Has anyone tried birth control pills instead of HRT?

Posted , 5 users are following.

I was just curious if anyone has tried taking birth control pills instead of HRT to try to bring up their hormones and balance them with any luck? I tried bc in my twenties and they made me so sick, but my hormone levels were normal then...now they arent. My test showed my estrogen and progesterone are pretty low and fsh is elevated....but that doesnt mean menopause as i still had a period even if it was six months apart from my last one. Im just so tired of feeling sick to my stomach and not being able to let alone all the other awful symptoms 😦 this is a brutal hell!!!

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    I tried the mini pill and it gave me panic attacks. So my doctor put me on Loestrin and it did the same thing so I don't take bc anymore.

    • Posted

      I prolly wont take it then seeing as though it made me so sick when i was normal! 😦 when i took zoloft it gave me really bad panic attacks and even caused agoraphobia i cant seem to get rid of so i should stay away from the bc then

  • Posted

    Hi Brandy,

    My sister has had good luck with the Yaz bc pill.

    She was really struggling wth nausea and anxiety and horrible insomnia.

    It took a few months to figure out for her it needs to be taken continuously, as she would get so sick again during the "off" week. I think she takes a week off every 3months instead of every month, and that really works for her.

    If you try it, I pray that it works as well for you!!

    Sara

  • Posted

    I took YAZ up until perimenopause and then I started getting terrible sleep issues, anxiety etc so even tho BC is supposed to balance you you're body can sometimes still do it's own thing. Even on YAZ I tested low on progesterone (the first hormone to go as you approach menopause). I switched to the mini pill because one doc thought because my progesterone was low the extra estrogen in the YAZ was making me more anxious. I did sleep better and feel calmer on the mini pill but now I think my estrogen is dropping too because I'm having other symptoms like indigestion and hair shedding. Or my progesterone is even lower. So I would personally consider trying YAZ or lo-lo-estrin again. I'm not sure what the difference is btw BC and HRT but I would ask your doc. It's a great question. I'd love to know why they prescribe HRT instead BC since from my experience they really don't know how much HRT to give you to balance you out. Or it often just doesn't work. You end up with other side effects like weight gain etc. (that's what happened when I tried natural progesterone on its own).

    • Posted

      Yeah that was my thinking about bc over hrt cause you dont have to keep "adjusting" the dosage. All i have to say is this sucks!! And yes the body still finds a way around the things we do to try to feel better. Its so annoying, men dont know how good they have it!!

    • Posted

      So true Brandy!!! I'm with you sister. If men had these debilitating issues doctors would have better treatments to make them feel healthy and normal. It's appalling how little even female OBGYNs seem to know or care about the horrible symptoms many of us go through. I've heard of several women quitting their jobs because of symptoms. Meanwhile many of us can't afford to do that. I feel like for me the increased anxiety has been the worst since I already had PTSD which had been in remission until I hit peri. And then my fibroid growing rapidly. And being single makes it way worse. I'm here for you tho, all these ladies on here are amazing support. Let me know if you do find out why they use HRT instead of BC. I may ask the Google lol.

    • Posted

      All of you ladies on here have been a godsend to me! I swear for the past 4 years i thought i was literally going insane cause of all the symptoms and oh yes that horrible anxiety. And the drs made it worse cause they kept telling me i was "healthy" and maybe i should speak to a shrink...well for the past 2 years i have and my therapist believes its totally hormonal...but try telling drs that. They think im making up the symptoms and your right they would never treat a man this way!

    • Posted

      Yes! I've had so many female OBGYNs say "oh your biggest issue is your anxiety" or "you're not managing your anxiety very well" like it's my fault that my hormones are going crazy and making me extra anxious and most anxiety meds make my PTSD worse or do nothing, plus the anxiety of a large fibroid and debating surgery or seeing your hair shed in clumps, dizzy spells, or feeling like you're in an alien fat suit no matter what you eat and still single and wondering how you'll ever retire with no pension etc. It's like they have either never been through it or they are part of the lucky women that seem to have no symptoms and just breeze through it all. So none of us that don't are prepared for the nightmare. 😦

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