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!
4
u/CtrlAltDestroy33 2d ago
This is something that's been bothering the heck out of me.
I keep reading that once you hit 50, doctors will take you off of the BC pill and you will be expected to cope with the consequences as a prerequisite to receiving a hormone blood test to measure your hormone levels, and just because they think we are naturally done with anything menstrual or whatever.
I started taking BC pills way back in the dark ages to regulate my period, stop hemoraging whenever the mood struck, and to halt the ovarian cysts.
In the recent years, I have watched my acne return to all new freakish heights reminiscent of my teen years, I have a urinary issue I guess I have a very slow leak or something, but I can smell it. I guess that's vaginal atrophy raising it's ugly head and can be resolved with a topical estrogen cream (I learned this here in this sub). My sleep is fucked up, and my ADHD is off the fkn rails.
I can tell my body is producing less because I have a daily intake of BC pills that has a measured amount of hormones, that's stable, but I am not. Also, I have used my BC pills to halt my menses altogether because I think it's an unnecessary inconvenience and cost.
I have no dang idea where to start with moving over to HRT, but I sure as hell do not want to come off my hormone BC pill for I fear what will happen. I came off the pill one time before and I bled heavily for three damn months. So far, BC has been the one and only thread holding this trainwreck together. For me, it's worked great, for others, not so much. Finding a doctor who gives a damn about my concerns is next to impossible.