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Zlocista posted:can we stop freaking out and start sleeping at night again because the chances are so slim? You can stop freaking out because the chances are slim.  If you're still concerned, take a pregnancy test to put your mind at ease.
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May 16, 2011 00:02
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LikeFunOnlyBoring posted:Yeah, there's another PP near me. A few, actually. I told them I wanted to stay on the same pill, but they flat out refused to give me those pills. Would going to another PP help with that? Did they explain to you why they were choosing to no longer prescribe the combination pill? If not, here's the gist of it: Having migraines with aura (the tunnel vision you get counts as the aura), even if only once a year, increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, and death. It essentially doubles your risk of having any of these (from about 20 per 10,000 to around 40,000). In women with migraines with aura, taking estrogen further increases your risk (I don't have exact numbers). There are still a few other options available to you beyond just the POP: Implanon, Depo, the Mirena IUD, the copper IUD. All of these have lower risk of pregnancy than the combined pill and would be much safer for your heart and head health.
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May 17, 2011 23:30
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boquiabierta posted:What DRP said. I'll just add that it only counts as an aura if you get the visual symptoms BEFORE the migraine occurs, not DURING the migraine. If you're getting the tunnel vision only DURING the migraine then you should be fine for a combined pill, and I'd seek a second opinion or go somewhere else. But if you get tunnel vision, and it goes away or subsides somewhat, and then - typically within an hour or less - your migraine hits, PP is absolutely right to take you off your old pill. If you decide to seek another provider who is more lenient, just know that they're being more lenient (or plain old careless) at the risk of your safety. That first part isn't true. Auras can sometimes start at the same time or before the migraine headache and they're still considered an aura and therefore a contraindication for estrogen-containing pills. I agree with the second part of your post, though, allowing someone who gets migraines with aura to continue taking estrogen is medically irresponsible and a perfect reason for a lawsuit.
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May 18, 2011 03:00
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"boquiabierta" posted:Do you have a source for this? Sure thing: http://ihs-classification.org/en/02_klassifikation/02_teil1/01.00.00_migraine.html Edit: To clarify, aura occurring during a migraine headache is still considered an aura. Therefore, it is a risk factor for stroke and other cardiovascular events, and so remains a contraindication to estrogen-containing contraceptives. DRP Solved! fucked around with this message at 23:35 on May 18, 2011 |
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May 18, 2011 04:27
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"chapstickie" posted:Ok, BC question involving hair loss. Given that the hair loss is still going on, an the fact that you weren't losing hair while using the ring before you missed one (right?), this doesn't sound to me like it was caused by the Nuvaring. The timeline doesn't fit.
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May 18, 2011 19:35
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Harry Privates posted:So I'm a paranoid guy who doesn't want a child now or anytime in the near future. My girlfriend uses the Nuvaring, and I also wear condoms. Is using spermicidal condoms going to effect the Nuvaring in anyway? Am I being too cautious because I am already using 2 forms of birth control? Adding spermicides to condoms won't increase their effectiveness, and spermicides have their fair share of drawbacks (irritating to mucous tissue, increase the risk of UTIs in women, they taste bad, etc). In other words, don't do it! Besides, you're already using two forms of birth control that are both highly effective on their own.
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May 23, 2011 01:00
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Bagleworm posted:I'm not convinced that taking a placebo week one week after staring birth control for the first time will fix the breakthrough bleeding, and it certainly won't help mood swings. Rapid changes in hormone levels = not good for side effects... I'm with you on this. There's a reason we recommend sticking to birth control for at least 3 months before quitting, save for some serious side-effects. Taking it for a week and then pausing for another week may just bring along withdrawal bleeding, and then breakthrough bleeding may happen again when you restart it. There's pretty much zero guarantee that the bleeding will stop by this weekend if you stop taking it now, too. On the other hand, this bleeding may stop by this weekend if you continue on it.
