The Student Room Group

Contraception Advice?

Basically i need advice about what type of contracption i should get. here are the deatails:

1) im a 20yr old girl
2) dont have sex that often due to being in a ldr (bf lives up north and im down south)
3) condoms are too fiddly and annoying and need something more relaible and comfortable

i could take the pill but due to my parents being against bf's and sex before marriage, if they find out, ill be in trouble (knowing me i'll accidently leave them around)
i considered the copper IUD for ages but considering the fact of infrequent sex, is it worth the pain?

what do you girls do and what do you suggest i do/take? Because i really want to avoid condoms :/
Original post by Anonymous
Basically i need advice about what type of contracption i should get. here are the deatails:

1) im a 20yr old girl
2) dont have sex that often due to being in a ldr (bf lives up north and im down south)
3) condoms are too fiddly and annoying and need something more relaible and comfortable

i could take the pill but due to my parents being against bf's and sex before marriage, if they find out, ill be in trouble (knowing me i'll accidently leave them around)
i considered the copper IUD for ages but considering the fact of infrequent sex, is it worth the pain?

what do you girls do and what do you suggest i do/take? Because i really want to avoid condoms :/


Hey, I actually have a medical reason for taking the pill. You could tell your parents the same thing and say it's to lighten your heavy periods because you get really bad pain and unmanageable periods. If you have a problem with acne, you could also tell your parents that you take it to reduce your spots as many girls do this.

However, if you would still prefer to take another method of contraception, I would recommend the implant. It's simply a rod inserted into your upper arm, and you can have it in for a long, long time. It lightens your periods as well and is very reliable, you can just forget about it afterwards. The implant didn't work for me though because of my medical issues so I decided to get it taken out and just stuck with the pill after all. I haven't tried the copper IUD because I'm personally not comfortable with something inside me, and I would've always had the fear of it moving or even coming out, and as you said I didn't want the hassle of any pain.

You can also get the contraceptive injection, however one of it's side effects is major weight gain, so that's why I did not opt for that. Also, the injection can remain in your bloodstream for ages even if you decide not to get any refills, so it will affect your fertility in the long term as it takes a while for it to exit your bloodstream. Once it's completely out though, your fertility should be back to normal.

Hope you find something that works for you x
Reply 2
Original post by Fermion.
Hey, I actually have a medical reason for taking the pill. You could tell your parents the same thing and say it's to lighten your heavy periods because you get really bad pain and unmanageable periods. If you have a problem with acne, you could also tell your parents that you take it to reduce your spots as many girls do this.

However, if you would still prefer to take another method of contraception, I would recommend the implant. It's simply a rod inserted into your upper arm, and you can have it in for a long, long time. It lightens your periods as well and is very reliable, you can just forget about it afterwards. The implant didn't work for me though because of my medical issues so I decided to get it taken out and just stuck with the pill after all. I haven't tried the copper IUD because I'm personally not comfortable with something inside me, and I would've always had the fear of it moving or even coming out, and as you said I didn't want the hassle of any pain.

You can also get the contraceptive injection, however one of it's side effects is major weight gain, so that's why I did not opt for that. Also, the injection can remain in your bloodstream for ages even if you decide not to get any refills, so it will affect your fertility in the long term as it takes a while for it to exit your bloodstream. Once it's completely out though, your fertility should be back to normal.

Hope you find something that works for you x

The implant sounds like it'd be best for you! I'm on the pill but my parents know and are completely okay with it. Good luck!
Original post by Anonymous
Basically i need advice about what type of contracption i should get. here are the deatails:

1) im a 20yr old girl
2) dont have sex that often due to being in a ldr (bf lives up north and im down south)
3) condoms are too fiddly and annoying and need something more relaible and comfortable

i could take the pill but due to my parents being against bf's and sex before marriage, if they find out, ill be in trouble (knowing me i'll accidently leave them around)
i considered the copper IUD for ages but considering the fact of infrequent sex, is it worth the pain?

what do you girls do and what do you suggest i do/take? Because i really want to avoid condoms :/


The pill is obviously a good safe option, but it is very fiddly and requires you to remember to take it on time etc. I'm in the same boat as you, whereby if my parents found out that I'm sexually active, I wouldn't hear the end of it. I decided to go on the pill however, because I liked the fact that if I don't want to take it anymore for whatever reason, I have control over that, and can just stop taking.

