Birth Control for Cyst on Ovary...maybe it will help the M too!

So I saw my OBGYN today for a cyst on my ovary and heavy menstrual periods (sorry if thats TMI for any of ya). He is a bit "concerned" about the cyst on my ovary and is going to try to shrink it by using the birth control pill. (This should also help w the other problem...which is good). I am a bit nervous b/c I was told at the onset of my migraines (and I don't remember by who) that using Birth Control pills was a no-no for people w/ Migraine b/c of the stroke risk. I have since /read conflicting information, and know that even some of you here take or have taken the pill....some even FOR Migraines. I am a bit worried about starting them (but am b/c I am even more freaked out by this cyst) and at the same time interested to see if possibly it will help my M. Nothing else has lately, and I have always felt that many of mine are hormone related.

What have your experiences on the pill been? I'm eager to hear what other people have used/found.

Jessica

Hi, I think we may be in the land of TMI, but here goes...

I too have had many problems with cysts in or on the ovary. I have had mutiple burst and my what fun that was.

I recently had a cysts and the affected ovary removed. I had really hoped to see a change in my migraines, but I didn't.

I have never been able to convince a DR to prsecribe the pill with my migraines, so I can't answer for that.

As far as the cysts go, try not to worry, they are very, very common and only even have any type of surgical intervention once they are around the size of a softball.

If you smoke, I don't recommend risking the pill as you would have a very high risk of stroke with the combo and migraine history.

Thanks Milo. I appreciate your feedback. I do not smoke any more so that's a plus!!
I have heard that the cysts are common so I am trying not to worry to much about that. I am also a bit worried about the pill/migraine risk, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

I'd avoid the depo shot at all costs if possible. I had that and it made me nuts and caused an increase in
migraines for me. It also caused me to gain an ungodly amount of weight for no reason at all. I wasn't even
eating any more than usual, it just made me metabolize my food differently.

I hate that silly shot, I wish they would take it off the market. It's also really bad for your bones because
it takes away all your calcium and gives you osteoporosis (sp?).

I use the nuva ring right now. I like it. Since starting, I haven't noticed a change in my migraines. My P is
nice and short, and I don't have to remember to take a pill every day, which I'm very bad at. It is
comfortable, I never feel it. I won't switch off until I get enough cash to get the non-hormone IUD.
(its great protection that provides no variables in M and also protects regardless of antibiotics,
topamax, or any other meds)

I also used Ortho-Lo. That one is very similar to Nuva Ring with the hormones but in pill form. It was also
really great, but I forgot to take it all the time LOL! (hence the presence of my beautiful daughter)

Ortho Regular made my migraines spike like crazy, I had gotten a lot because I think it has too many
hormones in it for me. It also made me a little nutsy. My p was really nice though, it lasted like 2 days or
something lol.

I was on Yaz for a while there too. It made me have some painful cramps for some reason, although
it is one of the things that is supposted to stop when you take this brand. Who knows, everyone is different.
I didn't notice any changes with my migraines in this pill either.

I gained about 5 pounds on all the birth controls that came off quickly except the depo shot. The depo shot
weight stayed on until I stopped taking it and within a month of not getting the shot I lost a majority of the weight.

Good luck with your choice and I hope you find something that works for you!

Ahhhhhh...yes....avoid the depo shot at all costs. It is very nasty, and I too gained about eighty pounds in two months....yes...two months....and I never lost all of it. I went from being very tall and very slim my whole life to just being tall and not slim....lol...damn drugs.

Yeah milo, no kidding. I gained 30 pounds in 2 months and didn't even change anything
about the way I ate. Evil shot. I didn't loose all by myself, the last 10 lbs just came off with
the help of topamax. The last couple months of being on it, I ate close to nothing just to maintain
my weight. It was pathetic.

I got right off that stupid shot. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone. My sister-in-law was on it
for about two years. She was always slim and petite, 5'4 and 120lbish. On the depo she was about
170ish. About a year after stopping and lots of hard work she finally lost the weight and is back to
normal again, but it wasn't easy for her.

Yeah, my original skiny self never came back....lol which is just fine...but no matter if I was working out seven days a week or not...it never came all off again.

The first neurologist I went to said she would not see me if I stayed on the birth control bill. I did notice when I was on the bc that it did play havoc with my migraines. When I googled it a couple of years ago there is conflicting info out there. I changed ob/gyn's a couple of years ago and they would not prescribe the pill until my primary gave permission due to my migraines. So...it can get confusing to know what to do. I stay away from bc pills now, because of the migraines, but I do know people with migraines that take bc pills - probably does depend on the doctors involved.

