What medical conditions would make contraceptives medically necessary?

[usregimechange]

Real question, not a comment. Thanks.

[Generic Brad]

1. Severe halitosis?

That would do the trick for me.

[Lisa0825]

2. Google is your friend.

http://www.nyu.edu/shc/medservices/oral.contraceptives.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. some women have severe pelvic pain from endometriosis. Pill helps tremendously

[customerserviceguy]

4. Fertility?

Without contraception, we'd be reproducing like rabbits.

[mrs_p]

5. endometriosis,

hypermenorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, taking medications that would lead to severe birth defects, just to name a few...

[usregimechange]

28. +1

[Greybnk48]

31. Add to mrs_P amenorrhea and polycystic ovarian disease.

Lots of conditions.

[Warren DeMontague]

40. Yeah. my ex had started the pill when she was 13, because of endometriosis.

Not that anyone should ever have to justify getting birth control, ever.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. I just did a quick Google - here is a list

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/med-uses-ocp.html

"Adolescent girls and young women are frequently prescribed birth control pills for irregular or absent menstrual periods, menstrual cramps, acne, PMS, endometriosis, and for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Girls who are diagnosed with PCOS are often prescribed oral contraceptives to lower their hormone levels and regulate their menstrual periods."

much more - snip

[uppityperson]

7. STDs.

[niyad]

8. if you are thinking of framing the "debate" in such terms, forget it--you cannot reach these people

on ANY grounds. the pure and simple fact is, the ONLY thing that should be necessary is a woman's desire to use said contraceptives.

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. +1 n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. +1

[MoonstoneHeart]

12. No, of course not. After all the Catholic Church is the church that considers it perfectly

acceptable for a mother to die if having an abortion is the only thing that will save her life.

The foul men in dresses have one use and one use only for women: to crank out more Catholics.

ETA: I went to Catholic school for 12 years.

[niyad]

18. and I got officially kicked out of the church for being pro-choice

[MoonstoneHeart]

47. I would have been too if they knew what I'd done

[niyad]

50. welcome to DU--

oh, they knew what I was doing--since I had a direct confrontation with the archbishop--he was not amused about an 18 year old woman challenging him, and being RIGHT

[provis99]

21. even so, these days

they still aren't cranking out Catholics so much as they are cranking out lapsed Catholics, thanks to the medieval ideas of the Vatican.

[blue neen]

26. Well said.

Welcome to DU!

[MoonstoneHeart]

46. Thank you!

[usregimechange]

15. Oh yes I can and just did with DU's help, of course she is a moderate.

[MoonstoneHeart]

9. My doctor prescribed them to try control heavy bleeding I had while waiting for

my hysterectomy after I was diagnosed with uterine cancer.

They didn't help much even though my doctor prescribed a double dose. I still bled so much in the weeks before my surgery that I became anemic and needed blood transfusions before my surgery.

The blood I have left runs cold at the thought of contraceptive coverage being held captive by the Catholic Church.

[usregimechange]

13. Thanks you guys!

[rurallib]

14. our oldest daughter had very irregular periods

right from the start so we had her checked up and on pills pretty early.
Plus heavy bleeding when she had a period.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

16. I know a girl who got a prescription for birth control pills-

-for severe menstrual cramps. Apparently her cramps were so bad that she was missing school because of them, and the pills kept them under control -This is what I was told, so I am only assuming it's true since I didn't know her in high school, and my source had no reason to lie about her.

[niyad]

19. I knew a number of young women who got the pill for that reason.

[Luminous Animal]

39. My sister would vomit and sometimes pass out...

the Pill mitigated both problems.

[Marrah_G]

17. Ovarian cysts, Menstrual issues, etc

BC is a hormone.

I had my tubes tied 18 years ago and was put on birth control 6 months ago. I live in MA so it's free.

[larkrake]

20. diabetes HIV prior genetic effected child MS, many more

[grilled onions]

22. Form Of Arthritis

For a young woman the arthritis would be nill while pregnant but as soon as the baby was born the arthritis would rage out of control. I was one of them and until I had a hysterectomy due to other problems contraceptives was very important.

