I have read a bit about Birth control pills on this forum.
But it doesn’t seem to help me chase away my concerns.
My wedding is approx 2 months away, and i wanna start on birth control pills, so my wedding and honeymoon period goes period free.
I have bought some pills, prescribed by my doctor.
but i read about the side effects, and all i see is cancer cancer cancer,
and that just scared me away, i should be starting on them today, but im too nervous and scared :S health wise, i am not in perfect condition, as in activity wise, so i do not know how “strong” my immune system is :S
I dont know, im just scared, after reading about the biiiiiig cancer section.
And also the weight gain, i am a bit concerned about that too, but thats my least concern compared to the cancer occurring risk :S
Did you discuss your concerns with your doctor? What did your doctor tell you? Your lifestyle and family history has a greater effect on whether or not you get cancer. I know you read the warning labels on the pill, but have you actually done research on cancer and the causes of it?
Have you ever read the warning labels on simple medicines like Tylenol or Advil? Almost all pills these days will list serious side effects as a "potential". They do this so IN CASE if it does happen, they won't get sued. It's a legal liability issues for companies.
I've been on the pill for the last 7 years. So far, no problems. I haven't gotten cancer (not yet anyway), and I haven't had any problems with weight gain. Over the years I've met plenty of women (friends, co-workers etc) who're on the pill and I personally haven't heard of anyone tell me they suffered a serious problem as a direct result. I have heard of some women gaining weight from the pill. There's no way to know for sure whether or not you will gain weight or not without actually taking the pill.
I doubt your doctor would've given you a prescription for it if he/she thought it was hurt you. At the end, I recommend you talk to your doctor b/c the doctor knows your family history and health condition better than us.
Actually i did not know about this whole cancer issue, until i bought the pill, and brought it home and read the side effects. The other pills you mentioned, i do not know what they are for so no :S
But i guess you are right, i just feel that i heard like a year ago, this whole hype about breast cancer being related to birth control pills. Thats why i got a bit nervous.
But then again, i think, isnt there a quality difference from company to company who make these pills? i know it sounds silly maybe.
The one my doctor prescribed me is not the one i got, the pharmacist gave me the same pill but just from another company which was cheaper. I asked my doctor if that one would be fine. She said yes.
Right now she is on a holiday and wont come back before next week. And my period has started today, there i had to make the decision today.
But am so confused and scared, lol..
Most doctors tend to downplay the risks of the birth control pill, so you're going to evaluate the risks yourself.
i personally hate the birth control pill, not just because of the risks but also because of the effects it has on me: emotional mood swings, nausea, bloating. other more dangerous risks do exist as well: blood clots, stroke, etc. The weird thing about the pill though is that it works in different ways for everyone, some people don't suffer from any side effects, and others experience varied ones. For me at the end of the day I didn't like the thought of artificial medication regulating my hormones and perceived the risks to be greater than the benefits (for me), so I prefer not to use it.
However, because I suffer from dysmenhorrea I did use it for 3 months (during my wedding and honeymoon period) and also use it anytime i know i have to travel. I assume cancer and other such side effects are linked to long term usage of the bcp so you could try it out and see how it affects you. Also these risks increase for women over the age of 35 and for smokers, so if you're not in those categories then your risks decrease a little bit more.
Like paheli says though all medicines have side effects, so you'll have to figure out yourself the importance of the risks and benefits. Many women use them and love them.
My only concern with BCP is the intake of hormones on a regular basis. The idea of regularly inducing hormones in my body, that can alter the way my body is and works is scary.
It also annoys me that me as a woman, I would have to take that risk with my health and body, while the guy wouldn't have to do anything. That's a social/biological issue, so whatever, can't do anything about that right now.
If it is for short term, it might not be such a huge deal.
The thing is i am not planning on eating them forever. I only wanted to eat them uptil my wedding and till i come back from my honeymoon. But then again, i have been unlucky before with pills, and gotten the most bizarre sideeffects, that were minimum to get, from some other medication. So with my luck, i was thinking, oh dear,,,
I have the same problem as you lafuriaroja, thats why i was thinking to eat them as well, to kind of kill two birds with one stone, it reduces the pain, and you can postpone your periods.
The ones i have been prescribed, are supposedly low on hormones.
My fiancé tells me not to take them, he doesnt think its worth my health.
