Has anyone tried femcap/diaphragms/cervical caps?? I am soo excited to finally quit BC after 5 yrs, thinking of buying a ladycomp or pearly and using femcap or diaphragm as well. Thanks!

I have used a diaphragm for over 23 years now and was successful in planning my family of 4 children. My last pregnancy was 14 years ago we have sex three times a week and I always wear my D.
I was 80mm when first fitted and now after my four vaginal deliveries 100mm. If used carefully it is a reliable method.

Hey rae thanks for the info, I am definitely going to call my gyno today and ask her about it.

Also... try searching this forum for more info, but be sure to set the timeframe to the past year (the default is the past week, which trips people up). And the user (moderator) GreenTea used a diaphgram in the past, but she is only on here hit-or-miss these days. However, you could send her a PM with questions, and she will point you to some good sources of info.

I used a diaphragm for about 12-18 months after quiting the pill. It was ok. I remember that the pharmacist had to order it because "we don't stock that small size." LOL, too funny.

I couldn't get it in quickly and I could only get it in lying down. Also even though I had long fingers, I couldn't feel the back side of it make sure it was seated properly. Evidently my pelvis is tilted or something. Even my NP commented she couldn't quite feel around it either.

So I guess the negatives to consider are the time it takes to put it in and having to take it out 12 hours later. Where will you be then? I was at work more than once the next day trying to get it out while in the restroom.

But like rae said above, it can be a reliable method when used properly.

I used a diaphragm for three years. I didn't get pregnant, but did get frequent yeast infections--two or three a year, plus a bacterial infection once--and eventually figured out it was from the spermicide. In comparison, I've had two yeast infections and no bacterial infections in the entire rest of my life (and the second yeast infection was shortly after I'd stopped using the diaphragm, so it might have still been from all that spermicide!).

I know some people here have found the Yahoo diaphragms and caps group. I'll put the link here and sticky this topic, too... barrier methods are an important discussion topic, but one that's not likely to receive very frequent posts, so it will be helpful to put this at the top of the page.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DiaphragmsAndCaps/

So I was able to use my new Prentif cap the other night, I did not use spermacide since it was just a "trial run" to see how it worked. I just finished Menstruating the day before. Anyhow, it was great, my husband couldn't feel it at all. As far as good spermicide goes that doesn't cause yeast infections, I have read a lot about a product called Femprotect, that seems to get great reviews.

I didnt care for my diaphragm. I got it because of the no hormone bc. I didnt like having to put it in because with (at that point) 4 kids there is no such thing as planned sex. You get it when you can. Total mood kill. Taking it out was also kinda messy.
The one thing that made me stop using it was that it killed sensation for me. My husband couldnt even tell it was in there but I could. I would ofter put it in before fooling around with the best intentions of using it and in the middle of the fun I would leave the room, take it out and then continue. We now have 5 kids.

Hi there, I have also been using Pearly, charting those temps in TVOYF software and using the Oves cervical caps with Femprotect spermicide on the red/yellow days. I am really liking the combination and being hormone free, well I finally know what its like to be "me" again!

honeybee, how cool! I do the exact same thing for my BC routine! Pearly, TCOYF charting, femprotect... the only difference is I use a diaphragm. Wow it feels really great to know there is someone else out there that does what I do and is LOVIN it!

i didnt see this post earlier, but i used to use a diaphragm. i liked it, i never got yeast infections etc. the only thing i found was one time my ex said it felt in the way (he is quite large) so we stopped using it....... but no pregnancies etc while on it........ so thumbs up!

I just starting using a diaphragm... going on week 2. My boyfriend says he can't feel it, but it's psychological for me, to know I'm "capped"! It is a lil different... something to get used to, but it's worth it to be off BC pills. I put it in before messing around so there isn't a "oops stop! I have to insert". So far so good. I am nervous about the infections though... leaving it in 5-8 hours is recommended... and that's a little scary to me.

do you really have to leave it in that long if he doesnt ejaculte inside of you? that seems a little ridiculous. Are they uncomfortable? I am nervous but i am sick of not having sex because we are nervous and my charting isn't very reliable yet. do you have to use spermicide everytime?

You are supposed to leave it in that long yes, I am pretty sure for diaphragms you can leave them in for up to 48 hours, I have been using a prentif cervical cap for a few months now, I can leave it in for up to 72 hours, you can't feel it at all, neither can my husband.

do u always have to use spermicide? yuck! sounds gross, are they hard to get in? whats the difference between a cerv. cap and a Dia. ??

