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milos_mommy

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A lot of doctors now are recommending the IUD as ideal birth control for childless women. It's rare a dr will not insert it for that purpose.
 

noludoru

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For those of you who use an IUD (specifically Mirena), how do you like it? Has your period stopped all together? Looking into it for myself. Not sure if my insurance will cover it, but am gonna talk to my doctor about it.
I have a period once every 2-3 months, and it's really just glorified spotting. It lasts anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. I hated mine for the first 6 months, and after that point, it's been wonderful.

Henna people. Can I henna my hair? Not long ago I ombréd my hair. It is naturally a med-dark brown, so I dyed the top a really dark brown and bleached the bottom. The top has now faded quite a bit. It is basically my natural color now (and it didn't work that well to start with, we had the wrong developer). Anyway, even though its faded, I am sure there is still some color on my hair. Can I henna it? And if I can, my hair is 2 different colors so how does that work out?

Also, I know henna is different for everyone, but how dark can it get, and how long does it take? I really want a dark color (leaning toward a brown color if possible).

I'm really not sure I want to do it yet, I just am looking at options. I want the healing properties/strengthening of the henna. I don't really neccessarily want red hair. So yeah. LOL.
If you don't want red hair, do cassia. It has the same healing properties for your hair, but it won't dye it red.

Don't ever dye your hair red unless you love red and won't want to go back to another color. If you have even a hint of uncertainty, don't. It's almost impossible get out of your hair without destroying it, and you'll have to grow it out or chop it off.
 

Beanie

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For those of you who use an IUD (specifically Mirena), how do you like it? Has your period stopped all together? Looking into it for myself. Not sure if my insurance will cover it, but am gonna talk to my doctor about it.
I didn't have a period on it. But I didn't like it. I had it removed after I think eight or nine months. There were enough side-effects that made it not worth it, I just went back to depo provera instead. My insurance covered it but it still cost a few hundred bucks. Placement was painful as hell but only for a moment, after I had it placed I read on another forum "don't let them fool you, it feels like a strong contraction when they place it" from a woman who did have children, and a few others chimed in "that's EXACTLY what it felt like" - so I don't think having kids or not is going to make a difference on the pain factor. Never having HAD contractions I can't tell you yes, that's what it is, but it was so painful my body literally curled up off the exam couch in response. But that was about it. Ow ow ow then it was over.
After that it was just cramps for a few days but I just took fistfuls of Ibuprofen and it was no big deal. I think three, maybe four days is how long the cramping lasted. I bled the first day when it was placed. Not even spotting after that.

There are two ladies on here who had theirs migrate in their body IIRC, I know one for sure and I think the second one said the same thing but it's been a while. My cervix tips, the Mirena itself didn't move, but the cervix moved around and the Mirena therefore moved with it and it... erm... sat in some odd places at times. Not a fan. Creepy and uncomfortable.

Ectopic pregnancy is also a risk. One of my co-workers in radio had an ectopic pregnancy while she had an IUD and told me it was one of the worst experiences of her life. I found stats somewhere not that long ago about how common ectopic pregnancies are with IUDs and it was surprisingly higher than I would have expected. I knew it was a risk but of course the doctor didn't tell me how much of one (they never do.)

Honestly, if you think you want kids some day, I wouldn't do it. If something happens and you can't have kids... I mean, everybody has to weigh their own risks of course, but for me, if I wanted kids, it wouldn't be worth the risk just so I could avoid taking pills. The only reason I tried it was because I knew if something happened and it damaged my uterus so I couldn't have kids, I'd be glad. =P Same reason I don't care about if something happens from the depo provera... if it makes my uterus shrivel up and evaporate, hurray!! But not everybody feels that way obviously. I also don't recommend depo to anybody who thinks they want kids and I like it just fine.


