Contraception, what effects diabetes?

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Estellaa

Estellaa

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Now, i'm thinking of the whole contraception thing not for the obvious reason but cause my time of the months are evil and are irregular.
so mum has suggested going on the pill, however i've read things like it effects your diabetes etc?
Anyone have any ideas which contraceptive is the best for diabetics? 🙂
 
The best contraception is probably condoms :D, seriously, I'm not sure what is the best contraceptive for diabetics but have personally been on the pill for several years (with a couple of breaks for my 2 girls) and have not noticed any effects on my diabetes.
 
Ok, i'm gonna try and help out, but contraceptive pills arn't something i know a lot about (you don't have to worry about them too much in hospitals).

Combined Pill
BNF says avoid if to be careful with diabetes but i think this is beacause it can make you more susceptable to DVT and strokes, which is slightly higher anyway if you have diabetes.
Progesterone only pills are more likely to be used in diabetic women..
 
Take a look at the Mirena coil, it has been good for me. However I am type 2 so don't know if that makes a difference.
 
Estellaa said:
Now, i'm thinking of the whole contraception thing not for the obvious reason but cause my time of the months are evil and are irregular.
so mum has suggested going on the pill, however i've read things like it effects your diabetes etc?
Anyone have any ideas which contraceptive is the best for diabetics? 🙂
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Hi Estella,

I have been on Microgynon (Sp?) for about 12 years now and never had any problems. It really really helps regulate and lighten the monthly joy! (sorry guys!)

BUT...at my last visit to the drs I was told I shouldn't be on it as I'm diabetic and it can affect my blood sugar levels!!! never had that or been told that in 12 years but just to give you the heads up.

Good luck, let us know what you decide in the end!
 
I was on the progesterone only pill, and I found it didn't have any effect on my blood sugars - in fact if anything it helped, because I used to get massive swings in blood sugars round about the time I has my period, and the pill stopped this! :D

My nurse said that some diabetics can be on the combined pill (the progesterone+oestrogen one), but it's not recommended if you have any diabetic complications or have been diabetic for more than 20 years.
 
Contraception has been a nightmare for me, and given my current predicament I'm not going to advise you - I'll just tell you my experiences.

At about 14 (now 20) I started taking the combined pill. The first one I tried (Microgynon) made me pretty ill, so tried another (Loestrin). I was on this for about 6 months when I started having recurring problems with thrush. Eventually the doc took a swab & checked me for everything under the sun, including thrush, but everything came back negative. We started to suspect it was the Loestrin, so I came off it - at this point I wasn't in a relationship so contraception wasn't an issue. However, when I met OH I wanted to try the pill again, so started taking Cilest. This was by far the best combined pill of the 3. I was on this for about a year with no problems - then the recurring thrush symptoms returned, so I came off it for a few months. Things went back to normal pretty quickly, so I tried it one last time - within a few weeks, I had the same problem again. I stopped taking it in January and have been using condoms since.

One of the benefits of the combined pill is it does regulate your periods - I found mine were lighter & less painful. The symptoms the pill gave me are not common, so I wouldn't let this worry you. I found when starting the pill it sent my BG high for a while until I adjusted, but after a couple of months control was actually easier - the pill being hormones "fooling" your body into thinking it's pregnant to avoid ovulation, it meant my hormones were much more steady, and I was able to predict exactly when my period would arrive and plan insulin dose accordingly.

My doctor told me he wasn't prepared to try the mini pill, because it was slightly less effective, and given my diabetes an unplanned pregnancy is really not desirable.

Other things have been recommended to me - the injection, the implant, the mirena coil - but given that all of these contain the same hormones as the pill and are more permanent, I'm not keen to try them in case I get the thrush symptoms again. It's horrible, and really defeats the purpose of contraception!

So my contraception of choice is condoms - but these are far from reliable (as my thread on the pregnancy board illustrates!). However, if you're more concerned with regulating periods than contraception, trying any of the hormonal contraceptives would be a good idea. Like I said, my problems with the pill are rare, so you may find it works perfectly for you. You could give it a go, and if you don't get on with it you can easily come off it again.

