Using BC for non-BC reasons? - Birth Control Message Board

jessmarie · 08-09-2006, 06:08 PM

Hi everyone, I have been on BC since I was 12 years old. I got my first period in the summer of 2001. I am on BC because of irregular periods, extremely painful cramping, *before i started on the pill I made monthly doctors visits, because of craming*, and severe anemia. I started on Iron pills, just to get the anemia to go away. But the cramping and heavy periods continued. My primary care physician put me on Orthotricyclen, for about two years, it did not work at all. I still had extremely painful periods and heavy bleeding.

When that did not work he switched me over to the patch. Which didn't last more than 6 months, bc of the pain and itchiness. My mother took me off of the pill for a year, and iin that year i had my period 90% of the time. Along with the severe cramping.

My doctor put me on depo, and I have loved it. I haven't gotten my period in a year and a half, and i don't see any sideeffects, other than i have gained 20lbs. I went from 95 to 117 in a year and a half.

I went to an OBGYN yesterday, and he gave me Loestrin 24 Fe. The only reason we went was bc endotremesisos runs in the family, and I have all of the classic symptoms. He refused to diagnose me, bc im only 16. But all 5 of my aunts were diagnosised young, too. My cousin, is infertile, bc she was never diagnosised.

Is Loestrin 24 Fe worth taking? I want to get off of the depo, after reading all of the posts on here.

Was my OBGYN right to refuse me or should i go get a second opinon?

jessica

BorderGirl · 08-09-2006, 06:32 PM

I would get a second opinion. If I were you I would want a laparoscopy and a firm diagnosis. My first gyn was suspicious of endometriosis and told me the worst thing I could do if i had it is go on the pill and cover up the symptoms to let it get worse, only to find out years down the road that I am infertile, when something possibly could have been done to help.

xtrish2002 · 08-09-2006, 07:42 PM

hi jessmarie.. like the previous poster said, i too would get a second opinion. You're very young to be having those kinds of problems and a laproscopy would properly diagnose endo.

I have no experience with Leostrin 24 Fe so I can't give you any advise on that particular pill. But I will try to warn you about the side effects of the depo shot you're on now. The pill is a much safer alternative to the shot. For example, (not trying to scare you or anything but..) did you know that while you're taking that shot, you're losing bone density at the same rate of a woman in menopause? The shot stops your body from producing estrogen which is an important hormone that keeps your bones healthy! Not to mention all the other side effects that can last even years after you stop taking it. Try googling the words "depo provera horror stories" and you'll be amazed at what you find. I'm glad you're considering switching now, you've been on it 1 1/2 years already. You can lose a lot of bone density in that amount of time.

mayam · 08-11-2006, 01:24 AM

If you are doing fine on the depo I would not change. The pills also cause loss of bone density especially in underweight girls. All girls/ women need to eat a good calcium rich diet and do weight bearing exercise to keep their bones healthy.
Loestrin 24 Fe is a new pill and I wouldn't want to try it until it had been around for longer.
Please do not be scared off by the stories that you read about depo. It is a good tried and tested method and gives excellent results for the majority of people, as you have experienced.

Bracelet · 08-11-2006, 05:49 AM

No, the shot is especially dangerous due to the fact that you lose the bone density that your body needs, and this can't be recovered. For a girl who is still in the process of growing, this can be truly detrimental, and only a stupid doctor with no clue about these dangers would actually prescribe it in this case.

You should honestly pick up a book called "The Blessings of the Curse" by Susan Rako, MD. There is a lot of information about the depo shot in this book, and her extensive research will tell you exactly why it's so dangerous to never have a period and why depo should be pulled from the market. The most serious reason is of course the increased risk for very early stage osteoporosis. It's a very serious problem that affects women who have been on depo. Bone density is something we all need to be concerened about, as women, but very much more so for women who have used depo.