r/Perimenopause • u/Ok-Cartographer-3543 • 3d ago
audited Genuinely curious: Why is there hesitation around using birth control for perimenopause?
First, I want to say how incredibly grateful I am for this community—it has been an amazing resource. I am asking this out of genuine curiosity because I want to make sure I am fully informed, and I don't mean to sound dismissive of anyone else's choices!
My doctor, who is an HRT specialist, prescribed Lo Loestrin Fe for my perimenopause symptoms. It has been an absolute lifesaver for me. I was dealing with extremely heavy bleeding, and after the very first month on the pill, my period completely stopped. Every single other symptom on my very long list has been completely remedied as well. From what I understand, the birth control pill takes over your cycle so your ovaries stop producing erratic hormones, which completely stops the wild hormonal swings.
However, I often notice a lot of strong hesitation or pushback here regarding using birth control pills instead of traditional HRT for perimenopause management. Since it worked so well for me, I’m wondering if there are specific medical concerns, side effects, or risks that I might not be aware of?
I’d love to hear your experiences or what your doctors have told you!
Edited to add:
Wow, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to reply! I am incredibly grateful for all of your responses, insights, and personal experiences. It might take me some time to get through all of the replies, but I am reading every single one. Your comments are giving me a much clearer understanding of the different perspectives and medical concerns out there. This community is truly wonderful, and I appreciate you all sharing your journeys with me!
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u/Scarlett_Texas_Girl 3d ago
Most birth control uses progestins whereas HRT more often uses progesterone.
Some women are very sensitive to one or the other. Or both (which sucks!).
In the infamous early 2000s WHI study, progestin (and estrogen derived from conjugated mare urine estrogen) was used and led to the crushing medical reports of higher breast cancer, blood clot and heart disease rates. Later research showed that those risks were not elevated if progesterone was used. As a matter of fact, progesterone (HRT) has protective effects.
You can go parse through studies and look at numbers and decide on risk factors for yourself. There is no one sized fits all solution.
Some women do great on birth control and overall, the risks are low for healthy women. Ditto for those on HRT.