Panic Attacks and Anxiety - Thank you BC Pill :(

Hi everyone!
I know I don't normally post something in a letter format here but I have gotten so many panic attack and anxiety attack emails lately that I was thinking about doing an online seminar about the subject. It is really hard for me to reply to everyone in a timely manner and at length to give you all that you want and need... So I was thinking with a Live Online session where you can hear me talk and ask questions at the same time - we might be able to make some impact in everyone's recovery!

Plus, it would be available after too for people to look at.

What do you ladies think? Is it something that would be of interest to you? If so leave a comment and I'll come up with a time and date in the near future. The event would be live on facebook.

Hugs and healing to you all.
~Helena

The birth control pill is a woman's right??

There are many different sides to why a woman should or should not take birth control out there.

What each and every one of us believe is right is usually coming from some kind of financial, cultural, or religious view etc. Which one doesn't matter. What matter is that we have choices.

I am against birth control pills these days and have been since 2009.  

I lived almost all of my teen and young adult years, up until 29 to be exact, being for birth control pills. I have been on both sides. Hear me out…

“I am on the pill because I am a woman and I won’t let anyone control my fertility”

“I am on the pill because I have full control of my own body”

“I am on the pill because I have the freedom to”

“I am on the pill because it is a woman’s right”

“I am on the pill to control my hormones”

“I am on the pill to control my cycles”

… and on and on…   

The Birth control pill Freedom Fighters have spoken. I hear you. I was one of you. Now, let me ask you a few questions, or give you something to think about…

When I look at that list (above) I cringe because all of those reasons are exactly why you should NOT be on the pill. This is not a call for a religious act against liberated women on birth control, this is a wake-up call to your health, literally. Because I am too, a liberated woman... 

When women first start to go on the pill they have been lead in that direction by many; friends, parents, medical professionals, media, and so on. The world is packed with pro-pill advice. I wrote about this in my last post but I just want to mention this real quick here too… The pill was made originally by men to be used by women for men’s convenience in the world of having sex and not make a baby. Just think about it… “The woman take the pill and I can spill my seed wherever I go and how often I want to”. This is convenient! However the pill was never marketed this way for obvious reasons – no woman would buy it and secondly take it. Instead it was marketed as the answer to a woman’s freedom. But what freedom keeps you locked to a pill a day? Why isn’t a man wearing a condom freedom for a woman? Why?  

The pill doesn’t give a woman freedom. Not in the sense I think of freedom at least. Instead it keeps you trapped to a false sense of truth and security. We are lead to believe that the pill will control your period and/or cycles when in fact, being on the pill does none of the sort. Many pills today are encouraged to be taken without breaks, preventing women to have what we refer to as a period at all – however while taking the pill the “period” is not a period but a withdrawal bleeding. A withdrawal bleeding is simply happening because of the on- and off-set of the hormones that are in the pill. The synthetic hormones if I may add, along with some chemicals. It is not happening because you ovulated and there was no fertilization, like the nature does it. It is happening because the pill keeps you in a constant fake post-ovulation phase at all times and when you stop for a break (for those of you whom take that 7 day break) the body will react with a bleeding, a withdrawal bleeding - not a period.

And let’s say you forgot to take a pill one day and had sex… Freedom???

I call that PANIC! What do you call it? 

Freedom to me is the ability to know and feel the signs of your own body and apply care in whatever way is necessary for the situation. Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) teaches you to understand all your body's signs of the cycle.

Did you know that just by learning the signs of the body you can tell if you are pre-ovulation, ovulating, and post-ovulation. Which is a great knowledge for any woman whether or not you are trying to get pregnant or trying not to get pregnant. Knowing your own body signs is freedom. Knowing your own body signs is power - GIRL POWER. When you know you can apply whatever methods you need in order to feel safe in the sack. There are very many non-hormone options out there today that works great.    

So think twice before signing off your "freedom" to a pill... 

Love to all. 

Panic Attacks thanks to the Pill?!

Yes, it is more fact that speculation at this point. There is no doubt in my entire body, mind, and soul that panic attacks are caused by the pill or the detox from them. The many synthetic hormones mixed with chemicals we gladly swallow down every day do cause damage...

...and one of those can be, yup you guessed it; Panic Attacks 

For those of you who have no idea what a panic attack feels like, let me try to explain it... 

All of a sudden, from seemingly nowhere, you start to feel nervous like something is wrong. Your internal senses are on high alert. Danger Danger Danger! However, your logical brain understands that nothing is wrong because you were just watching a romantic comedy on TV, or standing in line at the grocery store, or sitting at your desk at work, or taking a walk with the dog... Nothing about the situation you are in is dangerous, nor has it ever been in the past. 

It feels like your surroundings are closing in on you and there is no escape. Your heart starts to beat harder and faster, and your chest might even hurt. You feel like there is not enough oxygen, nor can you take a normal deep breath. You are so afraid... maybe you are dying. Yes, that is what you start to think after a few minutes. This is what dying feels like you tell yourself... It is time to die...  

Then, the attack ends. Out of nowhere it seems like. 

If this was your first attack, you hope that it was the only one... However, the more you get the more nervous you are going to be about getting them again. If you frequently get them at the grocery store - there is a pretty good chance you will become afraid of going to the grocery store because your reality of getting panic attacks there are bigger than the reality of how logically safe a grocery store really is. 

Panic attacks create fear and more panic attacks and you truly feel stuck in a place where you don't understand who you are anymore. You have no logical reason to these panic attacks. Yet, you seem to be completely unable to manage them or preventing them to come again.    

So, no matter if you are having panic attacks from side effects of the BC pill or any other medication, or if they are happening to you anyway.. I have decided to do a short live broadcast on how you can take care of yourself in those situations. The broadcast will happen either the end of May or June. To be notified on exactly when and stay updated like my page SunnySoul Coach on facebook, it is free ;) 

Love and support always. 

