S/O Post- Thoughts on Birth Control?

STARMOON44

monkeysip said:

STARMOON44 said:

monkeysip said:

Hormones from birth control =/= hormones used to treat hormonal imbalances.

There's three very important difference.  First of all, a good doctor will use bioidentical hormones, not synthetic ones like the ones found in BCP.

Second, to treat a hormonal imbalance, you need to figure out the exact amounts of hormones you're actually imbalanced in, and need to take just those amounts.  Taking too much/too little/ or not the right hormones can cause even more problems.

Third, hormones are supposed to be taken at the proper time in your cycle, according to your body's natural rhythms.  BCP doesn't do that, hence why it stops your body from ovulating.  And that's kind of the whole point... if something is STOPPING you from ovulating, then it's NOT balancing your hormones out.  Balancing hormones would equal a healthy ovulation.  What your reproductive system is supposed to do...

I'm all for identifying hormonal imbalances and treating them when you need to.  But using BCP for that is like taking a bunch of random antibiotics in varying amounts, hoping to fight off an infection.

This is utter nonsense. You aren't a doctor. I get that NFP works well for you, and I agree that it can be a good idea, but this is made up pseudoscience. 

As as is the entire idea that there is any medical advantage to abstaining from sex during your fertile times instead of using condoms then. That's a moral issue and pretending otherwise makes you look foolish. 

WHERE did I say there was a medical advantage to abstaining from sex?  I didn't even mention NFP in the above post.

My post isn't about NFP.  It's about reproductive health.  Everything I just said above could be checked by a doctor.  You don't just randomly take hormones to "treat a hormone problem".  I'm also not pretending to a be a doctor diagnosing any problems for anyone.  I just don't like people thinking that taking BC is the best way to treat a hormonal issue... it isn't.  

Taking birth control prescribed by your doctor is not "randomly taking hormones." 

nerdwife

STARMOON44 said:

monkeysip said:

STARMOON44 said:

monkeysip said:

Hormones from birth control =/= hormones used to treat hormonal imbalances.

There's three very important difference.  First of all, a good doctor will use bioidentical hormones, not synthetic ones like the ones found in BCP.

Second, to treat a hormonal imbalance, you need to figure out the exact amounts of hormones you're actually imbalanced in, and need to take just those amounts.  Taking too much/too little/ or not the right hormones can cause even more problems.

Third, hormones are supposed to be taken at the proper time in your cycle, according to your body's natural rhythms.  BCP doesn't do that, hence why it stops your body from ovulating.  And that's kind of the whole point... if something is STOPPING you from ovulating, then it's NOT balancing your hormones out.  Balancing hormones would equal a healthy ovulation.  What your reproductive system is supposed to do...

I'm all for identifying hormonal imbalances and treating them when you need to.  But using BCP for that is like taking a bunch of random antibiotics in varying amounts, hoping to fight off an infection.

This is utter nonsense. You aren't a doctor. I get that NFP works well for you, and I agree that it can be a good idea, but this is made up pseudoscience. 

As as is the entire idea that there is any medical advantage to abstaining from sex during your fertile times instead of using condoms then. That's a moral issue and pretending otherwise makes you look foolish. 

WHERE did I say there was a medical advantage to abstaining from sex?  I didn't even mention NFP in the above post.

My post isn't about NFP.  It's about reproductive health.  Everything I just said above could be checked by a doctor.  You don't just randomly take hormones to "treat a hormone problem".  I'm also not pretending to a be a doctor diagnosing any problems for anyone.  I just don't like people thinking that taking BC is the best way to treat a hormonal issue... it isn't.  

Taking birth control prescribed by your doctor is not "randomly taking hormones." 

There are a few problems with this. @monkeysip, you do know there are a lot of different types of birth control pills, right? Like, with different hormones, different amounts of hormones, etc.? There is literally nothing random about it. People go to doctors and doctors prescribe the appropriate birth control, which in many cases is actually the best treatment for hormonal issues. Since you didn't defend yourself with, "I am in fact a doctor," I assume you are not one, and are instead, like @STARMOON44 said, just stating pseudoscience things as though they are facts. Responding by saying, "Everything I just said above could be checked by a doctor," is also not a response. A doctor could "check" this... and then tell you it's not accurate.

monkeysip

nerdwife said:

There are a few problems with this. @monkeysip, you do know there are a lot of different types of birth control pills, right? Like, with different hormones, different amounts of hormones, etc.? There is literally nothing random about it. People go to doctors and doctors prescribe the appropriate birth control, which in many cases is actually the best treatment for hormonal issues. Since you didn't defend yourself with, "I am in fact a doctor," I assume you are not one, and are instead, like @STARMOON44 said, just stating pseudoscience things as though they are facts. Responding by saying, "Everything I just said above could be checked by a doctor," is also not a response. A doctor could "check" this... and then tell you it's not accurate.

