Home Morning Afer Pill-- thoughts??

[somethingshiny]

El- My sis is "obese" but doing really well at losing weight, and I''m thinking she''s becoming more fertile. She can actually detect her ovulation now, etc.

cara- Your post made me think. I hadn''t considered her situation to be the same as the people who knowingly use unproven methods, etc. I also hadn''t considered the risk of Plan B failing. Until I started researching it, I didn''t know it was possible! Hopefully that will get her thinking in a different direction.


The reason it''s my business is because she asked me. She''s only taken it once (that I know of) but she''s thinking it''s a good PERMANENT backup. As in, any time there''s unprotected intercourse, I can just take that. The expense is not an issue because she''s on public healthcare.

I think the reason she doesn''t want to switch pills (her primary birth control) is because her pill seems to be helping her lose weight. TO her, that''s the biggest issue. She doesn''t want a pill that will make her gain weight, etc. Obviously there are lots of pills and other bc forms to choose from and I''ve been trying to guide her in that direction. I kind of wish she''d go towards the IUD.

My sister is not known for making the most responsible decisions, and she is certainly in no place to get pregnant. She''s going through a divorce and has a 2 yr old. Obviously, she''s under lots of stress but I don''t want her to start a NEW set of bad decisions, ya know?

Thanks for all of your input


btw-I am most worried about STD''s. I volunteered to pick up condoms

 

[Steel]

Date: 5/26/2009 8:46:30 PM
Author: purrfectpear
I know of NO ONE who is using it as 'birth control' to the exclusion of other methods. I believe it is intended for AND USED as a 'back up method' for when your current birth control method may have failed (broken condom, forgot condom in heat of the moment, slipped diaphragm, etc.).

So if your poll is actually asking if people use it as the primary method of birth control, it's a silly poll and I think you know that.

Yup.

I voted for the 1st option but it does not fit my opinion very well.

ETA: I read down and saw the 1st choice was not worded correctly.

Your sister is being a bit silly IMHO. Why doesn't she ask the Dr. for help in reducing her weight - taking BCP to achieve weight loss seems strange and unhealthy. She sounds like she is avoiding the issues at hand; using the BCP to aid weight loss and the 'morning after' to prevent pregancy.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 5/26/2009 8:31:52 PM
Author: musey
I view it as a very useful form of emergency contraceptive. Not an ''appropriate method of birth control.'' But I suppose that''s splitting hairs.

To answer what I believe to be your real question, I do not take moral issue with it. My understanding is that it prevents pregnancy as opposed to terminating pregnancy (which is not to suggest that I do or do not take issue with the latter, but that''s neither here nor there).

Ditto.

 

[blueroses]

Not to open a whole other can of worms, but just to be clear:

Plan B (EC) does NOT = RU-486

No one on this thread has confused them, but out in the world, many people seem to confuse "the morning after pill" with "the abortion pill." They are NOT the same. One prevents a pregnancy. One prevents implantation.

My dear friend--who went to a top 10 college and top 10 law school, by which I mean to say a SMART and educated woman--made this semantics error the other day. (She had BC failure and got plan B--exactly what it's meant for--and even she called it RU-486 before later correcting herself.) Not the same thing!

Plan B is just a high dosage of regular OC.

 

[bee*]

Date: 5/26/2009 8:31:52 PM
Author: musey
I view it as a very useful form of emergency contraceptive. Not an ''appropriate method of birth control.'' But I suppose that''s splitting hairs.


To answer what I believe to be your real question, I do not take moral issue with it. My understanding is that it prevents pregnancy as opposed to terminating pregnancy (which is not to suggest that I do or do not take issue with the latter, but that''s neither here nor there).

Musey wrote exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

I agree with Musey. It should not be used as birth control. It should be used in an emergency.

Plan B is levonorgestrel 0.75mg, a higher dose of a progestin component found in many combined oral contraceptive pills. When taken appropriately, it can PREVENT ovulation.

Ovulation is caused by a rapid drop in the progesterone peak during your cycle. If you can keep progesterone from dropping, you prevent ovulation from occuring. This is what Plan B does.

However, if you have already ovulated, it may not work. Progestins can make it harder for sperm to fertilize the egg, but if the egg is already released, the chance of becoming pregnant are good.

Plan B does not cause abortion of a fertilized egg.

