My OB-GYN told me it was better for me to avoid a pregnancy for now, and she put me on the pill. I have never taken it, so I asked my Endo if it was all right, and she said it was a good idea if I want to get healthier before trying to get pregnant.
However, after reading all the information about it, I have to admit I’m a little bit concerned, and I want to ask diabetic women in this community if they use the pill. I’m 33 years old and I haven’t had a normal period in over a year (thyroid and pituitary conditions under control).
I got a prescription for Loestrin 24 Fe, and I started taking it last night.
When I was first diagnosed I was using the birth control patch, and I have never used the pill. The patch worked out fine for me, but it got to the point where it was just one more thing I had to deal with. So, I went back to my doc and had an IUD inserted. Many women in the US freak out when they hear that I have an IUD, mostly because there was a problem with them back in the 70s. However, it is the most commonly used form of birth control worldwide, and I love it to pieces. I chose a copper IUD, which has no hormones in it, but hormone options are also available. It lasts for 8 years after insertion, and it has a very very low rate of accidental pregnancy associated with it (less than the pill). If you’re not in the mood for something that will last at least 5 years, you might consider condoms, or the hormone ring, or a diaphragm (which has always sounded like a huge pain in the tush to me).
Also, don’t worry about not having “normal” periods. If they are consistently irregular, then that is regular for you! Don’t let the patriarchal medical establishment try and push you into their 28-day mold.
Yes, my doctor told me about the IUD, but I really don’t want to get it. I have no problems taking another pill, I just want to make sure it won’t make things worse. Thank you for the input!
I use the nuvaring. Insert a ring once a month, take it out and insert a new one. Works well for me. My periods aren’t regular, but they are lighter using the ring.
When I tried loestrin in my late 40s (my doctor prescribed it for peri-menopause) i started bleeding very heavily three days after I started it which continued until I stopped about a week after the bleeding started (not a period!). I also was throwing up and weeping. Horrible! Everything got better when I stopped. I’m very sensitive to progesterone, which is the main hormone in the pills.
I used an IUD very happily for years, but it isn’t a good idea if you haven’t already had a child.
It’s a little more painful to insert if you haven’t already had a child, but there are no extra complications. I don’t have any children (at least not that I know of) and I haven’t had any problems with mine.
Both my endo and CDE recommended hormonal birth control at one point because they said it would stabilize my sugars around the time of my period. Since I stopped using hormones I do notice a little bit of a spike about a day before my period starts, but it’s not anything that isn’t managable. In fact, it sometimes reminds me that my period is about to start (I never keep track of those things).
My daughter was told that because there was a risk of infection that could leave you infertile with the IUD, it shouldn’t be given to women who hadn’t had kids.
Maybe this is something doctors have different policies about. I had to sign some fearsome paperwork listing all kinds of potential problems before they would give me mine.
I used the Pill and the patch after I got married, and I didn’t like either of them. I gained weight and both of them elevated my blood pressure, which, even though it was at the high end of “normal,” my endo and I were still concerned because elevated BP with T1 is not a good combination.
So, I quit taking the Pill and had a non-hormonal IUD inserted. Like Sara, I loved it! You don’t think twice about it, and it totally works!! I lost the extra pounds, was not as tired, and my BP came down. It was, however, painful going in. I didn’t find out until later that I was supposed to take Tylenol or some other pain reliever before going to get it inserted (the nurse never told me that when I scheduled the appointment! Ugh.) I had “vagal response” (sp?) when my doc inserted it, which made my BP drop and my heart race, and I got very nauseated and almost passed out. My doc said that it was painful because I’d never had kids. Removing it, though, wasn’t nearly as painful.
My OB-GYN said that he didn’t know why IUDs weren’t more popular in the U.S. (probably because of the bad publicity they got in the 70s), but that they are the most popular type of birth control in other countries, because they work so well.
Good luck to you,
Katie
Trust me, the IUD was a lot less painful going in than a baby is coming out!
