The New Intimacy

Menstrual Suppression and the Pill

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Contributor: Tuesday Tuesday
Quote:
Originally posted by deceased
Not just for thyroid problems and diabetes anymore.....an endocrinologist can balalance your estrogen and progesterone better than a gyn. They also have a subspecialty reproductive endocrinology. Its not just for bleeding.
If you have a PPO, no ... more
I encourage you to at least lurk regularly, even if you don't rejoin completely. Your posts are fascinating.
01/02/2010
Contributor: deceased deceased
With pills like Lybrel, there generally is no bleeding. No periods. Nada. No uterine lining buildup, no ovulation, minimal hormonal changes. Occasional spotting. Not the three day release of blood on usual pills like Alese or Yaz or whatever.
01/02/2010
Contributor: CaptainBunnyKilla CaptainBunnyKilla
The fact is, as Saraid said earlier, that if you're taking pills AT ALL you've completely suppressed your natural period anyway. The bleeding you experience on the placebo week of pills is a withdrawal bleed and has nothing to do with uterine lining. Regular pills have a placebo week because the scientists developing the pill in the 50's and 60's thought women would find bleeding for a week comforting. It has no medical purpose t all. Most doctors now agree that there are no additional risks to taking hormonal contraceptives continuously (some may recommend 2-3 withdrawal bleeds a year, but a lot agree that the withdrawal bleeds aren't necessary). So the new pills that you don't bleed on (which are really just the old pills taken continuously without the placebo week) are exactly the same, medically speaking, as the pills everyone has been taking for 50 years.

So if you're OK messing with your cycle enough to take normal pills, there's no reason at all to be up in arms about continuous pills.
01/03/2010
Contributor: deceased deceased
The point of Lybrel is you don't have to bleed at all. All pills are not exactly the same, the newer pills actually have less hormones than the ones 20 years ago.
01/03/2010
Contributor: EffinSara EffinSara
Quote:
Originally posted by deceased
The point of Lybrel is you don't have to bleed at all. All pills are not exactly the same, the newer pills actually have less hormones than the ones 20 years ago.
Yeah, but what about the formula of Lybrel is any different from other current-day pills that are meant to be taken in one-month cycles? What additional benefit could I get from switching from continually-used Orthocept to Lybrel?
01/03/2010
Contributor: CaptainBunnyKilla CaptainBunnyKilla
Quote:
Originally posted by deceased
The point of Lybrel is you don't have to bleed at all. All pills are not exactly the same, the newer pills actually have less hormones than the ones 20 years ago.
Yes. You don't have to bleed at all because you're taking a "normal" birth control pill without the inactive placebo week. Lybrel has a pretty low level of hormones, but it's not the lowest out there. But it's formulated exactly the same way as "normal" pills.
01/04/2010
Contributor: CaptainBunnyKilla CaptainBunnyKilla
Quote:
Originally posted by EffinSara
Yeah, but what about the formula of Lybrel is any different from other current-day pills that are meant to be taken in one-month cycles? What additional benefit could I get from switching from continually-used Orthocept to Lybrel?
There are two types of pills: triphasic (hormone levels are different in each week of pills) and monophasic (hormone levels are the same in all pills). Orthocept is a monophasic. Lybrel is exactly the same in its formulation as other monophasics. The levels of hormone vary from pill to pill, which is why some people tolerate one better than the other. There would be no additional benefits from switching from Orthocept taken continuously to Lybrel. If you tolerate Orthocept well continuously, there'd be no reason to switch.
01/04/2010
Contributor: EffinSara EffinSara
Quote:
Originally posted by CaptainBunnyKilla
There are two types of pills: triphasic (hormone levels are different in each week of pills) and monophasic (hormone levels are the same in all pills). Orthocept is a monophasic. Lybrel is exactly the same in its formulation as other monophasics. ... more
Yes, exactly, thank you.

Lybrel also costs upwards of $55 per month, Seasonale costs upwards of $70 per month, and Seasonique upwards of $60. If the formula has no huge differences from comparably formulated "normal" birth control pills, all you end up paying for is the special packaging and the marketing.

Planned Parenthood provides me with Orthocept for free, so I really have no idea how much it costs.
01/04/2010
Contributor: deceased deceased
No, no huge differences than skipping the sugar pills. Usually Lybrel is cheaper. Thank God you guys know so much. How bout coming over here and delivering babies for me so I can take a vacation to somewhere cold and go skating?
01/04/2010
Contributor: Luscious Lily Luscious Lily
Quote:
Originally posted by CaptainBunnyKilla
The fact is, as Saraid said earlier, that if you're taking pills AT ALL you've completely suppressed your natural period anyway. The bleeding you experience on the placebo week of pills is a withdrawal bleed and has nothing to do with ... more
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for laying this out for everyone. BC pills aren't for everyone, and some people react badly, but for most women they're not the big, evil monster they're made out to be.

(Note that I said that they aren't for everyone. Like any medication, they're terrible for some people; I myself had a nightmarish experience with one formulation. But just because Loestrin wasn't the right one for me, doesn't mean it won't be wonderful for someone else.)

Food for thought, not trying to spark an argument: caffeine is one of the most heavily used psychoactive drugs on earth. It's rather addictive, and it wreaks havoc with the circadian rhythms, which in turn can cause all kinds of health problems. And yet, of the people I've talked to in person, most of the ones who were so against messing up their body's rhythms with hormonal birth control had no beef against caffeine. I'm not trying to point fingers, I'm just observing a trend caused by the way society looks at certain drugs, by what is and isn't common knowledge about them.

Maybe we need to change the way we look at medications, or make sure that there is much more public education on these kinds of things. In my humble opinion, the system should be set up such that NO ONE starts a medication before someone sits down and explains to them what is going on. Just being told "here, take this drug, it will help" is asking for trouble.

And Misha's Amusements? If I could, I'd come give you that vacation. Because you're just so completely awesome. ^_^
01/05/2010
Contributor: DreamWolf DreamWolf
I just don't think that all the "wonders of modern medicine" are always good for you...

All the pharmacy crap is just based on corporate interests, if it wasn't then less people would be ill and sick, if we had only the medicines which REALLY help, and aren't made only to make more profit...

I don't take any pills unless there is nothing else to use, some knowledge and some weeds growing around, and there is the internet, a doctor with sheer good intentions, well, as long as nothing is too serious, sometimes it's better for you to put up with some pain than poisoning yourself with something you don't really need...
12/14/2011