Why is the Pill being advertised "for the Woman" - isn't it really for the man?!

Hi everyone.
I know it has been silent here for a while... but that doesn't mean any of the other posts aren't still true. Side effects of taking and quitting any BC pills is still a serious matter and women are suffering every day and night.

I was just asked a few questions by a dear woman who is working on a report and I thought I would share some of it here as I feel it is relevant. Her questions were so innovative, I hadn't thought about it in that angle before... Here goes:

How do you think then pill has gone from being a liberating turning point in women’s history to this damaging life style drug? 

This is a fantastic question and a very good observation! I think my initial reaction is: IGNORANCE. I am pretty sure side effects existed back then too but since it was labelled as the new and fantastic thing – you were not a liberated woman if you didn't take it… and what woman don’t want to be liberated?! Feel like SHE is in CHARGE of her own body. 

When the pill was studied, they could have put the effort into making a male pill but they didn't. They choose to alter the woman’s reproductive functions to save the man’s. Neither would have been right off course, but did it happen because back then the industry was flooded with men? I would like to guess so… No man want to ever temper with his reproductive organs and functions – that is pride right there! 

And can you imagine a man taking the pill when the side effects are: Loss of libido, loss of hair, depression, loss of stamina, muscle deterioration, frequently UTI… LOL… I think not. There was no way the industry back then were going to put themselves and their fellow men in that situation. I have no proof of this, but a girl can guess can’t she?!

With today’s influence of so many streams we can finally speak up and someone will listen. If I look at just my story; for years I believed I was “alone” with my side effects until I found someone else’s story online and I thought she was writing about me… That didn't exist back then, so I can only imagine how many women were suffering back then too but didn't have any support system or even understanding that this could be related. It is still being fought today – most medical professionals I have been in contact with regarding this still do not believe the side effects are so life altering. At least that is not what they communicate.

In essence I think it has always been a damaging life style drug, it just wasn't spoken about as much back then as it is now.. People and women are more aware, even if we have a looooonge way to go still.

Also, the fact there still remains to be a female contraceptive pill that doesn't effect women’s health, do you think women’s health is undervalued? 

In my opinion our complaints haven’t been taken seriously. Especially when we walk in to a doctor’s office looking like we are at the top of the world. 25, skinny, active, attractive, etc etc… The problem isn't the pill in itself but how it is being used and marketed. Just think about it – when do you normally take a pill? When you are sick right!? For women to want to take a pill, they first have to be convinced they are sick… 

And now we are almost living in a society where a monthly menstrual cycle is frowned upon – There is a pill for that! So looking back, all of a sudden fertility was a woman’s fault. It was her responsibility to be infertile to suit the need of her man and their sexual relationship. Being fertile was all of a sudden like being sick! – well guess what, there is pill for that! 

A BIG reason

There is a reason this blog exist...
It is NOT a good reason.

The reason is because so many women's lives have been ruined, altered and/or effected negatively because of hormonal birth control. The list of side effects are never ending and I myself took a life time decision in 2009 that I would never again take synthetic hormonal birth control ever again. And that decision also lead me to question much of what is being offered in the disguise of "medicine" today. Medicine is not healing, medicine today is concealing....

Support the effort to bring the documentary "Sweetening the Pill" to life!!  

Acne after stopping the pill

About half of the emails that I get address this very one concern "I hear so many that experience acne when they stop, I don't want it to happen to me". The concern is a real one! And so scary that some decide to actually stay on the pill (!). So many DO experience acne when they stop taking the pill... let's look at why this may be happening to so many of us and what we can possibly do to prevent it from happening.

I am no exception. When I stopped I struggled with acne on my face, back, chest and it felt like my scalp had acne too even if I couldn't see it. The spots felt like they were bigger and more red than the acne I had experienced being a teenager and wouldn't really go away with regular acne treatment options, facials, and/or home-made remedies. Acne is fun for no one, but at age 30 I thought that I wouldn't have to ever worry about such a thing again. But apparently age had nothing to do it with it...

The reason regular acne treatment normally does not work in this case is because the underlying reason of them is slightly different. (Remember I am no doctor or health care professional so I could be feeding you crap right now... But then again - I was fed crap by health care professionals so who knows the difference these days - trust your gut!!! ;p)

Ok, back to what I was saying... the acne you get after stopping the pill is different. Why wouldn't it be?! You (yes me too) have been willingly feeding your body chemicals for who knows how long with the perception that it is a fantastic way to prevent you from getting pregnant. The fact that the same dosage is given to everyone is never even discussed and not to dwell on this too long, but just ask yourself: if you were a 125lb petite woman - would you feel it was appropriate that you took the same dosage as a 200lbs woman? Does it even make sense?! No it does not! There is no regulation, no check-ups that tells you to lower or increase your dosage depending on tests and whatnot... (that was just a thought that popped up in my head as I was writing this. It doesn't mean that petite girls experience more symptoms than larger girls - in fact I have nothing to support or deny that thought).