More discrete methods of contraception would definitely involve something like the implant, or the IUD. The IUD more so than the implant, seeing as you can sometimes see the outline of the implant on your arm. As for both of these methods, they are quite known to produce quite extreme side effects, like bleeding non-stop for months, or not at all, so if you're wanting to hide this from your parents it might be quite difficult, because your mum especially would be quite likely to see that you're using pads/tampons non-stop. Of course, there are also people who have amazing experiences on these methods, so I would suggest reading into it, and in the end, you won't know unless you try.

I saw that you mentioned pain, and whether it's worth it etc. If you go to a sexual health clinic, they fit multiple IUDs and implants a day, so your best bet would definitely be to go to a clinic, because they will be able to make the procedure as painless and comfortable as possible! It might also be good to go to a clinic, because they will be able to make the time to speak through all of the options with you, and so you can make a fully informed decision. And with you saying, "is it worth it", well a lot of girls go on contraception before they have sex/in periods when they don't have sex for yeaaaars, honestly it's just a good back up to have, especially cause once it's in, it's working from there and you don't have to worry about having any accidents.
Was on the pill before but didn't like the idea of hormones messing up my body.

I'm on the copper IUD now which is great cos you don't have to worry about contraception for the next 5 or 10 years (depending on which brand you get).
Insertion and the first 24 hours after was the most pain I've ever experienced, paracetamol didn't touch the pain (I can't take ibuprofen). I wish I'd taken something stronger. However, everyone reacts differently to it, some say it's really painful, some say it's fine. I think it's something you won't know until you try it.

I get more cramping now around my period, which is annoying but manageable. Besides that, it's nice to not have to worry about hormones or taking pills on time.

So all in all, besides the initial pain, I'd definitely recommend the IUD.
Reply 5
Original post by SleepingLion3
Was on the pill before but didn't like the idea of hormones messing up my body.

I'm on the copper IUD now which is great cos you don't have to worry about contraception for the next 5 or 10 years (depending on which brand you get).
Insertion and the first 24 hours after was the most pain I've ever experienced, paracetamol didn't touch the pain (I can't take ibuprofen). I wish I'd taken something stronger. However, everyone reacts differently to it, some say it's really painful, some say it's fine. I think it's something you won't know until you try it.

I get more cramping now around my period, which is annoying but manageable. Besides that, it's nice to not have to worry about hormones or taking pills on time.

So all in all, besides the initial pain, I'd definitely recommend the IUD.


how long did it take for the pain to go soften? what was the procedure like? im tempted to go for the IUD but im debating between that and the implant due to the pain...
Original post by Anonymous
how long did it take for the pain to go soften? what was the procedure like? im tempted to go for the IUD but im debating between that and the implant due to the pain...


Are you the same anon who started the other thread about copper iuds?
If so, I'm literally just replying to that thread now haha
Reply 7
Original post by SleepingLion3
Are you the same anon who started the other thread about copper iuds?
If so, I'm literally just replying to that thread now haha


yep haha
I'm currently on the implant, what i like about is that you don't have to take a pill everyday. I've tried 3 different types of pills and none of them have agreed with my body.
Its hard to give advice as everyone's body is different and react in a different way.
I was worried about having the implant placed but it's not worth worrying about, they numb the area in your upper arm and that's just a quick injection which is honestly not so bad and then you don't even feel the implant go in. My skin recovered quickly and i had no problems. Listen to your doctor and take on board their advice :smile:
Reply 9
Original post by EmilyLouiseR
I'm currently on the implant, what i like about is that you don't have to take a pill everyday. I've tried 3 different types of pills and none of them have agreed with my body.
Its hard to give advice as everyone's body is different and react in a different way.
I was worried about having the implant placed but it's not worth worrying about, they numb the area in your upper arm and that's just a quick injection which is honestly not so bad and then you don't even feel the implant go in. My skin recovered quickly and i had no problems. Listen to your doctor and take on board their advice :smile:


can you see the implant in your arm? i need something to hide cuz if my mum sees it ill be in sooo much trouble..
plus i wear short sleeves alot? can you see the implant?
When you first have it done i had quite a bit of bruising. So maybe it wouldn't be an option for you if your mum will see it. Still there is more than one option of pill that may work.
There is also the contraceptive injection. You have that every 12 weeks, the only problem with that is that if you do have side effects for it then you have to deal with them for 12 weeks until its come out of your system. Thats what put me off that. Then again that maybe a better option for you :smile: discuss them with your doctor. You have the injection in the top of your bum too so they'll be no plaster or bruising on your arm to show anyone. Hope this helps :smile: you'll find one that's right for you. Your doing the right thing being careful.


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