Birth Control Pills??? (Personal Feminine Issue)

[Joyfullyblessed]

Hello,

 

I really don't know how to go about asking this question, but here it goes.

 

I have been taking birth control pills for a long time, pretty much since our son was born 5 1/2 years ago. I was not able to take them initially just because my body went a little haywire when I first went back on them after the birth of my son. It must have been out of whack hormones or something.

 

For some reason though, I tried them again later and I was fine. So, I have been on them since.

 

I just wanted to ask though... does anyone have a problem with extremely low sexual drive while on BCP??? It seems that mine has all but disappeared. It is VERY frustrating and makes me feel like somewhat of a freak. I no longer even feel like a real woman anymore if that makes sense.

 

Other than that, the BCP don't seem to bother me. My cycles are well regulated, my moods are alright (for the most part), and I have always been a touch heavy so I don't know if that is just how I am or that the BCP contribute to me staying heavier. Of course, that could also be that I need to eat healthier and exercise more. :tongue_smilie:

 

I just hate not having any type feelings in the sexual area. I mean, it is like I could go the rest of my life and not care. I cringe when my husband touches me (and he is a wonderful man, so that is not the problem). I just don't enjoy it and it makes me incredibly sad that I don't enjoy it.

 

It is also not fair to my husband. He is so loving and understanding with this whole thing. He just wants me to be happy and doesn't push anything. I just feel like such a failure in this department.

 

My question... do you think it could be the BCP's that is causing this? It has been going on for a looonnnnggg time. I am supposed to go in for my yearly soon and I just don't know if I want to continue on the BCP. I love that it regulates my cycles sooo well though.

 

I have mentioned all this to my doctor, but he really had no helpful advice to offer. Sooo, I am hoping that since many of us on these boards are women, I can get some good advice.

 

I don't know what to do. I want to enjoy that intimate time with my husband again, but how do I get to that point of actually wanting that to happen. We definitely do not want any more children. We have a 17 year old and a 5 year old. We are content with them and our family being complete.

 

Any suggestions????? Should I ditch the BCP's, stay on them, and if so, what other options are there????? Anyone have the same problem????

 

Please share as I truly need help with this. I am tired of feeling like a failure and that something is truly wrong with me.

[MomtoCandJ]

:lurk5:I have the same problem, I have even stopped the pills a few months ago and still no sex drive, I am only 26.

[mrs.m]

That happened to me when I was on BC. It's a very common side effect. We opted for a more permanent form of BC.

 

It will come back but it takes a number of months for your body to re-regulate.

[runamuk]

I've been taking BCPs for 4 years to regulate my cycle (they're very short) and a diminished sex drive is my biggest complaint. I've tried several different brands and they all have the same effect. I'm currently on a cycling pill (three different hormone levels for three weeks) and I've noticed I'm a bit more interested during the first week than the others.

 

I talked to my doctor and she said that a low sex drive is the most common complaint she hears. She said that going off the pill will correct the problem, but I don't know if I'm ready to go back to 17 day cycles.

 

Have you considered another form of birth control? Would your husband consider a vasectomy? Natural Family Planning is an option, as well.

[JVA]

Same thing happened to me.....I went off them and we used other forms of BC.

I'm surprised the doc was not helpful....there are other dosages of BCP that may not give you this side effect.

[muffinmom]

That is absolutely what happened to me. It's one of the reasons why I stopped taking them. The first month I was off bcp, my libido skyrocketed! My dh didn't know what hit him! :D

[Heather in OK]

Yes, most definitely due to the BCP. And yes, it happened to me too. It's the main reason I didn't go back on them after my second dd was born.

 

You might check out the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

[smrtmama]

Yes, most definitely due to the BCP. And yes, it happened to me too. It's the main reason I didn't go back on them after my second dd was born.

 

You might check out the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

 

I second this. I'm so sensitive to progesterone that BCP make me nauseated for several days a month. Switched to TCOYF and successfully prevented pregnancy for a year (and then conceived on the first try)!

[emeraldjoy]

yes...common, common problem and many more. Our bodies function very well when nourished appropriately and otherwise left alone. Ingesting foreign things inevitablely will wack it out and sometimes permanently.

I would suggest Natural Family Planning; but it it more time consuming to practice than taking a pill.

 

As far as doctor's go (not ALL doctor's but many)....the pill is a simple solution to a plethora of women's complaints. It is sort of the bandaid and the default answer....I don't agree with this..I think it is dangerous and I think they should be challenged to look furthe into some of the sideeffects, etc of perscibing hormones to someone.

 

Even think about that statement "adding hormones"....pretty scary in my opinion.

 

MY heart is grieving for you. It sounds as if you desire an deeper intimcacy with your hubby that just doesn't seem possible right now. I am so sorry. Good for you though for seeking out some alternative answers. good for you...you are a brave woman.

 

emerald

[jenniferlee]

Yes, this was a huge problem for me as well - suffered with it for over a year - first year of marriage, too :( and several different brands of bcp.

Finally had a dr. suggest that "some women's bodies just don't do that well with hormones...":tongue_smilie:

I opted to go with nfp.

And don't get me started on the yeast infections...

