Undoing the damage done by birth control; please help

MrsY

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Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
1
This is my first post here, so forgive me if it's long winded (or needy).
Dr. Peat's work fascinates me; as does his fearless self experimentation. I want to fix my body, or at least, try to negate the damage I did to it, unknowingly...and I've come here for help. I'm not looking for a cure or for someone else to do the "work," just feedback and experience.

From age 17-25, with a few 4-6 month breaks, I was on birth control; either Yasmin or Yaz. Both, from my understanding, have a higher level of synthetic progesterone, but also dose high estrogen. I was put on them because of acne and heavy periods, which made my work (I teach and compete in traditional Karate) difficult. I would spill (sorry for TMI) and ache enough that striking with power was just painful. It killed my performance. While doing this, I was a hardcore vegan who relied on soymilk, hemp protein, and tofu for much of my nutrition. I understand the estrogenic/inflammatory connotations of this, NOW.

I stayed on them through my relationship with my husband, but I now know the excess estrogen and synthetic progesterone did some damage. I have not cut PUFA yet but I stopped supplementing it after reading Dr. Peat's work (I thought I was doing myself a FAVOR).

At age 23, I tried to get off "the pill," for the first time. I'd read it was damaging and was willing to just wear a diaper to train if need be. I immediately went back to overwhelming menstrual flow and, to top it off, after two months, developed a lump in my right breast. I was very scared; after an ultrasound confirmed that nothing was out of the ordinary, I was told by a breast specialist that this is common coming off the pill and it only happened because I was off the pill. I waited another five months (on my instinct) and went back on the pill on urging from another doctor. I was told by the doc that the pill would help prevent any further breast issues, and would prevent me developing endometriosis and fibrocystic breast disease, which plagued my mother. I get it, this is BS. I remember first realizing that a lot of Doctors had either lied to me, or had just fed me drug taglines from a pharmaceutical rep; I don't think I'll ever trust a traditional doctor again.

I've been off the pill for a year to a year and a half, now. As I neared my cycle, the lump in my right breast would always harden; which I understand is common with FBS, and which I believe was the beginnings of the fibrocystic breast issues my mother experienced. During the Fukishima disaster, I was near the west coast, and started taking kelp, for iodine, and selenium for absorption because of the fears of the radiation cloud moving towards the coast; that turned out to be a bit of overkill, but it was a great thing because can 100% attest that when I take iodine in my diet the lump is gone. When I go off it, the lump comes back. I don't know the connotations of this for my thyroid, although I have read compelling research that iodine is stored in the ovaries, uterus and breast tissue and can be anti-carcinogenic. Because I know the risks I now have for all of these diseases thanks to my pill usage, I would like anyone's thoughts/feedback about the iodine. I did take too much last month and I think that's why my cycle came 18 days apart (this is the first and only time this has ever happened).

Going off the pill my hormones were all over the place. I started cleaning up my diet; all organic meat and cheese, lots of organic veggies sauteed in butter or coconut oil, organic fruits, etc. I soak and sprout all beans and lentils. I make bone broths from organic, humanely raised chickens and daily drink coffee with gelatin, grassfed butter, and coconut oil. I have recently exchanged stevia in glycerine for coconut sugar or raw honey in my coffee and tea; I understand this is actually healthier, having read Dr. Peat's work.

For almost 6 months, I took Progest-E; approx 3 drops under my tongue from day 14 to end of cycle. I was very concerned about it because of being on the pill; I was worried about taking any hormones, at all. However it regulated my cycle to a clockwork 28 days and seemed to help my acne; but for the last three months, my breasts would swell (something they did the entire time I was on the pill; I was a large D cup on the pill, and I am normally a small C) very painfully and got large; D-cup size- and my periods became very painful and heavy again. So I went off it. I have only been three months off of it and, as I said earlier, last month my cycle was 18 days apart (I believe due to excess iodine) and now, it is late. I'd like to say I'm pregnant but I highly doubt it, my husband has been gone for the entire month of April and I should have ovulated the first week of April.

I'm tired of fighting my poor body with chemicals and not trusting it. I hate doctors. I went in to ask about my cycle being early and they didn't even look at anything I said ^above^ just said I should go back on the pill. I've not fully cut PUFA but I'm ready. My husband and I desperately want to start a family and I'm very afraid of ending up with a "frozen pelvis," before I get to meet our children. SO. This morning my food looked like this:

Carrot salad
1 pastured egg fried in coconut oil, 1 orange, 1 cup or organic coffee with sugar, butter, gelatin and coconut oil


I'm on a few supplements which I would list, but I'm going to cut them all out and just wait, let the dietary PUFA clear, and hopefully get feedback and do research to find what will be most healthy. I have always used a cast-iron pan, (we don't even own a microwave) but today I switched to an enameled cast iron, which I read doesn't leach iron into food while being cooked.

Any feedback, thoughts, or help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. What do I eat for lunch, then dinner? Is there anyone else with an experience like mine?
 

Edle

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2012
Messages
54
Sorry to hear about everything that happened to you. It saddens me how doctors still throw the birth control pill at women for any hormonal issue. I was on the pill for years myself (16 years with short breaks), so I know how you feel.

It will probably take you quite some time to figure things out. There is a lot of info on this forum and in Peat´s own articles. It has taken time for me, and I am still learning/experimenting. Some thoughts:

- Are you tracking your cycle with FAM or another similar method? It would probably help you to know exactly when you are ovulating to know how many days your luteal phase is. I think it will also help for you to log exactly when in your cycle different problems occur so that you can see the pattern.
- Are you getting enough sugar/carbs? If I were you I would log my food intake once per week and calculate calories/ratios from carbs, fat and protein.
- Eating 5-7 meals per day might help regulate blood sugar and hormonal production. It improved things for me.
- Do you have any symptoms of low thyroid? Maybe addressing the thyroid before taking Progest-E could help (I did). Another supplement to consider is pregnenolone (I took it before starting Progest-E). In my experience you have to be very careful with the dosing. Anything more than 50 mg would mess me up significantly.

I can´t say much about iodine. I took kelp for a period, but it did not improve things. I don´t take any now, but I eat quite a lot of seafood.
 

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