I was in a car accident and suffer from herniated disks and arthritis of my spine. As life changing enough as that is when I received the report from my CT Scan they had other news to tell me as well. I have a liver disease. When the doctor explained how serious this could be and that I need to go to a specialist for further examination because I'm too young (22 years old) for this type of problem I became overwhelmed by emotion, but needed to find out all I could on my condition. I looked up everything I could on the disease and came to find that it's most common in over weight people and people who drink excessively. My argument was I know I’m not in the best shape, but I know plenty of people who are far worse about taking care of their health than I am that don’t have this problem; and as I do enjoy having a social drink I don’t drink that often. Little did I know after further research one of the leading contributors to my condition was the birth control pill that I had been taking since I was 16 years old. I had always had a terrible menstrual cycle. My flow was always very heavy and my cramps were so intense that at least once a month it was guaranteed that I would be in bed clenched up in the fetal position wishing the pain away. To help with my unbearable period my doctor had prescribed that I go on the pill to lessen the severity of my monthly visitor, so I did. It worked wonderfully! The pain was not nearly as bad as before and the flow of the blood lightened immensely as well as giving me shorter monthly periods. Unfortunately for me later on this would give me more problems with my health than I could have ever imagined. Sure enough when I read the small print on the inserted leaflet of my birth control prescription it does say that problems of the liver may occur. There is not a cure for the liver disease that I have, but am told that if I change my lifestyle I can stop it from progressing into cirrhosis of the liver which is ultimately what most people die from when they have liver problems. I am taking all necessary precautions at this time to keep the condition from getting worse, and wanted to share my story with all of you so that every woman is aware of all of the possible risks.
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Get checked. I was having those same exact pains for 6 months. Found out my liver was enlarged. The doctors are stumped. I don't drink and not even close to over weight. I never thought BC would be a cause. I was on it for 16 yrs total. Unfortunately I lost health insurance so now I'm trying to get help to get the rest of my testing.
December 10, 2015 - 10:37amThis Comment
Did you ever find out if it was def the birth control? I too have the exact same symptoms and have had every test in the book! I take nothing but birth control! They think Im crazy but i am a medical professional with 17 years of experience and i am convinced it is the birth control! Please i know this comment was made in 2015 but if you have found anything out it would be a great help and could give me a lead on what to check next!!
January 25, 2017 - 1:02pm! Thank you
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Well, I said I would post again... I got my ultrasound. My liver is perfectly okay actually:) Apparently, I have several gallstones. Another thing that birth control puts you at a higher risk of getting: Yep gallstones.
October 28, 2015 - 9:16pmThis Comment
I ended up in the hospital with jaundice and liver failure. My liver is healing slowly, but there may be permanent damage. They make birth control "out to be the best thing," but it's dangerous for many women.
September 25, 2015 - 1:49amThis Comment
It's by no accident that I'd found this website! I've been wondering for many years if there was at least "one" other person that could relate to what I've been through? After reading each of your comments, it brought tears to my eyes, simply because this does affect more young girls and women than the general public is aware of! We entrust our health history, our inner most thoughts and feelings, our lives, and most importantly, our bodies to doctors, nureses, surgeons, etc... From state to state, there are an abundance of healthcare laws that protect the medical profession, but what law protects us, the patient?
August 2, 2015 - 9:04amI've been agonizing over what has happened to me for years!! I've pleaded, begged, and cried out for someone just to "hear me and help me." I'd become very frustrated, angry, hurt, disappointed, and discouraged! In fact, I'd given up at one point. However, what I've been through, at such a young age, just as each of you have, should not be allowed to continue to happen to others!! "We parish for the lack of knowledge," so I feel as though it's my purpose to educate, inform, shed light, & bring awareness to each and every young girl or woman under the sound of my voice that will listen and stand together with me for this cause.
