Nervous about starting birth control

Hi ladies,

I read most of the threads on the search function, but I just wanted to vent a little. I am 27 and have never been on BC, but for various reasons feel like it's a good decision.

First off, Im not interested in having children for at least another five years or so, so thats one reason. But also, Ive been struggling with my cycle since starting endurance training-- I get a period every two to three weeks, which is accompanied by horrible, horrible PMS--depressive mood swings, uncomfortable bloating, binge eating. When I get my period, all of these symptoms subside... but it's just too much to handle every two/three weeks. I can't take it anymore!

I have my first appointment with a new GYN to discuss some options, right now I was thinking about trying the Nuvaring--if that didn't work then maybe an IUD. I'm nervous that birth control will make these symptoms worse, cause uncontrollable weight gain or affect my mood more than the PMS already does!

If you have any advice or support for a first-timer, Id appreciate it!

Hopefully you'll be comfortable with your new OB/Gyn. There's also Planned Parenthood to help you discuss all your options.

I'm of "the pill" generation, and couldn't give much advice on the newer options. I was just thrilled that I had an option. Being able to control when I had a period was sweet. It also cut back on the severity.

Good Luck. But do find someone / a professional, that you can openly discuss all your options.

Let me preface this by saying I know I am in the absolute utter minority of people, statistically. However, I can't let mention of the "nuvaring" go without mentioning that I was put on it in 2006, and almost immediately developed difficulty breathing. That lasted for several months with varying attempts at a diagnosis: was it asthma? Allergies? None of those could be verified and my breathing difficulties continued, presenting with occasional chest pain.

I did not think to mention to my primary doc who was trying to sort out the breathing that my OB had put me on the nuvaring, and the records were not computer cross-referenced at that time.

Finally, one morning I started coughing up blood which worried me enough to call my doctor again (duh) and worried her enough to do some non-standard blood tests, the results of which worried her enough to order a CT which promptly showed that I had multiple bilateral pulmonary emboli (numerous blood clots in both of my lungs). While I had been on a cross-country flight a month before, the timing of the symptoms and the location and multitude of the clots (which were more consistent with the pattern of clotting caused by hormonal birth control) led her to conclude that the nuvaring was directly responsible for the clotting.

I was on blood thinners for 6 months and have made a full recovery. :) I can never take hormones again (i.e. for menopause), and have to be constantly vigilant as once you clot once you are pre-disposed to clot again.

My husband got a vasectomy. :)

Again, I am in the statistical minority of people; however, the "low dose" "safe" newer birth controls actually seem to have a higher risk of clotting than the older stuff. I just couldn't let mention of that product pass without mentioning this. If you DO decide to go on it, please be extra vigilant for leg cramping (a sign of DVT, which I had and chalked up to doing long bike rides) or any changes in your breathing.

A good doc or nurse practitioner should be able to discuss all the pros and cons of your various options. I've been on the Pill for a about 12 years. The last five years, I've been on Loestrin-24, which has rendered my periods nearly nonexistent. It's a 24, rather than 21, day program. My period, such as it is, lasts two to three days. I was extremely irritable the first couple of months on it, but it passed. I also never gained weight from it. Most of the side effects seem to pass after a couple of months. Certainly the side effects were better in my mind that an unplanned pregnancy.
I've never really had trouble remembering to take it. I've probably forgotten it five times in 12 years. Of course, there are risks to nearly every method.

I don't know anything about the Nuvaring, but I have heard that you shouldn't use an IUD unless you have given birth previously. Not sure why. I just switched to Yaz from another pill a few months ago, and so far I'm liking it a lot. All my craziness and chocolate cravings I used to experience in the days leading up to my period are pretty much gone, and my period is much lighter and shorter as well.

Sorry I can't give more input. Good luck with your search!

I've been on the old fashioned kind of birth control pills about 27 years. That makes me feel old! I like the "side effects" of the pill - skipping periods if it doesn't fit my schedule, minimal length... And it forces me to get a regular check up every year.

Veronica

Oh my gosh, MP. That is terrifying. I'm so glad you and your doc figured out that the Nuvaring was to blame. I've been considering my own surgical options of late as we've definitely decided to stick to cats, rather than kids.

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Originally Posted by m.eliza

I don't know anything about the Nuvaring, but I have heard that you shouldn't use an IUD unless you have given birth previously. Not sure why. !

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It is because the IUD can scar your uterus, making it more difficult to conceive. I had an IUD for 10 years after having my child. It was great. But we were done having kids.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Oh my gosh, MP. That is terrifying. I'm so glad you and your doc figured out that the Nuvaring was to blame. I've been considering my own surgical options of late as we've definitely decided to stick to cats, rather than kids.

