Birth Control Question

[Dia Minha]

I started taking Yasmin for just over a week to try and shorten and regulate my long heavy periods. I have been diagnosed with fibroids that if I don't get under control will need surgery. They are big enough that my uterus is the size it would be if I was 3-4 months pregnant.

My period came early and the first two days were mostly spotting, so my doctor told me to go ahead and start the day he gave me the prescription which was technically the third day of my cycle. I have not missed a pill and I have been within an hour of taking it at the same time every day. I am now on my 11th day of my period. The bleeding was slowing down and I had several days of very light flow or spotting. Now it has picked back up to a medium flow again. I know that this is probably break through bleeding and can be normal.

What I need to know, if your willing to share is; have you ever been on birth control? What has your experience been with it? Did you have break through bleeding? How long did it take before your cycles regulated?

I just want to hear your experience. If you had a bad experience then I don't mind hearing about it. I just don't want to hear how bad birth control can be and all the side effects it can cause. I don't want to hear why I shouldn't take it or why it would be bad for me. I know those. I am willing to chance those side effects if it means I can keep my uterus.

[Big_Sissy]

Before I offer a suggestion, I want to clarify that I know nothing.

I know our last ob (the same one you had) told me about an IUD that you have for 5 years and it also helped regulate the cycle. And usually made the cycle shorter.

I would so much prefer that, if it will work that is.

Just a suggested question to ask you OB -- if you would like to of course.

Ok, now I'm leaving this thread for good. Good luck.

[Dia Minha]

Thanks Big S. I appreciate your comment. I did talk it over with my doctor. Essentially what he told me is that my fibroids are so large that he isn't even sure if the higher dose birth control will help. Also because of my depression and anxiety history I needed to see what the hormones would do to me before making such a commitment. The IUD your talking about could also have break through bleeding and some women's periods actually get worse for a year or two, before getting better. Of course I've been told that it can take 6 months to a year for the birth control pills to work as well, but there is a higher chance that it won't take as long and they will work better than the IUD. Then there is the idea that the pill is supposed to work better in helping control PMS.

[Big_Sissy]

In my very limited experience with the pill form of birth control, it did not help PMS -- it made it worse. I remember when my wife got off the stuff and I said to myself, "Oh yeah, that's why I married her -- she is cool and fun"

We've never used the pill since. However, I don't know what we used and it's been a long time and everyone is different, so have at it.

In talking to our old OB, I actually told him that the IUD experience we had did not make the cycle shorter, and he said well, this one is different, which it was. The one we used had copper wrapped around the trunk, the one in his office did not, and had something different about it, but I cannot for the life of me think what it was... He also said that the one we had was a 10 year one (which is was, as I remember quite well) -- this one should only be used for 5 years.

I wish I knew the name of it...

All I know is that in my experience in dealing with doctors they are not all the same, nor do they know the same stuff about different products that are out there. In fact most of them suggest certain products because they get a "kick back" in the form of money for suggesting/selling them.

The short to all my rambling is just to make sure. I would so prefer an IUD over the pill if one exists that doesn't make the cycle longer.

Good luck Dia, I'm praying for you too.

[natickgirl]

I had to go through a couple of different brands of the pill before I found one that worked with my body chemistry. The 1st one made me really sick & moody, and did nothing to help with periods. The one I've used for years now has been great. It does take a while for your body to adjust to the hormones (to let the pill do it's job). The longer you are on the pill, the lighter your periods can become. That's what my Dr. said, and it has been true for me. I'd say give it a few months before you switch...but I'm not a doctor, so check with him/her.

For what it's worth, my friend (the one with long, heavy periods & thyroid/hormone issues) just had her IUD removed because it was only making things worse. I think she'd had it for just over 2 years; her youngest is almost 2 and a half.

Good luck!

