I was just diagnosed with MC (LC) on Tuesday and can't tell you how happy I am to find this support forum. Being a triathlete coach, boot camp instructor and busy mother of two young boys - I want to learn as much as I can so I can enjoy my active/busy life! What are the thoughts on birth control pills and MC? Any known benefit to stop using them?
Thank you!!! Stacy
birth control pills and MC
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hi Stacy,
Welcome to our internet family. I'm sorry to hear that you have LC, but I hope that we can answer your questions, and provide some insight, to help you to get your life back on track, as smoothly, and as quickly as possible.
Birth control pills are a little out of my department, so I'll leave that question to others, who have more experience with it. In general, though, hormones do indeed affect MC, and estrogen, progesterone, etc., can trigger a flare, or make symptoms worse.
Again, welcome aboard.
Tex (Wayne)
Welcome to our internet family. I'm sorry to hear that you have LC, but I hope that we can answer your questions, and provide some insight, to help you to get your life back on track, as smoothly, and as quickly as possible.
Birth control pills are a little out of my department, so I'll leave that question to others, who have more experience with it. In general, though, hormones do indeed affect MC, and estrogen, progesterone, etc., can trigger a flare, or make symptoms worse.
Again, welcome aboard.
Tex (Wayne)
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
We investigated this recently following a suggestion (I will look for the link) and, yes colitis can be a side effect of some BC pills. My daughter's GYN & endocrinologist were not familiar with this & both needed to look up the info to confirm. Not saying that the BC caused the MC but the MC symptoms started within 3 months of starting the BC-and it sure seemed suspicious/coincidental.
Three years later, new doctor, follow-up scopes, many diet changes, and they now claim there is no evidence of MC, but symptoms continue.....??
I'll go find the info for you-
Sue
Three years later, new doctor, follow-up scopes, many diet changes, and they now claim there is no evidence of MC, but symptoms continue.....??
I'll go find the info for you-
Sue
This info came from Anne @ the Gluten Free & Beyond forum. There are 2 good links here.
Is it possible that the birth control pill could be contributing to a leaky gut and increasing the problem foods? http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/art ... -syndrome/
Quote:
The leaky gut syndrome is basically caused by inflammation of the gut lining. This inflammation is usually brought about by the following:
* Antibiotics because they lead to the overgrowth of abnormal flora in the gastrointestinal tract (bacteria, parasites, candida, fungi) · Alcohol and caffeine (strong gut irritants)
* Foods and beverages contaminated by parasites like giardia lamblia, cryptosporidium, blastocystis hominis and others
* Foods and beverages contaminated by bacteria like helicobacter pylori, klebsiella, citrobacter, pseudomonas and others
* Chemicals in fermented and processed food (dyes, preservatives, peroxidized fats)
* Enzyme deficiencies (e.g. celiac disease, lactase deficiency causing lactose intolerance)
* NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ASA, ibuprofen, indomethacin,
* Prescription corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone)
* High refined carbohydrate diet (e.g. candy bars, cookies, cake, soft drinks, white bread)
* Prescription hormones like the birth control pill Mold and fungal mycotoxins in stored grains, fruit and refined carbohydrates.
This site says bacterial overgrowth may be caused by BCP's. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthc ... growth.htm
Is she lactose intolerant? Many BCP's contain lactose.
Is it possible that the birth control pill could be contributing to a leaky gut and increasing the problem foods? http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/art ... -syndrome/
Quote:
The leaky gut syndrome is basically caused by inflammation of the gut lining. This inflammation is usually brought about by the following:
* Antibiotics because they lead to the overgrowth of abnormal flora in the gastrointestinal tract (bacteria, parasites, candida, fungi) · Alcohol and caffeine (strong gut irritants)
* Foods and beverages contaminated by parasites like giardia lamblia, cryptosporidium, blastocystis hominis and others
* Foods and beverages contaminated by bacteria like helicobacter pylori, klebsiella, citrobacter, pseudomonas and others
* Chemicals in fermented and processed food (dyes, preservatives, peroxidized fats)
* Enzyme deficiencies (e.g. celiac disease, lactase deficiency causing lactose intolerance)
* NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ASA, ibuprofen, indomethacin,
* Prescription corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone)
* High refined carbohydrate diet (e.g. candy bars, cookies, cake, soft drinks, white bread)
* Prescription hormones like the birth control pill Mold and fungal mycotoxins in stored grains, fruit and refined carbohydrates.
This site says bacterial overgrowth may be caused by BCP's. http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthc ... growth.htm
Is she lactose intolerant? Many BCP's contain lactose.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Suzil
welcome - g'day from oz
be mindful that absorption of the Contraception pill is reliant on the digestion process.
due to ongoing IBS issues and hormonal issues where i couldnt tolerate most of the pills on the market, i swapped across to the implant. this way i was not reliant on my digestion system to absorb the hormones.
I had tried not using hormones, being totally natural but found due to my bowel being adhered to my ovary, the hormonal cycle caused me alot of grief with digestion. I found my body could not cope with both digestion issues and hormonal issues.
