So, I was thinking of going back on the pill....

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whatevergirl

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…NOT for the reasons of birth control, though. I was on it before I went off it to make my periods regular, and to keep the physical ebbs and flows of my cycle to a minimum-aka the cramps to a minimum. So, I discuss this with my dh last night, and he said…‘We talked about doing NFP–and maybe your body just needs to get used to being off the pill. We have read that this might take a while, for you to become regular again, etc…But, we need to follow NFP, and besides, I thought you wanted to have another baby.’:eek: I said back to him…‘where’s my husband? what have you done with him?’😃

He is right–I will not go back on it. I went off it for religious and medical reasons. I really DON’T WANT TO EVERYONE–I DON’T. I like NFP for a variety of reasons, but I really don’t like how frequently I’m getting ‘that time’ nor do I like the duration–and although I have not gotten migraines anymore during that time, I traded those for cramps. I mean, they are not terrible…but I was hoping that as I got older, these things would subside. Plus, my ‘window’ of time is so short to engage in the marital embrace because my cycles are running like every 22 days.😦

Does anyone know of anything that will bring relief? Anyone care to share their stories of going off the pill, and how long it took your body to be regular again? I hope to hear from you on this. It’s been troubling to me. Thank you!

Blessings,
Sharon
 
I am the queen of bad periods. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize the cramps and other symptoms:

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (or NSAIDS) such as Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen acts to actually stop the production of pain-causing compounds called prostaglandins. 3-4 Advil three times daily during menstruation.

Talk to your doctor about natural progesterone in the form of a product called Prometrium. This natural hormone has NONE of the risks of birth control pills and actually makes most women feel better as opposed to most women getting ill with their first few cycles off birth control pills. For women charting their cycles with NFP (Natural Family Planning) this is given Peak + 3 through Peak + 12 at 200 mg. taken by mouth at night before retiring. This will help to oppose the effects of estrogen that may be building up the lining of a woman’s uterus excessively, thereby reducing the cramping at menstruation. Natural progesterone is also a smooth muscle relaxant having direct effects on the smooth muscles of the uterus reducing their contractions and thereby decreasing the pain.

Supplemental calcium at about 1,000 mg. per day (use a chelated form) can decrease smooth muscle contractions. This can be taken every day.

Flax Seed Oil at about 1,000 mg. day may also be helpful. Flax Seed Oil is a good source of Essential Fatty Acids.

Diet and exercise also contribute. Don’t drink caffeine, for example.

Do you have Marilyn Shannon’s Fertility Cycles and Nutrition?

Also, B6 taken during the luteal phase can help lengthen the cycle to a normal cycle-- 22 days is very short, esp if you are trying to get pregnant. Also look at Evening Primrose Oil.

Run all of this by your doctor, of course.
 
1ke said:
I am the queen of bad periods. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize the cramps and other symptoms:

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (or NSAIDS) such as Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen acts to actually stop the production of pain-causing compounds called prostaglandins. 3-4 Advil three times daily during menstruation.

Talk to your doctor about natural progesterone in the form of a product called Prometrium. This natural hormone has NONE of the risks of birth control pills and actually makes most women feel better as opposed to most women getting ill with their first few cycles off birth control pills. For women charting their cycles with NFP (Natural Family Planning) this is given Peak + 3 through Peak + 12 at 200 mg. taken by mouth at night before retiring. This will help to oppose the effects of estrogen that may be building up the lining of a woman’s uterus excessively, thereby reducing the cramping at menstruation. Natural progesterone is also a smooth muscle relaxant having direct effects on the smooth muscles of the uterus reducing their contractions and thereby decreasing the pain.

Supplemental calcium at about 1,000 mg. per day (use a chelated form) can decrease smooth muscle contractions. This can be taken every day.

Flax Seed Oil at about 1,000 mg. day may also be helpful. Flax Seed Oil is a good source of Essential Fatty Acids.

Diet and exercise also contribute. Don’t drink caffeine, for example.

Do you have Marilyn Shannon’s Fertility Cycles and Nutrition?

Also, B6 taken during the luteal phase can help lengthen the cycle to a normal cycle-- 22 days is very short, esp if you are trying to get pregnant. Also look at Evening Primrose Oil.

