Betty Adams12 said:Your assumption that birth control pills are a guaranteed fix for this problem is totally off base.
Some women deal with bleeding and pain just as bad on the pill as they do without them—I know from experience, whether I was on Yasmin or Celexa. For me, the cramps on hormonal contraceptives were so brutal that I ended up in the ER every single month needing painkiller injections.
I also know two other women where being on the pill changed absolutely nothing for their condition.
And the idea that pills are easier on your liver than painkillers is a complete myth. There are analgesics that process through the liver and others that go through the kidneys. It’s all clearly stated in the drug labels; you don't necessarily have to take the ones that hit the liver.
BUT, pills definitely impact the liver—that's why regular blood tests and checkups are mandatory. 🙄
Because of the pills, I developed over 50 liver adenomas. They didn't even show up on my blood work; I only caught them via ultrasound, and they were a direct consequence of the medication. From what I’ve heard, at the same endocrinologist here in New York City, five other girls ended up with the exact same liver diagnosis in a very short window right after me—all caused by the pills.
So, your conclusion doesn't hold water.
In my opinion, your assumption that painkillers are less harmful than oral contraceptives is equally flawed. Most women who are doubled over in agony usually have to resort to those specific painkillers that process through the liver, like Ketorolac, because the "gentler" options simply don't touch the pain. Personally, I've ended up in the emergency room more than once in a few months needing Tramadol, and I think we all know enough about that drug to skip the explanation.
My assumption is based strictly on what I’ve read and what my gynecologist advised based on clinical research. Sure, there are people for whom nothing works, but for the majority, it helps. Beyond that, oral contraceptives actually lower the risk of ovarian cancer, and medical professionals actually recommend them to women at some stage in their lives. The specific pills you were taking seem to have pretty high hormone doses, except for Celexa. Trinovum is quite heavy, from what I understand. Now, there are newer versions like Yasmin and even newer Yasminelle where the hormone dosage has been dialed down to the absolute minimum, which reduces the side effects. The pharmaceutical industry pours massive amounts of money into researching and perfecting these contraceptives.
I've been on Yasmin constantly for 2.5 years due to endometriosis, and my liver function tests are actually much better now than they were before I started Yasmin. Since I was 13, I dealt with debilitating pain every month and always had to take painkillers, the dosage and strength of which just kept climbing as I got older.
Just to be clear, both options have risks, and ideally, we wouldn't have to rely on either one. But when choosing between two evils, I believe Yasmin is a much lesser evil than Tramadol. Ultimately, it’s an individual matter that only a gynecologist can navigate to determine what serves a patient's best interest.