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So, I started on Seasonique-type birth control in order to lessen my periods and make them less painful -- as they were getting excruciating. I've had a weird symptom with both periods so far (have been on the pill for 6 months, so two cycles so far) and went to my clinic today to see the doctor about it. I had a really awful experience with the doctor today and I'm not sure what to do, but the story is kind of long and a bit graphic -- is this the right place to talk about and ask about it? I don't want to type up the whole thing if there's a general gynecology thread somewhere that I missed.
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May 21, 2015 04:58
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 16:53 |
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I guess I'll just post a glossed over version here, as more of a "was this okay or hosed up" type thing? Like I said, I started on Seasonique (well, the generic) in November. My first three months on the pill were okay, I started spotting a lot during the last month before the period but I had been told this might happen. My first period on the pill was HELLISH, but I had also been told to expect a fairly heavy period the first time. So, because the cramps were so freakishly bad during the first period (in line with my normal cramps, just really intense for one day), I kind of wrote off any other symptoms. But I just had my second cycle last week and noticed this symptom a bit more. My period this time was totally great. It only lasted for about two and a half days, really, and only had cramps on one day. But pretty much as soon as I started my period, I was having this really bad pressure in my abdomen and lower back whenever I would have to go to the bathroom for any reason. I would get stabbing pains around my bowel/anus (lol) area at random times, though very infrequently. The pressure would just show up at random times, but it always happened when I had to go to the bathroom, and was sometimes excruciating. As soon as I STOPPED using the bathroom, gone. And now that I'm off my period, also gone. So I figured, hey, this is probably something I should go in to see my doctor about. Now, I'm 21 years old, and just started going to see an ob/gyn last year because my periods were getting really unbearable. She didn't do an internal exam or anything because I am also a virgin who has never had intercourse or any sexual contact, and said that we could do one in a year or so to make sure everything was okay. I want to make it clear that I know I should have looked into things more than I did, but I stupidly assumed that the person they had assigned me to (I went to a large practice/group of doctors) was an actual gynecologist. I found out AFTER my visit yesterday that the woman I was seeing is actually a certified nurse midwife, not a gynecologist. Which... I was under the impression she was an actual gynecologist, shame on me, I guess. Anyway, since the symptoms were bothering me and I didn't know what it could be, I went in to talk to her. The very first thing she said to me was "oh, huh, that's weird. I've never heard about that!" which definitely did not put me at ease. She was extremely dismissive of everything I was telling her, and dismissive of my obvious distress about the situation. She said she didn't think anything was wrong and that she would take urine samples, do an internal, and get an ultrasound done "if it would make me feel better." Since that seemed like a good idea, I said yes. She did a very short internal and noted that I was experiencing pain when she put pressure on different areas while she was checking my ovaries and uterus. Or that's what she said she was doing. She didn't spend very long doing anything. She said that was abnormal, so she wanted me to get an ultrasound. "Luckily" for me, there was a little bit of time left for the ultrasound technician to see me before her shift ended. This is the part I'm going to gloss over a bit and also put under spoilers because it makes me uncomfortable and I don't want anyone to read it if they don't want a graphic description of what happened. I thought they were going to do an external ultrasound, but they made me have a transvaginal ultrasound. The technician was extremely rushed because she clearly wanted to go home. She didn't give me a chance to look at the probe or even ask her what she was doing. I am a tampon user, but not in the habit of using anything larger on myself. The probe was quite a bit bigger. To put it simply, she had to thrust it repeatedly to get the probe in place and it was extremely excruciating. She told me not to cry or she wouldn't do it. At this point I was completely in shock and upset because I had been rushed through all of this and really had no idea what to do or what was happening. She was really rough with how she moved the probe around and really rough when she removed it. I didn't stop bleeding until I got home. The entire process took less than ten minutes because I think she was really in a hurry. She left the office immediately after she was done with me. Again, I feel like I should have complained to someone right then and there or tried to stop the process, but... I just didn't. I couldn't really process it and was still in pain. I had to go back up to my "gynecologist" (the midwife) and look over the results. There were no cysts or anything abnormal from what they could see on the ultrasounds, so the midwife was unconcerned that anything was wrong. She told me to possibly go see an GI specialist because it was probably gas, according to her. So... tl;dr, I had a really painful, uncomfortable, humiliating experience at the office, and I'm not even sure that I'm comfortable with the opinion that the midwife gave me. Can any of you shed light on what I should consider doing? Is this normal to experience? I'm really shaken and unsure of what to do. I'm considering looking into a gynecologist who practices in their own office, who is actually a gynecologist, to see about this symptom and get a second opinion. But other than that, I don't know. Is it even worth asking somebody else? Is it a symptom any of you have experienced? Sorry for the really long post and if this isn't an appropriate place to post it.  I can delete or move it if necessary.