Besides the IUD there's also Implanon, the rods you get injected in your arm... Lyzelle has (had?) that and had a rotten time on it, you could ask her more about her experiences with it. I was thinking about getting it after they took the Mirena out, but it was also a few hundred, so... I didn't want to spend that much after having the Mirena fail. I just went back to the depo.
 
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Your hair is soooo pretty! I love it!
Ahh, thank ya! :) I keep having mini freak-outs every time I remember that it's going to take over 4 years to grow out to a normal length again; I'm really lazy, and I don't know how I'll deal with not being able to put my hair in a pony-tail for such a long time whenever I decide to grow it out.

Henna people. Can I henna my hair? Not long ago I ombréd my hair. It is naturally a med-dark brown, so I dyed the top a really dark brown and bleached the bottom. The top has now faded quite a bit. It is basically my natural color now (and it didn't work that well to start with, we had the wrong developer). Anyway, even though its faded, I am sure there is still some color on my hair. Can I henna it? And if I can, my hair is 2 different colors so how does that work out?

Also, I know henna is different for everyone, but how dark can it get, and how long does it take? I really want a dark color (leaning toward a brown color if possible).

I'm really not sure I want to do it yet, I just am looking at options. I want the healing properties/strengthening of the henna. I don't really neccessarily want red hair. So yeah. LOL.
I don't know how henna reacts to bleached hair, but I think the general consensus is that if you're using pure body art quality henna, it should be alright to use on dyed hair. Always do a strand test first, though! However, if your hair is two different colours -- then it will likely be two different shades of red if you do decide to try henna. But I've only henna'd my hair once, so I don't know that much about it. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in :p
 

AgilityPup

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I didn't have a period on it. But I didn't like it. I had it removed after I think eight or nine months. There were enough side-effects that made it not worth it, I just went back to depo provera instead. My insurance covered it but it still cost a few hundred bucks. Placement was painful as hell but only for a moment, after I had it placed I read on another forum "don't let them fool you, it feels like a strong contraction when they place it" from a woman who did have children, and a few others chimed in "that's EXACTLY what it felt like" - so I don't think having kids or not is going to make a difference on the pain factor. Never having HAD contractions I can't tell you yes, that's what it is, but it was so painful my body literally curled up off the exam couch in response. But that was about it. Ow ow ow then it was over.
After that it was just cramps for a few days but I just took fistfuls of Ibuprofen and it was no big deal. I think three, maybe four days is how long the cramping lasted. I bled the first day when it was placed. Not even spotting after that.

There are two ladies on here who had theirs migrate in their body IIRC, I know one for sure and I think the second one said the same thing but it's been a while. My cervix tips, the Mirena itself didn't move, but the cervix moved around and the Mirena therefore moved with it and it... erm... sat in some odd places at times. Not a fan. Creepy and uncomfortable.

Ectopic pregnancy is also a risk. One of my co-workers in radio had an ectopic pregnancy while she had an IUD and told me it was one of the worst experiences of her life. I found stats somewhere not that long ago about how common ectopic pregnancies are with IUDs and it was surprisingly higher than I would have expected. I knew it was a risk but of course the doctor didn't tell me how much of one (they never do.)

Honestly, if you think you want kids some day, I wouldn't do it. If something happens and you can't have kids... I mean, everybody has to weigh their own risks of course, but for me, if I wanted kids, it wouldn't be worth the risk just so I could avoid taking pills. The only reason I tried it was because I knew if something happened and it damaged my uterus so I couldn't have kids, I'd be glad. =P Same reason I don't care about if something happens from the depo provera... if it makes my uterus shrivel up and evaporate, hurray!! But not everybody feels that way obviously. I also don't recommend depo to anybody who thinks they want kids and I like it just fine.


Besides the IUD there's also Implanon, the rods you get injected in your arm... Lyzelle has (had?) that and had a rotten time on it, you could ask her more about her experiences with it. I was thinking about getting it after they took the Mirena out, but it was also a few hundred, so... I didn't want to spend that much after having the Mirena fail. I just went back to the depo.