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May 25, 2011 03:09
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Panzer Skank posted:Hey guys, I need some reassurance. The lesson here is that you should never believe anything you read from googling a subject. POPs aren't associated with weight gain, and the Google testimonies tend to blame birth control for problems that were likely caused by external lifestyle issues (stress, birthday cake, etc). Being a dude-goon, I also don't have any experience with a POP, but I think it would be great if you came back and shared your experience once you've started it.
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May 26, 2011 00:25
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The new doctor was completely shocked my old doctor let me stay on it for so long and she prescribed me Nora-BE POPs.
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legsarerequired posted:I have a question about timing. Today I switched from the depo shot to Alese (a pill that uses estrogen, from what my gyno told me). My doctor warned me that I should take Alese at night, so I can sleep through any nausea if I get that as a symptom. On what date was your last injection (day/month)? Are you still getting a period while on the Depo?
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May 26, 2011 22:30
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Harry Privates posted:My girlfriend is wondering how long after she takes out her Nuvaring will her period start? She had a very irregular cycle before hand, does that play a part in how long it would take? It can start anywhere from later in the day to a few days later. Her previous irregular cycle shouldn't really affect her cycle on birth control since the ring's hormones [edit:] ARE dictating when she has her period. Because of this, the ring should also help make her cycle more regular. Has she used other hormonal birth control before? DRP Solved! fucked around with this message at 22:27 on May 28, 2011 |
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May 28, 2011 16:28
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Harry Privates posted:No she hasn't used any hormonal before. She's nervous because she took the ring out Tuesday night and still hasn't had her period. We use condoms too, so it is highly unlikely she is pregnant. I was just curious I read that some people it takes up to 5 days after taking the ring out for them to have a period. It's not unusual for there to be a lag-time between removing the ring and getting a period. As long as the ring was used appropriately, I wouldn't worry too much about pregnancy. You can always take a pregnancy test to give you peace of mind. Make sure that she knows that she should put a new ring in next Tuesday whether or not she gets a period so that she stays properly protected.
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May 28, 2011 16:50
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heyniceperro posted:My girlfriend was supposed to start a new cycle of Avian today. When she went to renew her prescription it turned out it had expired a few weeks ago. We've called around and can't get a new prescription until tuesday. What should we do? Get some plan-b? We had sex on thursday. Am I right in saying that you had sex last Thursday when she was on her placebo/no-pill, or is she stacking pills to avoid having a period? In either case, she shouldn't have ovulated because of the Aviane, so she shouldn't need to use Plan B for Thursday. You two should use a condom or other form of backup protection for any sex from here-on and should continue doing so for 7 days after she restarts the Aviane.
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May 28, 2011 20:31
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heyniceperro posted:Right, she's been on her placebo/no-pills for the past week. I thought sperm can live for at least a few days? Is this an issue? Sperm stay alive for a maximum of 5 days. Ovulation usually occurs around 2 weeks after the onset of a woman's period, give or take a couple days based on the duration of the woman's cycle.
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May 28, 2011 20:50
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bobula posted:So I've been on the ring for the past ten months and it was fine initially, but lately my moods have been crazy as gently caress (up/down and the slightest provocation) and I'll just start crying out of nowhere. Before the ring I couldn't cry if I tried to. How long after you started using the ring did you notice these crying spells? People will often blame "Hormones!!!" as the cause of a new problem, but keep in mind that the association could be completely coincidental. Are there any new stresses in your life? Any personal or family history of depression or any other mood disorders? Mental health disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, etc) affect 1 in 5 people every year, but it's often overlooked. I hope that didn't scare you, but the ring is probably not to blame. Talk to your doctor about your issues with your mood!
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Jun 2, 2011 22:39
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2508084 posted:I feel dumb as hell asking this. I've been on depo on/off for the last couple of years. I decided to switch to nuvaring for various reasons. Im not used to having to think about my birth control (I'm not currently having sex with anyone, nor do I plan to anytime soon) and I can't figure out if I'm supposed to take it out this friday or if I was supposed to take it out last friday (two days ago). It shouldn't cause you any issues. The Nuvaring has enough hormones in it to last about 4 weeks (for those continuous cyclers). You can either keep it in until next Friday or take it out now and put it in again at the same scheduled time (which I'm guessing is Friday June 10th for you).
