Birth ControlHi, First of all, please do an internet search and read the Prescribing information for the medication. Not just the consumer info, but the actual prescribing information. The side effects of most any hormonal birth control are quite serious and I wouldn't want my child on any of them. Doctors commonly gloss over these risks. They can't be trusted to give you accurate information (in my opinion!). In my personal experience, I was put on birth control pills because of irregular periods when I was only 14. Which, by the way, the prescribing information says not to do, because it can cause infertility, I do believe that was the cause of my lifelong infertility. I'm now 46 and have never been able to get pregnant. It also caused excessive body and facial hair - permanently. To this day, I have to shave my lip and chin. I have very coarse black facial hair. Don't tell anybody LOL Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the reason he wants the Depo would be her willingness to take a pill everyday and the risk she might have sex without completely understanding what is going on.What about an IUD? They can put it in for 5 years and then take it out. They can put them right back in. I've had 2 and the first time my periods pretty much stopped. They got a bad rap in the 70's with toxic shock, but I had them for almost 10 years and never had a problem. I thought the concern was dealing with the mess of PERIODS? But there ARE estrogen rings and IUDs, too ... and the newer IUDs are supposed to be wonderful!Good luck with your decision, this is not an easy one. But for my own daughter I would not go strictly with the Ped's medication suggestion. I would most definately take her to an OB/GYN since that person would be most knowledgable about which medication would be appropriate for her. I would post the topic with a flag to mothers of girls who already have their periods. See if that is an issue for them. Some girls with an autism spectrum disorder have really SEVERE emotional ups and downs. Some do not. Your daughter is very young to be thinking about putting her on hormones. However, it may certainly become necessary. I'd wait and see. However, I'm the mother of a BOY. Ask moms of girls. One thing I WOULD do is get her the vaccination that prevents future cases of cervical cancer. That only works prior to any sexual contact and it's never a 100% sure thing that our kids won't eventually become sexually active. JMHO, but that's what I'd do with any female chid of mine who started puberty. Please remember the doctor is not always right!!! My daughter sounds similar to yours..she is ten years old, stright A student - high IQ, and verbal, but everything that should be easy, is hard for her... i.e. brush hair, clean room, social interactions. She also has never properly potty trained. Her doctor wanted me to have her colon removed because she poops her pants. That seemed too extreme to me. I think birth control for a nine year old is also pretty extreme. Try to find other parents who have done this and see what they say first. Usually parents have better advice than doctors. Always trust your gut instinct and don't let doctors bully you. The reason I say this is because my daughter has seen an array of doctors for over four years and I am still seeking an accurate diagnosis and second opinions. Many of our doctors have been wrong and I have been given really bad and even harmful advice. As a mother my gut instincts have almost always been right. be VERY careful with Yazmine. It has a different hormone that can really affect people in adverse ways. I was on it and I had to go off of it because I was having really bad mood swings, I actually thought I was bipolarI agree, get Guardasil. I got it. You can get it after you are sexually active but it is most effective if you get it before you are sexually active. cam, message me and I will try to find this post a mother of an 18 year old with Down Syndrome did. Or I can post it here if more are interested. She might be a good person to ask about the effects of depo Many docs recommend this for girls with special needs. There are also pills out there now that you can be on, so that you only have your period 4 times a year. You may want to check those out as well. This is such a hard time for our girls...good luck! Depo (as well as all birth control) can make you bleed as well, it doesnt always stop your period. I took depo when it first came out and I would bleed for the last 4 weeks before my next injection. I only took it for a year because it also altered my mood and made me gain a lot of weight and I had such painful acne. My daughter talks, gets straight A's and has already met her reading goal for the end of the year. She has no speech delays but at this point it's almost impossible for her to verbalize her wants and needs. The simplest tasks such as brushing hair, and taking a bath/shower are very complicated. Even going to bed and falling asleep have to be told to her. Her behavior has improved with medicine but she still bullies, argues with adults and believes people or things are out to get her. It is depo that the doctor recommended. I actually think my daughter isn't far from puberty considering she has taken on a huge growth spurt, breast development and body odor. I will definitely look into the alternatives but honestly I'm so nervous about this whole situation. Depo has VERY undesirable side effects. I would go for one of the new pills, like Seasonale or (is it) Yasmin? For fewer periods. You would have to administer or supervise her taking it, but it is what I intend to do ... SN or not, by that age! My daughter who is 9-years-old just recently went to her pediatrician and he talked to me about putting my daughter on the shot when she hits puberty to stop her from having periods. In a way it's a good idea because I don't think my daughter could handle such a thing in her life and it may be traumatizing. Just wondering what others opinions were on the idea and if there were any parents that do have a child on birth control. Absolutely not if its Depo. Depo has serious side effects for some people, including weight gain depression, and lost hair. It is incredible to me that a doctor would recommend this for a pubescent child. Could you monitor her closely and then do it after 18? You know, actually, on second thought, if you are considering this because you are certain she will never have the mental capacity to bear children, I would almost prefer to have her tubes tied. I am just concerned about the long term effects of being on Depo for 40 years.