Have you ever heard the expression that your body has three kidneys? (We normally have two - they are located on your back slightly over your waste-line.) Do you know what the third one is?? The largest organ in your body - your skin! Yes! Your skin is considered to be your third kidney. Our kidneys are fantastic and they work really, really hard to keep up with today's horrible eating culture and our exposure to toxins of all sorts on a daily basis.  The kidneys' main task is to filter the blood and remove the toxins (and access fluid) from the body and eliminate it all via urination. Could you imagine going through pill-detox without your kidneys?!!!?? Probably not a good idea... They are your BFFs ;)

So, if the kidneys aid in getting rid of all that crap... why are you then experience acne? Well maybe years of birth control pill toxins is a little too much for the kidneys to handle all at once. You see, when you feed your body stuff it is not naturally meant to "eat" like the pill it will in a way think to itself "hummm... well I don't know what this really is for but she is feeding it to me so it must mean that I will need it sooner or later..." so your body will store excess toxins somewhere, normally in skin and fat tissue. And when you stop feeding your body it, it will be a little surprised to say the least and realize that it want nothing to do with it and that you in fact do NOT need it. So it will do everything it can do clean it all up and away. This is extremely draining for the body and the kidneys. The acne you experience is two-fold - because you have toxins in your skin and fat tissue just waiting to come out, and because your kidneys are overworked and the "third" kidney has to take some of the work load and the body is starting to get rid of the access toxins via the skin too. 

So what can you do? Help your kidneys!!! Do everything you can to help your kidneys clean out. This means:

1. Drink water! This is the number ONE of all detox methods - simple water! The formula to follow is: 1/2 your body weight in oz of water (150lbs = 75oz) or 1/3 of your body weight in dL of water (60kg = 20dL) 
2. Add a pinch of sea salt to every other water bottle this will help out even more!
3. Take EPSOM salt baths at least 2 times a week if at all possible 
4. Drink Apple Cider Vinegar tea or a cleansing citrus drink
5. Eat organic and natural. This allows your body to focus on the detox rather than on digesting and "detoxing" out bad food on top of it. 

Topically you can use apple cider vinegar - but forget all the other anti-acne stuff that is out there, they most often have other toxins in them, and toxins is what got you in this spot in the first place... Baking soda is a good and gentle face scrub and great for pH regulation. But to try to treat acne from the outside should not be your first defense... since that is just the symptom of what is going on inside.

It also needs to be said that the acne should almost be seen as a success (I know I am hanging on a very fine line here...). Success that your body is working! It is doing what it is suppose to do and that is to clean out what it does not need nor want. So, if you can... celebrate a little, tell yourself when you see a new spot in the morning "get that s$#t out" ;) and tell your body thank you and go about your day. It can make the struggle of the acne be a little bit more bearable.

Many also think that acne is because of disturbance of hormone levels, which it off course can be, but the body is way more focused on getting the crap out... so my one and only suggestion is to help your body with the detox before thinking you need to take every blood test there is. Your time is valuable, spend it on things that matters... 


  

I hate myself for going on Yasmin

I have had a terrible experience with Yasmin. I started it in September this year (2014). Before this I was on Levelyn ED since 2008.

I decided to switch to Yasmin because of the so called benefits such as clearer skin, lighter periods etc. When I asked my doctor if he could prescribe this pill he did not hesitate at all. He didn't ask me any questions about my health or whether I had a history of anxiety or bloods clots or anything. This made me believe that this pill wouldn't be so bad. I assumed that if it had bad side effects he would have told me. I soon learned how wrong I was. 

As soon as I began taking Yasmin I was very thirsty, dehydrated all the time. I thought perhaps I was not drinking enough water. Note that I only ever drink water and ONE cup of coffee a day - I do not drink much alcohol, except maybe one glass of wine a month, nor any soft drinks. No matter how much water I drank I could not rehydrate myself.

I had a feeling that the dehydration was the result of the Yasmin but I ignored it as I did not think it was anything major. After a couple of weeks I no longer felt dehydrated. Instead, I begun feeling anxious and with this I had diarrhea. In the past, I have had very mild anxiety with diarrhea (I now believe this is from my other birth control pill) but it was never this bad. I was not sure if it was the diarrhea causing the anxiety or the other way around. At first it happened every couple of days and on weekends when I was catching up with friends. I thought this was just me being silly so I took gastro-stop (anti-diarrhea medication) and ignored it. After about a month, I was waking up with diarrhea every morning which continued into the day and would re-occur at night. I was having full on panic attacks for absolutely no reason at all. I thought I was going crazy. I could not eat with fear of going to the bathroom and lost weight.

Eventually it all got so bad and I started doing research on Yasmin. I worked out that it was the Yasmin that was making me like this. I decided it was time to stop. That was when everything went down hill.

Monday, October 20th, this year was my first day without Yasmin. I was still feeling somewhat anxious but I was happy that I stopped taking Yasmin and was looking forward to getting back to normal again. On Tuesday I felt worse, having a panic attack at work. When I got home from work I had terrible anxiety and diarrhea. On Wednesday, I felt even worse and left work early to go home. I thought that perhaps I had gastro or a stomach bug (it was this bad).

On that Wednesday everything changed.

Once I got home I had a horrible panic attack and it lasted for hours. I had chronic diarrhea and could not even have a sip of water without going to the bathroom. I was also nauseous. My entire body was trembling and my heart was palpitating and felt as though it was going to jump out of my chest. I had never felt like this before, EVER! I was rushed to the emergency room and put on a drip immediately. I had every sort of test performed on me imaginable. All of my tests came out perfect. The doctor told me I was perfectly fine and that I probably had a bug, to drink lots of water and I would be fine. I told him that I had stopped taking Yasmin and done research on this - I asked if this was the withdrawal symptoms of stopping Yasmin. He said no.

The next day I felt slightly better but as it got later in the day I was exactly the same again. And, once again I was rushed to the emergency room. I had more tests done and they told me I was fine and probably had a bug. I told the doctor about the Yasmin and he ignored me. I was sent home after the tests came back fine and I had a drip as well as morphine to calm me down.

