Birth Control Pills? Depo Shot? What to Do

Really, you will be far better off to figure out why you have such heavy/long periods than to just address the symptom, in particular given that you have a history of problems with BC. One reason is that all the BC approaches you mention deplete your B vitamins.

The most common reason for these heavy periods is hypothyroidism. Please ask your doctor to test that and make sure they run all the right tests (always get copies of any labs your doctors do - you paid for them and by law, they must give you copies). They must run TSH (which is about all most doctors test), Free T3, Free T4, antithyroglobulin antibodies and Thyroperoxidase antibody (also referred to as TPOAb and Anti-TPO). They must measure the "Free" values of the two thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). TSH is a pituitary hormone that signals your thyroid to produce the thyroid hormones. The Free values are what is bioavailable. If your antibodies are above normal, then you have autoimmune thyroid disease - also the most common and very common after pregnancy/childbirth. If you have autoimmune thyroid disease you will benefit from treatment independent of what your TSH and other lab values are.

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As for pills. . . My doc said that Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo was a bleeder - and that is what I experienced. I was CRAZY w/ the reg ortho tricyclen. Yasmin was pretty good but you have one really emotional (often angry) week, which many of my friends and I experienced, but their low dose alternative YAZ is great!

I'd recommend the Mirena IUD. It's good for five years, but can be removed @ anytime, should you decide you want to get pregnant. I had one before my 2nd daughter and had it taken out a few months before I wanted to conceive. I had no problems getting pregnant when I wanted and I'm on my third Mirena with no problems. I didn't have extreme periods to begin with, but now I don't hardly have one. I'm still on a normal schedule, but my periods are hardly noticable. I hope this helps!

S.

Ok so my point of view.... I was on depo provera for almost 4 years. I loved the fact that i never spotted and i never had a period during that time. But i was put on antidepressants for a time trying to tackle the mood swings. (They were pretty bad.) Had no problem getting pregnant again. I now have been on the some sort of pill for the last 7 years. This is causing me to worry. I am 32 years old very worried about the problems with becoming infertile because of the pill. I have been on quite a few different kinds including ortho tri cyclen lo, yasmin, and yaz. I had the mood swings with the ortho but the yasmin and yaz did pretty good for me. I had very light periods with little to no cramping I have wanted to go on the mirena for some time now. Unfortunately, My deductible on my insurance is $2500 so I would have to pay for it out of pocket since it is not covered and then it would go towards my deductible. The last time I checked it was $1500 to have one inserted. Sorry I can not afford that right now. So while I'm sure this is a great option it can be costly. You definitely need to figure the out the underlying problem with your dr. and discuss it with them. Then they will be able to tell you what is best for you.
Best of luck!

A few years ago, I decided to try Depo. I looked online and saw a lot of scary stuff from people who felt like it made them go crazy. Figured it was just from the fringe, so tried it anyways. It didn't make me go crazy, but I completely lost my sex drive. (Great birth control if you never want to do the thing that can get you pregnant!) I only did one shot and then went back on a low-dose pill. Took quite a while to feel like myself again. I've had pretty good luck with Alesse lately. (though I do feel like my PMS is getting worse lately after being back on it for a couple of years - I think it's stress) I don't think people realize how important this is for many of us. It seems like there's not an easy "right" choice for a lot of women. I wish you luck with yours!

If a low dose birth control pill made you have such mood swings, I would be very carful about Depo. I know it is contraindicated in women with a history of depression. Sounds like your hormones are all out of wack and you need to figure out what is behind that first. Good luck!

I was on the depo shot for at least 10 years and when I decided to stop I was able to have kids again (if that was my desire). I didn't want any more children as my one son is 23 years old (20 at the time) so I got my tubes tied. The depo only makes you stop having periods because you do not release eggs therefore there is nothing for the body to get rid of, via a period, each month. If you do some research online and talk to your ob/gyn you would most likely see that the risks are pretty much the same as the pill for the same side effects.

Don't get the Depo shot. I took it once, and bleed for like a year. Same thing happened to a friend of mine. Then when I wanted to have kids I found out I was infertile. Something about scar tissue. I don't know what would have cause that, maybe the consent shedding of the uterus lining caused by that shot.

I started Depo July 1994, and had my last cycle August 1994. I only switched birth control because my cycle returned November 2000! I loved it...no weight gain, my cycle, no problems. However, it doesn't work like that for everyone. You'll never know what it does for you until YOU take it. I stopped taking the pills August 2003 because I wanted to a second and final child. I became pregnant March 2004. I will say this...I HATE PERIODS!! I do whatever I can to make it stay away forever;).