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Jun 5, 2011 23:16
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Kerfuffle posted:Not quite birth control, but I'm sure someone here has some insight. Does anyone know if those cranberry pills actually help prevent UTIs? The best answer that science can give you at this point is "possibly".
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Jun 8, 2011 12:23
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The patch should be applied on the first day of your period and backup should be used for 7 days if it's put on anytime after this. The five day rule is for the pill, but the patch takes longer than the pill to reach sufficient levels in your body so you don't have that extra wiggle room.
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Jun 9, 2011 12:32
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Yup!
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Jun 9, 2011 19:00
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2tomorrow posted:I have a question about Implanon and the use of St. John's Wort. Basically, I've dealt with depression most of my life, and am currently off medication. What I've found is that antidepressants served a great role in my life for awhile, but now I don't need to be on them all the time. However, sometimes I do start falling into a depressive cycle and St. John's Wort helps cut that off. So far it's the only thing I've found that I can use as-needed like that, as in not requiring a month or so to become effective and no withdrawals. (background included just so no one harps on me self-medicating or the dangers of herbal medicine or whatever like I sometimes see on these forums) It's not just with oral BC. It'll make the Implanon less effective and will increase your risk of pregnancy.
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Jun 14, 2011 22:49
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The interaction involves the St John's wort decreasing the progestin levels in your blood through increased metabolism. Therefore, all of the effects of lower progestin levels (reduced contraceptive effect, breakthrough bleeding, etc) are possible. Use backup during SJW treatment and at least 7 days after stopping, but be aware that the interaction could be prolonged beyond this amount of time. I am surprised to hear that SJW works so quickly for you, though, since it usually takes as much time as standard antidepressants to work. Do you have depression on its own, or do you have something like bipolar disorder? Pardon my curiosity, I'm a pharmacy student. You can PM me if you'd like to discuss it in a less public area, or you can simply ignore this paragraph if you'd prefer.
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Jun 15, 2011 00:42
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2tomorrow posted:Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Sure thing, my e-mail is vidensnitzel (at) gmail dot com.
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Jun 15, 2011 01:24
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Phisty posted:My question is: could the weight loss/clear skin be a sign the progesterone is wearing off? If it is, should I be concerned about babies or will it still work because theres a thing in my vadge? The progesterone is not wearing off. There are many factors that can lead to changes in weight and acne. First, Mirena doesn't cause weight gain/loss. You mention that you haven't changed your lifestyle considerably, but how closely have you been paying attention to it? Second, acne is typically at its worse in the teens to early 20s in women, so yours might be clearing up simply due to age. Whatever the root cause of these changes, they are themselves not a cause to worry about the effectiveness of your birth control. Your body will not develop a tolerance to the progestin in the Mirena, and on top of that you have a thing in your vadge.
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Jun 21, 2011 02:21
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My opinion as a pharmacygoon (thanks Kerfuffle!) is that adding testosterone to fix a problem caused by your BC pill (the first one you've tried, at that) is a bad idea. As others have said, libido changes reported with birth control pills aren't usually temporary, so a better long-term solution would be to switch to a pill with a different progestin, probably something with levonorgestrel as the progestin such as Alesse. Also keep in mind that testosterone therapy hasn't been shown to be effective in female libido disorders and its use is discouraged by the American Endocrine Society because of lack of safety data.
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Jul 1, 2011 15:37
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I just need to quote this for irony:lunarian posted:My doc said that more hormones equals more side effects From the doctor who prescribed testosterone for decreased libido caused by your birth control pill.  I would try a pill with a different progestin than the one found in the Loestrin (norethindrone) or Alesse (levonorgestrel), perhaps something like Cyclen (the progestin is desogestrel). As Reformed Tomboy said, finding the right birth control is more of an art form than straight science, so it can take a few tries to find the one most suited for you.
