Does BTB stop before period?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-02-2003
Does BTB stop before period?
22
Tue, 08-03-2004 - 11:06am
Well, I'm STILL struggling with BTB on Seasonale...it's been sort of on and off. Sometimes it will be heavy, then it stops, then its light, etc. Ugh, so frustrated. Has anyone had BTB that STOPS before the scheduled pill period? I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is subsiding .. This has been going on for atleast 2 weeks.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2004
Thu, 08-26-2004 - 5:32pm
Erin,

Yes, please let me know how you do. I'll do the same. I'll get some soy milk and start with that. I will do just about anything to try to help stop this. Thanks for talking with me. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one out there.

Good luck to you too,

Heidi

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2004
Mon, 08-30-2004 - 11:27am
Okay, here's my input. I am on my 2nd pack of Seasonal in the second month. To start with, I told my doctor i had previously had problems with btb on other pills, so she said there was a good chance i would with Seasonal. Her suggestion: She said if I start btbing then stop taking my pills for one week and let the period happen. That would keep it from lasting 2weeks or longer. So, around the 2nd week in the 3rd month i started btb and i did this and it seemed to work. Since I was so close to the end of the pack when that happened, I just went straight to the next pack so that I wouldn't have a period 2 weeks after that happened. I really didn't seem to have any problems doing that. My only complaint about Seasonal is I believe the hormone levels are too high for me. I ended up having a couple blood tests done because of the side effects (sore bbs, nausea, headaches, etc.). When I called the dr. and told them what i was feeling they sent me in for blood tests and when that came back neg. she said it was probably just the high amount of estrogen. So, we've decided to stop pills this next week and ttc! I'm so excited, but nervous at the same time. I don't want to get pg right away, but dr. told me it might take up to 6 mo. for pills to get out of my system. Sorry this ended up being so long. Guess i just don't know when to stop rambling! Hope everyone gets everything worked out. Wish us luck, but later! lol
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-16-2004
Mon, 08-30-2004 - 12:35pm
shelt04,

Good luck ttc!!! I am so jealous!! Do let us know how that goes...

Susan

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2004
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 1:52pm
Hi Erin,

I'm in my 8th week now. I'm still having btb. How are you doing? I tried the soy but it seemed to not help the btb. Darn! I just had blood work done and my levels have increased a little. My dr was not impressed and wants to send me to a hematologist. Does anyone know what they do?

I have an appt with another ob/gyn next week to get a 2nd opinion. Do you think that it's this pill that's causing this or is there something else wrong with me!! I have been getting panic attacks because I have been worrying about my blood level. I take an iron pill and try to get stuff with lots of iron in it and I'm still worried. I guess I just needed to vent.

Heidi

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 9:17pm
I'm sorry you're still having bleeding issues. As has been suggested in one of the earlier posts to this discussion, you might want to take 3 or 4 days with out taking active pills so that you get your period and then resume your actives again. Before you try that though you should get your doctor's ok. If you try that let us know how it works. Thanks for the update.

Take care,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 09-23-2004 - 7:25am
On the soy-Seasonale connection....typically breakthrough bleeding with the pill is caused by insufficient progestin, not insufficient estrogen, at least when it happens later on in the pack. I _can't_ take too much soy because the phytoestrogens are not as strong as the synthetic estrogen in the ring (or when I was on the pill also) and they compete for the same estrogen receptors in the body. What that means _to me_ is that my progestin-sensitive vulvodynia flares up and gets worse when I get too much soy because I need that synthetic estrogen to balance out the progestin. Maybe in the same sense it might be that the soy would help restrict how much of the synthetic estrogen was available to the body, but I don't think I'd put a lot of stock into it.

Ibuprofen can reduce breakthrough bleeding sometimes, you'd need to call the doctor's office to ask a nurse just how much to take. It doesn't always work, but if it's light sometimes it does.

