WLS and birth control - ThinnerTimes

Gina · 06-15-2006, 09:51 AM

Ok after the surgery I was fairly regular... give or take a week. As the weight came of I decided that getting on the pill would be a good thing for me. I was on it for years with no issues.

I got the pills from my dr. and we agreed that we would do it like seasonal and we would go three packs back to back before skipping the week that would result in a period.

I started spotting almost immediately after I started the first pack. I called the dr and said you know I am not sure these are strong enough. She said well we like to give them 3 months to see if it will settle down... well the spotting continued and last week it got worse. I called her again and I said.. I dont think that my body is absorbing enough of these pills. She wanted me to wait some more, but the spotting was getting heavy enough to be a period.

I said I think we need to do something else. How about the patch, and she said they had a warning recently about a clotting issue with those. So I said how about the Depo Previa shot ... we agreed on that. So I had the first one this morning. I wondered if anyone else had an issue like this and if you guys think that I am right in that I wasn't absorbing enough of the hormone? I am thankful that I was using a back up birth control because while I might want another child later I don't want it now.

lvierheilig · 06-15-2006, 11:43 AM

Gina,
You and I are in the same boat. My surgeon told me there is current research that shows our bodies do not absorb enough of the hormones in birth control pills for them to be effective. He asks us to change our BC method or double up if we are on the pill. It kind of makes sense, since we have malabsorption issues, we cannot absorb all that we are meant to. My doctor placed me on the Nuva ring, still not sure how I feel about it. Best of luck.

bamagirl · 06-15-2006, 12:08 PM

I am dealing with this too!!! I tried to talk to my OB/GYN about not absorbing the pill completely, and he just pretty much made me feel like an idiot. He said there is no way that my body wouldn't be absorbing the pill like everyone else --- I love it when doctors know everything, don't you???

I tried the Nuva ring and hated it! I never could get comfortable. I would love to hear further suggestions from others that have dealt with this issue. For some reason, I'm scared of the Depo Provera shot. What if it makes my hormones go nuts and I have adverse effects? I would have to wait three months for it to get out of my body!

Americanwoman397 · 06-15-2006, 01:24 PM

After surgery my Dr. put me on the patch and it has worked for us. I am two years out and we are baby free for now HAHA.

I think it depends on your primary care and or your OB/GYN what they feel comfortable with. My PCP would not give me the shot because he said if you are off by a day or two you can get pregant. My OB/GYN loves the patch because of us not absorbing the pills. She told me it worked great in all of her clients.

cnvh · 06-15-2006, 03:10 PM

I'm not sure whether I should mention this or not, but if you've never been on the depo shot, be warned... it can bring with it a lot more side effects than the pill. This depends on the person of course, but for me... oh my. I was on it for two cycles (6 months), and in that six months I gained 40 pounds and was INSANELY moody. (Make that ANGRY, pretty much all the time!)

Of the other women I know who have done the depo shot, ALL of them had problems-- mainly weight gain and excessive moodiness.

Of course, I haven't talked to anyone who's had it post-WLS, so maybe it's different... But I am currently on the pill, and I have asked both my OB/GYN and surgeon if the absorption of the pill is affected by the pouch; both said no, but after reading this post, now I'm paranoid... I can't even IMAGINE getting pregnant shortly after WLS-- what a nightmare that would be.

Gee, now I have a lot to think about...

bamagirl · 06-15-2006, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnvh

I'm not sure whether I should mention this or not, but if you've never been on the depo shot, be warned... it can bring with it a lot more side effects than the pill. This depends on the person of course, but for me... oh my. I was on it for two cycles (6 months), and in that six months I gained 40 pounds and was INSANELY moody. (Make that ANGRY, pretty much all the time!)

Of the other women I know who have done the depo shot, ALL of them had problems-- mainly weight gain and excessive moodiness.

Of course, I haven't talked to anyone who's had it post-WLS, so maybe it's different... But I am currently on the pill, and I have asked both my OB/GYN and surgeon if the absorption of the pill is affected by the pouch; both said no, but after reading this post, now I'm paranoid... I can't even IMAGINE getting pregnant shortly after WLS-- what a nightmare that would be.

Gee, now I have a lot to think about...

That's exactly how I feel!!!

I want to be sure that we don't have a baby before my body is ready...and I would like to be regular! But doctor's answers are so contradictory. My bible, Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies, also mentions that taking the pill might not be as effective after weight loss surgery - and that book has never steered me wrong!

Duckie · 06-15-2006, 08:02 PM

Hmmmm.... I have been spotting and just chalked it up to hormonal changes with the weight loss. I wonder if it's the pill not being absorbed. Interesting.

Alleusion · 06-15-2006, 08:08 PM

My doctor said he wouldn't put us on the pill post surgery because we don't absorb it. He said to talk it over with our GYN's and go from there. Personally, I use nothing...husband was fixed.

Duckie · 06-15-2006, 08:53 PM

Mines not for BC, it's for BAD irregularity and VERY heavy periods. I hope this gets better or I"ll have to think about the Depe Vera.

Gina in NY · 06-15-2006, 08:59 PM

I can't take the pill or mini pill - the hormones misfire and cause me to get pretty psychotic. I had to get an IUD which is great, because you don't even know its there, and I had very little choice with all hormone types off the table. They only use them for women who've had children though.