But I don't WANT to! *growls*

Well, unless you are trying to get pregnant, you might want to be using some form of birth control. Their are non hormonal options. Condoms of course, or a diaphram but I dont know how easy those are to use. Also, you could get a copper iud which is non hormonal. She cant make you get on bc but its a good idea to do so if you dont want to get pregnant.

yeah...pregnancy fucks up your cycle a lot more than birth control, heh.

There are birth control options like fertility awareness that have very little impact on your body's natural cycle, I've found that I know my body so much better now than before, and am much more comfortable with how it works. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is a good place to start.

That said, fertility awareness does not always fit in with some lifestyle choices, and it is up to you to determine what is best for your body.

A copper IUD, while non-hormonal will mess around with your cycle - at least for a little bit.

I have a friend who has had great success with a diapragm and spermicide. She said it was difficult to convince someone to fit her for one, but obviously not impossible. The fact is, it's your body and it's up to you. The pill causes a lot of difficulties for many women and it needs to stop being treated like the standard birth control option. When you meet with the doc, tell him/her your concerns and see if s/he can work around it. Condoms work well but should be used with spermicide as well, to increase the effectiveness.

You don't have to go on birth control. There are a few non-hormonal means of successfully preventing pregnancy without messing up the things that you like about your body. Be very clear about what you want, and what you're not willing to compromise.

oh... I didnt know that sorry for posting misinformation. How does it mess with your cycle?

Copper IUDs often cause periods to be slightly heavier with more cramps, especially in women who have experienced heavy periods in the past. I haven't experienced this myself, but it is the biggest side effect. Beyond that though, there is often spotting associated with both types of IUDs, at least in the beginning, simply because it is a foreign object in your body.

I'm completely pro-IUD, but spotting is pretty much a given for the first coupld of months and longer with the Mirena, as far as I know. I think it might be a good option for the OP but her main concern seemed to be her menstrual 'regularity' so I thought I'd mention it.

oh... ok thanks. I was under the impression that it didnt make any difference.

If you dont want to get pregnant, i really suggest that you find a meathod, and find it fast.

Just winging it DOSNT work. I got pregnant the first cycle I tried it with.

I agree with Revolt about the Birth Control pill. It made me sooo sick. It gave my friend a stroke. I dont understand why they cant make one for men available??? Its just one more helpful option out there....

I bet if one was for men, they would just say they were on the pill so girls would be more likely to sleep with them. :roll: I just cant trust anyone but myself when it comes to me getting pregnant. But yeah, if there were some way to monitor that they were taking it I would use it as a backup method.

Well see, in my case I am in a relationship with a man that I really trust....we are having child number one together, and both agreed that we dont want child number 2. So I would trust him to take the pill, because HE wouldnt want another child in the relationship. In marriages, and long term deals, they are a good idea.

If i were starting a relationship, or just hooking up...NO, i totallly wouldnt trust the guy. Its a lot easier for him to dissapear off the face of the earth, and never talk to you again.

She doesn't want to. There is not enough information in this thread to make the assumption that she's "winging it" or just falling for what some guy tells her.

k...

well actually the "falling for what a guy tells her" was my response to skylars comment..i really just responded to that, because it was something i had been wondering about myself...

I was just giving her my two cents...and that to get on SOMETHING quick, because...i didnt....because i kept saying "ill find Birth control later".

I actually think that she was talking about your first post, where you told the op that just winging it doesnt work, and she was saying that you dont know that she is just winging it. She only said that she doesnt want to use a hormonal option of birth control.

Well if you don't want to go one a hormonal BC method then don't.
the choice is yours alone, as are the consequences.
It si your body, after all.
But for 3 months on the pill at 14 (which I despised) I only ever used condoms as a contraceptive method when I have been involved sexually with men. Worked damn well for me.

If you don't want to take hormonal BC there are other alternatives. But for the most part the hormonal methods have the lowest failure rates. I had been on Alesse 28 birth control pills since 9/2000 and I quit taking them last November due to some bleeding I was having. I hadn't had a chance to get to the dr. yet about another kind of BC and was using condoms and the fertility awareness method (charting my cycles and basal temps) as described in the "Taking Charge of your Fertility" book. BD and I were being very careful, but I ended up pregnant by Feb. That is with having regular cycles also. If you want to prevent pregnancy, you have to find a method you can use and rely on. BC pills, the Patch and Depo shots I think are the most reliable b/c of the hormones. The other methods can work also but take alot of dilligent use which can be very hard to do.

Christina
baby girl due 11/11

Actually, IUDs are more effective. One of them is very low on hormones and the other is hormone free. In addition there are many more options than you listed.

To the OP, I find a really good source of b/c info to be at planned parenthood. The have a section of their website filled with info on the subject and I recommend it as a good place to consider your options.
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/;jsessionid=E491312DD9AEF8349CF94DEEB1DFF2EF

Just remember to tell the doctor everything you told us. Good luck.

I just want to reemphasize:

YOUR BODY, YOUR CHOICE!!!

If you don't want to go on hormonal birth control, no one can make you. Look at your options and make a choice that is right for you.

Another thing I want to point out real quick:
Condoms are the ONLY way to prevent STDs, so if you are not monogomous, I consider it the only safe choice.