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Post by disturbedme on Sept 13, 2011 22:26:57 GMT -5
Hey girls.
I am wanting to start BC soon and have an appointment to speak with my gyn in October, but I have high cholesterol and from what I've researched, it looks like I may not be able to take any birth control without an increased risk of stroke... which I really want to stay away from.
Is there a type of birth control or something that stops the spread of endo/controls endo that you can take and it doesn't matter if you have high cholesterol?
I am worried because I need to have a way to control the endo and especially stop more endometriomas from forming, but I feel like I can only do that with drugs. I am doing the diet and vitamins, but that makes me feel vulnerable... and I feel like if I was on a prescription of some sort, I would not feel that way.
Is there anyone out there who knows of a birth control that you can take that doesn't matter if you have high cholesterol?
Is there anyone here who takes BC with high cholesterol?
Thanks!!!
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Post by Karen on Sept 14, 2011 5:50:18 GMT -5
High cholesterol runs in my family. The last I had mine checked, my total cholesterol was 309. At age 30, docs suggested I go on stating but I refused. Here's why... We're lead to believe that cholesterol is BAD, but a lot of people don't realize cholesterol actually plays a beneficial role in the body, and having too low of cholesterol can actually be harmful. Cholesterol is the very fist building block of our hormones. Our bodies NEED cholesterol! Google steroids cascade and cholesterol and you'll see it's the first step in making everything from progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, etc. Point is, cholesterol serves a purpose, and having a high level does not mean you'll necessarily have heart problems. Having other risk factors AND having high cholesterol may complicate things, but having high cholesterol on its own isn't the biggest risk factor. The pharmaceutical industry makes a killing on statins, though, and fails to leave all of this info out. Do you, by chance, have a history of thyroid issues? Often getting thyroid issues under control will have a reduction in cholesterol levels. Same goes for sex hormones. If I understand this properly, if your body is deficient in a hormone(s), it will produce more cholesterol because it's trying to get your body to make more of the hormones it needs. Supplement the hormones, and the body gets the feedback it needs to slow down production of cholesterol. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you have other risk factors, like clothing factors, you're over 35, you smoke, etc, talk over those risk factors with your doctor. But having high cholesterol alone doesn't mean you're at a higher risk for stroke. Here's an article on cholesterol from my compounding pharmacy: www.womensinternational.com/connections/cholesterol.html
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Post by JC on Sept 14, 2011 6:56:47 GMT -5
"Disturbedme" have you found the cause of your high cholesterol and are you treating it at all?
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Post by disturbedme on Sept 14, 2011 9:32:12 GMT -5
Do you, by chance, have a history of thyroid issues? Often getting thyroid issues under control will have a reduction in cholesterol levels. Same goes for sex hormones. If I understand this properly, if your body is deficient in a hormone(s), it will produce more cholesterol because it's trying to get your body to make more of the hormones it needs. Supplement the hormones, and the body gets the feedback it needs to slow down production of cholesterol. Karen, thanks for your reply! I have heard that cholesterol isn't as 'bad' as it's made out to be. But it's hard to know what to believe when most doctors are telling you how BAD it is. I DID have hypothyroidism at one point, but upon going gluten free, my hypothyroidism actually got better on its own and went to the normal levels. I think it might need to be treated again though as it seems like the levels are started to creep back to being too high. BUT, I'm pretty sure that the entire time I was treating my hypothyroidism my cholesterol was still high. My cholesterol has been high since I was 17 or 18 (who knows, maybe even younger!!!). It's quite ridiculous!!! About the hormones, it could be a hormone deficiency. I am pretty sure I have too much estrogen in my body and not enough progesterone. My doctor did a hormone blood test which was normal, but I don't think the blood tests are very accurate.
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Post by disturbedme on Sept 14, 2011 9:34:57 GMT -5
"Disturbedme" have you found the cause of your high cholesterol and are you treating it at all? No, doctors just keep saying that for me it's probably hereditary. Otherwise, they don't know what could be the cause. If I knew what else could cause a high cholesterol I would totally be tested. One of my cardiologists wants me to go on statins and the other one says that I shouldn't.
