Birth Control Pills - Need Some Women Advice!

I had to try several types of bc pills before I found one that worked for me. some of them made me sick, some gave me vertigo. i am now on one that works great. No more crazy mommy for 2 weeks out of the month. I take them continuosly and it helps a lot with my mood swings. I do sometimes have breakthrough bleeding but it is generaly mild. I went back on bc when my youngest was 2 because of the crazy mood swings, night sweats, bloating. I feel much better now. I also starting taking a calcium, magnexium, zinc supplement three times a day and that has helped a lot too.

I am 39 years old and have two children, 12 and almost 6, and was trying the NuvaRing with that same concept, switching it out without a break so that I wouldn't have periods. I was trying to get my migraines under control. I only made it 5 weeks. I felt so horrible while using the NuvaRing that I actually thought that maybe I had something horribly wrong with me - cancer or fibromyalgia or something. That's how bad it was. I felt a lot like you described. I couldn't sleep at all, was very nauseous, and during the day I was exhausted, but not just from not sleeping. This was a deeper kind of exhaustion. I was bone-tired. As soon as I took the NuvaRing out, I felt more like myself (within a couple of days). If I were you, I would try stopping the birth control pills. If you don't feel better, you can always start taking them again, but at least you would know if that was what was making you feel so terrible. It wouldn't hurt to see another doctor also. Whatever it is, I hope you feel better soon. :-)

I agree that you should ask to see your Primary Care Provider as soon as possible.

I'm not a doctor, nurse - I've worked with doctors for over a decade, have a degree in Biology and I've overcome a serious health issue recently (cancer).

There's something not quite right in your message, and I can't put my finger on it, but I think your OB/GYN is being a little dismissive. If it were me, I'd want to get another opinion.

As far as skipping your period by taking your pill continually, I'm not in favor of it personally. It's a hotly debated issue in Women's Health. There is a lot of research going into long-term use of birth control pills because of the artificially elevated hormone levels.

Your symptoms are indicative of a lot of different things, some hormonal (Thyroid is also hormonal), some not. So, I don't want to speculate from an uneducated medical point of view.

Follow your instincts - mine led me in the right path (I originally went to my OB/GYN because I was postpartum - the following day, my instincts, led me to my PCP who ordered tests.

I hope yours is a simple hormonal imbalance that is easy to correct.
Best wishes.

It could be your hormones, sometimes they change. It also could be thyroids issues, so I would have those levels checked too. If you are always tired and have been eating healthy and exercising (which should eventually increase your energy level) it could be due to an under active thyroids. If your Ob/GYN will not do blood work for this then go to your primary care and express your concerns, it never hurts to get a second opinion when not all your questions were answered fully.

Have you had your thyroid checked? Fatigue, weight gain, depression and irritability are some symptoms of hypothyroid. Excessive sweating and nausea are common symptoms of hyperthyroid.

I was on seven different birth control pill in just a little over a year. I was an emotional mess on them and would get sick to my stomache all the time. I finally said enough is enough! I told the doctor I would rather be pregnant then feel so miserable all the time. It was affecting how I was treating my husband and kids. About a month after I stopped birth control I started to feel like myself again : ). I haven't tried any "natural" means of birth control since we have decided to have another baby soon, but I know they are out there. I hope you get this all figured out and start feeling better soon so you can get back to your life : ).

I would go to your primary care doctor and get checked out. Sounds like you need your thyroid checked to me. Doesn't sound like your GYN is really listening to your symptoms and thinking them through! Get another opinion - I don't think continually taking your pills is going to solve your problems!

Besides seeing your OB have you gone to see your regular doctor? You should have a full work up ro rule out any other problems. For months I had strange symptoms of back aches and occassional vomitting I thought nothing of it because they would go away. Turns out my gallbladder went haywire and I had to have emergency surgery to have it removed.
But to get back to your post I have taken the pills like your doctor is saying but only to skip my period when I had a vacation planned because I didn't want the hassle and wanted to enjoy my vacation. It is not recommended to do all the time. It can really screw up your hormones.