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I really like cats. :)

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

I really like cats. :)

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LOL...and thank you for that.

Actually, there are IUDs on the market that are considered to be safe for pre-child women. My younger sister has had one for 2-3 years and after the initial cramping, has had no problems. I wouldn't rule that out. (Edited to add - she's 26, so her doctor is well aware that she hasn't had kids and does want them eventually)

I'm on Yasmin, after years of pill experimenting. I can't do the pills with the other kind of progestin without being moody, cranky, and hateful towards men. I also have breakthrough bleeding if i try to go to something like Yaz (the 24-day regimen) b/c of the lower doses of hormones. But I have less acne, haven't gained a pound (b/c of the pills, anyway) and can skip periods if I want by keeping a spare box or two of them around to take during the off-week. I went off BC for a couple months after my back injury b/c I wasn't allowed to have them in a Catholic hospital, and really noticed no difference emotionally between taking them and not.

I will say that my libido has been fairly low lately, but I think it's related to nerve damage and not the pills themselves. I've taken these for 5 years and that's a recent issue.

If you are thinking of pills, and are good with taking things on schedule, you also might want to look into the mini-pills (progestin only). They have a higher failure rate if you aren't punctual, but have fewer hormones to mess with your body.

I've been lurking around here for awhile, but I got an IUD yesterday so I figure this is an appropriate time to de-lurk and register :)

I was on the pill for almost 3 years since it represented the cheapest, most reliable BC covered by my student insurance at the time. For the most part, it was fine, I forgot it maybe once or twice and I did appreciate the ability to mess with my cycle more or less as I wished (for vacation, exams, etc, etc). It also cleared my skin and shortened/lightened my periods significantly after 6 months or so. Downsides were decreased libido, dryness, obnoxious breakthrough bleeding, some weight gain that won't go away and a general uneasyness about hormones for an extended period.

I have good health insurance with the new job, and we're still a couple years off from kids, so I figured I'd give an IUD a shot and if I was miserable I could look at other options (my out of pocket cost was $30, so it wasn't as big of a decision as it would've been with a higher cost). I haven't had kids, and the office didn't blink an eye when I suggested it--I think (but can't cite any studies) that the scarring is not such an issue anymore--IUD's are standard of care in Canada/Europe and much of the rest of the world for women regardless of kids. There are studies indicating that fertility returns faster following the non-hormonal IUD (paragard) than following the pill, since you're cycling normally with paragard. Anyway, the (awesome) PA that did mine commented that she had done ~15 this week (and joked that she could do mine with her eyes closed :) and the combination of her skill + my body is pretty happy 30 hours or so post-insertion, insertion wasn't terribly pleasant but not unbearable, and a little cramping yesterday and this morning but I feel fine now. I went with the non-hormonal one, so my periods may be heavier/crampier than they were but I am comfortable that I can handle it. The mirena (low dose progestin) shortens/stops periods in many women but also causes more random spotting.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

A good doc or nurse practitioner should be able to discuss all the pros and cons of your various options. I've been on the Pill for a about 12 years. The last five years, I've been on Loestrin-24, which has rendered my periods nearly nonexistent. It's a 24, rather than 21, day program. My period, such as it is, lasts two to three days. I was extremely irritable the first couple of months on it, but it passed. I also never gained weight from it. Most of the side effects seem to pass after a couple of months. Certainly the side effects were better in my mind that an unplanned pregnancy.
I've never really had trouble remembering to take it. I've probably forgotten it five times in 12 years. Of course, there are risks to nearly every method.

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+1
I have had this experience with this drug exactly. I don't even get a period - my doc says the hormones are perfectly matched to my system. It's awesome.

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Originally Posted by Syndirelah

Thanks for the replies. Yikes, Re: NuvaRing. Ive read about the pending lawsuits and the heightened risk for PE's. Im sorry you were affected!!! That is definitely something to consider....

I can barely remember a multivitamin, I dont think the pill is a good option for me. Ive also heard that going on it later can cause fatigue... not something I'm interested in, since Im training for my fifth marathon and need to get up and out the door.

I did not know about the IUD's and scarring. I had thought it was a somewhat antiquated belief that they were only for women who had not had children. I was concerned that hte IUD still made periods either non-existent or not predictable/regular. One big reason for taking it is to make my periods more regular. (although not having it at all would be nice... dont know how healthy that is though). Yes Id like the option of being able to skip if I have an event or race.

