It's That Time Again! - Menorrhagia and a Plug for NuvaRing

It's that time again-my period's here! Thrilling....

Hopefully, this will be one of my last months to have a period, at least for a while, because when I see my doctor in a few weeks, I'm going to request to start using NuvaRing again. I've used it before and loved it-I got off it, because I started having hot flashes and my doctor wasn't sure if it was caused by the new birth control or not, but we have determined that it is not, so NuvaRing, here I come!

(If you click on the image, you can print out a coupon!!!)

The reason for my enthusaism is twofold:
1. I can never remember to take "the pill" and why pay for it, if I cannot remember to take it in the first place? The benefit to NuvaRing is that you only have to remember to put one in once a month! The commercials advertise this benefit, but here's what they don't tell you:
2. If you keep the birth control in for the thirty days, instead of taking it out for your period, and then having to remember to put another in afterwards, you will STOP getting your period!!! Hallelujah!!!

This is what I choose to do and it is this fact that was my deciding factor for starting NuvaRing in the first place. Why? I have incredibly heavy periods, or Menorrhagia, which can be stressful and sometimes painful. My very heavy periods often require me to use both tampons and pads at the same time and with my periods being chronically irregular, when I am out in public, forgetting to have some "protection" with me, i.e. a feminine hygiene product, means that when I discover that I am menstruating, I am on a mad dash to procur the necessary supplies and amount of supplies - super plus, please! - before time runs out and my underwear is soaking red. Not pleasant.

I have yearned to get rid of my periods ever since I decided that my chronic illnesses are too severe for me to try to have children naturally. For womyn who deal with menorrhagia, there is a relatively new procedure, called Her Option®. Her Option® Office Cryoablation Therapy is a safe and effective ablation procedure that uses sub-zero temperatures (cryoablation) to reduce your heavy periods to normal levels. The cold temperatures destroy the endometrium. With the endometrium reduced or eliminated, there’s less tissue to shed each period. I have a friend who's mother had this procedure done and apparently her mother is incredibly happy with the results. Her Option also is a form of sterilization, so it should be considered carefully. I would love to get it done, but it is expensive and I do not have health insurance, and even if I did, most health insurance companies view these kinds of procedures as frivolous, mainly because health insurance companies work for the patriarchy.

So hopefully soon I will be happy and healthy using NuvaRing. And in case you're wondering, using any birth control method in order to miss your period does NOT harm your ability to reproduce! Once you stop taking whatever form of birth control you do, your period should come back and you will once again be ready to reproduce...that is, if you so choose.