I am thinking of asking my pcp to put me on the pill for a couple of months before and after surgery so that I don't have to deal with my period, esp. at the hospital. Is there any reason this wouldn't work? I am assuming I'll be able to choke down a small pill within a day or so of surgery to stay on track.

Yeah, I would wait until a month post-op to start birth control if you aren't already on it...

Your surgoen should be recommending you get on some kind of birth control after surgery to decrease the chances of getting pregno...

Best advice I can give you is to check with your surgeon: they all have different rules and guidelines so what info you get here may be way different than what your doc says. Mine wanted to make sure I was on birth control before he did the surgery (I'm on mirena).

Just to follow up, I did talk with my surgeon and he said that while he isn't crazy about women staying on the pill for surgery, he doesn't require them to stop. I think I am going to talk to my PCP when I see her in a few weeks and see what she thinks about the situation, elevated risks, etc. Accidentally getting pregnant is not and will not be an issue for me so if I do go on bcp, it would be for the convenience only. So, I am going to talk to her about exactly how much that would elevate my risk for a clot/thrombosis and whether the trade-off is worth it.

Just to follow up' date=' I did talk with my surgeon and he said that while he isn't crazy about women staying on the pill for surgery, he doesn't require them to stop. I think I am going to talk to my PCP when I see her in a few weeks and see what she thinks about the situation, elevated risks, etc. Accidentally getting pregnant is not and will not be an issue for me so if I do go on bcp, it would be for the convenience only. So, I am going to talk to her about exactly how much that would elevate my risk for a clot/thrombosis and whether the trade-off is worth it.[/quote']

That's a good idea. Keep us posted!

Just an FYI about the pill...it takes most ladies 4-6 months on the pill until you menses will regulate. At the practice I work at, I've heard some girls complain that after 4 months on, they are still bleeding, and some are even heavier than before the pill. I've heard some say they had a 2 week period at a time for a few months before they stopped having periods too. Everyone is different, but be prepared that going on the pill for the convenience of not bleeding during your surgery time might not work the way you are hoping it will