I have not been in the hospital since then but my symptoms have not really gone away. I admit that I am better than I was but to this day (it has been almost one month) I have had diarrhea and some anxiety daily. I have seen a doctor about this TWICE. on the first occasion he told me this was not the result of Yasmin. He said the symptoms I was having were too severe to be related to Yasmin. On the second occasion, he told me that MAYBE this was the result of Yasmin but this was "rare". He said I would be fine after another week. He was wrong.

I have no idea what to do. I spend hours everyday crying and have had thoughts of ending my life. I cannot enjoy the things I used to enjoy and I hate myself for going on Yasmin. I refuse to take any other pills or to put any other chemicals in my body. I feel like I will never get better. I feel like there is something wrong with me even though I know Yasmin is the root of my problems. I know it has only been just under a month but how long will this last? I have been taking various vitamins and minerals but nothing seems to help.

I hate that doctors won't admit that we are suffering from Yasmin side effects. It's not fair.

I have days where I am positive and feel like I will be fine. Then on other days I feel like I am just getting worse all over again. I don't know how to help myself and its not fair that I am putting my family, friends and boyfriend through this. I have had thoughts of breaking up with my boyfriend so he doesn't have to see me like this.

Any advice will really help and I would really appreciate to hear some success stories from women who have experienced similar symptoms and recovered.

Thank you.
Camilla,
Adelaide, South Australia

Forum is MIA

Hello all,
I am sure some of you have noticed that the Yasmin and Yaz Survivors forum is not available at the moment. I have no idea why this is and is trying to figure it out.

If you want to share your stories in the meantime PLEASE email them to yasmin_yaz@live.com and I will add them to the blog. Please make sure you put in the title "For Blog" so I know I can add it.

Love and support to all.

Birth Control Side effects (just a small list, nothing to worry about)

Birth control is a subject that has become a mission bigger than myself... I feel a need to spread the word to everyone I speak with and I wish someone could have shared with me ten years ago what I know today... But on the other hand if someone would have done that - I would not have been here today, trying to work so hard for it.

Birth control in the form of IUD, Pill, Implant, Shot, Ring or Patch are a hormonal form of birth control. They are accepted as the NORM by many; including our parents, friends and doctors and are not questioned enough. What we learn about them are the so called benefits and not side effects - and in many cases the side effect is looked upon as that 1-something percent chance of getting pregnant... (Off course getting pregnant will change your life forever and I am not trying to hide that...) but there is so much more than that. So much that not many speak about, or even acknowledge as being related.

More often than NOT are our symptoms ignored, laughed at, or treated with medications that most often fail. Why, I do not know - but I am sad that it has to be that way... there are so many young wonderful women out there that need the support that are left alone to think that it is all in their heads.

I am here to tell you that it is NOT in your head - your symptoms are very much real and are related to hormonal birth control, (or hormonal treatment during menopause if you are at that stage in your life):

• Hair loss
• Heart Palpitations
  
• Vision blurres
• Astigmatism
• High Blood pressure
• Allergy reactions
• Sinus problems
• Vaginal Dryness
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Insomia
• Symptom of Hypothyroidism
• Low tolerance to carbohydrates
• Poor nutrition absorbtion
• Diarrhea 
• Dizzyness
• Alcohol and/or Caffeine sensitiveness
• Feeling faint
• Weight Gain
• Weight Loss
  
• Low or no sex drive
• Spotting in-between periods
• Irregular Bleeding
• Cold sores
• Low immune system
• UTI
• Memory problems
• Bloating
• Mood swings
• Migraines
• Head aches
• Weepiness
• PCOS
• Sensitive to the sun
• Nervousness 
• Chronically tired
• Changes in skin 
• Muscle cramps or pain
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Blood clot

As you can see most symptoms have nothing to do with your reproductive tract (vagina, uterus, menstruation)... and they may be overlooked by yourself even, as a symptom of your birth control method. And if you suspect that it is linked you must prepare yourself that your suspicion might be dismissed by the doctor or gynecologist. You must listen to your body! Taking beta blockers, anti depressants, and/or use Rogain shampoo will NOT treat your real underlying issue, only hide it - if you are lucky - and then you should also hope for no side effects of this options. The only way you are truly going to get rid of this is to get off the hormonal birth control, and by that I mean GET OFF, not try another one, and restore your body's natural hormone balance; which could be a trip to hell and back but worth the ride in the end!

Your health comes first! It is really that simple. Without your health in tact you cannot care for your loved ones in the best possible way. Take care of YOU first! If you are taking hormonal birth control you should really sit down and ask yourself if it is worth the risks when there are so many other available options out there that does not include hormones when it comes to birth control...

A 28-day cycle

Are you also one of those women who were convinced to go on the pill because your cycles were not regular?! It seemed so natural back then, didn't it?! And not to say - easy: Just pop a pill a day and you were good to go... right?! 

Well, as we have learned - a pill does not fix it, just hides it... forces your body to doing something else even if it wasn't designed to do so.

Funny thing is that there are things you can do to assist in regulating your cycle to follow that "desired" 28-day cycle. Natural things... Let me tell you how:

This approach is for anyone that is trying to regulate their cycle for any reason. (A regular cycle is something good because it helps our bodies to maintain a healthy natural balance of hormones). And by saying regular it is when you have your cycles without any traumatic symptoms...

What else in this world is also working on a regular cycle?
- You guessed it - the beautiful, mysterious Mr. Moon!!
So there is something to the moon and the fertility of women. And you thought it was an old tail, didn't you?! Ok, you might think it is absolutely ridiculous that a moon can effect your cycle but think about it: The moon can change the flow of the earths waters; called the tides.. why not our cycles?! Ok, ok.. there may be no 100% proof, but the idea is highly interesting! (and I don't think the BC pill was a 100% proof thing either).

New Moon to Full Moon
This is considered day 1-14; where a new cycle starts for the moon. So it should do for you as well. It marks for a new beginning. When there is a new moon you should have your period. (Day 1 is the day you get your period).

