Question For The Ladies...birth Control

[Iheartfrogs217]

My periods have been really irregular. I haven't had a period for 8-10 months and I'm 17. (There is no possible way I could be pregnant) So I went to the doctor and she wants to put on birth control to try and even things out, however, I have some concerns. 1.) The birth control pills have an increased risk of blood clots. Since I have POTS and the blood pools in my legs, wouldn't that make the chance of a blood clot even higher? 2.) I have problems with irregular heartbeats and they especially get worse during my period. I've read on some sites that birth control pills should not be taken if a person has an arrhythmia. While I haven't been "officially diagnosed" with an arrhythmia, I highly suspect I have one. So wouldn't it be dangerous to take BC? 3.) Has anyone had any worse symptoms with POTS on birth control? And finally 4.) what is the danger of not shedding my uterine lining? I've heard possibly cancer and I was just wondering if that was true?! Sorry this got kind of long! Anyway, of course I'm going to bring these concerns up with my doctor but I'm just looking for an opinion or input and guidance. Thank you!

[MomtoGiuliana]

I agree you should talk to your doctor about these concerns, although your ob/gyn may or may not be very knowledgeable about your condition.

I have increased POTS symptoms on bcps. I took bcps for several months at two times in my life to address a gynecological problem. I was never told and have not heard that they are not recommended for POTS patients. Some POTS patients feel better on bcps, others (like me) do not.

[Batik]

It's normal for periods to be irregular in your teens, and doctors are far too trigger-happy about putting women on hormones (and later, about whipping out uteruses if there's any trouble there). They don't make your hormones better, they just make them look better.

Do you need contraception? If not, I'd leave it. I use a copper IUD for contraception, fabulous things, and have always been made very ill by hormonal contraception. Ive only ever been on the progestogen-only type, I'm not allowed combined hormones due to having migraines.

DVTs are nothing to mess around with either. My partner had one in 2012 despite being young and healthy, and his sister's had two in her thirties too. They have a genetic thing going on.

Are you getting symptoms at all apart from the irregular periods?

[Nymph]

If your doctor thinks that your hormones need even-ing out... Why does she think they are uneven in the first place? For example, some things, such as being underweight or very athletic, can change your hormones and stop your period. You are absolutely right to ask questions and weigh the pros and cons. If there is an underlying cause, in my opinion, it is better to treat that as naturally as possible before pasting over your own hormones with synthetic ones. But sometimes it can be helpful for difficult problems. To me, not getting my period would not be a difficult problem! You can also take the wait-and-see approach. BTW, a "period" with birth control is not a real period anyway, because you haven't ovulated. So it's not really fixing anything because the most important part of your cycle is not your period but ovulation, from a biological standpoint. Those are my two cents. I'm sure you'll make a good decision.

[Iheartfrogs217]

Dear Momtogiuliana, I'm sorry to hear about your trouble with BC! If you don't mind me asking, what was the name of the pill you were on? Thanks for your input.

To Batik, I do have a lot of POTS symptoms besides irregular periods. I get palpitations, cyanosis, standing tachycardia, dizziness and blackouts from standing too long, general yucky feeling, and extreme fatigue. Basically, I'm a "classic" POTS case. I also do not need contraception.

To Nymph, she thinks they are uneven because I haven't had a period for 8-10 MONTHS. Apparently, that's not even normal for teens. I definetly agree that natural hormones are the best. I think this is the only time where I've actually wanted my period. Lol I'm just wondering if I should take them to shed my uterine lining because I heard online that if a person doesn't shed their uterine lining in a while it could cause cancer. I know that a person can't trust everything that they read on the internet, but I certainly don't want to risk cancer. I usually never take pills, because, like you, I think natural is always best, but now I don't know what to do. Thank you for your advice!

[Bigskyfam]

I've had my tubes tied after 3 pregnancies. I started with heavy cycles for past 3-4 years. I had a d&c and started ocp. Too nauseated. Tried a mirena. 6 months later I was bedbound with my first pots flare. I had it removed 6 months later and felt better without it. Cycles are starting again. While the idea of no period is grand... It needs to be investigated by a gyn with an ultrasound and/ labs.

I'm more at risk for syncope/ headaches at ovulation and right at my cycle.

[Katybug]

Hi. I tried to copy and paste a link to search results but it didn't work. The topic of birth control comes up a lot on this forum. If you type in "birth control" in the search box and make sure the little gray box in the search bar says "forums" or "this forum", you will get a long list of threads regarding feedback on how birth control has affected different members.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Iheartfrogs217 Honestly I am not sure about the specific names, either time, now, without asking my doctor.