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May 22, 2015 00:41
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Not Your Senorita posted:Urban Wizard, I wanted to comment to say that your symptoms sound extremely familiar to me, and I have endometriosis. The heaviness/sharp pains happening when stuff is shifting around in your lower abdomen is pretty normal with that, in my experience. I also had the same issue with excruciating cramps my first few cycles on Seasonale, but my gynecologist recommended I take the pills continuously if I could to stop it/alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis and that worked great for me. It might be something worth discussing if you're fine with that method of BC otherwise. Thank you so much for this. The poster earlier PMed me and said that could be what it is, as well. Since it's such a specific symptom, I'm not going to be too surprised if that is what I get told. I've got an appointment at a really nice looking practice for the end of July, so I guess we'll find out! My experiences with Seasonique have been great actually, my second period on the pill was SO nice because it barely lasted at all. So I'm wondering if it really is helping with things, but just making some of the other symptoms more noticeable since I would normally be in agonizing cramp pain and not paying attention to other symptoms. If it's not too much to ask, could you PM me or contact me otherwise about your experiences with endometriosis...? Some of the things I've read have scared me a little but I'd like to hear what your experiences have been with it. No worries if not though. And thank you again!
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May 29, 2015 03:21
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Finally got in for my appointment with a new doctor and I'm very glad I did. She was great and actually professional, very good at what she does. She did confirm that she thinks I have endometriosis (we don't think it's severe enough to warrant official diagnosis with a laparoscopy yet) and I'm going to keep suppressing periods with pills. I was on Seasonique but I've been having some side effects that I'm not sure about, so she's going to have me try a different type of pill to see how it goes. I wanted to ask you all if you've ever had this type of issue while on hormonal birth control before - I've been having some pretty bad fatigue where I just completely lose all energy and feel really listless and checked out, though not sleepy/tired. I did bring that up with her and that's why she suggested we try a different pill - but I wanted to see if anybody else has experienced something like this and can confirm it's not all in my head?
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Jul 29, 2015 04:27
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Kimmalah posted:My energy levels weren't too bad, but I definitely remember constantly feeling kind of flat and "blah" all the time (for lack of a better description) when I was on the pill. Not really depressed, but just not a lot of emotional variation. Thank you, that's exactly what I've been dealing with... I'm hoping it will dissipate when I switch the type of pill I'm taking, but I don't know. What did you wind up doing about it?
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Jul 29, 2015 07:18
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Kimmalah posted:I got a copper IUD so I just don't use hormonal birth control at all now. Not a huge help I guess if that's not something you want to do. It's something I might look into if this continues after switching pills - there are so many different types available now that I guess it will just be a slightly-sucky period of trial and error. Thanks for letting me know!
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Jul 29, 2015 08:43
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Kimmalah posted:I don't know if it would be great with endometriosis, since from what I hear painful heavy periods might already be an issue with that. But it's always worth asking your doctor about (or possibly something like Mirena). Yeah, I realized that like two seconds after I posted but was too lazy to edit. I'm at least going to see what the new pill is like for a month or two before I think about trying something different. She prescribed me LO Loestrin FE since it has a lower dose of estrogen and she thinks that would help with the side effects I may be getting from Seasonique (if that's what it is coming from at least). I'm not exactly sure if lower estrogen would help or not, but I guess I'll find out. Thank you for all your help!