Now, the Full Moon on the other hand.. What many stories we hear about that, especially now when the vampire movies and series are so popular. But if you go based on this, Full Moon is baby-making-time! That is when women ovulate naturally.


Full Moon to New Moon 
This is considered day 15-28/29/30 Your body is either taking care of a new baby or is re-generating to start the whole process again in a few weeks. As you get close to the end you will feel the water retention and bloating just before the period - just like those tides we were talking about...

Ok, what do you do with this knowledge? 
So.. There are these two natural oils you can take to assist in this adaptation. Adaptation to the moon and the natural flow of our cycles. It is simple, it is natural, and it is a shame this is not taught to women everywhere!

New Moon to Full Moon - Take Flaxseed oil 

Full Moon to New Moon - Take Evening Primrose oil  

In other words you switch with the changes of the moon. You can google for moon phases to make sure you are following the correct cycle or get a calendar that would mark it. I got an app called MOON and it notifies me when there is a new moon or full moon :)
These oils should preferable be organic.
Amounts? You have to try what works for you...

I use the flaxseed oil in my veggie and fruit smoothies or on my salad every day the first phase. Then with EPO I take capsules but can be very well administrated by puncturing a capsule and put the content on your skin!

Even if your period does not follow this cycle currently you can still try this and observe how your cycle will change slowly to adapt to the natural cycle.

Good Luck!!
Have you tried this - please comment!

Sweetening the Pill Documentary

You and me... both the same... we took the pill... we got ill...

Sweetening the pill is a book just released by Holly Grigg-Spall bringing awareness to readers everywhere about the pill. Now a documentary is in the making!!

Want to participate spreading the word and educating the world?? Contact Holly or Helen by using the information in the image below. (Need a PDF version, email yasmin_yaz@live.com with "Sweetening the Pill" as title). TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE AN IMPACT

Survived bi-lat Pulmonary Embolism and DVT Caused by YAZ

Thank you, for keeping the message board and blog going. By simply being a presence on the internet you keep the dangers of these drugs available for people to see. Woman need to be educated on these drugs and you're helping so many.

I'm in the middle of a YAZ lawsuit and I'd like to share my story in the hope that someone can relate to it and find a little solace knowing they are not alone. Also, my blog has become a place specifically where women can anonymously share information and discuss their experience (and intense frustration) with the YAZ MDL lawsuit and I hope others will find it useful. 

My Story. . .

I had been on hormonal birth control pills for 10+ years and besides the headaches and moodiness that came along with PMS, I never had problems. A few months before my wedding and just after my 31st birthday, I switched to YAZ. At the time I was a healthy, active non-smoker who ran and did yoga nearly every day.

On a Saturday morning in August 2010 I was shopping with a girlfriend and started feeling out of breath. Each time we got back to the car I felt like I'd just run a mile. Work had been stressful lately, so I attributed the tightness in my chest to that. It wasn't until I nearly passed out that I knew something was wrong. My friend took me to the ER where my husband met us. Again, we just thought I was having a stress induced panic attack or it was a pre-cursor to a migraine. It took several hours and a CAT Scan to confirm that both my lungs were filled with marble sized blood clots. I was immediately started on blood thinners and admitted into the MICU. I stayed in the hospital for a week.

A full blood panel concluded that I have no clotting disorders, so the only known cause of the PE (and DVT which they later found) was the YAZ birth control pills I had been on since May 2009.

I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm alive, although according to my doctors, I shouldn't be. The worst part about having had major blood clots is that they seem to be the gift that keeps on giving. I'm still on blood thinners nearly 4  years later and have been advised to stay on them for life. The fear and anxiety of another episode is always present. I've been to the ER a few times because of similar PE symptoms that turned out to be false alarms – each visit leaves me in tears; it's so frustrating to be held captive by the fear of having another clot. 

Currently, I am part of the YAZ MDL lawsuit. Settlements are being discussed and it doesn't look like any of the lawsuits will actually go to court or that Bayer will be taking YAZ or its sister drugs off the market any time soon. My hope is that the pending lawsuits are enough to convince women to question their use of birth control pills containing Drospirenone. I believe that hormonal contraceptives are a great option for many women, but it's important to educate yourself and make informed decisions, because the risks can be deadly.

Best wishes,
-Mrs.T
Visit Mrs. T's Blog HERE

Editors note: The overall message of the Yasmin and Yaz Survivors Group is to stay away from synthetic hormonal contraceptive due to the many risk that may or may not inflict upon your life but we wanted to leave Mrs. T's own words in this blog post because that is what this is for... to share your own story and thoughts. 

Two Surgeries thanks to Yasmin and the comforting words from my Doc

I went on Yasmin in 2005 and thought I loved it at first...
Then, I started getting headaches all the time, strange paresthesia sensations in my hands. My heart would skip beats, and I eventually started getting stabbing pains every once in a while in my chest. Couldn't handle hot weather in the summer, and actually had heat exhaustion twice.

I Never thought it was my pill.

Then I started to see the commercials about Ocella being bad for you. So I called my doctors office to see if I needed to change pills. They were not concerned and told me the risks are the same for all pills. So I was like okay, I guess I will stay on it...

Well, I just didn't feel right about a year later and just stopped taking my pills. See; what the doctor doesn't tell you is that this pill has a diuretic in it. One that alters your potassium levels. Well, potassium is kind of important for muscle function, nerves , CLOTTING factors, oh yeah and THE POLARIZATION OF THE HEART. So that is probably why my heart was skipping beats and I was having anxiety. So after being on a diuretic without my knowledge for five years, what happens when I abruptly stop?