[DevonRex]

23. Heart disease,

kidney disease and diabetes can become much worse during pregnancy.

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/a-guide-to-pregnancy-complications-ga14.htm

[JDPriestly]

24. Extremely painful menstruation for one.

Then there are women with physical conditions that make pregnancy extremely unwise -- a tear in the uterus, diabetes, various medical problems of that sort. Also, a confirmed (by DNA testing) tendency to have a child with a certain kind of genetic problem. It is cruel to bring a child into this world knowing that the child cannot survive more than a few hours or years.

Those are a few I can think of.

[jmowreader]

25. Severe recalcitrant nodular acne

This is what they prescribe Accutane for...and according to the package insert, you must use two forms of birth control when on this drug because of its ability to cause extreme birth defects, unless you are absolutely incapable of becoming pregnant.

From drugs.com:

Accutane can cause severe, life-threatening birth defects if the mother takes the medication during pregnancy. Even one dose of Accutane can cause major birth defects of the baby's ears, eyes, face, skull, heart, and brain. Never use Accutane if you are pregnant.

[The Midway Rebel]

27. Uterine Fibroids

Used to control the size of the tumors. My poor wife suffered for years before a complete hysterectormy finally solved the problem.

[TwilightGardener]

51. Yep--same for me. I was on them for 6 months until I had my hysterectomy. Kept me from

bleeding out.

[uppityperson]

29. Do you mean oral contraceptives, or all types contraceptives?

[targetpractice]

30. To prevent the likelihood of passing on a variety of genetic disorders knowingly...

It's reasonable to imagine that two partnered adults that are known to carry genes for genetic disorders such as sickle-cell anemia, Down's syndrome, Tay-Sachs, etc. (based on their family histories) would not want to risk conceiving children affected by such disorders.

[eShirl]

32. being between puberty and menopause

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. One that is common is women who have very strong bleeds once a month

the hormones help to regulate it and slow down the iron loss.

That is a serious answer.

[REP]

37. Depo-Provera is also used to treated menorrhagia and DUB

[dana_b]

43. yep

and that is exactly why I am on Mirena (or I HAVE Mirena). Seems that lots of women have this issue.

[mrmpa]

34. From a post I did earlier this week, might answer your question..........

My mother was cared for by a Doctor at a Catholic hospital. My mother miscarried twice in about a year's time. (1954-1955) After the 2nd miscarriage, the doctor handed my mom a brown paper bag in which he placed a diaphragm. He gave it to her because he thought she was getting pregnant too quickly, and didn't want her to have another miscarriage.

Mom used the diaphragm for about a year. She then got pregnant with me. My mother and that doctor both could have been arrested and served in time in jail.

This is what the repugs want, contraception illegal. I thank that doctor at the Catholic hospital who cared more for my mother's health than the doctrines of those he was employed by.

[Betsy Ross]

35. Polycystic ovaries

or Stein-Leventhal syndrome. Use BC pills to prevent egg development.

[REP]

36. FSGS. Pregnancy is contraindicated.

[LeftyMom]

38. Infertility.

Oddly enough oral contraceptives are a big part of many infertility treatments including egg harvesting for IVF and treatments for endometriosis and PCOS. When the cause of infertility is sperm allergy (seriously, it happens) the treatment is condom therapy, which involves using protected sex for a year to get the woman's system to stop producing many antibodies to attack sperm, then timing unprotected sex for conception.

[SwissTony]

44. Absolutely

I worked for severalyears in an IVF clinic as a statistician. The doctor I worked most with told me of the bemused look couples got on their face when he told them "I'm going to put you on the pill".

[Warren DeMontague]

41. A more pressing question is, what medical conditions would make letting an asshole in a big hat

with a proven record of helping child abusers escape criminal prosecution, be in charge of your sex life---

what medical conditions could possibly make that be medically necessary?




Honestly, I'm drawing a blank.

