Neutrino Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I hope I'm posting this question at the right place.... Most contraceptive pills (female oral contraceptive) contain the two main female hormones : estrogen and progesterone. From what I read so far, the estrogen has mainly positive effects on the body of a female athlete, while the progesterone has a negative influence on sports performance and muscle development. In the past I had the general impression that the pill I was on was somehow working against me when I trained... I have been off the pill for about 4 years now, but I want to start taking it again. However - I'm afraid for my good shape..... I run 4-5 km 3 times a week and do power training, I follow a strict and regular diet. I'm very happy with my condition and would not want to compromise it.... Can anyone here recommend an effective contraceptive pill with as low as possible levels of progesterone (relative to estrogen) and at the same time not a phase-pill ? Or if a phase-pill, is it still "stable" ? Are there any female athletes here familiar with this issue ? Please help... Link to post Share on other sites
tfkizzle Posted February 26, 2010 Share Posted February 26, 2010 I've never had a problem with weight gain, the loss of my "figure" or muscles while on any pill (tried a few different ones over the years). I don't think any of my friends have had this issue either. Do you know for a fact this is an issue for you? I mean, was it a problem in the past? Your doctor is the best person to discuss this with. S/he will be the best informed, and if you see the same doctor consistently, should have a good idea about your body type and so on. I don't know about where you are, but in the U.S. you have to get a RX from a doctor anyways. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted February 26, 2010 Author Share Posted February 26, 2010 In the past I was on the "mini-pill" so adding progesterone only to the body, and my general impression was that I suffered some headaches (not migraines, but more like what I sometimes get the day before my period starts), when I had gone off the pill I somehow felt stronger and lifted heavier weights with ease... So while not experiencing one defined side-effect, it was more like a few mild phenomena, that made me think the ratio of the hormones in my body was a bit off - too much progesterone relative to the level of estrogen... Anyway - last night I did some reading and to keep a good hormonal balance throughout the month I would like to try a monophasic pill and to maintain a good ratio of progesterone / estrogen, I would like to avoid the mini-pill, to reduce risk of androgen side effects (I did not have any in the past and would like to keep it this way) I would like to select as my first option a 3rd generation pill - either the Jasmine or the Marvelon. What is your opinion ? What type of pill do you use and what led you to that specific choice ? I live in north-west Europe (no GP approval for gym necessary) - but genetically I'm east European (Slavic). I have been training regularly for over 10 years, I'm generally healthy, low heart-rate and blood-pressure but still within normal, and body-fat under 15%. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted February 27, 2010 Author Share Posted February 27, 2010 I discussed with my GP yesterday - I'll try out the jasmin for 3 months. Has anyone here been on it ? experiences ? Link to post Share on other sites
Lauriebell82 Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 I don't take the pill, I take depo. I'm on prescription medication that conflicts with the pill, therefore I can't take it. Depo doesn't really do anything but I have noticed that I sometimes when I do high impact exercise (like spinning) I start to get dizzy and lightheaded. I don't know if the pill does that or not. My sister takes jasmin and she has not had any problems. If you talked to your doctor then you should be okay. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted February 27, 2010 Author Share Posted February 27, 2010 Thanks LB - I see we are on each other's threads Is Depo an injection or a time-release implant ? Does it also contain estrogen or only progesterone ? Link to post Share on other sites
Lauriebell82 Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 Thanks LB - I see we are on each other's threads Is Depo an injection or a time-release implant ? Does it also contain estrogen or only progesterone ? It's an injection that you get every 3 months. It doesn't contain estrogen, that's what conflicts with my medication. It only contains progesterone. Supposedly it's supposed to cause weight gain as a side effect but I haven't really seen that. I struggled with weight wwwaaayyy before I ever went on depo. And I haven't really seen that much of a difference. But medication effects everyone differently. So far I like depo and it's perfect because I don't have to take a pill everyday. The only thing is that it can cause delayed fertility so it's not recommended for those who are looking to get pregnant within the next year or so. Link to post Share on other sites
tfkizzle Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 What is your opinion ? What type of pill do you use and what led you to that specific choice ? You're considering a whole bunch of things that I don't even think about. When choosing a pill my only concerns are having a regular period, and not having side effects like moodiness, cramps, etc. I've been taking Microgestion FE 1/20 for 4 months, and I'm not even waiting to see my doctor for a different RX before I stop taking this POS. Today will be my last day taking it. I would almost go so far as to say I would rather have babies then ever take this pill again. That is how bad it is. I discussed with my GP yesterday - I'll try out the jasmin for 3 months. Has anyone here been on it ? experiences ? What she said: If you talked to your doctor then you should be okay. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 Thanks for the info. LB : My GP mentioned the injection, it probably works like the mini-pill (progesterone only) which I had the idea compromised muscle tone in the past. Is it based on raising the progesterone level in the body to the point it later takes 3 months to subside ? Does that mean hormone level in the body are not constant over the 3 months ? Do you feel any fluctuations ? TFK : I'm sorry to hear about side effects - http://www.drugs.com/sfx/microgestin-fe-1-20-side-effects.html (just google it, you find a LOT) Is it a combination-pill or a mini-pill ? I hope you can find a better contraceptive quickly... I will not have children. I'm 37 now, so would like to find the right pill to use all the way to menopause, this is also why I prefer a monophasic combination pill. However I do receive a synthetic hormone replacement to a nice genetic condition courtesy of my dad and his dad.... so would like to keep hormone levels as balanced and constant as possible. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 I started my first pack of Jasmin this morning, which is day 14 of my cycle and I'm supposed to ovulate today.... Now I know I have to use another contraceptive until my period, but I would like to continue taking the pill and skip my nest 2 periods (go for the option of having a pill-period once every 3 months which is possible for monophasic pill users). my GP says after 14 days I should be protected from pregnancy - does anyone here know anything about this (I don't want to take any chances and a GP could be wrong...) ? I noticed this morning (about 1 hour after taking the first pill) I feel warmer than usual, not too warm and not in a bad way, but it is interesting... My next training session in tomorrow evening Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 I've never heard of starting BC on the 14th day of your cycle...??? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 My GP explained the only reason to start the (monophasic) pill on the first day of your period, is to be sure you are not already pregnant. http://ehealthforum.com/health/starting-bcp-mid-cycle-t152142-a1.html Actually I'm supposed to ovulate today and I'm certain this ovulation will not be prevented, so I plan to use another contraceptive at least for another 2 weeks... The pill only changes you own naturally fluctuating hormone levels to non-fluctuating controlled levels, so I can not see why it would matter at what stage in your cycle you start taking them (other than pregnancy risk of course but I already addressed that). Link to post Share on other sites
Author Neutrino Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 (edited) OK, I've been taking Jasmin (monophasic combination-pill) since Wednesday - so 4 days now. I normally take my other meds (unrelated hormone synthetic replacement) in the morning when I get up around 05:00. So I just added the pill to that. One hour after taking the first one I started feeling warm, not warm in a negative sense, but not the typical cold I get from having a low blood-pressure. This feeling lasted all day into the afternoon, maybe it is only the adjustment period ? My first gym session was Thursday evening, and I did even better than usual. Now I just came back from the gym and also - better than usual I was worried the pill would negatively influence my performance (like the mini-pill did), but I never expected it to make me feel better.... Now I'm totally confused...anybody ever had that before ? Of course I'll contact the GP, but I want to understand what is happening and why... Could my body be chronically missing estrogen in its native state ..? Edited March 6, 2010 by Neutrino Link to post Share on other sites
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