Birth Control

[Em_in_FL]

I also wanted to mention other underlying issues that could be causing these severe/abnormal periods… oftentimes The Pill is used as a fix-all or bandaid for an underlying problem…
Thyroid issues often affect fertility, as do other hormonal imbalances… and these can all be tested with a simple blood test.

Maybe ask for a more in-depth examination. If your periods really are so severe then there is a reason for this… find the solution to the underlying problem and you won’t have to cover up the symptoms with The Pill…

 

[Socio_Momma]

I know what the poster is talking about when she speaks of heavy and painful periods. I also get very irritated when people give out these sanctimonious opinions when they don’t have any idea what the person is going through. I have been there, and it is almost like being in labor and having a baby every month. The pains are worse than severe. If the doctor does find something wrong, the cure usually is hysterectomy or something that ruins your uterus like cleaning out the lining for good. I think it is much better to go on the pill so you can have a life and remain employed. At least you can still hope to have children someday. I don’t think people should be so worried about fertilized eggs that don’t “take” when you are on the pill. This happens a very small percentage of the time. The pill usually suppresses ovulation. If you are not using anything (including NFP), a fertilized egg doesn’t “take” maybe 50% of the time. It is a natural thing for an egg to be fertilized and then to be lost through the woman’s period. You can find this information in medical books.

It is not medically accurate that a hysterectomy or a procedure that would permanently damage (indirectly) her fertility would be necessary. Those are very aggressive treatments & should be the last resort and the need for them tends to increase when reproductive health problems have been untreated for years. Treating a problem when it first presents symptoms drastically reduces extreme treatments in the longterm and can preserve a woman’s fertility. It is not better to simply go on the Pill & ignore underlying medical conditions. Ignoring underlying health conditions can lead to other medical problems, including infertility. It is better to holistically treat the medical conditions (which may or may not include hormones like the Pill) and perserve overall health (including fertility) & well-being.

It’s also always important to “worry” about fertilized eggs, those are embryos & embryos are human. It’s necessary to worry about the intended & unintended consequences of any health treatment. There is a difference between a natural lack of implantation and one caused through direct means of medication. One is natural and one is caused via an unnatural means. However, there are times when the treatments that may lead to preventation of implantation can be permissible.

That is the issue here: whether or not the Pill (which may prevent implantation) is justified under the double principle effect. It has been pointed out that it may very well be because its use is not as a contraceptive but theraputic (further the OP is not sexually active so the point is moot for her right now). But still every woman should seek to know whether there is an underlying health issue that needs to be treated as well if they are presenting such severe pain.

It’s not a matter of trying to dismiss her pain I have been there with the pain I can attest that it’s a horrible situation to be in so much pain that you are literally unable to function. Still this is a matter of trying to make sure she & all women are really getting the best overall health care. The Pill only handles the symptoms not the underlying health condition.

 

[aurora77]

SocioMama, I agree with you, it’s important to consider all aspects before beginning a patient’s treatment. What bothers me about threads like these is that many people come in with an attitude that doctors know absolutely nothing, they don’t work at discovering underlying causes for conditions, and that the pill is simply a cop-out, a way to get out of them doing their jobs. Of course, doctors are only human, and there will be some out there who do behave this way. But, why is this just assumed to be the norm when the pill is prescribed as a treatment for a condition? I’m not sure why years of medical training are simply ignored or dismissed when it comes to the BCP. This isn’t directed specifically at you, it’s just a general frustration I have with these threads.

There are risks and rewards for any drug, any medical treatment. It’s up to the patient (and her parents in this case) and the doctor working together to discuss these and then determine which course of action to take.

 

[Socio_Momma]

I know aurora77 you weren’t directing your post toward me but I want to explain more where I am coming from in relation to this issue. I don’t want to give the impression that I am doctor-bashing, doctors provide us with wonderful & necessary care that I know I am very happy to have access to. Instead I just think that everyone needs to be their own advocate (or have a parent do this) when it comes to receiving health care.

For me the matter is 2-fold, academic research supports caution on matters of women’s health dealing with BCP & my own personal experience.

The research on women’s reproductive health demonstrates that most often symptoms receive treatment but not underlying medical conditions. This often means BCP as a catch-all solution. It is part of a larger systemic issue with the medical community, the manner of medical training many doctors receive & the way our health care system tends to work (with little time given in the room with each patient). It’s not “bad” doctors but a flawed medical model where BCP with women’s reproductive health often becomes a treatment without additional testing for underlying conditions. BCP isn’t the problem but more the model it exists in. This coupled with a patient’s uncertainity about the types of questions to ask a doctor or what to tell a doctor about her health concerns can lead to under-diagnosis or under-treatment when addressing reproductive health. It’s something that researchers on women’s health have been discussing for years. It appears from the academic research to be more common than many would realize.

