Breakthrough Bleeding/Ovcon 50, etc.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-23-2004
Breakthrough Bleeding/Ovcon 50, etc.
3
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 10:37am
I have had breakthrough bleeding while on the last 3 pills. Yesterday I went to the doc and she's sending me for a pelvic ultrasound to be sure I don't have any polyps or fibroids and also to check to see if my uterus is thinning, which I guess happens when you've been on the pill for too long. I have never heard of this. Has this happened to anyone out there? Can a thinning uterus affect future pregancies? All questions I didn't think of until after I left the dr's office. Anyway, she said if my uterus is thinning I should go off of the pill for a few months to let it build back up and then try the pill again. She said if that is not the case, then to try Ovcon 50 (was on Ovcon 35 previously). She said since this pill is stronger, it is likely that it will make be nauseous - great. Just wondering if anyone has been diagnosed or heard of a thinning uterus due to being on the bcp for so long. Also, anyone been on Ovcon 50 with negative side effects? Thanks!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 07-28-2004 - 8:05am
I guess what your doctor seems to be saying is confusing me...partly because I've never heard of that before either. The lining of your uterus is *supposed* to be thinner when you're on the pill for any length of time than it normally would be if you weren't on the pill. If you're taking pills that are too high in progestin for you, you can have problems with the blood vessels not healing up after your period, which you'd notice as bleeding early in your cycle or continuously. If you're having late cycle bleeding, a lot of times that's a lack of progestin or too much estrogen, as the lining of the uterus grows beyond what the hormones can maintain. If it's not easy to tell, then sometimes it is a crapshoot trying to find a new pill that works!

Ovcon 50 isn't prescribed very often because of the amount of estrogen (50mcg). Larger estrogen doses can also cause water retention, bloating, and breast tenderness, and it can make periods heavier and crampier, besides the nausea that you've already been warned about.

What other pills were you on? Maybe a higher progestin pill would be a solution if the higher estrogen pill doesn't work? Ovcon 35 is a pretty middle-of-the-road pill, my gynecologist swears by it, but there's plenty of options out there.

Please keep us posted, I'm curious as to how things go!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-23-2004
Wed, 07-28-2004 - 8:58am
Hi Judie - thanks for your response! The last 3 pills I was on were: Ortho tri-cyclen, Yasmin and Ovcon 35. From the sounds of it, I don't think I want to go on Ovcon-50! I have my pelvic ultrasound tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. Sounds as if my uterus is thin, that is normal for being on the pill. I went to see a new dr, b/c mine was too backed up, so I wonder if she knew what she was talking about. I think she's fresh out of school and just started at the practice. Not like I know what I'm talking about either, but I just like my dr better. So, do you know if the pills I have been are all high in estrogen? Thank you Judie!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 07-29-2004 - 7:55am
Well...you haven't exhausted all of your low dose and very low dose options yet, I think if it were me in your situation, I might try a couple of other things before going into the not-so-low dose pills! But that's me. ;) Sometimes going to a -lower- estrogen pill will help with bleeding too, it depends on why you're bleeding, really. When in your cycle are you bleeding? Or is it all the time? Ortho Tri Cyclen has 35mcg of estrogen, Yasmin has 30mcg, and Ovcon 35 has 35mcg (obviously). Yasmin is the highest progestin pill on that list, and going from Yasmin to Ovcon almost seems like a backward step. There are several pills on the market with 20mcg of estrogen and there are a number of pills that have a higher progestin content that might be worth exploring, the only risk here is that as the progestins get stronger there is a possibility that you might have different side effects. Was the bleeding the same on all three pills or was it better or worse on one than another? I know, lots of questions! ;)

I'd definitely run this stuff past your regular doctor, even if you just leave a message asking her to look at your chart once the results of the US are in and stuff. Not all doctors are properly schooled in hormonal birth control, particularly if their focus is on pregnancy and delivering babies. I've had my share! But if you have a doctor who understands how all this stuff works, it makes things a whole lot easier.

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control