So why do I have to wait so long?

Today I was at the doctors, for something unrelated to pregnancy, unfortunately. Anyway, as I was there, I thought that I would ask the doctor, when we would be able to be tested regarding mine and my partners fertility. She informed me that it would be 1 year after the 1 year it takes for the Depo-Provera injection to get out of your system. So that is 2 years after you finish the depo. Although hopefully I will be pregnant within 2 years this seems like a very long time.

I understand the reasoning (to a point), that it means people don’t finish the depo and immediately want to know if they are fertile. However if your body has returned to normal (normal periods) then why do you still have to wait for this 2 year point. Shouldn’t it be like a year  after they have returned to your normal pattern? And why do you have to have a year of trying, as be it by luck or planning, I am sure that within 6 months 99% of couples will have sex while she is ovulating at least once.

And yes there are testing kits that you can buy (as mentioned in previous blog: Fertility Tests) to monitor and plan when you are ovulating, but should I really have to pay for this, when there is an option available for free from the NHS.

Also, and I think that I have said about this before, but if the Depo injection does not leave your body for one year, then why do you have to have an injection every 3 months and not once a year??? And I know of a friend, who got pregnant while having the depo every 3 months as prescribed, so really I don’t think they actually know how long it will affect different people, but should it really be a widely used contraceptive if this is the case??? I often wonder this, and can find no suitably adequate answer either on the internet or from medical professionals.

So now its a case of waiting with fingers crossed, hoping that I am fortunate enough to fall pregnant within the next year and a half, before we are allowed to have tests on the NHS, to make sure that we are able to have children naturally.

How can friends not value the life of potential children???

This is a blog that have come about because of a so called friend really irritating me today!

As my regular readers will know, me and my partner are wanting to have a child, and due to a variety of circumstances we believe that it won’t be as easy as it could be.

So for someone I know to come up to me yesterday, with a pregnancy test, and said luckily I didn’t need this, as just started my period. But if I had, then I would have had an abortion, as its my body and I don’t want a child!

I really was in shock as to what to say… firstly if you really don’t want children then use protection, its not expensive and can be obtained free on the NHS. Secondly does she not know how sacred that life that she would have in her is? Yes I know that I am biased, but any child we conceive will be treasured and valued as a priceless life that we will be so happy to bring into the world!

I know that I not everyone will agree, but abortion is murder, as it is the end of a life… is it not? Granted there are occasions when having the baby would cause emotional hurt, such as a pregnancy after rape. However, I am a firm believer, and going to sound like Jeremy Kyle, if you don’t want a child use protection!

As there are so many people who can’t have children, or even like a friend has recently, their baby died after 5 days, due to complications. Is it fair to these people, for those who can have children, to throw away their lives so easily and care free?

I know that this a blog, that may well polarise our readers, but I was so cross and angry with this person, that I needed to vent it on here.

As always comments and opinions are welcome.

 

Does having a hot bath after sex stop you getting pregnant and other myths!!!

Does having a hot bath after sex stop conception? And other myths about sex, conception and contraceptive methods!!!

The other day, after having sex, I decide to go and have a bath (and always like my baths hot), but while I was in there I started wondering about whether it would affect me getting pregnant. So when I got out, I said this to my other half, who being a geek decided to google it and see what it said.

We found a lot of different sites listing rumours and myths that people believed to be true, but are factually incorrect.