Let me restate my point for you.

BC was never created to balance out your hormones to their healthy levels.  IF your hormones were at their healthy levels, you would ovulate.  You don't need to be a doctor to understand that part.  That's high school health class.  The whole point of BC (ALL the various kinds) is to stop your ovulation, so that you can prevent pregnancy.  It has been a secondary use of BC to use it to help treat those who have imbalanced hormones.  And YES, it can help certain hormonal issues.  My whole point is that it's NOT the same as actually just treating your hormones.  IF you wanted to treat your hormonal imbalance, and still ovulate, then you would have to test your various hormones through out your cycle, and then supplement the ones you were missing accordingly.  That's not pseudoscience.  

So if you want to use BC and it helps your hormonal issues, great.  But that's not it's primary use, and it quite obviously hasn't restored your reproductive system completely, or you would be ovulating.
 

nerdwife

monkeysip said:

nerdwife said:

There are a few problems with this. @monkeysip, you do know there are a lot of different types of birth control pills, right? Like, with different hormones, different amounts of hormones, etc.? There is literally nothing random about it. People go to doctors and doctors prescribe the appropriate birth control, which in many cases is actually the best treatment for hormonal issues. Since you didn't defend yourself with, "I am in fact a doctor," I assume you are not one, and are instead, like @STARMOON44 said, just stating pseudoscience things as though they are facts. Responding by saying, "Everything I just said above could be checked by a doctor," is also not a response. A doctor could "check" this... and then tell you it's not accurate.

Let me restate my point for you.

BC was never created to balance out your hormones to their healthy levels.  IF your hormones were at their healthy levels, you would ovulate.  You don't need to be a doctor to understand that part.  That's high school health class.  The whole point of BC (ALL the various kinds) is to stop your ovulation, so that you can prevent pregnancy.  It has been a secondary use of BC to use it to help treat those who have imbalanced hormones.  And YES, it can help certain hormonal issues.  My whole point is that it's NOT the same as actually just treating your hormones.  IF you wanted to treat your hormonal imbalance, and still ovulate, then you would have to test your various hormones through out your cycle, and then supplement the ones you were missing accordingly.  That's not pseudoscience.  

So if you want to use BC and it helps your hormonal issues, great.  But that's not it's primary use, and it quite obviously hasn't restored your reproductive system completely, or you would be ovulating.
 

There are so, so many medications that were invented for one purpose and end up effectively treating other things. That's the case for BCP. Invented to help prevent pregnancy, and it turns out they do address hormonal problems for women. 

Your definition of a healthy reproductive system is not quite right. What you're defining is a fertile one. For many women, health is not the ability to have a baby, but the ability to not have the variety of problems that can occur around their menstrual cycle. Are you saying that women who have gone through menopause and no long ovulate do not have healthy reproductive systems?

monkeysip

I would argue that for post-pubescent and pre-menopausal woman, yes, a healthy reproductive system would be fertile.  I mean, that's what a reproductive system is for in the body.  Even if a woman never wants to have children (which is totally her choice), I would still say that if her reproductive system was healthy, she would be ovulating, since that's what the reproductive system is supposed to do after puberty and before menopause.  After menopause, the body obviously isn't meant to ovulate anymore.  

To me, it's like a stomach that doesn't digest, or kidney that doesn't filter your blood.  

Hence, when women aren't ovulating, it's a sign there's something wrong with her reproductive system (like a blocked tube, or PCOS), etc.

Of course, for many women, ovulating may come with many terrible symptoms, like serious cramps, etc.  In a lot of those cases, it's still a hormonal imbalance that *can* be treated without stopping ovulation.  I've known lots of women that did so.  

In rare cases, it can't be treated without stopping ovulation, or sometimes even going as far as a hysterectomy.  I'm not negating the necessity of stopping a woman's ovulation altogether to prevent her symptoms, whether using BC or through surgery.  But again, that's not the first line of defense, and you wouldn't say you made her reproductive system "healthy," you would say that there was a problem with her reproductive system that required you to stop its functioning.

At the end of the day, every woman has to weigh her options and do what's best for her.  I'm not saying doctors shouldn't prescribe BC or anything like that.  All I'm saying is that stopping ovulation is not typically "fixing" the reproductive system.

banana468

@nerdwife, the issue is that plenty of women (not necessarily here but I've spoken to peers) who complain that the BC was what they were told to take to regulate their cycles.