[Dia Minha]

Yeah, the whole doctor thing is tough. This doctor didn't even want me to try the birth control. He wanted to schedule surgery. I had done a lot of research and requested the new pill called Yaz. It is the only pill that has been proven to help PMS. From what I understand the pill has come a very long way in the last year or two. He pretty much told me that it was such a low dose of hormones that it wouldn't do anything for me.

I did research the IUD. There just seemed to be more complications and side effects. Maybe this new one (was it called Mirena) is different, but a lot of women I know that have had an IUD have gained weight and had irregular cycles with heavy bleeding for years and that is what I'm trying to prevent. More than half the ladies that I talked to that were on Yasmin or Yaz, have actually lost weight and their cycles have regulated before the six months suggested by the doctor.

I really do appreciate the information your sharing BigS. It has kind of helped me work through everything I have learned. The IUD might be something I could do in the future, after I get the fibroids under control.

[Dia Minha]

Natick, That is one of the reason I wanted to use something a little less permanant. If it is not working it will cost less and be easier to try something else. I guess I have commitment issues.

[Big_Sissy]

Dia, yes I believe that was the name of it.

Honestly, I have to agree with the ease of change with taking the pill. It's not like getting an IUD is bad, but getting one more than once in a short period of time is unreasonable for sure. I know Diva certainly doesn't like it.

Ha ha about the doctor. I have no idea about him/her, but it sounds like the BMW payment is due -- so it's time for surgery Getting a doctor that isn't motivated by $$ at all is really hard to do, but once you get one, it's worth it.

Also, I do not think you have commitment issues -- I think you are doing what is going to be the best for you in the long run.

I know you will but make sure you run this by the big Man (the one upstairs) because he can inspire you to go the route that will be best for you. I know you certainly deserve it.

I'm not sure why I'm writing this next part, but make sure you look for the positive in this experience. Their may just be something someone is wanting you to learn -- I find that if I can do that, it goes away much faster. Of course you could take the route I personally seem to prefer, but it tends to draw the learning process out a lot longer <-- Actually it's not that funny

[runamyrun]

Good luck with all of this. I am sorry you are having troubles. When I was in college I had an ovarian cyst. My doctor put me on birth control pills to clear it up. Thankfully it worked. One thing that I really liked about the pills is that it helped me be regular. It has been 10 years since I was put on it, so I don't remember how long it took for my cycles to be regular. I didn't have any side effects. I stopped using them because I really hate taking pills. I ended up switching to the Mirena IUD. And fortunately for me, after a couple of months my period goes away!

And good for you for standing up for yourself and not agreeing immediately to surgery. I hope you can get things under control.

[Dia Minha]

Thanks BS. My doctor told me straight out it wasn't the money. He did admit he likes to do surgery. He says it's fun, breaks up the baby routine a bit. He is kind of odd to say the least. He is sensitive to my feelings and that helps. At one point he made light that he didn't understand why I was there, because my chart said I was pregnant. I told them that I had lost my last baby and they probably didn't get around to updating my chart. (Either that or he wasn't looking carefully enough.) He apologized and even had tears in his eyes. He was very sympathetic to my loss. I guess it is one of those times I will just have to over look his eccentric side and concentrate on his positive aspects.

Both DH and I have prayed long and hard about our decision. Even before I knew it was fibroids that was causing the problem we were praying about me taking the pill. It was one of those times, that neither one of us got a direct answer. We just felt peace and love and felt like that it was up to us to decide. It is really hard to explain. Because the spirit often talks to me with feelings and pictures I don't really ever feel like I'm getting a direct yes or no answer. But then when I think about it this could have been Heavenly Father's way of telling me that this is what I needed to do.

I have also had confirmation that I need to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. When I think about the birth control doing its job along with the diet, it is like I can see the fibroids shrinking and dissolving.

I know I don't have commitment issues. I was trying to be funny.