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Jul 1, 2011 23:50
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Will it spoil me posted:Is it worth it to use a condom with hormonal birth control, combined? Committed relationship, new partner or one-night stand? The condom won't do much to reduce the risk of pregnancy further unless you (her?) are inconsistent with taking the pill, but it will help prevent the spread of STIs if one of you hasn't been tested in a while.
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Jul 8, 2011 03:09
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click click posted:Since the conception rate with typical use over a year for sponges is 16% (Wikipedia) and conception rate for coitus interruptus is let's say 20% (15-28%) multiplying the two should give us a 3.2% conception rate if these are independent events, right? Unfortunately not. Contraceptive failure rates don't work this way. quote:Additional spermicide could be used to cut this down even more. So, for typical use, we could be looking at 3.2% for sponges + pulling out + extra spermicide versus 10-18% for condoms. The sponge, cervical cap and diaphragm all require the use of spermicide in the first place and its presence is included in their failure rates. I would also hope that you're aiming for the perfect use rates rather than typical use rates. Just being able to put a condom on right and not using lubes or products that reduce the condom's integrity pretty much constitutes "perfect use". In that sense, the condom is "better" as far as effectiveness goes. The rest is all up to personal preference. quote:I'm concerned that these aren't independent events, though. This is why I'm searching high and low for an academic source to ease my mind and bolster my argument! I doubt you'll find any articles on this topic specifically, since it's inferred that contraceptives aren't additive in that "multiply A by B" way. quote:EDIT: Actually, I think I sperged too hard. Any info at all about the sponge + pulling out would be appreciated. This free e-book should give you a bit more info, including most of what I mentioned in this post: http://www.managingcontraception.com/shopping/product.php?productid=16161
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Jul 12, 2011 23:17
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Anne Whateley posted:This is not even vaguely true. Here are some things that "perfect use" entails: While all good points, I wasn't saying that those two things were all-inclusive of all that you needed to do, just that they were major factors in perfect use of condoms. Many of the things that you pointed out are included in my two points. Chill Anne, I wasn't implying that all you need for perfect use is to use an expired cut-out of the condom as a penis-tip-hat.
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Jul 13, 2011 11:35
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Lanthanum posted:I have a question. I got my Implanon out almost three weeks ago, and they gave me Nuvaring that same day. They told me to go ahead and insert it, three weeks later pull it out etc etc. Tuesday will be the three week mark where I pull it out and have my period. I was wondering if I could pull it out today, and get back on a Sunday start schedule instead? I would be removing it 3 days earlier, but I would also insert my new one next Sunday. Is that ok? You can do that or you can leave the ring in until next Sunday and take it out then. The ring has enough hormones in it to last at least 28 days.
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Jul 17, 2011 15:35
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Not Your Senorita posted:Awhile ago I started taking LoSeasonique to control horrible cramps/bad PMS symptoms and it's worked surprisingly well so far. I've been trying out birth controls for awhile now and I'm really, really happy with this one because it hasn't made me severely depressed like every other hormonal BC I've tried - it actually fixes my PMS issues instead of making them worse. How long have you had the yeast infection symptoms? When did it start relative to when you started the LoSeasonique? What have you been using to treat it and for how long? Not knowing anything about you other than what's in your post, switching birth control could be exacerbating it... or it could be an absolute coincidence. More than 3 in 4 women experience yeast infections at some point in their life, so this may just be you experiencing yours. As far as the bacterial vaginosis, many women have asymptomatic BV that never gets noticed and doesn't require treatment. I recommend you (1) try sticking to the same birth control for the rest of this cycle (a full 3 months), and (2) see your doctor about the yeast infection and try the treatment that he/she recommends for it (likely a single oral fluconazole tablet).
