The FACTS the about birth control pill

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rachelsusanne

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hi everyone…
i am on the birth control pill “yaz” after having my first son 8 months ago.
i was put on this pill by my doctor to help the depression i was feeling still, 6 months after delivering. it was severe.
however, i have been on it for 2 months, and feel only mild improvement. sometimes i am fine, and others…i just dont feel like myself anymore. i go from so happy about life to utterly down .
my husband want me off the pill. he is trying to convince me to do NFP , and i have been hesitant because we dont have the money for books or a course, and i dont know how effective it truly is.
i do want more children, but not right now, as our money situation is not good at all…and my depression is still lingering.
i just want to be myself again.
i am trying to return to the catholic faith, and in doing so have been hearing people say the pill can cause abortions. i googled this, and found many such claims, but most are by religious people (no offense) who are biased. does anyone know of any MEDICAL sites i could look at? i want to learn the facts about this. i am very disturbed that i could be aborting and not know it. how come nobody tells us this??!!
is it really true?
thank you
 
Hi Rachel,
I think you will get a lot of help here on this question on the BC. I am with your hubby on going with NFP. It is more effective than the pill. I believe if you can’t afford the course, it is offered to you free of charge. Call your local Catholic Charities or your parish can also help. There are more people on this forum much more knowledgable than I am and they will help you.

As far as the question of the medical communities take on BC, I think you can go to WebMD or just put the name of the pill for a google search and read up on that particular medication.

I am sure others will have better answers for you.
 
also,
i heard to do NFP you have to stop having sex for up to 6 months while you track your fertility. ?:eek: is that true?
not that it would matter to me (the pill has completely zapped my sex drive. completely) but my husband might not like that! haha
 
You’ll find the answer you need in this article from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

NFP takes committment and time to learn, but it’s worth it. You can find a free booklet to download here which will help you get started. I also suggest you read Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition by Marilyn M. Shannon to help you with your mood swings, this is an extremely helpful book!

God bless!
 
Here is a link to the clinical pharmacology section for Yaz on an internet drug index called rxlist. rxlist.com/cgi/generic/yaz_cp.htm

Here is the excerpt that is relevant to the topic:
“Combination oral contraceptives (COCs) act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus (which increases the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduces the likelihood of implantation).”

Reducing the likelihood of implantation means it tries to keep a fertilized egg from implanting, hence causing an early abortion.
 
rachelsusanne said:
hi everyone…
i am on the birth control pill “yaz” after having my first son 8 months ago.
i was put on this pill by my doctor to help the depression i was feeling still, 6 months after delivering. it was severe.
however, i have been on it for 2 months, and feel only mild improvement. sometimes i am fine, and others…i just dont feel like myself anymore. i go from so happy about life to utterly down .
Click to expand...
There are many other treatments for depression. You do not need an off-label use of birth control pills to treat depression. And, clearly it isn’t doing much for you anyway.
rachelsusanne said:
my husband want me off the pill. he is trying to convince me to do NFP , and i have been hesitant because we dont have the money for books or a course, and i dont know how effective it truly is.
Click to expand...
Books and courses are not very expensive, compared to-- say-- monthly pill prescriptions.
rachelsusanne said:
i am trying to return to the catholic faith, and in doing so have been hearing people say the pill can cause abortions. i googled this, and found many such claims, but most are by religious people (no offense) who are biased. does anyone know of any MEDICAL sites i could look at?
Click to expand...
Will the “Yaz” website do?

Go to www.yaz-us.com and click on Physician’s Prescribing Info on the top menu bar (not the Patient’s Prescribing Info, which does not include ALL the information).

The Physician’s Prescribing Info .pdf file will display.

On page one, in the left hand column at the bottom you will find the section entitled Clinical Pharmacology. There you will find this information on how Yaz works:

“Combination oral contraceptives (COCs) act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, **other alterations include changes in **the cervical mucus (which increases the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduces the likelihood of implantation).” (bolding mine)
rachelsusanne said:
i want to learn the facts about this. i am very disturbed that i could be aborting and not know it. how come nobody tells us this??!! is it really true?
Click to expand...
Yes, it’s really true. Why are patients not told? Because contraceptives are big business.
 
my pills are covered under medicaid insurance, NFP courses are not.
 
rachelsusanne said:
my pills are covered under medicaid insurance, NFP courses are not.
Click to expand...
The NFP course fee is minimal-- and also I know that all the NFP instructors I know work on a sliding scale. So, if you are on medicaid, many instructors will give you free or reduced pricing.
 
rachelsusanne said:
hi everyone…
i am on the birth control pill “yaz” after having my first son 8 months ago.
i was put on this pill by my doctor to help the depression i was feeling still, 6 months after delivering. it was severe.
however, i have been on it for 2 months, and feel only mild improvement. sometimes i am fine, and others…i just dont feel like myself anymore. i go from so happy about life to utterly down .
my husband want me off the pill. he is trying to convince me to do NFP , and i have been hesitant because we dont have the money for books or a course, and i dont know how effective it truly is.
i do want more children, but not right now, as our money situation is not good at all…and my depression is still lingering.
i just want to be myself again.
i am trying to return to the catholic faith, and in doing so have been hearing people say the pill can cause abortions. i googled this, and found many such claims, but most are by religious people (no offense) who are biased. does anyone know of any MEDICAL sites i could look at? i want to learn the facts about this. i am very disturbed that i could be aborting and not know it. how come nobody tells us this??!!
is it really true?
thank you
Click to expand...
You will most likely find that medical sites will not say the pill causes abortion. This is because medically, pregnancy is defined to begin at implantation, not at the moment of conception. But, as Catholics, we believe that life is present from the very moment that sperm and egg meet.

