Personal question...

[bee*]

I came off the pill two months ago as I''ve been on it for over 12 years and think that I need a break from it. We''re just using condoms which we always did when I was on the pill as well.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 12/29/2009 2:03:43 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade
I''m another NuvaRing lover.


For those worried that hormonal contraceptives are dangerous, while I absolutely respect your caution, I''ve asked many well respected endocrinologists, gynecologists/OBGYNs, and researchers about it. And not only have many of them used it themselves, most actually believe there may be benefits to it for certain women such as reducing the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer (though it''s certainly true that some women get side effects as well). The theory goes that evolution designed the human body to be pregnant and breed, but more and more women are choosing to have fewer or no children, and the human body wasn''t necessarily designed to ovulate/cycle that many times.


Funny story, but the original marketers of the pill put in the 1 week ''break'' not for health or safety reasons, but to make it seem more ''normal'' and natural. I''ve also asked a few physicians about the safety of skipping periods, and was also repeatedly reassured that it was not dangerous.


Hope that''s reassuring to those of you who are on hormone BC! Hehe.

Ditto to all of this - there are actually a number of health benefits to being on the pill. Way back when we evolved to be the way we are, women lived a much shorter time, were fertile for a much shorter portion of their lives, and had many more pregnancies. So in a way, its actually not really "natural" to have periods as often as we do now, without hormonal BC of some kind. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, women who don''t have "natural" periods every month are less prone to anemia because they don''t lose that blood every month.

Additionally, many women spend many years of their lives with undiagnosed endometriosis (a condition I have, diagnosed at 16), and the very best treatment for that is hormonal BC - specifically, taking monophasic BC pills continuously to avoid hormone buildup that occurs when you stop and can encourage the growth of endometrial tissue in inappropriate places.

Again, not to knock anyone''s decisions - its obviously an extremely personal decision and every woman/couple needs to decide what is best for them, just wanted to put some additional info out there.

 

[Blenheim]

On the flip side of things, I''ve tried the gamut of hormonal birth control and it all made me feel miserable. I eventually had an OBGYN tell me that she thought I needed to explore non-hormonal options, and once I finally made the decision to go off of hbc I just felt worlds better. I''ve talked with other women who had similar experiences. It''s just so dependent on the individual woman.

A sidenote, if you''re using condoms for a while - if you have a Costco membership, they are SO much less expensive there versus buying them at the grocery store or pharmacy. Even if it does feel silly buying them in bulk.

I''m sure you could find them online for less as well.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 12/30/2009 5:09:24 PM
Author: AmberGretchen

Date: 12/29/2009 2:03:43 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade
I''m another NuvaRing lover.


For those worried that hormonal contraceptives are dangerous, while I absolutely respect your caution, I''ve asked many well respected endocrinologists, gynecologists/OBGYNs, and researchers about it. And not only have many of them used it themselves, most actually believe there may be benefits to it for certain women such as reducing the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer (though it''s certainly true that some women get side effects as well). The theory goes that evolution designed the human body to be pregnant and breed, but more and more women are choosing to have fewer or no children, and the human body wasn''t necessarily designed to ovulate/cycle that many times.


Funny story, but the original marketers of the pill put in the 1 week ''break'' not for health or safety reasons, but to make it seem more ''normal'' and natural. I''ve also asked a few physicians about the safety of skipping periods, and was also repeatedly reassured that it was not dangerous.


Hope that''s reassuring to those of you who are on hormone BC! Hehe.

Ditto to all of this - there are actually a number of health benefits to being on the pill. Way back when we evolved to be the way we are, women lived a much shorter time, were fertile for a much shorter portion of their lives, and had many more pregnancies. So in a way, its actually not really ''natural'' to have periods as often as we do now, without hormonal BC of some kind. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, women who don''t have ''natural'' periods every month are less prone to anemia because they don''t lose that blood every month.

Additionally, many women spend many years of their lives with undiagnosed endometriosis (a condition I have, diagnosed at 16), and the very best treatment for that is hormonal BC - specifically, taking monophasic BC pills continuously to avoid hormone buildup that occurs when you stop and can encourage the growth of endometrial tissue in inappropriate places.

Again, not to knock anyone''s decisions - its obviously an extremely personal decision and every woman/couple needs to decide what is best for them, just wanted to put some additional info out there.

Ditto here as well.

I was on the pill for best part of 16 years, I always ran packets back to back for 6 months at a time (with full approval of an OB/GYN) and my cycle went straight back to clockwork normal as soon as I stopped taking it.