A cervical cap is small, my husband calls it a thimble, hah, which it kind of looks like, its really not too hard to put it took me a couple times to get it down to a science. I sometimes use spermicide, with the prentif cap that I use it forms a tight seal that really doesnt need spermicide. A diaphragm is bigger, and lays over the cervix like a dome. I had such problems with them my husband felt it and it was a mess, they definitely need spermicide too. They dont really use caps much anymore, they are hard to find, I got a cervical cap fitting kit from www.birthwithlove.com, and got all 4 sizes, I fit the smallest since I havent had kids yet. Hope this helps!

Hi -

I had a question about femprotect/contracep. There seem to be many varieties offered by the German manufacturers (femprotect lacto, femprotect citro, contracep green, contracep gel lacto/citro, diaphragm gel lacto/citro). I was wondering if anyone had ordered directly from them (MERKUR-Apotheke) and if there was any difference in the products? They seem to ship internationally, though we haven't tried ordering yet. (My BF is German and has been translating the site, but it doesn't seem to have all the info I want). Clearly lacto is the original lactic acid based version, and citro is citric acid based, and the flavored varieties seem fairly self-explanatory :-). But they all say they are appropriate for diaphragms/cervical caps, I'm mostly wondering if some are goopier/easier to apply?

Thanks!

Hi apw

I am from the UK and have been looking into diaphragms myself and came across the following website. They are based in London.:

http://www.naturalgynae.com/

I e-mailed them for more info to: enquiries@naturalgynae.com and they came back to me with a very detailed and helpful reply. They sell the German natural spermicides and maybe could offer some details on consistency etc. Don't know if they ship to the US though.

Good luck finding the correct one.

I have cut and pasted some info for any ladies thinking of using the conventional spermicide nonoxynol-9 which has it's own drawbacks. It's taken from the site www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com. Hope you girls find this info useful.

Take care.

G x

Spermicides Aren't a Perfect Solution
There are no reliable methods of birth control available to women that are as easy to use as the birth control pill but as safe from side effects as the rhythm method. Birth control pills, shots and implants are implicated in just about every known woman's reproductive disease and disorder, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and infertility. The intrauterine device (IUD) can cause irregular bleeding and infertility. That has left the diaphragm, cervical cap, and condoms as supposedly safe and effective alternatives, but they all depend on spermicides for maximum protection.

Now it turns out that spermicides have their own set of problems. Most of them are made from a detergent called nonoxynol-9 that kills sperm by dissolving their outer cellular membrane. That would be fine if it only disabled sperm cells, but nonoxynol-9 also dissolves the membranes of other cells in the vagina, including those of friendly bacteria that help prevent yeast infections, and those that make up the tissues of the vaginal walls.

The other bad news about nonoxynol-9 is that it is broken down by bacteria into nonylphenol, a xenohormone that has estrogenic effects. Researchers studying the estrogenic effects of nonylphenols on rats found that it stimulated cell growth in the uterus just as estrogen would have.

Theoretically, regular exposure to spermicides and their potentially estrogenic effects could be a problem both for women who are already estrogen dominant (for example it could stimulate cervical dysplasia), and also a problem for men who would rather not have estrogenic substances, with their feminizing effects, absorbed through the thin skin of the penis.

Yes, they do. I looked into that myself when I was still a diaphragm user. Didn't order because I couldn't afford it--I was on a low budget to begin with, and it cost about twice as much as buying a comparable amount at the drugstore, which was already a strain on the budget. Also because, with a sometimes long distance relationship, I could never be sure of how much I'd need or how much I'd be able to use before it expired.


All spermicides sold in the U.S. and Canada have nonoxynol-9. I don't see how anyone sensitive to it could find the correct one, which was one of my problems. I had frequent yeast infections, and one bacterial infection, in my diaphragm years. Compared with two yeast and no bacterial infections in the entire rest of my life (and one of the yeast infections was when I'd just stopped using spermicide, so it might have been an aftereffect).


Who needs theoretical problems when real ones are enough? Not meaning to be snide or discouraging or shoot you down, just telling a (rather bitter) truth.

Thanks Geraldine - one more reason to stay away from nonox-9 (aside from the allergy, that is).

GreenTea - the idea behind these particular "spermicides" is that they use lactic or citric acid rather than nonox-9 (and no, they are not available in the US). I am a little concerned by the fine print stating that they "immobilize" sperm rather than killing it, but... since I am allergic to latex and regular spermicide, and HBC was not fun, I'm hoping that the triply whammy of non-latex condoms, plus femcap/contracep (which I will be sure to leave in as long as they recommend) on ladycomp red days will work out OK. Or at least make me relax enough to trust the condoms :-).

Good luck all, and thanks for having this forum - its been enormously helpful in so many ways - here I thought my options were almost nil and I find there are all these alternatives out there!