[MoonstoneHeart]

48. Maybe President Obama will address that in his official "cave" announcement!

[Warren DeMontague]

53. Or, maybe the GOP will explain that when they put Rick Santorum on the ticket and expressly state

that the 95% of Americans who support legal contraception should all be put in prison.

[Starry Messenger]

49. +1

[niyad]

52. exactly

[karynnj]

42. A few that I know of are:

PCOS, painful periods, severe PMS and other menstral disorders.

[RadiationTherapy]

45. Fertility without desire or means for child rearing.

[targetpractice]

57. Thanks for that!

It's amazing how easily this debate gets derailed with red herrings ... Thanks for reminding me how fundamentally obvious the argument really is.

Upon edit: Tried to be more eloquent.

[proud2BlibKansan]

54. Endometriosis

I suffered for over 30 years. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

And I eventually had to stop taking oral contraceptives due to complications.

[Kber]

55. Migraines, esp hormonally triggered ones, can sometimes be controlled by BC pills

mine were.

On another note, pregnancy is actually pretty dangerous and physically exhausting. There is a health benefit in limiting the number of times you become pregnant and give birth. (Or as mom says "they don't call it "labor" for nothing."

[TBF]

56. It will be a small number of cases, but those on other strong meds

are warned not to get pregnant once they start using them. For example I am on Humira for my arthritis and have been given that warning.

[AnnieBW]

58. Endometriosis, Uterine Polyps, Ovarian Cysts, Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

From Wikipedia:

The hormones in "the Pill" can also be used to treat other medical conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, adenomyosis, menstruation-related anemia and painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea). In addition, oral contraceptives are often prescribed as medication for mild or moderate acne.[116] The pill can also induce menstruation on a regular schedule for women bothered by irregular menstrual cycles or disorders where there is dysfunctional uterine bleeding. In addition, the Pill provides some protection against breast growth that is not cancer, ectopic pregnancy, vaginal dryness and menopause-related painful intercourse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_control_pill#Non-contraceptive_uses

[justiceischeap]

59. Early on-set menopause

I don't have to worry about getting pregnant but at the age of 30, I was placed on BC because I had started menopause, and though I was happy for it to come, the doctor's said I was too young, so she put me on BC to regulate my periods (and keep them coming, damn her! <-- Joke).

[Curmudgeoness]

60. Years ago, before birth control was covered by insurance,

my doctor always prescribed it with the a diagnosis of "heavy bleeding and cramping", even though it was not true. He said that this was not something that would put up red flags on my medical chart, but was helped by birth control pills.

[GobBluth]

61. Fibroids. Without hormonal BC my 3 kids may not be here

Only recently learned that I have a severe case (without hormonal treatment) of fibroids. When I was 16 I started bleeding for weeks off and on. It made me miss tons of school and I had no energy. Our family doc just put me on BCP, which stopped it.

When I got pregnant with my 3rd child, this history came up (thanks to a new great midwife working with my OB/GYNs). OB/GYN said "Sounds like you have fibroids". I was confused, as I (wrongly) thought that fibroids meant no babies. He just kind of chuckled, more so when he realized I have been on some kind of hormonal birth control for a decade. Ultrasound confirmed a small one. Doctor said, with my previous symptoms, that I probably would have had a somewhat severe case.

After my 3rd (and God Willing my LAST!!!), I was looking at all forms of permanent Birth control. Since my doctors feel I would have severe fibroids (meaning it would affect my quality of living, which it did during my teen years), that they would recommend a hysterectomy (not sure if they meant full or partial), instead of a tubal, or hormonal treatment. I got the Mirena (which took 6 months of pain, but now I LOVE it!!). No long periods, no pain, no major PMS. Also it helps should, if I go insane, I want another baby.

Hormonal Birth Control should be changed to "Hormonal Therapy" as many times this is what it really is, with prevention of pregnancy a side effect.

[alittlelark]

62. I developed an ovarian cyst at 15 yrs old.

I was put on high doses of birth control for a few (miserable) months, then put on the pill for 5 years or so.

The cyst caused intense paralyzing pain during ovulation.