Sorry for the novel. Good luck!
 
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A couple of good people to talk to might be the DSN and the practice nurse at the doctors surgery. The practice nurse is more likely to be up on what the side effects of conteaceptive pills are as she will be the one who does all the medication reviews.

I hope you get something sorted as erratic periods can be a pain in the (use your imaginations).
 
I was going to start my own thread but this one is similar to what I wanted to ask...

I keep forgetting to take my pill ALL the time. Therefore keep getting extra 'periods'. Very annoying! Anyway... I take the pill mainly because I get VERY painful periods and bad PMS. I was going to ask if the injection/implant were different but I think Emma has answered the question for me 🙂 I want to avoid recurring thrush too. So what do I do? I've tried to stop taking the pill but it resulted in a day of physical pain so bad that if someone handed me a gun I probably would have pulled the trigger on myself aswell as being physically sick... I had to try to fall asleep to make it stop :( So I guess not taking the pill isn't an option unless I get some crazy-good painkillers. Help! :(
 
katie said:
I was going to start my own thread but this one is similar to what I wanted to ask...

I keep forgetting to take my pill ALL the time. Therefore keep getting extra 'periods'. Very annoying! Anyway... I take the pill mainly because I get VERY painful periods and bad PMS. I was going to ask if the injection/implant were different but I think Emma has answered the question for me 🙂 I want to avoid recurring thrush too. So what do I do? I've tried to stop taking the pill but it resulted in a day of physical pain so bad that if someone handed me a gun I probably would have pulled the trigger on myself aswell as being physically sick... I had to try to fall asleep to make it stop :( So I guess not taking the pill isn't an option unless I get some crazy-good painkillers. Help! :(
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With bad period pain, I tend to take 2 ibuprofen, then 2 hours later 2 Feminax (this stuff is amazing!), and so on. Not sure if you've tried it?

The Mirena coil seems to be a favourite with my doc at the moment - it's suggested every time I see him. I've had conflicting opinions on this from people who use/have used it, but most of them did say that it made their periods stop completely. It does release the same hormones as the combined pill, but apparently nowhere near as much (since it's so much closer to where it needs to work the magic!), so the doc doesn't reckon I'd have the thrush problem with it - but I'm not really willing to take the risk. I've had problems with thrush all my life up until this year - I think a combination of better BG control and no additional hormones from the pill have meant I've been fine recently - and it's lovely to feel "normal" down there, so I'm refusing to try anything with hormones now. Mirena might be worth a try for you, though, Katie?
 
The coil sounds scary :D I'd have to research it, not sure what it is exactly.

I might try going off the pill again and get the pain killers at the ready, before I try the coil. Thanks for the tips 🙂

Just wondering, how did Microgynon make you ill? That's the one I'm on (the cheap one they start everyone on!) and me and my friend thinks it makes us very over-emotional.
 
You need to google Mirena coil and/or discuss it with your doc. It has worked well for me as it deals with both contraception and very heavy, painful periods. It releases small quantities of hormones. It has reduced them to almost nothing and no pain. You can keep it in for up to 5 years but if you don't like it you can have it removed at any time. Having it inserted wan't a big deal, I had a local anaesthetic as before fitting it they took a look round with a little camera thing. All done in about 15 mins or less. It probably took 2 minutes to actually fit the coil.
 
katie said:
The coil sounds scary :D I'd have to research it, not sure what it is exactly.

I might try going off the pill again and get the pain killers at the ready, before I try the coil. Thanks for the tips 🙂

Just wondering, how did Microgynon make you ill? That's the one I'm on (the cheap one they start everyone on!) and me and my friend thinks it makes us very over-emotional.
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I was very bloated, tired, lethargic & yes - emotional. Doc wasn't convinced it was the microgynon causing it, but it was too much coincidence for me.

I think with contraception it's a bit of trial and error to find something that works for you - everyone's different. Personally, I feel much better having a natural cycle and leaving my body well alone, but I have friends who swear by the pill, injection, implant, & the mirena. If only there were an easy answer!