But THEN, when it was time for them to TTC, they realized that they were never told WHAT the main issue was or how to get their systems to actually move in normal reproductive fashion.   So the BC did its job, but then they had to dig in deeper because the pill treated the symptoms but didn't actually treat the problem.

I'll compare it to my mom's bad knee.  My mom has a bad knee and she's taking Aleve to treat the pain.   The taking of Aleve and pain reduction allows her to walk normally but only while it's in her system.  It's not treating the bad knee.   The solution for her is to have a treatment for the reason that she takes the Aleve.  

julieanne912

I originally went on BC to prevent pregnancy.  I never had irregular periods or anything like that.  They were on the heavy side, but that was about it.  However, the most wonderful side effect of the BCP I was on (Loestrin/Minastrin) was that it also really regulated my moods... even my mom could notice a difference in how my voice sounded on the phone.  I'm just sad I waited til I was almost 30 to take the pill... because my teens and 20s would have been a hell of a lot easier both personally and professionally had I not been so crazy all the time.  And, as soon as I went off the pill, I got a period 5 weeks later, and have been as regular as they come since then.  

I can't WAIT to go back on it after I have a kid, because of the positive hormonal changes it does for me.  I'm kind of miserable being off of it, but since we want to TTC pretty soon, no point in going back on it.  (I originally went off because we were going to TTC right after the wedding... but then decided to wait a year).  

Also, side note, when I was a young teenager (think 13/14), my doctor suggested to my mom that I go on the Pill, to help my moods.  I was nowhere near sexually active at that point, but my mom declined, because of her moral issues with a teenager being on the pill.  I really wish she hadn't.  

STARMOON44

My normal functional healthily fertile hormones gave me severe depression for one week of every month in my 20s. My doctor said I could take anti-depressants or birth control. After discussing the side effects, I picked birth control. There was nothing random about it. My reproductive system was in perfect working order without it, but I was still suffering depression. Since I wasn't trying to get pregnant anyway skipping ovulation was an easy call. It wasn't masking any underlying problem. It was treating it, cheaply, safely, and effectively. 

scrunchythief

STARMOON44 said:

My normal functional healthily fertile hormones gave me severe depression for one week of every month in my 20s. My doctor said I could take anti-depressants or birth control. After discussing the side effects, I picked birth control. There was nothing random about it. My reproductive system was in perfect working order without it, but I was still suffering depression. Since I wasn't trying to get pregnant anyway skipping ovulation was an easy call. It wasn't masking any underlying problem. It was treating it, cheaply, safely, and effectively. 

That sounds like an awesome experience with your doctor!  I'm really happy that works (worked? not sure) for you.  

It also was pretty much the exact opposite of my experience with birth control. When I was 14, I wasn't told any side effects or other options and it was implied that if I didn't take it I'd become infertile, and possibly die.  By the doctor that performed my lifesaving surgery, a month prior. 

I think this thread has taught me that I'm not mad about birth control specifically.  I'm mad about how the medical system treats women in general, with everything.

drunkenwitch

TrixieJess said:

I know tubal ligation has been brought up, I know women who love this and if you don't want children or you are done this is a great idea, just make sure they cut and cauterise, not just clamp. How about vasectomy? Would any of your FI's or H's consider a vasectomy if you are done having children or you don't want any? It's less invasive than a tubal and easier to recover from. 

Mine is the cut and cauterized type, I had it done over a decade ago when I was single and watching my reproductive rights get stripped away. Thank the universe I actually found a doctor who believed that woman should have total say when it comes to their reproductive organs. Being free of pregnancy is, hands down, the most liberating thing I have ever felt. I will never understand people who fight to restrict or ban a woman's decisions when it comes to her own body. 

nerdwife

monkeysip said:

I would argue that for post-pubescent and pre-menopausal woman, yes, a healthy reproductive system would be fertile.  I mean, that's what a reproductive system is for in the body.  Even if a woman never wants to have children (which is totally her choice), I would still say that if her reproductive system was healthy, she would be ovulating, since that's what the reproductive system is supposed to do after puberty and before menopause.  After menopause, the body obviously isn't meant to ovulate anymore.  

To me, it's like a stomach that doesn't digest, or kidney that doesn't filter your blood.  

Hence, when women aren't ovulating, it's a sign there's something wrong with her reproductive system (like a blocked tube, or PCOS), etc.