It''s not the same for everyone and it did take me a while to find brands that suited me and didn''t have side-effects, but I was very sad when I was told I couldn''t take it anymore because of my migraines...

DH and I are pretty sure we don''t want anymore children and whilst an ''ooops'' wouldn''t be a disaster, it would not be great by any means. I''m breast-feeding at the moment and plan to do so for at least 2 years, and no sign of AF since Daisy was born in May, but we use condoms at the moment.

Once my cycle is back, I am planning to look at Mirena and see how that would work for me. Otherwise I will do a combination of FAM and condoms.

With FAM, I am only comfortable with it as I have such a predictable cycle and know how to monitor CM/CP etc as well as temps. I wouldn''t use OPKs as I found it hard to be sure when it was a definite positive (even if I could work it out from everything else). Despite this, if getting pregnant would be a disaster I wouldn''t use FAM at all.

 

[Lilac]

I''m on the pill right now (Kariva) but I wish I could stop taking it. I don''t like putting hormones into my body when it''s unnecessary, but even if I wanted to stop, the cramps I would get every month during my period were debilitating before I started on the pill (I would throw up, faint, etc. from the pain every month so my doctor put me on the pill for those reasons - this was before I was even taking it as a contraceptive). At this point DH and I have agreed I should stay on the pill until we''re ready to TTC.

This past weekend a friend was telling me about Seasonique and how she loves only getting periods every 3 months - now I''m considering whether or not to schedule an appointment with my doctor to discuss this option. I''m wondering if I can stay on my current pill but just take 3 packs back to back rather than switching pills. I get very bad migraines and my current pill seems to not make them worse, so I don''t particularly want to switch pills unless I have to - but the idea of a period only once every 3 months is very intriguing.

If I could come off the pill, I would probably stick with condoms until DH and I were ready to get pregnant. While the FAM method works for many, I would only take the chance with that if getting pregnant by accident would be *ok* at that time in our lives.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 12/30/2009 6:30:24 PM
Author: Lilac
I''m on the pill right now (Kariva) but I wish I could stop taking it. I don''t like putting hormones into my body when it''s unnecessary, but even if I wanted to stop, the cramps I would get every month during my period were debilitating before I started on the pill (I would throw up, faint, etc. from the pain every month so my doctor put me on the pill for those reasons - this was before I was even taking it as a contraceptive). At this point DH and I have agreed I should stay on the pill until we''re ready to TTC.

This past weekend a friend was telling me about Seasonique and how she loves only getting periods every 3 months - now I''m considering whether or not to schedule an appointment with my doctor to discuss this option. I''m wondering if I can stay on my current pill but just take 3 packs back to back rather than switching pills. I get very bad migraines and my current pill seems to not make them worse, so I don''t particularly want to switch pills unless I have to - but the idea of a period only once every 3 months is very intriguing.

If I could come off the pill, I would probably stick with condoms until DH and I were ready to get pregnant. While the FAM method works for many, I would only take the chance with that if getting pregnant by accident would be *ok* at that time in our lives.

You can totally do this. Call your doctor just to make sure, but every gyno I''ve seen has said it''s okay, and it seems that a lot of the ladies here do the same.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 12/30/2009 6:40:03 PM
Author: sunnyd

Date: 12/30/2009 6:30:24 PM

Author: Lilac

I''m on the pill right now (Kariva) but I wish I could stop taking it. I don''t like putting hormones into my body when it''s unnecessary, but even if I wanted to stop, the cramps I would get every month during my period were debilitating before I started on the pill (I would throw up, faint, etc. from the pain every month so my doctor put me on the pill for those reasons - this was before I was even taking it as a contraceptive). At this point DH and I have agreed I should stay on the pill until we''re ready to TTC.

This past weekend a friend was telling me about Seasonique and how she loves only getting periods every 3 months - now I''m considering whether or not to schedule an appointment with my doctor to discuss this option. I''m wondering if I can stay on my current pill but just take 3 packs back to back rather than switching pills. I get very bad migraines and my current pill seems to not make them worse, so I don''t particularly want to switch pills unless I have to - but the idea of a period only once every 3 months is very intriguing.

If I could come off the pill, I would probably stick with condoms until DH and I were ready to get pregnant. While the FAM method works for many, I would only take the chance with that if getting pregnant by accident would be *ok* at that time in our lives.

You can totally do this. Call your doctor just to make sure, but every gyno I''ve seen has said it''s okay, and it seems that a lot of the ladies here do the same.