My primary care physician prescribed an oral form of contraception, at the age of 15 or 16, for menorrhagia (abnormally heavy bleeding at menstruation). My cramps were horrible as well!! Prior to starting on "the pill," my Dr failed to mention to my mom or me that prolonged use could potentially cause liver tumors? And if this is a known side effect, even if it's rare, then why aren't prevenitive parameters or prevenitive interventions set in place, while being on the pill? For example, blood tests or liver function tests, abdominal ultrasound, CT, MRI? All of which are minimally invasive.
My signs and symptoms begin in 2001... Epigastric (mid abdomen) pain and right upper quadrant pain, as well as severe nausea!! I was told that it was indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, etc. I was prescribed Prilosec, Zofran, Phenergan, etc. I was taking this stuff but my symptoms were not improving! My primary care doctor even tested me, by fingerstick, for H. Pylori which is the bacteria that causes ulcers. Results were negative and that's where my care stopped, despite me still having the symptoms!!
From 2001 to 2013, I'd failed to be properly diagnosed. In November 2013, after presenting to the ER with epigastric pain and right upper quadrant pain, an abdominal CT scanned was finally performed. At that time, I was told that I had a lesion on my liver, "nothing serious," and that I needed to follow up with a liver specialist.
I went in to see the specialist and was informed that the lesion was 10.5cm in size and in order to better determine the type of lesion, I needed to have a liver MRI. After the MRI, it was determined that I had a "very large" liver adenoma and due to its size, a liver resection would be the only option. The liver specialist also informed me that due to its size, there was a high probability of the tumor rupturing internally, which would cause my death, and that due to its size, there was a probability that I could develop cancer. Before I'd even told him that I'd been on oral contraception, the liver specialist stated to me that "these tumors are the direct result of prolonged use of oral contraception." I WAS OUT DONE!!!
Later that year, I underwent a liver resection of my right lobe related to a "very large" liver adenoma. Because of its size (15cm×11.3cm×7cm), the liver specialist couldn't remove just the tumor but had to take my liver too. Also, the tumor displaced my gallbladder, from the right side to the left side, according to my medical records. My gallbladder was severely enlarged, damaged, and inflammed, so it had to be removed too. I was unaware of that prior to signing the consent for surgery. I also had a bile leak.
I was discharged home, after a 3-day hospitalization, with a JP drain, biliary drain, and a surgical incision from hell (staples, stitches, and sutures)!! My life as I once knew it had been raped, robbed, and compromised... TURNED UP SIDE DOWN AND INSIDE OUT!!
Today, at age 33, I live with the physical scars, the physical pain, discomfort, and numbness of my right lower abdomen, the mental and emotional trauma, hundreds of thousands of medical bills, postcholecystectomy syndrome (presence of abdominal symptoms after surgical removal of the gallbladder), etc.
Had something been done for me, for you, for us, the outcome would have been different!!! That's a well documented FACT!! An intervention as simple as stopping the medication could have and should have been put in place!!!
Thank you for sharing your stories and allowing me to share mine! I will check the site frequently to see if there's any comments, questions, or concerns.
"My purpose gives me the power to push past my pain and position me for my promise!!"
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THIS IS WHAT YAZ HAS DONE TO ME:
I developed what I thought was ulcers, went to my GP he also thought its ulcers, I was vomiting with cramps that would last up to 2 hours or three at a go (these were episodic and very painful). Soon after this I started developing edema in my left foot, this edema was so bad, on some days I used to limp, again no doctor could explain this. I went to a lymph system specialist, he saw nothing, told me to lose weight, what he did notice was that I had inactive gall stones, in my gall bladder which show that these stones were once active , which was confirmation that I did not have ulcers it was gallstones . At this point I still could not link any of this to the pill.
I started losing hair and had to cut my hair, I thought it was because of the type of hairstyle I had at the time and did not question this.
Sometimes when I eat I would get nauseous at any point of the day.
In December/January this year I went on a diet and certain tests were carried out (through all this I still had a problem with edema in my foot which no doctor could explain to me what the cause was) The dietician picked up that my liver enzymes were very elevated, when I asked her what could be the cause she gave me some answer which at the time made sense, I started taking liver supplements.
About 3 weeks ago I fell off the bed during the night, felt dizzy and started vomiting a yellow, bitter substance.
