HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Would you be on birth control if you didn't have to??

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12 3
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/15/2009 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
I was on birth control for hyper dysplacia and needed to be per my OBGYN so I did the 6 months like he wanted, I have to get retested to make sure it's gone, but do you or do you not perfer to be on the pill? My OBGYN says its so good for you, risk of ovarian cancer is lower and so many other things. What are thoughts?

Thank you,

Linda

Posted 4/15/2009 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
I've read a couple places that oral BC pills are not good for people with UC. I don't plan on going back on them. I think I'm going to try the patch. I don't want to give my UC any reason to get angry!
Posted 4/15/2009 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
NO...B/C pills add to bacterial overgrowth (often why many women get re-occurant yeast infections while on them) they mess with your hormonal levels which can exacerbate both IBD and IBS symptoms (often why many women notice disease activity getting worse around that time of the month)...I always did much worse when on the B/C pill than not. Some people don't notice any difference so it can be individual but anyone on B/C pills is hopefully taking a good probiotic daily and indefinitely (which for an IBDer on the pill or not is a good idea).

:)
Posted 4/15/2009 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
I never could take birth control pills. My mom and sister got serious blood clots from them.
Posted 4/15/2009 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
We just put my daughter on them, after consulting with the GI and newly assigned Gyne. Her periods are long and rough-7-8 days of heavy bleeding, and they end with a flare. The fluctuating hormone levels mess with her UC, and the doc's thought it best to keep them at even levels throughout the month, give her less blood loss, and even throw in the added benefit of clearing the acne that plagues her(YAZ). Just 2 weeks into it, and she feels nauseous, but no increased BM's. Will keep you posted. SHe is not sexually active, so this is purely to deal with the UC.
Posted 4/15/2009 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
I'd encourage those that are on BC pills for health/medical issues (rather than strictly birth control) to learn about bioidentical hormone therapy. Suzanne Somers' book Ageless was an eye opener for me. Wish I'd known about this option when I was put on BCPs for PMS and bad cramping. When I hit premenopause, my doc put me back on them and intended to leave me on them indefinitely, which I felt was a very bad idea. Bioidenticals can optimize hormone levels and decrease all the PMS, premenopause or menopausal symptoms without the dangers of synthentic hormone replacement.

As far as birth control goes, for those that are done having children, check out the Essure procedure as a non-hormonal, non-invasive, permanent form of birth control.
Posted 4/15/2009 11:13 PM (GMT 0)
I wondered about BC effecting my UC so I stopped taking it years ago. As you get older, the side effect risks of blood clots and stroke increase so I just felt better not adding an extra drug to my body. I figure I'm on enough stuff with the UC, I don't need anything unnecessary. I got the copper IUD instead, it lasts 10 years and is hormone free.
Posted 4/16/2009 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
I take BCP because my mom had ovarian cancer at 30 and BCPs are known to decrease the risk of ovarian cancer.
Posted 4/16/2009 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
I'm on it because my periods would give me such bad d I couldn't function. I think I'd probably be on it still. I am NOT in the greatest position to have an oops. The BC hasn't made my UC any worse and I haven't had any yeast infections. It doesn't seem to affect me much.
Posted 4/16/2009 1:15 AM (GMT 0)

No! I went on them last year to help with my periods, and it caused my 2nd flare which almost landed me in surgery. I will never take them again--they made my periods and UC worse!

Posted 4/16/2009 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
I'm tempted to get off my BC pills. I've been on the pill for 5 years now. for about 3 years, I've been having problems off and on with break through bleeding. I haven't heard that BC pills cause problems with UC. That's interesting to find out.
Posted 4/16/2009 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
I notice I am more prone to yeast and bv when I am on the pill but my skin is awful if I don't take it so I have no choice. I would look worse than a 13 year old going through puberty and I am an adult. To answer your question, No, I wouldn't opt to take the pill if I didn't need it for my skin.

Posted 4/16/2009 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
I was on birth control pills for years and it didn't give me any problems. It did make my periods shorter and lighter! about 5 years ago I switched to the patch and loved it. Not having to take a pill was nice. I had to go back to the pill though becaue my insurance made the patch non formulary. I recently stopped taking the pill though because of all that I've heard on here about them possibly making IBD symtoms worse. I didn't notice any change in symtoms whatsoever though and will be going back on them. Too many close calls with my husband and longer heavier periods again.
Posted 4/16/2009 2:04 AM (GMT 0)

After taking 22 pills per day for UC I will never take another drug that I don't absoutely have to!

Sue

Posted 4/16/2009 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
I have mixed feelings. I was on birth control from age 14 because I am prone to cysts. After the crohns diagnosis I switched to the patch to make sure it was being absorbed. I started having some side effects (breast pain, heart palps) a couple years in so I switched to another pill that was Losterin or something like that. I gained a TON of weight very quickly and it was all water weight. My doctor pulled me right off that one and had me on yaz. I was having lots of break through bleeding and feeling very hormonal all the time. I recently came off b/c all together. I miss not using condoms but feel like I enjoy my time in "bed" a lot more than I used to. I don't miss the side effects.