You can actually use some types of regular birth control as emergency contraception if you needed to- this is known as the Yuzpe method- it won''t work for ALL types of birth control, but basically- there is a chart that tells you how many pills you should take, depending on your birth control.

Here''s a good website to answer some emergency contraceptive questions:
http://www.acog.org/departments/dept_notice.cfm?recno=18&bulletin=1084

 

[Amanda.Rx]

Adding to that... a dose of progestin can actually enhance a pregnancy. When you ovulate, and the egg is fertilized, your natural progesterone levels continue to rise as the fertilized eggs implants into the uterus...

So, by increasing your progestin levels, you may actually assist the pregnancy.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

One more comment, then I''m done-

Many doctors will not implant an IUD if you''re not in a monogamous relationship. The reason being, If you get an STD, the IUD usually has to come out.

Please steer her away from using Plan B as a permanent fix. Birth control pills can make you gain weight, but it''s usually not much. I would steer clear of depot provera, though- it can make you gain as much as 10 lbs. per year of use! That one is pretty nasty for weight gain.

Like I said earlier- if she has already ovulated that cycle, Plan B very well may NOT work for her.

My vote is for condoms if you''re worried about an STD.

 

[Courtneylub]

Thanks for clarifying, Amanda. I can''t believe some people opted the "abortion" selection in the poll.

 

[oobiecoo]

I just wanted to post this from the FDA website about "Plan B"...

"3. How does Plan B work?

Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work."

So, depending on when you believe life begins, preventing a fertilized egg from implanting can be easily viewed as abortion. I just wanted to show why some have chosen the "abortion" option in the poll. You should show your sis the Plan B website... it states clearly not to use it as a primary means of birth control.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks Amanda and Oobie and bee for your info.

Sis did start her period. She had sex the day she was ovulating, took the plan B within 36 hours, her doc told her not to restart her "regular" bc pill and she started flowing within a couple days of stopping the pill. Her doc has now prescribed a new pill for her. I think sis finally GETS that this is not a good option for regular use.

 

[SapphireLover]

Date: 6/3/2009 7:58:43 PM
Author: Amanda.Rx
I would steer clear of depot provera, though- it can make you gain as much as 10 lbs. per year of use! That one is pretty nasty for weight gain.
.

I''ve been on the depot for 6 years and haven''t had any problems with it. I''ve certainly not put 60lb on! It''s a really good form of contraception for me and there is loads of scare monngering about it.

 

[cara]

Date: 6/4/2009 1:14:55 AM
Author: oobiecoo
I just wanted to post this from the FDA website about 'Plan B'...

'3. How does Plan B work?

Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work.'

So, depending on when you believe life begins, preventing a fertilized egg from implanting can be easily viewed as abortion. I just wanted to show why some have chosen the 'abortion' option in the poll. You should show your sis the Plan B website... it states clearly not to use it as a primary means of birth control.

This kind of language creep drives me nuts - it blurs the line between abortion and contraception and attempts to redefine medical terms along with a particular moral or religious viewpoint.

Abortion doesn't mean moral evil, nor does it mean only stopping development a fertilized egg/zygote/embryo/fetus, nor does it mean failing to place a fertilized egg or embryo in the ideal conditions for development. It means the ending of a pregnancy and explusion of the products, and pregnancy is a condition of the mother and begins at *implantation* not conception.

For example, a person that believes that a fertilized egg is sacred and life begins at conception might object to the destruction of IVF embryos in a petri dish. But there is no abortion involved, even if a moral evil is alleged and the embryos die, because petri dishes aren't considered pregnant.

People might still object to the morning after pill on moral or religious grounds, but that doesn't mean there is any reason to allege that it causes an abortion. Some people object to birth control pills because they interfere with reproduction or the woman's natural cycle. Some people (ie. the pope) object to condoms because they 'encourage promiscuity' and empower people to limit their fertility rather than leaving it to a higher power. Etc.

Also, one last note: the vast majority of evidence suggests that the morning after pill is a contraceptive and works by preventing ovulation and not the latter methods (including preventing implantation). But it is very difficult to study eggs and embryos in the fallopean tubes and uteri, so it may be impossible prove definitely.

