Contraception and Raw Foodism

[Amii]

Hi everyone
I have googled this to no end and never found an answer so I'd be really grateful if anyone here could give me an answer.

The contraceptive implant "implanon" is my current choice of birth control (since it is so effective and convenient). Can anyone tell me whether or not being on a raw foods diet would make the implant ineffective?

I know that raw food tends to flush out any wrong hormones or toxins in the body, so would this include the hormones distributed by the implant? aka, am I safe to use the implant whilst on a 100% raw diet?

Thanks! Amy

PS. An aside - I have not yet started raw, since I wanted to get the answer to this first! :)

[Bananna]

ha...that's a good question. I'm thinking it's not that powerful though...that stuff is released on an ongoing basis. I think that being raw with respect to hormone balance is more about the elimination of things like dairy that mess with your hormones in the first place then any other reason.

I know this because of how my hormones settle down just by being vegan alone, specifically dairy-free.

Another reason it may balance hormones is through weight loss because fat gives off estrogen, leading to estrogen dominant symptoms as well...throw on the dairy and you're a mess, lol.

So if you break it down like that, it's not so much magic as it is common sense.

That's my take on it...good question!

[Amii]

Thanks for that.

Can anyone else provide any thoughts? I would like as many opinions as possible.

On a similar vein, if you apply the question to the Pill, anyone got an answer for that? Cos it's a similar kinda deal...

[watersole]

I would love to know more opinions too; I stopped taking the pill mid pack in 2005 after listening to a lecture by Brian Clement about hormones and haven't taken any BC since. My life situation has changed this year, and I'm again looking at what the safest healthiest options are.

[Amii]

Emailed Implanon yesterday, and just received this reply:

Further to your enquiry regarding Implanon and Diet, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for Implanon states in section 5.1:
"After the insertion of Implanon, etonogestrel is rapidly absorbed into the circulation. Ovulation-inhibiting concentrations are reached within 1 day"
The levels in serum after insertion are adequate to protect against pregnancy in women on different sorts of diets.

This seems to confirm that the combination of raw food diet and Implanon is a safe one, but can a raw foodist back that up for me? :)

[Conscious Midwife]

Here are some snippets from the web:

new contraceptive .... much like Norplant (which is no longer available in the United States),

slowly releases a progestogenic hormone called etonogestrel over the course of three years.

Some women may experience slight swelling after insertion,

The Implanon rod contains 68 milligrams of etonogestrel that is released over a three-year period. About 60 - 70 micrograms (µg) per day are released in the first year and the amount decreases over time until only about 25 - 0 µg per day are released in the third year.

...tricks the body into thinking it's pregnant, which prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs.

...thickens cervical mucus, making it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus.

...changes the lining of the uterus, preventing any egg that does happen to get fertilized from implanting itself in the uterine wall.

During clinical trials, about 30 percent of the women in Europe and Canada discontinued use within 2 years, primarily due to complaints about irregular bleeding.


Like other forms of hormonal contraception, Implanon does have some side effects. According to a review of Implanon published in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy in 2001, about 47 percent of women reported at least one side effect during the three years. Irregular (or missed) periods, weight gain, acne, headaches, or breast tenderness each occurred in about 5 percent of Implanon users. Another 2.5 percent of users experienced hair loss, changes in mood and/or libido, abdominal pain, or painful periods. Another known side effect is an increase in blood pressure...

Here's what others are saying:

have had random side effects like a rash under my left breast, abnormal acne on my face, and I had two periods during September. Also I noted some slight symptoms of depression. Nothing full blown, but I would cry at really random times.

And I have had one week (combined) with NO BLEEDING. My insides become sore from tampons every day, and my exterior down there gets sore from pads every day. I alternate between the two, but this is a little ridiculus!I also have very bad adominal pain, leg pain. My face is actually breaking out!

Slightly alarming breast lumpiness, but my doc says I'm okay. Also, I haven't had any periods though I do get some depression and cramp occasionally

By the end of October I started to become depressed, I had these crazy mood swings and my sex drive was basically in ruins. And my weight kept climbing!! I...But gaining 30lbs in 8 months is not normal! ... As soon as I can get an appointment, I'm getting this thing taken out!!! If Implanon was the 'perfect all round birth control' every woman would be using it, but sadly, thats just not the case. WOMEN BEWARE!

My only negative experience was about at month 5 I bled after sex twice, but none since then.

i have extreme acne on my face, back, neck,chest.. and break through bleeding.. some headaches.. cant wait to get it out next week i hope..

in the past few months I have had a period NON stop, I start BAWLING crying over the stupidest little things, I have a headache almost every day,

have had, and i am still having a horrible experience with this medication. Before implanon i was thirty pounds lighter, more outgoing, and had LESS FACIAL HAIR. The mood swings and the constant torment of looking into the mirror to see what this drug has done to me is so painful. I have such bad acne that it is scarring my face, i have no self esteem, i don't want to go out into public beacause of my acne and my recent facial hair growth. ...I have never felt so bad about myself! I excercise, and eat right and still gain weight. I retain water better than an aquarium. ... I have no sex drive, i am constantly snappy, and feel secluded from the things i once loved. This drug has completely ruined my life as of present,

I HATE it! I, too, have experienced psychotic depression, horrible irritability/mood-swings ... If you want to keep your sanity, DO NOT go on Implanon. Its efficacy is NOT worth the horrible side effects, including complete loss of self-esteem and sex drive!

