Squicky Topic at 7 X Sunday

[tehfanglyfish]

A friend of mine put her daughter on BC pills relatively young (like 14 I think) to regulate her periods and help with PMS/acne issues. She was saying that the contraception thing is also a huge plus of course, because it will be needed eventually. Are there drawbacks that anyone knows of for doing this? It doesn't sound like a bad plan from my pov.

I would have been sooooooooo grateful if my mom had done this when I was younger. PMS for me was a nightmare - severe cramping that OTC painkillers couldn't defeat (that started in my abdomen and traveled down my leg to my knee), simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea, hot and cold flashes, and heavy bleeding. When I was 17 I took myself to the health department and got on BC. I've had 11.5 years of continuous use with no major side effects, and all I can say is that the fundies can have my pills when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers. The only thing I would recommend would maybe your friend should get her daughter on a monophasic, lower dose pill as a lot of people seem to tolerate those better. (I have no stats for this, only anecdotes.)

ETA: There are some side effects with BC, but for me the trade off made them worth it. I was seriously incapacitated for 1-2 days each month and if you're trying to go to school, hold a job, etc., you can't just stay at home because you have your period. My mom also had bad periods and claimed that what fixed hers was getting pregnant with me. I understand why a lot of people might want to stay off of BC - and that some people can't tolerate it at all - it just completely altered my quality of life in very positive ways.

[bananacat]

A friend of mine put her daughter on BC pills relatively young (like 14 I think) to regulate her periods and help with PMS/acne issues. She was saying that the contraception thing is also a huge plus of course, because it will be needed eventually. Are there drawbacks that anyone knows of for doing this? It doesn't sound like a bad plan from my pov.

As others have noted, the biggest risk is side effect. Many women and girls get minimal bad side effects and only the good ones, but some women get bad things too.

For long-term risks, taking hormonal birth control for more than 10 years can increase the risk of breast cancer, but it also drastically reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. If you have a family history of breast cancer it's definitely a concern to bring up with your doctor, but it reduces the risk of some cancers by a higher percentage than it raises the risk for others, if that makes any sense.

[antifundie]

I know enough women who have ditched the pill because of side effects (and who have no moral problem with contraception) that it wouldn't be my first line of thinking for a daughter with issues. Low libido might be viewed as a positive for teens, lol, but hormonal rage and severe mood swings not so much. Every medication has side effects and possible problematic effects. I'm a little uncomfortable with the Pill being seen as a panacea. Got a female problem? Any female problem? You need the Pill! :?

The pediatrician we saw wanted each of us gals on birth control in our early teens. Parents left it up to us, and two of us said no. The youngest eventually did go on it, and hated it with a passion. She didn't find the benefits to outweigh the negatives.

I have been through hemorrhagic periods and all kinds of reproductive garbage. Definitely wouldn't leave a daughter to suffer, and would be extremely pro-active in finding ways to help her. The Pill-as-medication might figure into that, but it wouldn't be the first thing I'd jump to.

I don't know that I would automatically assume that a kid needed the pill, BUT, I do think a trip to the doctor is in order. They could prescribe painkillers, or see if there is something wrong. Yes, I love the pill and it's made my life better, but I don't think it's a cure all for every female ill. On the other hand, I do think regular doctor visits (to the Ladybits doctor) are a good idea, even if "all" you find out is that you're perfectly normal. That can be a scary time for young women, and some things can be unexpected (clots, for example)--so having a doctor tell you that you're fine could be helpful. Obviously if you have something else wrong (PCOS, Endo, cysts) it's good to know that too.

[Austin]

A friend of mine put her daughter on BC pills relatively young (like 14 I think) to regulate her periods and help with PMS/acne issues. She was saying that the contraception thing is also a huge plus of course, because it will be needed eventually. Are there drawbacks that anyone knows of for doing this? It doesn't sound like a bad plan from my pov.