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Jul 29, 2015 09:02
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I feel like the psychological effects that birth control can have on you is extremely downplayed and under-researched... and usually (by not-great doctors) waved off as not being an issue. You're altering your body chemistry when you take anything hormonal so I really feel like it can cause side effects like these. My mood and personality have also changed a lot since I started Seasonique, so now that I've switched, I'm hoping to start to feel more normal again.
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Aug 25, 2015 00:56
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Ugh... yeah. This is something that really bothers me and to be honest I feel like we don't know that much more about these things than we did when these things first came out. Like woo, now you PROBABLY won't gain tons of weight like the pill used to do, but enjoy your weird and indescribable psychological changes that a lot of doctors aren't willing to associate with your BC method. It is really difficult to convince yourself that the psychological problems are exacerbated or caused by the BC method even if the timing matches up perfectly and you KNOW you don't feel the same way you used to. Luckily when I had my first meeting with my new doctor, she just nodded when I told her about my disturbingly flat, apathetic mood and told me it was time to switch. I'm hoping that I either improve, or she's willing to discuss it with me in detail if it continues to be a problem. I hope you guys have better luck too. 
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Aug 28, 2015 21:17
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cash crab posted:
At this point I don't really have an option but to keep giving it a chance because I have endometriosis, and that's the only reason I take BC - not for fun reasons like you aha. I just started BC last year and am only now trying my second type of pill, because it does help with the endo symptoms. Hopefully what I'm trying now does help alleviate the mental weirdness. Good for you though! 
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Aug 29, 2015 03:20
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I'm getting a non-hormonal IUD on Monday! I'm completely sick of hormones. Until I can convince the boy to get snipped, it's copper all the way.
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Geolicious posted:Blargh. That's right. Ain't that the truth. I'm very newly diagnosed tho, so we're still going to be working through all sorts of options until I hopefully find something that works well for me. 
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Aug 29, 2015 21:05
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I know you're in the middle of recovering right now -- hope you're doing okay! -- but I was going to PM you and couldn't. I was wondering if you could elaborate a little on that "flat" feeling you described a couple of times with regards to hormonal bc pills. I'm still struggling with this and I want some more confirmation from others that this isn't something I'm just imagining.
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Oct 1, 2015 03:50
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Kimmalah posted:Yeah, sorry I'm cheap and don't have plat. I am recovering nicely - for anyone who's curious about the process I've really felt perfectly normal since about Monday. My only complaints are that my stitches are getting itchy (but they should come out tomorrow) and I just started my period, but I'm only allowed to use pads. I'm so glad your recovery is going smoothly! The thing I am struggling with is that it seems like everything passes in a haze. I still experience emotions but they never seem to stick around for long, or feel as strong. Things that would normally make me extremely happy and excited don't register with the same intensity at all and it feels more difficult to enjoy things I am interested in. I also had a pretty intense mood change right before my period that has disappeared. Does that sound anything similar to what you mean? Obviously it's hard to tell what is the pill and what could just be regular problems but I'm hoping my obgyn will be helpful again.
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Oct 1, 2015 06:12
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Kimmalah posted:I didn't really have the loss of interest in things I enjoy but yes, the rest is a good description. I still felt things like happiness/sadness/anger but they just weren't very intense or long-lasting. For instance, at the time I was having a lot of relationship issues and a lot of stuff that normally would have really really pissed me off just kind of bothered me a little, then I just kind of let it go (when I shouldn't have). And like I said before, the week before my period would normally involve some serious mood swings that just disappeared the whole time I was on the pill, which actually was the only nice part of the deal to me. Thanks again! I am definitely going to see about trying different things to try and determine if the BC is the cause of this or not. It's always fun how little doctors prepare you for the possible psychological and mental side effects of this lol. I honestly don't know if an IUD will be an option for me with my endo but at least I can try to figure out what is causing this fog. Out of pure curiosity, how were the gas pains after your surgery?