The pill is designed to prevent ovulation. It also thins the lining of the uterus and make the uterus hostile to a newly conceived baby. In some cycles (it is not known how often) the pill fails to prevent ovulation. If fertilization occurs, the baby will not be able to implant in the womb, which it must do in order to grow and survive.

So yes, the pill could result in killing an unborn baby about a week or so after fertilization (when it would normally implant). You can find this information on just about any mainstream medical/birth control site.

No one knows just how frequently the pill results in the expulsion of a newly created baby, but just the fact that it could do so should preclude its use by someone who is pro-life.
 
I am not sure I understand why the Dr. put you on the Pill for depression. It sort of fits my theory that they give the Pill out for anything. I took the Pill in the past, it made me moody and gain weight. I also have a heart defect, the Pill could have killed me.

Go see another Dr. hopefully a pro-life Dr. Also, do you nurse your baby, nursing can provide temporaty infertility to woman.

Also, if you are nursing the hormones from the PIll will pass on your baby.

Having a small baby can make you very tired, and tiredness can lead a person to feel depressed.
 
I had depression problems and went on an anti-depressant.

This was a mistake… because it actually was a low progesterone issue. I found this out from charting creighton.

So now I take a NATURAL progesterone

Nfp classes ARE covered in some insurances. Nfp classes now have their own insurance codes.

The BCP can cause infertility in the long term.
When learning Creighton method, a couple must abstain for one month.

But coming of the BCP could create some difficulty in charting at first.
 
You may want to look into Creighton. You do not have to abstain for six months (but your instructions will be to do so for the first month). You can use it immediately, even coming off the pill. It is extremely reliable for family planning (meaning avoiding and achieving pregnancy. The Introductory Session is usually free so you can get more detailed information about it. Most practitioners will work with your financial situation (if they are not set up to work with insurance companies). And, most importantly, you will have access to NaproTechnology. It is common to have depression following pregnancy and the treatment at Pope Paul VI Institute for PPD is around 94%. Most of those women have a significant improvement by the next day. You can get more information at www.popepaulvi.com.
 
Another message board ‘cmomc.org’ has a LOT of free NFP info too, if you become a member (free, like here), you can go to the ‘Natural Family Planning Board’ where you can ask Eileen, a NFP-tutor ANYTHING at all, and she’s brilliant! She’s written articles and books on the subject, but does the board as a ‘hobby’ and when I needed to know about NFP a few years ago she PM’d me every day and we did a sort of long-distance-course (I’m in Britain), she taught me so much AND I never got pregnant once I learnt the rules.

As for the pill and depression…I’ve heard it can make you MORE ‘unstable’, a friend of mine had to get off them because she became very unstable in a short time. I have chronic depression/bi-polar and even before I converted was told ‘the pill would not be a good idea’. Depending on your depression, google ‘cognitive behaviour therapy’, no drugs but it really helped me through the hard times:thumbsup: !

Anna x
 
rachelsusanne said:
hi everyone…
i am on the birth control pill “yaz” after having my first son 8 months ago.
i was put on this pill by my doctor to help the depression i was feeling still, 6 months after delivering. it was severe.
however, i have been on it for 2 months, and feel only mild improvement. sometimes i am fine, and others…i just dont feel like myself anymore. i go from so happy about life to utterly down .
my husband want me off the pill. he is trying to convince me to do NFP , and i have been hesitant because we dont have the money for books or a course, and i dont know how effective it truly is.
i do want more children, but not right now, as our money situation is not good at all…and my depression is still lingering.
i just want to be myself again.
i am trying to return to the catholic faith, and in doing so have been hearing people say the pill can cause abortions. i googled this, and found many such claims, but most are by religious people (no offense) who are biased. does anyone know of any MEDICAL sites i could look at? i want to learn the facts about this. i am very disturbed that i could be aborting and not know it. how come nobody tells us this??!!
is it really true?
thank you
Click to expand...
What a great thread! Trust your husband (and me) and go off of the pill. I did and feel better than I have felt IN YEARS. I took the pill off and on for years, after my two children were born, and felt the exact same way as you–as though at times I felt bipolar. Like one day, I was on top of the world, the next…heart racing and sad. I think it is largely because of the hormonal dips that the pill has built in, to cause a woman to get her period at distinct and timed moments during the month, regularly. That regularity comes with a price, unfortunately. I was on it during the last few years, for hormonal use only, but have rediscovered NFP (we used it early in our marriage) and am excited to go to classes, or find a doctor who will help us to understand. We think about the what if we had a baby, and frankly, I’m over worrying over life, anymore. Give it to God. Give your whole life to God, and you will be so at peace that you did. Amongst the spiritual reasons behind it (being a sin), you will feel worlds better. Trust me.🙂 I will keep you in my prayers…
 
Definitely go with your husband on this one. NFP really does work! Plus I don’t know of anyone who teaches NFP in our parish who wouldn’t be thrilled to take you for free given your circumstances. It is about spreading the faith and God’s love for you!!! But make sure you also see a pro-life dr for your depression if you had it before starting the pill there is no guarentee it will be gone when you stop. Perhaps some couseling too might help if there is some other reason for your depression (assuming it isn’t hormonal) but sometimes it just happens and medication can really help. Wishing you all the best!
 
rachelsusanne said:
also,
i heard to do NFP you have to stop having sex for up to 6 months while you track your fertility. ?:eek: is that true?
not that it would matter to me (the pill has completely zapped my sex drive. completely) but my husband might not like that! haha
Click to expand...
You will need to abstain for about a month (complete cycle)
 
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