Category: Loraine Birchall (O)
Weak stomach? I can throw up for England ...
April 20th, 2008 , by loraineIt's been a funny week. I have finally got rid of my migraine headaches, after two weeks of wanting to hack my head off
. The cause, apparently, being my contraceptive pill of choice. Hmmmm no one mentioned migraines when I started taking it. But more disconcertingly, they were equally quiet about the side effects I'd experience once I stopped taking the pill.
My GP, a kindly, old fashioned looking chap called Steven, smiled as he told me that I would be convinced I was pregnant due to 'progestogen' withdrawal?
All week I'd been experiencing nausea similar to morning sickness but which lasted 24/7, had breast pain, flutters, back pain and spotting. All because the pill convinces the body it's pregnant and it takes up to six months to decide that it's not. Now that I've had a test, I'm willing to accept that it's just symptoms and not the real thing, but having had two prior pregnancies I was absolutely certain that I was expecting...
Cooking had been, for the first time ever, a chore. I couldn't bear the smell of food, threw up every time I even got a whiff of eggs (something I usually eat every day). I'd whip up a delicious, nutritious stir fry with turkey, onions, mushrooms, spices, herbs, peppers, spinach or whatever else caught my eye. Only to find that after a few mouthfuls, I either needed to be sick, or just couldn't eat any more due to the nausea. This really isn't a great place to be for a Gatherer, our thrify genes need food at regular intervals, the right food of course, and all I could think was 'I'll be storing fat and losing muscle' .... Not good.
My brother commented that I must have a 'weak stomach'. I told him I could hurl across the room, it takes a strong stomach to do that ![]()
I was curious to find out how many other women had been through this, having been told it was a 'rare' side effect. So I went online and searched.
I found dozens upon dozens of forums all buzzing with conversations of literally thousands of women all suffering similar symptoms, some of whom had suffered miscarriages after becoming pregnant straight after stopping this particular pill, but had then thankfully gone full term on a subsequent pregnancy.
Having checked with Family Planning I and was told the information leaflet on my pill was so out of date, and that the manufacturer had no plans to update it, so GPs like mine were literally handing out incorrect information and not warning women of the true symptoms and/or dangers of this particular pill. I find that rather worrying, dont you?
I hadn't planned to have any more children, don't get me wrong, I'd be delighted to have another child and my son would like siblings
, but right now, I'm wondering what damage has been done to my reproductive system and what I can do to repair it?
My other half has been fantastic throughout, tolerating me being sick after and sometimes during every meal, dashing off without warning as the nausea got the better of me and I had to make an 'urgent call on the porcelain phone' in his parlance.
In many ways I'm lucky, I wasn't trying for a child, in fact I'd been very careful to avoid a pregnancy. But how soul destroying for a woman trying for a baby to miss a period, have all those symptoms and then be told that her body is playing tricks on her?
This week will consist of as many diamond foods as I can muster (and keep down!), NO black dots and absolutely NO avoids while I try and get my rebelling system back in order.
Have a great week everyone, I know I will ![]()

