Is it that much easier?

LJD3Tdance · #1 January 24th, 2012, 10:20 PM

I was reading some posts on another board about ladies discussing FAM. One of the posts was by somebody who said she was too lazy to chart so she just took a pill. Do you think taking the pill is a LOT easier? It seems to come with a lot of its own issues to me...

Sk8ermaiden · #2 January 24th, 2012, 11:27 PM

Taking a pill is not much easier. I mean, you don't have to learn a method, which does take some time, but other than that pretty similar. It is actually much, much easier for me to remember to take my temp every day than to take a pill.

But taking a pill is easier in the sense that it is much less prone to human error, or impulsiveness. If you take a pill every day, you will probably not get pregnant. You can chart every day and still easily get pregnant. I think people have to feel that charting would really benefit them in order to give it a shot.

Basically, the pill requires no self control. FAM requires some, and NFP obviously a lot.

Really I think it is an answer people give when charting does not appeal to them, but they don't really want to have a conversation about it. Like they know if they list off the things they don't like about it, you will try to point for point tell them why those aren't true. They don't really care. So they say they're just too lazy. Conversation ender.

SavaAngel · #3 January 25th, 2012, 02:28 AM

I don't agree. The side effects alone make it more trouble.

K.A.T · #4 January 25th, 2012, 06:09 AM

It's only easier if you remember to take it correctly all the time, which most do not.

rlh27 · #5 January 25th, 2012, 07:14 AM

With both you have to remember to consistently due something, either chart (and do the observations to update your chart) or to take a pill at a consistent time. But taking the pill has the added inconvenience of having to refill your prescription and picking it up at the pharmacy... which is a HUGE hassle for somebody like me that lives in the middle of nowhere.

2Corinthians10:4 · #6 January 25th, 2012, 08:08 AM

I agree with Lucy, for me (besides being allergic to synthetic progesterone on top of other things) my main problem with the pill was remembering to get it filled every month. I don't have to do that with FAM!

MeggysMommy · #7 January 25th, 2012, 09:29 AM

I took the pill for about a year and honestly never forgot to take it, but there were zero benefits in it for me! But it constantly made me sick and I couldn't handle it anymore, FAM much better!

Shades of Grey · #8 January 25th, 2012, 10:59 AM

I think its more hassle to take the pill- picking the right one with your dr, taking it at the same time each day, refill prescription... Plus dealing with side effects, changing pills to find the right one...

Sk8ermaiden · #9 January 25th, 2012, 11:31 AM

The thing you have to remember though is that for a lot of women (most that I know, and me as well), any pill works fine for them - they don't really have to shop around. The mini pill has to be taken at the same time each day, but with the regular pill it's not as exacting, and I know for me our mail order pharmacy would send me a new pack every month for a year. I had no real side effects...

We get a disproportionate number of people here who have had bad experiences with hormonal birth control or have other (moral, natural) reasons for disliking it. But for the average Jane out there? The pill is easy and (from their point of view) awesome.

plan4fate · #10 January 25th, 2012, 12:29 PM

fam is much easier. not to mention cheaper lol.

Most women can take a pill with no problems. But more and more can't.

side note.. i was offered the minipill a while back... I said no cause it wasn't as effective... why did I say no again? LOL

SammyJ · #11 January 25th, 2012, 05:02 PM

Honestly the pill was easier for me in the sense that I remembered to take it every night and didn't really have a problem picking up refills. However, the side effects (like destroying my gallbladder) made it way worse overall. Day-to-day though definitely less hassle and less obsessing if I was doing it "right." Now that I am pretty familiar with my fertility signs, it might not be as difficult in comparison.

All of that being said, I would never go back on the pill. Ever.

LJD3Tdance · #12 January 25th, 2012, 09:04 PM

I think the getting it filled, going to the doc to get the new prescription, etc. would be hassle enough for me it wouldn't be THAT much easier.

plan4fate · #13 January 25th, 2012, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LJD3Tdance

I think the getting it filled, going to the doc to get the new prescription, etc. would be hassle enough for me it wouldn't be THAT much easier.

lol, it was a lot easier in Canada for me that's for sure. First rx was 3 months, then a follow up.. if all was well, a 1yr rx (which I could fill as I desired, unless I had insurance, then it was 3 months at a time).

I've reconsidered the pill a few times... but I really don't want the headaches, and the no sex drive again... I'd rather a half dozen kids.

Sk8ermaiden · #14 January 25th, 2012, 10:39 PM

Yeah, you only have to get the prescription once a year (at your annual). If you have a pharmacy option like MedCo, it will send you three months at a time, so you only have to reorder (by phone, any time) 4 times a year.

LJD3Tdance · #15 January 26th, 2012, 09:18 PM

Yeah, I knew you only had to do it once a year, but I also know how many times I've seen people decide to switch prescriptions in the middle of the year cuz the bc they are on does things to them, so that causes an extra trip to the doc, I don't like to go when I don't have to go.

ShawnaCAN · #16 January 27th, 2012, 08:48 AM

I think it probably is easier overall to pop a pill every day, but that convenience comes with a heavy price tag. I mean, not everyone experiences side effects - but that doesn't mean there isn't silent damage occurring that can continue to affect their bodies long after they discontinue the pill. So many serious health risks that you won't necessarily feel or know about until it becomes a problem. It's a Class 1 carcinogen! Not Class 3 or 4, Class 1! It can harden arteries, affect muscle mass, cause breast cancer, damage fertility, cause blood clots, permanently damage libido, and create hormonal imbalances (thyroid function, adrenal fatigue) that can be very difficult to regulate again a lot more medication in the years that follow.

So yeah, easy. With a price tag.

Sk8ermaiden · #17 January 27th, 2012, 09:04 AM

Depo is even easier. Maybe the easiest of all after the IUD, but you are seriously playing roulette with your fertility.

bellabri287 · #18 January 28th, 2012, 02:47 PM

BCP's were easy, auto refill, rarely forgot and it made us feel safe. but the side effect of killing my sex drive and making sex hurt was not worth it. i also know so much more about my body than I did and that so very valuable. no more fearing I am broken... i learned FAM and know I am not.