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Oct 1, 2015 09:27
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My new obgyn is fantastic and got me in to see her last week as opposed to having to wait until December. Current consensus is to try a few months without any birth control to see if my mood issues improve (so far, so good, though it's possible it's just wishful thinking!), but of course that means my Hell Periods are back. She prescribed me toradol/ketorolac to take one on really bad days. I've only had to use it once but it seemed to make the nightmare cramps ease up almost immediately (thought it did also make me drowsy as hell for a couple of hours). So, guess this is my life until December when we decide to continue without hormonal BC or try a different option. akulol, you definitely have my sympathy with the nightmare cramps. Like Not Your Senorita said, when you're not cramming ibuprofen into your face, use a heating pad. I found that using one on my stomach and one on my back was best. Also, applying pressure to the pressure points in your lower back can help temporarily too. What painkiller are you using? Before I got my prescription for this new stuff, Advil worked best for me.
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Oct 15, 2015 00:28
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akulol posted:My god, I'm jealous. Only OTC treatment I've ever tried was AZO Yeast, but it worked pretty well back when I had regular yeast infections. Then again, I think I have regular yeast infections AGAIN... or just one that I haven't been able to get rid of. I can't even tell anymore. 
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Oct 29, 2015 07:17
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Kimmalah posted:Yeah, the AZO yeast treatment mentioned earlier is homeopathic stuff with no antifungal ingredient in sight other than maybe having a probiotic. Doesn't really surprise me actually! The only time I took it was waaaaay back when, so thankfully I haven't bothered with it this time around. Guess I'll have to call my doc to prescribe me some more actual medicine for it.
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Oct 29, 2015 20:22
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Man, I forgot how nice it was not to have periods all the time.  I'm having my second period since going off of HBC and it's been miserable. I've never had a flow this heavy for so long and the clotting is totally ridiculous and more thematically appropriate for Halloween than November. Is this something I can expect to even out as my body adjusts to having regular periods again, or did my brief stint on HBC condemn me to periods even more nightmarish than normal? Although it might be because of endometriosis, I guess. At least the pain pill my doctor gave me is helping better than regular Advil.
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Nov 2, 2015 22:32
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Has anybody here experienced issues with their contact lenses while on birth control? I've definitely been having problems with them and I'm going to see my eye doctor again soon, but I figured I'd see if any of you have had any experience with this side effect.
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Jan 3, 2016 02:14
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Thanks, you too. Yeah, I'm pretty positive that's what happened to me -- I'm off BC altogether now, but the issue isn't going away yet. I'm going to have him check my tear production and also the shape of my eye to see if that will help. How strange, though, that it's not really something you get told if you wear contacts and go on BC... at least it wasn't just me though
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Jan 3, 2016 04:47
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It's important for you to note that there are a ton of different types of pills and other methods of BC that basically boil down to different mixtures of hormones. Some women have really bad side effects with certain types of pills and none at all with others. Your gf is going to need to accept that she will have to monitor her symptoms and how happy she is on that method of BC, and be willing to switch if it's not working out for her. Her very blase attitude towards this sounds like a bit of a red flag, if she's just willing to go with the first thing suggested without question. You two should really be looking into this a bit more, especially if she is totally unwilling to abort should the BC fail. That said, if you continue to use condoms and she uses the BC properly, you really won't have much to worry about.
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May 13, 2016 00:22
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KillHour posted:Well, it's the "I don't know what I don't know" thing. How do you know to ask in the first place? I understand why PP wouldn't just get into a long discussion with every patient about all their options when a pill works fine and they have a line out the door and not enough staff to deal with it all. Which is why I recommended she get a referral for next time, so she had someone who was getting paid for their time by her insurance company and won't mind holding her hand a little bit more about the whole thing. I would probably recommend that your gf looks into finding a specific gynecologist to go to, at their own practice, for the future. If she has good health insurance and money isn't a problem then she will want a specific doctor to deal with, as it's easier to figure out what will work best for her if she's dealing with a specific doctor who knows exactly what she's going through. Nothing wrong with PP, but she'll get more specific, hand-holding care with one specific doctor, at least in my experience. Besides, she'll want one for the future when she needs to get regular checkups anywho. (which it sounds like you've already recommended, but just confirming that might be best for her needs)
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May 13, 2016 01:17
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Eponine posted:? Wrt the weight gain, have you had your doctors look into possible thyroid issues at all?
