My Experience of Birth Control - Ladies, Can you attest to this?

Im not entirely sure why ive decided to write this post and share it with you but... im going to do it anyway.

The fact of the matter is - I rely on birth control. Not to ensure that i dont get pregnant but to give my moods and body the stability it seems to be unable to give itself. If im not taking the pill i simply cannot function.

- I cant get out of bed on a morning, and when i do i'll be back in it 6-8hrs later.
- My moods are somewhat erratic, the smallest upset becomes the biggest problem.
- I can easily blow up any conversation into an argument. There is literally no middle of the road, i am either totally positive or negative - Swinging between them on a daily basis.
- Heavy, painful periods, sometimes not occurring when they should, but day's later - Which would stress my body out and in turn, stress me out.

These 2 simple issues make it almost impossible to work a full time job and maintain civil relationships with other's in the world.

I first started taking the pill after being in counselling for over a year trying to sort my life out. I outright refused anti-depressants because of how crazy my mother went on them. My first experience of birth control was awful, I was given a product called "Celeste" - I felt nauseous, had tender breasts, I lasted about 6 days and could take no more, after i threw up i stopped taking them. Went back to the doctors and he gave me "Microgynon"
It was amazing! Suddenly i had bundles of energy! i could stay awake up to 14hrs a day! No sickness, levelled out my moods impeccably. It helped me get through the rest of counselling because i stopped going around in circles and could finally think on a calm and down to earth terms.

So i suppose i am writing this because ive been off the pill for 3 days and already noticed the changes in my moods.

I am simply two different people depending on if im taking birth control or not. Just makes me wonder... Would the world be even crazier if birth control never came into fruition? Ladies?

I can't even begin to understand what you women go through on a daily basis and I have the utmost respect for each and every one of you.

reply to post by SearchLightsInc


My wife loves to be on the pill for the second reason you mentioned. She has always been plagued by really heavy, long-lasting periods. When she's on the pill they are more like the average I'd say, with much less cramping and so forth. Also, it helps with her acne, which she otherwise has a problem with even though she's no longer a teenager. She can't wait to get on the pill again, but we just had our second son (1 month old today) and isn't allowed to start taking it for a couple more weeks.

Not sure about the mood changes, but come to think of it she's been a little more quick to argue lately....

reply to post by SearchLightsInc


I would like to give my experience with this:

I am allergic to wheat. It is more of an intolerance, but my tests and Dr. think that I should be having major reactions to it.

I have had really bad cramps and irregular periods my whole life, too. I stopped BC back in 2007. I just deal with it head on.

Anyways, I gave up wheat for over 2 months once. During that time I had 2 cycles that were actually 28 days and not 36-38 days! My cramps were also non existent, too! I ended up eating wheat again and all of the symptoms came back: irregular periods, bad cramps, brain fog, tired all of the time, etc. Now, I only eat it sparingly. I should probably just stop eating it.

Anyways, I would look into food allergies or an intolerance of some sort. I believe nutrition is a big part of the decline of our health today.

MoonLightStars
reply to post by SearchLightsInc

 

I would like to give my experience with this:

I am allergic to wheat. It is more of an intolerance, but my tests and Dr. think that I should be having major reactions to it.

I have had really bad cramps and irregular periods my whole life, too. I stopped BC back in 2007. I just deal with it head on.

Anyways, I gave up wheat for over 2 months once. During that time I had 2 cycles that were actually 28 days and not 36-38 days! My cramps were also non existent, too! I ended up eating wheat again and all of the symptoms came back: irregular periods, bad cramps, brain fog, tired all of the time, etc. Now, I only eat it sparingly. I should probably just stop eating it.

Anyways, I would look into food allergies or an intolerance of some sort. I believe nutrition is a big part of the decline of our health today.

I am defo going to take that into consideration as im absolutely positive i wont be able to stay on the pill for the rest of my life!

reply to post by SearchLightsInc


Never mind never read the op correctly.

I read once that the "pill" was originally for heavy periods when it was first developed then everyone caught on to the fact that it was also a effective contraceptive.

Good for you! I totally understand that. Its really not about birth control so much as much as it's hormone therapy-regulating. And that is something many women can benefit from even at young and older-ages. I know. Ive had experience with a few ex's that really suffered.

My experience with birth control pills was similar to yours (That's all in the past, fortunately). I had many hormonal problems that were corrected with BC pills. I took them whether I was sexually active or not, because of how they regulated my moods and made my periods less painful. And still, I usually missed one day of work a month.