- My blood pressure went through the roof, and I started having intermittent claudication when I walked. So I went to the Doc to make sure I didn't have a clot, and my blood pressure was 140/104. I usually run 118/68! Hello rebound hypertension! Thanks Yasmin!

All of my problems were caused by electrolyte imbalance due to diuresis. I was pretty much dehydrated for FIVE years. After coming off, my body wanted to keep every bit of fluid that it could. I have also had two surgeries on my reproductive organs in two years. Since Yasmin took my progesterone and threw it out the window, I ended up with uterine polyps that had to be removed. They are caused by an over abundance of estrogen. So girls, avoid soy and its isoflavones!

The reason this pill has a higher clot risk is not rocket science. It's a little something called Virchow's Triad. Dehydration(the diuretic) + clotting disorder(potassium alteration)+ blood vessel injury = DVT. The FDA should know better! Are they trying to kill people? Yasmin gave us ladies 2 out of 3 of the risk factors for clots. Where most pills probably only give you one of the factors. That is a huge difference.

Fast forward two years. Things are better, but still not back to where I was before. It is a long and painful process, and I still get acne from time to time, which I never had before this pill. I am no longer on ACE inhibitors for blood pressure and my body finally started to regulate itself again. I don't eat anything processed, and I had to learn to be patient. I just wish I had known what was really in this pill before my Doc gave it to me. Had I known about the diuretic I would have said no way! Good luck to all the ladies out there just now quitting this pill. You are not alone! I only was able to put all the pieces together once I started school for nursing.

I am now an angry girl that hopes she can still have kids one day. We'll see...

~Anonymous

On Yasmin 4 years 

My sister asked me what birth control pill I was on

My name is Maria and I am from Romania. Thank you so much for having the initiative to create this blog. I have discovered it as Yasmin almost ruined my life.

I have been taking Yasmin for 8 month now and about 4 months ago everything changed. I was a lively person, who laughed and enjoyed everything in her life, who couldn't wait for the weekend to come to see her boyfriend. Soon after starting taking Yasmin, everything changed. The panic attacks began, I cried for no reason I felt I was going crazy and nobody understood me. I really felt I was going nuts until this morning when my sister came to me and asked me which BCP I was taking. I answered that I was on yasmin and she said that my moods and my panic attacks and everything has an explanation. She then told me about a former colleague of hers who, in college, after taking Yasmin for several months threw a knife at her. Then I understood I was not crazy and that Yasmin are responsible for everything.

I don t want to lose my relationship, my parents, and friends because of some stupid pill that can ruin your life.

Thank you so much and once again congrats for this blog.

Kind regards,

Maria.

Since taking Yaz I have now developed a vascular condition

Hi ladies,

I have been reading your post on the Yasmin and Yaz Survivor Forum and here on the Blog for some time and have joined to thank you all for your thoughts and contributions. 

The support and sentiments expressed here are so valuable when there is such little information forthcoming from doctors or the drug manufacturer.

Many women are having difficulty transitioning from Yaz and Yasmin birth control, and I have long suspected that the 'mild' anti aldosterone properties of drospirenone have an effect on the renin angiotensin aldosterone system for a number of months thereafter.

I have experienced constant tachycardia, blood pressure problems, back pain in kidney area, fluid retention, unbearable surges in adrenalin, muscle weakness, sensitivity with regards to my central nervous system, visible strong tremors in hands, lack of coordination, brain fog, hair loss, decreased urination and alternatively excessive urination, odd, random bouts of nausea that disappear as quickly as they appear, vision disturbances, tingling and twitching in extremities...bizarre.

My doctor has used words like 'you are stressed and anxious' to smother my concerns. I think we all know there's a bit of a stigma associated with researching health ailments online, but what's a girl to do when your practitioners are constantly being evasive? Making you feel like a giddy hypochondriac but at the same time putting you on a beta blocker? I smell a rat. How about you?

Since taking Yaz I have now developed a vascular condition (diagnosed by a doctor) that is likely to worsen over the course of my life. All this before the age of 30! Anxiety indeed.
I have no history of serious health problems, no history of heart or other diseases in my family or myself that may be contraindicated with birth control use, non-smoker, always had low blood pressure (even in my pregnancy), a long background of birth control use without complication, and extended breaks without birth control...no complication.

I think my health status is pertinent to note. Around the time I ceased taking Yaz my decline was very rapid and at one stage I was down to 44kg (99lbs)...an old work colleague of mine came to visit me at my worst and cried when she saw me. My quality of life was severely limited for approximately four months thereafter.

On a positive note we are now at seven months past and last week was my first week where I felt almost completely normal! Though the cynic in me feels that you can't be that sick without some long term battles...there were a few times there that I thought I might die.

Sending lots of love and light to you all.
~Anonymous 

Two cheap gems to recovery

Besides for eating well when trying to heal and recover your own body and soul there are two things that can help tremendously to detox the body, activate both your thyroid and adrenals... You just have to make time for it. (off course it may not do it all for all of you but it is a great start).

The suggestions below are EFFECTIVE, CHEAP, and allow you to give yourself some YOU TIME! 

Apple Cider Vinegar Tea

Pour 1-2 tablespoons of Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a cup of warm water
Add Raw Honey to taste
Drink/Sip

The A.C.V. tea helps with digestion, detoxification, and purification of your entire body.

Drink once a day if possible
 

EPSOM Salt Bath

Mix 1-2 cups of EPSOM Salt into a steaming hot bath tub (as hot as you can stand it)
Soak in it for 20 minutes
Follow the soak with some rinses:
10 seconds COLD
10 seconds HOT
10 seconds COLD
10 seconds HOT
10 seconds COLD
Dry yourself quickly and get into some comfy sweats and wrap yourself in a blanket.
Sit for 15-20 minutes and allow yourself to sweat.

