Birth control pills: Questions for the pros

Alright, alright, you mentioned reproductive systems...

It lowers the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer, plus there’s less colorectal cancer, but it actually bumps up the risk for breast cancer and liver adenomas.

That goes for combined pills.

...are we actually going to engage in some productive discussion here, or are we just playing a game of endless verbal ping-pong?

LET'S SHARE SOME USEFUL INFO.

Recommended reading: Velimir Simunovic et al.: Gynecology.

Just study it.

Arguing... please, no. 🙄 . Once someone actually gives you the right facts, then we start bickering.

Regarding Cilest... here’s my (bitter) experience;

Before I ever touched Cilest, I had 😁 pretty regular periods, totally fine ovaries—zero signs of cysts or anything—and my Pap smear was perfect.

Ever since I stopped taking them, everything went sideways—amenorrhea that still hasn't cleared up, PCOS that kicked in almost immediately after quitting the pill (within six months of my checkups), and my hormone levels? Honestly, they're a complete disaster. My prolactin hit 900... I can't get it to drop no matter what, so I'm heading in for my third round of tests now and I am losing my damn mind🙄 .. not to mention the fact that I can't even conceive because I'm not ovulating and all that other crap..etc..etc..

I'll say it straight: hormonal birth control absolutely wrecked my health, and I can't regret shoving that garbage into my body enough.👎

🙂

Ashley Fox69 said:Look:

Smoking and hormonal birth control don't mix. It spikes your risk of blood clots. It usually starts in a deep vein in your leg, then travels to your lungs, brain, whatever.

You could end up having a heart attack that way because the blood gets too thick. When someone shows up with deep vein thrombosis, doctors always check if they smoke, take pills, have been sedentary, or had an injury that kept them immobile... those are all major risks.

As for the fat content, I don't think there's a connection.

Basically, thromboembolism is the clot itself, while strokes and heart attacks are just the fallout from that clot. 😉.

Just quit smoking. 🥳.

Thanks! 🙏

And I was looking for a medical opinion, not some unsolicited advice telling me to "stop taking birth control." 😁

Hmm, yeah... but now I'm wondering why they dropped the age limit from 35 down to 30? I honestly thought I had another five years and a month of breathing room. 🙄

Emily Castillo81, everyone gave you some very lovely advice there. Smoking and hormonal contraceptives are a disastrous combination. You really need to pick one to quit, or better yet, walk away from both entirely if you want to be safe long-term.

As for those slow-moving fat deposits, when was the last time you actually had your liver enzymes checked? If you're on birth control, regular blood work isn't optional—it's necessary.

Bottom line: get your liver function tests done and check your blood clotting parameters too, since those are directly tied to how your liver is performing.

Emily Castillo81 said:Yeah, true... but now I'm wondering why they dropped the age limit from 35 down to 30? I was just sitting here thinking I had another 5 years and a month of breathing room. 🙄

Probably just so they don't get sued if some woman under 35 ends up with deep vein thrombosis.

Chloe Nguyen3, are you sure all of that actually came from the pill? Everything you mentioned usually goes hand-in-hand with PCOS—meaning you don't have ten separate issues, you just have PCOS, which causes those symptoms. I doubt Cilest caused this. There are way more factors involved in developing PCOS, like genetics, weight, and insulin levels.

You can manage it with hormonal contraceptives or other medications (one common method). Or even pregnancy. 😉

granitebadger25 said:Regarding those slow-moving spots, when was the last time you actually had your liver enzymes checked? (You really should get that done periodically if you're on birth control.)

So, basically, check your liver function and clotting factors—since they're tied to how your liver is doing.

So there it is. It could actually be related, huh? 😲 😲 😲

I've never even had my liver tests done! 😲
My doctor never once mentioned I needed to.

Jesus...😳 🙄 😠

Ashley Fox69 said:Someone should sue them if they cause deep vein thrombosis in someone under 35.

Chloe Nguyen3, are you actually sure all of this was caused by the pills? Everything you listed goes hand-in-hand with PCOS—like, you don't have ten different issues, you just have PCOS which presents those symptoms. I honestly don't believe Cilest did this to you. There are way more factors involved in developing PCOS, like genetics, weight, and insulin levels.

You can manage it with hormonal contraceptives or other PCOS treatments. Or even pregnancy. 😉

Yep... birth control...!! I was on them for a year and felt absolutely miserable. I went for one checkup, then another, then stopped taking them, then had a tenth checkup, etc... basically just bouncing from one gynecologist to another. And if my third set of results isn't right, I'm heading to Cleveland to see an endocrinologist.