Run all of this by your doctor, of course.
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Thank you very much 1ke! I do take supps and eat healthy…and do exercise regularly…which helps, I must say. I would very much like to check out that book, by Shannon. I do drink caffeine in the morning, but not a lot…just one cup of coffee, but the prometrium might help. It is natural?
 
1ke had lots of great information!..

~Ibuprofen/Motrin during menstruation (REQUIREMENT for me!)
~Good vitamin supplements (Omega-3s, B6, etc)
~Exercise (especially DURING menstruation)
~Good sleep
~Drinking lots of water, etc…
I totally second all those ideas… and definitely talk to your OB about the progesterone supplements… I’ve heard very good things about that!

One thing to remember is that it may take a few months to regulate. Think of it like your period returning after having a baby… it takes a while for all your systems to get running back at “normal”.

Good luck… I know it can be hard…
 
1ke said:
Talk to your doctor about natural progesterone in the form of a product called Prometrium. This natural hormone has NONE of the risks of birth control pills and actually makes most women feel better as opposed to most women getting ill with their first few cycles off birth control pills.
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According to the OB/GYN that I talked to, this does have a side effect for some women. I was offered this, because I was having my cycled every 2 weeks, but bleading for like 10 days…
Well, I didn’t take it.

Side effect: He said for some women it makes it easier for them to get pregnant. Which in Whatevergirl’s case would be a good thing, but not in mine due to my meds (coumadin)
 
Em_in_FL said:
1ke had lots of great information!..

~Ibuprofen/Motrin during menstruation (REQUIREMENT for me!)
~Good vitamin supplements (Omega-3s, B6, etc)
~Exercise (especially DURING menstruation)
~Good sleep
~Drinking lots of water, etc…
I totally second all those ideas… and definitely talk to your OB about the progesterone supplements… I’ve heard very good things about that!

One thing to remember is that it may take a few months to regulate. Think of it like your period returning after having a baby… it takes a while for all your systems to get running back at “normal”.

Good luck… I know it can be hard…
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Thanks Em! I went off of the pill last July–I mean, how long does this take?:o
 
AmberDale said:
According to the OB/GYN that I talked to, this does have a side effect for some women. I was offered this, because I was having my cycled every 2 weeks, but bleading for like 10 days…
Well, I didn’t take it.

Side effect: He said for some women it makes it easier for them to get pregnant. Which in Whatevergirl’s case would be a good thing, but not in mine due to my meds (coumadin)
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Um…well, not sure if I’m ‘ready’ just yet for a new baby. We are sort of in flux with our residence right now–as we might buy the home we are leasing, or get into something new…but, whatever God’s will is, really. We are ‘trying’ put it that way, but we are open to new life, now. I really don’t know if I want to ‘go one anything’ new prescribed, right now–we shall see. Thank you ladies!
 
oh, this is going to sound strange, but you know that energy drink red bull? it’s got a lot of caffeine, but it is very helpful during PMS–I think because the b vitamins are so high, but i do take a regular supp that is very helpful.
 
I third the Ibuprophen. I take a prescription strength dose, and it gets an otherwise bedridden girl upright. Granted I still feel pain, but, it’s a lot less. If you want, I can PM you more about it. 🙂
 
LovingHim said:
I third the Ibuprophen. I take a prescription strength dose, and it gets an otherwise bedridden girl upright. Granted I still feel pain, but, it’s a lot less. If you want, I can PM you more about it. 🙂
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Thank you–I actually took the bottle of prescribed Ibuprofen that my son was given for his oral sugery, with me to work today. I took 800mg…wow…I’m happier now.😛 I just feel like I had this though! It’s not even been three week, and I’m steering into pre-period again.:crying: In some ways, we are supposed to be grateful for our periods, because it keeps our bodies young…I read this–don’t shoot the messenger.😊
 
whatevergirl said:
Thanks Em! I went off of the pill last July–I mean, how long does this take?:o
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Wow… that is a while then.
I’d talk to your OB about the progesterone… or maybe look for a local NFP-only doctor in your area… they may have the best info (I haven’t found one in my area, so I know they’re hard to come by :o )

