Birth Control?

[jubejube]

Hi everyone,
My doc took me off BC for three months to see if it made a difference... i would say that my IC has stayed the same... i have some change in syptoms, but i was taking Yasmin originally, which my doctor beleives may have triggered my IC...
Now I am ready to get back onto a BC pill... i have monster periods when I am off the pill, with cramping and heavy periods... i would much rather find a pill that works for me, and my IC... not to mention i wouldnt mind attempting to have a sex life again... :evilsmile
I was wondering if any of you could recommend a birth control pill that works for you? One that you have found does not aggravate your symptoms?
Any suggestions to take to my doc tomorrow would be greatly appreciated
Thanks so much, hoep you are all having a great day...

jube

[petrie86]

I'm on loestrin 24 Fe. I'm a small girl and maybe the hormones it puts out is way to much b/c I get my period every 2 weeks. It's horrible, I have to go to the gyn b/c this stinks. I was on orthotricyclyn 24 and that seemed to work well but I had my period for 7 days with that. Loestrin 24 makes you have your period for 3 days or less. Idk if my body hasnt adjusted to the pill yet. I'm glad you told me about yaz i was thinking about maybe starting yaz to help my mood swings and maybe acne. I kinda wanted to maybe try seasonal or something where you dont get your period but it kinda scares me... what if I could never get pregant after taking that pill?? things to think about and discuss with a dr i guess. Well I hope things work out for you.

Rach

P.s. loestrin 24 doesnt bother my ic. the one good thing!!!

[meme]

I was on ortho-novem, which is like the highest dose of bc you can get. I think it actually helped with my ic. I miss it....

[jubejube]

Thanks Petrie and Meme,
I appreciate your quick responses... i hope i can find something that will work for me... i would rather have less periods, and try something like seasonal also, but i am also worried about the long term consequences of that...
Meme, why did you stop taking the Ortho-Novem, if you dont mind me asking? Did it have any side effects because it is the highest dose?
Thanks again
jube

[Claredale]

I have been off bc pills for 18 years since my husband took care of it on his end. When my IC symptoms started getting worse and I was in the severe stage I was even in more pain right before I started. I researched all types of bc to see what would be best and my doctor and I decided that I would start on the depo shots. I haven't had a period in 2 years and can definitely see a difference! I almost messed up and and was 2 weeks late getting my quarterly shot, but I got it Friday and my pain level is back to it's usual amount. There are side effects with the depo shot including brittle bone issues. I have a bone scan once a year now, but so far, my bones have been fine (actually have been told that I have the bones of someone in their 20s). Too bad my bladder is like a person that is 80! I didn't do any research on what the effects are if you decide to get pregnant later on since that's not going to happen. I also read that it can cause weight gain, (which goes with most bc pills) but I haven't had any problems with that.

Tracey

[meme]

Jube
I only went off the pill because we're trying to get pregnant. I absolutely loved being on the pill. Since I've been off of it I can definetly tell when I'm ovulating (it hurts) and I never could feel it before. I was on the highest dose because I have endo and my dr thought it would help me the best with the pain, and it did. I miss the pill so much!!!! I never had any weight gain while on it, I did while on Elavil, but not the pill. I was on it for 10yrs. A few years ago, my dr told me to restart my pack on the last day I flowed instead of waiting the full seven days because I was getting really bad migraines toward the end of my period. It worked for the migraines and my periods only lasted about 3days and were very light.....arg...now I really want to be back on it!

[born2swim]

I was on Ortho-tri-cyclin for 7 years and that pill worked well for me, but I started to get a ton of cysts and they suspected endometriosis... so they put me on Seasonique (that sucked!). Now I am on Yaz and no change in IC. Funny your doctor thinks BCP caused your IC. I was on BCP for 7 years then out of the blue, BAM! IC!

[theclownster]

Hi there! I find that Birth Control really really helps my IC symptoms. I was on ortho brand bills for many many years. In the past 5 years I've put on 100pounds - which really really sucks! I can't figure out what's causing it. I've tried all kinds of diets and can't stop gaining. It's really weird too. I can't seem to keep a steady weight either. And when I gain weight, I gain about 10 or more pounds at once (over a couple of days) which is almost impossible. Anyways, one of the doctors I saw thought the ortho brand pills might be adding to the problem and she suggested Seasonale. It's been great. Recently they upgraded Seasonale to Seasonique (has an added ingredient to help with break through bleeding). I still have occasional break through bleeding, but other than that, it seems to work great. Actually, I'm getting a little nervous because my husband and I want to start trying to conceive - which means I'll have to stop it of course. I'm worried how that will effect my increase in symptoms.

Good luck as you look for the pill that is right for you!

Take care,
Jennifer

[born2swim]

You know, I have been on Ortho-tri-cyclin since I was 17... at age 24, they switched me to Seasonique. Now, I gained 30 pounds 5 months... but I can't blame a drug for that. The Seasonique made my periods wonky. I would go 3 weeks without one, then get my period for a month, then 2 weeks without, then my period for 2 weeks, then a month without, then 3 weeks with, then 3 weeks without, then 3 weesk with... etc. The pill just did not work with my blood chemistry. They switched me to Yaz, so hopefully that straightens things out! We are all different (explains why there are so many allergy meds out there!). If one pill worked for everyone, then they wouldn't have so many out there! I'm glad to hear you are having luck with Seasonique. Good luck trying to conceive!

[jubejube]

Hi everyone...
thanks for getting back to me... i visited my doc today and she put me on Allesse... apparently it doesnt cause a large amount of weight gain, which is important to me. I was on it before, but im not sure it helped my cramps... i am willing to try it again. I had tried ortho pills before, but did gain a lot of weight and found it difficult to lose. Now i am trying to find something that fits with my IC and with my cramps. I really hope this works out, but im sure it will be trial and error...
Thanks everyone for getting back to me so quickly... this board has so many wonderful people!
Take Care,
juli :)

PS good luck with conceiving! I wish you the best of luck, and hopefully your IC will go into remission during your pregancy!