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Post by vanillatwilight on Aug 20, 2010 17:26:05 GMT -5
Do birth control pills (I'm on Necon) shrink endometriosis? I think I have implants growing on/near some nerves (probably sciatic) and I can't get surgery because I'm too young and I want to know if the implants that already exist will shrink or disappear now that I'm on birth control pills.
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Post by pretty on Aug 20, 2010 17:41:05 GMT -5
Hi Vanilla! I guess that's the theory, why so many docs prescribe BCP for endo... Personally, I was on BCP from age 15-32 (that's 17 long years) but didn't have any idea I even had endo, just thought I had bad periods until I went off the pill. I think the pills kept the endo under wraps that whole time. That's just me though! I'm sure someone will say this but since we're not Doctors, we can't really say in general how it works, just tell our personal experience and hope sharing that will provide some perspective!
Good luck, hope you get some answers soon! and welcome...
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Post by hellsbells on Aug 21, 2010 5:09:24 GMT -5
The theory behind birth control as medication for endo is that by suppressing the cycle and therefore suppressing oestrogen, that the endo will not grow. In fact my doc had me on Provera for 6 months following my lap and he said it should hopefully be enough to shrink them so they die off. Doesn't always work mins, but that's the theory.
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Post by Karen on Aug 21, 2010 9:28:42 GMT -5
Progesterone is the dominant hormone in both pregnancy & menopause, which is usually when endo symptoms are at bay, when estrogen isn't dominant. Thus, higher progestin pills or progestin only BC is often a 'treatment' of endo. Problem is, progestin is not molecularly the same as the progesterone that our bodies produce, so sometimes our bodies don't quite know what to do with it and it doesn't always work as hoped, or it's not a high enough dose to do the trick. But, it's an easy to try first step at treatment.
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Post by omaklackey on Aug 21, 2010 14:40:15 GMT -5
If you want some information of the BC's and Endo check out Dr. Lee's website or his books. He has some good info on why it does or doesn't work and what his recommendation is for Progesterone, like Karen said (not progestin - which is different) The theory behind surgical or chemical meopause working is that there are NO hormones therefore nothing to feed the endo. Unfortuently the endo can feed itself if its bad enough so even that is not a full proof plan.
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Post by Karen on Aug 22, 2010 17:46:48 GMT -5
Omaklackey, I agree, Dr. John Lee does have a lot of good info on progesterone and how it works; however, might not be the best place to start for a 16 year old without a confirmed diagnosis...
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Post by gemstone on May 18, 2011 6:12:48 GMT -5
As some of you know I have recently started BCP running back to back to prevent periods and hopefully help with pain etc.
My boyfriend has been asking if this will make a difference when I come to have my lap, i.e. will there be 'no endo' for the doctor to see.
I have explained to the best of my knowledge that as far as I am aware, the pill will simply stop the spread of the endo as I will not be having periods but will not reverse anything that has already happened.
I'm not great with words and this has got me thinking; can anyone explain what would be happening whilst I am on the pill?
I know that sounds a bit stupid but he is worried that I will come to have my lap and they'll have a look and say I don't have anything wrong with me. I know this isn't the case, but as I don't have loads of knowledge about this I want to explain it more clearly so he understands and therefore doesn't worry that what I've gone through is for nothing?
Do you girls get me?
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Post by cherry on May 18, 2011 6:57:37 GMT -5
I am probably the least technical of the staff so in my mind it goes: I take the pill on a back to back basis and have done since September, this was with the intention of not having periods which as we all know, make us generally pained and sick. More so than your average menstruating woman. Besides the convenience of not looking like a dead creature and having all of the horribleness before and after, therefore being ill for 3 weeks of the month... I hopefully have the endo not advancing further. Every bleed we have is endo bleeding into our abdomens, inflaming our organs with the misplaced blood and material, forming into adhesions because our bodies don't know how to deal with and 'clean it up'. Plus to me endo bleeding is like endo spreading. Unlike with GnRHa, which is supposed to starve the endo of oestregen and therefore hopefully cause it to recede and die off (a recent study has found it to only be as effective as BC pill however the pill tends to still contain oestregen. I think your symptoms sound so severe that even 6 months on GnRHa with no add-back HRT would definitely still garner results during an investigative lap. With myself as an example, in the 18 months between my diagnostic lap and my first surgery lap, I spent 6 months on a GnRHa which was supposed to kill off the little sprinkles of endo that I had. 9 months I was on the pill and 3 months I wasn't, most of that 3 months was after the GnRHa waiting for my periods to restart so that I could start the pill. And even so the endo was worse when they opened me up, it was everywhere and a long but easy surgery as it wasn't well established, had just spread like wildfire over every surface. So even with all the hormones I've been on, they still find endo and I still expect them to if I ever submit to another surgery. I just think it can respond to hormones, but in my experience it also can do whatever the hell it wants. I don't know if that helps to set the scene a bit better. The only thing I know to rid us of endo is surgery, and even that leaves scars. An imprint. They will hopefully get a lot of answers from your surgery, and I'm praying you'll get relief. This pill just gives you a break from having periods until then. I personally would take a break from the pill at the time of the surgery, therefore triggering a bleed that will show up even more endo? That's from my very non-technical point of view. I suffer a lot during the time that I should have a period, so I'm really glad that I'm not actually menstruating. Hope the pill helps you too Gem xx
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Post by gemstone on May 19, 2011 6:54:28 GMT -5
Thank you Cherry!!! It's all so interesting! I'm going to do some research as well from that Dr Lee guy. My next app with the Doc is in a few weeks so hopefully he'll be of some use this time!
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