Of course, for many women, ovulating may come with many terrible symptoms, like serious cramps, etc.  In a lot of those cases, it's still a hormonal imbalance that *can* be treated without stopping ovulation.  I've known lots of women that did so.  

In rare cases, it can't be treated without stopping ovulation, or sometimes even going as far as a hysterectomy.  I'm not negating the necessity of stopping a woman's ovulation altogether to prevent her symptoms, whether using BC or through surgery.  But again, that's not the first line of defense, and you wouldn't say you made her reproductive system "healthy," you would say that there was a problem with her reproductive system that required you to stop its functioning.

At the end of the day, every woman has to weigh her options and do what's best for her.  I'm not saying doctors shouldn't prescribe BC or anything like that.  All I'm saying is that stopping ovulation is not typically "fixing" the reproductive system.

Just because you believe something doesn't make it so. Unlike digestion and blood filtering, ovulation is not necessary for survival, and many women have given examples of how what you consider a healthy reproductive system was unhealthy for them. You're not a doctor, and making statements like "In rare cases, it can't be treated without stopping ovulation" is borderline outrageous.

I get that you, for whatever personal reasons, don't like BCP, and that's your prerogative. Don't take them. But don't go onto internet boards and post things that are not facts as though they are. That's all I'm saying here.

nerdwife

banana468 said:

@nerdwife, the issue is that plenty of women (not necessarily here but I've spoken to peers) who complain that the BC was what they were told to take to regulate their cycles.

But THEN, when it was time for them to TTC, they realized that they were never told WHAT the main issue was or how to get their systems to actually move in normal reproductive fashion.   So the BC did its job, but then they had to dig in deeper because the pill treated the symptoms but didn't actually treat the problem.

I'll compare it to my mom's bad knee.  My mom has a bad knee and she's taking Aleve to treat the pain.   The taking of Aleve and pain reduction allows her to walk normally but only while it's in her system.  It's not treating the bad knee.   The solution for her is to have a treatment for the reason that she takes the Aleve.  

I don't think that this is what @monkeysip is saying, but I do get that this could be an issue. I mean, I always knew that not having regular cycles could mean a fertility problem, and that BCP would address the irregularity but not the fertility problem, but I guess not everyone makes that connection. In those cases, a doctor should definitely spell it out for them. I would be troubled if I thought BCP would cure infertility only to find out that's not true.

But for other problems, like the ones women on this very thread have laid out, BCP is the correct treatment.

I just think that's what people here aren't understanding - in many cases, for many women, BCP addresses and fixes a problem they have. It isn't "masking" a problem or anything like that - it is treating it. If the problem is a young women with unpredictable periods, the treatment is regulating them. If the problem is a woman with mood swings, with unbearable cramps, etc., BCP is a treatment for that. In cases where the underlying problem may be a fertility issue, you are right, it is not treating that. But, just like your mom uses aleve, it addresses the symptoms and lets people live their lives.

banana468

nerdwife said:

banana468 said:

@nerdwife, the issue is that plenty of women (not necessarily here but I've spoken to peers) who complain that the BC was what they were told to take to regulate their cycles.

But THEN, when it was time for them to TTC, they realized that they were never told WHAT the main issue was or how to get their systems to actually move in normal reproductive fashion.   So the BC did its job, but then they had to dig in deeper because the pill treated the symptoms but didn't actually treat the problem.

I'll compare it to my mom's bad knee.  My mom has a bad knee and she's taking Aleve to treat the pain.   The taking of Aleve and pain reduction allows her to walk normally but only while it's in her system.  It's not treating the bad knee.   The solution for her is to have a treatment for the reason that she takes the Aleve.  

I don't think that this is what @monkeysip is saying, but I do get that this could be an issue. I mean, I always knew that not having regular cycles could mean a fertility problem, and that BCP would address the irregularity but not the fertility problem, but I guess not everyone makes that connection. In those cases, a doctor should definitely spell it out for them. I would be troubled if I thought BCP would cure infertility only to find out that's not true.

But for other problems, like the ones women on this very thread have laid out, BCP is the correct treatment.

I just think that's what people here aren't understanding - in many cases, for many women, BCP addresses and fixes a problem they have. It isn't "masking" a problem or anything like that - it is treating it. If the problem is a young women with unpredictable periods, the treatment is regulating them. If the problem is a woman with mood swings, with unbearable cramps, etc., BCP is a treatment for that. In cases where the underlying problem may be a fertility issue, you are right, it is not treating that. But, just like your mom uses aleve, it addresses the symptoms and lets people live their lives.