But we were so exited about our honeymoon, and my period will land approx in that period :(
i started taking them 3 months before the wedding, so that I could get used to the effects and therefore wouldn't be sick or upset when the wedding came around. the symptoms definitely did improve with longer use, they didn't go away but were more manageable and I knew what to expect. The best thing was I actually knew when my period was going to come! no guesswork, hahah and the pain was better too. I honestly had no choice because If my period had come on my wedding day well I wouldn't have shown up basically, hahah.
I think for such a critical time its well worth it, but then again thats your call. I used Alesse, as far as I know its the lowest dose pill out there.
Sometimes doctors will ask you to try a bunch of different bcps because the different levels of hormones affect people differently so they try and find one that will have the least side effects for the indiviual. For that kind of thing though you need a bit more time, so you give the different pills enough time.
I still do use Alesse every once in a while like last month I had to go on a 30 hr plane journey so I adjusted my date, so I wouldn't have my period when I flew. Perhaps you should research more so you can get comfortable with what the side effects are and how high the risks are.
I did read about the side effects and the list is just so so so long, from hearloss, blood clot, to cancer, to liver dysfunction too uff.. i was seriously thinking, ok maybe this is more harmful than expected.
i am really tempted to use it, because of the severe pain i get during my periods,
but i just dont know, i really want to, but i think im just not brave, i keep telling myself, ok soo many women use birth control, i need to be stronger, but then again, i know im not that strong from my body within, like i get ill really fast, etc,, so im just rethinking, maybe i cant compare myself to "normal" women. Dont get me wrong, im not bemaar, but i do get easily sick specially when i travel, regardless of where i go :S but back to the point, the whole point is, that i didnt want my periods during the wedding and honeymoon, coz ill be in the bed moaning, and cramping all up coz of the pain :(
Birth control pills aren't that bad anymore. They even have the type where you have minimum to no side effects depending on the dosage. The only negative here is that you have to take them regularly, on time, each and every day without fail in order for them to work effectively.
Now, you don't necessarily stop periods. In fact they become more regular for some people. So really, all you are doing is preventing pregnancy which I think is your bigger concern no?
The thing is the ones i got are the low dosage ones. But as i mentioned there is such a loooong page of all the side effect between 1-10 out of 100 getting them, and some 1-10 of 1000 etc.
But i get a lot of pains during my period, the first 1-2 days are the worst.
The ones you guys have taking have they as many weird bizarre side effects written ?
Actually i am not doing this to prevent pregnancy, only to avoid having period during my wedding and honeymoon. After that we will use other methods, that don't include me eating pills
I used BCP to avoid pregnancy....n before getting married for PCOS....worked perfectly ok for me....had diane 35 and meliane....both low dosage......no side effects....just my periods got very regular and short!
Like i said reality check its going to have to be your decision because its what you feel comfortable with.
For myself I had no option but to use it, I can barely walk or talk when I have my period let alone attend a wedding, so I had to use the pill.
BCP's can't guarantee minimum or no side effects for anyone, its just impossible to predict how the BCP will affect any one individual which is why they list so many. You could have either of those side effects or none.
I don't think getting ill, like having a flu a lot, or getting sick from travelling really puts you at higher risk as such. As long as you're fairly young and a non smoker who has no major health issues you should be at a lower risk.
All those side effects that are listed are POTENTIAL risks, they might happen they might not, depends on the individual. Its just like getting vaccinated, everyone runs the risk of getting guillan-barre syndrome, and for that reason some people get vaccinated and some don't. There are serious risk involved in taking any medication.
Pretty much everyone I know takes the BCP and out of all of them I've only met one person who's suffered from a serious life threatening side effect. I've never been able to find statistics on the frequency of those side effects i.e. 1 % of the population etc.
Nobody can tell you what to do, because no one can guarantee you'll be fine. Chances are slim, but still possible, and IMO if you simply cannot function when you have your period like me, then you should take them, especially if you do not intend to use them long term.
Nearly** all** the pills we take come with some sort of risk of side effects or allergy.. if it was the case that we shouldn't take anything incase it harms our health we'd have to stop using even painkillers..
I was on the pill for years (microgynon 30) and it was brilliant, made my periods far less heavy and reduced those awful stomach cramps.. in my case no side effects at all..