I'd say most docs stay clear of it with a history of migraines if only for the increased risk of stroke, which, imho, is a pretty good reason.

a stroke can kill you, a cysts on your ovary has 99% (or higher) chance it won't kill you.

milo wrote:a stroke can kill you, a cysts on your ovary has 99% (or higher) chance it won't kill you.

I hear ya on that. I just wish there was consistency out there in terms of info on how seriouse the increased chance of stroke IS with the pill. My OBGYN has ultrasounded the cyst and said it is "of concern" (as opposed to another time I had one and he said no big deal) He is saying if this pill doesnt shrink it within a month he will go in laparascopically and look at it/ possibly biopsy it. He also gave me a "plan B" for the excessive bleeding....some new procedure that is in place of a hysterectomy. Long name...basically described it to me as inserting a baloon into the uterus, inflating, filling with liquid then heating the liquid to cauterize the whole inside of your uterus. Sounds pleasant, no???

He said see how I feel on the pill...if M gets worse stop. I do want to avoid further complications with this cyst however, and I know at one point I was SHOCKED to learn how many M sufferers on this forum alone, were on the pill. I am going to call my Neuro before starting it and if he's ok I have to try it at least for a month. I hate the idea of an operation and a biopsy of my ovary if it can be avoided.

Ok Shoot, now I'm second guessing myself. A stroke is a seriouse risk!

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Jessica

I am a smoker, a BC user, and a chronic migranuer. All of which my neuro knows about.
My OB/GYN also knows, and my mom is an OB/GYN triage nurse.
None of which has advised me to stop the BC, all have advised me to stop smoking for other reasons
besides stroke. I am under 35 though, and I've watched those commercials saying if you are under
35..blah blah blah.

I'm still going to bring it up at the next appointment just in case, but either way if it was that
serious I would hope somebody would have told me already.

Surgery does suck, but I'd definitely take it over stroke any day. Besides, they have all these
new ways of doing things that are minimally invasive and are worth investigating. They may
not be pleasant options, but still much more pleasant than risking a stroke.

Good luck with your choices Jessica, and do share the information about chances of stroke as I am
very interested being that I may be at high risk as well!

I tried bc pills to regulate my cycles. It raised my blood pressure and made my migraines worse. I've had cysts in the past and had them removed surgically. They did it with a laproscope so it wasn't too bad. Of course the doctor said most other doctors wouldn't have removed the ones I had with a laproscope because they were so large it was very time consuming.

I was put on BC when I was 14 to control ovarian cysts. I had severe mittelschmerz (love that word!) whereas every month when I ovulated I would have severe pain and develop cysts. I've had them the size of walnuts up to oranges. I had laproscoptic surgery to drain some of them.

When I was in my mid 20's and off the pill (we were trying to get pregnant) I developed a cyst so large that it rotated and my fallopian tube strangled my ovary. That's the only time I've ridden in an ambulance and had to have emergency surgery for it. It also gave me my basis for what a "10" on a pain scale is.

Even though I lost that ovary, we were still able to get pregnant (it took four years though).

When my youngest was 9 months old I had a hysterectomy and the Dr "reconstructed" my remaining ovary. A month later I was back in for emergency surgery when I had another ovarian cyst that started hemorrhaging.

Even though it took three surgeries I was glad to be done with it!

I would take my chances with BC anytime over the trauma and pain that I suffered with ovarian cysts.

Charlotte

I've had four surgeries for cysts, twice after large ones had burst...large meaning over the size of a softball, but smaller then a basketball. When they bursts, the pain makes you very aware of what a "ten" is and your stomache can't get sucked in no matter how hard you try.

All but one of the surgeries were a total breeze...so even if it comes to that don't worry. My last one where they took out the ovary was a whole other story, as they cut a large artery that was in the wrong place and it resulted in many complications during surgery.

The libation (sp?) surgery is quick to recover from but not always effective. Do your research before you sign up.

Surgery also carries a risk of stroke....so for you it may be an idea to consider trying the bcp first. Just make sure all the haelth care providers are all on the same page.

