Any input about the pill for a skeptic?
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| Sat, 04-01-2006 - 1:56am |
i'm considering starting birth control, mainly for the benefit of making me regular and reducing the pms. right now without the pill, i'm highly irregular, i get wierd emotions and mood swings and some cramping. after being like this for a good 2.5 years now, i'm ready to fix this problem.
i've been very skeptical of the pill though for the long term health effects that result. so, i've done some research and i see that there's options of a lower dosed pill and also a pill that gives you an equal dosage of horomones over the 21 day time alloted.
so, while i'm almost positive i'm going to start this up, i wanted to know any positive or negative input anyone might have about taking the pill. i'd like to know about emotional, health, weight gain or energy level effects. also, i'm assuming i speak with my gyn about which pill would be best for me, but i was wondering if there are any suggestions for that as well.
thanks!

Hi habeebah_leena, welcome!
>> i wanted to know any positive or negative input anyone might have about taking the pill.<<
This is what Planned Parenthood has to say about:
The Pill: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/pub-birth-control-10.xml
The pill, patch and ring: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/pub-contraception-choices-4.xml#1097813779931::-4102390786345834550
>>i'd like to know about emotional, health, weight gain or energy level effects. <<
For some women hormonal birth control, especially bi or triphasic pills such as OTC, can contribute to moon swings. Only Depo-Provera has been proven to cause weight gain in a considerable percentage of users. Some women do gain weight and some lose weight on the pill but if a pill causes munchies snacking on veggies and increased exercise are good ways to minimize gaining. It really depends on the individual and her pill. A recent article on weight gain and the pill is: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-bhcontracept&msg=18451.1&ctx=4096
A decreased energy level is a possible side effect but not a common one. A side effect that is quite common is decreased libido. That usually appears within the first several months of use but in my case it didn’t show up until I had been on Ortho Tri Cyclen for about two years.
There will be an adjustment period of about three cycles when you begin or switch pills and any side effects are more common during that adjustment interval. For more on common pill side effects, irregular bleeding and taking your pills correctly see the posts in our FAQs.
>>also, i'm assuming i speak with my gyn about which pill would be best for me, but i was wondering if there are any suggestions for that as well.<<
Your Gyn will take a medical history to see if you are a good candidate for using hormones. S/he will probably have a pill that seems to work best for his/her patients so s/he might start you on that. If I ever go back on hormones (I use a cervical cap as my primary method now) I would try NuvaRing www.nuvaring.com first. NuvaRing has the lowest amount of estrogen (15mcg) of any estrogen/progestin method available in the U.S., it is very low maintenance (worn in the vagina for three weeks and removed for one for your period) and it can be worn continuously for up to four weeks (28days) with no decrease in effectiveness so it is easy to move your period when necessary if you are using the ring.
I hope other members will be along to share their experiences with BCPs. Just remember that how well a particular hormonal method will work for you depends on how your unique body chemistry interacts with the hormones in that method. Other women’s experiences on a particular pill may not be even close to how well that pill will work for you.
Thanks for posting. When you have more questions please ask. Let us know what you and your doctor decide and how you’re doing.
Good luck,
Jill
I talked to my gyn at my annual in February about any health risks that might be associated with the pill.
thank you guys so much for your responses!! very informative for me!
so, i do have another issue that i wanted to ask. you mention that you hope your period is better for you in your 30's than in your 20's, well, i'm the infamous stage of the 20's and my hormones are just raging! this has been my main reason behind me taking birth control - to help regulate me hormonally and emotionally. currently, i am not sexually active, so as of now, pregancy is not really an issue.
to further explain, i've been going through some major ups and downs emotionally and my periods have been really irregular. in efforts to bring some stability in my life, i'd like to see if this would help. however, if the emotional mood swings are likely to accompany this, i'm not so sure if it's the right answer for me.
so, are the perks worth it? and if i've been struggling with emotional ups and downs, is this going to escalate that or perhaps help tone it down?
thanks again
It's really impossible for any of us - and even your doctor - to predict how a certain pill will affect your moods. For some women, the monophasic pills, the patch and the ring (where every pill/dose has the same amount of hormone in it) have a regulating effect because they stabilize the amount of hormones in your body. However, some women experience more mood swings because of these artificial hormones.
You may want to talk to your doctor about trying the pill and if you don't notice an improvement in your mood, or if it worsens, perhaps you could discuss trying a low-dose antidepressant. Prozac has actually been approved for use in women with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), which has been described by some as PMS to the nth degree. (Here's a brief description of what the medical community says PMDD is: "Premenstrual dysphoric disorder has as part of its definition, symptoms such as depressed mood or dysphoria, anxiety or tension, emotional lability, irritability, decreased interest in usual activities, concentration difficulties, marked lack of energy, marked change in appetite, overeating or food cravings, sleepiness or insomnia, and feeling overwhelmed.")
Best of luck to you!
I was on Ortho-tri-cyclen for three years before having my daughter in 2003. I had no known side effects. After my daughter was done nursing, which would have been in 2004, I was put on ortho-low, for a full two months I did nothing but bleed and a month after my doctor took me off. My doctor finally listened to me and put me on ortho-tricyclen that I had been on before, it was fine for two years then my insurance wouldnt cover it anymore and I was put on tri-spintec. I was only on for a few weeks when my legs started feeling numb and tingly called my gyno and he told me that everything was fine. Well anytime that you feel numbness or tingling of anykind and are on the pill, something is not right. I went above my gyno and spoke to my regular physician she told me to go to the emergency room, because it sounded like I was having a serious reaction. Went to the emergency and they sent me over for an ultrasound of my leg to rule out possible leg clots, well I am fine but have been off the pill for about three months now. I love How I feel off the pill. No irregular bleeding, no headaches, no mood swings, or serious bloating or weight gain. Realized all of this was happening when they told me taht I can no longer take bc pills of anykind and that now I have to go in and find out what I can and cannot take. The bc pill also gave me high blood pressure. Now I go in April to have a full physical and maybe to find out what else pill did.
In short the pill is not for everyone. Why not try a patch or the nuva ring I have heard good things abotu both.....
If the pill is not right for you because of side effects, then the likelihood is that the ring and patch will not be right either. All 3 of those methods employ similar hormones, but use different delivery methods.
In your case, you will probably be told to avoid a birth control containing estrogen, since estrogen is usually the culprit of blood clots. This would mean your options are the minipill (progestin only), the Depo shot, the IUD (either Mirena or ParaGard), or a barrier method (condoms, cervical cap, etc...).
Good luck!
I agree with bleugoddess.
Let us know which method you and your doctor choose.
Good luck,
Jill