a positive thoughts/prayers request

[KellyHabersham]

*not getting into all the details on this because some of it is more appropriate for Fratching*

To make it short, "Heather" (my daughter) is having another episode where she's worried about the possibility of being pregnant. She does take birth control pills, but was recently on antibiotics for a UTI, and we have been told those can affect how her other pills work. (she has been off-cycle the past few months, and the last time she was on antibiotics for a UTI, she skipped a period)

Heather does tend to worry and get paranoid about things, but she's been going through a really rough point in life, and doesn't need anything else coming up. Meanwhile, my mom has told me before that if Heather were ever to get pregnant, I would have to deal with it on my own.....and I do NOT have the resources to do so.

[AnaKhouri]

Sounds like she needs to take a test, pronto.

Here's hoping it's just paranoia!

[KellyHabersham]

Thanks! Heather isn't exactly "late" yet, just that she's at the point with her pills where her period should be starting, and she's not having the usual PMS symptoms. (although I know that periods aren't all exactly the same throughout a woman's life)

[mathnerd]

Fingers crossed for a false alarm!

It might not be a bad idea to go ahead and get a home pregnancy test. They can show a positive result really, really early, even before a missed period, so if she's right at the point where she should be starting, she might get some peace of mind if she goes ahead and takes one with hopefully negative results. Even if it is positive, she can move from worrying about "what if" to thinking about what choices she's going to make.

The last time I took a hpt I was only two days late and it showed positive right away. That was actually fairly recently (and I completely freaked out, but it was an ectopic pregnancy, taking any choice away from me). Boy have those home tests come a long way between the time I had my boys and now! They're faster, easier, and way cheaper than they used to be.

[cindybubbles]

Is she sexually active? Maybe she should lay off the sex until she calms down? Or is sex one of the things that keeps her calm?

[KellyHabersham]

I think we do have an extra hpt around, and will definitely use it if/when we need to. For now though, Heather did tell me she was showing some PMS-related symptoms earlier, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. (I know that she also did have some bleeding recently, but doesn't remember how much or exactly when)

[Gravekeeper]

She does take birth control pills, but was recently on antibiotics for a UTI, and we have been told those can affect how her other pills work. (she has been off-cycle the past few months, and the last time she was on antibiotics for a UTI, she skipped a period)

Was it the doctor that told you this or just people in general?

There is only two types of antibiotic that have ever really been shown to affect oral birth control in pharmaceutical testing and that's Rifampicin and Griseofulvin. Neither of these would normally be prescribed for a UTI. So she was likely prescribed something like Cipro or Levaquin, which would not interfere with oral birth control.

Some women do experience delayed menstrual cycles during a UTI. Antibiotics can effect the cycle itself. Additionally, anything causing stress or hormonal imbalances can likewise do it. Hence being sick and miserable with a UTI is a good candidate. If she's already a worrier and going through a lot of stress, this could be a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. Especially if she hasn't been eating well on top of it.

A quick pregnancy test would help put her mind at ease, but all things considered pregnancy is the least likely culprit here.

[KellyHabersham]

We've been told that by several doctors......one being her primary care physician, other times it's been at the Urgent Care center we go to. (Heather's been on various antibiotics for a UTI, so I don't remember exactly which ones she has taken)

Anyhow, of this morning, let's just say that things are all good.

[Mikkel]

AFAIK the home tests are unlikely to show a false negative if the menstruation is late (and I checked on Wikipedia too). It may give her, and you, some peace of mind to keep a few at home.
A few condoms to use as extra protection for next time she is on antibiotics might be a good idea too.

Congratulations on the outcome.

[Gravekeeper]

We've been told that by several doctors......one being her primary care physician, other times it's been at the Urgent Care center we go to. (Heather's been on various antibiotics for a UTI, so I don't remember exactly which ones she has taken)

Strange. The whole antibiotic vs birth control thing is a rather prevalent medical myth. You'd think a doctor would know better unless they're just covering their asses. There are about 6 antibiotics you could use for UTI. The 2 that actually interfere aren't among them. As they're for resistant tuberculosis or strep throat.

The metabolic window in which an antibiotic could interfere is very small as well.

I was put on a round of antibiotics a few weeks back and ended up sicker than I'd ever been in my life. You learn a lot about a subject when you're miserable and have access to Google. >.>

[42_42_42]

Whenever she's on an antibiotic, just to be on the safe side and to ease her mind, she should use a barrier method (male or female condom) as a back-up to the pill, generally the advice is to continue to use the barrier method until your next period.

I know that doesn't help for the current crisis.

If she IS pregnant, there are lots of resources out there if she chooses to keep the baby and thousands of couples wanting desperately to adopt a baby if she chooses to go that route, so it will be okay.

In the meantime, taking a test can do a lot to help. Not knowing is always more stressful, IMHO, than not.

[42_42_42]

Strange. The whole antibiotic vs birth control thing is a rather prevalent medical myth. You'd think a doctor would know better unless they're just covering their asses. There are about 6 antibiotics you could use for UTI. The 2 that actually interfere aren't among them. As they're for resistant tuberculosis or strep throat.

The metabolic window in which an antibiotic could interfere is very small as well.

I was put on a round of antibiotics a few weeks back and ended up sicker than I'd ever been in my life. You learn a lot about a subject when you're miserable and have access to Google. >.>

While it's true that most antibiotics don't directly interfere with birth control pills, I think a lot of the problem is that when sick, many women don't take their pill on their regular schedule (many don't take it regularly to begin with). Skipping a pill or not taking it at regular time reduces its effectiveness. Being extra-cautious and using a barrier method isn't going to hurt anything and can give a lot of piece of mind.

Which gives me another thought: she shouldn't be engaging in sexual activity while she has a UTI.

And that leads me to: has the doctor or nurse taught her what to do to prevent getting UTIs?

[KellyHabersham]

Well......I've not been at every appointment Heather's had for a UTI, but I do know that she's been told to drink more water, and to shower/clean herself after having sex. And she did have an ultrasound about a year or so ago to see if there was a physical reason she's so prone to UTIs, but it didn't really show anything. (My mom is usually the one who takers her to doctor appointments, so info doesn't always get passed on to me)

But anyhow, because she had a really brief period, she was still worried, so she took an hpt this afternoon......fortunately it was negative.