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Post by JC on Sept 14, 2011 10:04:27 GMT -5
I think it would depend on how high it is. If it's really high then sustaining a high level for a long period of time could give you heart problems later on in life. The symptoms of cholesterol build up in the heart are pretty much non existent and people usually don't treat it until it is too late. Most heart tests can't even detect build up in the heart until it has become quite extensive. Just keep in mind, all of this takes years to happen. Your body does need cholesterol, it's not all bad. You need it for steroid hormones and for the lipids in your cells. You also have to have the HDL to LDL ratios tested to determine how much "bad" cholesterol you have vs. the "good" cholesterol. I'm pretty sure you've had all that done though. If your cholesterol issue is hereditary then usually the only way to treat it is through taking statins. You could try a healthy diet but familial hypercholesterolemia means that your body really has a hard time processing any amount. I think it's probably really frustrating for you to have one cardiologist telling you to take statins and the other saying no. I wonder why they disagree. That's frustrating. If you have another underlying cause like a thyroid issue then that's a good start! Would you be able to get your thyroid checked again?
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Post by disturbedme on Sept 14, 2011 12:44:09 GMT -5
I have high cholesterol - both LDL and HDL are always high. My triglicerides though are low.
Well, my one cardiologist wants me to be on statins, but the other doesn't because he told me that most women who are still having their menstrual cycle are protected by the hormones. I wish I knew more about his theory, but I don't. He just thinks that putting young women on statins isn't a good idea. He said that one of his grandmother's doctors tried putting her on a statin and she was like 80, and he was against it. He said, why put an 80 year old on a statin??
Truthfully, I don't want to be on a statin, so I was glad he said this. But of course I still worry about how much damage is going on. Sometimes I wish I could have some sort of test done to see what's going on in my arteries.... or maybe I don't want to know. :-\
Yeah, I think I will have my thyroid checked again. I also want to have my hormones tested.
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Post by JC on Sept 14, 2011 13:28:18 GMT -5
You're probably fine with it then. We make all of our hormones from cholesterol and if you had a cardiologist tell you that you were ok then I'm sure it's fine. I think it would still be a good idea to bring it up with the person giving you the birth control though. Maybe they can just periodically monitor your levels while taking it just to make sure things don't get too high.
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Post by disturbedme on Sept 14, 2011 14:56:31 GMT -5
Is that why they say not to take BC if you have high cholesterol? Because the levels can get higher or because you are already at a risk for stroke? Or is it because if it gets any higher, then that's where you are at risk?
I just want to be comfortable when taking BC and not be continuously stressed out that something might happen while taking it.
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Post by JC on Sept 14, 2011 16:45:55 GMT -5
When you're put on birth control, your body is in higher demand to make hormones which in turn, demands more cholesterol since our bodies make all of our steroid hormones from cholesterol. So birth control can increase your cholesterol levels.
There is really no way to tell if you're going to have side effects from birth control until you try it. You have mentioned being concerned over cholesterol, blood clots, stroke, and migraines, which are all genuine concerns because being on birth control can complicate all of those factors. But again, you are never going to know if you'll get these side effects until you go on the pill. The best advice I could give you is to talk to your doctor about this and make sure your concerns are VERY clear. If they listen to you, then maybe you both can come to an agreement to test your clotting factors regularly like PT/INR levels, and also monitor your cholesterol levels. That way if anything starts to get a little off, you can stop the birth control before anything happens to you. Personally, this would make me feel comfortable taking a pill that has such risks knowing that if anything were to happen, it would be caught early.
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Post by Karen on Sept 14, 2011 18:20:02 GMT -5
Ah, you're like me! Low triglycerides, but high HDL and LDL. Docs are always shocked at my overall levels, but once they see my triglycerides are great and my HDL is super good and my ratio between the two is fine, they're not quite sure what to do with me. I don't fit the 'typical' bad diet/exercise pattern. I've had some docs to tell me to take statins, but I refused because my gut told me there's more going on. High cholesterol does run in the family, but so does thyroid issues... So, I think there's more to it, at least in my case.
My most recent doc completely shrugged off statins. I'm young, I don't have any other risk factors for heart problems, and there's a working theory on why my cholesterol levels are high. Since I'm prone to every side effect possible of a med, I'm thrilled she sees things my way.
