Your Experience With Birth Control?!

[misstraci]

I'd like to know your experiences with birth control (pills, shots, patches, etc)

I went to my OBGYN the other day in hopes of finding a BC method that may even out my hormones and not make my POTS symptoms worse during the weeks around my period. He prescribed me seasonique and said it would help, I wouldn't get but a few periods a year, and it should be good for me. I'm freightened by the risk of blood clots/stroke/heart attacks associated with combination birth control though. I can't bring myself to take it. I called back and had him give me the mini pill instead which consists of progestrone only.

Is anyone on either of these medicines (seasonique or mini pill). What are your reactions and views of them? Did it help your symptoms any or give you new symptoms?

[kayjay]

Mayo clinic put me on Kariva and had me take the active pills for three months in a row. I made out fine with this. Yaz gave me the worst flare of my life ( i didn't know I had pots). Make sure whatever you take does not affect potassium levels.

[Batik]

I do really badly on hormonal contraception, so I have a copper IUD instead. Much safer and more reliable.

[roxie]

I was at my OBGYN talking about that this week too for pelvic pain, She told me to wait to start till the first Sunday after my period starts, so I have to wait.

Like 10 years ago I tried continuos & didn't do well with them. I had breakthrough bleeding every two weeks. So I stopped them.

My dr this time told me you really need to train your body to have less periods. She's have me do 3 months with the sugar pill week/period. If I do ok with that Ill try 2 pack in a row & then allow a period. I'll gradually increase my time in between periods.

She also told me that there are so many different formulations of pills that if one doesn't work dont get discouraged there are others to try that may be perfect.

[Katybug]

I can't do any of the pills as we tried so many brands and types and they all made my GI issues worse. I used Nuvaring for a bit and that's how I figured out I need BC without estrogen in it because I still had issues while I was on it. When I went back on DepoProvera shots, I was not better but at least not made worse every 4 weeks by my hormones. There is definitely a concern at 37 about using this method and osteoprosis, but, I am takng the risk at this point. I will say this...you can easily stop using the other forms of BC like pills or rings, but, once you get the shot, its in you for 3 months, so you need to be sure its what you want to do.

[kewi]

I'm on nuvaring, I'm able to have a period only every 3-4 months this way by just skipping my "ring-free" week. My gp said I really only need to have one every 6 months. Personally, that seems too long for my comfort level.

I have not discussed bc with my EP, but I was off my bc last month and obviously got my period during that time ... Worst week I had in a long time - my heart rate was going from 70-120+ back to 70 within 30 seconds, shakey, dizzy, etc. I almost think I'm better off on it, at least then I have a steady regulation of hormones.

[Batik]

When I went back on DepoProvera shots, I was not better but at least not made worse every 4 weeks by my hormones. There is definitely a concern at 37 about using this method and osteoprosis, but, I am takng the risk at this point. I will say this...you can easily stop using the other forms of BC like pills or rings, but, once you get the shot, its in you for 3 months, so you need to be sure its what you want to do.

It's effective as a contraceptive for three months, but Depo Provera stays in your system for much longer. It can take around a year for fertility to return to normal.

[RunningWild]

Seasonique basically destroyed my life for a year, but I dont know if I had POTS then. It made me moody, irritable, no sex drive, tired all the time, etc. etc. I came off of it and switched to Zovia and I've been on that for 2 years now. I'm a much happier person, but I guess my POTS stuff happened since starting this. My boyfriend wants me to try and come off BC all together to see if my POTS goes away. Its sorta like my last option.

[westernmass]

I have the mirena iud. I have basically no period. My acupuncturist, and mother, and deep down even I don't feel this is healthy. Specifically the acupuncturist doesn't feel it's a good idea to suppress any blood flow in the body especially when dealing with something like pots.

I was thinking of switching to bcp to have a period again but even those are fake periods really. Plus everyone seems to be saying their pots gets worse with a normal menstrual cycle...

I feel like this is really relevant to health ad maybe to pots issues and I just don't know which direction to go. No-bc is not an option for me either.

[Batik]

It might feel odd not to have periods, but it's not unhealthy. Healthy is whatever hormone balance works best for you. I do badly on contraceptive methods which involve altering my hormones, so for me that's unhealthy. I do well on a copper IUD, but some women get really heavy periods on those, so it wouldn't be healthy for them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[Katybug]

Batik,

I'm aware that the Depo stays longer than 3 months. I was, for the purposes of this conversation, making the point that you can stop taking pills or using a Nuvaring easily but once you receive a shot you are stuck with that decision.

[misstraci]

Thank you all for sharing with me your experiences. I like hearing other peoples pros and cons about it.

[Batik]

Batik,

I'm aware that the Depo stays longer than 3 months. I was, for the purposes of this conversation, making the point that you canstop taking pills or using a Nuvaring easily but once you receive a shot you are stuck with that decision.

Absolutely - I was agreeing, but trying to point out that it stays in your system for even longer than people think it does! Mirena and Implanon are meant to be fairly good in terms of getting the hormones out of your system fast when you stop. Oral contraception (the pill, the mini-pill) is meant to be somewhere in the middle. I had a terrible time on Depo myself, it's not a nice one in terms of the side effect profile.

[Jan]

Any oral contraceptive can be used like Seasonique, you just skip the one week of fake pills. My doctor looked up which oral contraceptive was most likely to raise blood pressure and prescribe that for me, and I took them non stop without the placebos and didn't get a period. I mainly did it for migraines. It got rid of the "week from ****" I had right before my period started and got rid of the menstrual migraines. I think it also kept my blood pressure higher which was good for me.