The EPSOM salt helps detoxify your body from viruses, bacteria, chemicals, and metals. The rinses of HOT and COLD engages your thyroid and adrenals. The sweating process after the rinses enhances the detoxifying process.

Repeat bath a few times a week

EPSOM Salt Bath with a Kick

Want to make it even better?!?! 
Soak in your Epsom Salt bath WHILE you drink your Apple Cider Vinegar Tea! This will detoxify/purify your body from the inside and outside at the same time!

Note: Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar can be bought in most grocery stores either in the organic section or among the vinegars. EPSOM salt can be bought in most grocery stores or pharmacies. Raw Honey can be bought at most local organic/health food stores.

Australia Readers Look Here!!

I just received an email a few days ago that the new Marie Claire Magazine of Australia is now featuring a report focused on birth control and their side effects!!! If you have the ability to get one, do so and show your friends!

"The Birth Control with deadly side effects" !!!
It's even on the cover!!! 

Running with Yaz

Love getting emails and letters from people telling their story on birth control. This one is from Char - a woman who was guided to take Yaz to help her with her cramps while she had her period. Looking back, she probably rather have those cramps... Best of luck to you Char in your future healing process. xoxo

Hi. My name’s Char and I’m a 49 year old Mum of three and wife of 26 years. My Yaz story started about a year before I even started taking the drug, at the end of 2009. 

Picture taken from here

I’m a runner and I’d been training hard for an event while trying to cope with a lot of family stress. Running was part of my stress relief and I trained really hard but I trained beyond my ability to recover and developed over-training syndrome. I was all of a sudden unable to run far or fast without being totally exhausted. I had to take time out from running then build back up gradually. It was hard and frustrating but I came back successfully in 2010, running a respectable half marathon in September then my first marathon in October.

In January 2011 I had to go see my GP for a pap smear and mentioned my painful periods (I had to take ibuprofen every four hours for the first two days of my period or I would be vomiting with the pain). She suggested I try Yaz and I thought all my worries were over. I had no idea what was ahead of me.

Within a month my running had started to suffer. I thought it was over-training syndrome starting again. I just felt weak and unable to push myself and my heart rate was unusually high. I went to see a sports medicine doctor and he couldn’t find anything wrong. I did an exercise stress test which told me nothing except I was really fit for my age. But if I was so fit how come I couldn’t run very well any more?

I eased back on the training but still managed to run three half marathons that year – all a lot slower than my best. I still found that if I pushed myself I would feel sick and tired for days.

January 2012 came and I had another case of what seemed to be overt-raining syndrome. I went to yet another sports medicine doctor and he decided that I had post viral fatigue/chronic fatigue. I was devastated. The only treatment he could suggest was to rest and only come back to running when I was feeling better and not to push it.

So I did what I was told. I’d also developed other strange symptoms. I’d become allergic to the deodorant that I’d worn for years. I was nauseated every day especially in the morning and in the afternoon and evening I had awful bloating and an incredible amount of flatulence (You know it’s bad when your dog wakes up and leaves the room because he thinks he’s the culprit). I was having problems with blurry vision when I did close work – which was a lot of the time because I sew for a living. And I’d developed insomnia.

Picture taken from here

Then there were other obscure symptoms – tingling in my shoulders and upper back and down my leg on the left side, very low libido and dryness and anxiety. The anxiety was awful. I have a son who’s been suffering with depression and was assaulted early in 2012 then got caught and injured in a fire at his work about a month later. All of a sudden I was convinced that he was going to be hurt or killed whenever he went out. I’d go to bed and fall asleep only to wake up two hours later in a total panic and have to ring him. I’d be nauseated and sometimes vomit with the worry.

I went back to my GP to see if I could get some help and she sent me to a psychologist. I also mentioned the gastro-intestinal symptoms so she sent me to see a gastro-enterologist too. The psychologist helped me get on top of the anxiety and the gastro-enterologist diagnosed me with irritable bowel syndrome. His diet helped with a lot of the symptoms but I still knew my body wasn’t functioning right.

I’d kept running, or run-walking when I didn’t have the energy to run, once the worst of the overtraining syndrome/chronic fatigue was gone but I just felt weak. I’d lost even more speed and strength and my endurance was non-existent. And when I started to feel the fatigue coming back again I decided that I had to get to the bottom of it for once and all.

I’d felt for a while that the muscle weakness was significant. I’d even started a strength training program to try to get some power back but that had ended up with me getting sick again. One of my friends mentioned that she was on testosterone therapy to boost her levels after going through menopause and this triggered some research.

I found out that a lot of women taking the pill have a very low level of testosterone because they produce an abnormally high amount of sex hormone binding globulin which binds testosterone and makes it unavailable for the body to use. Yes, we women do produce some testosterone and it’s needed to muscle strength, energy, libido and general well-being. The levels decline as we age. Seeing as I’m already in my late 40s, chances are that my levels were lowish to start off with but were almost non-existant because of Yaz.

According to my research, Yaz and Yasmin have a different sort of synthetic progesterone, drospirenone, than the older styles of oral contraceptives and it has a particularly bad anti-androgenic effect. It just wipes out your testosterone! No wonder we feel so bad after taking it for a while.

I went back to my GP and asked her to test my testosterone levels. This time I was certain I’d found the cause of all my problems. And I was right!! My T levels were low and the levels of my sex hormone binding globulin were so high that they were just recorded as over 200 nmol/l. My GP made an appointment with a gynecologist then and there.

The gynecologist gave me a testosterone cream to boost my levels but didn’t want me to go off Yaz. I kept taking it for a few more days, all the while continuing to research and the more I read, the more I became convinced that I could not get better until I stopped taking it. I took my last tablet just over a week ago.

