[Counting Calories]

This summer I became sexually active (for the first time - yay!), and I'm probably going to be seeing the guy again next month. When we were hooking up previously we always used condoms, but for next time I want to ditch them. We're both clean, the thought of doing it without the condoms turns me on a lot, and I know it will feel better for him too of course. The problem is, I'm super sensitive to any kind of hormonal birth control, so I stopped taking it when I turned 18. Before that I had been on it since I was 12 or 13, due to the severe, debilitating pain I usually get when I'm menstruating. When I take the pill though, I get basically horrible every side effect it can cause - fatigue, weight gain, migraines, moodiness, and worst of all, NO SEX DRIVE! Zero. Seriously, my entire time in high school I probably didn't think of sex once. I've recovered in the years I've been off birth control (I'm 24 now), lost weight, have fewer headaches, and have a healthy (very high) sex drive.

So I'm wondering, if I just take the pill for a week before we first have sex and then for a week after, would that effectively prevent pregnancy? I've read multiple places that you need to take the pill for at least a week prior to having sex for it to be effective, but it doesn't say how long you need to take it after. I will never get on the pill permanently again, not only because of what it does to me, but because of the environmental concerns as well. If I'm on it for just a couple weeks, will that mess up my hormones on a larger timescale? I'm concerned about having my SHBG levels screwed up again, and then not feeling like having sex when he comes to visit.

[Little]

That probably wouldn't prevent pregnancy - think of how the pill works. Most of them have two ways of working - 1. preventing ovulation and 2. thickening cervical mucous.
1. If you only take it for the week before and after sex, you MIGHT get lucky if you happen to take it in time to suppress ovulation and keep suppressing it until after all the sperm is out of your body. More likely, you'll have ovulated right before starting to take the pill, OR stopping the pill will stimulate ovulation, both situations that aren't so hot for preventing pregnancy.
2. Will the hormones have enough time to thicken up your cervical mucous? I don't know, but I wouldn't bet a baby on it.

Try spermicides, try cervical caps, try any other barrier method and maybe pulling out in addition to one, because I sympathize with your wanting to have sex without a condom and your not wanting to use hormonal BC, but this is not the way.

[DSemcho]

Most doctors suggest 2 weeks to a month but once you go off of it because of the hormones being introduced into your body it can cause you to have abnormal periods. Have you considered NuvaRing? I'm very sensitive to, but when I was on NuvaRing I had no problems with it. Or maybe even implanon (there is weight gain with that one)....