Friday, May 8, 2009

The never ending question of the best form of protection

The first time I went on the pill, it was the high estrogen type that came in a thick pink packet. It made me feel like I had PMS all the time, I got moody, and it killed my sex drive. Since then I've tried low-estrogen, progesterone-only, a diaphragm, condoms, and lots of things in between. A few friends of mine started using an IUD and love it. Another friend of mine got hormonal shots and they made her clinically depressed. My younger sister once tried the sponge. The truth is when it comes to contraception, everyone has a story to tell, and there's no one simple option.

Which is why I was excited to see Planned Parenthood's new My Method – a quiz that helps you figure out what form of birth control & protection might be best for you based on cost, frequency, whether you want to take hormones and whether you even need birth control or just prevention against STIs. And who knew -- for me, it recommended I look into an IUD, cervical cap or diaphragm!

But I'm still curious. What do you all use? And does it differ when you're in a committed relationship versus non? For partners who don't have to worry about pregnancy, what do you use? And how often? Do you use more than one method? Which method has worked best for you, and which have you been dying to try?

1 comment:

Amanda said...

I'm a 24 year old in a committed relationship in gradschool. I use yasmin, and we don't use condoms. Getting pregnant is not an option at this point, though.

I've been on the pill since I was 18, with only a 3-month break to see if it was affecting my libido-- it wasn't. When single, or just starting a relationship, I've used condoms as well. Once I'm certain that I can trust a partner and that he isn't sleeping with anyone else, I go to just the pill.