Birth Control and Weight Management page 2

[supersellen]

I guess on another note- what do primal women do for 'birth control' in and of itself? I'm assuming not all grokettes can NOT be on BC...??

I do Natural Family Planning. It takes about 10 seconds a day and is free

[Bird Goddess]

Just last week I sought a second opinion about the medical neccisity of stopping my period due to severe PMS. (Sadly, PB did not help me with this. I am 45 years old, BTW.)

She agreed with the first doctor, who wanted to put me on depo provera. She said 3 out of 10 patients will gain up to 15 pounds, and no matter what you, those extra pounds aren't going to budge. I decided to stick with birth control pills (I've been on them for over 20 years, and for many years they were a miracle cure for my PMS.)

She said I was already doing everything I could, with included birth control pills, an anti-depressant, exercise and good nutrition. She suggested, if I want to do absolutely everything I could, then I should add B6 and calcium with Vit. D (I was already taking Vit. D) to my diet.

Also, on the MDA website, there is a "Community" tab on the tool bar that leads to special interest groups here on MDA. These groups do not appear on the Forum. There is one for women's issues. You might want to join, in case there are future sensitive topics you feel uncomfortable about posting on the Forum!

[CJ4400]

Thanks Bird Goddess! I had no idea about the Special Interest groups. Will definitely check that out! =)

[Minxxa]

Just to throw this out there... sometimes issues like bloating, etc are due to other underlying illnesses. So it can be good to keep an eye on it and see what, if anything, helps or affects it.

I know cillakat has some info on krill oil in her google docs (in her sig line), and she says that helps a lot. i'm considering adding that to my regimen soon. I was giving progesterone pills (low dose) a shot, but I don't think it's made enough of a difference in my wierd periods to keep it up.

I have used Vitex before (as did a friend of mine) and she had good results with it. I just never did it long enough to notice, I think (it was a few years ago).

And I guarantee you my liver is an issue... years of diet coke and a few years of some decent alcohol use. No bueno. I've cut back (almost cut out) the alcohol and will get rid of the soda this next month as well. Taking milk thistle and drinking some pau d'arco teas, things like that for a few months to see how it helps.

And yes, I know I need to cut out the soda now.. but I just can't do too many huge changes at once, they don't stick. So I'm spacing them out. I do have a plan

As for non-hormonal BC, there are several options I think. Other than what was already discussed, I know several grokettes use an IUD (copper I think) which doesn't contain hormones.

Me, i had the tubes tied 6 years ago. I knew I wasn't going to have anymore and didn't want to muck with my hormones. Worked for me...

[Egoldstein]

I was on chemical bc for a number of years and I think it took its toll on my body. A naturopath indicated that bc pills tend to deplete the body of certain vitamins and minerals and recommended that I take a high dose b-complex supplement and extra magnesium daily. That seemed to help.

[CaveladySusie]

Hey there,

I have been on the pill for years and I have probably held onto a little extra weight because of it, but nothing significant. Since going primal, I have lost most of this. It would really depend on the type of birth control and the individuals response to it. Different brands have also had different effects. I would highly recommend the pill in general, if you find one that works for you. Mine has balanced my hormones, cured (for now) my acne, and stabilised my moods completely. I am 27 now and have been on it for around 11 years, so no complaints here.
Hope you find a solution that works for you.
Susie
x

[Marisa]

I just went off the pill this past Sunday (cold turkey, I still have two full packs left) after taking some sort of BC (pill/patch) since November 2006. Any changes I might see? I know it might help improve my mood, though I do know my periods will be longer with some more cramping. HOWEVER, I had not had a primal diet when I was off birth control, so I'm hoping that will help. I also joined that group mentioned above, looks like a great resource! Thanks ladies!

[kellyq]

MamaGrok, i'd love to see a thread about ecological breastfeeding. my daughter is just over 3 and still breastfeeding but i haven't read too much about the effectiveness of it as a BC method past 6 months.

[Diana Renata]

I guess on another note- what do primal women do for 'birth control' in and of itself? I'm assuming not all grokettes can NOT be on BC...??

I'm on the depo shot. Have been for about 10 years now. Even on the shot I managed to lose 125 lbs, so I doubt that it really has that much effect on weight loss. Perhaps some- like my issue of getting rid of the last 10- but then again that could be my thyroid issue as well.

I simply don't like having periods, and will avoid them if at all possible.

[CJ4400]

Thanks guys!

I thought copper IUD's do release some hormones? I will do some more research. I've just heard some awful stories about IUD's so it wasn't really an option.

And I realize that when I am under prolonged stress my hormones are significantly sensitive to this which results in extra everything. PMS gets worse, hormones get out of whack, etc. Luckily it's been getting better and I wonder if BC will mask this sensitivity to hormone stability or help it! Plus, I'm going to have to get on some type of "birth control" sooner or later.

(On a side note does anyone else have this "extra sensitivity" where your hormones are affected?)

Susie- I'm guessing if millions of women are depending on BC as a form of BC then it's got to work to some degree and your testimony is one of the positive ones. So thanks for that! There are two sides to every story.

However, it would be nice not to have to rely on BC...wouldn't it? ;-)