girls! best birth control for college runners ? mine is killing my iron levels

what a guy wrote:

666 wrote:

Are you a pharmaceutical shill?

Are you a man who like to comment about things like this but hasn't bothered to learn about medical problems and treatments associated with female reproductive biology?

According to Revelation 13:18:

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

solution wrote:

Solution: stop being a slut.

You can't talk to women like that. You're not Donald Trump

Banana Bread wrote:

If you wait till marriage god will reward you with better performances. College is not about debauchery. It is about getting an education and learning.

And the reason the OP asked for responses from girls not guys.

She indicated that it is not just for having pregnancy free sex but for other health reasons as well.

Lesbians don't spontaneously get pregnant. Just putting that out there.

Anal...

The number of far right conservative douche bags on this forum never disappoint.

Good lord with the mansplaining.

This is a real answer. I tried about 5 different birth controls, and ultimately the patch worked best for me. It felt like a more even dose of hormones, and it didn't make me feel terrible. You can put it somewhere discreet and you don't have to remember to take something every day. I was a college athlete in a different sport, and it stayed on me through a lot of activity with no problem.

That said, I am really sensitive to birth control in general and never felt 100% myself even on the most agreeable ones, so after several years of trying, I ultimately opted out of a hormonal method. However, I would say that one positive thing about the pill or patch as an athlete is you do have the option of tweaking the timing of your cycles to avoid a period during peak competition.

Most male distance runners typically rely upon their personality for birth control. Maybe you should only go out with male distance runners.

Food for thought...... wrote:

Just leaving this here. It might be healthier to go without.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2015/12/08/birth-control-makes-women-unattractive-and-crazy/

Unironically citing Breitbart, Y I K E S

Is there an opinion on whether or not there is a normal way for a female body to function that does not r require medical intervention to fine tune?

What percentage of women just have a normal cycle which does not double them over or make them anemic constantly?

gahagand wrote:

Food for thought...... wrote:

Just leaving this here. It might be healthier to go without.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2015/12/08/birth-control-makes-women-unattractive-and-crazy/

Unironically citing Breitbart, Y I K E S

It's important information to at least consider and it looks like some people agree with the conclusion even if they say it in more polite terms.

anonymouse1 wrote:

Hey girls, this is an unusual post but I thought this would be a good place to get some advice from other athletes. I've had a hormonal IUD for about 2 years and it's been nothing but hell..constant spotting and cramps. I need to find an alternative that won't affect my athletic performance or deplete my iron as I am a competitive college runner. Copper IUDs are out because of iron, and I've kind of had it with IUDs in general. I have heard horror stories from friends about the pill as well, but if you've had a good experience with one I'm totally open to trying it. Any advice (besides abstinence lol) is appreciated.

I don't have any specific advice other having known many female athletes at every level who trained and competed while on the pill. As a former coach, but male, I have had not any detailed discussions with female athletes about the pill. However, I do recall two occasions where an athlete stated the pill actually helped their running by making their periods shorter and more predictable. I can't advise you on what to do, but relying on condoms or abstinence is not the answer as some have suggested. Getting pregnant is a very serious matter!

Food for thought...... wrote:

gahagand wrote:

Unironically citing Breitbart, Y I K E S

It's important information to at least consider and it looks like some people agree with the conclusion even if they say it in more polite terms.

Explain how exactly that is important information to consider?

I took Aviane and had a good experience. There are a lot of generic versions of that birth control as well.

I also ran in college and was worried about birth control affecting my performance but once I finally started birth control, I didn’t have any issues. If anything it helped because I used to get terrible cramps the first day of my period and that went away completely. I also took iron supplements when training.

Don’t listen to any of these middle aged men who obviously know nothing about the benefits of the pill. My athletic performance only improved when I went on birth control. I’ve used Loloestrine FE and Microgestine FE. Any bc that has FE in the title means that the sugar pills you take the week of your period have iron in them and helps replenish what you lose during your period. Also, I take liquid iron supplements (easier on the stomach than the pills, not terrible with a glass of orange juice and the vitamin C helps it absorb better). Some pills work well for some and bad for others, it’s a learning process. Try and stay away from reading online reviews because people typically only write those when they have a bad experience and you don’t hear from the people who had a good experience. Summer is a good time to “experiment” with a pill because it can take your body three months to adjust to it. Good luck!

And I guess to add a note on iron levels since that is one of your main concerns. My iron levels were a bit low before I was on birth control, so I was routinely taking supplements. And when on birth control I didn’t see any change from what was usual for me. For me the iron levels correlated with running/training and didn’t seem to be impacted by the birth control.

Just clarifying *liquid iron supplements are easier on the stomach than iron supplement pills

Jersey1212 wrote:

Don’t listen to any of these middle aged men who obviously know nothing about the benefits of the pill.!

The majority of OBGYN are middle aged men.

Honest answer here. I have always had bad reactions to hormonal birth control so I finally just gave up always made sure to use condoms. Best decision for me.