Im in the military, so I was concerned about the types of options they would provide. But Ive heard from the other women I work with that my assigned Dr. is a good one (a couple have had IUD's inserted by her). It's been years since Ive been to the girly doc and my first military apt. with one, so Im a little nervous.

Thanks for all the advice/support!

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No matter what you decide, I would urge you to get an annual OB/GYN exam, especially since you're sexually active. I can't tell whether you're single or married, but either way, I think it's important to be seen once a year.

I'm horrible at taking a multivitamin, too, but you'd be surprised at how compliant you can be when you really don't want to get pregnant!

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Originally Posted by Veronica

I've been on the old fashioned kind of birth control pills about 27 years. That makes me feel old! I like the "side effects" of the pill - skipping periods if it doesn't fit my schedule, minimal length... And it forces me to get a regular check up every year.

Veronica

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I could have written this!

Mircette---low dose BCP, no period, no weight gain. I will continue to take it until I clear menopause.

Before I went on the pill in my early 20s, I got my period every 21 days. Bad PMS, cramps, etc. Going on the pill regulated me to a 28 day cycle and lessened the PMS/cramps.

Switched to Mircette in 2000. Since then, no periods, no PMS.

Syndrilah: Then there are some women like me who have never taken pills. Condoms and just that...

I just never got around to trying BP. Also I wasn't keen on the thought of IUD /something foreign inside me.

I've had slightly uneven periods my whole life and I've been checked by doctors.

I'm fine, it's just me. Meaning I never knew the exact day or wk. when period would start/end. But my monthly period 80% time would come. So no point for me, in using BP to perfect the monthly cycle.

It's probably related to my weight (at any time life my weight was 93-100 lbs.) By now I'm entering perimenopause.

I used the nuvaring for six or seven years with no problems. I recently switched to the mirena iud and have been very happy with it as well. I have not had children and my dr said that it might be a little more uncomfortable during the insertion because of that, but for me it wasn't any worse than my annual exam.

I lost 80 lb or so using nuvaring, so weight gain wasn't really an issue for me.

I strongly urge you to read ALL of the side effects and take them very seriously, especially of the first 2-4 months. You need to be aware of changes in your body or behavior and know that they are linked to your birth control. Some people become severely depressed on birth control and don't even realize the medicine is causing it. That advice holds for starting any new medicine...

I think if you ask 10 different women about their experiences with the exact same method of birth control, you'll get 10 different responses. :o

I started taking combined (estrogen + progestin) oral contraceptive pills as a teenager to mitigate heavy menstrual flow and cramps, and they worked wonders for me. I was on them for something like 7 years (Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for 5+ years, LoEstrin24 Fe for ~1 year, and most recently Natazia for two months. I switched around mostly for experimentation and to follow what I could get most cheaply at student-health clinic pharmacies...). However, I just recently learned that I have a genetic mutation that puts me at slightly higher risk for blood clots, and of course estrogen can also increase clot risk. Though some research suggests that there's not a good reason to stop taking estrogen-containing pills if there's no family history of DVT--the risks are still lower than those associated with pregnancy, after all--my OGNP was supportive of my concerns and I switched just about a week ago to a progestin-only pill (aka POP), Ortho Micronor.

So far, I actually have seen some noticeable changes (for the better) in my mood and libido since starting the POP, so I wonder if for the past few years, what I thought was 'normal' for me was being significantly impacted by the extra estrogen in my system. (or, maybe I'm externalizing being a moody you-know-what and needed a placebo effect to spark an attitude adjustment, who knows, haha). I think I just kind of assumed I wasn't experiencing major pill side-effects because I never really had any of the more outward problems--weight gain/water retention, etc.

On the other hand, I've been feeling really lethargic this week, and ended up napping 2+ hours on three different afternoons. It could be bodily confusion from no longer having estrogen 'supplements' after 7 years, but it's also hard to separate out the fact that we're in our first sustained really hot (100 F +) spell of the summer here, so I'm not too concerned about it yet. I got 2 packs to start, and intend to get through those before I draw any real conclusions on it.

Syndirelah, I agree with your comment that you'll never know what each method will be like for you until you try. It has been really interesting to read everyone's different experiences here. Best wishes to you and everybody else still seeking a "happy" method (and I'd appreciate a few crossed fingers for my own situation--what a relief it would be if I end up with similar positive side effects with the POP that I grew accustomed to with the combo pills, without the risks of the extra estrogen).

