Tired of Taking the Pill ... sigh ...

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-13-2004
Tired of Taking the Pill ... sigh ...
5
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 12:23am
Hi there ... I am new, I have just signed up and eager to share my thoughts and meet some cool people. I have been reading up for some time now and I want to jump right in.

A little about me: I am 27, a Capricorn, living with my life/biz partner in Canada. We have been together for almost 4 years (our anniversary is this month on the 29th - YEY!) We are madly in love, real soul-mates.

I have a little question. I have been on the Pill (Alesse) since I was 15! YEAH!!!!

And I'm tired ... I want to take a break. We want to get pregnant in the next 12 months, but preferably towards December. I have been doing some research online and I read that it's somewhat dangerous for a woman to be on the pill for over 8 consecutive years, has anyone heard of this? I am concerned! I have been on the Pill for 12 years ... a long time. I want to stop taking it ASAP. What kinda changes should I expect once I get off? I know about the irregular periods, menstrual cramps, increased libido (BONUS). Anything else?

I am a little nervous of getting off the pill, but I think that it's time to let go. I guess I love the fact that my period is like clock-work, I will definately miss that.

BTW, presently we use 2 types of birth control, the Pill and the condom.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this : )

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 2:43am

Hi girly,


The studies on the pill...well, they can be difficult to interpret on the surface.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 8:39am
Welcome, girly!

I have been off the pill since Aug 2003 and have never felt better. The good thing about it is the usual: increased sex drive(and I cant stress that enough!), better, more stable mood, no more pill-induced headaches, more energy, just an overall better well-being. The downside would be as you mentioned irregular periods, more cramping but not unbearable and slightly heavier periods, but for me, not as long(about 2-3 days of spotting and 2-3 days of a period).

If you want to try to conceive around December, now is the perfect time to stop! It will give you a few months to get to know your cycle so you can "pinpoint" the day of ovulation better. When I was ttc, we used condoms till we were ready and that worked fine.

As far as being on the pill too long and that being dangerous, I dont find that to be true, unless you were on a really high dose of estrogen-like the 50, 80, or 100 mcgm that were used when the first came out. I dont think they are prescribed much anymore.(or if you smoke or have a family history of stroke, blood clots or heart disease). And Alesse only has 20mcgm of estrogen and that is a low dose. I had been on the pill for 20years minus 4 years when I had my two children. The majority of the pills I had been on had 30-35mcgm of estrogen and only had the minor side effects.

I understand what you mean about irregular cycles. I get nervous around the time my period is due hoping it arrives. But I dont want to be pregnant(my husband had a vasectomy and we are waiting till he is sperm-free); you though, are planning to so it wouldnt be a bad thing. Hope this helps and let us know what you decide and how you are feeling!

Josie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2003
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 11:53am
I can relate to being tired of the pill. I was on it for nearly 10 years & had had enough!!!

We have no children & my husband has had a vasectomy, so I've been hormone free since last June & loving it.

In my case, my cycles are a bit irregular, but my periods are also far apart (30+ days) like they were as a teenager, before the pill, which I think is great! My periods only seem to be a total of 5 days now, with 2 or 3 of those being minor spotting. I don't have cramps of appreciable PMS, despite the fact that I had long periods, horrid cramps & PMS before I was on the pill, & had a lot of cramping & PMS on the pill. I also bled irregularly on the pill, so I never did get used to the clockwork-periods that most people have on the pill.

Josie is so right about the libido thing! Lubrication is much quicker & arousal is much easier, despite the fact that I didn't think either one was a problem on the pill (well, except one brand that totally killed my sex drive). I love having gone from a reasonable libido to a better one! That happened within a week or two of stopping the pills.

Good Luck, whatever you decide. I'm so glad not to be taking hormones anymore!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-13-2004
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 12:42am

Hello cl-marrymeflyfree, ilv2cook and

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-29-2003
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 10:21am
I am glad for you! And as far as the migranes go, I WAS a migrane sufferer too. Key word here is WAS. After stopping the pill last August I have had only 2 migranes and I believe they were food related(MSG to be exact). Be sure to let us know how the ttc goes! Have fun!

~Josie