Please excuse this post if it's incoherent--I'm higher than a kite on Tylox after another day/evening of my life WASTED in the E.R. with immobolizing ovarian pain.
Is anyone else supressing their periods with continous BPCs? I've heard horror stories about the hormone shots, and realize that some cysters would give anything to have a regular 24-28 day cycle. But I'm sick to death of mine, and my DH & I are NOT going to get PG and carry to term. I just know it and we're at peace with it. We have two gorgeous kids (so far) and aren't done adopting. So, that being the case, short of a hysterectomy, I'm wondering what my options are and if anyone else here has and idea for me? After 21 years I'm ready for a long break from menstral cycles!!! I've always had awful periods since I started at age 12, missed 2-3 days of school, or weekend events, and later on work. In 12 years of marriage my DH and I have spent more time than I ever thought possible in E.R. trips, because I wait and wait the pain out, and by then Ibuprofin, or even Codine isn't touching it.
We're Catholic, so I've never been on BCPs except for a few months of Yasmin back in 2001. (For the antiandrogen effects, but 200 mg of Spiro works beautifully for me instead.) I did worry at the time about a possible ovulation that would sneak through, being low dose, but now that we know about my DH's sterility, it's really not an issue now.
I'll be seeing a new gyno this week (military medicine, never the same doctor twice) and would appreciate some ideas and feedback from you who have been here.
I was on Dianne 35 for 13 months continuously because of constant ovarian pain, which worsened when AF was around. I didn't have any problems doing this, but because we are TTC, I have obviously stopped taking them, which means the pain is back. I have heard that because you aren't shedding your linning that it can cause cancerous cells to occur, but I have no idea at what sort of a percentage rate this can happen. It can't have been too bad though for my dr to want to do this for as long as it took me to decide when I wanted to TTC.
It did help with the pain, although it didn't go away completely, I was still taking alot of painkillers (still do) but at least I didn't have the ever crippling pains when AF arrived.
If I ever get pregnant, I will certainly be going back onto this option before I consider a full hysterectomy.
There is a new pill specifically made for this, but you can do it with any pill.
Basically, they say 3-4 months is as long as you should go on it continuously, just because there is concern about endometriosis or other problems with your endometrium building up without a period over a long period of time. This is why they put women who don't menstruate on provera every few months to flush out the lining of her uterus.
So taking 4 packs of 21 pills (obviously, you wouldn't take the sugarpills in a 28-day package), then going off for a week to have your period would put you at 4 periods a year. Which is alot better than the 14 it sounds like you're having! I wouldn't look at it as birthcontrol either, but just as a treatment for your pain and to basically flat-line your ovaries.
I've done this for years before with no problems. I'm not doing it now because I need to spin my pills out because we don't have insurance, and the extra week every month buys me more time to find the extra money to buy more! LOL
Kerri
__________________ 30 years old. Diagnosed PCOS at 15
Mama to Cole (6), Naomi (5), Adam (5), and Noah (2)
All came to us through open adoptions
I am taking Yasmin continously. My docter suggested it. He said that because of the low low and the way Yasmin works the endometrium won't build up and I wouldn't have to worry about endometrial cancer. He gave me a long explenation I wish that I could remember all that he said. He did tell me that if I had any break-through bleeding that I should stop the pill for a week and allow a period. I've had to do that a couple of times.
I knew my Cysters would have great advice for me. I'm really excited to go even 4 months at a time without this mess. I'll post anything my GYN says that might be of interest.
Anyone taking BCPs continously? 
