Birth Control

[Nica]

Hi Ladies,

one of my issues is birth control. As I am getting older I can't take the pill any more. My GYN does not want to do a tubal ligation because of the hospital time and humira.

I tried Mirena with progesterin (spelling oops) I had tons of issues with the hormones... but a strange thing happened my crohn's symptoms improved with only that. I did not think it was the IUD and had it removed due to other side effects (serious weight gain of 40 pounds in 2 months, attitude, acne). Crohn's symptoms came back slowly even adding Humira.

The doc mentioned something called Essure, they place something in your tubes, wait for scar tissue to form and then you are sterile. I Have concerns about anything that involves scar tissue in my guts, I would assume it would create inflammation as that scar tissue forms.

Personally I would like to have a total and complete hysterectomy as I have a mini flare every single month and have since I was diagnosed. My husband is pretty much dead set against getting snipped. He said he would.. but we are 5 years later and he has not even made a phone call to move forward with it.

Any suggestions? I am 37 have a 13 year old son. We may adopt or foster later on down the road, but pregnancy is just not a good idea for me anymore.

 

[Guest]

hi Nica... hmm tough decision. i think the biggest one is definitely whether you might or might not want further children in the future, and it sounds like you're already decided on that, in which case you're free to consider permanent options...

have you ever tried or considered other forms of hormonal contraceptives. i know you've been on the Mirena and suffered effects, but there are many more alternatives on the market, and one concoction of hormones might suit you better than others..

for instance - i'm 'severely menopausal' - not my words, my Gynae doc diagnosed me as this, meaning i'm zooming into late stage of menopause too early for my body to cope with, and for 2 years i've literally been a useless heap of tears, sweats, spots and migraines.. eventually i agreed to go on HRT - was given patches which contain both estrogen and progestergen.. hot flushes disappeared within a few weeks, as did the migraines, but my skin erupted into horrid acne and my ****s grew alarmingly and hurt like hell.. went to my gp in desperation and she's given me a 'tailor-made' hrt, half dose estrogen patches, and half dose progestergen orally... i'm doing great on it now.

if you opted for the total hysterectomy, you'd still need hrt as your body would immediately go into menopause.. so i'm thinking you may as well try oral or patch hormones, play around with different strengths and ways of administering them, before opting for surgery.... i think that's what i would do in your situation.

but i do find the scar tissue in the fallopian tube idea really fascinating - definitely something to look into i would say - there could be no connection with inflammation whatsoever, or even any liklihood of it affecting your intestines and it would be a shame to dismiss it..

 

[Lisa]

Do you have any idea why your husband has not moved forward?...my husband was snipped when our daughter was close to a year old - the decision wasn't an easy one, but we decided that him getting snipped was a LOT less intrusive than me undergoing surgery.....

If your husband has fears abotu the pain, etc - yes, I DID laugh at mine as he hobbled out of the dr's office, but I had a bag of frozen peas ready for him...he was out of work for maybe a week?.....a co-worker just had it done too, he was out for a few days then back in...it was not a big deal.

I'm worry I can't help with the hormones - but I can relate to the mini-flares - I get that a lot myself.....I am not on anything right now either for BC due to hubby being snipped - one less thing for me to worry about - plus, I got pregnant while on the pill!

 

[Nica]

as far as my hubby not moving forward I have no idea. He really does not seem to like the idea. I dont know what to do with him lol

I might do further research on essure and check about inflammation, I would HATE to do something that would throw me into a full blown flare.

I am a smoker so I dont know if hormones are at all an option. It is really frustrating to have every part of my medical life complicated. I am sure you all understand that one.

 

[amirah]

Hi nica before i had my tubes tired after leya was born, i was on the contraception injection every 3 months. i found that to be great as i couldnt take the pill.

 

[Nica]

Amirah,
Depo Prevera? I react to that too.. SIGH

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I was having some troubles with the birth control pill (namely, I was having so much d that I was afraid my pill was going right through me and not effectively preventing pregnancy!). So I switched to Nuva ring, and it's been working well. Also, I don't know if the pill was contributing to my gut problems, but I noticed that I immediately felt somewhat better after switching to the ring. It is hormonal birth control, so I don't know if it's an option for you, but it might be worth a try? Good luck.

 

[Jessica]

I probably won't be much help in this thread. I'm still relatively young (26yo) and have only had experience on the pills.

I vote on a talk with your lovely hubby. Maybe there's more to it that what seems. Ask him why he's waited, or is hesitant. Actually I'd open up with the options that you're considering taking since it doesn't seem like he's really up for getting snipped.

Oh, and I'm a smoker too. Hormones & smoking is a bad idea. Blood clot risks. So, please weigh your options carefully. Would love to hear the updates though. Never really thought about the interation of my pill and crohn's. Hmm... I have research to do.

<3

 

[Nica]

I started talking to my hubby, he told me Mirena would be like a "dream come true" for him. Till it backfired on me lol.
So I think he is AFRAID of it.
I even tried the whole, I am sick enough without messing with anything, you are perfectly healthy and it would be an inpatient procedure. Maybe I should tell him he gets no ... till he goes?

 

[Jessica]

If you're better NOT on any birth control, I'd say go for it.

But that in itself could have it's side effects. lol

 

[Nica]

LOL everything has side effects!!

 

[ameslouise]

I hear great things about the IUD! I know tons of people with them and they all love it!

For me and my hubber, condoms have always been the best option now that the pill is out. Not very romantic, but it works.

Frankly, Crohn's itself is enough of a birth control method for me! Too tired and no libido!

-Amy

 

[MADiMarc]

Nica, I have had the side effect you are talking about. I also seem to become this sepoy, sniveling other person when taking any kind of birth control. My husband wanted to get snipped years ago but I wouldn't let him (long, horrible story). When I finally gave in he ran to the doc. Is your husband afraid of a different feeling during sex? That seems to be a common fear. My husbands procedure literally took 7 minutes. He tells me he felt nothing. It was done on Friday morning and he was back at work with no pain Monday. And I must say the sex got better because he was not scared anymore. Everyone is different and I hope you find a solution.
Crohn's sucks doesn't it? I hate having to over think things that other people just take for granted!
Michele

 

[closedingirl]

I've been on the pill, terrible side effects. THen, I started on Depo and I love it. I've been on it for close to five years. I'm going to get Essure as soon as I can.