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Does anyone know about the relationship to osteoporosis and younger women who choose the alternative by doing "Stop the Flow"? If anyone has done it or knows about it I am interested in the reaction to the bone density. Do the doctors give HRT since the ovaries cease to function and produce the estrogen necessary for bone health?
BB
Hemochromatosis Hysterectomy Seasonale Pregnancy Osteopenia Provera Menopause Endometriosis Osteoporosis Menstruation
What do you mean by "stop the flow"? Are you referring to continuous birth control (no placebo week)? My understanding is that BC pills have a much lower estrogen level than postmenopausal HRT (but I'm not a doctor, so I don't know for sure). That said, I was put on BC at age 14 for my osteopenia. Now I have osteoporosis, but I don't know whether my bones would have declined even faster without it. I take the placebo pills each month because I need to have my period to get rid of excess iron (I also have Hemochromatosis).
Thank you for responding to my question. I see television ads all the time to "stop the flow". I do not know if it is medicine or a procedure of some sort, but it allows women the opportuinty to cease having monthly periods. I do know it is not with the use of birth control pills.
Years ago when I had endeometriosis, prior to my hystercetomy I was given injections of Depro Provera to stop my periods. It gave my body a false sense of pregnancy. With no ovulation the endometriosis could not continue spreading. That also meant the ovaries were not able to do their job in helping bone growth. That is all I know.
I've never heard that term "Stop the Flow." Interesting. There is a BC pill called "Seasonale" that gives you four periods a year instead of 12 - I've seen TV commercials for that. It's also possible to get your doctor to prescribe 13 pill packs instead of 12 for the year, so that you never take the placebos and you always just take the estrogen pills. Then you never get your period. I've heard of women doing this for their honeymoons - but this sort of thing is all about convenience, not health.
Yo can google the phrase and tons of web sites come up on this procedure- you take a pill daily. My concern is bone health as a result of doing this. I am researching it more.
Are you talking about the procedure where they cauterize the inside of the uterus which results in a significantly lighter menstrual period or no menstruation at all? That procedure is called "Endometrial Ablation."
If that is what you're referring to, it is non-hormonal. A balloon like device is inserted into the uterus and hot water is circulated resulting in the formation of scar tissue on the interior of the uterus. The effect is the cessation of menstruation or significantly lighter periods.
As for taking the birth control pill continually, I take seasonal, and I actually skip the "low dose" week to not have any period at all. The reason I avoid having a period is due to extraordinarily painful menstrual cramps - thus no period, no cramps. I can't see how not having a period would affect bone density. If you take the pill for the estrogen to assist in bone building (or prevent/reduce the calcium depletion due to low estrogen levels), whether you take the "placebo" pills or not wouldn't impact the estrogen levels from a bone density point of view - that I can see. But, I'm not a doctor either.
The only reason women have a "period" while on birth control pills is from the long standing belief that women needed a period (admittedly, there are medical reasons which would necessitate a period for some people) and to provide some assurance to women that they were not pregnant while taking the pill.
Don't know if this is at all helpful.
I am talking about the daily pill they must take. I was not aware of the option cauterizing the inside of the uterus.
I am an author on living with severe osteoporosis. And am doing research for my second book coming out the beginning of next year. This was a topic brought up to me by people who have read my book- asking for info on this topic. From what I have been told and learned- women take a low dose estrogen pill if they stop the flow. However, it is not supposed to be enough to assist in bone health compared to the ovaries aiding in bone health. That is why menopause and early menopause from a hysterectomy (my case at 24) causes osteoporosis without HRT or too low a dose.
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