Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Birth Control Pill

mtrubitz

Recommended Posts

mtrubitz Newbie
mtrubitz
Posted

Does anyone know if absorption of hormones in birth contol pills is effected by celiac disease? I have been gluten free for 2 months and I am starting to feel super moody. I am wondering if maybe I hadn't been absorbing the hormones befrore and now that I am starting to heal I am adjusting to actually absorbing the hormones now. Help!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

It is possible. Hence, even though I am hopefully on the road to full recovery, I am switching to nuvaring--where hormones are absorbed directly into the bloodstream...

lizzy Apprentice
lizzy
Posted
It is possible.  Hence, even though I am hopefully on the road to full recovery, I am switching to nuvaring--where hormones are absorbed directly into the bloodstream...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hi whats nuvaring is that the patch ?

danikali Enthusiast
danikali
Posted
Does anyone know if absorption of hormones in birth contol pills is effected by celiac disease?  I have been gluten free for 2 months and I am starting to feel super moody.  I am wondering if maybe I hadn't been absorbing the hormones befrore and now that I am starting to heal I am adjusting to actually absorbing the hormones now.  Help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't quite answer your question but I will tell you, before I knew anything about gluten intolerance and celiac disease, and before I knew anything was seriously wrong with me, I had HUGE problems on the birth control (Yasmine to be exact)- I started out very moody, and the longer I was on it, the more into depression I fell. I asked NUMEROUS doctors about it, and they had no clue. Then I went online and found out that there are a lot of people who get severely depressed on the pill, and I'm thinking, because you have celiac disease, it is worse because for a while, you were completely depleting any vitamans you were eating. And you said you have only been on the diet for about 2 months which means your body is not completely healed yet.

I went off the birth control and after a couple of month was COMPLETLEY myself again........I had no idea! Then I also found out that the pill depletes vitaman B, which majorly connects to how your brain reacts. So, if you want to stay on the pill, you should probably try and take vitaman B supplements to get that extra umph in your brain that the pill may be taking away! :rolleyes:

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

nuvaring is the flexible ring you insert. you only have to worry about it twice a month, when you put it in and take it out. i have several friends who've tried it and none have had problems with it. a few here have tried it, maybe they will post their thoughts on it. i also like it b/c it has less hormones than the oral. i have a celiac friend, diagnosed 10 yrs ago who was was vigilant about her BC, but got pregnant twice while on it ! sometimes 'accidents' happen, but i do follow the logic that absorption issues are possible with celiac disease for meds, and food as we already know. the one unknown i guess is how "healed" you are, and how "improved" your absorption is. anywho, i have an appt tommorrow with my OB to switch to nuvaring. i can let you know what i think or if i learn anything else if you are interested.

go here to read about it: Open Original Shared Link

mtrubitz, can i ask why you are wanting to go on the pill? is it a medical reason or just birth control? there are some who issues with BC, as lizzy states, but most women i know do pretty well. i hope to go off of it for good in the next few years...as no meds is always better.

i do not recommend the patch. i know several others who have had pretty severe reactions to it--. last week i think someone posted a thread on the patch and that women on it were being asked to see their docs as it was secreting too many hormones. anyone know where that thread is? :) am i remembering correctly?

here is another BC thread you can ck out: Open Original Shared Link

mtrubitz Newbie
mtrubitz
Posted
  • Author
nuvaring is the flexible ring you insert.  you only have to worry about it twice a month, when you put it in and take it out.  i have several friends who've tried it and none have had problems with it.  a few here have tried it, maybe they will post their thoughts on it.  i also like it b/c it has less hormones than the oral.  i have a celiac friend, diagnosed 10 yrs ago who was was vigilant about her BC, but got pregnant twice while on it !  sometimes 'accidents' happen, but i do follow the logic that absorption issues are possible with celiac disease for meds, and food as we already know.  the one unknown i guess is how "healed" you are, and how "improved" your absorption is.  anywho, i have an appt tommorrow with my OB to switch to nuvaring.  i can let you know what i think or if i learn anything else if you are interested.

go here to read about it:  Open Original Shared Link

mtrubitz, can i ask why you are wanting to go on the pill?  is it a medical reason or just birth control?  there are some who issues with BC, as lizzy states, but most women i know do pretty well.  i hope to go off of it for good in the next few years...as no meds is always better. 

