Stopping The Pill in my early 40s?

[Anonymous]

I have been thinking about going off the Pill for good, now that I'm in my early 40s. I have been on it on and off since I was 19, mainly for regularity reasons. My kids are now in middle school and we feel our family is complete, I'm prone to depression occasional and The Pill probably makes that worse, and I just don't think I want to stay on hormones much longer.

While we would take necessary precautions to avoid another pregnancy (and would not consider termination otherwise), has anyone BTDT or otherwise have feedback that could help me decide?

[Anonymous]

I don't get why you wouldn't? And plan carefully: libido may soar!

[Anonymous]

I have paraguard Copper IUD - it has been working great so far. Coincidentally as soon as I got off the pill/patch I received a diagnosis of Breast Cancer. I think it was linked to the pill and hormones. But I don't want to scare you.

[Anonymous]

I think many doctors recommend getting off the pill in our forties for health reasons -- blood clotting and the attendant health risks. Have you talked to your doctor?

I got off the pill during a dry spell in my thirties and never went back. Husband and I still use condoms, though it need to talk to my doctor about whether we need to do this anymore since I'm 45 and no longer getting my period.

Best wishes and good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

DH can get fixed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think many doctors recommend getting off the pill in our forties for health reasons -- blood clotting and the attendant health risks. Have you talked to your doctor?

I got off the pill during a dry spell in my thirties and never went back. Husband and I still use condoms, though it need to talk to my doctor about whether we need to do this anymore since I'm 45 and no longer getting my period.

Best wishes and good luck to you.

OP here, My [female] doc suggested I consider staying on in until 52!!! I feel like docs are ultimately in bed with pharm, unfortunately. I see this also when our pediatricians keep suggesting the HPV vaccine for my kids; I'm still very uncomfortable with it and have heard too many negative things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH can get fixed.

I would never suggest he undergo surgery for this. There are so many other things we can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think many doctors recommend getting off the pill in our forties for health reasons -- blood clotting and the attendant health risks. Have you talked to your doctor?

I got off the pill during a dry spell in my thirties and never went back. Husband and I still use condoms, though it need to talk to my doctor about whether we need to do this anymore since I'm 45 and no longer getting my period.

Best wishes and good luck to you.

OP here, My [female] doc suggested I consider staying on in until 52!!! I feel like docs are ultimately in bed with pharm, unfortunately. I see this also when our pediatricians keep suggesting the HPV vaccine for my kids; I'm still very uncomfortable with it and have heard too many negative things.

It depends!!! The women in my family all stay on it until menopause. We have no history of breast cancer. However, my maternal grandmother died from ovarian cancer at 32. It appears to be an outlier as no other women have had cancer...sisters, mother, aunts, etc.

The Pill has been shown to be 40% effective in lowering ovarian cancer risk. I read the new study about breast cancer risk with Pill but it is still very, very low incidence.

I am a 44-year old avid exerciser, healthy eater, etc and every OB, GyN over the years has told me to stay on it and that it will ease Menopause symptoms in the future. It did take me a lot of monkeying around with a Pill that had no side effects. I love Monophasic Zovia--libido still there, periods light and didn't cause melasma and acne like other brands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think many doctors recommend getting off the pill in our forties for health reasons -- blood clotting and the attendant health risks. Have you talked to your doctor?

I got off the pill during a dry spell in my thirties and never went back. Husband and I still use condoms, though it need to talk to my doctor about whether we need to do this anymore since I'm 45 and no longer getting my period.

Best wishes and good luck to you.

OP here, My [female] doc suggested I consider staying on in until 52!!! I feel like docs are ultimately in bed with pharm, unfortunately. I see this also when our pediatricians keep suggesting the HPV vaccine for my kids; I'm still very uncomfortable with it and have heard too many negative things.

They are recommending the HPV vax based on evidence. No clue why your doctor would tell you that about the pill. But I am almost certain it has nothing to do with being in "bed with pharm". Maybe she just isn't a good doctor.

[Anonymous]

my doc also told me I could stay on the pill until 50, so PP's doc is not the only one offering that advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my doc also told me I could stay on the pill until 50, so PP's doc is not the only one offering that advice.

I would ask why. Have him/her walk you through the thought process with risk/benefits given the evidence that does exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH can get fixed.

I would never suggest he undergo surgery for this. There are so many other things we can do.

Why? It's just an outpatient procedure and like 2 stitches. Certainly a lot less invasive than the 2 c-sections that I had. Plus why should a woman have to handle all of the responsibility and potentially negative side effects of taking the pill for decades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH can get fixed.

I would never suggest he undergo surgery for this. There are so many other things we can do.

Why? It's just an outpatient procedure and like 2 stitches. Certainly a lot less invasive than the 2 c-sections that I had. Plus why should a woman have to handle all of the responsibility and potentially negative side effects of taking the pill for decades?

I chose to take The Pill; he did not suggest it and does not encourage nor assume that I should continue.

I too had two C-sections. This doesn't make me any less insensitive to my husband'a personal business with his body. I know it's popular and expected for women to bemoan how annoying or lazy their husbands are, or other negatives, but I don't have that situation. We love and respect each other, and I don't assume any procedure would be "nothing, compared to" something I'd gone through.

[Anonymous]

I chose to take The Pill; he did not suggest it and does not encourage nor assume that I should continue.

I too had two C-sections. This doesn't make me any less insensitive to my husband'a personal business with his body. I know it's popular and expected for women to bemoan how annoying or lazy their husbands are, or other negatives, but I don't have that situation. We love and respect each other, and I don't assume any procedure would be "nothing, compared to" something I'd gone through.

well, why don't you just discuss it with him, then? I stopped the pill before having kids and never went back on. Neither of us wanted condoms. I had a diaphragm failure, so that was out. He decided, on his own steam, that the best, easiest solution was that he get a vasectomy. He actually said that I had borne all the responsibility for birth control and then pregnancy, etc, and it was his turn. I never brought it up--he did. While I never assumed the procedure would be "nothing," he also never assumed that taking the pill, or getting an IUD would be "nothing" either.

[Anonymous]

Iud or Essure.