Period Reducing Birth Control May Not Be Creepy, But It’s Definitely Uncomfortable

writergirl
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 11:46 am: [report]

I find I do best on Lupron.  A shot that stops my period completely for however long my doctor prescribes it.  I’ve probably been on it through seven or eight courses of treatment totaling about three years of missed periods.

The only time I have had problems is with the add-back therapy they make me take which is a low-dose estrogen pill.  If the estrogen milligram is off even the *tiniest* bit, I become a raging, bitch of a lunatic.  So we keep that estrogen dose as low as it can go.

I don’t remember anything odd about coming off of it—oh, wait, except for the one time I got pregnant!  But while on it I had the normal side effects of minimal hair loss, nausea the day of the shot (it is a chemo-therapy drug) and hot flashes.  But none of that was intolerable.

I’ve done BC pills to supress my period as well.  The first time, I was in my early twenties and I didn’t notice a problem.  Just when I finally did have a period I lost eight pounds in a week—guess I was a little bloated.  The second time I tried that, I had “break through” bleeding—which was just like a freaking period—for eight or twelve weeks.  Straight.  They put me on estrogen, AGAIN, my husband threatened divorce and I told the doctor enough was enough, and went back on Lupron.

Again, no issues, and was on the lupron for about a year.
Then I took the last shot in March of 07 and didn’t get a period until September of 07—some weird hormonal thing we never figured out. Not pregnant—took four home tests and two office tests to confirm.  That was only other weird thing I can remember with comeing off the Lupron.

I’ve noticed recently that my PMS mood-swings are off the charts and the pain associated with my period is increasing so it is a sign that it is time to go back on the Lupron.  I wish they would just give me a hysterectomy already.  I’m done, stick a fork in me.

Sorry to hear about your problems….it definately isn’t fun and it is painful!  Hope you find some balance soon.

axdiva
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 12:27 pm: [report]

AH! This is the video I was looking for last week.  It is SO very true.

MissChaotic
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 12:47 pm: [report]

I haven’t been on anything to completely stop my periods, but I take hormones to lessen symptoms such as cramping, and heavy flow, as well as to treat ovarian cysts.

Nuvaring made me extremely depressed, stressed, and several times suicidal. I ended up having to go to counseling for it, which I was diagnosed as bipolar. I stopped taking it, I had no symptoms.

It took me my second time on Nuvaring to figure out the correlation between my mood disorders and the hormones, in which I ended up switching (last week) to ortho tri-cyclen lo. My moods have improved…but it was a gradual improvement.

alphabete
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 01:18 pm: [report]

Hoo, man.  I have some horrible periods which leave me spending 2-3 days a month clutching at something (anything) for a good portion of the day.  Unable to sleep, unable to eat, too tired to cry, just being in pain.  I love Depo-Provera and all its benefits.  Sure it’s got some drawbacks but the most important benefit is not clutching anything for most of a day, at any time all month.  I’m lucky I don’t have spotting or depression or whatever other horrible thing happens to people.  Furthermore I feel it would be impossible for me to actually become depressed on period-eliminating birth control, as I would just be so damn happy not to have a period.

hnasty
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 01:18 pm: [report]

I don’t remember what I was on, but I did the whole no period thing for a while. When I finally stopped taking the pills it took about a year before I had a period. And it wasn’t bad at all, just a little surprising.

jimnist10
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 02:16 pm: [report]

I just stared on Lybrel after being on Yasmin for 5 years to treadt unbelievable cramps, complete with vomiting and hospitalization a couple of times. The “controlling birth” was just an added bonus.  The Yasmin (not Yaz, it’s older sister) was great (zero cramps, breast swelling, or vomiting and dirrhea (sp?)) until about a year or so ago, I started noticing I was getting more pain with my periods. Headaches for 2 days that would be in my ears and my neck, fatigue, slight cramps. It just got worse over the the last year and a half and when I went to my annual, I told my OB about it and she switched my to Lybrel. I SWEAR my period knew it was getting peaced out because I had the most horrible day 1 in over 5 years. I was vomiting so much, I acutally had to leave work early (don’t ask me why I thought going into work when I had already puked 3 times before I left my apt was a good idea.)  It was so horrible, and I am looking forward to a long time without any of the #&@$% associated with periods. Unexpected breakthrough bleeding is nothing compared to the hell of having my period. Lily, I serioulsy hope you find some relief.

