naturalliving: a few questions

plaastec (

plaastec) wrote in

naturalliving,
@ 2009-01-03 12:54:00

Entry tags:

birth control, pest control: indoor, pets: cats, urinary tract health

a few questions
Anyone have any natural remedies for getting rid of fleas? My cat got them from my roommate's dog (his cat probably has them too). Checked out the memories but I didn't find anything.

Also, I know it's not natural, but I'm thinking about starting to take the Nuvaring, and was wondering if anyone could share any information/opinions on it. I was on birth control for a few months, but it sucked, and I'm way too paranoid about getting pregnant to just not do anything at all. I want to try FAM but in the meantime, while I'm getting used to my cycle (planning on buying a book about it and starting to track my body's cycle) I want to have something to fall back on just in case I screw up, and my sister told me the women's clinic here will give me a few months for free to try out.

1 more - anyone else have issues with lubricated condoms causing UTIs? It could very well be a coincidence, but I've only gotten two UTIs in my life (once in August, once now) and both were right after using a lubricated condom.

(Post a new comment)

	devious_angel3 2009-01-03 08:05 pm UTC (link)
	I have not used the nuvaring but my friend does and gets several uti's a year. And if you have gotten them before you are more likely to get them again. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	chaeri 2009-01-04 01:44 am UTC (link)
	i get UTIs regularly as well, and haven't noticed any upswing in UTIs since i started using the ring. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	icey 2009-01-03 08:06 pm UTC (link)
	I love my nuvaring. I pop it in, i take it out. Other than remembering when to put it in and take it out, I never pay it any mind. It's a lot easier, for me, than remembering to take a BC pill everyday. And yes, I have had problems with UTIs and lubricated condoms. It's terrible. (Reply to this)

	puddinhed 2009-01-03 08:27 pm UTC (link)
	I love my nuvaring! It is very easy to use, and I've experienced a reduction in mood swings as well as a shortened period. I'd like to do something more natural eventually; but I am worried to stop the nuvaring when it seems to be working so well for me. (Reply to this)

darcyzero
2009-01-03 08:27 pm UTC (link)

#1- diatomaceous earth for fleas. It doesn't kill the eggs, but it kills the fleas and with several applications, it will eventually kill them. You can also rub it into carpet/furniture to kill fleas and vacuum it up... and they are gone. You can research it online.

I use the Nuva Ring and I love it. My doctor wanted me to stay on it 3 months straight(put a new one in every month), take it out for a few days, then put a new one in. The only problem with that is that I still get PMS symptoms every month when I normally should be having my period, but at least I don't forget to take the pill. When leaving it in that long, I also get break through bleeding. If you put one in on the 1st of every month though and take it out around the 27th and let yourself have a period, you shouldn't have a problem. I've come to the realization that every BC still has it's bad side effects though. I have PMDD and nothing takes care of that. At least now I only have to deal with having a horrible period every 2-3 months instead of EVERY month.

And any kind of lubrication can cause me to get a UTI. KY warming liquid totally caused me to have one about a month ago. It wasn't fun at all.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	rbeck 2009-01-03 08:37 pm UTC (link)
	You should try YAZ. It is made for PMDD. I felt so much better while on it, but my period was terrible =[ But the PMDD does get some relief. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	darcyzero 2009-01-03 08:57 pm UTC (link)
	tried it... and it made me crazy and sick. the nuva ring has helped more than anything with the moods. Nothing will help with the HORRIBLE periods I have though. I just wish I could go ahead and get rid of my uterus sometimes. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	rbeck 2009-01-03 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	Agreed. I'm going in Monday to find something new. I'm on yasmin right now. If only I were born a boy =[ (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	darcyzero 2009-01-03 10:29 pm UTC (link)
	Well, I wish you luck. Yasmin did bad things for me as well. :( (Reply to this) (Parent)

	solandra 2009-01-04 03:06 am UTC (link)
	If you're not having any (more?) kids, you could look into Uterine Ablation. I am probably going to get it and have heard really good things. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	jennifer0246 2009-01-05 02:01 am UTC (link)
	endometrial ablation is a treatment for menorrhagia (heavy abnormal menstrual bleeding), not a contraception method. perhaps you were thinking of tubal ligation? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	DE/fleas angelworks 2009-01-03 08:53 pm UTC (link)
	Yes--DE for fleas http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html#anchorfossilshellflour (Reply to this) (Parent)

uozlulu
2009-01-03 08:32 pm UTC (link)

I know a woman who always gets sick on birth control and got sick ont he ring too, so she and her partner do a reverse of what people who want to get pregnant do. They track whent she is fertile and then just abstain from sex on the days that she is ovulating. It seems to be working for them. I don't really know how effective it is, but that's what they do.