1. Hot Bath kills sperm
   • This has 2 parts to it, firstly the fact that heat kills sperm, which is true, but needs to be heat directed at the sperm cells, where as generalised heat wouldn’t have the same effect. Secondly is the concept of washing out, there is little to no evidence that washing out your vagina has any effect on killing the sperm cells.
2. Washing out with soda will kill sperm cells
   • As above there is no evidence to support this, however, it has been found that regular practice of washing out with carbonated drinks, increases the risk of yeast infections, as they are commonly very high in sugar.
3. Movement and positioning afterwards affects whether you get pregnant
   • The myths are that if you stand up or do star jumps after sex this would make it more difficult for the sperm to swim towards the egg. Or on the other hand, lying with your bum in the air would give the sperm cells the assistance of gravity to help with the journey towards the egg. These are both factually untrue, as gravity has little to no effect on sperm cells either positive or negative.
4. Need to have sex every day
   • Having sex every day of the month, in fact decrease the chance of getting pregnant, as the sperm count and therefore concentration drops, therefore meaning the chance of getting pregnant are reduced.
   • It is much more effective if you have sex regularly during the period of the females high fertility, as this is obviously the time when women are most likely to conceive
5. Ovulate 14 days after period
   • A study found that only 30% of females are most fertile at this time after their period. While this is a good general guide, it is much more effective to establish exactly when women are most fertile by using a fertility test kit.
6. Can’t get pregnant while on your period
   • This follows on from the previous myth, as the date of ovulation is not a definite date in relation to your period, so it is possible to be ovulating while on your period, so is therefore possible to get pregnant at this time.
7. You won’t get pregnant the first time
   • Again like with myth 6, if you are at a time of high fertility when you have sex, then there is always a chance that you may get pregnant, unless contraception is used.
8. Withdrawal Method
   • This doesn’t work, as male produces a pre-ejaculate to assist with lubrication, which contains sperm cells, so has the same potential to fertilise the egg, so even if ejaculation doesn’t occur internally there is a chance of getting pregnant
9. All lubes work the same
   • Lubes are designed to, as the name suggest, lubricate the movement of the penis inside the vagina, however, most are a very thick substance, which makes the movement of the sperm cells very difficult, like us trying to run in quick sand. However, as mentioned in our previous blog, there are some lubes that are designed to assist with conception
10. You can use cling film or crisp packets instead of a condom…
    • I thought I’d finish with a comical one, but as a friend got pregnant while using cling film, it shows people do believe it.
    • Contraceptives have been designed specifically to virtually eliminate the chance of getting pregnant, such as condoms are designed to fit around the penis and trap the semen after ejaculation. Crisp packets and cling film, are both designed to keep food fresh, not retain fluid.
    • Added to this can’t imagine using crisp packet is particularly comfortable or hygienic

So here are some rumours that are currently flying round the internet. Hope I have dispelled them. Thanks for reading and hopefully its put a smile on your face 🙂 as I have enjoyed reading up about them on various other sites.

Condoms: Lots of fun or more hassle than they are worth?

Me and my partner, used condoms for 9 months of our relationship, before we went onto the depo-provera injection. We used them because at the time we didn’t want to get pregnant, but hadn’t really thought about or at the beginning, were not serious enough, to really consider using a longer term contraceptive.

Neither of us particularly liked using them, for a start the feel of them isn’t the most arousing. Added to this there is the awkward break, as things are getting go to put on the condom before going to the next stage. And then there is the fun of afterwards, laying there in your lovers arms, with basically a bag full of salty goodness. The whole concept is not nice.

So what are the benefits? They do come in a variety of flavours, colour and textures for people who prefer different things, with each manufacturer making their own versions (which I will discuss later). They also have no long term effect, so once you take off the condom, there is no lasting effect on your ability to conceive.

Finally, I believe that condoms are condoms, no matter who makes them, however, it must be noted that personally I found that Mates condoms caused me to become very dry, so we needed to use extra lube, as well as the lubrication within the condom.

So personally for us, condoms were not the option for us long term, but for people who like to explore flavours and textures more than we did, they may well work well for you.

The Pill…Is it the best form of contraception?

This is another hormonal contraceptive, meaning that it prevents a female becoming pregnant by altering hormone levels. It contains both oestrogen and progestin. It works by taking a pill at the same time every day for 21 days, followed by a week of no tablets, or a placebo tablet. The female will have a period during that week, but remained protected for all 28 days. There are other versions, where there are 24 days of pill and only 4 days of placebo. The  period is more controlled than normal periods as is controlled to be at a certain time, as it can be delayed, by taking the active pills for a longer period than 21 days.