Btw, nobody in my family has ever had cysts (my mom had a fibroid, but that was in her 50s, and a fibroid isn't a cyst anyway...) and regarding weight; I'm fine, I watch what I eat, I walk a lot, lots of fruit... stuff like that.
I even tried alternative treatments... it helped for exactly one month when my prolactin dropped to 300—I got my period, then the next month I got it again, and then lost it again... and so on. 😁

Whatever, I'll figure this out... I didn't get this far by being... whatever...😁

Wait, so you're saying fat levels mean she's bleeding more? If her blood is clotting better because of the pills, she shouldn't have high fat levels, right?

From what I've seen, people with liver disease often have tons of fat buildup because their clotting isn't working properly. Basically, their blood is too "thin," if you want to put it that way.

I'd suggest getting some liver function tests, a lipid panel, and checking those clotting factors.

Btw, all my test results are sitting over at social services with Gina (and yeah, I’m such an idiot for not just copying them myself 🙄)... so, is there any way I can actually ask him to let me copy those findings?
What’s the actual process for that?

Chloe Nguyen3, I’m like 99% sure it’s not from those pills. When you finally make it to an endocrinologist, you should probably just ask them—they actually know what they're talking about, whereas I'm just guessing. I don't recall reading anywhere that it was caused by medication when that's being treated.

Ashley Fox69 said:Chloe Nguyen3, I'm like 99% sure it's the pills. When you finally get to an endocrinologist, just ask them—they actually know what they're talking about, whereas I've never read anything suggesting the meds cause this when used for treatment.

My sex hormones are totally trashed after taking those... honestly, I wish I could say it wasn't because of the meds, but these awful lab results and my missing periods tell me otherwise. Plus, my OBGYN? He’s being a total brick wall... absolute moron. 😠I'm pretty pissed off at him right now.😁
Anyway, I'm going to get that third set of tests done, and if things aren't looking good—which let's face it, they won't—I'll have to find someone in Cleveland... by the way, I should've gone sooner, but work has been killing me and I haven't had the time. So, quick question for everyone: do you know any private endocrinologists in California or Cleveland where you can actually book an appointment on a Saturday? (I can't take time off during the week).

It sounds like PCOS is messing things up... Amenorrhea and those lab results are typical for that condition.

Too bad your OBGYN didn't give you a better explanation...
Maybe try searching online; here are some links
http://health.discovery.com/encyclopedias/3245.html

http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pcos.htm

http://www.pcos.net/ (Note: I just realized this one isn't working right now—it looked okay at first glance. Just keep looking; if you Google PCOS, you'll find a million resources)

There have been threads about this before.

I hope everything turns out alright 👋 .

And regarding the pills, that's just my two cents, nothing personal 🙂 .

Ashley Fox69 said:The PCOS messed everything up... the amenorrhea and those lab results are all tied to that condition.

Too bad your OBGYN didn't give you a better rundown...
Just do a little digging online, I found some links for you
http://health.discovery.com/encyclopedias/3245.html

http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pcos.htm

http://www.pcos.net/ (edit: just realized this one isn't working, looked okay at first glance, just keep searching, search "PCOS" on Google and you'll find a million things)

We've actually had threads about this before.

Hope you feel better soon 👋 .

And regarding the pill thing, that’s just my take, nothing personal 🙂 .

Thanks for the links, I was already reading stuff by Dr. Harvey🙂 and it helped a ton.
But I'm still stuck on one thing; how is it even possible for cysts to pop up like three months after I stopped taking Celeste?? Everything was fine before that😕 I remember clearly stopping them in February, then in June my doctor was totally blindsided when he did my ultrasound.

...ha, go ahead and keep drinking, but once an embolus decides to clog up your pulmonary artery, you might just find yourself wishing you'd listened to Ashley Fox69🙂...

Robert Alvarez said:...lol, fine, keep drinking them, but when an embolus plugs up one of your pulmonary arteries, don't come crying to Ashley Fox69🙂...

I don't even take them😉

...well, I was actually thinking about our resident sarcasm queen, Jane Doe... she’s always playing the part of the crazy one anyway...

...to me, a woman who just relies on birth control sounds like someone who’s trading her long-term health for short-term gratification... and honestly, you can find plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself without having to mess with contraception...

Robert Alvarez said:...I was actually talking about our sarcastic little friend Jane Doe... she loves acting like she’s lost her mind most of the time...

...honestly, if a woman's just pumping herself full of birth control, I don't think she gives a damn about her actual health as long as she gets her kicks...and you can find plenty of other ways to have fun without messing with hormones...

Alright fine.. but give me the actual facts, what are the specific consequences? Is it true they cause cysts and stuff? I'm actually curious about this🙂

Alchemy aka MM said:You can certainly find other ways to enjoy yourself without relying on contraception...

And what exactly are you suggesting?