Need some advice

Alison81 · #1 November 24th, 2008, 08:20 PM

I am not TTC at all right now, but still have fertility type problems. I am still spotting a lot from O time until AF, and my AF's are SO heavy and horrible.

I switched to a new gyn, who seems to actually care about my concerns with the spotting and painful AF's, and discovered that I have MTHFR disorder, which is probably linked to my miscarriages in some way.

The only problem is, she wants me to go on BCP's with my next AF and stay on them for 3 months. I am not so sure about it.

I HATE BCP's, they make me feel crazy, uncomfortable, sick, and I kind of decided to never go back on them.

I am just wondering what you think I should do? Should I do the BCP's for 3 months, and see if they regulate things? Or stay off them, and when I go to my follow up, say the BCP's didn't work or they made me sick so I stopped, and ask her to explore other options that could be the cause for the spotting. She said sometimes there's a disconnect between the brain and the ovaries, which causes the spotting and poor ovulation, I'm not so sure......What do you think? I feel really depressed about going on BCP's, I feel so much better off of them.

greeneyes · #2 November 24th, 2008, 08:24 PM

Aww, sweetie, I feel your pain on the BCPs - they do horrible things to me, too.

Does it have to be BCP or could it be any hormonal birth control that prevents ovulation? The reason I ask is because if you did something like the NuvaRing it may be easier on you because you absorb it locally instead of systemically like you do when you ingest pills.

Good luck and keep us posted, sweetie! *big hugs*

lauren in hi · #3 November 24th, 2008, 08:48 PM

Well, I don't know about lying to your dr. Could you take a mini pill or a low dose pill? Or the nuva ring as Kate has suggested? I would mention your concerns to your doctor and see what she would recommend.

Mod-LadyCoconut · #4 November 24th, 2008, 08:49 PM

Did you tell your dr. all about how you have bad reactions to the bcps? I guess its a matter of weighing which side effects you'd rather deal with... crazy/uncomfortable/sick on the pills or spotting with a heavy period and bad cramps during AF.

I'm sorry you're in this situation, it sucks.

*hugs*

soImarriedAnerd · #5 November 24th, 2008, 09:04 PM

Don't lie to your doctor! This will not help her/him solve your issues because they would rule stuff out based on your info, and this can bite you in the butt later!!!!!

What did your doctor say when you told them you had bad reactions on BCP--did you tell them? What was the exact reasoning they felt you should be on the pill-did you ask? Without knowing what your doctor is trying to do exactly I have no idea what to tell you to do.

**jessie** · #6 November 24th, 2008, 10:53 PM

I don't know if this helps you any, but I was in a similar situation. I do not have the same disorder but I was having trouble with extremely long cycles- sometimes over 40 days long- for no apparent reason. My Dr. wanted to put me on BCPs for a couple months and I felt just like you do. I hate them!!! And besides the side effects I get, I was quite reluctant to because I wanted to ttc in the near future. In the end, I did take them. My doc found a good pill that worked for me. Yes, there was still SEs but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I got off them as soon as I could after several months. My cycles have been normal since coming off them and I am actually very happy that I listened to my doctor's advice. I wish you all the best and I hope you and your doc can find something that will help you.

petalfuzz · #7 November 25th, 2008, 04:13 AM

I'm not an expert, nor have I tried this, but I was just reading in my aromatherapy book:

"Sweet fennel tea has been used medicinally to help regulate menstrual periods... although there have not been sufficient scientific studies fully to determine the mode of action or the effective dosages."

AND

"Fennel oil has been used to relieve cramping from menstrual pain and to help regulate irregular cycles... Add 5 drops of fennel oil to a teaspoon of vegetable oil and apply in small circular stroking motions to the area above the uterus and lower back."

It might be worth a shot--you can get both tea and essential oils at health food stores. Good luck!!

#8 November 25th, 2008, 04:30 AM

I agree with the others, explain to him/her what your side effects are and if there's a BCP they can recommend which would avoid those.

I hope whatever treatment you get will help - keep us posted!

alicenwonderland · #9 November 25th, 2008, 05:34 AM

maybe try YAZ BCP. It made me less crazy if anything.

Alison81 · #10 November 25th, 2008, 06:57 PM

Thanks everyone. I decided I am going to try it, it is only 3 months. I did explain the side effects, but that they're not bad enough to make me stop, but bad enough to make me miserable. My doctor basically told me, do you want the spotting to continue, or just endure 3 months on BCP's, and possibly get rid of the problem forever? Nuvaring is a no-go, that's what caused all these spotting issues, I never had this problem until I went on nuvaring. The brand she gave me loestrin 24, which is a very low dose BCP, with the least side effects, so hopefully it will be okay. I was okay on Yaz, but I was only on it for 2 cycles before I got pregnant on it.

The thing is, I guess some of my hesitation is, I am afraid it won't work. And then I went through 3 months of being miserable for nothing. Her reasoning is that she usually sees women's cycles go back to normal after 2-3 cycles on BCP's. I really do want some normalcy, I never, ever had problems like this until 2006, and it's been 2 years too many.