Thursday, February 22, 2007

Take Heed

I am still lounging about in my jammies, and still unable to laugh without my "heh heh heh" turning into "GARRRGHk wheeze wheeze hurghk kaf kaf etc., etc., ad infinitum" until I wet my pants or puke.

BUT, I am feeling better... and seriously considering a shower later on in the evening.

AND as delighted as I am sure you must be to read more about my health and protracted recovery, let's us switch it up a little and talk about a new subject. Like... howsabouts we discuss my hormones and reproduction! WOOT!

All men and family members, feel free to tune out and/or go visit Dadguy and harass him into writing a real post.

So... a while back (last month) I went off of the birth control pill that I have been taking since the weanery of Pearl. I was taking Yasmin, a new kind of "low-dose" double hormone type pill. Looking back, I realize that I started taking it shortly before having some very serious digestive issues. Remember the oatmeal and the Celiacs? Well that was not all that was troubling me.

Again... men? I have warned you.

I have also been having problems with an overabundance of yeast, and not just in the usual places. Under my boobs? Grrrr! It didn't budge for creams, ointments, OTC or scripts. Holistic fun, like probiotics? Piffle. And yeah... in addition to the thousand or so bucks that we shelled out for testing and diagnostics of the rest of my ills, I got tested for Candida.

Plus. No libido. What the crap good is birth control if you don't even WANT to get busy while you are on it? I guess the fine folks at Bayer Schering Pharmaceuticals feel like it's just a little extra protection. Yeah... they are going the extra mile just for YOU!

So last month I went off of the Yasmin, never having once suspected it as the culprit, and everything cleared up. I was SO mad! I went looking online for anything that intimated, implied or even hinted that my symptoms could have been related to Yasmin. Nothin' on the Yasmin party line! Of course... the ARE a few annecdotal sites where the folks are saying that Yasmin in the pill o' the DEBBIL HISSEF! Claiming that the pill caused them to have constipated-diarrhea and stars shooting out they butts!

Not so much over here, but I do wish that they would indicate that there could be some sort of systemic issues.

So... erm, and yeah... I have gone off the pill. Read into that what ya will. You know you want
to!

9 comments:

Fantastagirl said...

I read into nothing...but did the libido come back?

I understand the whole yeast thing- if you are willing to try a script - go for - Fluconazole - takes care of it in one little swallowable pill... and it really works. I swear by it.

(BTW - I dug through the garbage to get the package because I couldn't remember the name- so I hope that you can fake appreciation for the suggestion...lol)

bon said...

Libido? Ahem, yes. I wasn't aware that it was being artificially repressed, I just assumed that three young kids and no sleep equals little interest. But...ummm... now I understand where my oompah went. So to speak.

Diflucan, Fluconazole? Tried 'em both... multiple doses...no dice. But I DO APPRECIATE the effort!

Blogarita said...

Sparky was a Yasmin baby, as in it failed to keep her from being conceived. Might have been user error on Artsy Girl's part, but I have heard since then of other women getting pregnant while taking it.

I wonder if I started taking it, then quit, if my libido would increase. I could, unfortunately, use a little help in that area myself.

Anonymous said...

Omigod, I am apologize if I hijack your comments section with my ranting but the libido thing!!!! Gah! I had this problem on regular BC and I refused the Yasmin when my OB pushed it post-partum because I figured it would do the same thing. I opted instead for an IUD which has a very teensy amount of hormones on it. Guess what? Yep. My get-up-and-go? Gone and went!
If I were inclined toward crazed feminist conspiracy theories—oh, wait, that's right, I totally am!—I would say something about how it's curious, isn't it, that pharmaceutical companies give us birth control, but then they sabotage the very reason we would need them.
I am now trying to convince the husband that is his turn :cough:SNIPSNIP:cough:

Anonymous said...

Weanery is now my new favorite word. Thanks!

Lynanne said...

I had to laugh at some things the Yasmin website said. Namely that it "controls your cycle" and "ovulation is prevented" HAH! BCPs don't do either one for me. I just ended feeling worse as my body and the pill engaged in full out war over which one had control of my cycles. I ovulated up a storm and got nasty cysts, one of which got large enough that it requried surgery. No more BCPs (or patches) for me.

As for libido...no problems here. (If only my husband shared my libido. :) ) But then its a side effect of my current condition. One that you might be thinking about? :)

Lynanne said...

I had to laugh at some things the Yasmin website said. Namely that it "controls your cycle" and "ovulation is prevented" HAH! BCPs don't do either one for me. I just ended feeling worse as my body and the pill engaged in full out war over which one had control of my cycles. I ovulated up a storm and got nasty cysts, one of which got large enough that it requried surgery. No more BCPs (or patches) for me.

As for libido...no problems here. (If only my husband shared my libido. :) ) But then its a side effect of my current condition. One that you might be thinking about? :)

The Absent Minded Housewife said...

Sounds like my experience with Nuvaring. No yeast though. My libido went buhbye and the hot flashes came right over. Sore boobs, anger management problems, deep fleshy acne, hair loss, hair growth, LORDY.

Birth control is evil evil evil.

I had Norplants once. That caused me to go into waves of deep dark moody depressions...and grow plenty of body hair. My first Norplant was wonderful. My second was manufactured in hell.

Norplant removed, Nuvaring in use. Nuvaring crap, back to the drawing board.

The nice nurse at Planned Parenthood told me I should get a Mirena IUD. I told her that I wasn't getting any form of birth control that I couldn't personally control it's daily use, with my history. She looked at me like I was nuts....why wouldn't I want worry free birth control? Worry free, right.

So she gave me the mini pill. "Mini" pill? More hot flashes, plenty of pimples. WOO. Guess which baby got conceived at that point?

Anyway, have you seen the photo of my tubal ligation. Cute huh!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I hope you posted your experiene up on the Yasmin board so that the others like you can find it and finally breath a sigh of itchy relief!

Meds? Who need them! I was put on Paxil for post partum depression and was not told by my doctor that a) you have to be professionally and carefully weaned off them and b) in about 3% of the population, massive weight gain occurs. There is nothing like being a heavy sleep deprived new mom who gains 25 lbs in 6 weeks.