i do not recommend the patch.  i know several others who have had pretty severe reactions to it--.  last week i think someone posted a thread on the patch and that women on it were being asked to see their docs as it was secreting too many hormones.  anyone know where that thread is?  :)  am i remembering correctly?

here is another BC thread you can ck out:  Open Original Shared Link

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have been on the pill for 7 years now...only recently am I starting to notice the emotional changes. Thanks for all the feedback!

mookie03 Contributor
mookie03
Posted
Does anyone know if absorption of hormones in birth contol pills is effected by celiac disease?  I have been gluten free for 2 months and I am starting to feel super moody.  I am wondering if maybe I hadn't been absorbing the hormones befrore and now that I am starting to heal I am adjusting to actually absorbing the hormones now.  Help!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was most recently on Yasmin but went off of it around the same time i stopped eating gluten, so i guess i cant really tell if it would have been better. But before going gluten free, I had some "absorption" problems in that i kept experiencing breakthrough bleeding, clotting and such. This may be a stupid question, but i have to ask: does this potential absorption problem mean that the pill is less effective for us? (or was when we were eating gluten?)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


hapi2bgf Contributor
hapi2bgf
Posted

Well according to my gastro, pre-celiac diagnosis, since my villi were flat and I was suffering from malnutition, he was suprised that I had not gotten pregnant while on the pill. Take it for what it is worth, but it made sense to me. Pre-gluten-free diet I wasn't absorbing anything very well so I would think the medicine would also not be absorbed very well. While on the gluten-free diet, without accidents, the pill should be perfectly safe.

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

hapi2bgf, i agree that if you are gluten-free and healed...it shouldn't be an issue. i have chosen to switch at this point, b/c the nuvaring uses a lot less hormones... the less the better i say!

mookie03 Contributor
mookie03
Posted
Well according to my gastro, pre-celiac diagnosis, since my villi were flat and I was suffering from malnutition, he was suprised that I had not gotten pregnant while on the pill. Take it for what it is worth, but it made sense to me. Pre-gluten-free diet I wasn't absorbing anything very well so I would think the medicine would also not be absorbed very well. While on the gluten-free diet, without accidents, the pill should be perfectly safe.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

wow, that is such a relief to know- it sounds like u actually have a knowledgable doctor :)

needless to say, i wont be eating gluten anytime soon, but if this is true, it puts a lot of undiagnosed celiacs at risk for accidental pregnancy!

Kelly Langenfeld Newbie
Kelly Langenfeld
Posted

I've been on many different BC pills b/c my doctors thought that I had endometriosis d/t chronic abdominal pain back in the mid 90's (it was always only celiac-undiagnosed). Two laparoscopies showed nothing abnormal.

I've been on Yasmin for several years and I absolutely love it. There's no weight gain with Yasmin, as there is commonly with the other BC pills. It also does an amazing job with clearing up your complexion, and doesn't make your breasts hurt the week before your period. I was on the Yasmin both before and after my Feb. '04 diagnosis and haven't seen any difference in my moodiness as a result.

If I had to hypothesize re: why you are having trouble with depression and mood swings, I speculate that it has a lot more to do with the huge life changes that you have made with being gluten free and allowing your body to heal. Celiac has been far more of an emotional adjustment for me than a physical/physiological one.

--Kelly :)

Kelly Langenfeld Newbie
Kelly Langenfeld
Posted

After further thought re: your question, maybe your body is absorbing more of the pill due to your villi healing. Call your MD's nurse and ask he/she to refer the question to your OB MD for their thoughts on the matter.

Maybe you need to switch to a lower hormone dosage now that your body is healing.

Intriguing question!