Keep researching online too… I know I’ve heard of other more natural ways to help improve your cycle…

And lots of people rave about that book “Fertility Cycles and Nutrition”, so maybe look into that too…

Good luck…
 
WG, my prayers are with you. I don’t have a lot of real expertise on this, you know, I’m just a guy,😛 :rolleyes: But I do have a couple of daughters who were prescribed the pill for their cramps,:o and I hate they are on these chemicals,:o that do/will have side effects. But a couple of thoughts & things I have heard.
  • Stretching out 15 - 20min/night from calves to hands, helps keep muscles from knotting up, all the mucsles are connected and that’s why stretching the whole body is the best.
  • DW and SIL went off pill after 35 due to blood clot concerns???
  • I always wonder how women who can not afford the pill, or live in non industrial countries or all the women before the 1960’s had their periods for centuries coped? Did/do they all suffer from their periods?
Just some thoughts from a Dad.:whistle: I’ll stand back and listen to the experts now.:D:p
 
Time;

Well, my dad did mention when I was a kid, that his mom ‘beat’ him quite a bit…it kinda makes you wonder.:o I have often thought of that–but, how did people cope with any pain back then? Often, back in the war, men had to literally ‘bite a bullet’ to withstand operations, amputations…so, we have come a long way thankfully in the medical world with mitigating pain. I don’t want to just be masking symptoms though–I agree with EM, that exercising even during the pain, is helpful, oddly enough. I will say it’s worlds better than when I was a teenager, but I’m just surprised that I still get cramps like this at 39.:rolleyes:

Anyways…thanks for the advice! 🙂
 
One way to look at it - maybe 21 days IS a normal cycle for you.

For somepeople, normal is a cycle that varies from month to month! Charting will help you and your NFP teacher see what is normal for YOU.
 
**Sounds like the devil is tempting you in your time of growing faith. HE wants you back on the pill. HE wants you to feel horrible cramps and feel like you’re missing out on more intimate time with your hubby. HE loves creating this confusion and temptation for you. FIGHT HIM!!!

You have received great advice so far and it sounds like you’ve had your spiritual batteries recharged. Hopefully you can find something that works to make you more comfortable. But if you don’t, at least it is bringing you (and your hubby) closer to God.

Malia**
 
Feanaro_s_Wife said:
**Sounds like the devil is tempting you in your time of growing faith. HE wants you back on the pill. HE wants you to feel horrible cramps and feel like you’re missing out on more intimate time with your hubby. HE loves creating this confusion and temptation for you. FIGHT HIM!!!

You have received great advice so far and it sounds like you’ve had your spiritual batteries recharged. Hopefully you can find something that works to make you more comfortable. But if you don’t, at least it is bringing you (and your hubby) closer to God.

Malia**
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I agree. Satan wants you back on the stuff that will steer you and your husband away from God and His plan for married love. Through the pill Satan wants to not only destroy your marriage bed, but also your body, and they very vessel that might give God another immortal soul one day, and even go so far as to destroy the body of that immortal soul even as it is forming and developing inside you through these nasty chemicals.

Tell satan where to go. Don’t listen to him anymore. If the pain killers/supplements don’t work, there’s still hope and help for relief. Try finding an NFP only physician in your area. If he/she is somewhat far away, what is an hour or hour and a half of driving in comparison to your immortal soul? They might even counsel you over the phone, and give you some basic suggestions for relief.

God bless you and keep fighting. 🙂
 
Just a few thoughts that I am going to toss out there that will surely get me fussed at. I am not endorsing the use of the Pill for contraception. Please keep that in mind.

Back in the days when the average married couple did not understand the fertility cycle, women had far more children. More pregnancies and more children to nurse meant that women had fewer period cycles. Women did not start having their periods at 10 and 11 like today’s girls, and frequently experienced menopause earlier than today’s women. They also started bearing children at a younger age. It also was not unusual for a women to bear several children that died in infancy or childhood. My great grandmother (for example) was pregnant 14 times, resulting in 10 live births and 6 children that made it past age 8, all of which she nursed nearly two years. Conclusion of this little diatribe: today’s woman bleeds far more often and for more years than her grandmother.