My nose started giving me seriosus problems, it was permanently blocked no matter what I did, it turns out I had upper respiratory infection caused by Yaz.
My stomach became so big I had people asking me if I’m pregnant, I thought I am just gaining weight that is why I tried to do something about it, but I think it due to what was happening in my liver.
My cousin who was 30 years old recently died of a heart attack and she was also on Yaz, this is how I started doing my research. I immediately stopped taking the pill and my foot is trying to recover.
I am now living with serious anxiety waiting for my Liver Functioning tests.
June 8, 2015 - 7:58amThis Comment
I have been on the pill most of my 20's. In the US, it was Ortotricyclen-LO and here in Europe, it was several different brands. In January, I went on Zoely. It was the only pill that minimized headaches during my off week, it was great. I had a routine blood test last month (8 months after starting Zoely) and my liver enzymes were quite elevated (think 120ish). I had an ultrasound done right away and the doctor told me I have a slight fatty liver. I've stopped the pill and decided to change my lifestyle to exercising more and eating better. I am THIN, active enough, and don't have an unhealthy diet! So in 2 months, we'll do another blood test to see if the pill is really the culprit.
October 8, 2013 - 12:07pmThis Comment
Just an update for everyone:
2 months later, the blood test came back completely normal. My liver is back to normal and so are the liver enzymes. The "Zoely" pill was the reason. I couldn't believe that birth control would have done this to me, but the numbers speak for themselves. Had I not been proactive and gone to the doctor, I would have caused some serious damage to my liver just by taking the pill. All women out there should be aware of what could potentially happy.
December 9, 2013 - 8:53amThis Comment
I was on microgynon in the UK as a teen, like you I was trying to relieve awful periods. After feeling ill for a long time I finally got bloods taken by the doctor, on the return my liver enzymes were raised a LOT and I was sent for an ultrasound. It was pretty bad at the time, but thankfully for me, I was able to stop the pill quick enough to bring my levels back to normal. Steering clear of oestrogen pills has helped me no end, the POP pill has been a saviour!
December 7, 2012 - 6:14pmI'm lucky they caught mine early. It should definately be reviewed more often in any woman who takes the pill!!
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It's funny because my doctors all have treated my case like I am the only one with this problem. I have been on BC since I was 14 years old, I have tried them all: loestrin 24, seasonique, yaz, mirena iud and then finally lo lo estrin fe. I am now 21 with severe fatty liver disease. It all started a little over a year ago with intense pain, nausea and upset stomach, heartburn etc etc...After months of ER and doctor visits someone finally took my elevated liver functioning tests seriously and gave me an ultrasound. My liver was 3x the size of a normal one.
It took a few more months, because that's how insurance companies work, and I was finally able to get a liver biopsy. It showed that my liver is 85% damaged.... That was last September. After 6 months my dr's finally decided that it was my birth control causing the liver damage. I went off of the pill immediately... 10 months later, my liver tests have improved.
What I have learned from this experience is that the hardest part isn't getting the diagnosis, it's living with a now impaired liver. Everything affects it. I can no longer take Motrin, drink or eat a lot protein without feeling sick and seeing immediate side effects.
I got the copper iud put in in December because I figured with all of these health issues I wouldn't want to add an accidental pregnancy into the mix. Well that was a mistake, the amount of bleeding that occurred while using it was ridiculous, not to mention the pain associated with it and I also was constantly itchy.
So now my biggest problem is figuring out how to not only balance my lifestyle so that it doesn't trigger my liver, but also how to prevent pregnancy. Hormonal BC is not an option and condoms aren't very fun. I tried to get a diaphragm but apparently thats 90's birth control and my dr doesn't fit for them and neither does any planned parenthoods in the bay area. So for now, condoms it will be.
I wanted to share all of this because it's important for people to see that it's not just getting the liver disease/damage... It's living with it. I try not to focus on the very possible negative side effects of my problem, like liver cancer or cirrhosis of the liver and just live day by day. Now i am just trying to take care of myself.
July 9, 2012 - 12:08pmThis Comment