[Sanoko]

I'm on birth control for my period. I've been on it since I was 12 or 13 and I'm 21 now. I've tried three or four different kinds of the pill and have tried the shot. Nothing really works in lightening my period in the way that was the reason for taking it. It is still pretty heavy in the sense that I can still easily mess up my clothes if I'm not careful. I still have to sleep on my back to keep from moving around too much and messing everything up. The shot works better than the pill, but it doesn't work like it should. I stop for a month after I get the shot and then bleed or spot for the rest of the time until it's time for my next shot. When I spot with shot it's dark and stuff. I told them every time it hasn't been working like it should. They keep wanting to try something different. I'm running out of things to try I think; there's the path, the thing that goes in your arm, am IUD, and more pills. I don''t want to ever have kids and I'm getting tired of things being this way. If I go off of all of it them my periods will be super heavy. Just getting very frustrated. If nothing has worked yet then I don't think anything will work.

What do you think?

[Mes T]

I've noticed that if I shed 5-10 pounds my periods get noticeably lighter. When I was quite chubby in high school is when I had my heaviest flow. Do you think it could have anything to do with that in your case?

The mirena coil has worked quite well for a lot of people in terms of reducing flow.

Have you tried Seasonique, or whatever that one is, the one where you take the pills for 3-4 months straight and only have like 4 periods a year?

[Sanoko]

I'm not that chubby. I only weigh about 110 pounds so I don't think that is it and when I did gain weight I didn't really see a change.

I wanted to try that, but from the way my grandmother talked we can't afford that and I know I can't by myself.

Yes I have tried that, as a sample, and it did seem to work the best, but the insurance I have won't pay for it not even a little bit. So that's pretty much out of the question right now.

[Sanoko]

I mean I wanted to try the thing that goes in your arm.

The doctor, well nurse said I was a bit too young for an IUD right now.

[Mes T]

Get a different doctor/nurse then.

There's no justifiable reason NOT to give a young woman an IUD. That whole train of thought stems from some fear of an IUD making a woman infertile, and so that happening to a younger woman would be a bigger issue but...

If you research the IUD and safety and chances of some kind of damage to your body, you'll find that it's pretty much no more dangerous than a regular birth control pill.

The money thing sucks, I experienced that when I was a student and the brand I was using decided to discontinue student discounts. Awesome. I ended up having to pay like $50 per month for a pack of pills, which at the time was a small fortune.

Do you work? Can you get some kind of financial aid or cut down on spending in some other area...?

[Sanoko]

I've been thinking about it lately. At that place the main doctor that everyone is under wants you to have kids so he is kind of against hysterectomy.

Well I don't really want one anyway cause of where it has to go, lol. Though if it's the only thing that will help I'll do it.

No I don't work right now and quite frankly I'm a little scared to work right now with how my period can be. I don't really spend a lot of money on things either. The insurance I have is Plan First through Medicaid.