I have to caution people about iron supplements as well. Unless you KNOW that you're anemic and your doctor has instructed you to take supplemental iron, DON'T. Your body stores iron and the only way to get rid of it is to bleed, whether through heavy periods or blood donation. Too much iron can cause BIG problems in the heart, brain, and liver. You need 1mg of iron a day, which most of us get through our diets. Menstruating women need a 1.5mg. It's not a huge difference, and it's definitely not as much iron as what's in a lot of multivitamins--18mg.

Breakthrough bleeding is VERY VERY VERY common with Seasonale in the first extended cycle. But if it continued in subsequent cycles, there wouldn't be anybody on it anymore, would there? It does stop for a lot of women, but you have to ride out the first cycle or two to see if it will improve. I know it's hard not to be impatient, but it's just like getting used to any other pill with the exception that the cycles are longer.

I hope that helps!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-02-2003
Thu, 09-23-2004 - 9:43am
Hi Heidi,

Oh dear, I'm sorry my soy suggestion didn't help...I'm not having any more BTB but keep in mind that I'm well into my third pack and went through some BAD btb at times...so much so that I thought my body just didn't want to adjust to Seasonale and I should just go back to Mircette. I actually am just finishing a week off the pills, and the period was the lightest I've ever had--4 days, with significantly less bleeding.

The ladies before me pretty much said it all...BTB on Seasonale is so common, but I can understand with your other issues that it would make you concerned. You should definitely find out if your doctor thinks it is worth staying on the Seasonale for the chance that you'll eventually start bleeding LESS than on regular pills. I'd be very interested to hear what he/she said.

Also, as another poster said, did you try the take-a-few-days-off approach? If I start BTBing before the inactives in the future, that's something I might try. Let me know how it goes and if you decide to stay on.

Erin

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2004
Thu, 09-30-2004 - 2:26pm
Hi Erin,

I just saw your post from last week. I'm now in my 9th week. I have an appt with a new dr this afternoon. I wanted to talk to a woman to see if she would have some help for me. I'm still having the btb. My old dr wants me to see a hemotologist for tests. Thinks that my blood level is not high for another reason than the btb. Thinks something else is wrong. I hope not. I'm really scared and don't know what to do. I'm glad you are doing ok with it now. I only wish I was. I will let you know what the new doctor says. I have lots of questions and I hope I can get them all in before my time is up!!

BTW, I have been putting a huge amount of stress on my body. Could this be one of the reasons for my bleeding?

Heidi

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-02-2003
Thu, 09-30-2004 - 3:06pm
Hi Heidi!

I hope everything goes well with your new doc...finding one that you're comfortable with is definitely key. Keep me updated on how you're doing--maybe it's just as simple as stopping Seasonale for a week or switching to a new pill-who knows!

As for stress...yes, in my experience it can certainly mess with your body, reproductively and otherwise. When I was under a lot of stress in college, my hair started to fall out at an alarming rate. Under other times of extreme stress, my period would be either very late or very early. Ironically, whenever I would stress out about being pregnant (before the pill) my period would almost always be late-sheesh! Just my 2 cents, but a good question for your new doc.

Hope everything goes well!

Erin

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2004
Thu, 09-30-2004 - 3:22pm
Hi Erin,

Thanks for the quick reply!! I really hope everything goes ok. If I end up switching to her, I will need to get my records transferred. Yes, she might want to switch pills or wait for me to finish up this pack (3 weeks). Who knows. I have all my questions ready. I also want to know what she thinks of Seasonale. Maybe she's had some patients that couldn't take it. The dr who gave it to me had never given it to anyone before.

I need to control this stress. I'm having hair loss too right now. I know it's probably part (or all) of my problem. My other doc didn't give me any encouragement or support. He would just walk out when I had a question. Now wants me to go to a hematologist. Maybe she will want me to do that too.

I'll post again tomorrow to let you know what's up.

Thanks for the support!!

Heidi

ps. have you heard anything about the patch?