As for fleas, I don't know about natural, but our family would always let the pet outside, put the repellant on them (be it collar or a drop between the shoulders) and have them stay outside so the fleas don't jump off in the house.

Also, if you're having a flea infestation problem, you'll want to keep your house really clean and try to control the egg sacks or they will hatch and you'll end up with a repeat problem.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

jojosmom
2009-01-03 11:27 pm UTC (link)

We do that too, it's called Natural Family Planning or I think the Fertility Awareness Method and it's 99% effective. It does take some learning, but there are many places that teach it. There are different methods in the umbrella of NFP, different ways of determining when a woman is fertile, such as the Sympto-Thermal Method, the Billings Method, the Creighton Method. (I have friends who swear by the Creighton Method, we use Sympto-Thermal.)

To the OP: whenever you're on BC with any hormones in it it's going to change your fertility signs so the FAM/NFP won't work. If you want to try FAM (and I HIGHLY recommend it, I love knowing exactly what my body is doing) you'll have to get any hormonal BC out of your system for it to work opimally.

To other: okay, is there any lubricant that doesn't cause UTI's? I keep getting them. Anything natural, olive oil maybe?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	uozlulu 2009-01-03 11:30 pm UTC (link)
	Ah, I didn't know it had a name XD Well if al other birth control methods are 99% effective, it's not better than others. As for the UTIs isn't peeing before/after sex supposed to help keep them away? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

jojosmom
2009-01-03 11:40 pm UTC (link)

It's not necessarily more effective than other methods but it doesn't have any side effects and doesn't cost any money... it's a personal choice, I just want to know about all my options, you know? And I think NFP isn't as widely known as others because there's no pharma industry behind it with a vested interest.

I can only imagine how many UTI's I'd get if I didn't pee right after sex. :( I get at least 6 a year and it runs in my family but I'd like to minimize the risk b/c I know it's not good for me to be on antibiotics so often!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	jojosmom 2009-01-03 11:41 pm UTC (link)
	Okay, just realized my icon may not be the most appropriate for discussing how effective my form of BC is! Lol. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	jennifer19 2009-01-04 02:39 am UTC (link)
	that's ok, babies are cute. ;-) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	eliseamelie 2009-01-04 12:02 am UTC (link)
	Just peeing doesn't help me. I have to pee AND shower. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	jojosmom 2009-01-04 02:11 am UTC (link)
	Okay, maybe I will try the showering. I'm sooo tired of getting sick all the time, and it doesn't help that I'm allergic to sulfa drugs and breastfeeding so my antibiotic choices are limited. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	chaeri 2009-01-04 01:46 am UTC (link)
	yup, when used properly FAM or NFP work really well. unfortunately, too many people still have this idea that NFP means counting only. that doesn't work for nearly any woman. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

jojosmom
2009-01-04 02:10 am UTC (link)

I found this site that basically uses the Rhythm method, and they claim it works well if you have regular cycles. (I don't, so wouldn't work for me, and doesn't work postpartum till you've had 4 regular periods) http://www.cyclebeads.com/ But it was interesting to see that they exist.

I think the hardest thing about FAM/NFP is the consistency of charting it requires and the period of abstinence when fertile. IMO, so worth it - sorry if I seem a little fanatical, I'm just LOVING the fact that I know every single morning (when I see my low waking temp) that I am not pregnant, despite the fact that I have not had a period yet and my daughter is 9 months old. I do not miss the freaking out that I might be pregnant at all!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

chaeri
2009-01-04 02:13 am UTC (link)

well, i am even concerned about regular cycles just counting but mine is so irregular that i am really paranoid. i could see using FAM to try to get pregnant precisely because my cycle is completely off without birth control and i would want to get pregnant ASAP.

i am really happy you found something that works for you, though! i always think its great when i hear of people finding something that really fits their life, no matter what it is. :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	lemniskate 2009-01-03 08:40 pm UTC (link)
	LOVED the nuvaring. It reduced my period to the point that I was paranoid at first. But the constant release of hormones took care of any nausea that I had with the pill, and really, if I had to be on birth control and had the money, that's what I'd use. (Reply to this)

chaoticerotic
2009-01-03 08:53 pm UTC (link)

i am sensitive to even small amounts of hormones, so much so that the nuvaring gave me headaches for the first 3 or 4 days after putting a new one in, every month.

And condoms irritate my tender bits.