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Jul 17, 2011 23:07
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Not Your Senorita posted:I've had the symptoms for maybe 2-3 weeks (I started the LoSeasonique a little over a month ago). I tried Monistat which didn't work, then went to my doctor and she prescribed a 7 day dose of Terconazole cream (and 2 days worth of metronidazole for the BV) which I finished a few days ago. It doesn't seem to have done anything other than really irritate my lady parts because I'm still having symptoms. I am going to call tomorrow to ask if she can prescribe something else, preferably in pill form. Sorry I didn't make that clear in my first post! And yes, I am planning on staying on the birth control. Excellent, it sounds like you already had the right plan in mind! Are you experiencing any symptoms other than vaginal pain (as if those symptoms weren't unpleasant enough already), such as vaginal discharge, unusual odor, or itching?
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Jul 18, 2011 03:01
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BigGayLogan posted:I was thinking about switching to Depo but I heard it causes calcium loss. I would reconsider this concern. My last post in this thread (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3392060) summarizes what we know about Depo and bone health. In short: Depo hasn't been shown to increase your risk of fracture, and there are actually small studies of post-menopausal women who used Depo for 10 years or more with no negative effect on their bones. I think Depo is probably your best bet here. Other options include Implanon, the progestin-only pill (which stops periods in about 10% of women), and the Mirena IUD (which you already said you weren't interested in, but is worth listing anyway).
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Jul 18, 2011 23:18
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BigGayLogan posted:I do drink a lot of milk, and I don't mind taking calcium supplements either. It's just that everything I heard about Depo aside from making you fat and depressed (every hormonal bc option makes people fat and depressed Calcium supplements really aren't necessary if you're eating what even resembles a healthy diet. Like I said, the studies that are available really don't support any long-term risk on bone health (what I assume you mean by calcium loss). The post that I made in the Goon Doctor thread references the best available evidence on the matter; I encourage you to print it off to give to your doctor in order to discuss what's known about Depo and bone health. quote:I just want something where I don't have to worry about horrible bleeding and cramps that confine me in bed all day and all the other lovely stuff that comes with periods. You know, short of ripping out my uterus... As a guy, I can't even begin to understand how unpleasant that is, but I empathize and hope you can find something that helps!
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Jul 18, 2011 23:59
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) is the calcium loss. Still considering it and will still ask about it Wednesday.
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Not Your Senorita posted:Had the itching, that went away. Still have the pain/discharge. I called my doctor today and she called in a prescription for me. I went to pick it up after work and it's a bunch of fluconazole tablets and a different kind of cream. Hopefully I don't actually NEED all of this stuff, but I'm definitely glad to have it right now. Keep in mind that, while you're taking the fluconazole, you don't need to use the cream (if it's another antifungal). Antifungal cream is generally used with the fluconazole because it works a little quicker to get rid of the itching and pain. I'm mentioning this because it sounds like the other antifungal cream's been quite irritating for you, so there's no sense in causing yourself more pain.
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Jul 19, 2011 00:56
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Lackadaisical posted:While we're on the topic of IUD's... I finally have my appointment set to get my paragard removed! It'll probably hurt less if you get it taken out when you're not on your period.
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Jul 21, 2011 21:20
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HoBeau posted:Is pregnancy a possibility? It's a very small possibility, but it still exists. The ring really shouldn't be out for more than 3 hours at a time during your 3 "in" weeks, though fortunately it's less of an issue during weeks 2-3 because the ring has likely prevented ovulation. quote:
Not likely because pregnancy would sustain the higher hormone levels required to prevent a period. quote:I've bought some pregnancy tests but it's still a bit early for testing as my period is only due in 5 days. I appreciate any input! I think you're right about it being paranoia. The nausea commonly associated with pregnancy is caused by high levels of the same hormone (hCG) that you're testing for when using a pregnancy test. This nausea usually starts around month 2 of pregnancy.
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Jul 23, 2011 07:17
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Ceridwen is right, unless you currently have breast cancer or have had it, Mirena is still an option for you. The same holds true for every single other hormonal birth control too.
