Trying to Conceive, so My Doctor Put Me on Birth Control (No, That Isn't a Typo)
My fertility journey just got weirder by the tenfold. After finding out earlier this week that our first try at IVF will have to be postponed because of the fact that my ovaries haven’t been responding well to the fertility drug Lupron, my doctor informed me today that I’ll now need to go on the birth control pill.
Huh?
For those who’ve missed it, I’m considered an “early ovulator.” Because of this, my doctor put me on Lupron, which was intended to slow down my ovulation process. It didn’t. In fact, my over-active ovaries barely responded to the .10cc of Lupron I injected each day into my lower stomach for 15 days.
Since the doctor wants my ovaries to be fully mature when he retrieves them for IVF, my ovulation must be delayed. And since I haven’t responded to Lupron, my doctor now wants to put me on the birth control pill for three weeks in order to better control my ovulation.
Being put on birth control when you’re trying to conceive a baby feels like a giant step backward.
Being put on birth control when you’re trying to conceive a baby feels like a giant step backward. I realize that women who have struggled with infertility issues for years experience an outrageous amount of frustration and heartbreak during their journey, and I don’t mean to imply that my three-month trip on this road to motherhood can even compare to the hurdles and obstacles they have faced. But that doesn’t make this latest news any easier to swallow; having to take the birth control pill when all I want is to get pregnant sounds incredibly counterproductive.
Now is when I have to remind myself to trust what the doctors say. For so long and before my fertility journey began, I’ve been skeptical of western medicine and “following doctor’s orders.” Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think modern medicine is some great conspiracy or anything like that, but I do think we have the tendency to blindly follow whatever it is the doctors tell us because “they know best” – even if this means ignoring what our own bodies tell us or sacrificing personal beliefs when it comes to our medical care. I certainly don’t believe that all doctors are bad. I know they have saved countless lives and that we have much to be grateful for because of them.
It’s just so hard not to cock my head and scream, “Say what?!” when I’m told I have to take the birth control pill for three weeks before I can start trying to conceive. I haven’t had the easiest time with the cocktail of hormones and drugs that have been prescribed to me. It all seems so unnatural. But I know and so many mothers who have traveled this road before me have said that it will all be worth it in the end. That when I’m holding my little one, these moments will be hard to recall and that, really, nothing else will have mattered. Not the hows. Not the whys. Not any of this.
It is that thought that helps me get through these odd times. And if taking the birth control pill for three weeks is part of what must be done in order for me to have a baby, then so be it.
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That’s kind of crazy, but hopefully things work out for you! I am rooting for you to have the same happiness my partner and I have!
To me it makes sense. I am a person with PCOS and have a period every 2 weeks, but they have found out that they were just cyst or immature eggs. Going on birth control tells my body what it should be doing so as soon as I am off it will respond accordingly. I got pregnant with my DD immediately after having the mirena taken out because of the hormones. On my own without the hormone a cyst got pregnant so I had a sac but not baby and had to wait 17 months for my body to miscarry it. Pretty much what I am saying is the hormones can actually help you.
I would love to share our story of how we got pregnant with you. I don’t know if you tried to do it on your own without all the doctors or not (and obviously I am not talking about hetereosexual trying here), but we have talked to so many people who assumed that we did the sperm bank/artifical insemination with a doctor route and are surprised to know there are other alternatives without all the hormones, shots and costs.
At my fertility clinic, using birth control pills during IVF cycles was pretty standard, and served two main purposes – to get your body on a more predictable schedule, and to work in conjunction with the lupron to put your ovaries to sleep. I think it was something like 2 weeks on just birth control pills, then starting lupron, go off the pills a few days later, and a week after that, my ovaries were fully suppressed. Then they jumpstart them with the gonadotropins. Using birth control pills sounds totally counterproductive, but if you think of them for what they are – hormones, just like all other fertility meds – and what they do, I think it makes more sense to use them.
My reproductive endocrologist put me on BC to get me on a schedule they can work with before starting the IUI process. It sounds completely backwards, but the last time, it ended up with my beautiful daughter so I figured he knew what he was doing.
A year and a half ago I would have thought that was crazy, myself, but don’t let it scare you or get you down. It may actually be just what your body needs! I have PCOS & after finding out, the realization that I may never have babies (and if I did it would be difficult) was a big stab in the heart…everyone around me was having babies and I may never have that chance!? Truly a heartbreaking time for me. Well, my Dr. put me on BC (Yasmin) to regulate my hormones (which were out of control from the PCOS) & also put me on Metformin to help me in my weight loss. I really didn’t take the Metformin as I was suppose to because I was so depressed and didn’t think it was serving any purpose…I finally started taking it as prescribed and within a few months I I was pregnant! The BC had regulated my hormones & helped to normalize my period! Crazy thing is…I was ON BC when I got pregnant! My Dr. was as shocked as I was. I now have a beautiful 11 month old baby boy AND am 23 weeks pregnant with our little girl!!! I wasn’t even on ANY of the medication when I got pregnant this 2nd time…My Dr. was in complete disbelief! Keep your head up…your miracle will happen…Mine continues to!
It really sucks but try to keep your chin up. The road to conception thru infertility is a really really rough one. I speak from experience. But as I sit here watching my 3 year old watch Elmo and feel my new baby to be kick me in the ribs yet again as I count down the next 7 weeks until I get to meet him. I can tell you with no hesitation that it sucks but its so worth it. Both my kids are the product of IVF. I can tell you of the times I cried my eyes out at the thought of one more shot or one more round of birth control bills. The times of tantrums in the privacy of my room crying over why do I have to go thru this multiple times. Making a baby is supposed to be easy…. Ha what a joke. Best of luck to you!!!!
My Fiance and I were not trying to have a baby which is why i was on the birth control pill. Now, we have a bouncing 6 month old baby girl whom we love to death and would NEVER change what happened (the pregnancy) for anything. But I found this amusing because we made her while i was on the pill, and taking it every night before bed.
Yes, it sounds crazy, but trust the doctor! I always had a perfectly regular cycle, but couldn’t conceive (we assume it was because of endometriosis but we don’t know for sure), so we turned to IVF. The first thing my doctor did was put me on birth control. I, too, thought it counter-productive, but it was basically to manipulate my body into fitting into their very meticulous timetable. Exactly what Drew said above with the lupron, etc. Baby boy is now six months old!
Best of luck to you!
lorilei, I would love to hear how you did it. I’m ttc and really don’t want to do the hormone route.