Girls Only!

[Alexandria.J]

Hello ladies! So I will be turning 20 in just a few days and I have kind of a personal question. I wanted to get some advice and other peoples experiences on different types of birth control. What works for people with crohns, is it a bad idea?
I am currently on Humira and have been for about two years now. Im not sure if this has anything to do with the Humira but I have been getting horrible cramps. It feels like they are half cramps and half crohns stomach ache... Not fun...
I have heard that Birth control has been a huge help for some people with crohns but I would really like to get some more advice. I dont want to take BC to take care of one thing and end up dealing with something much worse for my health.

-Ali

 

[sickofcrohns]

Hi Ali,

The pill isn't contraindicated, but IUDs may be: 1. they may aggravate tissue that is sensitive/fragile already, and 2. the string may act as a wick for bacteria.

Birth control pills definitely do help with cramping and PMS, but they also come with side effects (as I'm sure you're aware). If you're interested in trying hormonal birth control, make sure not to give up on it if you try one and it has side effects you don't like. The different formulations are quite different and people react in different ways.

Good luck!

 

[Jennifer]

Humira can cause irregular periods as a side effect. Birth control may help. I take Junel (birth control pill) to help control my periods. All the pills I've tried have helped with pain etc but I like Junel because it makes you not have a period.

If you don't want to take a pill or get an IUD then you could try the patch, Depo-Provera shot or NuvaRing.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

Have you mentioned these concerns with your doctors as well? They may also have some ideas as to what might help. I hope you'll find something that will work well for you. Xxxx

 

[UnXmas]

I was briefly on microgynon, which upset my stomach horribly. Now I've been on Dianette for a couple of years, which works so well for me with no side effects. It seemed to upset my stomach a little when I was first on it, but I became tolerant of that (I guess it's possible I might have become tolerant to microgynon if I'd stayed on it longer though). Dianette is only taken if you need hormone regulation as well as/instead of birth control, as it contains anti-androgens, so unless you have hormone problems like I did, it's probably not an option. I can say this version of the pill hasn't made Crohn's worse (or better) for me.

There are other potential risks with various birth control methods - blood clots from the pill being a well-known one. When I was trying to find a version of the pill that suited me, I didn't really take Crohn's into account. First and foremost I was looking for a solution to my hormone problems, and then something which did not cause me too many problematic side effects - which I found. Since there are many factors to take into account, unless a particular method is specifically contraindicated by Crohn's or by the medications you need to take for Crohn's, I don't think Crohn's needs to restrict the options you try.

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

I'm on the patch, I wear it 6 weeks then a week off then on 6 weeks again. So far it is working for me!

 

[mish2575]

Hi Ali,

The pill isn't contraindicated, but IUDs may be: 1. they may aggravate tissue that is sensitive/fragile already, and 2. the string may act as a wick for bacteria.



Good luck!

Have you heard this from a Doctor? My GI and GYN work closely and I even asked about if Mirena adversly effects my Crohns and was told no.

1. I think I must misunderstand what you are trying to say because it seems like you mean that the IUD would aggravate tissue that is already sensitive due to Crohn's. Is that correct? I dont see how that could be the case unless you specifically had an Extra-Intestinal manifestation in your Uterus.

2. The wick is made of monofilament polyethylene -- fishing line, essentially. I dont believe bacteria would stick to that vs your actual flesh.

 

[dreamintwilight]

I took BC pills (Seasonique) up until I was diagnosed with Crohn's. Afterward I did some research and was concerned that there could be some extra risk with digesting the pill properly and not receiving the full dosage of medication, which I wasn't willing to risk getting pregnant on. I also wasn't happy on Seasonique and my cycles were completely wacky while taking it. My doc had suggested Nuvaring, but I had tried that prior to taking pills and could not get the ring to stay in place at all. So, I finally decided on the patch. I have been very happy with it and haven't had any issues (aside from accidentally ripping one in half upon opening it so I had to request a replacement) or side effects. I use it as prescribed using one every week for 3 weeks, then one week off. I also take krill oil with primrose oil and have felt like the severity of cramps has gone down immensely. Some cycles I barely have any cramping.

I stumbled upon primrose oil for cramping accidentally when I was looking into fish oil supplements. Someone suggested Dr. Mercola's krill oil, which is more sustainable and clean than regular fish oil. I noticed he had a women's version that contained primrose oil that was supposed to help with females cycles/menopausal symptoms and after reading the info and watching his video, I decided to try it and think it really helps. In case you are interested, here's the link: http://krilloil.mercola.com/krill-oil-women.html.