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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that the pill can't be good for you?

64 replies

CailinDana · 02/09/2011 09:11

I've never been on the pill but have been considering it lately. However, surely taking daily doses of hormones affects your health long term? Or is there research to say this isn't the case?

OP posts:

Alibabaandthe80nappies · 02/09/2011 11:28

YANBU. I only took it for around a year when I was 19/20 and then thought 'WTF am I doing?'.

I also think we are yet to see or realise the implications and effects that all the extra hormones sloshing about in the water are going to have.

swc - I suspect not.

hermionestranger · 02/09/2011 11:30

You need to go and speak to your GP. It doesn't suit everyone and I'm one of those.

We're in the condom only usage group, if I get pregnant it's better than being on any type of artificial hormone. I've refused to take anything or put anything into my body as nothing suits me, but you may be totally different. Go and see your GP.

pommedechocolat · 02/09/2011 11:30

smallwhitecat - Uh, no they wouldn't. Many of them can barely even countenance condems ffs. I too have issues with all hormonal contraception. After this pg I may consider the old fashioned copper coil as I've been told that's my only option (but it needs to be a long term one).

Original poster

CailinDana · 02/09/2011 11:37

I agree pomme and smallwhitecat. I did hear of a pill being developed for men but then nothing seemed to come of it. I doubt there'd be much interest in it.

OP posts:

smallwhitecat · 02/09/2011 11:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Ephiny · 02/09/2011 12:09

Sorry, but it's ridiculous and quite offensive to suggest that if a woman chooses to use the Pill she automatically becomes 'permanently sexually available' to her partner. I'm pretty sure I'm still capable of choosing if and when I want to have sex. I used the Pill when I was single and 'celibate' and would do again, I don't personally suffer from any side-effects and it really has changed my life for the better.

If you don't like it, then don't use it, that's a personal choice. But no need for offensive generalisations about women who choose to do so. Or indeed about their partners. Maybe sometimes it's the woman who prefers not to use condoms (can't bear them myself, hate the smell and feel of them!) or doesn't want to make the 'self-sacrifice' of abstinence at certain times.

Morloth · 02/09/2011 12:19

I think that unwanted pregnancies have a much larger effect on women then they do on men. So women have more invested in a reliable form of contraception.

As I said, I personally will not use the Pill ever again, but you can't say that it hasn't had a rather excellent effect on the position of women in the western world. The ability to control when and indeed if we have children is a very useful thing indeed.

redderthanred · 02/09/2011 12:20

The pill for me, is excellent.

Not only can i be in control of when i have a period ( because i do run packs together, only having one ever 4 -6 months or so)

I also have pcos. Without the pill i pile on weight, my hair goes greesy and falls out. I get hair on my face like a man. its awful. ANd i still dont get periods anyway.

The doctor said i can have it as long as i want, forever if the case maybe. I dont spoke, my bmi is under 30.

I think its fantasic.

Pendeen · 02/09/2011 12:21

It's somewhat of a mixed blessing but we do have plenty of information about risks and side effects and so on.

My mum (born in the 50s) was recommended to go on to the the pill by her GP with very little information and almost no discussion about the side effects.

Let's be honest, we do have choices.

PeterSpanswick · 02/09/2011 12:24

I took the pill for years and years pre-dc and while I didn't think I had any problems with it, I had nothing to compare it to as started taking it at age 16.

Since having dc, it plays havoc with me and I am considering trying the copper coil due to the skin breakouts, anxiety and headaches I have experienced since going back to it. I think there is only so long you can pump your body full of artificial rubbish tbh.

Morloth · 02/09/2011 12:25

I also lose all interest in sex when on the Pill, so for me in particular it is a very efficient form of contraception. I like ovulating, I like the rather extreme horniness that comes with it.

There are pros and cons and they will vary for each person. I don't think you can say it is either good for all women or bad for all women.

TrillianAstra · 02/09/2011 12:29

YABU to think that something "can't be good for you" based on a feeling rather than evidence.

ViolaTricolor · 02/09/2011 12:30

Quite, Ephiny. The pill liberated me from terrible PMT, and also protected my single ovary until such time as I was ready to TTC. Which is why it's an individual choice, which should be taken with proper information.

IndigoBell · 02/09/2011 12:46

YANBU

Nothing is 100% safe.

Going on the pill for years and years and years is not great.

I was only on the pill for 3 years - before I was told to stop taking it because I got breast cancer :(

However, you have to weigh up the alternatives. Certainly getting pregnant is far worse for your health :)

I have 2 kids with SN - and wish I'd never taken the pill.