Badgercat, have you noticed any changes in your libido since going off the Loestrin? I have to admit that I've had some issues with a low libido. Now, a number of things could be causing that as I head closer to perimenopause, but I've had to wonder about the Loestrin. My own annual is coming up, but my doctor dismissed me last year when I brought it up. This year, I plan to be more forceful about it. By the same token, I've otherwise tolerated Loestrin. I love having a light period! But I love my DH, too. :)

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Badgercat, have you noticed any changes in your libido since going off the Loestrin? I have to admit that I've had some issues with a low libido. Now, a number of things could be causing that as I head closer to perimenopause, but I've had to wonder about the Loestrin. My own annual is coming up, but my doctor dismissed me last year when I brought it up. This year, I plan to be more forceful about it. By the same token, I've otherwise tolerated Loestrin. I love having a light period! But I love my DH, too. :)

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Libido has always kind of been an issue for me, but since I've been on the pill for so long, it's really hard for me to parse things out. I went from Loestrin to Natazia, which I was only on for 8 weeks and was the only pill I've been on that I've noticed PMS / mood swings. I was too busy concentrating on trying to not be horrible to think about much else :o and then I switched to the POP. I think it's definitely worth being more assertive with your doctor, because as we've proven in this thread, everyone reacts to hormones differently--it's certainly possible that the pill could be effecting you in this way.

I love the OGNP I see at my campus health clinic, and she's very willing to listen to concerns and supportive of alternative approaches. She recommended some herbal options and a compounding pharmacist in town who I could see for other ideas if changing pills didn't end up helping. I'll dig up my notes from my visit with her if you're interested, though she might have had different suggestions if perimenopause was also on the table.

This was posted about a month ago but I thought I'd chime in.

I have been on Nuvaring for about a year now. The first month was what I can only discribe as a month-long period. I bled (a little) everyday and was very moody. I think my body was not used to artificial hormones. After that month, though, I've really enjoyed Nuvaring. I don't have to take a pill everyday and just set my phone to tell me when during the month to take it out and put a new one it. It's extremely easy. My periods are now much lighter. I use a Divacup and I only have to empty it in the morning and before I go to bed. I have noticed a slight decrease in my libido, though. It's hard to really tell for sure though, since the whole time I've had sex I've been on BC.

But I have now made an appointment to get an copper IUD (Paraguard). The Nuvaring has become much too expensive for little ol' unemployed me to afford. It started out as about $35/month (had a special deal with my pharmacy + nuvaring coupons). I recently moved and it has shot up to $50/month. For the cost of Nuvaring for one year I've already almost paid for an IUD. So, in an effort to same money in the long run and avoid putting more hormones in my body I've decided to get an IUD. I have not had a kid (I'm 23) and they say it's slightly more painful for us kid-less, though supposedly nothing more than getting a pap smear.

I have been using the Mirena IUD now for 8 yrs (I'm on my second one) and it has worked awesome for me. No period,no cramps,no PMS. All of which I had in spades before I got it. I have a child but had a c section because of complications. The second IUD was a little tricky because the doctors inserting it didn't realize I had a short uterus??? I thought removing the first one would be bad but it was nothing. Good luck

like Indysteel said, I am really bad at taking pills, vitamins, whatever, I forget. But when I was on the pill... i think i forgot twice in 6 years! They used to put them in a little container which helped you to know the exact day you took the last one.

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Originally Posted by badgercat

Libido has always kind of been an issue for me, but since I've been on the pill for so long, it's really hard for me to parse things out. I went from Loestrin to Natazia, which I was only on for 8 weeks and was the only pill I've been on that I've noticed PMS / mood swings. I was too busy concentrating on trying to not be horrible to think about much else :o and then I switched to the POP. I think it's definitely worth being more assertive with your doctor, because as we've proven in this thread, everyone reacts to hormones differently--it's certainly possible that the pill could be effecting you in this way.

I love the OGNP I see at my campus health clinic, and she's very willing to listen to concerns and supportive of alternative approaches. She recommended some herbal options and a compounding pharmacist in town who I could see for other ideas if changing pills didn't end up helping. I'll dig up my notes from my visit with her if you're interested, though she might have had different suggestions if perimenopause was also on the table.

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Recent bloodwork indicates that my thyroid is hyperactive. I'm still in the middle of getting a diagnosis, but this might explain why my libido has taken a drastic nosedive over the last year, as it's a known symptom. So, I guess we'll see how it unfolds. My doc also gave me a referral to a nurse practitioner who addresses such things. I wouldn't mind getting a full hormone workup to see where I am.