I think it's a rather good plan. Despite all of the anecdotal stuff that people come up with, and not to say they don't have those experiences, but it seems like the majority of women use the pill with no problem and if they have side effects, they are good ones. I can think of about 7 women friends off the top of my head who use the birth control pills and love them. I have been on the pill for years and have yet to have a cramp or any irregularity at all. My period comes very predictably (always within an 8-12 hour window the fourth day after I am finished with my pack). I have no PMS ever; in fact, I almost forget what that is like it's been so long since I've had any at all.

In fact, a couple of years ago I went off the pill b/c I took some notion in my head that I was getting older and should not be on it for much longer. I was fitted for a diaphragm which I had used during the first years of marriage, so I was very comfortable using it. However, I just did not feel well physically and did not feel "like myself". I had less energy and just generally didn't feel well around my periods (not cramps specifically, just general malaise). After about four months of this, I called my doctor up and asked to go back on them and I was almost immediately restored. Maybe coincidence? I don't know - anything is possible.

If I had a daughter, I would certainly encourage her to give the pill a try unless there was some medical reason why she should not.

[ricky_ticky]

We should direct them to Lady Lydia's post on speaking with dignity. No Lady topics in front of the men! It's pathetic that the free jinger-ites can show the fundies where to get their info on to be more godly, biblical women.

[joe_mulcahy]

Why doesn't that silly fellow think back to when he was a lad and ask himself if he would want to talk to his mum about his wet dreams, or about wankering off? And has anyone answered this topic at 7X Sunday yet?

I come from a very liberal home (I was given an answer to anything I asked, including being taught about the menstrual cycle at age six, and clothing was optional on warmer days, and even if I chose to go about starkers in the winter my parents would probably have allowed me to do so, although my dad might prepare hot cocoa for me), but even though my mum was a nurse, I'd not feel very comfortable discussing something of that nature. She did attempt to care for me when I suffered blunt trauma to the groin, but when she saw that I was humiliated by it, she let my dad take me to the accident and emergency.

[yearning4freedom]

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. The idea that the daughter could have anything private from her father obviously threatens this dad. It's emotional incest and to me is a warning flag that physical incest might already have happened. That could be another reason for a father to want to know about the daughter's cycles - just in case you weren't squicked enough.

What did the 7xPsychos respond ?

This is what I thought when I first read this too.

[yearning4freedom]

[quote

I'm sorry but what?! :o I can't imagine being over at somebody's house and seeing that on the fridge. I would have died a thousand deaths back when I was a teenager.

[liltwinstar]

YFF, what was the point of doing that? Was it to make sure you were healthy, or what? How was it explained to you?

I mean, I used to (sorta) keep track of my own, but teenagers can be irregular anyway, and I don't know why it would have to be family business, you know? Sorry you had to go through that :(

[yearning4freedom]

YFF, what was the point of doing that? Was it to make sure you were healthy, or what? How was it explained to you?

I mean, I used to (sorta) keep track of my own, but teenagers can be irregular anyway, and I don't know why it would have to be family business, you know? Sorry you had to go through that :(

Edited for too being too personal

[yearning4freedom]

1 Response on 7xSunday:

Yes, I would have been horrified if my father had wanted to discuss my period when I was 14.... BUT.... I think you have to think through his motives for wanting to ask. Maybe he wants everyone to be happy and wants to " fix" things that seem " broken" within the family.... So I think I'd keep this in mind before I went to him and discussed ( carefully in love) that this is an extremely embarressing thing for a girl to discuss with her father. I think I would ask him what his concerns are and make sure he felt secure in knowing that I would deal with anything that needed to be handled, and that I could do it well since I am also a woman. I think if you word this very carefully and let your husband know that you appreciate his care and concern, maybe he will be more willing to back down. If not, your daughter's embarressed reaction will probably keep him quiet when he asks.>

[longskirtlotsakids]

This is serious VC Andrews shit, right here.

Does the Call Me Daddy pervert want to know about his little boy's first Big Boy Boner? Is he checking his sheets for nocturnal emissions?

Of course not! That would be sick or something!