I have Paragard (copper IUD) and I have not experienced any issues since I began using it. I chose it because I don't have to remember to take a pill everyday and I don't like the idea of taking hormones. Both of my sisters used it for years before having their children and had no problem conceiving after removal of the device. If you have any specific questions, let me know.

I'm hoping you've only ruled out condoms because you are in a long term relationship. Otherwise, you need to make friends with them stat, there are many more things to catch out there other than accidental babies. If you are sensitive or allergic to latex or spermicide there are so many other condom options, you just have to look for them.

My vote: cervical cap, hands down. It is small, out of the way, gives you good leeway for being spontaneous because you can leave it in for 48 hours at a time, and you can use it with homemade non-chemical spermicide (corn starch, water, and 10-15 drops lemon juice) or even just KY because the magic of it relies on creating a barrier via suction, not chemical warfare with spermies like a diaphragm does.

I finally did decide to go off of BCP over a year and a half ago (ortho-tricyclen lo) after being on it for about 7 years, and having been on other BCP before that. I had some health issues and wanted to eliminate all unknown potential offenders, and I was having GI and stomach issues, and had found some information on having the excessive hormone levels in the body affecting the GI. I don't have any of these available but they are probably easy to look up.

Even the low hormone level BCP have around 4x the amount of estrogen that a healthy body would ever make at a given time. I had also spoken with a few girlfriends who could never stand to take it because it made them feel awful, either bloated, weak, loss of energy, weight gain, complete hormonal fallout, etc. Since going off of it, I have really felt so much better, perhaps in part because I did start to look into natural birth control methods, and I did do the charts with the body temperature thing for a few months, which was informative, but hard to keep up. Overall my sex drive did increase, I did lose like 10 lbs over the course of my first month off, and my skin got so much better. My periods were also lighter (they were always lighter off of BCP) and no cramps, no cravings, no PMS symptoms, just like when I was a teenager, no issues at all.

My husband and I just had to suck it up and deal with condoms, they worked, and then we decided to give baby making a try after just over a year, and we hit it the first month of trying this past summer. Being that we were closer to making the move on children, I did feel another urge to kind of let my hormones settle out and regulate with plenty of time beforehand, which was also another motivation. Lifestyle wise, we were in the position to deal with an accident baby too, in the event that the condoms failed.

While I tell myself that I wish I never started taking BCP, I don't think I did any permanent damage by doing so, and there were times when it did make life easier, and it was nice to know there was additional safety. I think it is just important to listen to your body if you try something new, and stop taking it if it affects your health in any way and try to find other options.

I would look into the progesterone only pills if I were to try anything new later on (though I don't think we will), but I would want to find natural progesterone and not artificial, and I don't think there is any natural progesterone in the common pills available today, though I had never heard of the arm implant.

This is an issue I've been contemplating myself lately as well. I've been on the same birth control since I started around 6-7 years ago. I've heard pros and cons of basically all of the options out there. Next time I have a gynocological appointment I was actually going to discuss this issue. I am interested to hear what the members of our community have to say about the topic.

Right now I am taking the off brand, Junel Fe, for the typical three weeks on and one week off. I haven't experienced any negative side effects, at least to my knowledge and awareness.

I wish I knew of a gynocologist in my area with a Paleo influence.