Periods & Contraception Methods Pre & Post Stoma Surgery
Before surgery
Before I had my stoma surgery I was on the pill (Regevidon) to help regulate my periods and as a contraceptive method. This is the pill you take 7 days a week and then you have a break every week which is when your period comes. I was on this for about 5 years and it worked really well for me and it helped me manage my periods. Before I went on the pill I had really heavy and irregular periods.
Before my surgery, I did a lot of research and found out that that you had to be careful of what tablets you took, based on where they are broken down in your gastrointestinal tract. Some tablets have a coating on, have a gastro-resistant form or have a modified release. These sorts of tablets wouldn’t be suitable for me due to having my whole large intestine removed. They would be ineffective and likely come straight out into my bag. After speaking with my friend who also had a stoma, she said that her pill didn’t break down and was often almost fully formed in her stoma bag.
Discussing contraceptive options
I then booked in an appointment with my GP to discuss my options. We discussed all of the alternative contraceptive treatments including the injection, implant and coil. I opted for the injection (the depo injection) as I didn’t like the thought of having something unnatural fitted into body, I would much rather have an injection. I was very sceptical to try an alternative contraceptive method as I was unsure how my body would react after being on the pill for so long.
Have my periods been affected?
Since I started having the injection it has completely stopped my periods and I have had no negative side effects – which I was really surprised about. I have to go back to my GP once every 3 months for the injection but that really doesn’t bother me. It’s something I’m glad I made the switch too as I prefer not having periods and it means I don’t have to worry about taking a tablet everyday. Especially as since my stoma surgery I haven’t had to take any medication so I got out of my routine of taking tablets daily.
If you are having stoma surgery, it’s definitely worth considering seeing if your current contraceptive method would still work for you post surgery.
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