Condoms plus spermicde have been our contraceptive choice and for over twenty five years on and off ( we have conceived first month every time with our four children), they have given us 100% reliability.I have never wanted my wife to use hormone or I.U.Ds (so many women complain about side effects from these) we have always enjoyed putting on our condoms (getting ready), for our earth shattering sex together!!!!!!!!

Thank you ladies for the much needed conversation about contraception! It's great that you've all found methods that work for you (including getting married and having kids). Lol.

The pill failed me! I know too many people who have gotten pregnant while popping the pill. It is not trust worthy! And, it made me a really miserable and mean person... We are going through a miscarriage now, so our birth control is simply not having sex. When we are ready to have sex but it's still not quite time to safely start trying to conceive again... we'll probably go with puke ...condoms. I really hate condoms... yes I used them like a religion before I was married, but now they just make me feel gross. However, until it is safe for us to try again, that will probably be our route...

Hi My DH got the snip 2.5 yrs ago. While we were dating I was on the Pill AND using condoms. He volunteered even before we had kids because he doesn't like condoms and didn't want me to be full of chemicals either just to stop one egg a month from being released. I didn't feel good on the Pill and never wanted the IUD (no matter how sophisticated). Then after we had 3 kids in 4 years, we needed a 100% effective method so when our youngest was 2, he went for it! We are done. As a teen, I remember watching a big documentary about Depo and it completely turned me against considering it as an option. Does anyone remember the Female Condoms? Oh dear, it was embarrassing enough buying condoms but the thought of having a 'plastic bag' inside you was just beyond me! I breastfed my youngest child exclusively for 20 months and my OB/GYN always warned me that at most she would say it's effective contraception for 2 months only (like you would be having sex within 2 months of giving birth????). On the rare occasion (there were 2 toddlers as well at that time...) we did have sex, I just relied on the calendar for calculation. It was strange for a long while to be actively NOT trying to get pregnant as we initially had minor fertility issues.

So, there I was, back on the pill since shortly after my son was born five and a half years ago, when my OBGYN calls me last May to tell me I need to go off the pill because I am being treated for high blood pressure. Like, I was on BOTH for over a year!!!! Oh my gosh! I increased my chances of heart attack and/or stroke over a hundredfold! So, off I go to buy condoms and plan how I am going to make the ligation happen over the summer so it won't conflict with my school year job (teaching), my summer job (blogging type thing from home) and grad school (which pretty much never really ends). Went to the class my provider requires. And then ended up being kind of ambivalent and opting for the Mirena IUD instead. Long story short, I now HATE condoms, because they didn't seem to be as fun as when I was a teenager, and I really need to contact my OBGYN because I have yet to have a period since getting the Mirena "installed" last month. Hmm.

Hi, momversationalists! This is my first comment, and for the record, I'm childfree and will remain so, because I got a tubal ligation when I was 29. But I enjoy watching these vids because you're all so smart and funny (oh, and also so pretty, how can you ALL be so pretty?), and I find the conversations interesting even as someone who never wanted kids and will never have them. Anyhow -- I finally signed up here because I want to make a case AGAINST Depo Provera. I had an allergic reaction to the pill, so my doctor suggested Depo, which seemed to work for a while. But it killed -- and I mean KILLED -- my sex drive, which up until that point had been pretty healthy. I stayed on Depo for five years, and I finally went off it because, not only were my long-term boyfriend and I unhappy about the fact that I had zero libido, I also had suspicions about what it was doing to my body. I was lucky to avoid major weight gain, but I do maintain that Depo caused me to become hypothyroid...which unfortunately is a bit more difficult to shake than a few extra pounds. I know my theory might sound a bit hippy-dippy-holistic, but while I have great faith in many aspects of conventional Western medicine, I also believe that messing around with the body's complex hormonal chemistry is one area in which most doctors are far too cavalier. I know a lot of people love Depo, and I'll confess that until its side-effects became clear to me, I was one of them. It was convenient, fuss-free, and even more effective than the pill. (Of course, I think that's partly a side-side-effect of the libido drop.) But I would never, ever, ever recommend it to any of my friends or family, and I just wanted to share that here, too. (Sorry for the lengthy post I required to do it!)

I'm now 16 weeks postpartum. I have two girls now and I am DONE DONE DONE. At 7 weeks I got a Mirena and at 12 weeks I had it removed. I used Mirena after my first pregnancy too, but I didn't recognize the BAD BAD side effects until this time around with it. I was practically homicidal within days of having it inserted. Horribly depressed, extraordinarily moody, acne, unbelievably tired (more than normal while breastfeeding and potty training another)... it was awful. I made my doc do bloodwork to prove I wasn't sick somehow. I'll leave out the page full of details but when it finally occurred to me that Mirena was the culprit, out it came. It took 2-3 weeks for my body to come back to normal - to enjoy my new baby again. I'm very sad to have missed out on several weeks of what could have been much happier for us all. They say it's a low hormone dose and that it stays in the uterus, but read the fine print. Do not use if prone to depression. Depo Provera - used it many years ago, loved the no periods, gained 30 pounds (that might have been all the Taco Bell.) My husband will be getting snipped or not gettin' any. End of story.

Love this topic!! We are vasectomy all the way in our house! Hubby went in for the consult when we were still pregnant with our third - we were THAT SURE we didn't want to do it again! Heather we are with you on this one!! The doctors did made us wait until the baby was born before going ahead with the procedure! So, I accompanied my hubby to the doctor office with our one month old! We recovered together. It was THE BEST thing that we have done. I agree with MSBWell that it is so much FUN now post-"v". Never any worries about....well....anything! If you are SURE that you are done, and hubby agrees and is an able (if not willing) participant, a vasectomy is the way to go!

I started out on the pill, but after a horrendous experience, I had a HEART ATTACK at 25. Undiagnosed high BP, and all of that estrogen... bad time. After that I was given 2 options medically, either Mirena IUD or Depo Provera shot. I didn't have the money to have the IUD... Rebecca I feel your pain about the cost! So I chose to go with the shot every 3 months. I love it. I had a Nurse once give me the shot at my previous doctor, and she said 'you know this shot makes you gain weight'. I was FLABBERGASTED. 1. I know I'm overweight, thanks 2. The pill? Yeah, heart attack honey. 3. STFU. On a side note, my niece took Yaz Birth Control pill and she ended up with blood clots and colitis (at 17) and is also currently getting the shots. Both of these things happening have made up my mind for the future, and should I have a daughter I would NOT put her on any sort of pill. At all. There are other effective medicinal practices other then the pill, with far less risk.