt have to worry if you miss your period suddenly or if you are pregnant, even if you are married, it doesnt make an unplanned pregnancy OK. we are so lucky that today we have a million ways of birth control and if you dont like one, you can just try another...one that is proven to work and not just friend recommended...
trust me, three out of four of my friends had an abortion, only one kept it... what they all had in common? pull-out method..
i am a C cup too and i also took a pill that bumped me up to a full D... ofcourse my bofriend didnt complain at all but i couldnt stand the bras not fitting right, the shirts being tight and the sudden attention towards them because i dont want bigger boobs.. so much that i stopped and changed to a new one, but those, instead of making my boobs bigger (which i was happy about) started giving me pimples on my face, which i do not appreciate eithr... i stopped those, im on my second week of a new bc pill... so far my bras are properly fitting and i still have yet to see a pimple on my face... of course it might be too soon to tell... but i would rather do this and i would recommend this to anybody before the pull-out method.
maybe all you need is to change the brand of bc pill to a different one, they have different kinds with different hormones, obviously yours arent beneficiary to you..
dont try the pull-out method... and if you do decide to try it, you might also want to try thinking of baby names. and naming the friend that recommended you the POM the godmother of your child.
hope you make the right choice!
Please do your research!! There are other methods of reliable birth control!! You might consider speaking to your dr. about another pill or birth control method.
"Pull out and Pray" can work, if assisted with back-up!! So if you want to try it, go ahead, but please use some spermicide at least to assure you catch any "wandering speed demons"!!
Speak to your health care provider. There are other methods, and pills that don't cause weight gain, and they are reliable. Good Luck to you, and be safe.
I completely disagree with this article. The BC Pill makes you fat so you should try the pull-out method? Like rates of unplanned pregnancy (especially among teen girls) aren't high enough already.
Rather, in addition to using condoms, women should be aware that there are other hormonal methods out there besides just the Pill. There's the Evra Patch, the Nuva Ring, Depo Provera (not recommended for women under 20 due to strong side effects, some potentially permanent), something similar to Norplant, and a variety of non-hormonal methods.
If you're not wanting to get pregnant, don't try the pull-out method. I mean you could try it, and use spermicide/diaphram/contraceptive sponge with it, but if you end up pregnant don't say we didn't tell you "I told you so."
(If anyone is wondering, I have been on the Pill, Patch and Depo Provera. Depo was my favourite but I've hit the 2 year limit, so I'm on the Patch now and it works pretty well for me. I quit the Pill when I was still a teenager because the range of error can be pretty high and I was forgetting to take them sometimes.)
I'm not quite sure why you're opposed to the IUD. I was on BCPs for over 10 years and finally got sick of them. I went & got an IUD and I wish I had done it YEARS ago! I love it! I will warn you, it is painful having it inserted (my BP went to 80/50) but it's so worth it! Get the IUD inserted, and don't worry about anything until you want a baby, or 10 years, which ever comes first.
It's also much cheaper in the long run. 10 years of BCPs is a hell of a lot more expensive than an IUD.
How to know if withdrawal will work for you:
Has your husband EVER said anything like, "oops, I'm coming," "that was unexpected," etc.?
Have you ever seen pre-ejaculatory fluid on your husband?
Do you get horny when you are ovulating? Can you skip sex when you might be fertile?
Are you engaging in fellatio?