Once in awhile I had break through bleeding and had to go off it for a week to get a period and it always made me so grateful to be on them, I was on them for years and have nothing but positive things to say about them.

I took them right up to menopause, stopped the pill, and went into menopause. I really love menopause...no up or downs, no week from ****, no period. Love it.

[Batik]

That's actually quite unusual - most doctors will refuse to prescribe the combined pill to a woman with migraines. I asked quite persistently, and was told No, because of the stroke risk. So they wanted to put me on progestogen-only contraception, which I hate.

[yogini]

It was fabulous for me and really helped with my POTS and BP. I don't think I had too much trouble adjusting. I stopped taking it when my POTS improved. There have been lots of discussions on the forum about which birth control is best for POTS.

[AmberK]

Hi Misstraci, I've been on the mini pill for around 7 years now, and it's been such a godsend! I take Cerazette, which has stopped my periods completely (although every now and then I stop for a couple of months to check that I will still have a period, and do). I used to have awful periods, and it would make my POTS symptoms worse around the time of my period. I thought I just had to put up with it, and didn't ask for a change in pill. I was only put on Cerazette when I was struggling hormonally at really wanting to have children but not being well enough to. I went to my nurse who listened and then suggested Cerazette to balance my hormones. I still get very broody occasionally, but the unexpected side effect of getting rid of all the period problems has been a real blessing.

[jem15]

It seems to me from the research I've done and from my own personal experience that everyone's experience with different birth controls varies greatly. So what might be great for one can be awful for another. I too just recently had to decide to go back on, at least for a 3mo trial, despite how much I hate the possible side effects. I'd be on it for about 8 yrs due to irregular periods and worsening of my POTS symptoms before/during menstruation, Seasonique was the last one I had been on prior to stopping. I didn't seem to have any problems with it at the time, and it was better for me not to have a monthly period. I then went off for 3yrs, and my periods randomly became regular so I didnt think I needed to be on it anymore. Since I'm 33 now, I wanted to stay off since I"m getting older in "birth control years", but my POTS symptoms just kept getting worse not only before/during menstruation, but also during ovulation as well. In addition, I kept getting more ovarian type pain and cyclical sciatic pain, to the point where they are suspecting endometriosis as the cause. Since I dont want exploratory surgery, trialing birth control to see if it helps, seems to be the least invasive option.

Since I was afraid of my risk factors for bad side effects, my doctor has me trialing the birth control while taking a baby aspirin daily, to reduce clot risk. I'm not loving having to take an additional med, but for now I went along with it. I 1st tried Lo Loestrin, it has the lowest dosage of estrogen out there right now, 10 mcg, in hopes of having the least chance of side effects.. but oddly enough I felt really crappy on it. Faint and hot all the time, and also had some of the normal symptoms like bleeding/spotting, headaches, and acne. And I was only on it 3 weeks. I know it can take 3mo to adjust, but I couldnt deal with the faint/heat feeling. So I stopped it for a week, and just started LoSeasonique instead, to try and determine if it was just that particular pill or my reaction to all pills at this point. Or it's possible it's not from the pill at all, since I didnt feel totally better off the pill, but maybe my neuro system just needed more time to re-set. So we'll see what happens, but I never had a bad reaction to the pill when starting it before, so I dont know if this is just how my body is responding now or what.

I just heard of people using natural progesterone cream for things like endometriosis, but I'm not sure if it can help with period symptoms as well or if it can postpone your period like the pill. I'm trying to find out more about it, cause I'd love a less side effecty alternative. I was going to try the mini pill too, but my dr didnt think it'd help as well with endo. and she said i still might get my period on it.. she didnt think it'd work as well.. but if i cant tolerate reg pills, i may see if i can try it.. if i can get my insurance to cover it. Good luck trialing the pills. It's not fun.. but sometimes you can find one that works for you. I think it just depend on the individual person's body.

[Lemons2lemonade]

just an fyi, florinef makes birth control ineffective

[Jan]

Actually, Florinef is affected by oral contraceptives, not the other way around.

Estrogens, including oral contraceptives: Fludrocortisone half-life and concentration may be increased and clearance decreased. A reduction in fludrocortisone dosage may be required when estrogen therapy is initiated, and an increase required when estrogen is stopped.

[Hoosierfan]

Ok, I need a kindergarten explanation of this. Is estrogen a vasodialator or vasoconstrictor or neither? And the same for progesterone?

My hormone tests just came back and I am off the charts estrogen dominant, and a little low on progesterone. My bp tends to tank right around when my estrogen peaks and continues until my period. So, my thought was that estrogen was a vasodialator and that the best treatment for me was the progesterone only pill ---- but then when I research it seems it is the other way around (estrogen is a vasoconstrictor and progesterone a vasodialator). I'm totally confused!!!!

I'm meeting with my OB and my holistic doc to go over my test results next week and I was inclined to say "hey, let's try and stop my cycle with the mini pill or MIrena," but now I'm confused -- would this make my bp LOWER??

I have NMH -- hypotension -- not POTS -- so if we do anything with my cycle I need something that will bump me up. Thanks all!!!!

[Batik]

It's a common myth that progesterone is used in contraception. Actually, it's progestogen (UK), known as progestin in the US. This is vaguely similar to progesterone, but not all that much - it's actually closer to androgen.

I've never had enough good tests to know exactly what is going on with my hormones, but I do Fertility Awareness Method charting to keep an eye on my periods, and I know from that that I have a short luteal phase, which suggests oestrogen dominance.