I think part of the craziness you talk about would be a lot worse if we didn't have birth control, but I also think environmental issues contribute to the general hormonal fluctuation with women and men.

I actually had a terrible experience with birth control. I was on it for about a year before I started noticing one specific change.

I would have my cycle for 3 weeks, and then be off of it for a week.

I stopped using it after that.

I would let your body adjust for about two weeks and see what happens.

I wish you the best of luck!!

reply to post by SearchLightsInc


WOW! This sounds like my GF. Seriously... Reading this, I could have sworn she wrote it. I'm going to show her this thread and hopefully she will give it a shot, because I'm at my witts end!

I had the opposite with my pills. My cycle has always been naturally about one to one and half weeks longer than the average woman's. I used to hate it because my mom would notice it and her default position was always to accuse me of being pregnant.

At any rate, I never had any mood problems or other physical problems aside from developing migraines.

I started taking the pill just before getting married. The migraines got horribly bad and would be almost nonstop during the last two weeks of my cycle. I tolerated it for years (almost 15 to be exact).

When my husband and I decided to get pregnant, I got off the pill, and it was the final step to putting my headaches thoroughly under control. In fact, the difference and relief were so marked that it was my husband who flat-out told me not to worry about going back on the pill, we'd find another method of birth control.

I'm convinced that part of my migraines issues all those years were from using the pill to force my cycle and hormones into an unnatural state for me.

I actually have all of those issues while ON the pill... I've used various forms of birth control over the past 15 years. All give me insane mood swings, restless leg issues, weight gain, sporadic periods or ones that last for months, acne... I finally gave it all up a few months ago and started eating super healthy and have never felt more in control of my mind and body.

So it sounds like you have a hormone imbalance which the pill is correcting? I was on Microgynon for many years and then Cerazette, they both made me nauseated at times. When I came off the pill to try to conceive I found my cycles to be very long and irregular which I vaguely remember them being before I went on the pill. I fixed this by experimenting with Agnus Castus (vitex) and Vitamin B complex so it may be worth a look into these if you don't want to be on the pill.

I have decided not to go back on the pill so when I have had baby number 2 (cooking at the mo!) I will look to natural treatments and diet to balance my hormones if required. I have had increasingly bad acne since after the bith of my first baby which I suspect is hormonal. I don't want to do any experimenting with my hormones while pregnant but will tackle this after if it doesn't resolve!

reply to post by SearchLightsInc


What's so curious to me is that all of the symptoms you attribute to not being on the pill - I attribute to taking it.

I tried to get on it twice, three months duration each time.

My husband and I both decided that my Jekyll/Hyde change in demeanor while on it made certain we would never need it. LoL!

reply to post by ketsuko


Yes migraines can certainly be triggered by changes in hormone levels, I had my first ever migraine ealry in this pregancy along with terrible nausea (much worse than the first time).

SearchLightsInc

MoonLightStars
reply to post by SearchLightsInc

 

I would like to give my experience with this:

I am allergic to wheat. It is more of an intolerance, but my tests and Dr. think that I should be having major reactions to it.

I have had really bad cramps and irregular periods my whole life, too. I stopped BC back in 2007. I just deal with it head on.

Anyways, I gave up wheat for over 2 months once. During that time I had 2 cycles that were actually 28 days and not 36-38 days! My cramps were also non existent, too! I ended up eating wheat again and all of the symptoms came back: irregular periods, bad cramps, brain fog, tired all of the time, etc. Now, I only eat it sparingly. I should probably just stop eating it.

Anyways, I would look into food allergies or an intolerance of some sort. I believe nutrition is a big part of the decline of our health today.

I am defo going to take that into consideration as im absolutely positive i wont be able to stay on the pill for the rest of my life!

Well you probably won't have to take it after you go through menopause either.

DeadSeraph
reply to post by SearchLightsInc

 

WOW! This sounds like my GF. Seriously... Reading this, I could have sworn she wrote it. I'm going to show her this thread and hopefully she will give it a shot, because I'm at my witts end!

tell your GF its utterly life chaging if you find the right pill. She may become dependant on it though, always read the label!

I feel pretty messed up when im not taking it. Im just not as sharp, very irritable and foggy haha I have to be on the pill if im gonna be able to live my life effectively!

Restricted
reply to post by SearchLightsInc

 

[snipped]

Ive already seen one and wasnt diagnosed with anything like that - Not that i truly believe i am. at most, i have a hormonal imbalance that can utterly destroy the world on a whim lol

Krazysh0t


Well you probably won't have to take it after you go through menopause either.

God send. Absolute god send!