Eeeks. So there are some negatives... I don't know. I won't know for sure until I talk to my dr, I guess. I mean, ideally, I'd love to have no period... but I want an effective birth control first and then ideally my heavy flow to be toned down some.

As far as kids, I don't plan on ever wanting kids, so I am not too worried about any damage being done, etc..
 

Beanie

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Eeeks. So there are some negatives... I don't know. I won't know for sure until I talk to my dr, I guess. I mean, ideally, I'd love to have no period... but I want an effective birth control first and then ideally my heavy flow to be toned down some.

As far as kids, I don't plan on ever wanting kids, so I am not too worried about any damage being done, etc..
There's definitely negatives, there's negatives with any kind of BC though. Lots of people don't do well with depo provera, by and large I do great on it! I did horribly with Nuvaring but I know plenty of people who did great with it, my friend loved it before she went off BC to TTC, and except for the horrible side-effects I really did like it LOL. It's just a matter of knowing what those side-effects are and how common they are and weighing those risks with the benefits of having birth control you don't really have to think about (except for checking the strings to make sure it's where it's supposed to be, and lots of women don't do that because... reasons, I guess.)

Definitely talk to your doctor about it, and do some research on your own too, honestly.

As for side-effects, mine were that my boobs hurt ALL the time (and my boobs never hurt when I had my period, so that was kind of random) and I had discharge, not bloody or spotting, but - and I'm stealing this quote from somebody else because I thought it was perfect - "it was like my vagina had a runny nose all the time." Clear and mucus-y. That was really about it, aside from the whole "this thing in your body can go floating around!" If it weren't for the concerns with the latter I might have stuck it out for a while longer, but I don't know if I really would have kept it the whole five years... it just kinda sucked all the time haha. =P I was hoping eventually things would even out. I spotted all the time for about a year when I first started using depo provera and then it quit and I NEVER spot anymore, so I was hoping eventually my hormones would kinda settle down and sort out, I just never made it that far to find out!

But yeah, everything has side-effects. Some more serious than others. Anything that's more long term is going to be more serious as opposed to a pill you'd just stop taking. Also, like I said to somebody else, the problem with Mirena or Implanon is you can't remove them yourself. Well, technically people HAVE removed their own Mirena, but you're supposed to have a nurse remove it. So if it sucks you have to wait for your appointment to get it removed. Still, I would rank that above Depo Provera where if it sucks you can't do anything because it's just in your system until it wears off!
 

Julee

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How do you guys not panic at the lack of period on some of these birth control methods? I'd be so paranoid!
 

stardogs

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I talked to someone earlier that said it didn't hurt anymore than a pap, but she had also had a child... I don't know. My doctor is old and crotchety, but I am going to try and talk her into it. But essentially, shouldn't I be able to say I want this and they do it, even if they don't "like" to place it in women who haven't had kids?
In Canada I *have* heard of doctors using a topical numbing spray before placement, so that could be why some say it's nbd. Here in the US, I've NEVER heard of a doc using numbing agents during placement. It HURT - like sharp and stabby - but for like 5 seconds, and then nothing. My PAPs never hurt.

Also, if you're sexually active but not in a committed relationship, you might get some pushback there - the IUD *does* make uterine infections more likely since there is a string that goes into the uterus. This is less of an issue with folks who have clean, committed partners, though.
 

Dogdragoness

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I think for bc ... Since I know I am not going to have any kids and I am over 30 now (the doctors here usually won't do it til you are at least 30) and I have saved enough money. I am going to try for tubal legation.
 

crazedACD

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How do you guys not panic at the lack of period on some of these birth control methods? I'd be so paranoid!
Yah..I have PCOS, no periods, maybe once a year if that. Not on birth control currently. I pretty much take pregnancy tests randomly (when I'm 'active'), because I would be one of those "I didn't know I was pregnant" people. And I don't want kids so I do use protection, but you never know, right?
 

