Doctors and Birth Control

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catholicwifeforlife1 said:
So I had my appointment and birth control did come up, but I froze and didn’t mention that I don’t want it. I’ll do it at a future visit though. The doctor seems to think it’s the best way to regulate cycles. Is this true? Why are they so quick to push birth control on women?

I’m thinking of going to a Napro Dr. for my fertility in the future, but for now, I’m just going to do my own research.
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A short course of BCPs can actually help regulate cycles- sometimes if a woman has long cycles it can “kick start” things after stopping. I am not sure how this works exactly, but it is true. Sometimes this is used when trying to conceive. If you aren’t trying to conceive, it can help with other issues- it’s okay to use as a hormonal therapy for medical problems if you need to. That said, it is definitely also worth looking into Napro.

It doesn’t really seem like your doctor is pushing anything on you, if you didn’t even say you didn’t want it. A doctor can’t know what you don’t say. Doctors depend on the information you give them and your ability to be candid with them.
 
Clementine14 said:
A short course of BCPs can actually help regulate cycles- sometimes if a woman has long cycles it can “kick start” things after stopping.
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After I had a late miscarriage and apparently recovering, I started bleeding heavily for an unusually long period of time, to the point where I went greenish and collapsed on the way back from the bathroom early one morning, which was scary to both me and my husband. I immediately got in touch with my OB/GYN and she put me on BCP to shut the bleeding down. I was on for 3-4 weeks. The bleeding issues were resolved, but I did wind up going off the BCP pills a little early (with doctor permission), as they were making me SAD.

So, that’s similar to the “kick start” effect you’re talking about. Or (to use a different metaphor) it can be a sort of “reset” button or like rebooting your computer.
 
catholicwifeforlife1 said:
So I had my appointment and birth control did come up, but I froze and didn’t mention that I don’t want it. I’ll do it at a future visit though. The doctor seems to think it’s the best way to regulate cycles. Is this true? Why are they so quick to push birth control on women?

I’m thinking of going to a Napro Dr. for my fertility in the future, but for now, I’m just going to do my own research.
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You need to differentiate between birth control pills for:

–birth control

and

–medical treatment.

You’re not going to use birth control pills for birth control, but there could easily be cases where they would be the simplest, cheapest solution to medical problems (this is mentioned in Humanae Vitae, by the way). The question is, do you have medical issues where birth control pills would be the most effective treatment?

If you’ve been complaining to your OB/GYN about gynecological issues, it’s not surprising that that option has come up.
 
Doctors are quick to push medication on patients in general, nothing specific to birth control. It’s easy and they don’t have to try to scold their patients into making lifestyle changes they know full and well most people will not make.
 
Xantippe said:
So, that’s similar to the “kick start” effect you’re talking about. Or (to use a different metaphor) it can be a sort of “reset” button or like rebooting your computer.
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Yeah, in my case it also would be the best way to “reset” hormonal dysfunction and to “conservate” the current fertility status. Sadly, I absolutely can´t take them because of huge side effects - last time I tried I was a walking water baloon with a close to suicidal thoughts depressive episode and high blood pressure.
But, my doc would have never told me to “simply” take the pill without a reason given. I experienced this when I was younger far more often, maybe because
a) it´s a (misleaded) teen pregnancy prevention doctrs are used to, or
b) the medical professinals 10 years ago were simply less careful in weighting pro´s and con´s and side effects of hormonal treatments.
 
Xantippe said:
this is mentioned in Humanae Vitae, by the way
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Really?
I suppose I just feel like BC is a band-aid for the actual cause of whatever is going on. It won’t cure me. I think my best next step is to find out what is the cause of the irregular cycles. Plus, my husband and I are open to having a baby, so BC is not going to help in that area.
 
catholicwifeforlife1 said:
Really?

I suppose I just feel like BC is a band-aid for the actual cause of whatever is going on. It won’t cure me. I think my best next step is to find out what is the cause of the irregular cycles. Plus, my husband and I are open to having a baby, so BC is not going to help in that area.
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Sometimes a bandaid is exactly what’s called for, but you need actual medical advice.

Don’t try to “research” this one on your own.

I’d also suggest that whoever you work with shouldn’t be a doctor who a priori rejects the idea of ever using birth control pills in treatment.

