Effective Birth Control in Japan... Where?

[CuriousLittleMonkey]

Alright, this is a fairly adult topic here but I can't really find much information around so I'm forced to ask here which is embarrassing enough for me. I know that people here, at least some know the answer, so please help me if you can.

Me and my girlfriend recently have started "you know what" however, since we are both in Japan (and both from two different countries) we are unaware of the birth control options here. I know that the pill tends to require a prescription, and of course condoms are easy enough to find, but what about the other options? Diaphragms, spermicide and such... We want to be as safe as possible, and while I don't know much, I actually know more than her so I'm having to explain some of this to her as well. Condoms are not more than 90-96% safe or so, and that just doesn't cut it in my opinion. 100% is impossible, but the closer to that mark the better.

But where do we even find these types of birth control? I have yet to check the drug stores, and have found the condoms easy enough at Don Quixote but didn't find anything beyond that. It is difficult to even explain what I am looking for as I do not know the term in Chinese (she is Chinese) so looking together is difficult.

Please, for both our sakes, I would greatly appreciate some advice and help on birth control methods available in Japan and where to find them. I did a search on the board but I could not find much that was as specific as I was looking for.

Thank you very much.

 

[ArmandV]

I hear the word "no" is pretty effective. The way you wrote your post indicates that you are educated but still young-sounding. Even the pill is not 100% effective (I've a former co-worker who can testify to that, so can her son).

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Unfortunately, this will not be of much help, but the only methods I have ever employed in Japan (or anywhere else, for that matter) are condoms and the pull-out-before-ignition method.

I think that in Japan condoms are the preferred form of birth control, and unfortunately I have never dated anyone with whom that was not enough...

Good luck, and hopefully someone more knowledgeable in this area will come and help out!

 

[ArmandV]

the pull-out-before-ignition method.

LOL! That's they funniest term for that I've heard in a while.

For some reason it reminded me of Q's comment at the end of Moonraker: "I believe he's attempting re-entry."

 

[ullvarg]

condom is your safest thing... My girlfriend is on the pill though which means she have to got to the doctor every 3ed month to renew here prescription, but for some the side effects of the pill can be devastating. just use a condom, it protects against diseases and as long as you don't rip it, you have a almost none existing chance of impregnating here.
Spermicide is generally only used in combination with diaphragms and condoms are safer than that...
Just use condoms and try to relax and have fun together

 

[CuriousLittleMonkey]

Thank you for the reassurance, although I'd still like to try to find more information on where and what is available if possible.

As for ArmandaV, actually you are very correct about me being young at least in some ways. I'll be 30 soon, but I just happened to wait till the right gal came along. Sometimes that takes a while, but is very worth it. Therefore, I'm very inexperienced in this regard. However, I do love her very much and we want to be as safe as possible.

 

[Mike Cash]

However, I do love her very much and we want to be as safe as possible.

Then don't be putting your John Thomas in her mommy parts. Either that or be more accurate in your language use and say "I want to be safe enough to lull myself into a false sense of security while still getting laid" instead of saying you want to be "as safe as possible". When you're playing Russian roulette you never get to completely unload the gun. It's just a matter of how many cartridges you feel comfortable in leaving in place when you spin the chamber and put it to your head, her head, and a potential child's head.

You say you "love" her....then treat her with dignity and respect instead of playing games with three lives. What's your plan when birth control fails and she ends up pregnant? Got one?

 

[ullvarg]

@CuriousLittleMonkey i think spermicide is 殺精子劑（さつせいしざい）not sure though... you could always look around or ask in a drugstore for it, and if you get it rub it inside the condom, its not really any point in combining it with a diaphragm though...

@mike Yea considering the way he expressed himself you are right, but for most couples older than 15 abstinent isn't really an alternative... sure its the safest way, but if the period should stop coming you get a pregnancy test and if it shows positive which is a small chance you go to the doctor get a pill and it flushes out.
Sorry if this way of thinking sound barbaric to some but I'm Swedish and agnostic so I was kind of raised to think this way

 

[CuriousLittleMonkey]

Then don't be putting your John Thomas in her mommy parts. Either that or be more accurate in your language use and say "I want to be safe enough to lull myself into a false sense of security while still getting laid" instead of saying you want to be "as safe as possible". When you're playing Russian roulette you never get to completely unload the gun. It's just a matter of how many cartridges you feel comfortable in leaving in place when you spin the chamber and put it to your head, her head, and a potential child's head.
You say you "love" her....then treat her with dignity and respect instead of playing games with three lives. What's your plan when birth control fails and she ends up pregnant? Got one?

While "somewhat direct" your point is well taken.

 

[nice gaijin]

ullvarg, I don't think Mike was preaching abstinence so much as responsibility. If you are man enough to have sex, you should be man enough to accept the inevitable responsibilities that arise from sexual activity.

Also, while RU-486 (the abortion pill that "flushes it out" as you so eloquently put it) works up to 8 weeks after conception, it is effectively a forced miscarriage, and can be very painful and scarring for the girl (both physically and emotionally). It's very easy for guys to suggest, because we don't have to experience it; this is why it's not our decision to ultimately make. What if the girl you get pregnant (and her parents if/when they find out) don't share your flippant regard for the levity of the situation? This comes back to Mike's point: responsibility.

 

[Mike Cash]

Thanks for astutely noticing that I said not one word about abstinence.

 

[ullvarg]

Yea I probably took it the wrong way, sorry Mike
And sorry for being so quick to open my mouth about abortion, I know it was a rather insensitive thing to do.
The reason for my way of thinking is due to my surroundings, in Jr high school 1 of my classmates did it and thought of it as a good solution, she was more afraid of getting stuck with a kid at here age than going through the abortion. Also all of the girls I have been with up until now (short list) have basically told me that if i got them pregnant I have to pay for the abortion.
And probably thats why I put it in such a insensitive way.

 

[ArmandV]

It is unbelieveable that some people's attitudes concerning abortion is akin to going to the dentist and having one's teeth cleaned. I find that barbaric (once you've become a parent, one sees things in a whole different perspective).

 

[Goldiegirl]

I read that they have Mirena IUS (interuterine system) in Japan. It's a great form of birth control. No pills, nothing to remember. It is very safe, 99.9% effective and is good for 5 years. Also you can have it removed before the 5 years and unlike other methods you (she) are fertile right way, if you want to start a family. It doesn't protect against STD's or HIV so you still would want to use a condom unless you are in a stable, monogamous relationship. You have to go to the doctor to have it prescribed and placed.

 

[Haruspex]

Living is a nice thing, but having a body is a burden. Shame it can't be done without one.

 

[nice gaijin]

I've seen the commercials for Mirena, and it looks good (from what the company says), but IUDs have a pretty checkered past. The first I've ever heard of them was the infamous Dalkon Shield, google it and you'll understand my bias. I think time will tell for sure, but I would hesitate to recommend it until it's been on the market long enough for the full spectrum of user reviews to come in.

 

[Goldiegirl]

It's been in Europe for many years. It is very safe and it's not copper. My sister in law is on her 3rd one and I use it as well. It's almost five years, and I have a compromised immune system because of Stills disease and have not had a problem. Check out the Mirena sites in the UK and the rest of Europe to get the full picture.

 

[nice gaijin]

It's good to hear that it's been around for a while; the only true measure of a product's safety is user experience. Reading about Dalkon Shield really scarred me, and it's hard to shake that feeling when I hear about products that use the same principle to prevent conception.

 

[-Rudel-]

ノ セスク！ いs いい こんｔろｌ！。。。。