Semi-Permanent Birth Control Options

[JJJ]

We have finalized our application to move Kanga to a different Residential Treatment Center (RTC) - one that can give her more 'real life' skills. I loved the school and that they took 4 hours to give me a complete tour and answer every question. The paperwork still has to be approved but it looks like she will move in early June.

Her current Residential Treatment Center (RTC) has 7 girls (down from 12 at one point) and male day students but no male residential students(total of 30-40 kids) . The new Residential Treatment Center (RTC) has 32 residential females (12-21) and 108 residential males (6-21) and 80 day students (male and female) - total of 220 kids!!!

She will now have major access to BOYS! With her hyper-sexual issues, we are concerned. They are well supervised and it looks like they are going to put her in the more restrictive of the 2 units she qualifies for (per our request). My concern is when she gets in one of her 'moods' that she will run with a boy. Since she is on daily birth control pills, any run of longer than a day or two would be VERY BAD. Her therapist recommended we speak with her medical doctor regarding more long term birth control (the shot, etc.)

We do not want to do anything that may cause her to become infertile (no IUDs, etc.) While her having children is probably a very bad idea, it will be her decision as an adult. That being said, has anyone had any experience with their daughter on the shots? is it a bad mix for kids with mood disorders? bad reaction with certain medications? Are there any other mid-term options?

 

[gcvmom]

No info to share, just wanted to say I think this is a very wise move.

 

[Shari]

While the norplant is very effective and I know a lot of people use it, I'd be worried about placing it in a place that she could "dig it out". BUt I guess that's where I'd start just because I know a lot of people that used it with minimal side effects.

 

[klmno]

It sounds like a wise move to me, too. Being 15yo, I hope being around more boys and having a lot of supervision will help her transition to the real world, where boys and girls can't be separated. I'm just trying to look at it like maybe it could be a good thing in the long run.

I have no first hand experience with long term BC, but worked with someone who's wife got the shot then later had a baby. She had a little trouble conceiving but a specialist determined it was the father's count and they worked with him a few months, then Kaboom! It had nothing to do with her getting a shot.

 

[DammitJanet]

Have no idea about the effects of the shot but I did the IUD when a teen and it didnt effect my fertility...lol. I would ask about that new mirana iud honestly. 5 years.

 

[Shari]

Mirena could be removed, also, by a determined young lady. Unless they cut the wire off of it.

 

[compassion]

My difficult child (16) was on depovera shots for a year and on Dec. 31 we had implanon inserted. This is for 3 years. This is the best bet. We had some colse calls as the depo has to be given every 3 months.

 

[DammitJanet]

One would attempt to remove an IUD? Ewwwwww! Now see....I was a difficult child but I had the sense God gave me to NOT want to get pregnant while I was being a difficult child! Now when the stupid IUD had to be removed...I was too stupid to realize it had been removed but that is a different story.

 

[compassion]

Implanon is inserted in the arm. Compassion

 

[DaisyFace]

My daughter received the Implanon birth control implant a few months ago now. It has to be surgically removed...so no worries about "digging it out".

So far, so good....no interactions with the hormone and her other medications.

 

[flutterby]

From what we've learned, they don't do an IUD anymore unless you've already had a child.

Personally, the shot scares me. Once it's in your system, you can't take it out. If it wreaks havoc, you're stuck with it. But, that's just my thought because I'm so sensitive to medications.

 

[JJJ]

Thanks all. I'm going to talk to current Residential Treatment Center (RTC) nurse and see if we can get this taken care of before she moves.

 

[Marguerite]

A friend of mine uses Depo, has done for years. She got her daughter onto implants.

One thing about the implant - it's supposed to be put in so deep (in the arm) that you generally wouldn't feel where it is, but my friend's daughter lost a lot of weight and was abel to show me the implant under the skin.

Running with a boy isn't the same as wanting to get pregnant. Is she simply promiscuous and anting sex for its own sake, or is she having sex in order to get pregnant? If she's only after sex, then an IUD would also be an option, if she can tolerate it. And if the doctors will put one in.

Otherwise - there shouldn't be a problem with Depo - all you're doing is putting in your body pretty much the same hormones your body would be experiencing, if you were pregnant. If you think about it, it's only in the last 50 years that we stopped having big families. In the past women had fewer periods over their lifetime, as they had more pregnancies plus breastfed for longer. In years past, at 15 she could already have had a couple of kids. So hormonally, Depo is doing the same thing. When we take the Pill, we stop every month for a week, in order for our body's hormones to change back to 'non-pregnant' and have a period, all designed to help us know for sure that we're not pregnant. If we choose to, we can skip the sugar pills in a monthly pack and also skip the period.

Long-term hormonal control is probably (ironically) the most natural way to handle this.

You can't dig out a Depo shot.

Marg

 

[JJJ]

She has been incredibly supervised since she was little so to the best of my knowledge she has not had sex with a boy yet. She did get past staff at Residential Treatment Center (RTC) and had sex with a girl. When in her 'moods' she wants sex, she wants to get pregnant, she is willing to trade sex for status, etc. - depends on the mood which of those feelings dominate or if she has more than one at once. She has never wanted to be a mother -- she sees the baby as a tool to control a boyfriend or punish us -- there is no comprehension that this will be a living, feeling person.

It is a huge concern of myself and therapist that while it is age and therapeutically appropriate for her to move to a more diverse placement and, eventually, earn her way into the community, that her hyper-sexality combined with her lack of sense will lead to some very bad choices and we want to protect her from life-long consequences. She has been force-fed safe sex instruction for over 2 years now so hopefully some of that will stick, but I'm not counting on it.

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh heck no dont count on her not having sex because she has been told not to have sex! I wish chastity belts werent outlawed. That or super glue and catheters.

Nobody could have stopped me. Not unless I had been in a placement that taught me better ways.

 

[Shari]

I thought you had mentioned she wanted to get pregnant in the past.

"Most" people wouldn't want to remove an IUD themselves (or dig out the Norplant), but there is a wire on the IUD that can be gotten ahold of and pulled out. Norplant, obviously, is outdated, but the folks I knew who had it, you could feel the bump where it was...I'd hope no one woud try to dig, but if I were in your shoes, I'd surely want it placed deep so it wasn't an option!

Kanga's not a cutter, tho, is she?

 

[emotionallybankrupt]

The gyn would not do the depo for my difficult child because of risk of osteoporosis. She also discouraged difficult child from even wanting it, saying it virtually guaranteed irregular periods. I KNEW difficult child would not be consistent with the pills, but unfortunately the gyn and I were not on the "same page."