Karmatir
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 02:42 pm: [report]

I’m currently doing the no-period-bc thing as well. I get debilitating migraines when my period hits. It was worse when I wasn’t on the pill as I couldn’t predict when I would get one, once I was on bcp I could predict but it didn’t change the frequency or intensity so now I am trying out the all bcp all the time, no placebo week, thing. Yes I love it as I haven’t gotten a serious migraine since I started 4 months ago, I still get migraines but I haven’t gotten one that made me miss work like I used to get on a monthly basis.

alphabete
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 02:50 pm: [report]

I am always interested in women who are kind of squicked out by not having periods.  It sort of makes me wonder if I’m abnormal.  I pretty much figure if I’m on birth control so much that I am not menstruating, chances are I’m not pregnant.  I won’t lie, I’d do pretty much anything to avoid menstruating.

Tango
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 05:47 pm: [report]

I have been on Seasonique for about 18 months, and it’s great most of the time, but unfortunately, about 2 weeks prior to having my period, I get break through bleeding that lasts until i get my period…so 2.5 weeks of bleeding. No other symptoms like I used to get though.

IAMME
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 10:50 am: [report]

I have the Mirena IUD and I LOVE it because i dont get periods anymore, of course the first year was bad bc I had break through bleeding pretty much non stop, but now I will occasionally (maybe every fourth month) spot for a day when I would have normally have started my period. I did the same thing on Depo, and loved it, I had none of the weight gain and other side effects alot of other women have on it, the only “side effect” I had while on depo is my now 11 year old daughter….. But other than that I cannot ever remember having any trouble with it….

Before getting the Mirena I had extremely heavy flow, (a carpet shampooer was a necessary purchase) passed clots as big as my fist and had HORRIBLE cramps, not to mention the walking down the stairs on my hands, head spinnin, pea soup spewing mood swings…and they wouldnt do a hysterectomy bc “this is normal for women your age” THREE different docs told me that!!! WTH? I KNOW women my age and they arent doing this crap…....IMO ppl who think no periods are creepy have never had to shampoo tire sized spots of blood out of their carpet at 2 am.

Jessie
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 11:24 am: [report]

I’ve never been bothered by my period, and wouldn’t mind skipping it…but I also like that monthly confirmation that I am not pregnant.

snap
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 11:39 am: [report]

i like having my period, even though it always brings about 8 hours of cramps on the first day (nothing a few painkillers won’t take care of) because I love being a woman and my period makes me feel strong and womanly!

alphabete
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 12:17 pm: [report]

@IAMME: Seriously, who comes up with that?  “This is normal” really?  I suppose it *could* be normal but it sure seems like it’s not.  And even if it were normal, what about the suffering you’re going through?  Doesn’t that count against the “normal” thing?

mountain_laurel1183
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 02:35 pm: [report]

I took Seasonal for one cycle of pills. When my period finally DID come, I had to be put on Prozac, rx strength Motrin, and some rx migraine medication. It was horrible. Never took it again.

Ms.Bubbles
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 08:57 pm: [report]

I have been taking birth control for almost 6 years now non stop. My particular form causes me to not have periods. So I have not had a period in six years. This month I stop by contraceptive for the first time and I havehad the WORST cramps and female issue since before i started taking birth control… I started taking it 6 almost 7 years ago to control my period and I have learned in one month it is for the best…

IAMME
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 09:03 pm: [report]

@alphabete

Exactly and one of these Docs was a woman less than 5 years older than me, I asked her if she had EVER gushed a puddle of blood the size of a car tire into her floor or passed a clot as big as her fist and she said “no”.....guess she isn’t normal…..

roastchicken
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 09:26 pm: [report]

@ um no: “I love being a woman and my period makes me feel strong and womanly!”

Uh, so does that mean that women who don’t have their periods aren’t women at all? How about the millions of women that are in menopause? Are they any less of a woman after they stop having periods? Are they weak and empty because they no longer have periods?  What about women that have had a hysterectomy?

There are many things in my life that define me as a woman, and make me who I am. My uterus doesn’t define who I am.

kmatter
wrote on June 28 2009 @ 11:22 am: [report]

wow… i’‘ve been on BC for about a year now. i take a pill, and there’s a week of sugar pills at the end of the month for my period. I will say, that if i forget and don’t take it for three days i get THE WORST cramps i have ever experienced, and some spotting. but the rest of the time… my sugar pill week tends to be very mild. no real cramps, and not a lot of bleeding. *thank god* cuz before i got the BC, it was like a bloody water fall, and hurt like crazy.

