I first took the pill when I was 14, for purposes of relieving debilitating pain each month. It worked then and it works now.
I am 50 and have been on a low dose one for seven years now.
Due to getting older, I got on high blood pressure meds (a mild dose of a diuretic) about a year ago.
I have a new doctor now, and she said my pressure was too high at my visit and gave me a higher dose of bp medication.
Is this so? My gyno told me if the pill would’ve affected my blood pressure, it would done so years ago.
I am wondering, as I don’t know if I should try to be off of it for a while to see. I stopped taking my bc pills for about two months last winter so they could test to see if I was going through menopause (peri it turns out).
IANAD, and I don’t think you’re looking for medical advice, but aren’t you fairly overweight? Age 50 is pretty much when things start catching up to you, so you’re probably looking at the consequence of lifestyle choices. If not that, what about your family history? When did your parents, aunts/uncles, or older siblings start having high blood pressure and other health issues?
I am 5’10" and 128 lbs right now. The most I ever weighed was 145, and that was at nine months pregnant.
My parents both got high blood pressure in their 70’s; they lived to their 80s and 90s.
I’ve never smoked.
JMHO, why keep taking the pill? Whether or not it has anything to do with your blood pressure, why keep taking a hormonal drug with known risks EVERY DAY when you are only capable of conception for 3 days a month at most? (condoms).
How do you know what sort of pain you might have at this point, after being on this drug since you were 14 (if I read correctly). I have no idea if your use of the pill has anything to do with your blood pressure (not a Dr., nor do I play one on t.v.) but why not get rid of it for a while and see?
FTR, I am going on 45 and was on a low dose pill at age 19 for 9 mths or so…it F-ed me up…threw my cycles off, I gained 15 lbs, my moods were wonky, and I stopped it and never went back.
Diet (low salt, cucumbers, general avoidance of excess and sticking to whole foods) and exercise (esp. swimming) are proven remedies for high blood pressure.
All just my humble opinion. Wishing you all the best. 
Side note: There are lots of reasons to be on the pill long-term - for me, it freed me from 4+ days a month of excruciating, constant pain from menstrual cramping, and now going on continuous oral contraception saved me from 7+ days a month of unrelenting migraine. It’s been pretty awesome for me personally.
To the OP: There are lots of reasons why you might have higher blood pressure. Could be stress, could be a familial history that just starts earlier in you for whatever reason, could be a whole lot of reasons, which may or may not involve your oral contraception. Talk to both of your doctors and see what their recommendations are.
:rolleyes: But condoms in reality are only effective 85% of the time. 3 days is misleading; sperm can stay alive inside the body for 7 days, so you can get pregnant from stray sperm.
BigBertha, that sure does sound strange. Have you talked about your diet with your doctor? I knew a guy who had 3x times the normal level of triglycerides because his diet was pretty bad, and he was a healthy weight. Three weeks after changing his diet, his BP and triglycerides were only mildly elevated.
Would it help to separate the birth control issue from the hormone issue?
When I was 50 I went in and had my tubes tied. Simple out-patient procedure. Day or two off because I wanted to rest but not really all that necessary. Virtually 100% certain of no more pregnancy issues. Which shouldn’t be an issue at 50, but hey, I worried, ya know?
Then the whole blood pressure, menopause, bone loss, hormone issue becomes a bit easier to contemplate.
Worked for me.
Getting your tubes tied is considered an outpatient procedure …?!? Wha… ?!?
Um, maybe I have a different personal definition of outpatient, but I figured full general anesthesia and cutting into your abdominal wall wouldn’t count as “outpaitent,” which I thought meant more minor stuff.
Or do they not do all that?
Sorry, sorry, kind of a hijack.
I can’t quite figure out what this OP is looking for. First, you’ve posted no indication at all that your new doctor has even suggested that your BC pills could be a cause of the high blood pressure. So that makes me wonder exactly what question we’re answering.
Secondly, have you asked your gyno for advice regarding changing your method of BC? If the gyno doesn’t think the blood pressure spike is caused by the BC, did you go back to the new doc and inquire further?
Nearest I can tell, from re-reading this OP several times, is you want us to tell you if your new doc is correct in assessing your blood pressure as too high. I am not a doc, nor did you post what your actual blood pressure is. So… what am I missing?
Yes, the new doctor thinks my higher than usual blood pressure is because I am 50 and on the pill. I disagree, as my gyno had said it would’ve shown up years ago if that were the cause.
My question, how safe is it to be on a low dose pill at an advanced age?
Have you considered Mirena, if you want a hormonal methods? Much, much lower dose of hormones, and it’s pretty foolproof. (Just got mine Monday.)
BigBertha, I think you should be asking your gyno that question. I am certainly not qualified to suggest what dose of BC pills are safe at your age (or mine for that matter).
In addition to Mirena (very low dose of progesterone only – I’m 41 and a smoker and the docs are fine with that tiny bit of hormone), there is the Paraguard copper IUD, which has zero hormones and would take you all the way through menopause (they last ten years). The Mirena would probably get you through menopause at 50 (they last five years).
Now they do it laparscopically- three or so tiny incisions, boom shabang, it’s done. General anesthesia still, at an outpatient surgery center, you’re home a couple of hours after you wake up.
Ah, but the trick is figuring out which 3 (actually, more like 5-7, due to the lifespan of sperm in fertile cervical fluid) days it is. Those of us who are young with regular menstrual cycles can figure it out with a couple of months of tracking our cervical fluid and basal temps, but at 49, the OP is likely perimenopausal (indeed, her brief haitus confirms this), and symptothermal FAM is no longer reliable.
It’s often done laproscopically now, and while it’s not exactly a breeze, it’s much less invasive than the old laparotomy procedure. Most women who have a laproscopic tubal ligation do go home the same day, about 10 or 12 hours after the surgery is complete. More info here.
IMHO, it doesn’t matter whether or not the birth control is causing the hypertension (high blood pressure). The fact is, *whatever *is causing it, you now have it, and the Pill is no longer the safest birth control option for you - not because of your age, but because of your high blood pressure. I’d also counsel you to look into an IUD or, if you’re sure your babymaking days are over, a laproscopic tubal ligation or Essure tubal implants.
I take what is called Aviane. An IUD is out of the question, I only take birth control to take away the former debilitating cramps I have with my period.
Mine was done laproscopically through my navel. General anestheisa certainly doesn’t rule out a procedure being outpatient, they don’t often keep people overnight at the dentist, after all.
You REALLY need a more accurate username!
BigBertha, are you underweight perchance? 128 seems like the weight of a healthy lady that’s 5’5".
Not sure. Last year I was 142. When I got out of high school, I was 110 lbs. Just my metabolism.
Do you know for sure that you’d still get cramps? Bodies change over time.