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WONEN WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE THE COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILL

There are certain conditions that preclude you from taking the combined OCP:
1.         Oestrogen-sensitive cancers such as uterine or breast cancer. The cause of unexplained vaginal bleeding should be diagnosed before beginning any OCP;
2.         Active liver disease or liver tumours;
3.         Severe or frequent migraine headaches;
4.         Some medical conditions such as porphyria or diabetes;
5.         Cardiovascular diseases such as blood clots, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, very high cholesterol and triglycerides.
Contraception in the Future
No one has yet found the ideal hormonal contraceptive and although we are getting close, Australia lags behind in the availability of the newer types.
In particular, experts agree that it is best to use the smallest dose of synthetic hormones and also to use a progesterone that is "friendly" to our blood fats and cardiovascular system. These friendly progesterones are non-masculine (non-androgenic) and are also friendly to our skin as they are more feminine and help to control acne and facial hair. Examples of these friendly feminine progesterones are cyproterone acetate, desogestrel and gestodene.
In Europe and New Zealand, women have access to OCPs containing smaller doses (20 meg as opposed to 30 meg) of oestrogen combined with friendly progesterones such as desogestrel. Brand names of these pills are Mercilon, Marvelon and Diane and these are ideal OCPs for older women or indeed for the majority of women. It is frustrating that Australian women do not have access to these OCPs. Perhaps we need more influential women working in large pharmaceutical companies and the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee.
                                                                                                   
SIDE EFFECT

AVOID

USE

OTHER MEASURES

Weight gain

High dose pills

Mini pill (POP) Triphasic pills

Regular exercise Low-fat diet

Nausea, Vomiting

High dose pills

Mini pill (POP) Triphasic pills may be tolerated Progesterone hormone implant

Take OCP with food and vitamin B6

Breakthrough bleeding

Mini pill (POP) Low-dose pills

Higher dose pills or tailor-made OCP from your doctor

Take the OCP at the same time each day. See your doctor for a gynaecological examination

Facial
pigmentation (Chloasma)

Combined OCPs

Mini pill (POP)

Sunscreen lotion Broad brim hat Depigmentation cream at night

Breast tenderness

High dose OCPs

Mini pill (POP) Triphasic OCPs Tailor-made OCP

Evening Primrose Oil 3000mg daily PMTEZE 1 daily Antioxidants

Mood disorders Poor libido

High dose OCPs Avoid masculine progesterones

Mini pill (POP) Tailor-made OCP

Zinc chelate lOOmg daily PMTEZE 1 daily Magnesium 500mg daily

Headaches, Migraines

All combined OCPs

Mini pill (POP)

Increase water intake. Evening Primrose Oil 3000mg daily Magnesium 500g daily
Vitamin E 500 iu

High Blood Pressure Blood Clots

All combined OCPs

Mini pill (POP) Progesterone hormone implant

Vitamin C, garlic

Vaginal Candida

High dose OCPs

Triphasic OCPs or mini pill

Low sugar diet, garlic
Antioxidants
Acidophilus

The guide to herbs

Herbs: help yourself!

Useful herbs

News

EPILEPSY AND PREGNANCY

Women with epilepsy are quite often concerned about getting pregnant. There appear to be five reasons for this concern. They wish to know:
if they are likely to hand their epilepsy on to their children;
whether their fits will get worse during pregnancy;
whether it is safe for the baby that the mother should take anticonvulsants drugs during pregnancy;
if there will be any problems in the newborn baby from these drugs;
if they can safely breast feed the baby.
With regard to handing on epilepsy to one’s children – as mentioned earlier, if one parent has epilepsy, the chances of one of the children having epilepsy are no greater than in the population at large. If both parents have epilepsy, it would appear that the risk of a child having epilepsy is about 10 per cent. So in fact the chance of a child inheriting epilepsy, particularly idiopathic epilepsy, is negligible.
As far as seizures during pregnancy are concerned, the situation is not as clear as it might be. There is evidence that for some women, seizure control may deteriorate, while for others there may in fact be no change or even an improvement. A patient told me recently that “she would like to remain pregnant forever” as she had not had a single fit during her pregnancy, compared with six fits in the preceding nine months!
As a general working rule, it is suggested that people who have more than one grand mal fit a month are those who are most likely to have a deterioration in seizure control during pregnancy. The deterioration, if it occurs, is most likely during the first three months of pregnancy. There are a number of theories why this may happen, but none has been proved. It may be of value to check the blood anticonvulsant levels during pregnancy, especially if there is a deterioration in seizure control. The blood levels may fall, necessitating an increase in dosage during the pregnancy.
The main concern for parents is whether the anticonvulsants can harm the unborn baby (foetus). It is known by most people with epilepsy that this is a potential hazard. The effects include physical abnormalities in the baby, a process known as teratogenesis. Abnormalities have been reported in the offspring of mothers on all the commonly used anticonvulsants with the exception of carbamazepine. This is particularly applicable to phenytoin, barbiturates and sodium valproate. Babies born to mothers who have been on carbamazepine have not been shown to have any physical abnormalities, but have a smaller head size than other babies. This has not been shown to be any handicap to the babies who have been followed up for five years.
The risk of abnormalities in the baby is difficult to assess, but it seems to be most common in mothers on polytherapy (receiving numerous drugs), especially if they are on three or more anticonvulsants. The risk in mothers on phenytoin, with or without other medications, appears to be about a 10% chance of the baby showing features of the ‘foetal hydantoin’ syndrome. This syndrome consists of cleft palate, abnormalities of the fingers, possible heart abnormalities and mild mental retardation. Thus, at present, if it is possible, it would seem wise to try to change patients over to carbamazepine before conception. This may not be possible in all patients and, of course, many women will first visit their doctor when already pregnant, at which time there is no purpose in making the change.
Anticonvulsants taken by the mother during pregnancy may have some effects on the baby immediately after birth, as they are transmitted to the baby across the placenta. These include the possibility of a mild bleeding tendency and some drowsiness. In mothers who have been taking barbiturates, the infant may occasionally show features of a withdrawal reaction with irritability, jitteriness and poor sucking. None of these features is [...]

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Articles

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION SYMPTOMS

Most patients have a combination of two or more of these problems. They are usually first given a thorough medical history and examination to determine the extent of the prob­lem and to hopefully pinpoint a cause. I want to briefly outline the nature of these four symptoms so that your problem will make more sense to you as a patient if you are experiencing any of them.

PRESCRIBED DRUGS

Taking prescribed medications with most vitamins is safe as is taking herbal complexes that are available through health food stores. However, you should always check with your doctor, your pharmacist or your naturopath. They are all trained to know what can go with what.

Weight loss

Overweight is most commonly a result of overeating and lack of exercise. Overweight and fluid retention often go together with people who have glandular problems or under-active thyroids. In such cases an iodine and phosporous deficiency may be the cause.