I've done a lot of reading about cholesterol levels and there's a lot of research out there that shows that people still have heart attacks no matter what the cholesterol level. I'm not implying it doesn't play a part, but there's no magic number that guarantees you won't have a heart attack. Managing ALL the risk factors is necessary, not just cholesterol. Although high cholesterol can cause heart issues when combined with other risk factors, some could argue that the reasons WHY cholesterol is high could be part of the risk, too. Statin use does lower cholesterol levels, but what may be more important is that they also happen to lower inflammation in the body, which is a theory on why there's a reduction in heart attacks while on statins...
I've done a ton of reading on the thyroid, too. Back in the day, they used to treat high cholesterol by first testing and treating the thyroid! I'd ask to get your thyroid levels re-checked (TSH, free T4 and free T3 at a minimum) and make sure they're not just normal, but they're optimal and you feel well while on treatment. It could be that while you were being treated before, your thyroid levels weren't quite where your body wanted them to be so your cholesterol levels didn't budge. Sex hormones and cortisol are things to look into, too. Blood tests may be able to show if they're way off base, and saliva or urine (I hear conflicting stories on which is better, though I've done urine testing) may help you dial it in better.
I know I'm rambling, but I hope some of this is useful. I used to get so pissed when docs scolded me for my high cholesterol, sent me to a nutritionist, etc... But, forcing myself to learn a lot more about it has really opened my eyes! Don't get me wrong - high cholesterol is something to dive deeper into and address - but in my opinion, it's not nearly as awful _on its own_ as it's made out to be. Obviously, this is something you should bone up on and be prepared to have a good discussion with your doctor!
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Post by JC on Sept 14, 2011 18:41:41 GMT -5
That was interesting stuff Karen!
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Post by disturbedme on Sept 14, 2011 22:00:16 GMT -5
Thanks, Karen!!! Love the info!
I was actually vegan for 6+ years and even in that time I had high cholesterol. I was working out and was in shape and even vegan and that never did a thing for my cholesterol. I would always get so angry at people who could change their diet and their cholesterol levels went down by a ton! Drove me crazy! lol
I will definitely be asking my doctor to test again for thyroid function as well as hormones and cortisol levels.
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Post by Karen on Sept 15, 2011 6:26:01 GMT -5
I know!! I eat really well, eat very little cholesterol producing foods, and STILL have high cholesterol! I was never a vegan, but geez, if a vegan can't get her levels down, there's something else going on!
I think getting the thyroid tests should be a breeze since you have a history of thyroid issues, but it may take a bit of work to get your hormones tested. I went through several docs that refused. Their theories were that if I wasn't trying to get pregnant or if I wasn't menopausal, there wasn't anything they were going to do, so why bother testing me? Just trying to give you fair warning that you may balk at it. But, I think the thyroid tests could at least be a good starting point for you!
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Post by brussie on Nov 7, 2011 12:52:00 GMT -5
Hi disturbedme, Have you had your thyroid antibodies checked? I also have slightly high cholesterol (top of the range but not over), but low triglycerides even when I was a vegetarian for 12+ years. I also have slight hypothyroidism: my free T4 is generally low (though my TSH is never over 3.0). Years ago, I went to a doc that decided to treat me based a lab test where my free T4 came back out-of-range low. She put me on the natural thyroid replacement and I felt terrible. Worst 6 months of my life! I was exhausted constantly and my resting pulse would sometimes hit 130 bpm. I went to a new doc who reviewed all of my previous thyroid labs and he noticed that even though my free T4 was indeed too low, I had no thyroid antibodies. The vast majority (I believe 95-98%) of people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (the leading cause of hypothyroidism) have antibodies. He checked my antibodies again (there are two different ones to check) and they were still negative. He took my off of the thyroid meds and I slowly felt better, though my free T4 continued to stay pretty low. About a year ago, I read Chris Kresser's blog post on thyroid problems that are caused by factors other than auto-immunity (like Hashimoto's) and instantly recognized my pattern as the high-estrogen causing low thyroid pattern (pattern 3: elevated TBG): chriskresser.com/5-thyroid-patterns-that-wont-show-up-on-standard-lab-testsNot only is my estrogen (both estradiol and estrone) high on lab tests, but I also have a whole host of high-estrogen symptoms (for instance, I actually have those spider angiomas on my skin that pregnant ladies can get). So, in my case, I feel that if I can reduce my estrogen back to normal levels, that should also fix my thyroid issues which would in turn fix any cholesterol issues. This is just my personal experience; your case might be very different. But I wanted to share my understanding of the estrogen/thyroid connection since you said that you knew your estrogen was high.
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