Nurse giving medically incorrect info?

[luolian.livejournal.com]

(FWIW I'm on Yaz)

Ok, so I was talking to my gyn's nurse on the phone about my concerns that my BC was making me gain insane amounts of weight. (Jury is still out on this, but I don't have a thyroid problem, but that's not what I'm asking about here.) The nurse told me that "birth control makes your body think it's pregnant, so you feel hungrier."

I was feeling upset at the moment (dealing with this is very frustrating) and I wasn't getting the best reception on my phone, so I didn't question her, but WTF?

I have read many times here on VP that HBC makes your body think that it has already ovulated, right?? And that's is not the same thing as tricking your body into thinking you're pregnant, right?? Did that nurse give me medically incorrect information or is that lazy dumbing down of the science so that I can understand?

And has BC been proven to make you feel hungrier? This I am not sure of that either way, but given that she had just told me that my body was thinking I'm preggers I was suspicious. If that's true, then I would presume that I wouldn't be able to trust my body's feelings of full and hungry, but no one has ever warned me about that. Especially as someone who is considering how best to lose weight, I would need to know for sure if that was the case.

Also! If the nurse is telling me incorrect info, should I tell my doctor? Honestly, I'm not sure which nurse it was, but I feel like I ought to tell someone. I feel more inclined to do it because I can't point the finger at someone in particular, so hopefully no one will get in serious trouble, but it could be corrected.

Any quick reply would be appreciated as I have to call my doc about something else anyway and I'd like to do it this morning if possible. Thanks!

Comments

[season-changing.livejournal.com]

I thought hcg was produced by placenta or the baby, not the mother?

Depot made me feel pregnant and when I complained about it, my doctor told me it was supposed to because that's how it worked. I was told the same thing by a different doctor when I was on the pill. *shrug* If that isn't right, cool. I really don't think everyone in here needs to come by and say the *same* thing, though.

[herloved-beauty.livejournal.com]

Not being snarky, I was just curious as to where you'd researched your options. Everywhere I've ever read or seen said that HBC works by;
1. tricking the body into thinking it has already ovulated.
2. cervical mucous thickens, making it nearly impossible for sperm to get through
3. inhibits the egg's ability to flow through the fallopian tubes
4. alter the uterine lining so thst if somehow an egg were to be released, have a little fun time with the sperm, AND make it all the way down the fallopian tube, it still would not have a habitable environment in which to grow.

that being said, the reason your doctor told you that was: A) this really is the dumbing down version of it, and B) well, most of the side-effects of birth control are akin to the symptoms of pregnancy! Nausea, breasts aching, stomach pains, cramps, etc.etc. are all signs of pregnancy, signs of PMS, AND side-effects of most HBC methods.

But from what I can tell about hCG, you are right, according to hcglab.com (http://www.hcglab.com/hCG%20levels.htm):

"hCG is produced by the trophoblast cells of the placenta. hCG production starts at an early stage of development, just a few days after conception, before implantation in the uterus."

By the way, to be a TAD snarky, we didn't all say the same thing at all. I said something completely different from both of the users above.

[season-changing.livejournal.com]

Lol, yeah, you are all saying the same thing, though you've made a few different points (but with the same overall point). I appreciate the information, though. Either way, I'm not ever putting that crap in my body again so it doesn't really affect me. It's good to know that it doesn't actually make your body think it's pregnant. Instead, it completely retards the entire reproductive process. Faaabulous.


3. inhibits the egg's ability to flow through the fallopian tubes
Oh goody! So, on the off chance that the egg DID get fertilized, you're more likely to get an ectopic pregnancy, which can possibly screw up your fertility forever. Yay!

2. cervical mucous thickens, making it nearly impossible for sperm to get through

Um...what? That doesn't make any sense, unless they are claiming it creates a mucous plug? But the body doesn't do that unless it thinks it's pregnant so that can't be it...I'm afraid I don't understand this claim.

[xglassjawx.livejournal.com]

there's no need to belittle other people's contraceptive choices, just because you were corrected about something...

[season-changing.livejournal.com]

? I'm sorry if that came across belittling. I was corrected, true, and that's ok, I honestly didn't know how it worked (though I thought I did). However, now that I do know, I'm upset and yes, I have concerns. I'm not sure how that's belittling someone else's choice.

[xglassjawx.livejournal.com]

i'm sorry, i might be reading too much into it, but while hormonal BC does have risks, that wasn't quite the topic of the post. there's a way to impart such information, and i felt that maybe the way you did wasn't the most helpful way? again, i'm sorry if that wasn't your intention, that was just my knee-jerk reaction to what you had written.