Re: success with BC pills controling bleeding?

[Guest guest]

Hi there, I was on bc pills when I had my breakthrough bleeding

experience which lead to my ultrasound showing my 3 fibroids. So,

I'm not too sure how much they help. Right now I'm on depo provera

and have not had any problems. My dr suggested that the only other

alternative for me was to put me on a progesterone only pill but it

was hard to get and very expensive. well, let's just see what the

other women in the group have to say.

best wishes

Shaunah

(25 yrs old and the happy owner of 3 submucosal fibroids)

> Hello,

> Has anyone had success controling heavy periods with birth control

> pills? What kind do you take? It has been recommended by my NP that

i

> take BC pills for(very)heavy periods caused by fibroids.I am

> reluctant to take any kind of hormone, especially since there is

> mixed reveiws as to whether they cause fibroids to get larger.

> Thank you.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have had success in using BCP to control heavy

periods. I'm 46 and take Nordette 28. I still have

1-2 heavy days but I'm able to deal with this. Witout

the pills my periods could be up to 2 weeks and much

heavier with spotting throught the rest of the

month.THe fibroids haven't gotten bigger as a result

of using the pill.

Irene

[Guest guest]

I had no success with the pill. I was on it for three months. I was

told I should have experimented with the doses, but I didn't want to

for similar reasons you stated. I can stop my period with the pill

(double up), which I have done when I am traveling. I am sure that is

NOT recommended. I do take natural progesterone in the pill format,

which was prescribed by a NP at Women to Women.

I have a large submucosal fibroid which restricts the normal

contraction of the uterus during blood flow so I was always at a loss

how the pill was going to help.

> Hello,

> Has anyone had success controling heavy periods with birth control

> pills? What kind do you take? It has been recommended by my NP that

i

> take BC pills for(very)heavy periods caused by fibroids.I am

> reluctant to take any kind of hormone, especially since there is

> mixed reveiws as to whether they cause fibroids to get larger.

> Thank you.

[Guest guest]

I also tried BCP when I experienced heavy bleeding due to my small

submucousal fibroid. They really didn't help at all. I had an

outpatient procedure (hysteroscopic resection) to remove the fibroid

and my bleeding decreased greatly. Even if BCPs work for a while

you really need to get to the root of the problem, which is the

fibroid and have it removed before it gets too big. Unfortunately

not all gyns are trained to do hysteroscopic procedures so they

stick you on birth control pills until the symptoms get too bad,

then offer to do a hysterectomy, which is fairly easy surgery for

most gyns.

> Hello,

> Has anyone had success controling heavy periods with birth control

> pills? What kind do you take? It has been recommended by my NP

that i

> take BC pills for(very)heavy periods caused by fibroids.I am

> reluctant to take any kind of hormone, especially since there is

> mixed reveiws as to whether they cause fibroids to get larger.

> Thank you.

[Guest guest]

I a have been taking BC pills religiously to control the bleeding I don't

stop and on the 7 days off pills, I continue with the " real thing pills. "

Once I have a break through bleeding I stop the pill for 7 days and then get

back on the pill. I have been doing this for 2 years now and have had only 4

periods with 3 of them being BAD. It is now going to be 5 months since my

last period and even though some times I get the symptoms as if I am going to

start my period I haven't yet. I have been taking the Ovcon 35 and from what I

understand that is not one of the strongest. I have had 2 sonograms and on the

2nd one my fibroids had not grown much. I think some of us just react to bc

pills differently and fortunately for me they don't affect my badly. Margie

[Guest guest]

I have been on Ovcon-35 since September. My periods are just as long

as before (8-9 days), but the bleeding is greatly reduced. (I went

from 8-10 pads a day & gushing & leaking on heavy days to ~4 pads on

heaviest days). I still have a lot of clotting, and finally know to

expect most of the clots to make an appearance ~day 5. Which means

that although I'm doing better, I still have to plan my schedule

around my period, which is a pain (oh--but speaking of pain, no more

PMS or cramps!), and I still sleep with a towel between me and the

sheets JIC.

My fibroid might be a little larger, but I don't know that that's

necessarily because of the pill.

I've gained about 10 pounds on the pill; add that to a ~8cm fibroid

and most of my pants no longer fit. This is bad for the ego and would

be bad for my pocketbook if I'd bothered yet to buy new clothes.

My pills cost ~$33/month, even with insurance. My gyn gave me several

months worth of free samples, and after they run out I will try a

cheaper brand. If I were to stay on the pill until menopause, it

would probably cost me ~$6000.

I'm considering options for having my fibroid removed, since I'm

tired of the bleeding issues and the anemia, and I don't want to be

on the pill for the next ~15 years.

I _do_ think being on the pill is helpful in the meantime, as I mull

over surgery, since overall it's making life more comfortable, which

means I can take my time to decide what action I want to take.

--Liz

[Guest guest]

After suffering for over a decade with fibroids the bleeding became so severe

that I finally found a GYN to take my condition seriously. She did remove on

pedunculated serosal fibroid and a d & c and changed the BCPs to Continuous Active

dosage. The CaBCPs did control the bleeding...at least at first.

This bought me 2 years of comfort followed by rapidly increasing bulk symptoms

and then spotting and bleeding through the pills. I then had UAE for several

transmural fibroids. At the time of my hysteroscopic resection, there was NO

discussion of other fibroids, and problems with the remaining fibroids in the

future.

At 50 I had UAE with limited success. I will always wonder if the CABCPs caused

the other fibroids to grow and become transmural (wall to wall inside to out).

If I could turn the clock back, I would only use BCPs short term to control

bleeding while investigating the right solution for my fibroids. Just my gut

feeling/opinion...based upon my experience (though I must admit, I loved being

on the CABCPs and having a period once every 9 weeks.

Now, since I am now perimenopausal (hastened by UAE? since I had no signs

before??), I find it odd how I now look forward with expectation for every 28

days hoping for a period...I can't be old enough to go through menopause, can

I?....uh, well, I guess at almost 52, I can...just hate to admit it as I don't

feel middle-aged! LOL!

In a message dated 1/19/2004 11:57:20 AM Eastern Standard Time,

tkilmartin@... writes:

> Has anyone had success controling heavy periods with birth control

> pills? What kind do you take? It has been recommended by my NP that i

> take BC pills for(very)heavy periods caused by fibroids.I am

> reluctant to take any kind of hormone, especially since there is

> mixed reveiws as to whether they cause fibroids to get larger.

[Guest guest]

I was put on Lo-Ovral for severe cramping and bleeding, plus heavy pelvic

pressure - and it worked like a charm for 2 years plus. Now I wonder if being

on BC pills might have made my fibroid situation worse, as they eventually began

to bother me again, and was taken off them all together this past Summer.

Dee

success with BC pills controling bleeding?

Has anyone had success controling heavy periods with birth control

pills? What kind do you take? It has been recommended by my NP that i

take BC pills for(very)heavy periods caused by fibroids.I am

reluctant to take any kind of hormone, especially since there is

mixed reveiws as to whether they cause fibroids to get larger.