A little background on me: I went on the birth control pill in Feb 2006, and my BPPV and MAV started a couple months later. I went off the pill for a while that year too after my MAV started, but at the time I was also hyperthyroid and didn’t know it (it’s now controlled), so I had assumed the pill wasn’t affecting me since I wasn’t getting better off of it. I suffered greatly from MAV for three years until I stopped the pill again in September 2009 to try to conceive, and I’ve been feeling better since.
So as I said, I am now totally convinced that my MAV was caused by the pill (although I definitely still have BPPV, which started before my MAV). I went off of the pill last fall, and everything has been better so far. My panic attacks greatly decreased, the world is not always moving, and even though I am certainly not 100% and may never be (I definitely still have triggers like fluorescent light), I feel loads better (knocks on wood).
I have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and I had to go on months of fertility meds to get pregnant, including Clomid, Femara, and finally injections, and even through messing with all those hormones, I felt ok. Of course, I was horribly worried about how the pregnancy would affect my MAV, but I am nearing the end of first trimester, and so far I feel fine! (except for normal pregnancy symptoms, of course).
Now, I know that my MAV could get worse at any time (or after the pregnancy too), and my pregnancy doctor said that I am definitely not out of the woods, but I am thankful for each and every day that I feel well. So I just wanted to give a little hope to those who are considering a future pregnancy, that it isn’t always terrible for MAV sufferers (hopefully I won’t jinx myself for telling you I feel well right now!). Of course, I have some other health concerns during this pregnancy, including some abdominal pain that so many of us seem to have, but I’m just trying to take things as they come.
I will have to go back on some sort of hormonal medication after my pregnancy because of my PCOS to get regular cycles, but hopefully I will be able to find a good alternative to the birth control pill, because there is absolutely no way I will go back on the pill ever again.
So if you’ve made it this far, I guess my question is: Do you know what it is about the birth control pill that causes BPPV and MAV? I’ve been feeling fairly well through all the other crazy hormonal stuff, but is there something specifically about the pill that causes this?