Good luck with whatever you decide to try 🙂
 
Lizzie53 said:
You need to google Mirena coil and/or discuss it with your doc. It has worked well for me as it deals with both contraception and very heavy, painful periods. It releases small quantities of hormones. It has reduced them to almost nothing and no pain. You can keep it in for up to 5 years but if you don't like it you can have it removed at any time. Having it inserted wan't a big deal, I had a local anaesthetic as before fitting it they took a look round with a little camera thing. All done in about 15 mins or less. It probably took 2 minutes to actually fit the coil.
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Ive done some research and I really don't like the sound of it :( I saw lots of complaints about weigh gain too, which I don't really want to risk.

bigpurpleduck said:
I was very bloated, tired, lethargic & yes - emotional. Doc wasn't convinced it was the microgynon causing it, but it was too much coincidence for me.

I think with contraception it's a bit of trial and error to find something that works for you - everyone's different. Personally, I feel much better having a natural cycle and leaving my body well alone, but I have friends who swear by the pill, injection, implant, & the mirena. If only there were an easy answer!

Good luck with whatever you decide to try 🙂
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Hmm that sounds about right! Definitely going off it. My friend wants to change pills but Microgynon made her go up two cup sizes and she doesn't want to risk losing that :D Can't say it had that effect on me 🙄
 
Feminax - check type

Just wanted to make all aware that there are 2 types of Feminax: Feminax Ultra contains 250mg naproxen per tablet; Feminax Express contains 342mg ibuprofen lysine equivalent to 200mg ibuprofen. So, need to be aware when taking Feminax in between doses of ibuprofen as Bigpurpleduck recommends. Having said that, BNF suggests maintenance daily doses of 600 - 1200mg (0.6g - 1.2g) up to maximum daily doses of 2400mg (2.4g)
 
well the evilness arrived yesterday rather heavy may i add and my sugars were fine but today they have been high all day in the last 5 hours i have had 3 injections of quite a high dose to try and get them down, hoping the last one has done the trick, do you reckon if i had the pill it would make it lighter and hopefully my sugars to sort themselves out cause it really annoys me, i get really good control and then WHAM it goes out of whack because of my period so i have to start all over again really frustrating me :(
 
I've been on Cerazette for 3 years, it's recommended for diabetics as it's progesterone only so lower risk of blood clots.

I've found it fine, no periods and no mood swings either (I'd had crazy mood swings before, on Microgynon).

You take it every day (no 7 day gap) and so I find that makes it easier to remember - I just keep it by my bed and take it first thing. You can take it up to 12 hours late. Might be worth asking your practice nurse about it?

Re. the Mirena coil - I was told you can only have a coil if you've already had a pregnancy - is that right?
 
Estellaa said:
well the evilness arrived yesterday rather heavy may i add and my sugars were fine but today they have been high all day in the last 5 hours i have had 3 injections of quite a high dose to try and get them down, hoping the last one has done the trick, do you reckon if i had the pill it would make it lighter and hopefully my sugars to sort themselves out cause it really annoys me, i get really good control and then WHAM it goes out of whack because of my period so i have to start all over again really frustrating me :(
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It definitely helps to make periods lighter and for me it made the pain so much better that it's completely bearable, as long as i remember to take them 🙄 I don't know if it will make your blood glucose levels better but it's worth a try 🙂
 
I am convinced microgynon used to make me feel really down too. The doctor did not agree, but it was too much of a coincidence for me.
 
Copepod said:
Just wanted to make all aware that there are 2 types of Feminax: Feminax Ultra contains 250mg naproxen per tablet; Feminax Express contains 342mg ibuprofen lysine equivalent to 200mg ibuprofen. So, need to be aware when taking Feminax in between doses of ibuprofen as Bigpurpleduck recommends. Having said that, BNF suggests maintenance daily doses of 600 - 1200mg (0.6g - 1.2g) up to maximum daily doses of 2400mg (2.4g)
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Yes, well said - I should have remembered Feminax Express!

Pigeon said:
Re. the Mirena coil - I was told you can only have a coil if you've already had a pregnancy - is that right?
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According to my doc, the thinking behind coils is changing, especially with the Mirena since it also contains hormones.

I must admit, I don't really like the idea!
 
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