I realize this is a wikipedia article but it does have citations to real studies: Emergency Contraception. In particular see the section on 'mechanism of action' for the morning after pill. Given the amount of political hoopla around access to Plan B, and the fact that the FDA was probably writing its guidelines under the Bush administration, I'm not convinced that the FDA guidelines are completely guided by the available scientific evidence and absent any political considerations.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 6/4/2009 7:36:32 PM
Author: cara

Date: 6/4/2009 1:14:55 AM
Author: oobiecoo
I just wanted to post this from the FDA website about ''Plan B''...

''3. How does Plan B work?

Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work.''

So, depending on when you believe life begins, preventing a fertilized egg from implanting can be easily viewed as abortion. I just wanted to show why some have chosen the ''abortion'' option in the poll. You should show your sis the Plan B website... it states clearly not to use it as a primary means of birth control.

This kind of language creep drives me nuts - it blurs the line between abortion and contraception and attempts to redefine medical terms along with a particular moral or religious viewpoint.

Abortion doesn''t mean moral evil, nor does it mean only stopping development a fertilized egg/zygote/embryo/fetus, nor does it mean failing to place a fertilized egg or embryo in the ideal conditions for development. It means the ending of a pregnancy and explusion of the products, and pregnancy is a condition of the mother and begins at *implantation* not conception.

For example, a person that believes that a fertilized egg is sacred and life begins at conception might object to the destruction of IVF embryos in a petri dish. But there is no abortion involved, even if a moral evil is alleged and the embryos die, because petri dishes aren''t considered pregnant.

People might still object to the morning after pill on moral or religious grounds, but that doesn''t mean there is any reason to allege that it causes an abortion. Some people object to birth control pills because they interfere with reproduction or the woman''s natural cycle. Some people (ie. the pope) object to condoms because they ''encourage promiscuity'' and empower people to limit their fertility rather than leaving it to a higher power. Etc.

Also, one last note: the vast majority of evidence suggests that the morning after pill is a contraceptive and works by preventing ovulation and not the latter methods (including preventing implantation). But it is very difficult to study eggs and embryos in the fallopean tubes and uteri, so it may be impossible prove definitely.

I realize this is a wikipedia article but it does have citations to real studies: Emergency Contraception. In particular see the section on ''mechanism of action'' for the morning after pill. Given the amount of political hoopla around access to Plan B, and the fact that the FDA was probably writing its guidelines under the Bush administration, I''m not convinced that the FDA guidelines are completely guided by the available scientific evidence and absent any political considerations.

"Abortion doesn''t mean moral evil"

To some, it does.

"It means the ending of a pregnancy and explusion of the products, and pregnancy is a condition of the mother and begins at *implantation* not conception."

There are varying definitions on this topic, as well. Life begins at conception. I don''t think there is much wiggle room in that area. No matter what name you give to that life, if something is growing, it''s alive. I always find it odd how whenever a person presents information in a way which possibly doesn''t conform to a person''s own viewpoint, it then becomes creepy. I admit, I have the same feelings when I read "information" (using that term loosely) on information which I feel has been mis-represented. Ending a pregancy is also the ending of the life of the baby that the mother has the "condition" of carrying.

Anyway, totally not the topic here, and not what the original poster was going for, but I did want to respond with an opposing side to the previous poster''s thoughts.

SS, I''m glad your sister has been given another option for birth control. Hopefully this will not only be healthier for her, but also will provide her with a more manageable way of being child-free for the time being. I''m glad this Dr. visit had a different outcome than those previous.

 

[cara]

Author: fisherofmengirly

Author: cara
'Abortion doesn't mean moral evil'

To some, it does.

I should have been more clear. Abortion has a specific definition in a medical context. Here's one:

Author: Oxford English Dictionary
Abortion:
1. a. The expulsion or removal from the womb of a developing embryo or fetus, spec. (Med.) in the period before it is capable of independent survival, occurring as a result either of natural causes (more fully spontaneous abortion) or of a deliberate act (more fully induced abortion); the early or premature termination of pregnancy with loss of the fetus; an instance of this.

Both spontaneous and induced abortions are included in the definition. I realize that many people now avoid using the word abortion to refer to spontaneous ones because of the negative connotation of induced abortions, and that some people consider induced abortions to be a moral evil. But it is not a general word that is commonly used to describe generic moral evil, as in 'slavery is an abortion' or 'adultery is an abortion'. It is not even used to describe moral evil in generic medical issues, as in, 'euthanasia is an abortion'. It refers to a specific medical event that some people find (in some/many/all situations) to be morally evil.

