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Oral contraceptive use and CD risk
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crohnsinct
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O.K. haven't read the study (forgot my password) but my small concern is blood clot risks on birth control and blood clot risks in CD patients. I will jump off that bridge when I come to it which actually might not be that far off since O is on mtx and all the warnings of conception on it and GI's requesting their patients start taking the pill if they are also on mtx.
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It basically says if you use birth control pills then you have an increased risk of developing cd.
But if you use the pill and smoke then you increase your risk of developing uc.
It does not go into details on what effect the pill has once you have Ibd .
This is one of the few issues I get a pass on.
But if you use the pill and smoke then you increase your risk of developing uc.
It does not go into details on what effect the pill has once you have Ibd .
This is one of the few issues I get a pass on.
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I started noticing symptoms the same month I started taking contraceptives (combined pill). When the doctors said Crohn's was a possibility, I researched like crazy, and found a couple different sources saying oestrogen could be a factor. It could be a complete coincidence, and I've been trying to avoid the "what if's", because I know I'll drive myself crazy.
I stopped taking them about a month ago because I didn't feel like taking more pills than I absolutely had to. I'm definitely feeling better than I was a month ago, but then again, I'm taking Lialda.
I know some people find contraception actually helps relieve symptoms, but if I could go back, there's no way I would even risk it.
I stopped taking them about a month ago because I didn't feel like taking more pills than I absolutely had to. I'm definitely feeling better than I was a month ago, but then again, I'm taking Lialda.
I know some people find contraception actually helps relieve symptoms, but if I could go back, there's no way I would even risk it.
crohnsinct
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Wow! Guess that makes my older daughter's decision about adding the pill for acne a little easier. We nixed doxcy because of it's questionable link to IBD not thinking we are approving the pill anytime soon...although she is 19:/
DustyKat
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Well in our case the oral contraceptive pill really is a bit of a dicey option anyway.
For Sarah to use it she would have to take extra precautions, which she should early in a relationship anyway, but those extra precautions become less about STD's and more long term due to her malabsorption issues. So for her an IUD or rod would be preferable. She has used a rod in the past.
Dusty.
For Sarah to use it she would have to take extra precautions, which she should early in a relationship anyway, but those extra precautions become less about STD's and more long term due to her malabsorption issues. So for her an IUD or rod would be preferable. She has used a rod in the past.
Dusty.
I don't have access to medscape, but I'm very interested in general consensus of the pill + acne control + crohn's.
My daughter (16 yrs old) was also on doxycycline for almost three years before crohn's diagnosis. She has had cystic acne since age 12, which I now believe is tied into crohn's somehow.
When she was on TPN, awaiting surgery, the acne cleared. Now that she is on a full diet she has had a little bit of break out again and she is interested in starting the pill because we won't go back to doxy.
I put a call into the GI's office today to talk about the pill but haven't heard back from them yet. Knowing our GI they prob won't have an opinion on it which is why I like to read a lot myself.
What do you all think?
My daughter (16 yrs old) was also on doxycycline for almost three years before crohn's diagnosis. She has had cystic acne since age 12, which I now believe is tied into crohn's somehow.
When she was on TPN, awaiting surgery, the acne cleared. Now that she is on a full diet she has had a little bit of break out again and she is interested in starting the pill because we won't go back to doxy.
I put a call into the GI's office today to talk about the pill but haven't heard back from them yet. Knowing our GI they prob won't have an opinion on it which is why I like to read a lot myself.
What do you all think?
Although I'm not doubting the research the article did on women and increased risk of CD with the pill, maybe there are other factors, for instance, most women start birth control when they become sexually active, lets say late teens. This is also when Crohn's symptoms begin to start for many people, that teens early 20's. It could be an age link.
Also consider who is in this test group, women who are being proactive about their reproductive health are also probably the ones going to the doctor with GI symptoms. Point being there maybe be people who are undiagnosed or not as proactive as the women in this study leading to over reporting of those on the pill and with CD.
birth control does have serious side effects like most other things do, I'm just saying that for me it seems obvious there could be other factors.
Also consider who is in this test group, women who are being proactive about their reproductive health are also probably the ones going to the doctor with GI symptoms. Point being there maybe be people who are undiagnosed or not as proactive as the women in this study leading to over reporting of those on the pill and with CD.
birth control does have serious side effects like most other things do, I'm just saying that for me it seems obvious there could be other factors.
crohnsinct
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Well my daughter is on Methotrexate and I know that at a certain age the GI recommends starting a birth control pill because of the risk of birth defects should a girl become pregnant. So I don't think they have a huge issue with the pill.
Being the crunchy type myself, I plan to avoid it as long as possible for my crohnie. There was some discussion on the forum a bit ago about CD patients and risks of blood clots. Blood clots are also one of the bigger risks (although still probably low) of birth control pills. Have to admit though, I haven't researched all the pills out there etc. but for now we are treating my older daughters cystic acne with diet and loads and loads of water. It is working pretty well. She also can't use anything on her face that has salycylic acid or ben. peroxide in it. Blows up and looks like a tomato. So lots of natural stuff for us. Aloe, tea tree oil, manuka honey...the list goes on...
Being the crunchy type myself, I plan to avoid it as long as possible for my crohnie. There was some discussion on the forum a bit ago about CD patients and risks of blood clots. Blood clots are also one of the bigger risks (although still probably low) of birth control pills. Have to admit though, I haven't researched all the pills out there etc. but for now we are treating my older daughters cystic acne with diet and loads and loads of water. It is working pretty well. She also can't use anything on her face that has salycylic acid or ben. peroxide in it. Blows up and looks like a tomato. So lots of natural stuff for us. Aloe, tea tree oil, manuka honey...the list goes on...