AgilityPup

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In Canada I *have* heard of doctors using a topical numbing spray before placement, so that could be why some say it's nbd. Here in the US, I've NEVER heard of a doc using numbing agents during placement. It HURT - like sharp and stabby - but for like 5 seconds, and then nothing. My PAPs never hurt.

Also, if you're sexually active but not in a committed relationship, you might get some pushback there - the IUD *does* make uterine infections more likely since there is a string that goes into the uterus. This is less of an issue with folks who have clean, committed partners, though.
I can probably deal with a short pain no biggie. My PAPs don't usually hurt either.

I am in a committed relationship so not too worried about that part.
 

Beanie

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Today I took new selfies so I could post an updated photo on Match since I bleached my hair, and I promised weeks ago better photos out in the sunlight - so here's the winners from about 87 photos:






You can see it still has all my natural variety of tones and shades, even though I bleached the crap out of it.



And in direct sunlight it looks WAY different...





(I know my calves look stupid stuffed into those boots... blame the running/cycling/squats/lunges. I was jealous of all the skinny-calf muscle girls running around with their jeans tucked into their boots and wanted to do it too.)
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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If you don't want red hair, do cassia. It has the same healing properties for your hair, but it won't dye it red.
Ahhh THANK YOU! I was wondering if there was something else out there or not! Quick question about the cassia, can I dye it after I've used cassia on it? I have heard that your hair can like...burn off if you dye it with henna on it.
 

-bogart-

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Today I took new selfies so I could post an updated photo on Match since I bleached my hair, and I promised weeks ago better photos out in the sunlight - so here's the winners from about 87 photos:






You can see it still has all my natural variety of tones and shades, even though I bleached the crap out of it.



And in direct sunlight it looks WAY different...





(I know my calves look stupid stuffed into those boots... blame the running/cycling/squats/lunges. I was jealous of all the skinny-calf muscle girls running around with their jeans tucked into their boots and wanted to do it too.)
Beanie , I just wanted to stop and tell you something.


You are GORGEOUS . seriously please stop saying bad stuff about yourself .
The boots look good and ya calves are NOT big . I Always marvel that you are still looking for love. You are on of the nicest people on here and I see that you are beautiful!. So please love yourself ar tell me to shut the hell up lol.


/endunsollicetedcomments
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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Beanie , I just wanted to stop and tell you something.


You are GORGEOUS . seriously please stop saying bad stuff about yourself .
The boots look good and ya calves are NOT big . I Always marvel that you are still looking for love. You are on of the nicest people on here and I see that you are beautiful!. So please love yourself ar tell me to shut the hell up lol.


/endunsollicetedcomments
Just wanted to agree with this! You are so beautiful!! :)
 

Beanie

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Beanie , I just wanted to stop and tell you something.


You are GORGEOUS . seriously please stop saying bad stuff about yourself .
The boots look good and ya calves are NOT big . I Always marvel that you are still looking for love. You are on of the nicest people on here and I see that you are beautiful!. So please love yourself ar tell me to shut the hell up lol.


/endunsollicetedcomments
Hahaha, aww, you are so sweet. But they ARE big LOL. It's not really a bad thing, just a statement of fact. XD They started getting big when I started running, and cycling only made them all the more muscular, and they just keep going. If I flex my legs, like if I stand on my tiptoes, it's like BAM CALF MUSCLES!! I think it's kinda gross hahaha - but I don't care, I'm not going to stop working out and getting stronger. That's just how they are. They're big and thick and they power me through half-marathons. I couldn't do the things I enjoy doing if they weren't! But it does make certain things not very easy... like skinny jeans. It's like prison for my calf muscles. I had to enlist help to get them off the one time I tried skinny jeans, because they got stuck on my calf muscles, and then I started to panic hahaha. I was like OH GOD, THEY WON'T COME OFF, HELP ME HELP ME.
 

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