My doctor wants me to go off my pill (Diane 35) because he said it doesn't do the endo any favours. Maybe it depends on the type of pill? Diane has an extra dose of hormones in it to get rid of acne so I think it's that part of it that doesn't help the endo.
He was going to put me on a different pill which was "good" for the endo. He said the pill doesn't cause the endo - but it doesn't help it either.
nic, I guess it depends on what pill you're on (like Amy says) but the theory behind it "helping" endo is that you take the pill continuously and don't stop for the sugar pills so that you don't get a period. Because you are not having periods, the endo doesn't get an environment to grow and develop.
In my experience, the pill helped in the early stages (in my late teens), but by my early 20's it did bugger all. My body was trying to do the natural thing of having period and I wasn't letting it so I would get spotting all the time and when I finally did have a period the pain was hundred times worse. After I had my lap, I threw away the pill and refused other drug treatments and dealt with it. Thankfully in my case, my symptoms were a lot more bearable after I had my lap.
In my experience (as a severe ex-endo sufferer) it definitely makes it worse. The pill puts your body into a state of early 'mock pregnancy' whilst suppressing the natural reproductive processes. This is not a natural or healthy state for the body to be in for an extended length of time. The pill interferes with nutrient absorption, which in turn weakens the immune system. The pill also kills off the 'good' bacteria that live naturally in the digestive tract (probiotics), making the body more susceptible to conditions like candida- which is present in the vast majority of endo sufferers.
After finally consulting a Naturopath after years of going around the conventional drugs & surgery merry-go-round, I was able to eliminate my endo by first addressing the candida with dietary, supplemental, herbal and homeopathic intervention, as well as replacing the pill with natural fertility management (monitoring my cycles), which I have found to be very effective, particularly as my periods are now pain-free and regular.
Feel free to contact me if you want anymore info- and I have been to hell and back with endo and now have a healthy baby boy (conceived naturally) due to natural medicine.
There is absolutely no way he would be here now had I stayed in the conventional medical system with all the drugs and repeated surgeries I was having - because these things do not address the CAUSE of the problem.
The pill is a band-aid approach used for things like irregular, painful or heavy periods, and acne, which are caused by hormonal imbalances. The hormones in the pill may help temporarily to mask the symptoms by providing extra hormones needed to feign regular cycles- but when the woman goes off the pill- the hormonal imbalance returns, as do the irregular painful or heavy periods- or acne. Instead, hormonal imbalances can be addressed naturally- via dietary, herbs, supplements and lifestyle changes. This will ensure the root of the imbalance is addressed and eliminated, rather than just providing a drug to mask the symptoms- a drug which can also harm your fertility and predispose you to other conditions such as breast cancer in the long term.
Sorry if this sounds harsh. I hate to think that people are out there suffering needlessly like I was. I really hope you can find some lasting releif from your endo.
If your interested, there is a really great book called 'The Natural Way to Better Babies- Preconceptual Healthcare for Prospective Parents' by Australia's most esteemed Natural Fertility Expert Francesca Naish. It also contains wonderful advice on how to address barriers to conception such as endo - advice you are unlikely to ever hear from your doctor.
Best of luck to you.
XXX
Last edited by JellyBean; February 2nd, 2009 at 04:07 PM.
: spelling
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Endo and the pill?
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