Birth Control Options

As my fortieth birthday approaches, I have begun to think about what needs to be done as far as my female health goes. I already have two children and do not desire more. So, I went to see my regular physician and had a serious talk about my options.

The first thing we discussed was the fact that I had been on the pill for about twelve years straight. Although there is really nothing wrong with that, we felt it needed to change. I couldn't find any proof that being on the pill for several years is a bad thing, but even my doctor said my body needed a break.

While I was on the pill, my periods had been very short, only about 2 to 3 days, and very light. I did not experience any pain from cramping, either. But as soon as I stopped taking the pill, my periods went to being very long, 7 to 10 days, very heavy with a lot of blood clots being passed, and extremely painful. At times, I can't even stand up because of the pain.

I have been off of the pill for three months now and each month my period is worse. My regular doctor sent me to see an ob-gyn. I haven't been to one since the last check up after my son was born over thirteen years ago. During that time, my regular doctor has done all of my yearly exams.

At the ob-gyn, we talked about the options I really had at my age. One was, of course, a complete hysterectomy. This is the removal of everything surgically. We both felt that really wasn't necessary right now. It is drastic to do that, complications can arise and the recovery time is very long.

We also talked about having a tubal done. The problem with that, is it will not fix my problem of heavy and painful periods. So that led us to either having an IUD (intrauterine device) put in or having endometrial ablation.

The IUD is a t-shaped device that is placed directly into the uterus. It releases hormones that slowly thin out the lining of the uterus. It prevents pregnancy and at the same time will help to control the heavy periods. Some women do not even have periods while it is in. They can last for five years. Mirena is the most popular brand.

The best time to have this placed is right after a period. That way, the body has time to accept it and it is less likely to be expelled during a period. Some pain may be felt when it is first inserted followed by some cramping, but it should pass once the body is used to it.

Endometrial Ablation is an outpatient procedure that involves removing the uterus lining. They do this by a series of extreme hot, cold, saline water or an electrical current. It depends on the doctor as to the exact method he/she will choose. This is something you should also discuss if you choose to do this procedure.

It usually takes about 30 minutes to do the ablation and you will be given an anesthetic. The long term results may vary, though. Each woman is different, so the body will react differently. For many women, this ends the painful periods for several years but then may need to be done again. Some women even have a hysterectomy several years after the ablation anyway. Again, it depends on the individual woman.

I thought both choices sounded good to me, but before we could make the final decision, I had to have a trans-vaginal ultrasound. This is done to determine if there are other issues going on. If there is abnormal growth, like a polyp or fibroids or even cancer is found, then you may need to have the hysterectomy.

For me, when they did the trans-vaginal ultrasound, which is when they go in through the vagina with a probe to check everything out, they found that I have a fibroid about 2 cm in length. Because of that, the ablation would only be about 70% effective for me. Meaning that my chance of becoming pregnant would be 30% and that I would still have a 30% chance of painful periods.

The best option for me will be the Mirena IUD. Hopefully it will be accepted by my body. Only time will tell that. This procedure will only take about five minutes in the office. It will require no recovery time as well. So, I am pleased with the decision and am now waiting until I can have it placed.

If you are going through something similar to me, please speak with your doctor about your options. You may find that you have underlying problems or something life threatening going on. Remember that yearly checkups are a very important part of staying healthy.