Hi Hon-

Ovarian cysts are no fun. I have had them for at least 10 years due to Endometriosys (sp?). Birth control helped me. The IUD option that someone was talking about would not help you because you need the hormones taht are in the birth control. I liked the ring, but was recently taken off of it because I am approaching 35 and was a smoker. My daughter suffers from Ms chronicly. I am not sure of the stroke risks with migraines and birth control. Unless you have wierd cells, ovarian cysts are very normal. My daughter started getting them at 10 yrs old.

Jennifer,

There is a new IUD option on the market called Mirena. It has the hormones.

Ok Girls.....Needin some help.

I had my period for 9 days. Rediculously heavy. It stopped and was gone for 3 days, and is now back =(
This has never ever happened before. I also am bloated and cramping. AND...since my period is goofed up now, I have no idea when to start the pill that I am supposed to use for a month to shrink my cyst. I called the doctor but didn't hear back from them. I am starting to worry that this cyst could be Ovarian Cancer, as I am having such similar symptoms. What should I do? Ask my doctor to forget about the month of bc pills and just remove it already?? Get a second opinion from an Oncologist OBGYN.??

I'm scared and irritated and feel crappy. Anyone go thru anything similar in terms of bizzare bleeding with their cysts?

Jessica

Please try not to worry. You are already being investigated, so it's too early to worry. The symptoms I had before my surgery mimicked cancer as well, and it was not.

Let your doctor know what is happening. Don't sit back and ignore things (I know you aren't) but also don't put too much energy into worrying. It's a waste of good energy.

The absolute las thing you need to do is self-diagnose. If you look at symptoms for 90% of diseases and disorders online you could diagnose yourself with just about anything. If you went to an oncologist and were not diagnosed with cancer you would really be wasting your time. I have had VERY irregular periods for my whole life. I would call your doctor three times a day if you have not received a response and demand the doctor's attention. That is what you are paying for. Always remember that you are employing the doctor. They are not doing you a favor by seeing you...they are getting PAID and well!

If your doctor is not acting quickly or dramaticly then neither should you. When the doctors are alarmed about something or feel it needs immediate attention, believe me, they act on it. They do not want to be sued for malpractice. Don't be alarmed , but do be persistant with the doctor .

Thanks for the advice! You guys r right. I should not internet diagnose!! It's always bad news!! I see my doc monday and will talk with him then. He did call back and I started the bc pill despite the bleeding.

I had a prolapsed uterus after my first child which got worse with time.

After 3 years, my doctor suggested having a second child if I wanted one and then have a hysterectomy done.

So...after a second opinion, that's what I decided to do.

About a year after the hysterectomy, I started having cysts on my right ovary.

I had surgery to drain them a couple of times, but they just kept coming back.

Finally the doc wanted to remove it so we did.

It wasn't bad. They do it thru the scope and it is just a day surgery. I was just so relieved to have the whole situation over with.

The pain associated with ovarian cysts is terrible!

Unfortunately, a year or so later, the same thing started happening with my left ovary.

I ended up having it removed as well.

Shortly thereafter, my M's became much worse.

For that reason I have always thought they were horomone related, but have tried everything and nothing seems to help.

Anyway, I am so sorry that you are having to deal with this.

Hopefully things will improve for you.

I will keep you in my prayers.


Cindy

I think that if you suffer from menstrual migraines then birth control might be a solution. Essentially it will change your hormone levels which might change any peaks or valleys in your estrogen levels and might help with the migraines. But, if you do not suffer from menstrual migraines and you are taking birth control or start taking it, I think it might make them worse?

Birth control will help keep ovarian cysts from growing, and if you also have endometriosis (as I do) this might explain the reason you have the migraines in conjunction with your period.

I had a huge ovarian cyst rupture and it was removed. During that surgery they discovered the endometriosis....I was told after that surgery that my periods might be erratic, which they were. What also came with them was the migraines. I am currently taking birth control (ortho tri-cyclen) to try and prevent the endometriosis from producing so much estrogen during my cycle. I have not been on it long and will have to wait until next month to see if it works at all.

Some part of me feels lucky that I know pretty assuredly what is causing my migraines, however, I am still dealing with them and they have been getting worse this past year, hence my trying the birth control, which I was against initially.

Do any of you have you migraines in such a tight conjunction with your cycles? I can plan my migraines, almost to the day based on my cycle.

dothemountain wrote:Do any of you have you migraines in such a tight conjunction with your cycles? I can plan my migraines, almost to the day based on my cycle.

During my late 20's and throughout my 30's I could do this. However, at some point at about age 40 everything changed and progressed to my current state of chronic daily migraines (never goes away).

Becky