Also, I have been there myself with my own health and known other women went through years of back & forths with their doctors. Only to have it turn out that there was an underlying medical condition that had gone undiagnosed & under-treated. These were not “bad” doctors just the opposite they were very good doctors but they had not learned under a model that was geared toward holistic treatment only symptom treatment in a fast paced world. In some cases the doctors were also working with out-dated medical knowledge on the matter that had been superceeded by more recent medical developments. Additionally, I (as the other women I know) didn’t really know how to be my own advocate. I just took the BCP and dealt with the continuing pain, until I switched doctors & was re-evaluated in a manner that was more in-depth. The underlying issue was addressed & in my case BCP was not necessary (it may be for the OP that hormones are necessary).

After doing the academic research for my field I began to see I wasn’t alone and neither where the women I know. Instead there is a large body of research to show there are some flaws in the current medicalization model of the female body & how we as patients are taught to communicate with our doctors (do we ask why we are receiving a treatment? what the side effects are? how long will we need it? what the alternatives are? etc… not just with BCP but any treatment or medication). Some did need hormones, others did not but what we all shared was a lack of treatment of the underlying medical condition at first. Which appears not uncommon from the research for other women to share in these experiences of under diagnosis or treatment.

That’s why I tend to lean on the side of caution when a woman states that she was prescribed the Pill (without additional info to suggest that there was a more in-depth evaluation with it) & suggest a re-evaluation or a second opinion. Not to mention the other issues attached with BCP from a Catholic standpoint.

Again I don’t want to doctor-bash & I really apologize if it seems that way! I know that in posting things can sometimes have a tone that is different than sitting around chatting IRL.

Ok, I have rambled enough & more than anyone needed so I am back to lurking

**sorry for any spelling typos I wasn’t able to get the spell-check to work on my PC

 

[ltbpoe43]

I’m concerned too that this is just masking another issue.

For thousands of years (and not that long ago in the 70’s and 80’s) pirth control pills were not taken a whole lot and yet still women of all ages were able to get through their cycles and do normal work activities without much pain - or at least tolerable pain.

It’s as if the pill came along and just made convenient and comfortable what women had been dealing with for generations. So it seems like there should be an answer that doesn’t involve the pill in today’s modern medicine arena. good luck and God Bless.

Note: I know many women who have taken the pill for similar reasons and when wanting to start their family, because of the suppressive nature of the hormone levels, had many years (2-6) of not being able to get pregnant. Be careful, do your research, and keep asking the doctor why.

 

[dulcissima]

I’m concerned too that this is just masking another issue.

For thousands of years (and not that long ago in the 70’s and 80’s) pirth control pills were not taken a whole lot and yet still women of all ages were able to get through their cycles and do normal work activities without much pain - or at least tolerable pain.

It’s as if the pill came along and just made convenient and comfortable what women had been dealing with for generations. So it seems like there should be an answer that doesn’t involve the pill in today’s modern medicine arena. good luck and God Bless.

Note: I know many women who have taken the pill for similar reasons and when wanting to start their family, because of the suppressive nature of the hormone levels, had many years (2-6) of not being able to get pregnant. Be careful, do your research, and keep asking the doctor why.

I agree. I have a very light period and never any pain. Yet, last time I went to the doctor he brought it up that if I ever want a prescription just to regulate things he could do that. I think there is a tendency to push the pill for that reason, as if periods are some huge inconvenience we shouldn’t have to deal with. I know that doesn’t apply to the OP, but I do think it is an indication of where a lot of gynecologists are coming from.

 

[JessHav]

Hi,
I have had the same situation and the pill only masked the real problem: I didn’t have enough natural “progesterone,” which can later lead to not being able to sustain pregnancies.
When I charted (trained in NFP) and saw that this could be the case, doctors tried to get me to go on the pill to stop the pain or to go on clomid, (he literally said, “so you want to have a baby, just go on this,” even though I said I wanted to have a sustainable pregnancy,).
I finally found a wonderful NFP doctor who treated my progesterone, without which neither of my children would have made it past 5-6 weeks pregnancy, (I had really low progesterone levels,). After my pregnancy, I still use progesterone and I can’t tell you how much less painful and easier my periods have been.
Train in NFP! Even if you decide not to use it, it will help you understand what might be wrong. Then find a doctor who will treat the problem and not just *mask *it. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t.

Just food for thought from someone who was lied to.

Jess

 

[BeeSweet]

Train in NFP! Even if you decide not to use it, it will help you understand what might be wrong. Then find a doctor who will treat the problem and not just *mask *it. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t.

Just food for thought from someone who was lied to.

Jess

I agree! I’m of the opinion that NFP is what they should be teaching in these so-called “health” classes in school. If they’re going to teach it all, then why not teach the whole truth? Instead, they teach, “this is how a man’s fertility works,” and “this is how a woman’s fertility works,” and then they tell them to use condoms. :nope: :nope: What is wrong with these people? If they’re so all-fired gung-ho about teaching kids about responsibility, then why not give them all the info? I don’t doubt that girls and boys would give a lot more respect to themselves and each other if they had this kind of education.

It’s not my intention to derail this thread with that subject though, I just believe that women have not been given an appropriate education on their own reproductive health, and that keeping them in the dark makes a doctor’s job a bit easier cuz then they won’t be asked so many questions… Not to mention the drug company salesmen take the doctors out to those wonderful expensive restaurants and buy lovely bottles of wine and the whole lot while they’re telling them about their newest more advanced contraceptive…