Part 1: The Good
I had that discussion about birth control with my mother on Friday. It went both better and worse than I thought it would.
The good:
Long story short, she said I could do whatever I wanted on that front. She recommended not getting an IUD since she had a horrendously bad experience with one when she was younger, and she agreed with my basic plan: try the minipill for a few months and then get the implant.
On Tuesday I had an appointment with my GP (whom I don't care for very much, but whatever). The appointment ought to have been ~10 minutes or so, right? I was there for an hour. The first good sign was that the nurse on duty seemed amenable when I mentioned wanting the minipill. Dr. M came in and I mentioned the problems that I'd experienced with my libido over the last few years and how they seemed to be linked to taking the combined birth control pill. I explained about wanting the minipill as a trial run for an implant, then we had a break while she looked up what the minipill was and how it worked because she wasn't familiar with it. After quickly going over that information, she wrote me a prescription for Ortho Micronor, the minipill. Yay!
Dr. M also talked to me about getting the implant later on. I was thinking about getting Implanon, but she kept mentioning Norplant. Norplant hasn't been on the market in the US since 2002-2004, and Norplant II was approved by the FDA in 2006 but never actually marketed in the US, so I am confused as to what she was talking about and where she got that information. I will more than likely be going to a different doctor when it comes time for me to actually get the implant.
More good news: I picked up my prescription yesterday, and it was only $30 for 3 months! Dr. M was afraid my insurance wouldn't cover it because it's apparently not generic, but it is just as cheap as regular ole' Ortho TriCyclen. Funny thing was, I asked for a pharmacist consult since this is my first time taking Ortho Micronor. The pharmacist obviously had no idea what she was talking about, and basically just said “...if you have any symptoms out of the ordinary, call your doctor.” Thanks for the specifics, lady!
I know some of you are in the same boat as me, birth control-wise. I started taking it last night, and I will be carefully monitoring for any side effects that I won't be able to deal with. I'll let you all know how it goes!
So far so good, right?
Stay tuned for Part II to find out!