Symian
wrote on June 28 2009 @ 02:32 pm: [report]

I’m on DepoProvera and although I still suffer from regular mood swings and light cramping, it’s much easier than the 8-12 day period of time each 28 days where my world becomes an ominous dark, twisted volatile mass of swirling black agony,  sharply punctuated by random muscle spasms and a dramatic loss of blood and tissue.  If having a period makes people feel “normal and womanly” I say good for them.  I personally feel secure in knowing that as long as my Chromsomes say XX I am just as much woman (if not more heehee) than any other girl.

Jenn27549
wrote on June 30 2009 @ 06:24 am: [report]

I’ve been on the Depo injection for 7 years, and didn’t have a period for the last 6.5 years.  I had a hard time remembering to take my pill at the exact same time every day so I spotted alot in between and worried about the effectiveness.  2 years ago I switched temporarily to the Implanon implant so I could go every 3 years without thinking about it instead of 3 months.  My body didn’t adapt well to that and I had frequent heavy spotting that increased (instead of decreased) over time, which I was told is very unusual.  While it was never a full-blown period it was uncomfortable as hell, just as the author described her experience.  Nausea, mood swings, depression, back pain, breast pain, cramps, headaches, fatigue, you name it!  Went back on Depo 6 months later and never looked back. 

I LOVE not having periods!  I never cared for them in the first place and its comforting to know I never have to worry about when its coming or if its late.  I get migraines that were much worse during that week, so now that problem is solved.  There have been a few times where I’ve wondered if I might be pregnant so I have to take a test, but women should probably do that anyway if they seriously think they might be pregnant, instead of waiting for a missed period, because its not uncommon to go 1-3 months before the period completely stops. 

I dread the day when I come off it in order to have a baby, but hopefully we’ll get that accomplished in a few months and then I’ll go right back to it after the baby’s birth.

randiann
wrote on June 30 2009 @ 02:05 pm: [report]

For several years, I would continuously take my birth control(Yasmin)to prevent having my period. I would have 2-3 periods per year. Life was great! My periods were always dreadful: severe cramps, vomiting, moody, heavy flow. I would lay in a hot tub most days. I started taking Seasonale late last year and became an emotional, mean, and cruel person. My husband often commented on my moodiness, nut he thought it was related to me being stressed about school/finals. We laughed so hard when we saw the SNL skit. That was so me! The week I was supposed to get 1 of my periods, I didn’t. It was 40 days later before I had it! During the time I was waiting, My doc told me not to take them anymore until I got my period. Once off, my husband definitely noticed a difference in my attitude and since he’s a pharmacist, he realized the link between Seasonale and my moodiness. I’m a lot happier now, but with crazy erratic periods until my body comes back from the abuse I’ve given it.

moonablaze
wrote on July 4 2009 @ 01:08 pm: [report]

I’ve been on the patch continuously for 7 years with periods every 4-6 months.  I LOVE it.  when I do have my period I’m a bit more cranky then I was before during my period, but no PMS to speak of, and the cramps are WAY better.  I used to spend 3-4 days a month in the fetal position on a heating pad, taking rx ibuprofen every 6 hours just to keep the pain to a level where I didn’t puke or pass out.  even with the hormones I still have to take a day off of life when I have my period, but it’s only one day (and I can choose which day of the week it falls on!) and I can actually sit up in bed or on the couch most of the time.

grapefruitdiet
wrote on July 5 2009 @ 09:50 pm: [report]

I literally just took my first birth control pill today. Yaz. I’ve been on perscription pain killers for cramps, and they’ve recently stopped working and it convinced my mother to cave (i’m 17 therefore still stuck under my parent’s roof and health insurance). I’m incredibly excited for lighter periods.. as well as condom-less sex. But y’all are scaring the #&@$% outta me with the pregnancy stories.

MichelleS1017
wrote on July 5 2009 @ 10:17 pm: [report]

@ grapefruit.. uh you should still be wearing a condom..

wth???

lawyrgrl
wrote on July 22 2009 @ 02:12 pm: [report]

I take regular BC pills but skip the sugar pills for months at a time.  I usually have 3 periods or so a year and try to schedule them when they are convenient.  I absolutely love it this way.  My cycle was a disaster before and menstruation was a painful nightmare.  It still is as ghastly as ever when it comes but I can prepare for it - lay in the meds, movies, ice cream and put my boyfriend on notice that the “real me” will return by the end of the weekend! 

The best part is that I will never again ruin a vacation or romantic celebration by having my period.  Hooray!