I opted for a copper IUD, no hormones. I love it, it is fantastic. good for 12 years, and the doc told me that by then, it may prove to have an even longer duration of usage. I was warned it might make me bleed more, or have cramping, and was told it would hurt more to put in because I have never had kids.The pain was a sharp pinch but over in a second, I cramped a few days after.

I do not have heavier peiods and only moderate cramping if at all during my cycle.

(Reply to this)

	dimethirwen 2009-01-03 09:08 pm UTC (link)
	I love Nuvaring. I have endometriosis, and I use Nuvaring to make my periods lighter, less frequent (I used to get them twice a month) and less painful. Works like a charm. (Reply to this)

	facetiouscunt 2009-01-03 09:21 pm UTC (link)
	I liked the ring. But I don't get UTI's at all. (Reply to this)

	bookselves 2009-01-03 10:14 pm UTC (link)
	i used nuvaring but I 100000% prefer my copper iud. (Reply to this)

letitshine
2009-01-03 10:41 pm UTC (link)

I have tried the patch and hated it and ever since have used Nuva Ring. I LOVE THAT THING. you can sick periods with it and you hardly notice it until its time to change it. It can sometimes come out if you have intimate play but a quick run under some warm water and bam! ready for reinsertion.

you cant feel it during sex which is awesome but sometimes I have to take it out to use my vibrator. LOL tmi... but true, its just more comfortable that way.

i see a lot of people here vouch for the copper UDI thingy but those things are really the best for people in monogamous relationships! as they make a woman more susceptible to STD infections.

Check around, depending on your state & city services, you might be able to get BC free. I do...I'm in Minnesota.

Good luck :)

ps: bomb your house for those fleas, man! When it comes to bug infestations, I am not about the natural ways. just cant help it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	letitshine 2009-01-03 10:41 pm UTC (link)
	* skip periods with it (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	chaeri 2009-01-04 01:47 am UTC (link)
	yup. its the only form of birth control i have been able to actually skip with. i LOVE that! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	trip_tych 2009-01-03 11:31 pm UTC (link)
	To be fair, IUDs don't really make your MORE susceptible to STIs, it's just that it's more dangerous if someone with an IUD gets one. NuvaRing, the Pill, IUD...none of those protect against STIs and one does best to use a condom for such prevention. (Reply to this) (Parent)

pineapple_sour
2009-01-03 10:55 pm UTC (link)

I used regular oral birth control, and was fine with it (but that's me). I had to program into my cell phone a "TAKE YOUR DAMN ANTI-PARASITE PILL" alarm to remind myself though.

My only two cents on tracking and using that as a sole way of birth control, is that it depends on how regular you are to begin with. A woman who is regularly irregular cannot guarantee when she is ovulating. Er... at least from what I remember from my 5th grade sex ed. In which I learned how to put a condom on a banana should I ever need to, and that tampons look like white mice when removed from the applicator while dry.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

jojosmom
2009-01-03 11:30 pm UTC (link)

With Rhythm method, where you just look at the calendar and count days, you need to be regular. With the new methods available now that we know more about fertility signs, this is not the case. You can have totally irregular cycles and it still works. In fact it even works postpartum to tell you when your fertility is coming back even if you haven't had a period since your baby was born. You just track fertility signs and you body give you signs (cervical mucus, temperatures, etc) in plenty of time before ovulation to know that you are going to ovulate.

Things have changed a lot in the past 20 years or so!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

pineapple_sour
2009-01-04 01:10 am UTC (link)

Well, I prefer the "layering" method of birth control (condom + BC, condom + tracking your periods...). Maybe I'm just extra suspicious of my body and Murphy's Law. The whole "bleeding for 7 days and not dying" thing combined with Mr. Murphy is almost guaranteed shenanigans ;)

(if I'd been in 5th grade 20 years ago, I would have been 3. Yowzers!) Still, glad to hear the FAM method is more than just Ye Olde Rythm method, tho the websites I checked out through Google on the FAM method still recommend it mostly for women who are regular.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

trip_tych
2009-01-03 11:36 pm UTC (link)

I used Nuvaring for a couple years. I found the hormones bothered me slightly less than when on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo but not a lot. I eventually got an IUD to avoid hormones. I did have an abnormal pap smear during the time I used Nuvaring and was told that I had pre-cancerous cells and all this stuff that made me freak out - I don't know that it was due to the ring or not though. The ring was super easy and convenient to use though.
As far as I understand (and my understanding isn't the greatest) when on hormonal BC, you can't really do FAM because the hormones are preventing a true cycle.
As far as natural flea remedies - as others have said diatomaceous earth works pretty well. Just be anal about powdering the pet and bedding and cleaning and such. A fine comb will also help.