I agree with you that 8-10 months with no period is unusual for an older teen and should be investigated.

I would ask your doctor about your cancer concern.

[imapumpkin]

From what I have read, cancer due to not shedding uterine lining is called endometrial hyperlasia and it occurs when there is an EXCESS of estrogen without progesterone in the body in women who are menopausal or perimenopausal. The excess of estrogen causes the endometrium to continue to grow despite the lack of menstruation and could lead to cancer. THAT SAID, unless your doctor has done tests to conclude that you have a hormonal imbalance and that you are producing more estrogen than normal, I do not think that at 17 you should be too concerned about uterine cancer from lack of periods. from what i understand, endometrial hyperplasia is the only reason not shedding uterine lining would cause cancer. Women don't get periods for many reasons...often athletes will stop getting periods or they stop due to being underweight. Often amenorrhea (lack of periods in a woman of child-bearing years) happens when a women is breastfeeding, or is on an IUD or other hormonal form of contraception, and there doesn't seem to be any known evidence to suggest that simply not getting a period alone can cause cancer. here is a link to info about the condition http://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Endometrial-Hyperplasia

You are right to be seeing your doctor and to be asking these questions, but perhaps ask your doctor to refer you to an endocrinologist if he or she suspects a hormonal imbalance. an endocrinologist will be more familiar with causes of hormonal imbalances and tests to determine them. have you had any tests run?

personally i have been on birth control for ten years and am going through my own bc drama. i am currently off the pill because it started giving me horrendous acne and possibly causing GI bleeding, but in ten years, once i found the right pill for me (there are MANY MANY different kinds and it can take a while to find the one that works for you) i haven't had any POTS-related problems with it. in fact, since i've been off the pill my BP has dipped even lower . it is nice to have my body on it's own hormonal rhythms, however, i have needed to be on the pill because my periods are really heavy and i'm prone to anemia.

by all means if you're not comfortable going on hormonal contraception it's totally up to you to tell your doctor how you feel. but i agree with MomToGiuliana that the cause of your 8 months of no period should be investigated rather than someone just throwing pills at you on a hunch.

[malzwit]

Hey I'm 24 and went on BCP (yaz) when I was about 16 for irregular periods. I don't take the plecebo pill and I find that I feel much better on yaz, I tried the generic kind and that made me emotional so I switched back to the brand name. I haven't had my BCP effect my POTS in anyway negativity except when I switched brands. So if you find out that there is no reason why you haven't had a period then, BCP might help

[sue1234]

I can't help on BCP. I'm 55, and I tried BCP in my late 20s and they made me feel awful. i ended up getting a uterine ablation and tubes tied after my last child. I tried the BCP again a couple of times around 40 years old for premenopausal symptoms, but every time, I felt awful. I would feel like I was taking a sleeping pill from the very first pill and then like a slug. I don't know why. So, basically I've spent my whole life without them.

[Jan]

We aren't doctors on this board. I don't know if it is a bad thing to go that long without a period at your age. Is it possible to go to a different OB/GYN for a second opinion? They should be the expert on this and you shouldn't have to be doing on line research and guessing what to do, when there are doctors who went to many years of school and should know the answer.

I have found huge differences in opinion between OB/GYN's I have seen. I found one who took my POTS into consideration, researched which BCPs were known for raising blood pressure, and gave me those. I felt tons better on oral contraceptives. My doctor didn't feel that POTS would increase the risk of blood clots unless I smoked. But everyone is different. The pills may help your POTS symptoms, or not.

It isn't like you have to stay on them for long. Perhaps you could go on them for a few months, have a few periods and than stop. I think taking your list of questions to your doctor is a good idea. And I personally don't recommend nurse practitioners or nurses to answer the questions because you have a complicated medical condition to consider.

[Afpayne]

When I was 18 I didn't have a period for 9 months. Went to the doctor and we got me started on birth control and I tick like a tock now at 29. Sometimes we just need an extra little jolt of estrogen to get our cycles normalized I guess. But I use the Nuva Ring right now and have POTS. LOVE the ring. Seriously set it and forget it and I forget medication frequently. But I wouldn't be too worried about blood clots as long as your doctor is ok with it. Just for the love of your health don't smoke. That does more to create blood clots. I would make sure you familiar with the symptoms of blood clots. But if your blood pressure is fine I wouldn't be too worried about it. The pooling I experience with my pots isn't persistent enough to be worrisome for a significant increase in pots (words from my doctor not from me).