The quote from Humanae Vitae is, “15. …the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result therefrom — provided such impediment is not directly intended.”

en.wikipedia.org

Humanae vitae - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Xantippe said:
Sometimes a bandaid is exactly what’s called for, but you need actual medical advice.
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Sometimes it’s also what we have. I know I basically got told, there aren’t really any non band aid solutions. As medications go, birth control pills aren’t that bad on the list of side effects.
 
catholicwifeforlife1 said:
I suppose I just feel like BC is a band-aid for the actual cause of whatever is going on. It won’t cure me. I think my best next step is to find out what is the cause of the irregular cycles. Plus, my husband and I are open to having a baby, so BC is not going to help in that area.
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Did you tell your doctor you want to have a baby? In my experience, they have been more willing to do some tests when that is the case. If you chart your cycle at all, you might also find some patterns that would be helpful for your doctor to know.
 
The BC pill will not regulate someone’s cycles.

They SUPPRESS them, and created artificial bleeding.

So, the question is why do you want to regulate your cycles?

A lot of women do not have regular periods. And it is not a problem.

If you have really important health problems, who handicapped you on your life, it’s probably better to research what the problem is, and then decided is Birth control is appropriated and if there is an alternative.
 
Xantippe said:
The quote from Humanae Vitae is, “15. …the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result therefrom — provided such impediment is not directly intended.”
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Your quote of HV speak of the cure of bodily disease.

In this case, having irregular period is not a disease. It’s quite commom. You seems to pushy to “solve” (or masked) a problem that is perhaps not a problem.

It can be the sign of an underline problem such as PCOS, but not always. And even, the suppression of natural cycles is not always an necessity.
 
Anicette said:
Your quote of HV speak of the cure of bodily disease.

In this case, having irregular period is not a disease. It’s quite commom. You seems to pushy to “solve” (or masked) a problem that is perhaps not a problem.

It can be the sign of an underline problem such as PCOS, but not always. And even, the suppression of natural cycles is not always an necessity.
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Right–which is why the OP needs to work out with her doctor whether she has serious gynecological problems.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Women do not have menstrual cycles when taking hormonal birth control. They have “break thru bleeding”.
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Actually, they have a false period. It isn’t really breakthrough bleeding - that’s another condition.

That “false period” was created by the inventors of the drug so women could reassure themselves they weren’t pregnant. A woman can safely take OCPs continuously and not have a period at all - it’s actually not harmful to do that.

And Clementine14 is correct - OCPs can “reset” the system, and they do it very efficiently when used to that end.
 
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What it can do is make life miserable for the woman and her husband. I’ve lived that life. It was not fun.

@catholicwifeforlife1, OCPs aren’t a band aid. They’re often the fix. OCPs have the correct hormones at the correct dosing and ratio to “reset” a woman’s natural cycle. They’re safe for most women and carry a low risk of even minor side effects.

I would say you need to talk to a GYN if your irregular cycles are a concern.
 
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I think the “bandaid/fix” thing depends on what you’re talking about.

Near as we can tell, I have something where other parts of my body really hate the hormone changes that come with periods, and the response is a punishing amount of pain and other symptoms. They know that some women have this sort of issue - there’s generally nothing wrong with the hormones per se, just for some reason the rest of the body doesn’t handle them well. But there really isn’t any sort of fix they can apply that fixes the underlying problem. The solutions are either birth control, or various forms of symptom management. Birth control has fewer side effects.
 
The pill cannot fix a problem in the cycle: they suppress it.

And I don’t see why irregular cycles would make a life miserable for the woman and her husband. For me, it is a non sense. I have very irregular cycles myself.
 
Anicette said:
The pill cannot fix a problem in the cycle: they suppress it.

And I don’t see why irregular cycles would make a life miserable for the woman and her husband. For me, it is a non sense. I have very irregular cycles myself.
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We are not allowed to give medical advice on this forum. Your opinions are contrary to science. Hormonal applications of the pill can and DO fix issues for some women. For others, they are a band-aid and don’t address the issues at all. The hormones that are used by NaPro doctors are the same as birth control, just metered in different doses and usually without the combinations that prohibit ovulation.

I have quite a few friends with irregular periods–both single and married. It’s a challenge for many of them. I have painful periods and some of them do not, but at least I know when mine is set to arrive. Perhaps your life has been fine with irregular periods but many women-probably the vast majority- are not as they are a red flag for other issues.
 
Anicette said:
And I don’t see why irregular cycles would make a life miserable for the woman and her husband. For me, it is a non sense. I have very irregular cycles myself.
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At the very least, they can make practice of NFP quite difficult.
 
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