(Reply to this)

clawbeatskin
2009-01-03 11:40 pm UTC (link)

I've never tried it, but I've read some pretty good 'reviews' of using pennyroyal for getting rid of fleas. I believe that it's been recommended to make a sort of collar stuffed with pennyroyal and then put it on the animal (probably less easy for a cat, though... I've never known a cat that has kept a collar on!). Of course, I'm always sort of wary about that particular herb, considering its intense toxicity, but I've heard a lot of people praise its ability to ward off fleas.

(Reply to this)

	chaeri 2009-01-04 01:43 am UTC (link)
	i use it, and its WONDERFUL. i have fewer problems on this than on any other medicine. i had problems with other estrogen birth controls, but this one is fine. (Reply to this)

maelithil
2009-01-04 02:11 am UTC (link)

The Nuvaring is awesome, I highly recommend it. Yaz made me crazy and gave me continuous cold sores (I'd get three a month, none on my placebo pills week, and I'd get a new one when I started a new pack. It was horibble). The Nuvaring used to make me nauseous on the day of insertion, so much that I'd puke like clockwork at 10pm if I'd put it in at 8am, but that lessened considerably with time.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	rachaelbrown 2009-01-04 03:04 pm UTC (link)
	both of these side effects are blowing my mind! coldsores and nausea like clockwork, dang lady! glad both of those are better... (Reply to this) (Parent)

TMI i'm sure...

jennifer19
2009-01-04 02:37 am UTC (link)

When we had fleas we vacuumed every day and emptied the canister outside and dumped it right away. This was great for the fleas in the house. We also put all five of our cats on Revolution, which is fantastic. Not natural, but the best product (also protects against heart worms...it was rec'd by my vet.)

i LOVE my nuvaring. seriously, i know it's not natural and i'm pumping unneeded hormones into my body but I love it. I was on Ortho Tri cyclen when I was in high school but hated it. It killed my libido, it made my moods horrible (which is saying something considering i'm cyclothymic. It exacerbated it), and made me just feel crummy. Plus I couldn't remember to take it at the same time everyday. I switched to NuvaRing because of the latter, thinking the other symptoms weren't related, at 18 years old and at 24 I've had no problems (except with my health insurance but that's unrelated). LOVE it. It also helped kill cramps that I had. Now I only get them every few months and they're light. It might help that I started using a Diva cup in the past 4 years too, tampons also give me cramps.

If I use lubricated condoms I have to be VERY CAREFUL afterwards or I end up with a UTI. It's like...pee RIGHT AFTER intercourse and drink lots of water the next day to pee a lot and flush it out. I always have problems with them. Unlubricated with water-based lube that I add works better for me.

(Reply to this)

	emeraldmarbles 2009-01-04 03:51 am UTC (link)
	I use NuvaRing. I've been on it for over two years and have had no problem, except some decrease in sex drive, but that happens with any hormonal bc. If you're going to do hormonal bc, NuvaRing is the way to go. (Reply to this)

	rachaelbrown 2009-01-04 03:02 pm UTC (link)
	the NuvaRing popped out a lot for me... the ring is the size of a hair-tie, and i think it'd be nicer if it was a bit smaller. it doesn't ever sit up against your cervix like it should. it also caused a weird discharge, and it messed with my moods. my husband called it the Bitch Ring, haha. (Reply to this)

marzipan_robots
2009-01-04 04:52 pm UTC (link)

My cats got fleas from my old roommate who thought that bringing barn cats home with her after one vacation was a good idea. Her cats lived in her room and their fleas festered there. We kicked her out and when we opened up her room to the rest of the house (she was a hermit), the fleas spread all over. We had an exterminator come and for a little over $200 (for a three story row house) he took care of the fleas. Before we had the house bombed, we put the cats in our bathroom which was flea proofed and washed them with this which worked amazingly. Our bigger cat was really infested in his lower stomach, so I had to wash him twice to kill some extra feisty fleas. Between the shampooing and the extermination, we never saw a flea again.

I have the NuvaRing and love it. My periods are shorter for sure. The only thing I noticed is that before, I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and I had no cramps ever. On the NuvaRing, I get cramps on the first day. Other than that, it's great.

(Reply to this)

	metis2be 2009-01-05 08:18 am UTC (link)
	Don't let the pets near your bed while they're infected! Fleas will spread to people as well, and you don't want them to have 8 hours of access a night. (Reply to this)

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