Birth control

[wildprincess]

Hello! I recently have started having sex with my boyfriend. The past times we've done it we've always used a condom as our form of birth control. I also tried incorporating the rhythm method whilst using the condom. I am planning on continue using both the condom and the rhythm method however I am aware that the condom is only 82% effective hence I would like to starting using either birth control pills, the patch or the ring.

I'm not very comfortable telling my parents that I want to go on birth control as I am not comfortable discussing sex with them. I am aware that there might be side effects but I was planning to discuss this with the pharmacist which I will be getting the birth control from. Do I have to tell my parents about it or is it alright if I take care of things myself (I am 18 this year)?

In my country (Malaysia), birth control pills are easily obtainable from the pharmacy but I am not so sure about the patch or the ring. Do ya'll have some more information regarding this matter and about the pill, patch and ring in general? I am a little concerned about the side effects... especially the patch as it apparently increases the chance of blood clots and heart attacks and is quite dangerous.

Thank you!

[Karyn]

I don't know where you're getting your information, but when condoms are used properly, their effectiveness rate is far higher than 82% - they're actually around 98% effective with perfect use, and they are really the only method where you can know at the time that they were used properly. You can read more about condoms here: Condoms. If you think you'd like to use fertility awareness (the "rhythm method") long term as a backup, you can read more about that here: Fertility Awareness (FAM)

As for hormonal methods and how you would go about getting them without your parents' knowledge, that really depends on what is required to obtain them, and unfortunately I'm not familiar with the situation in Malaysia. However, I'd say that if you can pay for any costs yourself, without involving your parents' insurance (if that's applicable) then there's no reason for them to find out. At your age, you shouldn't need their consent, but again, I'm not familiar with any laws around that where you are, so that's something to look into.

In terms of side effects, all medications carry some risk, but for most people, those risks are low. It's up to you though what level of risk you feel comfortable with; my suggestion would be to speak to a doctor if you can about what method would be best for you given your unique medical history. For a general overview of the three methods you've mentioned, these pieces should cover the basics:
Combined Oral Contraceptives (The Pill)
The Contraceptive Patch
The Vaginal Ring (Nuvaring)

[wildprincess]

Thank you for your quick reply! I read online that with typical use condoms are only 82% effective. Is that information wrong?

I have gone through the articles and have gotten a better understanding of each type of birth control. I think I would like to go on the patch and from what I've researched, it is easily obtainable from the pharmacy here in Malaysia. No prescription is required. I don't think I can go to a doctor without my parents finding out hence could I just consult a clinical pharmacists?

[wildprincess]

I also have been diagnosed with depression. Would that be a problem for the patch?

[Redskies]

The typical use figures for condoms we have at Scarleteen are a little higher than 82%: as you can see in our piece about condoms that Karyn linked you to above, our major sources list 85% and 86%.

It's important to remember what "typical use" means: how people actually use the method in real life, over a whole year. For condoms, "typical use" includes accidents and mistakes like not storing them properly, not squeezing the tip while putting it on, flipping the same condom from wrong-way-around to right-way-around, AND sometimes not using a condom at all or only putting it on part-way through genital sex.

It'd be unrealistic to expect that a person would have the perfect use rate of coverage, because that'd mean never making a single mistake in a whole year, and that's just beyond most human beings However, if you're careful to follow all the instructions for condom usage and storage, and you're conscientious about using a condom for all genital-to-genital sex every single time, it's fair to assume that your own contraceptive coverage from condoms is going to be between the typical use and the perfect use rates.

Per any possible impact of your depression on contraceptive methods, I'd second Karyn's suggestion to speak to a doctor. As you can get these methods from a pharmacist in Malaysia, the pharmacist should ask you about any relevant medical history you have, and what other medications you take. You should tell the pharmacist about your depression diagnosis and about any medication you take for it, and ask them for their advice about which method may be best for you.

I also want to make sure it's clear that once you start using a hormonal method of contraception, you can't use any kind of Fertility Awareness or the rhythm method (we don't recommend the Rhythm Method at Scarleteen anyway, because it's just counting days and it's not reliable enough), because you won't have a fertility cycle while you're using hormonal contraception.

[wildprincess]

Thank you for the quick reply! I would just like to ask for a few brand names of birth control which I may be interested in. Is there a difference between low-dose birth control (?) and normal birth control? I've been seeing them pop up every where but I don't really understand their difference..

[wildprincess]

Sorry for double posting but I am currently doing very well in school and I was anxious if the pills would affect my grades in any way? I mean that by would it affect my mood (losing motivation) or would it make my memory worse etc.

[Redskies]

We can't suggest brand names, because there are very very many of them and they're different from one country to another. Too, different brands have very slightly different amounts of hormones, and sometimes those differences make one brand more suitable for one person with their own specific needs and health histories, and less suitable for another person with different needs and a different health history. That level of detailed knowldge about medication and health is very definitely best placed with a clinician, so you'll want to have a conversation with a doctor or with the person who would prescribe you the method, and ask which brand/s may suit you best.

"Low-dose" doesn't mean very much now. Compared to the early days of the pill back decades ago, all methods now are low-dose! The differences between different formulations now are very small. They're all very effective as a contraceptive (there wouldn't be much point otherwise!). The different formulations exist to give people and their clinicians choices for individual needs and bodies: for example, if a patient says they'd like their pill to help with acne as well as provide contraception, a clinician will suggest brands of pill that are most likely to help with that patient's acne; if a patient has ongoing breakthrough bleeding on one brand of pill, that might not happen with a slightly different amount of hormone.

Usage of hormonal contraception isn't associated with poorer academic performance. Overall, most people don't have mood difficulties as a side-effect of hormonal contraception. Possible side-effects from any medication - including contraception - are part of the picture of your general health, and again, it's an issue that's best addressed by a healthcare provider who knows both your own health history and has expertise about the medication.