Yes and no.   In my mom's case, as the Aleve wears off, it's quite apparent that she hasn't actually DONE anything about the issue.   Therapy, possibly draining the knee and maybe even surgery could do wonders.   The daily dosing doesn't fix it. 

The concern I've seen is with issues like my college roommate diagnosed with PCOS so she was told to take the pill.   Well PCOS symptoms can be regulated with the pill so the cramps can be lessened and it can regulate the hormone levels in the body so some body hair issues may be lessened.

But PCOS *IS* an issue with fertility.   Some present with symptoms worse than others.   But when my roommate was diagnosed, there was no bloodwork done and hormone levels weren't checked.   They threw a prescription of BCP at her and said, "Take this at the same time each day and it will fix what's going on."   So she's lead to believe that this BCP fixes her symptoms.

Then years later when she and her partner TTC and it's not working, only THEN do they go through the full-on lab workup with a reproductive endocrinoloigst so they can figure out what is happening in her system.   And only THEN can they figure out what is going on.    At least in her case, I don't think it's explained as, "Hey, this will help you right now but if you go off this and TTC, you'll see that it didn't get to the root cause."   

However can it help people live their lives without the cramps and mood swings?   Yes it can.

I am a former BCP user so it wouldn't be really fair of me to shake my fist at anyone taking them.   And I will say that I didn't have the feeling I was about to black out on my period when I was on them like I did when I wasn't taking them.   

BUUUUUUT, when I found that I also lost all desire to have sex with my husband while taking them, I knew that I had to dig deeper and find something else because well, sex is fun. 

nerdwife

banana468 said:

nerdwife said:

banana468 said:

@nerdwife, the issue is that plenty of women (not necessarily here but I've spoken to peers) who complain that the BC was what they were told to take to regulate their cycles.

But THEN, when it was time for them to TTC, they realized that they were never told WHAT the main issue was or how to get their systems to actually move in normal reproductive fashion.   So the BC did its job, but then they had to dig in deeper because the pill treated the symptoms but didn't actually treat the problem.

I'll compare it to my mom's bad knee.  My mom has a bad knee and she's taking Aleve to treat the pain.   The taking of Aleve and pain reduction allows her to walk normally but only while it's in her system.  It's not treating the bad knee.   The solution for her is to have a treatment for the reason that she takes the Aleve.  

I don't think that this is what @monkeysip is saying, but I do get that this could be an issue. I mean, I always knew that not having regular cycles could mean a fertility problem, and that BCP would address the irregularity but not the fertility problem, but I guess not everyone makes that connection. In those cases, a doctor should definitely spell it out for them. I would be troubled if I thought BCP would cure infertility only to find out that's not true.

But for other problems, like the ones women on this very thread have laid out, BCP is the correct treatment.

I just think that's what people here aren't understanding - in many cases, for many women, BCP addresses and fixes a problem they have. It isn't "masking" a problem or anything like that - it is treating it. If the problem is a young women with unpredictable periods, the treatment is regulating them. If the problem is a woman with mood swings, with unbearable cramps, etc., BCP is a treatment for that. In cases where the underlying problem may be a fertility issue, you are right, it is not treating that. But, just like your mom uses aleve, it addresses the symptoms and lets people live their lives.

Yes and no.   In my mom's case, as the Aleve wears off, it's quite apparent that she hasn't actually DONE anything about the issue.   Therapy, possibly draining the knee and maybe even surgery could do wonders.   The daily dosing doesn't fix it. 

The concern I've seen is with issues like my college roommate diagnosed with PCOS so she was told to take the pill.   Well PCOS symptoms can be regulated with the pill so the cramps can be lessened and it can regulate the hormone levels in the body so some body hair issues may be lessened.

But PCOS *IS* an issue with fertility.   Some present with symptoms worse than others.   But when my roommate was diagnosed, there was no bloodwork done and hormone levels weren't checked.   They threw a prescription of BCP at her and said, "Take this at the same time each day and it will fix what's going on."   So she's lead to believe that this BCP fixes her symptoms.

Then years later when she and her partner TTC and it's not working, only THEN do they go through the full-on lab workup with a reproductive endocrinoloigst so they can figure out what is happening in her system.   And only THEN can they figure out what is going on.    At least in her case, I don't think it's explained as, "Hey, this will help you right now but if you go off this and TTC, you'll see that it didn't get to the root cause."   

However can it help people live their lives without the cramps and mood swings?   Yes it can.

I am a former BCP user so it wouldn't be really fair of me to shake my fist at anyone taking them.   And I will say that I didn't have the feeling I was about to black out on my period when I was on them like I did when I wasn't taking them.   