At age 25 i was told that given the adhesions and bad state of my intestines, should I embrace pregnancy and child birth there is a very high risk i would have to have a colostomy. Even though one of my ovaries was not working i didnt want to risk pregnancy.
there are quite a few discussions on this site, everyone has different reactions to various meds/treatments.
all part of the maze of MC management!
welcome - g'day from oz
be mindful that absorption of the Contraception pill is reliant on the digestion process.
due to ongoing IBS issues and hormonal issues where i couldnt tolerate most of the pills on the market, i swapped across to the implant. this way i was not reliant on my digestion system to absorb the hormones.
I had tried not using hormones, being totally natural but found due to my bowel being adhered to my ovary, the hormonal cycle caused me alot of grief with digestion. I found my body could not cope with both digestion issues and hormonal issues.
At age 25 i was told that given the adhesions and bad state of my intestines, should I embrace pregnancy and child birth there is a very high risk i would have to have a colostomy. Even though one of my ovaries was not working i didnt want to risk pregnancy.
there are quite a few discussions on this site, everyone has different reactions to various meds/treatments.
all part of the maze of MC management!
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hi Stacy,
I was not taking any form of birth control before my MC diagnosis, but did try quite a few after my diagnosis. Seems the disease threw me into menopause and with my age, my doctors were concerned that my hormone levels were too low too soon. As Gabes mentions, getting a reliable and consistent dose from pills is an issue with MC, so pills didn't work. On the occasion that I did absorb the hormones, it was an erratic roller coaster ride. One gyn suggested trying depo-provera shots - one shot every 3 months. Don't do it! I'll spare you that horror story, but after I tried it, I found quite a large support group of prior depo-provera survivors, most of whom have very understanding husbands who didn't divorce them from the mood change. It can take a year for the bleeding to stop and then the box warning says you have to stop after two years or risk osteoporosis. That gyn wanted me to keep taking the shots and was pretty pushy about it, so I found a new gyn.
The Nuvaring was pretty good and low dose so I didn't have much in the way of hormone-related side effects. I eventually stopped that after about a year though. I have problems with muscle spasms and whenever my MC was acting up, pretty much every organ in my abdomen decided to join in and I'd get major cramping spasms around the Nuvaring. The patches might work too, but I never tried them since my skin tends to peel off with any sort of adhesive bandage. After I stopped that, I had a chat with my doctors and as long as I wasn't planning on having kids, they said I could stop the hormone trials since they weren't going well anyway and I wasn't having any major menopause symptoms.
Since attempting to have kids really isn't a good idea for me medically speaking and I'm not getting any younger, I went ahead and had Essure implants put in - so far, no problems. Essure is small nickel coils put in the tubes. Over three months, scar tissue forms around the coils and makes a permanent tubal block. For those allergic to nickel, there's a silicone version called Adiana. Both are done in the office with light sedation - no incisions. Neither involves hormones. Both are permanent and irreversable, so you need to be absolutely sure you do not want to have any additional children. I have plenty of friends who are more than willing to lend me their kids for a day here and there (when I have the energy for it) and I get to give them back when the temper tantrums start, so I'm perfectly fine with permanent.
Karen
I was not taking any form of birth control before my MC diagnosis, but did try quite a few after my diagnosis. Seems the disease threw me into menopause and with my age, my doctors were concerned that my hormone levels were too low too soon. As Gabes mentions, getting a reliable and consistent dose from pills is an issue with MC, so pills didn't work. On the occasion that I did absorb the hormones, it was an erratic roller coaster ride. One gyn suggested trying depo-provera shots - one shot every 3 months. Don't do it! I'll spare you that horror story, but after I tried it, I found quite a large support group of prior depo-provera survivors, most of whom have very understanding husbands who didn't divorce them from the mood change. It can take a year for the bleeding to stop and then the box warning says you have to stop after two years or risk osteoporosis. That gyn wanted me to keep taking the shots and was pretty pushy about it, so I found a new gyn.
The Nuvaring was pretty good and low dose so I didn't have much in the way of hormone-related side effects. I eventually stopped that after about a year though. I have problems with muscle spasms and whenever my MC was acting up, pretty much every organ in my abdomen decided to join in and I'd get major cramping spasms around the Nuvaring. The patches might work too, but I never tried them since my skin tends to peel off with any sort of adhesive bandage. After I stopped that, I had a chat with my doctors and as long as I wasn't planning on having kids, they said I could stop the hormone trials since they weren't going well anyway and I wasn't having any major menopause symptoms.
Since attempting to have kids really isn't a good idea for me medically speaking and I'm not getting any younger, I went ahead and had Essure implants put in - so far, no problems. Essure is small nickel coils put in the tubes. Over three months, scar tissue forms around the coils and makes a permanent tubal block. For those allergic to nickel, there's a silicone version called Adiana. Both are done in the office with light sedation - no incisions. Neither involves hormones. Both are permanent and irreversable, so you need to be absolutely sure you do not want to have any additional children. I have plenty of friends who are more than willing to lend me their kids for a day here and there (when I have the energy for it) and I get to give them back when the temper tantrums start, so I'm perfectly fine with permanent.