I would go to your family doctor (not obgyn, mine said stress too) and tell them what has been going on. I have had a lot of the same problems (and it will get worse). I even got on antidepressants because I was so emotional but that was not the answer. I put on a lot of weight quickly and was not eating unhealthily. I went to a primary care family doctor and told her what was going on. I even had her check my Thyroid (my whole family has thyroid disease) but my thyroid was normal. So, my family doctor did bloodwork on my hormone and testosterone levels and found that they were consistent with polycystic ovarian disease. They scheduled an ultrasound which revealed multiple cysts on both of my ovaries. I am only 23 years old. Look into polycystic ovarian disease and see what symptoms you have of it and go talk to a regular doctor. Please at least explore this option with your doctor because this is a very common disease that usually goes undiagnosed. If you do have this then you will want to know so you can get it taken care of before you have a cyst rupture (VERY PAINFUL). Good luck.

Well, we have two boys and decided we were done having children. My husband had a vasectomy a couple years ago so i did away with the pill. Everyone reacts differently to the pill - evidently, i react well. When i was not taking the pill, I was a basket case 2 weeks out of the month. It was awful - periods were awful - mood swings. I talked to my ob about it and he put me on lo-estren bc pill (not sure about the spelling) and i do take them continuously. I never have break through bleeding, but I think that is rare - the nurse says i'm lucky. Like i said, everyone is different, but for me, this method works great! I do agree that you might want to get another opinion though. Good luck!

I cannot give you personal advice on your mood swings and body changes, but I would think your pills have something to do with it. And stress can always play a factor in things. Even if you are going thru a job change or friends/family is moving/changing/evolving when you are not.

As for the continous pills, I have had friends do that. The one side affect I had heard froma girlfriend was that she never could predict her periods or she'd spot randomly or get her period suddenly with no set cycle.

I would go with the advice of your dr for 6mos or so then revisit how you feel.

good luck!

Mirena!! The IUD is great and last long time. I hated pills and the shot it completely ruined me then I tried the IUD and it was great. Only problem is you get constant small bacterial infections which is annoying cause your body is fighting the strings all the time. I also kept on some weight i believe but thats the only problems. I love the IUD and happy dont have to worry about BC for 5 years. Pills/shots were horrendous i will never go back to that.

You don't mention your age- it could be premenopausal symptoms. If not, it's true that the pill isn't likely to start affecting you differently, but it isn't impossible, There is certainly no harm in trying to change pills.

It is perfectly safe to continuously cycle your birth control pills- the period that you have on pills isn't a true period, just your body reacting to the estrogen withdrawal, so it isn't unhealthy or anything, The issue is if you are having these symptoms the week before your period then it won't change anything- you will still be having the same symptoms because you won't be changing anything then. It also doesn't get to the bottom of the problem- just masks it.

I second the suggestion to have an eval from your family doctor. Thyroid problems can often cause varied symptoms. Also, consider a new OB-Gyn who doesn't dismiss your concerns- I wouldn't put up with that type of treatment. Good luck- hope you feel better soon!

It could be hormonal, or even some kind of vitamin or mineral deficiency. You might just talk to your primary care physician and ask if you can have a complete blood workup done. Anemia can cause several of those symptoms. Also, I don't know how old you are, but you could be starting peri-menopause (I think that's the right term.) My mom started early in her 40s. As for taking them continuously, I've heard of doing it, especially with the pills that are all the same dosage like Yasmin, but I've never done it for more than 2 packs. I would guess he's suggesting it to see if it stops the PMS, but again, you might want to ask another physician if you can, or even your pharmacist. They're generally very knowlegable and have seen it all! Good luck, and I hope you find out what's going on soon!

Have you even considered that you may be starting your Change of Life cycle? I started mine when I was 29 1/2 and it continued until I finally had my Hysterectomy. The COL can take a few years to complete, some people are under the false impression that it doesn't start until they are way up there in years. When in fact it can take as much as 10 to 20 years to complete. I would seek an outside opion from another doctor.