So for a start this contraceptive option, does not stop periods as the other do, or at least claim to do. It also requires a greater effort from the user, as they are required to take a pill every day, rather than have a one of injection. So are there other negatives with this option? Yes, it is like other hormonal options, such as acne, weight gain, decreased sex drive, change in vaginal secretions, depression and possibly increase blood pressure.

However, due to its short term effect of each pill, the benefit of the pill is that it will be out of the system very quickly, so should return to normal ovulation very quickly. So this is a popular choice for people who are considering getting pregnant soon, but not ready quite yet.

However, for me personally the problem would be remembering to take a pill every day, as my memory isn’t the greatest, and I don’t stick to a routine, so would probably forgot several times a month, which then makes the drug much less effective.

So has a lot of the down sides of other hormonal options, but does have the benefit of being quickly out of the system once you stop.

Still to go in our reviews is condoms and IUDs. There is more permanent contraceptive options like hysterectomy or the male snip. However these are a bit more permanent and not really suitable for people like us who are looking to get pregnant afterwards.

Implant Contraceptive: The good, the bad and the ugly….

This blog is about the Implant contraceptive option. It will contain the run down on what it is, the benefits of it and the problems that people have experienced with it,

So it is a product called Nexplanon, and like the depo-provera injection it is a reversible hormonal contraceptive. It however is longer acting and as such needs replacing every 3 years, not every 3 months. It is injected into the upper arm, just above the elbow, under local anaesthetic. It works by increasing the hormone progestin, which inhibits ovulation and also alters the viscosity of the cervical mucus, meaning it is less penetrable by the sperm.

It is normally recommended from continuing to use another contraceptive for the first week after the implant, to make sure that it has started to release progestin, causing the contraceptive effect to occur. It is also good in that once removed, within a few days, the hormonal effect should have left the body. It has been found to be 99.95% effective.

However there are down sides, much like the depo, it can cause irregular periods, which may last longer than normal, it can also cause headaches, weight gain and affect mood.

People who have had it, have reported all of these symptoms, and some like me saying how they are having nearly non-stop periods, causing many to become anaemic. They also have said that even after having it removed/after the 3 years, it has taken many months for periods to return to normal or start at all.

So like the Depo, this is a contraceptive method, that has its strengths for some people, as some do rave at how good it is, but then for people like me, who hormonal contraceptives are a problem, then this would certainly not be suitable.

Tomorrow we will review the pill (and the different options). So could be a long post.

Our Story

Hello and welcome to our blog.  I’m sure some of you are wondering why we  have chosen to stay anonymous, in today’s blog I’m going to give you a brief description why we are writing the blog.

In December 2011, we went to my local GP and talked about all the different contraception’s available. After a brief chat we decided the Depo-Provera injection was the one for us.  No taking a tablet everyday which we were bounded to forget when in a rush to get to work.

We went back a week or so later and I had the jab. Just after Christmas me and my other half started to think about having a baby, Probably because there was no way or very little chance of this happening while we were on this depo jab. (The whole you want what u can’t have….)

March this year (2012) my Depo-Provera injection was due, after more long chats with my other half we decided this wasn’t going to be the case, as we would finally try for a baby (very exciting……or at least it should be)

We wish we could say us trying for a baby would be straight forward. We very much doubt it will be. Reasons why we believe this are:

1)    The Depo-Provera injection can take 1yr to leave your body even if you only have 1 shot (some people it can take even longer than that, to get regular period’s and everything back to normal)

2)    My mother had problems having me having to result in having IVF after one failed attempt, I came along. After they had me they did try another set of IVF but like the first one that didn’t work.

3)    My Grandmother also had problems having babies and like me my mother is an only child.

We really hope we are wrong and that we don’t have any problems.

We really wish we had looked at the cons before having the Depo-Provera injection, mainly as the doctors would now make me wait 2yrs before they will do tests to make sure I don’t have the same problems as my Mother/Grandmother had having babies. On the plus side if we hadn’t gone on the Depo-Provera injection we wouldn’t have thought about having children.

If you have any advice please do let me know, also any feedback about my blog would also be great.