i have been taking lo-loestrin for about 3 years. ( was on loestrin before that and before kids i was on ortho somethingerother) so when i am not pregnant or breast feeding i was on a pill. when i was breast feeding i was on a mini pill.
i went on the pill due to heavy flow painful cramps and all around bad pms. the pills caused migraines 2-3 days of them during my period and 3-5 in the 3 weeks of not being on my period. my dr lowered the dose of the estrogen and it helped the headaches for a couple years. she lowered it again and it helped till recently. i am once again experiencing headaches and migraines often.
my husband, bless his heart, went and got a vasectomy so i could stop taking the pills altogether. (i missed a pill and that is where our first came from, we planned the second baby, but are done with having babies)
i am afraid to stop taking the b. c. pills though, i am afraid of my periods returning to the hell they were before i had kids ( have not had an actual period with no bc pills since i was in my early 20's and i am closer to 40 now. )
i do have an appt made with my dr. and i will discuss this all with her when i go. but to relax my brain i would like to know what others would do..
1: stop the pills and see what happens with my cycles and possibly endure periods so bad that i literally lay in bed for a day not moving lest i pass out?
2: drop to a mini pill so i can still have some hormonal regulation to prevent horrid pms?
3: wing it, and be wondering what to do for a couple months while i wait for my appt? ( not recommended due to anxiety regarding not having a plan)
thank you for the helpful responses. i have ZERO plans to stop before his dr gives us the ok. our insurance is crap. so a hysterectomy or ablation is probably a no go due to costs.. but that sure would be nice!
B. i am hoping that pregnancy did change things and i can just have normal little periods and not awful ones that make me think i am dying! ( due to heavy flow and extreme cramping i actually passed out once when i was 18 and again around 21. not fun. never want that again!)
but these migraines... i go thru a whole week of head pain that gets worse in the afternoons. and out of the period week i can classify at least 3 days to be migraine severity, (pain on one side, can't stand light, can't function..) and i am the only caregiver for my 2 kids because hubbs is usually driving and only home on weekends) and every med that i have tried ( script or not) just dulls the pain, it never takes it completely away
Militarymom 6, another reason for wanting to ditch the pills is because i sometimes get aura with the migraines and since i have that and am over 35 with elevated blood pressure and overweight i have a higher risk of stroke and i really cannot afford that!!
I wouldn't go off if you're expecting to go in soon. I would wait to see what they advise.
The thing is, if you're worrying and trying to figure out what to do - you're causing yourself to stress which doesn't help with migraines. As you said, winging it doesn't help for you - so why not just stay on pill - get some advil/whatever works for your pain and periods, and try to get on a cancellation list for dr.
Best to you
Things can change after we have kids.
I'd try getting off the pills and see what happens.
If your periods return to being awful, you can talk to your OB/Gyn about having an ablation or a hysterectomy - partial just takes uterus, full takes everything out.
If ovaries are left in you'll have no period but will have menopause when ever your ovaries naturally shut down.
You are done having kids so you don't need a uterus anymore.
There are a lot of women that feel so good once it's out and it's great not dealing with periods anymore.
HysterSisters.com will have a lot of information about both ablation and hysterectomy.
I guess if I didn't have to take the pill in any way, shape or form, I wouldn't. A family member had a stroke two years ago which was directly related to birth control pills (she also hit all the risk factors for having a stroke on the pill, which you may not, but still, a stroke at 35?).
I don't know that you need a "plan" as badly as you think you do. If hubby has had a vastectomy, then really the planning is around your comfort level and nothing else. While comfort is important, it really isn't' the be all/end all as say an unplanned pregnancy.
I'd stop the pill at least so you can share with your doctor as the outcome of doing exactly that. It's not like you can't go back on them if your first period lays you up as bad as you are worried it will and then discuss with the doctor in a couple of months.
I'd also check into just taking care of the matter with a hysterectomy (full, partial, ablation, whatever) - I had a hysterectomy in my 20's and literally have not regretted one second of it (I'm approaching 50 now). There would be no way that I would still be on the pill nearly 30 years later.
Good luck!