AryaStark · 02/09/2011 12:55

If you use the pill to control menstrual bleeding please have a look at and perhaps ask to be tested for this especially if you had excessive post-partum bleeding.

It is quite common and hereditary. There are other ways of controlling it (tranexamic acid tablets for instance) especially with young DD's and I wasn't dx until my daughter was and only then because she had a severe form. There is a culture of women having to put up with and shut up about flooding and it pisses me off no end.

DialMforMummy · 02/09/2011 12:57

YABU.
Like redderthanred said, with the pill I know when my period is due to the day and I can actually delay it if needs be. When taken properly it is very reliable and unless you smoke, it is safe.
In my mind, I find it great for my own comfort rather than the idea of being always sexually available to men!

AryaStark · 02/09/2011 12:59

Gah! Ignore the bit about childbirth. I had excessive with one DC and was fine with the other BUT since I was post-dx everyone was very careful with me. That probably isn't the best link...

Cheeseandharps · 02/09/2011 13:05

CailinDana speak to your GP and ask their advice. A progesterone-only pill might be ok for you. I've been on progesterone for 4 years and I'm ok so far.

NotJustKangaskhan · 02/09/2011 13:16

DialMforMummy The latest evidence is it's only dangerous to smokers over 40. As well as people who have a personal medical history of and/or a family history of cardiovascular diseases, clotting disorders, strokes, most liver diseases, high cholesterol level, severe obesity, or have known/suspected to have breast cancer or sensitivity to hormones. It is also debatable that it may be dangerous if used to mask other gynaecological issues (as Arya said, it has become a bit of catch-all for "women's problems" to avoid proper investigation) or you have personal/family medical history of conditions whose symptoms are easily masked by the Pill. I think more women fall into the contradict zone than most would believe.

OP Having more than one of the above, it is not good for me, and I happily use a silicone cervical cap plus gel when not wanting to conceive.

DialMforMummy · 02/09/2011 13:21

Bottom line, it is a medication and should not be taken lightly and is not suitable for everybody.

smallwhitecat · 02/09/2011 13:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

smallwhitecat · 02/09/2011 13:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

CailinDana · 02/09/2011 13:48

Thanks for all your input guys. I agree with those who pointed out that it's often used as a catch-all for "women's problems." I've heard from friends that the pill can be great for sorting out hormone imbalances, which makes sense, but I have just wondered what the effect would be on someone whose hormones are pretty balanced already? Interesting info about the pill mimicking pregnancy - that more than anything would lead me to think it might not be for me - pregnancy really didn't agree with me at all, I turned into a raging loon!

OP posts:

mummymccar · 02/09/2011 13:58

For those that can stand it I think that the pill is great, however it is very unpredictable as to who will experience side effects and who won't. I was put on dianette when 15 by my GP for acne and within a couple of weeks developed a DVT. It was travelling when they caught it in A&E so I know I was very lucky. My sister tried a different pill and collapsed with stomach pains - still no idea what caused them but they stopped when she came off and she hasn't had since. My aunt had a stroke in her 20s on the pill too. Obviously my family have very bad reactions but I know lots of people who haven't had any problems. Just make sure you have a thorough discussion with your GP before taking anything. Good luck!

RevoltingPeasant · 02/09/2011 14:13

I find the pill really scary, tbh.

I am not an epidemiologist. However, I disagree that 50 years is a long enough time to know what happens to women on the mill. Siamo said it's a long time in medical terms - but how many medicines do you take daily from teenage years to menopause?

How long have the new pills been around? How old now are the women who first took them? Frankly, until that generation of women starts to die en masse, I don't think we can know the real effects. What if many more of them start to die of (say) cancers of the reproductive system or similar at the end of their lives? Do we have that data yet?

And frankly, too, the medical profession is still massively male dominated despite the recent influxes of young female med students/ junior doctors. These are primarily men running drugs companies who make this stuff, and men prescribing it. I think that bears thinking about.

My sister was prescribed one pill and immediately afterwards got severe chest pains, which was one of the potentially dangerous side effects listed on the box. She went to the GP as advised and he brushed her off and said it wasn't related. Needless to say she simply stopped taking it and they went away.

Lots of GPs I have seen really push the pill and /or other longterm contraceptives which mean foreign objects being placed longterm in your body. And the PP who said that men wouldn't put up with that to control a perfectly natural, healthy process, is right.

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