Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | all about IBS and birth control...

This has been discussed A LOT in the past on these boards. I did a search and came up with tons of posts. There are more in the Living Room too; these are just from the Diet board:

updates on birth control
ibs and bcp
bcp
bcp and ibs symptoms?
ibs and bcp 2
bcp 2
new member...(whole thread is not about bcp, but there is a really good discussion about it inside it)
"17 and constipated"
connection between ibs and yasmine?

Unfortunately, there is not much consensus in any of these posts. Yes, there is lactose in the pills, which *could* be an obvious trigger. Also the fact that the pill affects your hormones could effect your IBS, which could be good - or bad. Here's what Heather said once about the pill (from this post):

However, the experiences of women with IBS on the pill are, it seems, so different. Some find that yes, going off the pill can help their symptoms. However others find that going ON the pill makes them better, perhaps because they regulate hormones. One thing is for sure though - the connection between IBS sypmtoms and women's hormones has definitely been made scientifically (for more info on that check out the Research Library section called "Gender and Hormones" or something like that). However the effects of this connection are not clear, or the same for everyone, it seems.

Personally, my IBS started around the time I went on the pill. Coincidence or not, I have no idea. I switched to the patch about a year ago on the advice of my doctor (to bypass the digestive system). Some women find success with that, so it might be an option you might want to consider (you should be aware though that there has been some recent warnings from the FDA about the patch). For me, it didn't make much difference. I've since gone off hormonal birth control all together, and that hasn't made much of a difference to my symptoms either, though it does for some women.

I know you're probably looking for a straight answer, so all this is probably not what you want to hear, is it?

Definitely have a read-through of some of those older posts to see the experiences of some of the other women here on the boards. Talk about it with a doctor (make an appointment and specify that you need a LONG time with the doctor) and discuss with her or him your IBS history, your reproductive history, how your periods are, why you want to go on the pill, your concerns/thoughts/researchon the possible effects to your IBS... etc...

Hope this helps, and good luck!

P.S. As for barrier methods, I cannot think of any reason that these should irritate IBS.

Edited by retrograde (01/15/06 11:33 AM)

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