Thought on contraception based on your knowledge of hrt?

CuriousRunner · 2024-11-24T12:01:16+00:00

Menopause has been so horrible. I've spent a lot of time reading up and listening to podcasts on the topic. I think we all know about identical hormones. But that got me thinking no one has mentioned identical hormones when it comes to contraception. I'm sure I'm not alone having daughters not far off needing to think about or educate themselves on on contraception options. Have trends and options changed for contraception closer to body identical?

JinglingSpringbells · 24/11/2024 12:24

Like what?

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 24/11/2024 12:34

Bio-identical is a bit of a marketing ploy to make what are artificially synthesised duplicates of human hormones sound more natural and safe. The key is you want the regulated ones (rBHRT) not the compounded ones (cBHRT).

Contraception isn’t where you’d want bio-identical hormones because the human body doesn’t naturally produce a hormone to prevent contraception. The hormones used in it aren’t replacing a shortfall or rebalancing hormones, but counter-acting the natural hormones.

Original poster

CuriousRunner · 24/11/2024 12:37

I wondered if there were any changes in the contraceptive pills, injections, etc based on the movement in hrt to body identical.

Eg the progesterone in my contraceptive injection is medroxyprogesterone acetate. that's the progesterone that when it was in HRT back in the day was considered a baddie. Whereas the progesterone in my hrt Utrogestan is micronised progesterone. The same as my own progesterone.

Sorry if I'm waffling orl too random in my thought process 😬

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Original poster

CuriousRunner · 24/11/2024 12:43

Thank you @SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice that has stopped me falling down mental rabbit holes 🤣

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JinglingSpringbells · 24/11/2024 12:56

My non-science response to this is that the levels of estrogen /progestin needed for birth control cannot be replicated enough with body-identical hormones.

And, large does of micronised progesterone are used as a fertility treatment to try to maintain early pregnancy. The dose is something like 200mgs x3 a day.

Mairzydotes · 24/11/2024 15:55

There is a bio- identical contraceptive pill, the bio -identical zealots all sing it's praises.

I imagine it's too costly for the NHS to widley prescribe. It'll be one to buy from an online pharmacy.

JinglingSpringbells · 24/11/2024 16:33

Mairzydotes · 24/11/2024 15:55

There is a bio- identical contraceptive pill, the bio -identical zealots all sing it's praises.

I imagine it's too costly for the NHS to widley prescribe. It'll be one to buy from an online pharmacy.

Is this Zoely (or a similar name?) Or Qlaira? I don't think that both hormones are body-identical. Possibly just the estrogen part.

MarketValveForks · 24/11/2024 16:39

The more I find out about hormones the more I feel that birth control methods that fuck about with the hormone balance of women are fundamentally unethical. Hormonal contraception methods played havoc with my metabolism and contributed to weight gain, and disrupted my sex drive and mental health. This load is placed on women because that means men can have their cake and eat it, plenty of women willing to have sex, no babies and no responsibility. It's so so easy for the man whose girlfriend is on the pill, he doesn't have to do anything.

Original poster

CuriousRunner · 26/11/2024 18:32

MarketValveForks · 24/11/2024 16:39

The more I find out about hormones the more I feel that birth control methods that fuck about with the hormone balance of women are fundamentally unethical. Hormonal contraception methods played havoc with my metabolism and contributed to weight gain, and disrupted my sex drive and mental health. This load is placed on women because that means men can have their cake and eat it, plenty of women willing to have sex, no babies and no responsibility. It's so so easy for the man whose girlfriend is on the pill, he doesn't have to do anything.

Edited

Yeah. I think that's the reason for my rabbit hole. The more I learn the more I question.

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FunnyCradock · 05/12/2024 00:10

MarketValveForks · 24/11/2024 16:39

The more I find out about hormones the more I feel that birth control methods that fuck about with the hormone balance of women are fundamentally unethical. Hormonal contraception methods played havoc with my metabolism and contributed to weight gain, and disrupted my sex drive and mental health. This load is placed on women because that means men can have their cake and eat it, plenty of women willing to have sex, no babies and no responsibility. It's so so easy for the man whose girlfriend is on the pill, he doesn't have to do anything.

Edited

It’s definitely a feminist issue from an ethical and moral perspective. That said, hormonal birth control saved me from years of PMDD hell. I found a COC that had hormones that suited me, and took it back to back (only coming off to have babies) to switch off my own hormones which have plotted against me since puberty. So you know, it’s not all bad.

The vexatious part is that because women’s reproductive health isn’t a huge money spinner for big pharma, they stopped manufacturing the COC that worked for me and I had to start the rollercoaster of searching again. So yeah fuck the patriarchy. It’s alive and well. I feel very responsible, as a boy mum, that I do not bring up people who share the belief that contraception is solely the woman’s job (and then whine loud enough at an unexpected pregnancy 🤨)

SugarandSpiceandAllThingsNaice · 05/12/2024 18:23

MarketValveForks · 24/11/2024 16:39

The more I find out about hormones the more I feel that birth control methods that fuck about with the hormone balance of women are fundamentally unethical. Hormonal contraception methods played havoc with my metabolism and contributed to weight gain, and disrupted my sex drive and mental health. This load is placed on women because that means men can have their cake and eat it, plenty of women willing to have sex, no babies and no responsibility. It's so so easy for the man whose girlfriend is on the pill, he doesn't have to do anything.

Edited

Yes! Hormonal birth control gave me such severe mood swings I thought I was going round the bend bonkers. My DH was only too happy to offer to get the snip after we were done with babies - probably thought a few days of pain for him was worth a lifetime of me not having mood swings!

Sidge · 05/12/2024 18:59

Hormonal contraception was a feminist revolution - totally changed the landscape of women’s health and gave women so much more control over their fertility, menstrual cycles and bodies.

You can’t really have bio identical contraception - most hormonal contraceptive methods work by inhibiting ovulation, and preventing conception, which is the total opposite of what your natural hormones do.

Don’t want hormonal contraception? Then don’t use it.