LADIES!!!! Hormonal BC Q's

Hey i just went to my ob/gyn and i had heard from a bunch of different places that we should rely on hormonal birth controls after we have our surgery during our biggest weight lose period. does anyone know why? or know where i can get a hold of some reading on it or evidence??? just curious. i tried to explain to my doc why and she asked how it doesnt work and i didnt have the answer.

I take it that you mean you should NOT rely on hormonal birth control? (like pills?) I work in OB-GYN and I think it's because the pills are not getting absorbed properly in your stomach after the surgery, so they may be less effective and you may get pregnant before you should! You should still be able to use the Depo-Provera shot, the IUD (Paragard or Mirena -prob. most effective and easiest), and I would think using the patch (as long as you don't smoke) or NuvaRing would also be OK, as they are not absorbed through the gut, but rather through the skin. You should talk to your OB-GYN further, and ask them to research it more if they don't know. You could also ask your surgeon or, even better, if he has a nurse practitioner or physician assistant (esp. a female), they may be more able to answer that question. I know they usually don't recommend getting pregnant for at least 12-18 months, so don't have an "oops"!

idk y they wouldn't work and have never heard that.... i would assume if tru, for the same reasons as the above poster... but i can say, i hated trying to take the pill the exact same time everyday, so i finally got the mirena... and I LOVE IT!

I was very hesitant, but finally talked to a few ppl that had it and they sold me... i've had mine since october and i spot a tiny bit, like on TP but no need for a tampon and not even enough to be worth putting a pad on (like a small pick tinge) once or twice for one or two days and thats it! It's awesome!!! i think the first month or two i had to use a pad or tampon like 2 or 3 times, but since then... barely any bleeding :-)

Good luck! hope u get a more clear answer...

Likely due to hormonal fluctuations related to rapid weightloss and/or potential absorption issues with the pill.  Estrogen is stored in fat. When you lose fat, it's released into your system. The balance between estrogen, progesterone, estradiol, lutenizing hormones, etc., makes all the difference in the world in fertility.  We were told to use a backup method for 18 months post-op.

This is the exact reason. And, if you venture over to the pregnancy after WLS board, go back a bunch of pages and you'll see several posts from "OOPS" Nuvaring and the pill being the big ones.

I'm on my 2nd pregnancy post-VSG. We are a condom couple and well, they fail too ;) considering my daughter is only 4.5 months old and I"m 10 weeks pregnant.

Double up on methods, barrier and hormonal or an IUD is the top recommendation from my surgeon.

 My two year old is a Nuvaring baby! First time in my life I ever used birth control and I get knocked up, karma is a VERY funny thing. LOL

You aren't the only person to tell me this. . . On another forum they jokingly call it "NUVA Baby Coming" because it has such a high failure rate. I know of 2 RNY'ers who got pregnant on the patch within 6-8 months of surgery. Of course, there's me who struggled with my husband to conceive Tatum for a year or a little over, got her here and BAM 4.5 months later I'm 10 weeks pregnant. We've been together for 6 years and I couldn't count how many times we weren't being diligent and NEVER got pregnant.  Now, we were being super diligent, and BAM knocked up again.

i already have the paragard and so far i am ok with it. it has come with lots of bleeding and lots of cramps but it is slowly getting better. i was just in for my 1 month iud check up and i was telling her that i heard something along the lines of hormone bc dont work as well with wls patients.

Just during the rapid weight loss phase for sleeve patients. For RNY/DS patients, they do not absorb medication properly due to the rerouting so they have to be extra diligent because they've got to battle the hormone flux and malabsorption.

I can attest to the fact that hormones get MESSED UP post op and if it were possible for me to have kids, I'd be using back up.  

I went into surgery with ZERO hormones, I had been off them several months because I was worried about DVT's and hormonal birthcontrol increases that risk exponentially.  I didn't have a period at all and was fine.  A week after surgery I started spotting.  I called my OB/GYN and by the time they could get an okay from my surgeon to start hormones again, I had stopped and I just chalked it up to fluke.  Almost exactly a month later I had the WORST period I have ever had in my entire life, and that is saying something because I used to leave school daily because of my period.  I could not make an hour drive to work it was so bad.  The doctor put me on my hormones double dose for 5 days, then one a day after that.  That was 2 weeks ago, I STILL have not stopped bleeding.  He is trying now to take me completely off the hormones and see if that works.  Two days into that little experiment and it hasn't stopped.  I would definitely listen to them and use back up.  Your body doesn't absorb the hormones the same as before.  There is NO way I could take 10mg of the med I am on and still be bleeding before surgery.