BUUUUUUT, when I found that I also lost all desire to have sex with my husband while taking them, I knew that I had to dig deeper and find something else because well, sex is fun. 

I agree (and already agreed) that if a doctor leads you to believe that your infertility problem will be addressed with BCP and you don't realize that's not the case, that's a problem. It's never okay for a doctor to mislead a patient. But that's not a BCP problem, that's a doctor problem. BCP is a common treatment for the often debilitating symptoms of PCOS, and then fertility treatment is available when people want to actually have babies.

If BCP have negative side effects for you, like loss of sex drive, by all means, don't take them. I am certain I would also stop taking them if I didn't want to have sex. I am pretty sure my whole point is that I love BCP not just for the health benefits to me, but because it gives me the freedom to have sex when I would like without risking pregnancy.

kimmiinthemitten

This was too funny to not share in this convo (NFP women, apparently you're abstaining from alcohol like the CDC recommends).  

banana468

I'm throwing it to the wind.    DH's birthday was Wednesday and I had half a bottle of wine.  

I'm fucking reckless I tell you.   ;-)

holyguacamole79

kimmiinthemitten said:

This was too funny to not share in this convo (NFP women, apparently you're abstaining from alcohol like the CDC recommends).  

Screw the CDC.

drunkenwitch

Sterilized ladies drink everything 

tigerlily6

Seems to me the key is just make sure he also drinks a lot with you -- good old male biology + lots of alcohol = birth control all unto itself. (JK, by the way -- be safe and make wise choices, ladies!)

holyguacamole79

banana468 said:

I'm throwing it to the wind.    DH's birthday was Wednesday and I had half a bottle of wine.  

I'm fucking reckless I tell you.   ;-)

Your husband's name is "reckless"?

spockforprez

holyguacamole79 said:

banana468 said:

I'm throwing it to the wind.    DH's birthday was Wednesday and I had half a bottle of wine.  

I'm fucking reckless I tell you.   ;-)

Your husband's name is "reckless"?

I feel like your siggy gif was an awesome accompaniment to this post. 

banana468

holyguacamole79 said:

banana468 said:

I'm throwing it to the wind.    DH's birthday was Wednesday and I had half a bottle of wine.  

I'm fucking reckless I tell you.   ;-)

Your husband's name is "reckless"?

It is now!  You made me LOL in the car!

Now I need the picture my FIL took of me tonight finishing the bottle.  

PrettyGirlLost

monkeysip said:

Hormones from birth control =/= hormones used to treat hormonal imbalances. 

Medroxyprogesterone acetate, also known as Depo Provera, is used as both a contraceptive drug and as part of HRT.  One of the most common forms of estrogen in BC, Ethinyl Estradiol, is also used in combination HRT products.  Norethindrone, a form of progestin, is also used in both BC and HRT products.

I'm not an OBGYN or pharmacist, but I assume the dosages are going to differ, and a quick Google search of some of the common HRT drugs with the comparable contraceptives supports a dosage difference, where the contraceptives are taken at a lower does then HRT drugs.  But the hormones used in BC products seem to be the same hormones used in HRT products.

There's three very important difference.  First of all, a good doctor will use bioidentical hormones, not synthetic ones like the ones found in BCP.  Why do you say that? 

There's no evidence of the peer reviewed literature to suggest that using "bioidentical" hormones is better, or safer than using traditional hormone replacement therapy drugs and combos: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/expert-answers/bioidentical-hormones/faq-20058460

Second, to treat a hormonal imbalance, you need to figure out the exact amounts of hormones you're actually imbalanced in, and need to take just those amounts.  Taking too much/too little/ or not the right hormones can cause even more problems.  The same can be said of the dosages of contraceptive drugs too.

Third, hormones are supposed to be taken at the proper time in your cycle, according to your body's natural rhythms.  BCP doesn't do that, hence why it stops your body from ovulating.  And that's kind of the whole point... if something is STOPPING you from ovulating, then it's NOT balancing your hormones out.  Balancing hormones would equal a healthy ovulation.  What your reproductive system is supposed to do...

If you notice that your skin is a wreck around your period when you are NOT taking BC, and then once you start taking BC your skin condition improves and becomes more stable, then that strongly suggests that your hormones played some part in your skin issues. Therefore BC, even though it prevents you from ovulating, WAS balancing out your hormone levels with respect to your skin issues.  And as noted above, the concentration of hormones in BC is pretty low, lower than the concentrations used in HRT.

