I read that it reduces a woman's sex drive and sometimes permanently. I can't take that risk.
You know I bet this probably contributes to the reason some people stop having sex when they get married - they take an AIDS test, then the woman goes on the pill and that's the end of sex. The way the pill works is that you just don't have sex anymore.
Personally i think relationships have a lot more to do with why sex stops after settling with someone. But the pill is known to decrease sex drives, but there are also a lot of pill babies being born so there is some sex going on.
The pill is less likely to cause any permanent damage since the halflife of each pill is roughly 24 hours. It doesn't stay in your system for very long which is why it is needed every day in order to work.
The long term hormonal injections such as Depo-Provera is a progesterone substance that is not capable of releasing a daily dose of birthcontrol, its one large amount (90 days worth) given at one time, and that can permanently cause your ovaries to stop ovulating and getting pregnant can take years after only one injection because of its potency.
Of course it also matters what pill you are on, just because it is staving off your period for 21-28 days at a time doesnt mean its the right pill for you. Sometimes you have to try out different ones and mix and match what works and having a good Gynecologist makes all the difference. For example, when i was 16 i began having low estrogen, i was on a low estrogen pill which worked well to make me not have cramps during my period but the hotflashes were miserable, so my gyne put me on an estrogen patch to wear. The hotflashes stopped and the painless periods were worth the low estrogen pill.
The high estrogen pill i was on later as an adult made me have a lot of cramping throughout my cycle and didnt help much with the hot flashes, genitourinary problems from low estrogen. My doctor changed me to a vaginal estrogen ring that i wear for 90 days (it releases estrogen daily to the area that needs it the most without having to cross the liver and have an increased breast cancer possibility) so im on Seasonale, which is a pill you take for 91 days without a break and you can have 4 periods a year. I don't ever take the break so my periods are no longer around. It's a chemical menopause.
But if someone is worried about the hormones, i'd suggest spermicide and pulling out if condoms arent wanted. I think spermicide combined with pulling out is about as effective as the pill when you count how many errors can be made in the daily use of it.
It's hard to get a hold of a diaphragm or a cervical cap anymore, i think Today's Sponge is back on the market as well. All of them have failure rates and anything is better than nothing when it comes to using birthcontrol.