I had one of the notorious Dalkon Shields back in the 1970s and ended up with a fulminating infection that took a month of antibiotics to cure. It was a miracle that I ended up able to have kids.
But the copper 7 gave me no trouble at all, and I would certainly recommend it. I’d stay away from the ones with the progestins if you are sensitive to hormones as I am. Progestins of all sorts make me incredibly sick. I often wonder if my hypersensitivity to sex hormones has anything to do with my hypersensitivity to insulin.
Thank you all for the replies. I don’t think I can get the IUD; I simply can’t stomach anything going in, especially if it’s painful. I’m on day 2 with the Loestrin, and so far so good. I will keep close record of my BG’s and talk to the doctor if I feel weird or anything like that.
The IUD, as with any form of birth control, is a very personal decision. Unlike poor Katie (so sorry for your unhelpful nurse!), I took some advil the day I went in, and I made my mom drive me home. I had some bad cramps later in the day, but everything has been ok since then. As for the insertion itself, it felt weird, but not necessarily painful for most of the procedure. It was really close to the sensation of getting a pap smear, which is nobody’s favorite thing to do but I don’t find them painful, per se. The one part that was slightly painful (why am I sharing this on the Internet?) was when they had to lift part of my cervix. This is mainly a problem for women who haven’t had children yet.
By the way, for any pregnant women out there reading this forum (or not reading it, since it’s not on your mind right now, hehe), you can have an IUD inserted at the same time you give birth, which makes it super easy and I think relatively painless.
Sorry that your thread has turned into an IUD discussion board, Beatriz. I agree with others that you should just watch how your body reacts to the hormones. And don’t be afraid to ask for lower doses or a different type of pill!
Oh, don’t worry! I’m reading every reply with a lot of interest. Of course I just cringe every time just imagining how it feels (I hate pap smears!). I’ve never used contraceptives, and I haven’t had children. So this is all new for me. I like learning.
I may as well try family planning once my periods come back. Not looking forward to gaining weight with the pill.
It would be confusing for me. I haven’t had a normal period in over a year. That means I haven’t bled normally; sometimes I don’t bleed at all. It’s mostly due to high levels of prolactin and that is being taken care of now. That is why I need birth control, once my cycles are normal I better not get pregnant for everybody’s sake.
I’m going to make an appointment with my PCP tomorrow and discuss it with her.
After two weeks on the pill, I’ve decided to give it up and do natural family planning.
Why? I was already concerned about and tired of the breakthrough bleeding, even though I called my OB-GYN’s office and they told me it is normal. But when I woke up with a horrible migraine I thought it was time to call my personal doctor and she advised me to stop taking it because my body is probably not tolerating it. She said that any side effect should be taken into consideration, and I really don’t want to put more strain on my body.
So as up tonight I’m not on Loestrin anymore, and I don’t think I’m going to use any birth control other than the natural ones. I know it requires effort, but I think it will be better to avoid health issues.
Have been on Yasmin for 5 days, and am stopping it tomorrow. I was emotional (crying, thinking about suicide!), but the worst was that I felt like a drugged up zombie. I can’t live like that. The high BG’s before my period are much more manageable than this!
I was put on both within a week. In fact, I was diagnosed with diabetes because I was having dismenoreah and had to go to the hospital. SO the doc put me on reclipsen and asked how long I had been diabetic. I of course said “I am not diabetic” and it went from there.
The only thing that I don’t like about the BC/metformin combo is the constant nausea. It’s NO fun the first week of the month of pills (after the placebos) and of course the “cure” for nausea–crackers.
I’ve been taking the pill for 20 something years now and it works great. It’s a tri-phasic pill called Mircette… low dose. Haven’t had any problems at all with it - bloodsugar, moods or otherwise.
I used to use the NuvaRing. No side effects from it for me, just have to insert one vaginally ever 3 weeks (or 4 if you want) and go from there. Right now we have no clue what is going on with my period as I am not having one and I am not pregnant or on birth control. Check into the NuvaRing as long as you aren’t squirmish about inserting it vaginally.
