[rawh_chrissers]

I've been on birth control pills for about 10 months now. I'm supposed to go back to the doctor in 4-5 months when my prescription runs out. I've been thinking about getting the shot, but I'm not completely sure.

I've been thinking about it because sometimes (not ofter) I forget about the pill. I usually have an alarm on my phone, but sometimes it doesn't go off. The longest I've forgotten it was a day. I usually take it on time, but other times I forget by an hour or two.
Also, there's times when I go to pick up my prescription, and the pharmacy won't let me pick it up because my health care won't pay for it at the time I need it. I have a 28 day pill pack, (yaz to be exact) and I think they don't realize that it's only 28 days and not 30; so there have been times where I had to wait a few days before I could get my prescription again.

Any suggestions?

[kygirl09]

That's the downfall with birth control pills, insurances don't cover refills until 30 days after the previous prescription. How I got around that is to take my new prescription to the pharmacy early and get my new scrpit filled before I actually need it, so come the end of the pack you can get them on time. But, if you're unhappy with the everyday regimine you might want to consider the shot. I was never able to have Depo because I have blood pressure problems and couldn't afford the weight gain. I'm now have the Paragard IUD because I was tired of the hormones in birth control pills and the daily routine. If you are looking for a more long term, easy to deal with method you might want to consider the IUD. Good luck, hope you get everything sorted out and find a method that works best for you!

Best wishes, kygirl09

[allspice]

I would never reccomend Depo shot, everyone in my family who had it really stacked on the weight, plus I got bad unexplained pains in my womanly region which vanished after I stopped getting the shots.

[sonyt24]

Pills or shot, it was said to cause lots of side effects. best way is a condom.

[pinkangel]

i agree with sonyt24. i was on contraceptives for about 3 year and stopped last year coz we trying for a baby, we still trying to conceive. A condom is the way to go

[Guest]

You need to have a conversation with your insurance provider. They need to know that your prescription for BC is for 28 days and NOT 30 like most of the others. Be firm with them without being offensive and keep pushing until you get the results you desire. It may take three or four or five days in a row of calling them but in the end it will be worth it.

As I understand them, BC pills are suppose to be taken at the same time every day so there are no "gaps" in "protection". Keep in mind that BC pills are only 98 - 99% effective anyway, so there is a 1 - 2% chance of failure regardless. Don't quote me, but I believe condoms have a little higher failure rate 3 - 5% when used correctly.

BC pills don't protect against STDs and condoms do (to a certain extent).

If you're not in a committed relationship, I'd use BOTH in order to protect yourself from "risk" (the risk of getting into it with somebody and not taking the time to put on a condom), exposure to STDs and the concern over an unwanted pregnancy.

[MinnieGem]

ive been on the depo for 8 years now and i swear by it, i was on pills as a teenager and my first time having sex at 18 i got pregnant, after i had my son i went back on the pill again and got pregnant again but lost the baby a month in so i went right to depo and have not had one scare of pregnancy since, depo has its pros and cons just like everything else, yes you do gain some weight my weights up and down all the time with depo but i dont care cuz im protected and i dont want another child, i havent had a period in 8 years either which i know in a way thats a good thing but could also be a bad thing to some women. I started my period at an early age of 8yrs old so its nice not to have it...choosing a birth control is based on what you want