And if you want to get into a biological/evolutionary biological discussion of what are reproductive systems are supposed to do, that's a much longer conversation, but the short answer is that we weren't "designed" to have as many ovulation cycles as we now do in modern times, so preventing some of those ovulation cycles can actually be beneficial.

I'm all for identifying hormonal imbalances and treating them when you need to.  But using BCP for that is like taking a bunch of random antibiotics in varying amounts, hoping to fight off an infection.  The added benefit of BCP controlling adult acne in some women is not the same as this analogy at all.  If your analogy were accurate, dermatologists wouldn't often recommend BCP to help control acne.  In fact a 2014 study suggests that for long term treatment, BCP may be better than antibiotics: http://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(14)01291-2/abstract

I never said that contraceptives were the best way to treat a hormonal issue.  My comment was in reference to the observations that in some women, BCP can improve and control their adult acne issues.

PrettyGirlLost

monkeysip said:

I would argue that for post-pubescent and pre-menopausal woman, yes, a healthy reproductive system would be fertile. 

Healthy women with no fertility issues who choose to take BCP to prevent ovulation in order to prevent pregnancy are still fertile and still have a healthy reproductive system, by your definition.  They are just choosing to suppress their ovulation. 

I mean, that's what a reproductive system is for in the body.  Even if a woman never wants to have children (which is totally her choice), I would still say that if her reproductive system was healthy, she would be ovulating, since that's what the reproductive system is supposed to do after puberty and before menopause. 

After menopause, the body obviously isn't meant to ovulate anymore. 

To me, it's like a stomach that doesn't digest, or kidney that doesn't filter your blood.  

Hence, when women aren't ovulating, it's a sign there's something wrong with her reproductive system (like a blocked tube, or PCOS), etc.

No, not necessarily.  See above response.  Also, in some cases a woman can ovulate and still have something wrong with her reproductive system; My OBGYN suspects I have endometriosis, and if so, that means my reproductive system is not normal or healthy.  And yet, I can still ovulate.  I just choose not to because the symptoms related to my menstrual cycles are horrendous as previously described in this thread, and are also abnormal.  Taking BCP normalizes those symptoms.

Of course, for many women, ovulating may come with many terrible symptoms, like serious cramps, etc.  In a lot of those cases, it's still a hormonal imbalance that *can* be treated without stopping ovulation.  I've known lots of women that did so.  

In rare cases, it can't be treated without stopping ovulation, or sometimes even going as far as a hysterectomy.  I'm not negating the necessity of stopping a woman's ovulation altogether to prevent her symptoms, whether using BC or through surgery.  But again, that's not the first line of defense, and you wouldn't say you made her reproductive system "healthy," you would say that there was a problem with her reproductive system that required you to stop its functioning. 

You are splitting hairs.  If a woman's reproductive system has issues and is unhealthy, and then that women seeks medical treatment for those issues, be they hormonal treatments, surgery, etc, and those treatments alleviate her medical issues, then yes, she is now healthy.

A friend of mine had a large  fibroid tumor form in her uterus.  That's not healthy.  It was diagnosed for a long time and caused her to have many issues.  She required a hysterectomy to have it removed.  She's now healthy and has none of the previous issues.

At the end of the day, every woman has to weigh her options and do what's best for her.  I'm not saying doctors shouldn't prescribe BC or anything like that.  All I'm saying is that stopping ovulation is not typically "fixing" the reproductive system.

And sometimes suppressing ovulation actually is fixing the reproductive system.

MCmeow

Since I get migraines with aura I couldn't use the typical BCP's, what the doctor gave me was the mini-pill, with no estrogen. It was horrible. I turned into a horrible person. I had no idea a pill can make me so moody. I was so mean to my boyfriend/now fiance (This was a few years ago). I would make snarky remarks and regret it immediately, it was so weird. So I stopped it and never went back. Now I'm going to look into getting an IUD in the next month or so. I heard so many good things about it.

Kahlyla

MCmeow said:

Since I get migraines with aura I couldn't use the typical BCP's, what the doctor gave me was the mini-pill, with no estrogen. It was horrible. I turned into a horrible person. I had no idea a pill can make me so moody. I was so mean to my boyfriend/now fiance (This was a few years ago). I would make snarky remarks and regret it immediately, it was so weird. So I stopped it and never went back. Now I'm going to look into getting an IUD in the next month or so. I heard so many good things about it.

My Mirena IUD was a good option in many respects. But, looking back on the last five years compared to now (with the hormones obviously wearing off/running out/what have you), I think it greatly affected both my mood and my sex drive, as much as or more than the mini-pill ever did for me. It was subtle, and I never attributed any of it to the IUD at the time. But the timing of how drastically and suddenly things have changed for me now makes me suspect it very strongly as the culprit.

