CDC has contraception advice for some ill women
by Mike Stobbe
ATLANTA - U.S. health officials have for the first time released contraception safety guidelines for more than 1 million women who have had weight-loss surgery or have certain medical conditions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, released Friday, say it's safe for women with medical conditions to use most contraceptives.
But the CDC issued some warnings, including some concerning birth control pills, the most popular form of contraception for American women. The pill may be less effective for women who have had one kind of weight-loss surgery because the procedure may leave them less able to absorb the active ingredient.
Another warning: Some women with inflammatory bowel disease have a higher risk of blood clots. Those women generally should not use the estrogen-containing form of the pill, which may further increase their risk.
The CDC borrowed from international guidelines, but also wrote new advice for women with certain conditions more common in the United States, such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
CDC officials say women should talk to their doctors with questions about contraception. Many doctors may have felt uncomfortable prescribing contraception to women with some of these conditions, said Dr. Herbert Peterson, a University of North Carolina professor of maternal and child health.
But the new guidelines should answer doctors' questions about potential risks from certain forms of birth control. That, in turn, may make it easier for more women to get birth control, added Peterson, who led a panel of experts that helped CDC write the guidelines.
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I posted this on the forum a while back. Also, my GI informed me about it after I was diagnosed 25 yrs. ago PLUS 10 neurologists told me when I had my stroke that they've seen many women who've had IBD come in with DVTs, PEs, and even strokes due to a clot on their brain when flaring because when there is inflammation present in the body, it causes the blood to become "sticky" and that is why they tell their female patients to avoid the pill and taking hormones at all costs because it's just not worth the risk. While some women will say, "It won't happen to me", or "there are risks with any medication" over time the blood will build up & clot when an IBD flare hits until it gets to the point where blood flow in a main artery will be blocked. There are other options out there that are safer. NFP is one of them and no, it doesn't mean Not for Protestants. It's a hollistic approach to monitoring your fertility without the use of harsh chemicals. It's 100% safe, easy to learn, use, and will NOT interfere w/any IBD treatments. It does mean taking responsibility for one's fertility and respecting each other if you are trying to avoid during fertile times but it's well worth using as it is CHEAP, no need to use condoms, AND you can use it to determine if you are having a "hormonal flare" or an actural Crohn's or UC flare.
My Gyn told me about NFP (he knew about the dangers of IBD & hormones so this is what he tells his patients) and I've been using it for 15 yrs. myself to avoid having children and I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. My husband LOVES it as well b/c it works great for the both of us. There are other methods like Sympto thermal, Billings, and Creighton as well. All are safe, drug free, and easy to learn.
Hope this helps. Take care.