You don't mention your daughter's level of functioning. Is she verbal, can she use the toilet independently, does she have behavioral issues? Why do you think getting her period would traumatize her? Menstration is a normal part of development, and I wonder what the side effects of any birth control would be for a young girl. Would it affect her breast development? What are the long term effects, and are you planning to keep her on birth control for the rest of her life? If not, at some point, she will get her period, and with any birth control, there is still the chance of breakthrough bleeding. I don't mean to have so many questions, but these are things that I think have to be considered before making any decision. Chances are your daughter has a couple of years before this becomes an issue, and like so many of our kids, can go through a lot of good and bad changes in the next couple of years. I think that right now, the best approach is to educate and prepare your daughter, and see how she reacts when it finally does happen. .7 per cent ... how does that compare to the Pill, or barrier methods?From the FDA website.All birth control pills, the patch and the hormonal ring have a 5% failure rate. Female condoms have a 20% failure rate. Male condoms have an 11-16% failure rate. IUD, hormonal rod implanted in arm and birth control shots have a failure rate of less than 1%. It also goes over sponges, diaphragms etc., and they have a failure rate between 15 and 32% and sterilization which is less than 1%. Wow, that was very eye opening. The most widely used methods have a high failure rate. Another possibility, there is an IUD that stops periods while in place, called Mirena ... YES, most contraceptives have a pretty high failure rate. But if you use two forms at once, you multiply the success rates and that helps. (this, coming from someone with primary infertility ... Oh, yeah -- fairly common procedure -- outpatient! -- but not sure is a guarantee against pregnancy (and of course, not against STDs). Good thinking, Trinity! [/QUOTE]Thanks.  Hmm, it does look like there is a small chance of cells remaining. I'll have to look into it more to see how common that is. If the procedure is successful, it will prevent pregnancy because the lining that the zygote would implant on is removed. That's also why it stops periods: no lining= no bleeding. I was considering it because this would have allowed my hormones to stay so there wouldn't have been a need for hormone replacement or any of those side effects as there are with a hysterectomy. Luckily, I figured out the problem before any big steps were taken. *edit I am finding a failure rate of .7 percent Here's my collection of puberty resources, including a link to another topic on our forum where birth control was discussed. http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16099&am p;KW=puberty+resources Oh DC, she is SO CUTE! Lovely photo!Thanks, Norway mom, for all those wonderful resources! Those ought to keep me busy for a while. http://www.cure-guide.com/Natural_Health_Newsletter/HPV_Vacc ine/hpv_vaccine.html
http://www.wddty.com/03363800369307785594/hpv-teenage-vaccin e-is-causing-death-and-injury.html
ahh nervousness. I got the shot. BE CAREFUL IF THINKING ABOUT THE CERVICAL CANCER SHOT SERIES !!! Please forgive my shout, but I just watched a show on abc, cbs (one of those) a few weeks ago about horrible side effects with that shot including death! The moms on there were crying, and said the FDA will not take them seriously (suprise suprise) and now they are even opening it up to boys because it can travel through sperm. They had some sort of study showing that it has some very harmful side effects and statistics. One girl was a cheerleader and died. Look at paxil causing birth defects in pregnant moms babies and the FDA denied it over and over.....and now there are lawsuits against paxil. This may be one of those cases someday. It all makes me really mad. Okay, I have a daughter but she isn't on the spectrum. Take my advicewith a grain of salt, if that much. I took the Depo shot for 6 months and had the worst bleeding, worst migraines, and worst leg cramps ever. I know those are not normal side effects, but I still had them. I will never take the shot again. I have been on some form of birth-control since I was 13 since I have always had problems with ovarian cysts and irregular periods. I never had trouble getting pregnant. I am 33. I don't know of any form of birth-control that will guarantee to stop periods. Now on to my next opinion (only an opinion). I would look at the Gardasil vaccine with a critical eye. I know many say it is largely without side-effects, and that may or may not be true. I don't agree with the way it is marketed and I question the motives of Merck when they lobby states to make it mandatory for girls to get vaccinated before they enter middle school. They have backed off the lobbying