Part of me is still tempted to recommend it to other women because it is incredibly convenient, and I certainly can't claim that my experience is universal, I just wanted to share that perspective. Are you looking at the Mirena or the non-hormonal IUD? Good luck with whatever you choose!

MCmeow

Kahlyla said:

MCmeow said:

Since I get migraines with aura I couldn't use the typical BCP's, what the doctor gave me was the mini-pill, with no estrogen. It was horrible. I turned into a horrible person. I had no idea a pill can make me so moody. I was so mean to my boyfriend/now fiance (This was a few years ago). I would make snarky remarks and regret it immediately, it was so weird. So I stopped it and never went back. Now I'm going to look into getting an IUD in the next month or so. I heard so many good things about it.

My Mirena IUD was a good option in many respects. But, looking back on the last five years compared to now (with the hormones obviously wearing off/running out/what have you), I think it greatly affected both my mood and my sex drive, as much as or more than the mini-pill ever did for me. It was subtle, and I never attributed any of it to the IUD at the time. But the timing of how drastically and suddenly things have changed for me now makes me suspect it very strongly as the culprit.

Part of me is still tempted to recommend it to other women because it is incredibly convenient, and I certainly can't claim that my experience is universal, I just wanted to share that perspective. Are you looking at the Mirena or the non-hormonal IUD? Good luck with whatever you choose!

Jeeze that sucks because I want the Mirena, haha, just based on their pros/cons. Sorry you had a bad time with it. I'm guessing my doctor will figure out which is better (I have epilepsy and those migraines so that will probably affect this choice).

lembaslover

Wow this is such a great thread. I know I'm a bit late to the conversation but I just want to say that I really appreciate all of the opinions and experiences on different birth controls.

I've been on the (BCP ortho tri cyclene specifically) for about 10 years now. I went on it as a teenager b/c I ended up in the ER with multiple cysts on my ovaries bursting. I went to see a gyno after they recommended at the ER that some forms of birth control could help keep that from happening. I also had bad acne and really really heavy flows. I was actually really surprised when my mother let me go on it. She was really hesitant b/c she's always been super strict and believe in no sex before marriage and had expressed views that putting teenagers on birth control would make them have sex. Luckily she listened to the doctor and put my health above those beliefs. 

For the most part I've enjoyed being on the BCP because my flows are regular and I haven't had any more cysts and while I still have acne it's improved. However lately especially since getting married in the fall I've felt like my low libido is an issue. I love my husband and having sex it's just I never feel like I'm in the mood. It's not really a new development but with ex-bfs it wasn't really an issue b/c we didn't live together and would only have sex occasionally and my low libido wasn't really noticed by me. But now that it's causing a little bit of friction in our marriage I think it's time to start looking for other options. DH is really supportive, he even said once that he'd love me even if I never had sex with him again, but I obviously don't want that and I hate hurting him by turning him down. We do still have sex and I do enjoy it when we do it's just not nearly as often as he would like.

Anyways the point of my post is just to say thank you all because I've honestly been thinking something is really wrong with me. I know it's dumb but I thought when we got married it'd change and when it didn't I was disappointed. So hearing that other women experienced similar issues and that it could be due to the BCP I'm on makes me feel a little less like there is something wrong with me. And even if that doesn't fix it, I guess I just feel less alone and less guilty in this issue. 

nerdwife

Okay, I know this thread is like basically dead and I do not - really, seriously do not - want to argue with anyone, but I have a question for NFP people that has been kind of driving me crazy.

So, for those of you who are using NFP for religious or moral reasons and don't have sex when you're fertile at all (as opposed to using condoms or something like that), can you explain to me what the moral/religious difference is between that and using condoms or BCP? Like, if you're only having sex when you can't get pregnant, you're essentially using a specific form of birth control, so I just don't get how it's different from using condoms all the time.

I'm not trying to be judgmental, I just genuinely want to know.

cupcait927

@marriedhamstermom I know that a lot of women experience a drop in libido due to the pill but I just want to let you know that it's not always the reason. I read your post and I could've written the same thing - I was on the pill for 10+ years, never noticed that I had an issue until I started living with H and the opportunity for sex was always there. I thought it was my BC pill as well so I got an IUD. Nothing's changed in 6 months that I've had it - I still have issues with low libido and pretty much never want to have sex. I'm glad that I made the attempt to get to the root of the cause but I just want you to be prepared that it may not be the pill and it may be something else.