Hello Friends,
Being female isn't easy, especially when it comes to navigating medical advice on things like birth control safety. We're often assured of its low risk, but in the end, these contraceptive medications could potentially harm us. Over the past few years, I've hosted more than 225 Brain Tumor Zoom Support Groups, totaling around 450 hours of discussions about brain tumors. Time and again, I've heard from women who either used birth control for five or more years or struggled with infertility and underwent multiple rounds of IVF, only to later develop tumors.
I took Ortho Novum 777 for 16 years. When it stopped being effective, they switched me to a progesterone-based pill, thinking it was safer given my family history of breast cancer. Ironically, during those two years on the new pill, my tumor grew the most. By the sixth year of monitoring, I required a craniotomy. At that time my tumor tested positive as progesterone-based, and it grew most rapidly during those two years on the new pill, so I can't help but suspect a connection. I'm not a medical professional, just a fellow member of this unfortunate club, trying to piece together the puzzle.
Articles like these provide education and empower us to make informed decisions about our minds and bodies. The medical community often asserts, "Brain tumors are rare!" Personally, I disagree, as they aren't routinely screening our brains with MRI contrast scans for baseline assessments as they do with mammograms and colonoscopies. Without this baseline, how can they confidently assess low risk? What we do know is that these tumors can grow undetected for years, even decades, during which time people may suffer from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, personality disorders, mania, and more.
It's time for the medical field to step up and consider baseline brain scans around the age 35-40 as a standard. Better prescreening being available to those who are interested in preventative care is essential!
To read the article I am referring to above click here!
Remember, it's so important to find your tribe and to have a safe place to connect with others on this brain tumor path. Join our community of survivors and sign up for a peer Brain Tumor Zoom Support Group. We want to meet you and know your story.
To view our current schedule click here.
I look forward to connecting!
Hugs,
Angel
