What will happen if I quit..
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What will happen if I quit..
| Mon, 04-19-2004 - 8:43am |
Hi, I have a question and if this question has been asked about a hundred times, please feel free to point me in the right direction.
I am 45 y/o female who has been on Mircette & Kariva (generic Mircette) for about 10 years. I was put on it to control my periods, which were getting longer and heavier. There is NO threat of me getting pregnant. However, I have gained weight, in spite of running 25-30 miles per week and can't seem to lose weight no matter what I eat, or how much I run. My libido is currently non-existent and has been for a while.
My question is this: what will happen if I just stop taking the Pill? I'm sure my periods will come back, but maybe more regularly? Would I be able to lose the weight and perhaps, get some sort of libido going again?
Thanks for any help you can give me!

Josie
Good luck to you!!
Caitlin
I guess I just don't understand why you're staying on the Pill if it's not to prevent pregnancy and you're unhappy with side effects. It does seem to me that menopause should be right around the corner for you (maybe within a few years), so what's the point? But if you're that unhappy with it, and are insisting on staying on it, why can't you try a different Pill? That might take care of some of the libido problems. I don't know about the weight gain thing, since weight gain on the Pill is usually a result of water weight, but a different pill might help that as well.
Like I said, though, I'm only 21, so what do I know about your situation? ;-)
Caitlin
Before I went on the pill (at age 20) I had heavy, long, crampy (prescription worthy), PMS-y periods. I was on the pill for almost 10 years (went off at 30). while on the pill I had irreglar periods, less flow but often for a lot of days, cramps - but not as bad as pre-pill & PMS (don't remember how it compared to teenage moods/PMS). Now (I've been off the pill since last June) I have periods that last only about 5 days, with 2 or 3 of those being very light spotting, I *might* have cramps for an hour or two one day (& this hasn't happened avery month) and my PMS is practically non-existent (I've experienced a "bad
mood" for the afternoon a day or two before my period, but not every month).
The libido improvements are also wonderful. I didn't think I was doing too badly in that department, but it is *much* better now!!! Arousal is very quick & easy these days.
I realize that by 45 you could start experiencing menopause symptoms, which I don't have to deal with yet at 31, but I think going without hormones is worth a try. You say that pregnancy is not a possibility, so what do you have to lose?! If you find your periods unbearable again, you can always go back on the pill.
For me, I can't imagine the circumstances that would make me go back on hormonal contraception, I enjoy my body under the influence of its natural hormones way too much to change that. However, you won't know how your body will behave without trying.
Good Luck, come back & tell us what you decide.
Thanks Everyone!!