Thanks for telling me this! I vaguely remember my doctor telling me it was ok to do, but I wasn''t sure if she meant as a one-time thing or I could do it over and over again regularly. I''ll still call her to be absolutely sure it''s ok with my specific pill (or if she thinks it would be more beneficial to switch) but it''s definitely something I''m strongly considering now - especially hearing that many other women do this!

The only thing is - my insurance gives me a 3 months'' supply of new pills every 3 months - but if I did this I would essentially be throwing away the last week of the first 2 packs so I would be asking for new pills 2 weeks early at the end. I wonder if they would refuse to give them to me early at the end of the 3 months. I guess another thing to discuss with the doctor or put in a call to the insurance company.

Sorry for the threadjack!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Thanks for the couple of IUD experiences ladies! My yearly appointment is scheduled for January, so I need to call the insurance company and see about the cost. I''m pretty sure I''d only have to pay the co-pay though so that''s not much.

 

[mtjoya]

We used condoms and plan to use them after the bebe is born. I didn''t get pregnant on accident but stop using condoms to TTC.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 12/30/2009 7:31:06 PM
Author: Lilac

Date: 12/30/2009 6:40:03 PM

Author: sunnyd

Date: 12/30/2009 6:30:24 PM


Author: Lilac


I''m on the pill right now (Kariva) but I wish I could stop taking it. I don''t like putting hormones into my body when it''s unnecessary, but even if I wanted to stop, the cramps I would get every month during my period were debilitating before I started on the pill (I would throw up, faint, etc. from the pain every month so my doctor put me on the pill for those reasons - this was before I was even taking it as a contraceptive). At this point DH and I have agreed I should stay on the pill until we''re ready to TTC.


This past weekend a friend was telling me about Seasonique and how she loves only getting periods every 3 months - now I''m considering whether or not to schedule an appointment with my doctor to discuss this option. I''m wondering if I can stay on my current pill but just take 3 packs back to back rather than switching pills. I get very bad migraines and my current pill seems to not make them worse, so I don''t particularly want to switch pills unless I have to - but the idea of a period only once every 3 months is very intriguing.


If I could come off the pill, I would probably stick with condoms until DH and I were ready to get pregnant. While the FAM method works for many, I would only take the chance with that if getting pregnant by accident would be *ok* at that time in our lives.

You can totally do this. Call your doctor just to make sure, but every gyno I''ve seen has said it''s okay, and it seems that a lot of the ladies here do the same.

Thanks for telling me this! I vaguely remember my doctor telling me it was ok to do, but I wasn''t sure if she meant as a one-time thing or I could do it over and over again regularly. I''ll still call her to be absolutely sure it''s ok with my specific pill (or if she thinks it would be more beneficial to switch) but it''s definitely something I''m strongly considering now - especially hearing that many other women do this!


The only thing is - my insurance gives me a 3 months'' supply of new pills every 3 months - but if I did this I would essentially be throwing away the last week of the first 2 packs so I would be asking for new pills 2 weeks early at the end. I wonder if they would refuse to give them to me early at the end of the 3 months. I guess another thing to discuss with the doctor or put in a call to the insurance company.


Sorry for the threadjack!

Lilac - you shouldn''t just do this without asking your doctor, but generally, its OK to do with any MONOPHASIC pill. You should be able to tell if you have a monophasic or a triphasic by just looking at the packaging - if all the pills are the same color and have the same hormone amounts, that''s monophasic and you''re good. If not, you''ll need to switch to a monophasic in order to do the back-to-back thing.

If you are concerned about insurance and costs, it might be worth having your Dr. write you a new prescription stating that you are to take the pills for 3 months at a time (or however long you want - I''ve been taking them continuously for almost 10 years now). Since you have legitimate health concerns (the cramps, which, BTW, could be a symptom of endometriosis - have you ever asked your doc about this??), this shouldn''t be a problem. Once you have a prescription that says that''s how you should take the pills, it shouldn''t be an issue (though you might have to get on the phone with the insurance if you have trouble getting it filled - in my experience, its mostly fine but every once in a while there is a glitch in the system that has to be sorted out...).

Good luck!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Date: 12/30/2009 5:40:32 PM
Author: Blenheim
On the flip side of things, I''ve tried the gamut of hormonal birth control and it all made me feel miserable. I eventually had an OBGYN tell me that she thought I needed to explore non-hormonal options, and once I finally made the decision to go off of hbc I just felt worlds better. I''ve talked with other women who had similar experiences. It''s just so dependent on the individual woman.