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Jul 30, 2011 13:29
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Peggy Lee posted:So, I'm going on prophylactic antibiotics because of recurrent UTIs. (They didn't find any sugar when testing my urine so I probably don't have diabetes, which is good.) I know that a course of antibiotics will gently caress up the bacteria in your gut that help you absorb the pill, but has anyone had experience with needing to pop a Cipro before sex? Unless you get severe diarrhea, or throw up within a few hours of taking the birth control, antibiotics shouldn't reduce the effectiveness of your birth control pill. Which pill are you on? Being overweight really only affects the effectiveness of the patch. A greater concern is your increased risk of heart disease with being overweight while taking estrogen.
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Aug 2, 2011 19:11
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Peggy Lee posted:The Cochrane review I could find on this has a nearly double relative risk for pregnancy on oral contraceptives for women with BMI >=25, but other source I've seen say 1.5 times the risk for overweight, double for obese. Yeah that Cochrane review analyzes some fairly weak and inconsistent studies. For example in one of the studies on COCs, there is an increase in pregnancy in women with a BMI > 25 but not in women > 70 kg. All of these analyses are done "post-hoc" on studies that didn't initially stratify women based on weight or BMI. interestingly, there was a study done last year that showed that a low-dose COC (20 mcg of EE) lead to a similar level of ovulation suppression in both obese and "normal-weight" women. Ramblings aside, you can always play it safe for pregnancy and go with a medium-dose COC (30-35 mcg of EE), the Nuvaring or Depo.
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Aug 2, 2011 22:06
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Peggy Lee posted:Thanks for input. Studies with BMI are difficult, because unless you get up on the scale, people will underreport weight and overreport height all the time. (Shoot, I'm always rounding my 5-foot-8.75-inches up to 5'9".) Both estrogen and progestins are highly bound to plasma protein in your blood, which means the majority is floating around in your blood rather than accumulating into your fat tissue (or any other tissue). The study that I discussed earlier on ovulation suppression in obese vs non-obese women taking the same doses of COCs actually showed that blood concentrations of estrogen and progestins were not significantly different between the two weight groups (from: Westhoff CL, et al. Ovarian suppression in normal-weight and obese women during oral contraceptive use). I'm thinking that if there really is an increased risk of pregnancy with obese women using COCs, it's probably not related to the drug itself and possibly related to other factors more common in obese women, such as ability to take the pill appropriately. It's just speculation though!
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Aug 2, 2011 23:22
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rainbow kittens posted:Either way, some pharmacists are absolutely strict about reminding patients of the risk, and some don't seem to bother at all. I play it on the safe side, and put that little pink sticker on OCPs as well as the antibiotics that may possibly cause reduced effectiveness. Yeah many of my classmates and colleagues always mention it when counseling in order to cover their asses. The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in England actually put out a position statement this year actively stating that there's no evidence that antibiotics which are not liver inducers gently caress up hormone levels. Their recommendation actually reads as follows: "What advice should be given to women using hormonal contraception and antibacterial drugs that are not enzyme inducers? - Additional contraceptive precautions are not required during or after courses of antibiotics that do not induce enzymes. - Women should be advised about the importance of correct contraceptive practice during periods of illness." fake edit: This is also mentioned in the document - "In 2009/2010, the World Health Organization produced updated Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (WHOMEC)3 which included evidence-based guidance on contraceptive use and drug interactions. WHOMEC states that there is intermediate level evidence that the contraceptive effectiveness of COCs is not affected by co-administration of most broad- spectrum antibiotics, and advises no restriction on use (WHOMEC Category 1) of CHC with antibiotics. The U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (USMEC)4 2010 has also adopted these recommendations. For the following reasons the CEU supports this statement and now advises that additional precautions are not required even for short courses of antibiotics that are not enzyme inducers." quote:Metabolism with OCP has to play a big part. As someone with a heightened metabolism, OCP was burning through my system and so I'd get a burst of hormones and then god knows what, because I'd be spotting for most of the month on anything I tried. No problem with the Nuva Ring, however. This sounds like less about metabolism than it does about finding the appropriate estrogen and progestin dose. Metabolism in your liver is not the same thing as your "metabolism" that people usually refer to when they say that they can eat whatever they want without gaining any weight.
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Aug 3, 2011 03:44
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