QuestionI am 33 years old and would like to know if there is a birth control pill that is safer at my age, and if so could it help me. I am a non-smoker and do not have any serious medical issues.
Triphasil 28 worked well for me for 14 years prior to discontinuing to conceive my child. She is now 6 and I chose not to return to BCP after her birth.
I was on BCP because of extremely heavy, painful periods at the age of 14. The pill helped tremendously and to my knowledge I did not suffer any side effects. However, when I attempted to take the pill after my child was born, I was so irritable and felt like I was PMS'ing all the time and had to stop. It was so severe I was afraid to try a different one.
I had a c-section delivery. Now I have regular pelvic discomfort and extremely heavy periods again. I've had to have iron infusions due to low ferritin levels. My uterus is now retroverted and this is new. An ultrasound (due to pain) six months after my child was delivered showed a normal uterus. I've received no explanation from my OBGYN about a possible cause. My best guess, since everything else appears normal on u/s, is either adhesions from the c-section or endometriosis. But I'm no expert. The retroverted uterus was found during an ultrasound for constant pressure and discomfort.
The only solution I get from my doctor is to have a hysterectomy once I'm sure I do not want more children.
In your opinion could getting back on the pill help?
What are the causes for a sudden retroverted uterus that wasn't present at birth and not caused by pregnancy?
If the pill is a good option, is there one that would be least likely to cause the above mentioned side effects? I also suffer from depression and anxiety which is under control and I would need a pill that was the least likely to trigger one of these things to get out of control again.
Thank you for any advice and opinions you are willing to offer.
AnswerHi Michelle,
As you probably know, there is no simple answer. The pill is probably your best choice if you can find one that doesn't make you feel bad. Sometimes that's just a matter of trying different pills until you find one that's right for you. As much as we try to predict which pill is best for a certain woman, often it's try and try again. There are some pills that are marketed for PMS (Yasmin, Yaz, Beyaz), so it might be good to try one of them. If you do, I'd use Yaz, which only has 20 mcg of estrogen, so it's safer.
A retroverted uterus is common, and usually of no concern. It's not too unusual for a uterus to become retroverted that wasn't before. Sometimes it's associated with endometriosis, but not necessarily.
I also agree with your doctor that once you're through having children, a hysterectomy is probably your best option.