Granted I only included the negative reports, but I'm a womb warrior and against implants, shots, pills, tubal ligations and all forms of birth control other than NAtural Family Planning through Fertility Awareness.

Keep you legs crossed, EAT RAW and if you must indulge then use a condom and protect yourself from a few of the cooties out there!


http://www.implanon-usa.com/Consumer/index.asp?C=5899340148820775463 (http://www.implanon-usa.com/Consumer/index.asp?C=5899340148820775463)

And from the implanion website we get these warnings: (gotta love them for their honesty :eek:)

Warning: IMPLANON® does not protect against HIV (AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Failure to remove IMPLANON® may result in infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or inability to stop a drug related adverse event.

If IMPLANON® is not placed properly, it may not prevent pregnancy or it may be difficult or impossible to remove.

The use of IMPLANON® and other progestin-only hormonal contraceptives have been associated with ectopic pregnancy, bleeding irregularities, and ovarian cysts. The use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with increased risks of several serious side effects including blood clots which may lead to stroke or heart attack. Blood clots are a side effect of birth control pills and pregnancy.

Expect your menstrual periods to be irregular and unpredictable throughout the time you are using IMPLANON®. You may have more bleeding, less bleeding, or no bleeding. The time between periods may vary, and in between periods you may have spotting. Other common side effects reported in women using IMPLANON® during clinical trials include: headache; vaginitis; weight gain; acne; breast pain; viral infections such as colds, sore throats, sinus infections, or flu-like symptoms; stomach pain; painful periods; mood swings; nervousness or depression; back pain; nausea; dizziness; pain; and pain at the site of insertion.
(http://www.implanon-usa.com/Consumer/index.asp?C=5899340148820775463)

[abeautifulworld]

I use a paragard copper IUD. I know it's not the greatest thing on the planet for your body, but with no hormones in it harming my body, I feel pretty good about it. It's definitely a much better option (in my opinion) than any of the hormone based birth control options! Plus, there aren't any of those icky hormones screwing with your..uh..drive. ;-)

[FLuwrchLd]

I have a paragard IUD as well. I had it inserted about 3 1/2 weeks ago. So far its been pretty good!

[Clare]

www.ccli.org

Right on, lifeAgift. Fertility awareness works! And it respects a woman's body without turning love into war (ie spermicides, barriers, iuds, chemicals).

[Conscious Midwife]

I use a paragard copper IUD. I know it's not the greatest thing on the planet for your body, but with no hormones in it harming my body, I feel pretty good about it. It's definitely a much better option (in my opinion) than any of the hormone based birth control options! Plus, there aren't any of those icky hormones screwing with your..uh..drive. ;-)


IUD don't always prevent fertilization, they often just prevent implantation

So if egg meets sperm then IUD is just inhibiting the factors that allow for implantation

this is not a contraceptive but yeah it is a form of birth control...:confused:

no icky hormones just icky copper released into your uterine cavity over and over again

ParaGard® is believed to work primarily by preventing sperm from reaching and fertilizing the egg.1 It may also prevent the egg from attaching to the uterus. The contraceptive effectiveness of ParaGard® is enhanced by the continuous release of copper into the uterine cavity.

note the egg referenced is a fertilized egg meaining you cn still get pregant with an IUD plus have no STD protection
Additional possible side effects...
http://www.contracept.org/iud-paragard.php

[abeautifulworld]

How do IUDs work?
They sit in your womb and prevent you from getting pregnant. They do this in three main ways:

they prevent your partner’s sperm from getting through your womb and into your tubes
they alter the secretions (mucus) in your cervix, creating a further barrier for sperm
they affect your womb lining – making it less likely to ‘accept’ an egg.
Pretty well all family planning doctors and nurses say that the IUD does not work by ‘causing an abortion', as some people have alleged.

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/contraceptivecoil.htm

That's a whole can of worms that I am NOT going to get into here. However, I will say that before choosing to have a quarter-sized piece of copper inserted into my uterus, I did DAYS (and by days, I mean my total research probably amounted to more than 48 total hours...or more) of research concerning the IUD. And quite honestly, as long as the IUD does its job, I'm happy.

[lunabear]

I use a good old-fashioned diaphragm with spermicide. It's far from perfect, and it may be my grandma's contraception, but it is a better alternative than pills.

[Blazin'Jane]

I agree. I think taking all those hormones is just plain dangerous---at the least, highly upsetting to your body.

[klomasius]

Hi Amii,

I use implanon on a raw foods diet and it works fine.

I am highly fertile so if anyone would have problems it'd be me! So I think you'll be fine.

Sorry for the delayed reply, I generally stay out of the contraceptive threads as I feel that nothing natural would give me any assurance. This is one of the only concessions to a natural lifestyle I make.