That said, I NEVER flared w/ my period before and now I feel naseuas, achy, and have more D the days before and the first 2 days of my period. It is still light and short. Ironicaly, I never had yeast issues on the pill but have just started having them months after being OFF the pill. Only if I work out after my period ends it seems like. I have been treating w/ acidopholus and hopefully some prophilactic acidophulus will help next time around.

I honestly trust the condoms more for b/c than the b/c.
Posted 4/16/2009 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
I've never actually been on the pill- strange, I'm 39, & most, if not all, women have tried it at least once! I always used condoms or a diaphragm for birth control, & my husband keep talking about a vasectomy. He's been "talking" about it for the past 5 years! Something about men & a scalpel going near their crotch..... rolleyes   But I would definitley NOT take bc pills unless I had to- something about taking hormones skeeves me out. Plus all the possible side effects too! No thanks. The only reason I can see for someone to take hormones aside from birth prevention is skin problems- & even then, I'd probably exhaust all other options. But I don't really know much about the pill- what medical conditions would prompt one to take it, etc.
Posted 4/16/2009 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
Katmom - You mentioned that your daughter has UC and was just put on Yaz.  In the Yaz commercial they say that people who have chronic inflammation (like us) shouldn't take it.  I only noticed it because I used Yaz briefly and it wasn't long after that that I developed UC.  I always wondered it there was some connection - maybe that I was predisposed to UC but the Yaz kicked it into action?  Who knows.  Anyways, I just wanted to mention it.  It may be something you should ask your daughter's doctor about.

Posted 4/16/2009 5:36 PM (GMT 0)

sicklygirl said...
I notice I am more prone to yeast and bv when I am on the pill but my skin is awful if I don't take it so I have no choice. I would look worse than a 13 year old going through puberty and I am an adult. To answer your question, No, I wouldn't opt to take the pill if I didn't need it for my skin.


There are other methods to help with your skin, Poractiv is a great product that aids with acne issues, biotin also aids with skin issues.

:)

Posted 4/16/2009 5:38 PM (GMT 0)

fruitgirl said...
I take BCP because my mom had ovarian cancer at 30 and BCPs are known to decrease the risk of ovarian cancer.

Not necessarily for everyone will it work that way, if there's a strong family history of ovarian cancer in your family then the pill will not guarantee keeping you safe from it.

:)

Posted 4/16/2009 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
Kiss, I was also put on Yaz at one point even though my doc knew about my crohns.
Posted 4/16/2009 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
It goes to show that what is good for some is not necessarily good for someone else.

I have been on BCP forever. I am now 43. I am now on the 3 month pill ( Seasonique- yeah funny name). Anyway, I find that it helped to control my flares more. I always got horrible diarrhea when I got my period - this is before I had UC.

ALso, I have recurring ovarian cysts and my mother died of ovarian cancer so this is a good thing for me. It also keeps my hormones at an even keel.

I guess you have to do what works best for your body and the best way to know what works for you is to experiment.
Posted 4/16/2009 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
Um, pb4, where did I say it would keep me from getting ovarian cancer? I only stated that it decreases the risk and as I have a strong family history of ovarian cancer, it makes sense to do anything I can to decrease that risk, especially because ovarian cancer is one of the hardest cancers to detect. That's why it kills such a high percentage of women who get it. My mom was extremely lucky.


"Of the women with ovarian cancer, 31% had taken the pill at some point in their lives, compared to 37% of the women who did not have ovarian cancer. The longer women used the pill, the lower their ovarian cancer risk. Taking the pill for 15 years or more cut a woman's risk of ovarian cancer by 58%; 10-14 years of pill use cut risk by 44%; and 5-9 years of use cut risk by 36%. But even women who used the pill for only 1-4 years saw a benefit; their risk was cut by 22%. "
(pulled from this article)
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Birth_Control_Pill_Use_Cuts_Ovarian_Cancer_Risk.asp

And I do realize that BCPs can increase the risk of cervical and breast cancer, but I have no family history of either of those, and both are much easier to detect than ovarian cancer.
Posted 4/17/2009 12:00 AM (GMT 0)
Man furitgirl you sure get defensive and like to twist words around don't you, I'll chalk it up to you being on pred...when you say "I take BCP because my mom had ovarian cancer at 30 and BCPs are known to decrease the risk of ovarian cancer." And I respond back with...

"Not necessarily for everyone will it work that way, if there's a strong family history of ovarian cancer in your family then the pill will not guarantee keeping you safe from it."

All I'm clearly saying is that if you're taking because of your mom's issues that she had it will not guarantee a protection (including decreasing the risk) for you or any other woman for that matter.

BTW, taking the birth control pill especially mid to late 30's and older has risks to womens health in general but I'm sure you must know the stats on that.

:)
Posted 4/17/2009 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
I use depo for years to control my periods because I have bad ones, and my Mom just died from ovarian cancer in January. Use of BC with any kind of disease is dependent on the individual and I suggest you consult with your doc.
Posted 4/17/2009 1:50 AM (GMT 0)

I am on Yaz!

My acne is hormonal. Nothing helps except balancing the hormones. I've tried everything, even prescription creams, gels, and toners. No luck.

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
123