OK, let's ask! Why aren't you smart enough to use birth control in your 40s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in their 40s don't use birth control for the same reasons that teenagers don't---they don't think it will happen to them.

You know...."It's okay just this once, I won't get pregnant because [insert irrational reasoning here]"

You are so right. This thread is a real eye opener. People never do change!

Agreed, it's crazy how many of the responses sound like a 16-year-old making excuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies, it's called an

IUD

No hormones (don't get Mirena in your 40s, you are at higher risk for blood clots, etc). Very safe. No hassle.

It's also called

vasectomy

100% no hassle to you, isn't it time DH takes over BC (after probably 20 years of you handling it?!)

Both of these kill 100% of the excuses I've seen on this thread. So what if you don't like condoms or BC pills? There are fucktons of other options, and the two above are PERFECT for women who have completed their child-bearing days.

Vasectomies are not 100%. Tubals are more reliable but even those have a failure rate. IUDs - like others said there can absolutely be complications with IUDs.

Maybe a diaphragm?

I wonder how the rate of "complications" with IUDs stacks up against the likelihood of getting pregnant in your 40s. I bet the latter is more likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG people, IUDs today are so safe that even women who have not had children yet are using them. The only risk of pelvic inflammatory disease is if you have an active STD when it's inserted. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/10/4/gpr100419.html

A lot has changed since we were young and the Dalkon Shield scandal happened. IUDs today do not cause PID.

and what percentage of 40 yo have STD's? How many husbands have affairs when they are 40 and give their wives STD's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in their 40s don't use birth control for the same reasons that teenagers don't---they don't think it will happen to them.

You know...."It's okay just this once, I won't get pregnant because [insert irrational reasoning here]"

You are so right. This thread is a real eye opener. People never do change!

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies, it's called an

IUD

No hormones (don't get Mirena in your 40s, you are at higher risk for blood clots, etc). Very safe. No hassle.

It's also called

vasectomy

100% no hassle to you, isn't it time DH takes over BC (after probably 20 years of you handling it?!)

Both of these kill 100% of the excuses I've seen on this thread. So what if you don't like condoms or BC pills? There are fucktons of other options, and the two above are PERFECT for women who have completed their child-bearing days.

Not for everybody... check out Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

I agree with the V but my H urologist said that he can't get a V. It's complicated and rare. I also can't take hormones because I had breast cancer.

Get your tubes tied. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

As another poster in another thread said: Why don't you use BC in your 40s if you don't want to be pregnant?

I had my planned child at age 40, then used the mini pill while breastfeeding and the regular pill after that until I was 45. Then used a Mirena til 49, and then it was right into menopause.

How difficult is it to be responsible? If you could do it when you were 18, why not now?

Because of the risk of stroke!! It's dangerous to use birth control pills etc over 40. I cannot believe you did not know that!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ladies, it's called an

IUD

No hormones (don't get Mirena in your 40s, you are at higher risk for blood clots, etc). Very safe. No hassle.

It's also called

vasectomy

100% no hassle to you, isn't it time DH takes over BC (after probably 20 years of you handling it?!)

Both of these kill 100% of the excuses I've seen on this thread. So what if you don't like condoms or BC pills? There are fucktons of other options, and the two above are PERFECT for women who have completed their child-bearing days.

Do you have a clue about the potential complications with a non-Mirena IUD? (mirena = stroke risk). The only people I have heard of getting those are at free/reduced fee clinics and apparently they often have to get removed due to problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies, it's called an

IUD

No hormones (don't get Mirena in your 40s, you are at higher risk for blood clots, etc). Very safe. No hassle.

It's also called

vasectomy

100% no hassle to you, isn't it time DH takes over BC (after probably 20 years of you handling it?!)

Both of these kill 100% of the excuses I've seen on this thread. So what if you don't like condoms or BC pills? There are fucktons of other options, and the two above are PERFECT for women who have completed their child-bearing days.

Not for everybody... check out Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

I agree with the V but my H urologist said that he can't get a V. It's complicated and rare. I also can't take hormones because I had breast cancer.

Get your tubes tied. Problem solved.

or a cauterization... problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

As another poster in another thread said: Why don't you use BC in your 40s if you don't want to be pregnant?

I had my planned child at age 40, then used the mini pill while breastfeeding and the regular pill after that until I was 45. Then used a Mirena til 49, and then it was right into menopause.

How difficult is it to be responsible? If you could do it when you were 18, why not now?

Because of the risk of stroke!! It's dangerous to use birth control pills etc over 40. I cannot believe you did not know that!?!