--Kelly <_<

P.S. Please let us know if you find out the answer to this!

tstarbrat Newbie
tstarbrat
Posted
:( Hello all I just wanted to say something about the patch. I was on the patch for about 7 months when recently I received a call from my doctor that it is no longer considered safe. I was told that there is a pretty big risk of blood clots and strokes. A much bigger risk than the pill or any other bc thats out there right now. I work at a university and most of the doctors if not all all (this is according to my doctor and the cvs pharmacy where i pick up my px) at the health center took their patients off the patch and are asking them to take something else. My doctor told me that he refuses to write the px for any of his patients. He said if i did want to take it I would have to get another doctor to write the px. I have been seeing this doctor for 5 years now and I trust him. If anyone out there is on the patch ask your doctor about the risks now associated with it. The newest findings were received about a week and a half ago. I don't want to scare anyone but I have just been sharing this with all of my girlfriends because some of them heard nothing about it from their docs until they asked!
bluelotus Contributor
bluelotus
Posted

I too am on Yasmin, and like Kelly, I love it. I was on Ortho for several years prior to switching to Yasmin and it was terrible. I had tried various products of Orhto's (various pill strengths, the patch) with similar results - moodiness, break through bleeding, cramps, etc. I switched to Yasmin and have been fine. I was dxd with celiac disease while on Yasmin and haven't noticed any differences since going gluten-free. I think that people are just so variable, that what works for some doesn't for others. I wish you luck in figuring out what works for you.

skbird Contributor
skbird
Posted

I tried the nuvaring and didn't like my reaction. However, I was on various BCPs for 13 years and off for the past 4, and I'm beginning to think that my emotional problems in my 20's are a result of being on the pill, something I just never realized.

My recent attempt at the Nuvaring left me very emotionally bent out of shape, plus dampened my already low sex drive and caused internal irritation. My doctor was surprised by these comments, but it was genuinely what I experienced. Bummer - I was trying it to lessen my endometriosis symptoms. Anyway, I really liked the concept - not having to take a daily pill, also using less hormones and they were straight in the bloodstream, not in my liver, but it just didn't work for me.

The past three-four years of my life have been the most calm and I occasionally marvel at that, without knowing exactly why this is the case. I have done a lot with my diet, which certainly is part to blame, but my attempt at birth control hormones really screwed me up, and now I realize that must have been a very large part of my unstable moods before, as well. The fact it took me two weeks to get over one week of using the ring speaks for itself. Scary.

Stephanie

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

i'll be starting nuvaring in a few weeks. i'll let you all know what i think, if you're interested :)

mtrubitz Newbie
mtrubitz
Posted
  • Author

Thanks so much for all of your input. I will be meeting with my Dr next week to discuss birth control options. I will keep you updated and let you know what she has to say about Celiac and absoption of the pill.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Known1
      - Known1 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      12

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I live in the upper mid-west and was just diagnosed with marsh 3c celiac less than a month ago. As a 51 year old male, I now take a couple of different gluten free vitamins. I have not noticed any reaction to either of these items. Both were purchased from Amazon. 1. Nature Made Multivitamin For Him with No Iron 2. Gade Nutrition Organic Quercetin...
    2. SilkieFairy
      - SilkieFairy replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      I am doing a gluten challenge right now and I bought vital wheat gluten so I can know exactly how much gluten I am getting. One tablespoon is 7g so 1½ tablespoons of Vital Wheat Gluten per day will get you to 10g You could add it to bean burgers as a binder or add to hot chocolate or apple sauce and stir.
    3. Scott Adams
      0

      Celiac Disease Beyond the Western World: Hidden Populations, Changing Diets, and Growing Awareness

    4. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      Raising you vitamin D will increase absorption of calcium automatically without supplementation of calcium. A high PTH can be caused by low D causing poor calcium absorption; not insuffient calcium intake. With low D your body is not absorbing calcium from your food so it steals it from your bones. Heart has priority over bone. I've been taking 1...
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it. Gluten is the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part. Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein. Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,360
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Known1
    Newest Member
    Known1
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Known1
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Known1 · Posted