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Jun 26, 2016 00:56
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This isn't my own personal experience and surely things have changed in the many years since it happened, but my mom also had a copper IUD put in way back when, and her experience sounded super similar to yours. Her experience was so excruciatingly painful and didn't really let up at all so she wound up getting it taken back out only a short while after it was put in. You're definitely not alone; IUDs aren't for everyone for this reason but hopefully now that you got yours IN you'll be able to heal up and enjoy it for the time that you choose to keep it. I'm so sorry you went through that, though, it sounds downright horrible and it sucks that there's really no way to tell how bad it will be for someone until they get it done. ):
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Dec 20, 2016 22:26
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evelynevvie posted:Hello thread, I have a hypothetical. I don't feel like this is unreasonable at all. If you can afford it now, you should definitely contact your OB/GYN and ask to have a fresh one put in - I don't see why they couldn't or wouldn't. There could be plenty of reasons why someone might want to do that, like planning to go abroad in a certain amount of years and not wanting to have to worry about having it replaced while out of the country, etc - so there should be no real reason why an OB/GYN wouldn't want to do this... I'm not an expert, but I say go for it to cover your bases. Your peace of mind is important too!
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Feb 1, 2017 20:39
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I'm posting this in here instead of the endometriosis thread since its more of a general question. I was on Seasonique and then Lo Loestrin Fe for a year and a half or so, and both had pretty lovely psychological side effects for me that lead to me being in a really emotionless, flat fog for the time I was on it. My current obgyn is great and has me off of all forms of b/c (since I was only on it to manage my periods to deal with the really horrible cramps she suspects is due to endometriosis) and has given me a prescription for ketorolac for pain during my periods, and sometimes it's fine, but other periods are total hell. I don't like taking the ketorolac to begin with and I don't want anything stronger, but I'm going to be heading back to college soon and don't know how I can manage entire days that I'm losing to the pain. I know I should probably talk to my obgyn and pursue trying a different type of b/c to help manage this, but my experience with it the first time had such a negative impact on my life that I'm scared to try a different type and wind up losing another 6-12 months of my life to an emotionless fog. Does anyone have any advice about how to cope with psychological side effects from b/c, or if there are certain types you've had success with after having similar side effects with others? I'm just trying to psyche myself up to even consider going back onto something because I don't know how many more months I can take this. Sorry if this is a bit rambly/aimless, I'm currently still kind of loopy from the pain.
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Feb 8, 2017 07:29
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Thanks for all the responses, guys. We haven't done a laparoscopy to officially diagnose it yet, so that might be the next step before we decide where to go with treatment. I'm trying to be a little more hopeful since taking me off the birth control and using a pain medicine to manage the symptoms was just our next option, not the be-all end-all that this doctor wanted to try. I'll have to get in to see her so we can figure out where to go from here. Thanks so much for your response. I really hadn't considered any kind of IUD because my mother had such a bad reaction when she attempted a copper IUD, but that was decades ago, and also... copper. I'm just a bit worried about even entertaining the possibility of an IUD since I've never been sexually active and don't plan to be, so it always felt a little extreme for what I need out of birth control... and I'm definitely worried about the pain of insertion and the pain of getting used to it, after what my mom went through, but I guess there's no real way of knowing unless I discuss it with my doctor and see if it might be an option.
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Feb 8, 2017 21:33
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 16:53 |
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Instant Jellyfish posted:I got a mirena an adult who isn't sexually active and while I wouldn't do it every day the insertion really wasn't too bad at all. I think the key for me was just keeping myself as calm and relaxed as much as possible. I was kind of crampy the rest of the week but they were nowhere near as bad as my super awful period cramps. My first period after insertion had more but less intense cramps and lasted almost 3 weeks (ugh) but was so light I never needed more than a liner. I haven't had a period since that one mega-period. Thanks for the response! I'm feeling a little more hopeful about it and will definitely be discussing it with my doc when I can go in to see her. How long did it take for your first period after insertion to begin?
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Feb 9, 2017 05:08
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