Crunchy = natural/granola? If so, that's my type also, but not always my daughters. So we often need to compromise.
How do you apply the aloe, tea tree and honey? Do you use it topically?
M does not like the taste of plain water and doesn't drink a lot naturally. Lately she's been more willing to drink when she can mix in flavor packets. Hope that counts for something. I will let her know the info that you're sharing.
How do you apply the aloe, tea tree and honey? Do you use it topically?
M does not like the taste of plain water and doesn't drink a lot naturally. Lately she's been more willing to drink when she can mix in flavor packets. Hope that counts for something. I will let her know the info that you're sharing.
I think the effect of the pill should definitely be researched further. This may be tmi, but I always had a slightly more sensitive GI tract during my period - more frequency and looser stool. It always resolved after the first couple days.
I started taking the pill in September of last year, when I was 26. I first noticed I was incredibly fatigued, but I've always been slightly anemic, and I'm vegan, so I wrote it off as not eating enough iron. Looking back on it, being on the pill should have actually improved my anemia. Loose stools, frequency, and urgency soon followed. I started taking iron pills that also apparently irritate the GI tract. Some blood appeared in January, and my inflammation markers spiked in April.
After I was scoped, the GI saw skip lesions likely secondary to Crohn's, but the biopsies were much milder than what he saw. I started taking Lialda, which resolved the loose stools, but didn't cut down on the frequency and only slightly decreased the urgency.
Anyway, I stopped taking the pill on June 25th. Things were going fine until I noticed a fistula reopen (which had initially appeared a month earlier) almost 3 weeks ago. Flagyl and Cipro did nothing to clear it up, and I stopped those over a week ago. Well, I got my first normal period 5 days ago. Frequency increased, but the urgency and looseness didn't, and the fistula stayed the same. Today should be the last day of my period. Yesterday I only went to the bathroom twice (literally the first time that's happened since September). Today was the first time I had absolutely no urgency in the morning, and my fistula is almost completely dried up.
I know there's a spike in diagnosis around my age, and studying medicine makes me more vigilant of my health than the general public, but I'm convinced there's some sort of connection.
I started taking the pill in September of last year, when I was 26. I first noticed I was incredibly fatigued, but I've always been slightly anemic, and I'm vegan, so I wrote it off as not eating enough iron. Looking back on it, being on the pill should have actually improved my anemia. Loose stools, frequency, and urgency soon followed. I started taking iron pills that also apparently irritate the GI tract. Some blood appeared in January, and my inflammation markers spiked in April.
After I was scoped, the GI saw skip lesions likely secondary to Crohn's, but the biopsies were much milder than what he saw. I started taking Lialda, which resolved the loose stools, but didn't cut down on the frequency and only slightly decreased the urgency.
Anyway, I stopped taking the pill on June 25th. Things were going fine until I noticed a fistula reopen (which had initially appeared a month earlier) almost 3 weeks ago. Flagyl and Cipro did nothing to clear it up, and I stopped those over a week ago. Well, I got my first normal period 5 days ago. Frequency increased, but the urgency and looseness didn't, and the fistula stayed the same. Today should be the last day of my period. Yesterday I only went to the bathroom twice (literally the first time that's happened since September). Today was the first time I had absolutely no urgency in the morning, and my fistula is almost completely dried up.
I know there's a spike in diagnosis around my age, and studying medicine makes me more vigilant of my health than the general public, but I'm convinced there's some sort of connection.
Do you think the pill irritated your fistula?
I didn't notice it until I was on the pill, and it went away on it's own for about a month. it reappeared about 2 weeks before I started my period - so I don't think it was the pill itself that irritated it, but maybe the change in hormone levels inherent with menstruation. For me, I think my GI tract is sensitive to hormone levels, and the pill changes them. I just think it's interesting that it went away with no intervention at all initially, and now that it's back, it's closing as soon as my period's ending.
One more question. You have a fistula, not a fissure? M has a fissure that has given her problems and I hadn't thought of looking for a hormone connection. It's always good to make the connections.
Yep, mine's a fistula, unfortunately.
crohnsinct
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Yes crunchy+granola type...natural as much as possible for me.
Yes, all those things topically applied. Tea tree oil mixed into moisturizer. Aloe based product. If you are interested pm mea and I will tell you which one. Manuka topical as well. Medical grade.
As much as the derm said diet isn't a factor, once our family moved to a vegetarian diet and my DD increased her water intake significantly, the acnes cleared a lot. She still has it but it doesn't hurt so much to look at it.
Yes, all those things topically applied. Tea tree oil mixed into moisturizer. Aloe based product. If you are interested pm mea and I will tell you which one. Manuka topical as well. Medical grade.
As much as the derm said diet isn't a factor, once our family moved to a vegetarian diet and my DD increased her water intake significantly, the acnes cleared a lot. She still has it but it doesn't hurt so much to look at it.
I went vegan almost 6 years ago, and my skin improved drastically. I think cutting out dairy products helped the most for me. I'll never understand how easily some doctors write off the impact of diet.
crohnsinct
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I am hoping it's just a matter of they can't advice on what they haven't been trained in. Still no excuse to totally discount it. I would love to see the day when a registered dietician is a part5 of every doctor's practice.
I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, in our experience many of the RD's need to get a clue too.
Until med school education system begin to look at foods - learning what inflammatory foods are and how food sensitivities present, it's on us to make those connections.
Until med school education system begin to look at foods - learning what inflammatory foods are and how food sensitivities present, it's on us to make those connections.
LOL, 'bout the greyhound, not the dieticians!!!