I am learning a lesson. I'm not sure what it is right now, but the thing that comes to mind is, I have always been afraid that I would never know when I should be done having babies. I always thought there would have to be something physical that would prevent me from having any more. Even if I get the fibroids to shrink, they will be there through menapause. This can cause problems getting pregnant. Which is actually quite funny, because I have never had a problem before. I have given birth to two birth control babies and gotten pregnant three times the first month "trying". My other two pregnancies came when we weren't trying, but not preventing either. All of my pregnancies have been absolute miracles. I have most likely had fibroids for a very long time. They most likely have just been so small in the past that they have not been discovered.

Thanks RAR. It really helps soothe the anxiety to know that it has worked for so many women.

[Dia Minha]

I remembered something else that might be contributing to my break through bleeding. Antibiotics can actually affect your hormone levels. That is why when on birth control and taking antibiotics it goes from being 99.9% effective to 89.9%. So the antibiotics could be contributing to my problem.

[Erudite]

I don't think this will help, but here's my experience. I'm on BC pills, but I don't have a uterus at all. I had a supercerivical hysterectomy about a year and half ago. It was supposed to take care of some pain that I've had pretty much since my last baby was born...he's 5 now. Supercervical means that they only take the uterus, not the ovaries or the cervix. This leaves you hormonaly intact, keeps sex the same (since I have a cervix), and was supposed to solve my problem. It didn't. I still have the pain. So my doc put me BACK on BC pills (we'd tried a different brand before that made it all worse) and the new brand works for me. It dulls most of the pain (unfortunately not all). My doc has me taking it for 3 months solid and then do a week for the period, which I don't have, but homonaly I am supposed to do. After the period period, I go back on the pill and it takes about a week to knock the pain back out. I hate taking pills too, but I do like my beautiful skin that is a result of the pill. And I like that I seem to be out of pain for most of the time.

Anyway, that's my experience.

[bookworm]

Wow, Dia, I'm so sorry you are dealing with all of this stuff! I don't have anything to add here, I haven't been on the pill since right after my second son was born, and then I was only on it for a few months. I don't even remember what kind it was- he's almost 12... I wasn't crazy about it, so I stopped taking them, luckily I have a regular period, so I haven't needed it, but I do wish you good luck with this!!

[missypoohsticks]

I am so sorry that you are dealing with this!
I started taking BC when I was 17 because of regulation issues with my periods. I was every 28 days and then just stopped having them. My family doctor asked if I was pregnant, HAHAHA!! My experience on the pill was not a very good one. I felt like I was pregnant. (At least what I have heard it's like to be pregnant ) I was nauseous all of the time, my breasts hurt all of the time, and I was EXTREMELY moody. I did the same thing on fertility pills.

[Dia Minha]

Just thought I would give everyone an update. My cycles are still not regulated. Even with skipping the sugar pills I have had two periods. Although it has been a lot lighter and a lot more managable. I have still had a lot of spotting. In the last 8 weeks of being on the pill I have had the equavalance of about one week with no spotting. The doctor keeps telling me to give it some time, but I have to admit, surgery is sounding really good at this point. I'm going to continue for three more months and hopefully by then I will have either improved or be ready for another option.

[natickgirl]

Sounds like things have improved a little bit. Remember, it takes time for you body to adjust to the pill. Would you consider giving it a 6 month trial?

[Dia Minha]

Three more months will be six months. At least it will be six months of pills. I will need to take the sugar pills this month (wish me luck there). I guess if you take in the fact that I skipped two weeks of sugar pills it will only be 5 and a half months, but technically that should tell me where I'm at.

[5ft Diva]

If you're anything like me you just want to be normal, or at least what feels normal. Good luck, Dia. Thanks for the update.

[Dia Minha]

Thanks Diva. Normal would be nice. Of course I thought my heavy long periods were normal. I thought I was just a wimp, because it affected my life so much and none of the other woman around me seemed to have a problem. It wasn't until I started opening up and yes complaining that I came to realize that it wasn't normal. It has really amazed me to have had two light periods or what might even be called normal periods and realize what I have been missing.