efforts which I was glad to see. I don't think 9 is too early to start thinking about these issues. My daughter will be 9 in October and already has to wear deodorant for body odor. I dread having to explain all this to her, and again, she isn't even on the spectrum. Seeing a gynecologist is probably the best way to go right now. You can get the best and most thorough information that way. A gynecologist can give you a better idea of pros and cons whichever way you decide to go. And a good one won't push or force your decision. My daughter got all 3 shots, too. And when they open it up to boys, my NT son will get that one. Not sure about the other boys as I don't see them having that kind of relationship. Although anything is possible. The first article that 4UDonnette posted has alternative ways to protect yourself from HPV. Condoms will not help you against HPV or herpes. Those are passed by contact and even with a condom, there is lots of skin to skin that can still be passed. IMHO, this thread is getting too technical to be of real use. This are issues that everyone needs to speak to their DOCTOR about and get very particular advice about side effects, effectiveness, etc. An OBY/GYN can give advice based on issues that exist in the general population. An autism expert can help with giving additional advice as it pertains to a girl with autism. We all have our opinons, but when it comes to disease and the side-effects of medication, we should depend on a PHYSICIAN to give professional advice. Tzoya, Marilyn, I totally AGREE! I was just given four medications on discharge from the hospital ... some of them with quite alarming side effects. I was told of NONE except the obvious, immediate one, in one case ... of nausea that "normally goes away after a few days." Not edema, not heart failure, not a fat "lower depot," I had to look each med up! And frankly, my impression is that a lot of Docs are afraid we will IMAGINE the side effects are present, if they DO tell us all of them. And frankly, my impression is that a lot of Docs are afraid we will IMAGINE the side effects are present, if they DO tell us all of them. [/QUOTE] This is my thoughts as well. Oh, yeah -- fairly common procedure -- outpatient! -- but not sure is a guarantee against pregnancy (and of course, not against STDs). Good thinking, Trinity! My DD is 14 and has yet to start menstrating, but we have had a lot of discussions with her pedi about this subject. As soon as she has her first period, we are going to get her an appt with an OB/GYN and either get her the shot or pill. Even though she is high functioning, she is at high risk for being sexually taken advantage of and, unfortunately, we cant be there to protect her 24/7. A pregnancy would be much more traumatic and devastating than the potential side effects of birth control. If insurance would pay for it, we would get her a hysterectomy, as she has no business ever having children and we don't want to raise any more. I'm not sure how she will react to bleeding and how well she will take care of her hygeine. She freaks out every time she hurts herself. I worry that she will leak on her clothes at school, opening her up to even more teasing and ridicule by the other kids. I think permanent sterilization is the best option, preferably in a way where she won't menstrate, either. JMO But ... is it LEGAL to permanently sterilize a child? And can you find an MD willing to do that? I thought for that kind of surgery you had to be a consenting adult. A friend in ths business will not even do hysterectomies on women of 30 with no kids ... In Texas, it is legal, if there is just cause and you can find a physician to do it. I'm not saying we are going to do this, but we have certainly thought about it. My DD has multiple congenital defects and she has 2 first cousins who have severe mental retardation. I also have 2 brothers and a nephew w/ severe epilepsy.We have even told our NT DD that she should probably not have biological children, but rather adopt, due to the high instance in our family of neurological problems. I am glad it IS legal ... sometimes it seems like childbearing is our only irrevocable right, in this country. Adoption has been terrific for us! We had no known genetic issues, just ... were old and infertile. We did not even go very far in examining the reasons for that. But if anyone has any doubts or questions about adoption as being a wonderful road to parenthood, PM me. We are very happy to be adoptive parents, and are very proud of our kids. What about uterine ablation? It removes the lining of the uterus and prevents pregnancy and bleeding- though I believe there may be some initial bleeding after the procedure. It's not something most people know about. I only found out about it when I was having really bad bleeding problems 2 years ago. |
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, which is, no kidding, a side effect of one.