There are many of us who suffer very ill affects from ridiculously heavy bleeding every month. Anemia (especially for me), PMS, severe cramping, etc … these may not have been “issues” for the women of yesteryear because … well… they spent most of their time knocked up or nursing.

If you look at it from this perspective, it is “unnatural” to bleed this much. Hormone therapy is a very real solution for many women. Even in very low doses, hormone therapy can suppress heavy, frequent menstruation and other debilitating side effects – not unlike the near constant state of pregnancy and nursing for women a 100 years ago. And on a side note, the period you have while on the pill is merely for show. It’s breakthrough bleeding, essentially because you are experiencing withdrawal from the hormones during the week you take the blank pills. Manufacturers worked in this “period week” to make it look a little more like a normal cycle, for aesthetic purposes only. If you take a very low dose pill (like Alesse) you can completely skip the placebo week and not experience this bleeding.

I did this for several years. As I was not married, the contraceptive side effects were not an issue. I took Alesse continually and instead of allowing myself a period, I donated blood every five to six months (why throw it away, I figured). My anemia subsided completely, I was even-tempered, and no longer missed three to four days of work each month drugged up at home on the couch with disabling cramps, throwing up and having diarrhea.

I have read in other threads that infertility as a SIDE EFFECT of treatment for medical conditions is not a sin. If this is what the church teaches, then I do not see why you are beating yourself up over this issue. I am off the pill presently and am trying to control my condition with exercise, diet and nutrition while I learn about and practice NFP. My fiance’ and I may choose to get pregnant within the first year or two of our marriage. However, if my anemia gets as bad as it was before, I will go back on the pill and I will not feel sinful about it. Like you, I will not be thrilled with that choice either. I see this instead as accepting the fact that there is a medical condition that needs to be treated. It is not a mere desire to be sinful.
 
I didn’t read the whole thread (not a lot of time,) but I don’t agree with what one poster said about prometrium. IT DOES NOT MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO CONCEIVE, ONLY MORE LIKELY THAT YOU WILL CARRY THE PREGNANCY. For people like me, (who take it p+3 and the first trimester of my pregnancies,) I have low progesterone and my babies would miscarry very early (like around my expected period,) if I didn’t take it. It does make my cycle more predictable and my periods less crampy.
Just wanted to clarify…there is a big difference and I don’t think any of us would want to put our babies in jeopardy, (not taking medicine that would sustain the pregnancy,) if we had a choice!

Jess
 
I appreciate all of the advice. I have noticed when I reduce my carb intake significantly, it helps nearly to where I hardly notice I’m having it. Eating healthy does pay off, when it comes to hormones! Did you know that insulin is a hormone? I did not know that until last year–so it would stand to reason that when we’re pms-ing and craving chocolate, etc…sugary things–that more insulin will be produced…and thus wreak further havoc with our already elevated female hormones! It’s not easy being a woman, sometimes. haha

Princess–I have read about taking the pill, for example, and not taking the last set of pills for the week of one’s cycle, as this will stop the bloodflow…but something about that just seems…I dunno…unnatural? I think we have the flow for a reason, but the history that you post is really interesting!! I hadn’t thought of all that, really…that definitely makes sense.
 
whatevergirl, my wife has the exact same problem with her periods: the luteal phase is very short (they call this “luteal phase defect”). She will, on average, begin ovulating on day 22 or so. I recommend contacting a doctor trained in NFP (through, perhaps, the Pope Paul VI Institute), they can examine your cycles and try to help by administering more progesterone during the time you should be ovulating.

One piece of advice, though, DO NOT go back on the pill. It will only make things worse, my wife’s problems are directly caused by being on the pill for two years. The pill makes things worse by dramatically increasing the level of estrogen and decreasing, overall, your body’s level of progesterone. To lengthen your luteal phase, you need the exact opposite - meaning the pill will do exactly the opposite of what you’d be going on it for, which is obviously not good. My wife is taking high levels of B6, to decrease residual levels of prolactin (caused by being on the pill) and daily progesterone cream to try and correct many of the problems she encountered from being on the pill (and we have been off the pill for 8 or 9 months).

DO NOT use the pill!
 
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