Birth control =/= birth control pills. Just because PP mentioned hormonal BC pills does NOT make them the only form of BC by a long shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG people, IUDs today are so safe that even women who have not had children yet are using them. The only risk of pelvic inflammatory disease is if you have an active STD when it's inserted. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/10/4/gpr100419.html

A lot has changed since we were young and the Dalkon Shield scandal happened. IUDs today do not cause PID.

+1 This.
People are just making excuses for being lazy. I agree this thread is a real eye opener. I'm amazed at how cavalier folks are about this.

I am another person who had to go through ICSI in order to get pregnant. Docs explained to us that without ICSI, our chances of pregnancy were waaay less than 1%.
We were blessed with healthy twins.

DH and I did not ever, not ONCE after the babies were born have sex until I had my (wonderful, awesome, love it) Mirena IUD in place. We didn't go vasectomy route "just in case"--we wanted the ability to keep our options open. What will likely happen is that I will continue to use IUD until we have 100% total confirmation of menopause.

I'm sure some of you think I am being paranoid, but it really took very little effort on our part, and now I don't have to spend any time thinking about it, and I have now effectively reduced my chance of unplanned pregnancy from less than 1%

It's one thing if you honestly want and are ready to take on more kids, and recognize that you are opening yourself up to that possibility each and every time they have unprotected sex. But the folks that just think "it won't happen to them?" Agree with PPs that you are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Lots of lame reasons here.

Until you go through menopause, you can get pregnant!

i hope so!!!
~49 and dreaming

+1

Although I have less periods now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG people, IUDs today are so safe that even women who have not had children yet are using them. The only risk of pelvic inflammatory disease is if you have an active STD when it's inserted. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/10/4/gpr100419.html

A lot has changed since we were young and the Dalkon Shield scandal happened. IUDs today do not cause PID.

and what percentage of 40 yo have STD's? How many husbands have affairs when they are 40 and give their wives STD's?

Not very many. STDs rates are much higher in younger age groups.

[Anonymous]

I don't get why you care so much? I'm one of the pp's who struggled to get pg for years and now have 2 kids in my 40's. We're married, educated, employed with a family. If by some miracle we had a third child, we'd handle it. We're not looking for another, I'm pretty tired now and I'd be really tired if I had another baby, but it wouldn't be a giant life-altering crisis.

It is different than not using birth control as a teenager. First of all, we're waaaaay less fertile than teenagers, secondly we're waaaaaay less sexually active than teenagers, and thirdly we're waaaay more prepared for a child than a teenager would be. Deal with your own sex life, stop judging mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG people, IUDs today are so safe that even women who have not had children yet are using them. The only risk of pelvic inflammatory disease is if you have an active STD when it's inserted. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/10/4/gpr100419.html

A lot has changed since we were young and the Dalkon Shield scandal happened. IUDs today do not cause PID.

+1 This.
People are just making excuses for being lazy. I agree this thread is a real eye opener. I'm amazed at how cavalier folks are about this.

I am another person who had to go through ICSI in order to get pregnant. Docs explained to us that without ICSI, our chances of pregnancy were waaay less than 1%.
We were blessed with healthy twins.

DH and I did not ever, not ONCE after the babies were born have sex until I had my (wonderful, awesome, love it) Mirena IUD in place. We didn't go vasectomy route "just in case"--we wanted the ability to keep our options open. What will likely happen is that I will continue to use IUD until we have 100% total confirmation of menopause.

I'm sure some of you think I am being paranoid, but it really took very little effort on our part, and now I don't have to spend any time thinking about it, and I have now effectively reduced my chance of unplanned pregnancy from less than 1%

It's one thing if you honestly want and are ready to take on more kids, and recognize that you are opening yourself up to that possibility each and every time they have unprotected sex. But the folks that just think "it won't happen to them?" Agree with PPs that you are ridiculous.

IUDs can actually be risky. My chances of hanging on to another one are not very good and it caused a lot of issues while I had it.

I was the PP who freely admitted to being lazy about bc. If I got pregnant, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why you care so much? I'm one of the pp's who struggled to get pg for years and now have 2 kids in my 40's. We're married, educated, employed with a family. If by some miracle we had a third child, we'd handle it. We're not looking for another, I'm pretty tired now and I'd be really tired if I had another baby, but it wouldn't be a giant life-altering crisis.

It is different than not using birth control as a teenager. First of all, we're waaaaay less fertile than teenagers, secondly we're waaaaaay less sexually active than teenagers, and thirdly we're waaaay more prepared for a child than a teenager would be. Deal with your own sex life, stop judging mine.

I care so much because of all the threads from 40-something women who are shocked -- shocked! -- that they might be pregnant, despite not using birth control.