Karen
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
further to what adelie has shared
hormone management is like mc management - what works for one doesnt work for another
I have been very lucky, I have no adverse reaction to the implanon, it suited me as basically i would not get any periods, only slight spotting if i got run down or stressed, which is very good when working on a exploration vessel in PNG and travelling.
research the options, check out the forums.
i like the implant, once every three year changeover, which makes it low cost, it is reliable.
at the time i started using it, i still had slight hope of having children. now that the window of opp has closed i may consider something similar to adelie as permanent is fine. my main reason for having it is to remove hormonal issues and it achieves that.
hormone management is like mc management - what works for one doesnt work for another
I have been very lucky, I have no adverse reaction to the implanon, it suited me as basically i would not get any periods, only slight spotting if i got run down or stressed, which is very good when working on a exploration vessel in PNG and travelling.
research the options, check out the forums.
i like the implant, once every three year changeover, which makes it low cost, it is reliable.
at the time i started using it, i still had slight hope of having children. now that the window of opp has closed i may consider something similar to adelie as permanent is fine. my main reason for having it is to remove hormonal issues and it achieves that.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
to the PP family. Best of luck in your journey to better health, AntMy highlight in red. Corticosteroids cause inflammation?? I thought they reduced it. Is this a case of correlating those with inflammation and those taking the medicine and then getting confused as to cause and effect, or have I misunderstood?The leaky gut syndrome is basically caused by inflammation of the gut lining. This inflammation is usually brought about by the following:
* Antibiotics because they lead to the overgrowth of abnormal flora in the gastrointestinal tract (bacteria, parasites, candida, fungi) · Alcohol and caffeine (strong gut irritants)
* Foods and beverages contaminated by parasites like giardia lamblia, cryptosporidium, blastocystis hominis and others
* Foods and beverages contaminated by bacteria like helicobacter pylori, klebsiella, citrobacter, pseudomonas and others
* Chemicals in fermented and processed food (dyes, preservatives, peroxidized fats)
* Enzyme deficiencies (e.g. celiac disease, lactase deficiency causing lactose intolerance)
* NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ASA, ibuprofen, indomethacin,
* Prescription corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone)
* High refined carbohydrate diet (e.g. candy bars, cookies, cake, soft drinks, white bread)
* Prescription hormones like the birth control pill Mold and fungal mycotoxins in stored grains, fruit and refined carbohydrates.
Best, Ant
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
my GI specialist prescribed Dipenthum to help reduce the inflammation
on the info sheet from the pharmacist, diarrhea was the second side effect list
it was also giving me filthy headaches (number one on side effect list)
on the info sheet from the pharmacist, diarrhea was the second side effect list
it was also giving me filthy headaches (number one on side effect list)
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Ant,
One way that corticosteroids can cause the leaky gut syndrome is by suppressing the immune system, which opens the door to make it easier for other agents to cause LGS, (such as candida yeast, parasites, dysbiosis, for example).
Yes, the corticosteroids are used to suppress certain types of inflammation, but that doesn't make them immune to causing inflammation. If you look at the listed side effects of Prednisone, for example, unfortunately, it becomes apparent that many/most of the side effects are inflammation-oriented:
Tex
One way that corticosteroids can cause the leaky gut syndrome is by suppressing the immune system, which opens the door to make it easier for other agents to cause LGS, (such as candida yeast, parasites, dysbiosis, for example).
Yes, the corticosteroids are used to suppress certain types of inflammation, but that doesn't make them immune to causing inflammation. If you look at the listed side effects of Prednisone, for example, unfortunately, it becomes apparent that many/most of the side effects are inflammation-oriented:
Gastrointestinal
abdominal distention, abdominal pain,anorexia which may result in weight loss, constipation, diarrhea, elevation in serum liver enzyme levels (usually reversible upon discontinuation), gastric irritation, hepatomegaly, increased appetite and weight gain, nausea, oropharyngeal candidiasis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer with possible perforation and hemorrhage, perforation of the small and large intestine (particularly in patients with inflammatory bowel disease), ulcerative esophagitis, vomiting.
Even anaphylaxis is an inflammation-based event - in fact, it's inflammation carried to extremes.Dermatologic
acne, acneiform eruptions, allergic dermatitis, alopecia, angioedema, angioneurotic edema, atrophy and thinning of skin, dry scaly skin, ecchymoses and petechiae (bruising), erythema, facial edema, hirsutism, impaired wound healing, increased sweating, Karposi’s sarcoma, lupus erythematosus-like lesions, perineal irritation, purpura, rash, striae, subcutaneous fat atrophy, suppression of reactions to skin tests, striae, telangiectasis, thin fragile skin, thinning scalp hair, urticaria.
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/prednisone-side-effects.htmlAllergic Reactions
anaphylactoid or hypersensitivity reactions, anaphylaxis, angioedema.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Well, yes, but remember that most people don't seem to notice any side effects, even with long-term use.
Tex
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.