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Do You Take a Contraceptive to Stop Your Periods?
Hello and Happy New Year, folks! This post is specifically geared toward those who get periods. Hoping you can help me out!
The long story short is this. I went on a progestin-only birth control pill a few years back and stopped getting a period. I thought the pill was working until recently when I got my period again for the first time in 5 years and have every month since. Basically, I thought the pill had stopped my period when, in reality, it was because my body was malnourished. I gained a lot of weight last year and am SO much healthier, so my body decided to restart my cycle again. I understand that this is a good thing because it means my body is healthy, but like… ????
My periods really affect me physically. I deal with bad fatigue to begin with, but during that time of the month, my body feels so weak and sluggish to the point where I need my BiPAP because I’m too tired to breathe. I get hypoglycemic more easily which I’m assuming is a hormonal thing. And I feel like absolute trash overall which just makes living harder.
Do you take some form of contraceptive to stop your periods? If so, what have your experiences been like? I hear conflicting things from those with MD so I’m curious.
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13 Replies
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I’ve been on the pill for almost 15 years now, because my first periods were so unmanageable. (My bleeding was so heavy that I was changing a heavy duty pad every couple hours.) After a few months on a standard combined pill, I switched to one where I only got my period every three months (and it was a much easier experience when it happened). This worked for a long time, until 8 years ago I got a period that just wouldn’t stop. I had to have a D&C to stop the bleeding, and then my gynecologist put me on continuous birth control (no placebo pills, no periods, only occasional minor spotting). A year and a half ago, I switched gynecologists when I finally found one that had a hoyer lift – she switched me to a progestin-only pill because of my blood pressure. At first, I had a very light period and increased irritability, but my body quickly got used to it.
For me, I’m really glad that my body has tolerated the pill this long and that I don’t have to deal with periods. My current doc has told me that there are a lot of different options now for dealing with periods – you can try different types of pills, or even other kinds of contraception (like IUDs or an arm implant) sometimes make periods easier. It’s a bit of trial and error to find what works for your body, but there are solutions out there!
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Ugh I’m sorry you’ve had such heavy periods. I’m wondering if my progestin-only pill dosage wasn’t sufficient enough now that I’ve gained so much weight. Hearing that it works for you makes me want to explore it further. My doctor told me regular birth control can cause blood clots, and because I’m mostly immobile, she advised against it. Do you remember what birth control you took to only get a period every three months? I guess I wouldn’t mind that either.
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I’m sorry, I don’t remember the name, but I’m sure your doctor would know about it.
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I’ve been on the Depo shot for years (over 20?) and haven’t had my period. Before my primary doc retired he tried to get me to switch as being on the Depo long-term is contraindicated so I can’t really recommend it. Although it is awfully nice not having a period. My new doc hasn’t brought up switching yet. Honestly I think I’d rather have a hysterectomy than get my period every month. Except to do that you’d probably have to be sedated.
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Depo is what my doctor recommended next. I’ve read some women with MD got muscle weakness from it. It could have been a fluke. But now I’m hesitant about it. It seems like the next best option for me though.
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Personally I love it and will try to convince my doc to allow me to continue if he tries to switch. Everyone is different and I think a lot in medicine is trial and error. Unfortunately for us errors can be brutal.
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PS- If it weren’t for anesthesia, I’d have a hysterectomy in a heartbeat, too.
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Seconded!
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Me too…
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I would also recommend Depo. I’ve found it to be very effective and haven’t had any side effects from it. The one thing that my medical team does watch for is bone loss since that’s already a concern with SMA patients. My bone density has stayed consistent the entire time I’ve been on it, though.
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I am on the pill but not to make it stop. I get my period regularly every month which is unbelievably inconvenient as you all know. Was literally just discussing how much of a pain it is this morning lol. Constantly leaking due to pca’s pulling me by the pants to adjust the position of my hips, which then makes the pad go crooked and then I leak. I got some reusable chuck pads from Amazon that just about fit to the size of my seat cushion so I put those on top of the seat to protect my seat cover from getting all gross and nasty. I went on the pill when I was 18 because my periods were too heavy without it and also would not arrive on a regular schedule, which would ruin clothing if I didn’t know it was on its way. Have thought of Depo also but haven’t done it
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Ugh I’m sorry it’s so inconvenient for you. I get that. Needing to be repositioned constantly means things can sometimes get messy for me too. I’m leaning toward the Depo shot but I’m not positive yet.
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If you do, keep us posted
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