Question About Birth Control Pills.

Aug 2 04:40 UTC 1994

OK, this one is for any of you withg experience with birth control
pills.  My doctor recently put me on a two month regimine to contro9l
some bleeding trouble I'd been havin.  I happened to mention to a friendd
of mine that In was having some "interesting" symptoms.  That is,

I'm having all the sypmtoms I get in early pregnancy -- very tender
breasts, morning (and evening, and afternoon ;) ) nausea, slight
uterine twinges...that sort od thing.  I thought of it as a trip
down memory lane, not something to be alarmerd about.  After all,
that's how they act aspregnancy deterranents...
they convince your body it's already pregnant.  Right?

Well, this friend off the deep end and said that I had to stop
taking the pills immediately and see an ob/gyn right away because
thopse were some of th4 most dangerous signs of trouble.  


I will, of course, consult my doctor.  But has anyone else ever had
these symptoms from the pill?  Was it considered a problem?

response 2 of 83:

Aug 2 15:38 UTC 1994

Misti, please find yourself another MD who doesnt all asleep and in whom you
have confidence. But before that, call the doctor and ask about your symptoms. 
 How long have you been taking the pills?  I recall, when I was on them, that I
had many of the same symptoms for the first two weeks, then most of the
symptoms abated except the tender breasts.  But, please dont listen to anyone
else but your MD.

response 4 of 83:

Aug 3 04:10 UTC 1994

I would run screaming into the night from that doctor.  
He or she is not out to make you better but to get you out 
of the office. (IMO.o' course)

response 6 of 83:

Aug 4 00:36 UTC 1994

has anyone tried the new iud's?
are they any good? how do they compare with the pill, cost and effectiveness?

response 8 of 83:

Aug 4 19:12 UTC 1994

I didn't have any symptoms like those, any of the 3 times I
started taking the pill -- of course, those were 20-odd years
ago & the formulas have probably changed.

response 10 of 83:

Sep 17 21:49 UTC 1994

Actually, if no one minds if the topic is broadened a little, I was
raised in a household, school, and community which gave me little (read
no) information about various birth control methods.  I've picked up
bits of data here and there, but the gaps in my knowledge are sometimes
problematic.  If any of you would be willing to discuss the various 
methods you use/have used (and in particular, any notable successes or
failures) the tips could prove very useful to me.

response 14 of 83:

Dec 23 17:33 UTC 1994

Ditto popcorn's endorsement of OBOs--I read the book 20 years ago and it's
still one of the best.  I will give it to my daughter in a few years.
I was on the pill for many years with no ill effects, aside from some 
acne, which I still have even tho I'm off the pill for many years, so
maybe it wasn't from teh BC pill.   The pill was wonderful for my period,
too.

response 16 of 83:

Dec 27 13:07 UTC 1994

each time I move to a new response I find out that you've figured 
something out even tho I just answered you in the previous one, Audrey . . .
You seem to be a clever lady!

To add more to my comments on the pill, I know it can have many
side effects which is why monitoring by a dr. is important.  The current
doses are much milder than when I started with it, so are the risks of 
pregnancy if you forget just one pill.  And there was no AIDS in this
country before I was married, so using a condom for that reason whasn't
an issue.  I have one friend who was hospitalized for BC Pill induced
depression, after she tried to kill herself.  I always felt Great! on
the pill, and would go back to it but I seem to have been pregnant or 
nursing for the last decade.

If you smoke at all, stay off the pill.  

If you use a diaphragm, remember that it is fitted to your body, which
changes if you tend to gain and lose more than 10 lbs.  If so, you are
at risk of not only pregnancy, but birth defects from spermicides used.

response 18 of 83:

Dec 31 11:02 UTC 1994

Interesting.  In the past few weeks I've met three or four women, about to
have tubal ligations, who said they'd used a diaphram quite happily until
just recently.  Supposedly, the manufacturers have started adding a new
chemical which kills HIV and lots of women are finding the new product
tends to burn and leads to vaginal yeast infections. 

response 20 of 83:

Jun 2 00:35 UTC 1995

I tried Depo-Provera (The Shot) and stayed on it for about 9 months before
going back to the pill... I gained sixty pounds during that time (although
my gyno _swears_ that it wasn't from the shot *yeah right* and had breakthrough
bleeding after every time I had sex (not from the penetration so much, I think,
as from cervix-twitching during orgasm, if that is actually what happens)  I
went back to the pill and have had no problems.  After 9 months, the post- sex
bleeding has finally stopped.  *Whew*  I'll never go off again!

response 22 of 83:

Aug 11 15:37 UTC 1995

facial hair? i get a crop of about 5 or 6 chin hairs before every period.
i pluck them.. i didnt realize any other women got that.
i did have that problem even before i went on the pill. my dr at thetime
said it was genetic.. i took it to mean i had maybe a smuge more
testosterone in me than other women. i dunno..
anyone else get a few hairs? i mean, that are willing to admit it...;-)

response 24 of 83:

Aug 13 16:36 UTC 1995

i found that yanking them out by their roots seems to work best for me.