N.,

I take the Yasmine birth control pill and it is awesome. My periods are short and very light, and I have little to no cramps! I highly recommend it. Actually, I take the generic version of Yasmine, and I can't remember the name - I think it starts with an O.

For your awful mentral cramps, your gynocologist can prescribe a pill for you to help with that until you find another form of birth control.

I don't know anything about Depo. Good luck!

You might try the nuva ring. I have had great success with it....it is so easy! You don't have to remember a pill or have a procedure.
A.

Mirena! I have heard good and bad however, what don't you hear good and bad about as far as BC. I tried mirena and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

I got it after I had my 3rd....

have you thought of mirena? i had that done and i haven't had any problems. best of all i don't have to worry about taking something daily and it lasts for five years. my periods have become even shorter and lighter than when i took the pill.

No to Depo. Loestrin is good.

Another option is an IUD (intrauterine device) like Mirena. Mirena is plastic, has hormones, and lasts 5 years. The copper one has no normones and lasts ten years. I took the pill long ago and had trouble finding one with the right hormone balance - they all made me spot a lot. With Mirena, I did have orregular/spotty periods for a number of months, but then it leveled out, and now I just got second and appear to have no perioed at all (in past 2 months so far). I like that you don't have to remember to take a pill every day or a periodic shot - once every 5 years does the job!

The best thing (& cheapest)is for your husband to have a vasectomy. This is the ONLY thing that is complete safe for YOU and it can easily be reversed when you are ready for children.

Or, of course, there are the old fashioned methods:
condoms (most men won't wear them), rythym, diaphram,
O-ring, abstinence during 'fertile' days (they have
this down to a science - it's not that hard), etc.

N., I would stay away from ANYTHING & EVERYTHING that alters or interferes with your normal monthly period. Our bodies are made to function that way. I would be afraid to take anything that stopped your period. Where is all that blood supposed to go? The pill doesn't actually stop your periods, it simply regulates them. Yes, you have side effects, but women can experience a multitude of things during her cycle: mood swings, cramps, nausea, headaches, irritability, depression, weight gain, etc. But her body is functioning normally - I wouldn't do anything to stop that.....you don't know if it would lead to blood clots, aneurysm, brain bleed......of course they're going to list the side effects (from the trials). Keep in mind that in a study of 10,000, if only ONE person has a symptom, they must, by law, list that as a possible side effect.

I think there is also something the doctor can inject in the leg under the skin that makes you infertile (or the male temporarily sterile), but I don't remember what it's called or if it for men or women.

It's a hard decision. I guess I'm from the old school ... don't mess with 'mother nature' or God, or whatever you want to call it. I think it's dangerous.

I heard that they can reverse tubal ligations now - I don't know if it's true or not. That doesn't stop anything except the fertility....you still have the period. But, when your husband could do a simple 30-minute reversible procedure and it would save you so much physically and emotionally, my vote goes for that.

Of course, some men are very touchy about things like that. Some men won't even have their male dogs/cats neutered ... .... go figure!

Good luck.

Oh, if you keep hurting - if this is not normal for you each month, please check with your OBGYN - I did that once - for about 11 days .... turned out I had an ectopic (sp?) pregnancy/miscarriage....

I used the DepoProvera shot for three years as part of my treatment plan for Endometriosis. Not quite a year after I got off the shot, I got pregnant with our first. We have three kids now. I worried more about the bone-loss side effect than the fertility issue. Good luck.

I saw that someone suggested Mirena. My girlfriend's husband is an OBGYN and he loves the Mirena. He says that after putting it in you'll have some spotting but that your periods will lighten significantly and you may have months with no period at all. If you want to get pregnant, you simply remove it - no waiting period. He says the insurance companies like it too. Ask your doctor what he/she thinks. Good luck to you - long painful periods are no fun!

I DO NOT recommend the Depo shot! It should be off the market as far as I'm concerned. I gained 10 pounds almost overnight; another 10 over the next year; took a year after I stopped the shots to start my period again and it wasn't until then that the weight finally started coming off. Had TERRIBLE, violent mood swings; messed up my female system from then on; ended up with Breast Cancer. Can't prove the Depo had anything to do with the BC but I absolutely believe it was a contributing factor. But the mood swings alone were enough for me to never recommend it to anyone. Stay away from it!

