Birth Control

My Dr said to wait 12 months. I think I would get a second opinion on the two year thing. Mainly because its more difficult to get pregnant and considered riskier the older you get. Despite the fact that 'heaps of other pregnant ladies are older than you' there are higher chances of serious complications.

I am 29 weeks pregnant ATM and 37 years old. I have been classified as 'high risk' due to my age, the sleeve and a borderline gestational diabetes test result. I have had many more scans, clinic visits and specialist appointments than the average pregnant person. So far all have been fine though - I have been taking very good care of myself.

If you can lose a 'good' amount of weight and be as healthy as possible, perhaps it might be possible to start trying early? It can take more time than you might like. I stopped using birth control 8 months after surgery when I got to 70kgs but it took another 5 months to get pregnant.

I found it useful to test for ovulation as it was difficult for me to work out otherwise. I bought 100 ovulation tests off ebay and tested daily for a couple of months until I was more familiar with my erratic cycle and able to recognise the signs. Getting the timing right ultimately won the day!

I agree, a diaphragm..

i guess there's also charting, which involves taking your temperature every morning and monitoring your discharge iykwim and tracking your bodies changes during your cycle... This method can be tricky and not something that would be easy to do if your body hasn't been cooperating for the past few years, but if you want to get "in tune" with your body, it's a great experiment.

Not at all reliable either, but there's the good old withdrawal method.

About to give bad advice here, but I think I'd be throwing caution to the wind a bit with the old contraception, 2 yrs seems a bloody long time to wait after 7 yrs.

Perhaps research sleevers who have fallen post surgery and see how they went, I've seen a few since being in the boards and some fall pregnant quite quickly with no adverse affects to them or baby. (Not telling you to ignore doctors advice, but I'd be finding an argument to take back to my specialists to try to reduce that 2 yr wait)

The diaphragm is the only other fairly reliable thing I can think of too. Why not try the family planning association (don't know if it's called that where you are, but there would be something similar - probably even on the net).

Good luck!

Hi Riebie, the only other option I can think of is a diaphragm, have you thought about trying that?

My surgeon has advised me that I am not to fall pregnant for 2 years, until I have finished losing weight as it's not ideal for a growing baby to be losing weight and eating such a small amount. I have been trying to fall pregnant for 7 years without success, and now in my mid 30's the thought of only attempting to start my family in another 2 years is heartbreaking for me. The reason for my struggle to get pregnant is weight related, and my GP and fertility specialist are confident that by losing weight it will assist me with falling pregnant naturally.

For the first time in a long time I am finding that i have to contemplate birth control. I know I should go speak to my Dr about it, but before I go there I want to do a bit of research on what is available and how it effects others. I could easily try the pill, injections or the stick thing that they put in your arm, but the big thing for me is they either stop or create an unnatural period. I need to know that I am ovulating on my own and getting my periods for my own piece of mind. Since I haven't had an ovulation or a proper cycle in over 2 years, it will be an achievement for me when I finally get a period that hasn't been induced by drugs! I have no idea how my body will react to the weight loss and if I will become fertile on my own, so I don't want a chemically induced period. We used condoms recently and URGH!! What other options are available that you have tried that have worked for you?