 

Jen

[Joyfullyblessed]

Well, thank you so very much for each of your replies. At least now I don't feel so alone in all of this. I really felt that there was something really wrong with me and I was in the minority. Nice to know that it is actually common.

 

Yes, I was surprised at the lack of help my doctor offered. I remember sitting there on that lovely table thinking, "well, I finally get the nerve up to ask about this somewhat embarrassing topic and I get nothing". It was frustrating to say the least.

 

I know he is the doctor, but I think I may have gotten a better response had the doctor been a woman. Maybe she would have understood more. Oh well.

 

So, it does sound like getting off the BCP would be a good thing in the long run, but we don't want to do anything like a tubal or vasectomy, so that is out. SO, I still have to figure this thing out.

 

I may look at the book that was suggested. Maybe that will help. I had thought about the Mirena IUD, but something about that just makes me worry. I don't know why. Maybe it is the fear of the unknown.

 

Thank you so much again!

[Tree House Academy]

When I have any kind of hormone imbalance, I have no sex drive. I would definitely tell your doctor about it. She may try switching your pills (which can sometimes help) or she may suggest you go off them and try something else.

 

There are also natural libido enhancers sold at places like health food stores. You may check with someone at the store and make sure the herbals do not interact with BCPs, but I can't imagine that they would.

[Tree House Academy]

Well, thank you so very much for each of your replies. At least now I don't feel so alone in all of this. I really felt that there was something really wrong with me and I was in the minority. Nice to know that it is actually common.

 

Yes, I was surprised at the lack of help my doctor offered. I remember sitting there on that lovely table thinking, "well, I finally get the nerve up to ask about this somewhat embarrassing topic and I get nothing". It was frustrating to say the least.

 

I know he is the doctor, but I think I may have gotten a better response had the doctor been a woman. Maybe she would have understood more. Oh well.

 

So, it does sound like getting off the BCP would be a good thing in the long run, but we don't want to do anything like a tubal or vasectomy, so that is out. SO, I still have to figure this thing out.

 

I may look at the book that was suggested. Maybe that will help. I had thought about the Mirena IUD, but something about that just makes me worry. I don't know why. Maybe it is the fear of the unknown.

 

Thank you so much again!

 

The mirena still has hormones (which is what causes the decreased libido). If you think about it, the time when most women want to have tea is around the time when she ovulates. Our bodies were designed this way for a reason (because that is the time when we are fertile, of course). Hormones play a HUGE role in that added libido. If you are on BCPs, you aren't ovulating...the hormones are being synthetically created which makes things much different.

 

If you do the IUD, I would do the copper T because it is non hormonal. I tried it and it made my cycles HEAVY, so I had to have it removed. My best friend has had one for YEARS and she loves it. Every woman's body is different.

[KidsHappen]

Uh yep, extremely common. That's why I don't take them anymore. If you have a dr. that is not listening to you, find another one. I am incredibly blessed in the dr. department. I tried a med that was otherwise an excellent option (not BCP) but it caused me an inability to have an orgasm. When I mentioned this to my doctor, he said that it was strange and he had never heard of it before or even read it as a possibility in the literature but if it was causing me that problem then we would use something else. About six months later, he told me he had another patient (male) that had the same complaint. A year, later another patient. Now enough cases have showed up in medical literature that it is consider an uncommon but possible problem. The important thing though is that my doctor believed me even when there was no evidence to support me. There is tons of evidence out there to support you. You doctor should be discussing this with you and helping you find an acceptable solution.

 

There are different formulations that can cause less of this problem or even an increase in desire. These formulation have a lower amount of female hormones and a higher amount of male hormones. The problem with them is that they can cause some side effects that many women don't want: acne, excessive hair growth, etc. A different pill is a possibiity. This link shows different types of pill formulations and the side effect profiles attached to them: http://www.wdxcyber.com/ncontr13.htm

Edited February 17, 2010 by KidsHappen

[DianeW88]

I had the same problem, then switched to the low dose pill (Ortho Tri-Lo). It helped tremendously. You might ask your doc if you can switch and see if it helps. One note though: Because I am very fertile, my OB did recommend staying on the name-brand version of the pill. Any slight decrease in the hormones could cause a pregnancy in the low dose version. Good luck, I know it's frustrating.

 

Diane

 

homeschooling 3 kids (19, 16 and 9) for 16 years (whew!)

[AK_Mom4]

When you go in for your annual, I recommend highly having them run thru all the BC options for you. The very-young :tongue_smilie: OB that was filling in for my regular doc last year was delighted to go thru the whole stack and talk about pros-cons.

 

I ended up with the Mirena IUD as it was the best choice given my health issues and that I am not a candidate for any type of surgery and DH is unwilling to go the vasectomy route. I have no complaints (definitly no libido probs!) and have not had any side effects other than very light and infrequent periods, but there are LOTS of choices. Not all docs do the Mirena - fortunately for me, my OB office has someone that does.

[WiseOwlKnits]

Happened to me too. I stopped using them after my DD was born and read Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Using what I learned from that book, we've successfully kept from getting pregnant (except when we have wanted to with DS) for 5.5 years now. :)

 

It can take a few months off for your body to re-regulate and I've heard that it actually doesn't go back for some people because BCP can permanently lower hormone levels...like anything else where you supplement it and your body starts making less on its own.