:D

[kendalinwonderland]

Keep your legs crossed?? That's contraceptive advice?? Maybe for teenagers, but what about married couples? Just have sex when you want children? Forget about periods where you're separated for weeks or months at a time and are reunited but - oh, darn, I'm fertile today, we can't have sex. I know there are condoms, but some men have problems with them. sigh.

Anyway, was just curious about natural contraception. I'd heard neem oil is good, among some other herbal contraceptions. I'm not big on chemicals and hormones, I'm wondering what people use instead of these things to live a more natural life....

[MysticTree]

I know there are condoms, but some men have problems with them. sigh. health problems or other problems? I have had nothing but trouble with chemical BC and I am not prepared to risk it with the rhythm method. No condom. No sex.

[PansyLo]

There isn't a single method of contraception that I like.

I just suck it and use hormonal BC because even though I don't like it it's almost 100% effective. Which is a lot more than any other methods. My main priority is not getting pregnant.

"Cross your legs" or use a condom? Crossing your legs is the least sex positive advice I've ever heard regarding contraception and it's just not realistic for long term couples. As for condoms I've had far too many condoms get ripped (once pretty much to shreds), they feel horrid and my boyfriend has issues with them. Not medical but it's damn near impossible to actually get them on him, I can't do it and I have put condoms on a lot of guys without problem. We had to use them for a month while I changed contraception and it was horrific for our sex life.

I wont get fitted with an IUD, my mum was once fitted with one and said it was the most excruciatingly painful thing she's ever experienced including surgery and childbirth. Whatever problem she had with it, I could have the same, I'm not risking it to find out.

I'm on the injection. I don't have any side effects that I don't like with it. I don't even notice it.

I don't like it but it seems like the best of a bad bunch of options.

[rawmiss]

While we are on the subject, I thought I'd post something interesting about the high failure rate of condoms. They are practically useless:
http://www.prolife.com/CONDOMS.html
"In 1993 the University of Texas analyzed the results of 11 different studies that had tracked the effectiveness of condoms to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus. The average condom failure rate in the 11 studies for preventing transmission of the AIDS virus was 31%.

One reason condoms fail in preventing the transfer of AIDS is that latex condoms have tiny intrinsic holes called "voids." Sperm is larger than the holes, but the AIDS virus is 50 times smaller than these tiny holes which makes it easy for the virus to pass through [Source: Dr. C. M. Roland, editor of Rubber Chemistry and Technology]. To give you an idea of how easy it would be for the virus to pass through these holes, just imagine a ping pong ball going through a basketball hoop.



Girls Still Get Pregnant!

Did you know that you can use a condom and still get pregnant? A variety of studies have found that condoms have an "annual failure rate" of 10% to 36% when it comes to preventing pregnancy.

Can you imagine the consequences for a couple when their condom fails? It happens all the time! One of the studies found that among teenagers, the condom failure rate regarding pregnancy was 36%! On average, that means that one out of every three teenage couples using condoms will become pregnant each year."

[PansyLo]

Why has nobody invented hormonal birth control for men. :|

Bet there's a way to make them fire blanks if you can stop a women's entire cycle. That said... who would trust most men with that responsibility?

[Charybdisjim]

Why has nobody invented hormonal birth control for men. :|

Bet there's a way to make them fire blanks if you can stop a women's entire cycle. That said... who would trust most men with that responsibility?

It's not that they haven't been trying. I'm sure they could have been spending more money on it if not for the prevalence of certain counter-productive and sexist attitudes, but there's been research into it since the 70's. One of the chief problems is that hormonal birth control for men also tends to include erectile dysfunction/impotence as a side effect and things like testicular atrophy. So for a while, formulating an oral contraceptive for men has really struggled to acheive both results and degrees of side-effects comparable to oral contraceptives for women. But...

http://www.nature.com/news/birth-control-for-men-edges-closer-1.11210

They are getting a lot closer. They also do have hormonal contraceptives for men currently (as opposed to the non-hormonal method mentioned in the article) but due to lower effectiveness compared to other methods as well as lower libido - which also can incur inability to engage in sex not just lower interest - they haven't seen widespread use. Unfortunately even this method currently being investigated may meet with psychological resistance as it induces significant and visible testicular atrophy.

Another possible method being explored involves blocking retinoic acid - thereby inhibiting sperm production. The challenge facing this method though is that previous attempts have demonstrated unpleasant reactions to the consumption of alchohol - making subjects violently ill.

The best hope might be significant advancements in vasectomy and vasectomy reversal techniques and technologies. While the vasectomy procedure is rather convenient and inexpensive, the reversal procedure is a bit more involved and can be very expensive. As a male solution to birth control though, vasectomies offer relatively low chances of complications and significantly lower potential for side-effects. The same is also true when compared to oral contraceptives and surgical birth control solutions for women - with the relative difficulty and cost of reversing the procedure being the most notable obstacle. If the cost and convenience of reversing the procedure could be significantly improved then it might one day make more sense in general for a man to get the procedure than to expect a female partner to take it upon herself to any particular form of contraception; right now that consideration is pretty heavily dependent on the situation and relationship.