Went to the doc this morning for my annual checkup and Contraceptive Pill script renewal.
Today the doc said no.
Apparently because I get migraines with auras (flashing lights in front of my eyes) and my age, The Pill is strongly contra-indicated as I'm up for a 60% chance of a stroke or deep vein thombosis.
She did renew my script for a month, and gave me some literature, so now I need to explore options and see what else I can do to keep my periods regular and reduce the severity of both bleeding and cramping.
The actual contraceptive side of things is sooo irelevant its laughable .... so why am I sitting here crying my heart out?
17 comments:
Two reasons spring to mind - enforced change and having the fear of God put into you without warning. It's just additional stress at the moment and the thought of change is more than you think you can deal with. That said, she is actually right and this is the time to explore other options. They won't put me on the pill for many reasons so I've already done the exploration and I found an option that worked for me, until the M decided to rear it's ugly head. Make no rash decisions. Leave it for today and have a proper explore over the weekend once the shock has worn off. Above all be kind to yourself and a huge (((((HUG)))) from me and Miss P
I used to take the pill to stop cramps & bleeding until Hubby got his bits snipped (to avoid me having to take hormones the rest of my breeding life). Took may visits to naturopaths & specialist gynos to get a regime that worked. Being told "you can't have these because you're old enough that you risk dying" is a shocker, and explains the tears. You've had a solution that works & its now just one more thing you have to confront & overcome. I agree with above...give it a couple of days to relax & then you can calmly explore the options knowing you have a month to do so.
That warrants a tele-hug in the first place...
If you mostly haven't taken the pill for the contraceptive part anymore lately it is of course a shock. Cramps during menstruation are no fun. I got them too often to tell you rubbish about them being natural and bla and bla. I don't know how yours manifest, mine were pretty nasty, but not lasting for long enough to actually take anything against them. I noticed two things (and one of these also works well against my migraines): hot baths are wondrous! Couldn't do them during the day, but during the day moving around more worked like a song. One tends to sit down and curl up with cramps, but I've learned that for me cramps (be they in the head or in the abdomen) will be loosened best by going out. In summer, when I do get a headache, I go out and weed the garden. Better than ANY pill. In winter, a short, sharp run to catch the bus in fresh air helps as well.
Our PE teachers would always accept it when girls claimed their period as being awful to them - but they shouldn't have, because moving loosens cramps of all sort better than anything IMHO.
Your doc is right that migraines with auras double the risk of DVT's and stroke but 60%? I did some reading, I seriously doubt that there is a 30% risk in the average person. So that being said, I agree you should not be on an estrogen containing pill but don't panic. There are many other options. I'm a big proponent of an IUD (intrauterine device). It contains progesterone not estrogen. It is placed by the GYN and stays put for 5 years. Initially you may have a little more bleeding but after a few months you may note no bleeding at all! Other options include the mini-pill, and the Depo-provera shot every 3 months.
Just what you need at the moment; more traumas. I actually lasted 2 months on the pill before my bloodpressure when off the scale and never came down again.
After 4 babies I decided enough was enough and plumped for the IUD. Back in those days (oh dont I sound ancient?) they were metal ones which didn't have to be changed (not sure what the current regime is) but the most important thing was that it did work. My lady GP finally decided that it ought to come out two years ago when we all decided that I probably wouldn't get pregnant now and that if I did then she was quite happy for me to sue her:))
Thanks everyone for your comments! Roseann and Julie were right, it was just the shock from going for the usual routine and being told, umm no, the usual may kill you.
I suspect as Dr Stephanie says, my doc exaggerated, probably to get the seriousness of the situation through my thick skull.
She gave me a range of options which I need to study further. The two main she recommended were the Depo-provera shots and the progesterone only IUD. The IUD lasts 5 years, has very little side effects and actually is surprisingly much cheaper (who knew?). I'm going to do more reading, but based ont he doc's five minute spiel I'm strongly leaning toward the IUD at this point. As the doc says, I probably only need two and then I hit menopause.
What surprised me is that *all* of the options she outlined were more effective than the pill, and I didn;t need to remember to take them daily - why didn;t I look into this before?
I can comment on the IUD because I had one for 4 years and mine only came out when the fibroids got nuked and it was great. I know people on Depo who also say it is great so it is a case of deciding on what is the best solution for you.
For some weird reason, we are now conditioned to think that the Pill is the be all and end all of modern contraception. The Iud is a weird thing to have put in but once it's there, you won't even notice and it could well help with the period symptoms as it puts the hormones directly to where they are needed.
Good luck honey in making the decision. If it were me, I'd be more inclined to the Iud as it is more easily removable than the Depro Provera under the skin. and BTW, the funky cartoon stuff as I'm typing here makes this almost impossible to read over for spelling mistakes...
Yeah - discovered that myself. But hey we can sacrifice accuracy for art, can't we :) :) :)
Erm...in a word....no....
The Spell Chick will be after me if I get it wrong...I just know it LOL.
We have a spell chick here ???? WHERE ???? WHO ?????
http://condorita.multiply.com/
Darla is known as the Spell Chick..she doesn't use her Multiply account as a blog or anything else as she has stuff elsewhere...but beware, the spell chick will be watching LOL
I have no clue who you are talking about {shrugs} oh well.
I agree that your doc may have been exaggerating, but that being said, I also know two women who died of stroke in their 30's while on the pill. I say investigate into an IUD. Before taking one with progesterone though, I suggest taking it orally for a couple cycles first.
I accidently posted before I finished, LOL. I meant to say take it orally, because when I was giving it during infertility treatment, I had problems. My BP would drop off the bottom of the scale and I would pass out. Doc said there was 'no way' the drug would cause that, but it stopped happening when I stopped taking the pill. He chalked it up to an allergy because the drug is plant based. Knowing you have some food allergies, I just wonder if you should try it with something less permanent than an IUD first.
My sis-in-law did well on the depo implant (and it has the advantage of being easily removable in case of side effects).
My one piece of advice on this would be to really educate yourself about your own body before making your choice. My dd did the shots for a few years and finally decided to stop. Our family history of bone density issues made this a poor choice and probably the reason she had so many problems with her ankles. We had not even thought about that side effect as it's such a small percentage who are affected by it. Sounds like you're feeling better and even happy about a change. The lovely pill was the reason for the start of my weight gain. Sheesh! The evil weight monster gets us at every turn, doesn't it???
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