starting pill

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2003
starting pill
15
Mon, 03-08-2004 - 7:05pm
I've been going through tremendous stress lately and have not gotten my period since January. I saw my gyn doctor a month ago and she told me to get my blood tested to check my hormone levels. I just called her last week and told her that I still did not get my period, so she made me get another blood test and said something like "Now your progesterone should be tested." Why couldn't she just test it a month ago when I had my blood test the first time? I plan to ask my doctor that question tomorrow (her nurse called my apartment today and left a message, so I have to call her back tomorrow).

I came here because I am curious and hoping I can find out before tomorrow. The message said I can start taking the birth control pill tomorrow to help induce my period. Does anyone know what progesterone has to do with that? I thought you had to get your period first before you start the pill. Can anyone help? Thanks

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Mon, 03-08-2004 - 11:42pm
Hi sambo chick,

I think the requirement to have your period before starting OCs is to be certain that you aren't pregnant before you begin taking them. In your case that has just been established by a blood test. It may be that you aren't ovulating because your hormone levels are messed up and that is what your doc wants to check next. Let us know what she says, ok?

Good luck.

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Tue, 03-09-2004 - 7:24am
thanks, Jill.

I'll be at work when I call her. We all sit so close to each other in our cubicles, but I will try to talk softly get a s much info as possible.


~~Christine aka sambora chick

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Tue, 03-09-2004 - 10:17pm
I spoke to my nurse and she said the doctor wants me to start taking the pill tonight, plus take another one in the morning. I took one at 6 this evening and will take another tomorrow when I wake up at 6. That means only 12 hrs will lapse in between pills instead of 24, but by tomorrow night I wouldn't have to take one again. My doctor said she wanted me to start as soon as possible because of the results from my blood test. This means I took the first pill of the pack today, on a Tuesday, which really should have been for a Sunday. So now I assume I will have my period over the weekends. I was on the pill before and started on a Sunday which meant my period was over by Friday, but now it won't be this way. I am kind of upset, but I hope it will shift in time.

I'm also a nervous wreck now because I had a pap smear done and the nurse told me it showed, and I am quoting her exact words "an abnormality because of the sexual relations I've had." I was at work and couldn't say much. I haven't had a boyfriend in a year but did have a "one night fling" in June. I knew him for a few months before it happened, but I haven't had sex since then so I'm wondering what she meant by that. Do you think she meant an STD? Why couldn't she just say that? I asked her what she meant and said something like "did it show anything?" I was hoping she would get the picture that I was implying cancer, but she only repeated what she said before. She said she would mail me some info on my abnormality.

There were no problems down there at all. After I had sex in June I got my period on time in the following months and haven't had any itching or infections. The only problem was that after I heard the news that I will lose my job, I skipped a period in February and March. I am going through stress right now. My job will be outsourced to India. I mean, I really started to like my job and moved out of my parents' house soley for the purpose of being closer to my job. I was quite upset when I heard the news and haven't had my period in 2 months. That is when I called my doctor and had a pap smear.

What do you think about my abnormality? What could it be?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Tue, 03-09-2004 - 10:21pm
Well I can answer the progesterone question. It is usually measured in urine, not blood, for better accuracy. And they actually check pregnanediol and pregnanetriol. If you take the pill you will not get an accurate result, because the pill can suppress your natural progesterone level.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 12:19am
Hi,

You can move your period to a weekend later, during your placebo week. It's really impossible for anyone on this board to know what your doc found. However Cervical Dysplasia is a very common problem that is checked for with a smear. Can you use a phone in the break room at work, away from coworkers? A lot of vaginal conditions can be easily corrected if detected in their early stages. Let us know how you are doing, ok?

Good luck

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 8:03am

HPV can sometimes be detected with a pap smear.

Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 7:48pm
oh no!! This is how I feel in response to this:


"...HPV can sometimes be detected with a pap smear. It's not cancer, but if left untreated sometimes (not all the time), the cervix can start producing cancerous cells. HPV is extremely common among sexually active people, particularly people who don't use condoms (condoms don't always prevent HPV)...."


The last time I had sex was in June 2003, almost a year ago!!! So if I have anything at all, it's been left untreateed for 9 1/2 months!! I was on the pill and feeling lonely because I hadn't had a boyfriend for a long time, so I had sex with a friend. This guy was 38 and still not married, so I assume he's had a lot more partners than I (I had only 2, including him). When my nurse informed me of the abnormality on the phone she made it sound like I sleep around, which I don't. I just had sex with a guy who does. He didn't use a condom because it was spontaneous, but I was on the pill. I feel so foolish.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-07-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 9:38pm
First of all, let me say that I do not intend the following comment to cause offense.

But, when it comes to diseases, having unprotected sex with a partner who has "slept around" is akin to sleeping around yourself.

On a more positive note, try not to panic about the possibility of having had HPV for a few months. I know someone who had it for years before having a pap done that detected it, and she's doing fine.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Thu, 03-11-2004 - 8:19am

Mistakes happen...

Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2003
In reply to: sambo_chick
Thu, 03-11-2004 - 7:51pm
Thanks for the link. I found one section very alarming to me!! The last time I had sex was in the beginning of June which is OVER 8 months!!


"...The large majority of people cure themselves (usually without ever knowing that they had been infected). Average length of time from infection to cure is about 8 months...."

I plan to read up on this more, but perhaps someone can clarify this for me: Is it guaranteed that you will get the warts whether the cancerous cells have been removed or destroyed? If so, when would they appear? Thanks

Pages