I took Depo many years ago and although I did not have negative side effects at the time, I was unable to get my period back when I decided to try and conceive. I had to take medicine to get my cycle back. That compared to what I am experiencing now is nothing. I am sure lots of people have had a great experience taking Yaz but I have had the worst experience ever while taking it. When I started I was throwing up but my doctor said it would take 3 months to adjust. Well I fought threw all of the sickness, yeast infections, and headaches to make it to my 5 month when I stopped taking it at the beginning of the pack. My migraines are still going on and it has been over a month. Since I started I have had 10 yeast infections and I am still fighting them off. I am having an MRI this Friday to make sure that everything is okay. I am taking several medications to try and get my body back and I am miserable. I can't even say how many times I have gone to the doctor. Again, I am sure some have had a great experience with no problems but that has not been the case with me. So it is a good thing you are doing some research. I wish I would have done more investigating before making a birth control choice. I hope this helps.

I noticed someone else recommended the Nuva Ring and I have to second that. When I hit 30, my general hormone balance completely changed. I went through SEVERAL pills which all had some sort of side effect -- losing hair, irritability/depression, spotting between periods -- I can't tell you how many I tried. So I finally just stopped them and we decided to have a baby. After baby, I got back on the "kick" of trying more pills with the same exact side effects. My doctor didn't recommend Depo due to everything you're reading here. But for the past 6 months I've been using Nuva Ring and it really is as easy as the commercials say. I'd ask about it.

I am on my second Mirena - 6+ years now with no period or any other side effects. I spotted for about first 4-6 months (Literally a spot or two, a panty liner was just fine). My gyn does not recommend the shot and understands the negative issues with trying to remember to take a pill everyday at the same time. I love the Mirena! I was very hesitant about an IUD but I felt if I didn't like it then I would just take it out. Do your research and find what is best for you. Good luck!

I would definitely talk to you dr. I was on the depo shot for a whopping 6 months and when I came off of it, the dr said my chances of getting pregnant just decreased by half. I am trying now to get pregnant but so far no luck. The shot has different effects on different people. You seem to be one of those people who doesn't react well to birth control. I have that problem too. I would try to stay away from the shot or pills because of the mood swings and weight gain that they cause. Talk to your dr about Mirena, it sounds like a good option. Just be sure to be well educated about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING in terms of what method you start.

I know a lot of people like Mirena but I don't qualify for it because of fibroids. I also have PCOS and the pill that finally worked for me after trying several was YAZ, it's also approved for severe PMS issues and helps control acne issues. As far as I know there is no generic but for me it was totally worth it.

I've never head of the bill causing infertility, but this is best discussed with your doctor to see what will work for you. If the pill caused you problems, then it's likely that any hormone type birth control would cause the same or similar (but hey, what do I know!) I can tell you that with Depo shots I was told it stays in your system, so if you don't like the effects, you have to wait for it to come out of your system like it or not. I have been using a nuva ring for a while and I like it. It is still hormone based though. You put it in your vagina and it stays there for 28 days, then you remove it, have a light period, put another one 5 days later and it start over. Each hormone based product has different amounts of hormones so I guess a different one would have better results, but I'd talk to you doctor.

I had the depo shot 4 times. Made me absolutely crazy to the point my husband and friends noticed and begged me to get off it!!

Hey N.,
I'm on Loestrin 28. The periods are light and last 4 days. I love it. No side effects.

Happy Hunting!
Need anything, else, I'll try and help!
Stephanie

I don't know about infertility issues, my doctor didn't mention them, but I went on Seasonique after having my daughter, the first 6 weeks were good, but after that I bled for 35 days straight. Some days were light spoting and other days were like a period like the commercial says. I switched to Loestrin 24. I'm very happy with it. It is a preferred drug with my insurance and would cost $60 a month, but my doctor gave me a card that makes it $24 a month. If you are interested make sure you ask your doctor about the card.

Everyone is different - I did 'after the fact' research, what i found astounded me. What was happening to me happened to many other women. I simply googled "depo shot" and the things I read scared me and I wished I had done better research beforehand.

The weight gain is common, as is losing hair and loss of libido. (no libido = no interest in sex) I also read about the sterility but I got pregnant many years after so luckily I wasn't affected in that area.

Just be careful, as with any birth control your body is being tricked out of functioning as is was created to. Good luck!