Hormonal tests before BCP

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-13-2003
Hormonal tests before BCP
1
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 1:24am
Question for those who might KNow: why don't gynos do hormone level tests before prescribing a BCP, so you can get one closest to your natural hormones and avoid side effects? I have taken 5 BCP's, had SEVERE depression and nausea with all of them. Yet, every time I go for my yearly, my doc tells me I should be using the pill because ofmy horrible cramps, VERY heavy periods, etc. Would doing a hormone test even work to help eliminate depression, etc.? Just wondered about you guys' thoughts since I am sure some of you have more experience with this than me. When off the Pill, I am not prone to depression or nausea in the least so I feel my natural hormones must be doing their job. Thanks!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 12:07pm
I don't think it's that simple! If it were, and if hormone tests weren't expensive, they'd probably be doing them. On top of that, hormones fluctuate from day to day so you really can't get a very accurate reading on a test--women who suspect that they are entering menopause will even test with normal hormone levels, though by their symptoms they can't possibly have them.

There is a kind of formula used in one of my references as far as what kind of pill to start a woman on based on how her hormones seem to be--how heavy her periods are, how bad her PMS is, things like that. Because we all tolerate and metabolize medications differently, it's not as simple as replacing A with B, so it does kind of have to be a trial-and-error process. To get closest to your natural hormones, you'd kind of have to not be on the pill (they're synthetic hormones--most progestins are actually derived from testosterone). ;)

When I went on the pill seven years ago, it did wonders to ease my heavy painful periods. Any pill can do that, or it should. I've been on a number of different pills, and for me those that helped the most with my periods were those with either the highest progestin levels or the least estrogen. Depression can be worsened by either the progestin or the estrogen component, and for each woman it may be different. If you have tried pills that are all related to each other, that may be part of the problem. If all the pills you've tried have 30-35mcg of estrogen, that might be part of it too (estrogen can cause nausea). I'm using Nuvaring now, it's got 15mcg of estrogen, which is the lowest dose on the market. Alesse and Mircette have only 20mcg (though the progestin doses are different and different kinds) of estrogen, the patch I think does too. And Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo has 25mcg of estrogen, so there's a few lower-estrogen options out there.

If you're okay with your periods and don't want to be on the pill, that's fine! You don't have to be on the pill if you don't want to, no matter how eager your doctor is to write you a prescription.

Good luck! Hopefully that's helpful....

Judie

Judie Cl for Birth Control