Already I’m starting to feel better. I had my best run in ages just yesterday. I’m starting to feel stronger again. I’ve had five good night’s sleep. The blurry vision didn’t happen even after a full day of sewing. I have had headaches – just mild ones. And I’ve had a couple of small pimples but again, nothing to worry about. But best of all I’ve got my optimism back. I finally know that I’m going to get better.

~ Charmaine 

Yasmin ON Libido GONE

I recently received an email from Iulia that I wanted to share with you all (with her permission off course). The email is slightly edited for clarity. Iulia's story describes so perfectly how a woman's mind can be totally transformed by being on the pill (or any other hormonal contraceptive). The thoughts and feelings that crawl on us without any truth to it is mesmerizing - and to think that a FDA approved birth control pill is the cause is beyond scary.

Hello!
My name is Iulia and I want to start out by pointing out that I am a resident doctor in psychiatry, so you can understand that not even a doctor can figure out what he/she going through, and even less with what his/her patients are going through.

I started taking oral contraceptives in 2002 or 2003, can`t exactly remember the year (all I remember is that I was not a med student back then). I started oral contraceptives because my menstrual period was not at all regular (I got my first period when I was in 3rd or 4th grade!!!), mostly based on my low-grade obesity; once I lost about 20kg and got my weight in normal range, everything became ok: my periods were like clockwork!

My OBYG recommended taking Lo-Femenal. I took those for about 2 years and had absolutely no problems while on it - but suddenly my menstruation transformed itself from being a red-colored one, into a greyish color. Kind of spooky and I stopped them. 

In 2006 I had an abortion (was not on the pill at the time) due to a broken condom and decided to go on the pill again. I developed obsessive ideas about being pregnant. I did 2 pregnancy tests every week just to make sure even though I had no sexual contact at all. Looking back now, I know it was PTSD. After three months I was fully recovered from the mental agony of the abortion. 

Picture taken from here

In January 2007 I started Yasmin and since then, hell broke loose step by step. All of my symptoms on Yasmin started gradually, so I never thought that Yasmin might be the cause of them. First of all was my libido: I was always keen on sex and suddenly all of that just vanished. "Ok" I thought to myself, maybe it is something temporary, I'll just wait (I waited for 5 years and nothing); luckily I have a boyfriend (now fiancee and soon husband) that understands somewhat what I was and am going through.

Second to that, maybe one year after, the mood changes started. First, it was not that bad, I was a little bit more depressed, cried easily and one week before my menstruation I was very irritable. But I managed keeping all the symptoms under control. About one year after that (2008), the paraesthesias started: on my face, my arms, I had the pinky of my right hand numb for 2 weeks non-stop, when I walked my legs became numb very quickly, I had cramps in my lower legs. I blamed all that to the lack of exercise (I have always been lazy when it came to physical exercise). 

As time went on, my boyfriend became more depressed about me not wanting any sexual activity whatsoever, one time I even called him a pervert when he tried to get me aroused, so I tried to explain to him that he is not the cause of my lack of libido, it is just that I do not feel the need for sex. Not at all. I tried having intercourse again, but that only happened maybe once every two months L and only because I knew he needed it. He started telling me that he wants his old Iulia back, that made me feel really guilty, but still no sexual desire. I tried, again, to explain that something is happening to me, I didn’t know what, but that he should be patient until I get my things straightened out. I would like to point out that he loves me A LOT and he has been supportive through this nasty experience all the way. 

Next I started to become jealous on every girl that talked to him. Every time he went out I started thinking that maybe he is going out with another woman, and I was very suspicious. But it passed away rather quickly.

Picture taken from here

2010: my boyfriend proposed! But, I felt nothing. He planned a trip to Budapest (he knew how badly I wanted to go to Budapest) and proposed there, but I was like: "Ok." What girl thinks that??? One should be happy when that happens, but I was very indifferent to that. When that happened I knew something was not quite right.

January 2012: had my first panic attack (basically when you have a panic attack, there are 3 types of thoughts going through your mind: you`re going to lose control, you`re going to die or that you are going insane) and since then I developed an obsession about going crazy; being a young psychiatrist, I researched every possible mental illness I could have, but deep inside I felt that it was somewhat connected to the pill.

In February 2012: I started having obsessive ideas about having cancer; CRUEL ideas, but I managed to keep them under some sort of control. A few months later, in May 2012: I had a bad case of diarrhea, with dehydration and started having a permanent state of panic and panic attacks; I blamed it all on dehydration and rapid heartbeats. While in a panic attack, I thought that my mother-in-law was planning to poison me and that became the source of my anxiety. I knew my thoughts are not normal, so I excluded the possibility of developing a delusional disorder or psychosis, but when the anxiety kicked back in, all my thoughts came back and I was back where I started: having cancer, my mother-in-law wanting to kill me and going crazy and ending up in an asylum…

Drawing taken from here

August 2012: extreme irritability and depression started; my anxiety was on a level of 9 out of 10, but only 2 weeks before my period; after my period I was back to somewhat normal. That continued for three months and in October I felt like I had no good days anymore. I started taking natural tranquilizers which have helped me a little bit and finally decided to stop the pill!!! I took my last pill on October 26, had my period and never went back on it again. Shortly after I went to see my coordinator (he is an old psychiatry professor) and I told him about what I was going through and told me THAT HAPPENS ON THE PILL!!

He also said that most of my symptoms are related to a deficiency in Magnesium, Zinc and Vitamin B6 so I started taking magnesium and b6 complex and it all feels right again. I can`t say all of my days are good, sometimes my anxiety kicks back, but at a more bearable intensity. But I have only been off the pill for 3 weeks now but it has made a huge impact in how I feel already.

~ Iulia

Romania