      I live in the upper mid-west and was just diagnosed with marsh 3c celiac less than a month ago.  As a 51 year old male, I now take a couple of different gluten free vitamins.  I have not noticed any reaction to either of these items.  Both were purchased from Amazon. 1.  Nature Made Multivitamin For Him with No Iron 2.  Gade Nutrition Organic Quercetin with Bromelain Vitamin C and Zinc Between those two, I am ingesting 2000 IU of vitamin D per day. Best of luck, Known1
    • SilkieFairy
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      I am doing a gluten challenge right now and I bought vital wheat gluten so I can know exactly how much gluten I am getting. One tablespoon is 7g so 1½ tablespoons of Vital Wheat Gluten per day will get you to 10g You could add it to bean burgers as a binder or add to hot chocolate or apple sauce and stir. 
    • Wheatwacked
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Raising you vitamin D will increase absorption of calcium automatically without supplementation of calcium.  A high PTH can be caused by low D causing poor calcium absorption; not insuffient calcium intake.  With low D your body is not absorbing calcium from your food so it steals it from your bones.  Heart has priority over bone. I've been taking 10,000 IU D3 a day since 2015.  My doctor says to continue. To fix my lactose intolerance, lots of lactobacillus from yogurts, and brine fermented pickles and saurkraut and olives.  We lose much of our ability to make lactase endogenosly with maturity but a healthy colony of lactobacillus in our gut excretes lactase in exchange for room and board. The milk protein in grass fed milk does not bother me. It tastes like the milk I grew up on.  If I drink commercial milk I get heartburn at night. Some experts estimate that 90% of us do not eat Adequite Intake of choline.  Beef and eggs are the principle source. Iodine deficiency is a growing concern.  I take 600 mcg a day of Liquid Iodine.  It and NAC have accelerated my healing all over.  Virtually blind in my right eye after starting antihypertensive medication and vision is slowly coming back.  I had to cut out starches because they drove my glucose up into the 200+ range.  I replaced them with Red Bull for the glucose intake with the vitamins, minerals and Taurine needed to process through the mitochodria Krebs Cycle to create ATP.  Went from A1c 13 down to 7.9.  Work in progress. Also take B1,B2,B3,B5,B6. Liquid Iodine, Phosphatidyl Choline, Q10, Selenium, D and DHEA.     Choline supplemented as phosphatidylcholine decreases fasting and postmethionine-loading plasma homocysteine concentrations in healthy men +    
    • knitty kitty
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it.  Gluten is  the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part.  Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate  ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein.   Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat, and bran is the protective covering of the kernel.   Little to no gluten there.   Large amounts of lectins are in wheat germ and can cause digestive upsets, but not enough Gluten to provoke antibody production in the small intestines. Luckily you still have time to do a proper gluten challenge (10 grams of gluten per day for a minimum of two weeks) before your next appointment when you can be retested.    
    • knitty kitty
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3.  Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C.  Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine.   Weight gain with a voracious appetite is something I experienced while malnourished.  It's symptomatic of Thiamine B1 deficiency.   Conversely, some people with thiamine deficiency lose their appetite altogether, and suffer from anorexia.  At different periods on my lifelong journey, I suffered this, too.   When the body doesn't have sufficient thiamine to turn food, especially carbohydrates, into energy (for growth and repair), the body rations what little thiamine it has available, and turns the carbs into fat, and stores it mostly in the abdomen.  Consuming a high carbohydrate diet requires additional thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  Simple carbohydrates (sugar, white rice, etc.) don't contain thiamine, so the body easily depletes its stores of Thiamine processing the carbs into fat.  The digestive system communicates with the brain to keep eating in order to consume more thiamine and other nutrients it's not absorbing.   One can have a subclinical thiamine insufficiency for years.  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so the symptoms can wax and wane mysteriously.  Symptoms of Thiamine insufficiency include stunted growth, chronic fatigue, and Gastrointestinal Beriberi (diarrhea, abdominal pain), heart attack, Alzheimer's, stroke, and cancer.   Thiamine improves bone turnover.  Thiamine insufficiency can also affect the thyroid.  The thyroid is important in bone metabolism.  The thyroid also influences hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, and menopause.  Vitamin D, at optimal levels, can act as a hormone and can influence the thyroid, as well as being important to bone health, and regulating the immune system.  Vitamin A is important to bone health, too, and is necessary for intestinal health, as well.   I don't do dairy because I react to Casein, the protein in dairy that resembles gluten and causes a reaction the same as if I'd been exposed to gluten, including high tTg IgA.  I found adding mineral water containing calcium and other minerals helpful in increasing my calcium intake.   Malabsorption of Celiac affects all the vitamins and minerals.  I do hope you'll talk to your doctor and dietician about supplementing all eight B vitamins and the four fat soluble vitamins because they all work together interconnectedly.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.