From our guest editor, Fush.
I was on an estrogen-based pill, called Cyclessa from 2007- 2015. This pill was selected for me by Planned Parenthood due to it being low-dose and available there. After I got my own health insurance, I stayed on it because I wasn’t aware it was causing negative side effects. In 2015, I got off the pill and noticed two things.
A) ~5lb immediate weight loss.
2) No more migraines.
From 2012-2015, I had seen a series of specialists to try and get rid of the migraines, since they were debilitating and I was having 3-5 migraine days per month, most of which were incapacitating. I would generally blow through all my sick-time every year just on migraines. The specialists had me do things like track my migraines in a journal, take medication that lowered my blood pressure to the point that when I did somewhat strenuous activity, I would be on the verge on passing out. Finally, they settled on keeping me on the same pill but making it continuous (no periods) for 3 months at a time. I would skip most of those migraines, but still have some, and generally a few right before and after that period.
It turns out there was a far simpler option.
Switch birth controls.
I’m not sure why no doctor ever suggested this. I just recently started using the Nuvaring, which has the same hormones as an estrogen mix pill but at much lower levels, and I am not suffering from migraines (I have other side effects of course).
I’m also not sure why they didn’t have me switch to a monophasic birth control pill since the migraines were from the fluctuation in hormones.
Secondly, I had a Mirena IUD from 2015-2017 and I had no migraines, periods, or any real issues of that nature during that time (other side effects of course, cystic acne and depression).