A sidenote, if you''re using condoms for a while - if you have a Costco membership, they are SO much less expensive there versus buying them at the grocery store or pharmacy. Even if it does feel silly buying them in bulk.

I''m sure you could find them online for less as well.

Absolutely Blen - every woman is different, and every woman responds differently to hormonal BC (in your case it sounds like a fright - how horrible for you!).

I was just pointing out that while there are side effects to taking hormonal BC, there are also side effects to NOT taking it, and that I think the argument that one way or the other is more "natural" or closer to what our bodies are "meant to do" is based on flawed logic/lack of understanding of the biology and history involved.

 

[Lilac]

Lilac - you shouldn''t just do this without asking your doctor, but generally, its OK to do with any MONOPHASIC pill. You should be able to tell if you have a monophasic or a triphasic by just looking at the packaging - if all the pills are the same color and have the same hormone amounts, that''s monophasic and you''re good. If not, you''ll need to switch to a monophasic in order to do the back-to-back thing.

If you are concerned about insurance and costs, it might be worth having your Dr. write you a new prescription stating that you are to take the pills for 3 months at a time (or however long you want - I''ve been taking them continuously for almost 10 years now). Since you have legitimate health concerns (the cramps, which, BTW, could be a symptom of endometriosis - have you ever asked your doc about this??), this shouldn''t be a problem. Once you have a prescription that says that''s how you should take the pills, it shouldn''t be an issue (though you might have to get on the phone with the insurance if you have trouble getting it filled - in my experience, its mostly fine but every once in a while there is a glitch in the system that has to be sorted out...).

Good luck!!

AmberGretchen - Thanks so much. I do have a monophasic pill (but I definitely would ask my doctor before doing this anyway). I have discussed endometriosis with my doctor in the past and she believes I don''t have it and that isn''t why I get such bad cramps. It''s possible the cramps have gotten better in the last 2 years since I''ve been on the pill (it used to be terrible before I started the pill but I was younger then and my mom has mentioned to me in the past that she also suffered from terrible pain until she was in her 20s and then it got much better - so maybe if I stopped the pill now it would be better on its own anyway).

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[mayachel]

I went off BCPills in 2001 after being on them for 3 years. About 4 months went by and I didn''t get my period! After a whole lot of testing I was told that they didn''t really have an answer, couldn''t find anything wrong and felt that I should go back on the pills. At that point I tried out a couple of different ones and had pretty extreme side effects. I stayed on the original one for another 2 years. At which point I started to question what the risk/bennefit ration for ME was of being on BCP. When I went off the pill in 2004, imagine my surprise of it taking a full 9 months! Before I started menstruating again. Digging deeper, I discovered that while for many women their cycles bounce right back to normal upon discontinuation, for others BCPs just push you further from normal. I feel so much better not taking the BCPs. Emotionally, physically and sex drive!

My partner and I use condoms and a bit of FAM. Condoms, when used correctly are excellent imho. You may need to shop around for the right brand that gives you both the best response.

Alternatively, the nuva ring is well liked by many of my patients. It does contain hormones, however there is less needed overall due to the constant delivery method.

IUDs are NOT recommended for women who have not previously given birth.

As previously mentioned tracking your fertility signs like any of these options, is only good if you use it correctly. Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a great start, finding a class on it is even better. I''ve seen ones that are offered for both you and your partner. I like that that emphasizes both of your roles in it.

Also, I have my heart set on picking up a LadyComp at some point soon and switching to that as my primary bc with condoms as back up. It is a computerized thermometer that is FDA approved for the prevention of pregnancy and seems to efficiently track your cycle. It is a bit on the expensive side, but you can submit for flex spending use.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Me and the hormones are not friends at all. I had to take the pill last year b.c I had unexplained severe uterine bleeding. NOT FUN!

Yeah, after three months of trying 2 different pills and being horribly sick (the best day being when I was on Kariva and I spent an entire day on the bathroom floor at work vomiting and too weak to go home

) I developed superficial blood clots which mean I am at risk for deep vein thrombosis and am not supposed to take hormonal birth control.

DH and I weren''t sexually active before we got married, and haven''t been doing anything to prevent pregnancy since we got married in OCt. We''re now actively TTC and I think we''ll just have kids if/when they come and will use condoms if we think we''re not ready yet.

Once we think we''re done I am lobbying for him to have the big "snip snip"--he''s not buying it yet though

FYI-Before I developed the clots, I was on lo-estrin24fe and after the second month I felt fine.