However, having already associated 'abortion' with 'moral evil' some activists find it convenient to just call things that they object to 'abortion' and hope that it sticks. Creating embryos in a petri dish and then freezing or discarding them might be morally objectionable, but those actions are not abortions. Abortion isn't *just* a word that means 'moral evil' or 'demise of fetus or embryo'. You need a pregnant woman involved, at least IMO, and petri dishes can't get pregnant.

My objection is to using 'abortion' to mean 'moral evil' when it relates to things that are not exactly abortions. I agree with you that there is a significant difference between abortion and contraception (taking your 'life begins at conception' statement to mean that preventing a life from forming is not as evil as ending a life - maybe an incorrect assumption?)

In hopes of restricting access to the morning after pill, opponents were trying to blur the lines between it and the abortion pill because people are much less likely to support abortion-access than contraception-access. The pills are different and have different actions and most people see them as being different, at least if they sit down and figure out which is doing what.

A careful reading of the evidence shows that the dominant action of the morning after pill is to block ovulation, as for regular hormonal birth control pills. But it is remotely possible that a tiny fraction of pregnancies may be prevented by preventing implantation of an embryo, or at least this theory has not been disproven, as for regular hormonal birth control pills. Some people do object to birth control pills, for that reason and others, but the number is far less than those that object to 'abortion' in its usual usage. But rather than explaining those details, it is easier for opponents of the morning after pill to just call it an abortifacient and hope everyone gets confused.

OP, glad your sister is going to switch pills. If that one doesn't work be sure to suggest she try something else as they are so personal. Some work for some people but not others.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Amanda gave some very good information

I think it is an emergency measure if your primary birth control fails or a women who is not on OCP is raped.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

Hey Sapphire! Glad you''ve never had problems with depo provera. Some women don''t (just like some women never see weight gain with pills). Of the hormonal contraceptives, though, depo provera has the highest incident of weight gain. But true... it won''t happen to everyone. It can be a great option for some women, but I would caution its use in an obese individual, though. That''s all I was getting at.

Oobie- thanks for digging that up- the evidence seems to be conflicting:

This is from the Clinical Pharmacology section under the Prescribing Information on the Plan B website (which is also monitored by the FDA):
Emergency contraceptives are not effective if the woman is already pregnant. Plan B® is believed to act as an emergency contraceptive principally by preventing ovulation or fertilization (by altering tubal transport of sperm and/or ova). In addition, it may inhibit implantation (by altering the endometrium). It is not effective once the process of implantation has begun.

The website also says that "it will not terminate an existing pregnancy."

This is also reported under the FAQ''s on the Plan B website:
Plan B is believed to act by preventing ovulation, possibly preventing fertilization by altering tubular transport of sperm and/or egg, and altering the endometrium, which may inhibit implantation.

EC is not effective once the process of implantation has begun. It will not affect an existing pregnancy or harm a developing fetus.

These 2 statement were reported back to back on the website, and it seems rather conflicting to me. So, again, back to the "wording" issue. I guess it depends on whether you believe an abortion means expulsion of a fertilized egg or a fetus. We were taught in school that it does not cause abortion, but it seems to be unclear weather it actually expells a fertilized egg or not. There is conflicting evidence out there. My suggestion would be to not personally use it if you think that expulsion of a fertilized egg is morally wrong, just to be sure.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/26/2009 9:08:55 PM
Author: kittybean

Date: 5/26/2009 8:46:52 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor

Date: 5/26/2009 8:45:12 PM

Author: ladypirate

Ditto Cara and Musey--it's not really appropriate as a primary form of birth control, but it's effective for emergency contraception.

Agreed.

+1. I don't really have a moral opposition to the Morning After Pill, but I don't think it's an appropriate method of 'birth control.'

I had a VIOLENT and LIFETHREATENING reaction to it the only time I was scared enough to use it (condom break), so not only is it not appropriate as primary form, it can be dangerous as an emergency form as well. I have no moral issue with it being used as emergency contraception (obviously), but do have significant health related concerns as I for one am one of those people who are always hearing from the doctor or pharmacist, "Oh, that's strange you had that reaction, there is only a .0000001% chance of that and I've NEVER known anyone to have that reaction." My current primary care physician reminds me of his personal CELL PHONE NUMBER when he perscribes me anything new cause my physiology is just that weird. So please, be careful.