# Birth Control



## goodthing (Feb 16, 2009)

I'm not having sex right now, but I do want to be on birth control. Be prepared just in case :teeth Can anyone recommend a good pill that they use? My main concern is actually that I'm afraid of gaining weight. A lot of my friends have said that they put on 15 pounds once they got on the pill. I don't want that to happen to me! :afr Any suggestions?


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

so many jokes....but I won't. I'll abstain....

I never could take any of the pills, they always made me so ill. It seems these days more people are getting the implant. have you considered that? I never think it's a good idea to mess around with one's hormones.


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## Emptyheart (Sep 15, 2009)

Yeah birth control sucks :/
You do gain weight...ahem especially
In chest area LOL.
I've never tried it, but from my sisters experience
She gained a good 10 pounds.


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## goodthing (Feb 16, 2009)

I so would not mind gaining weight in the "chest area" lol. It's all the other areas that I'm worried about! LOL


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

i take Yaz, my doctor said it was a good first one to try as it is a pretty dose of hormones and causes less weight gain in comparison to others.
it also has 4 days of placebos (when you'd get your period) rather than 7 like others which i prefer.

it is supposed to help with acne but it hasn't helped mine. the first month i had a lot of spotting and break-through-bleeding but that faded into the 2nd pack, which i've heard is normal. i also didn't gain any weight at all which is good (i did go through a period of a ton of cravings/eating a bit too much but it might have been attributed to the winter blues at the time).

i think it's a good idea for you to look into it just in case, i wish i had earlier when people recommended that i do but stubborn me refused to even consider the possibility that i might be sexually active one day, hah.


about messing with your hormones... i really don't know much about how it will affect them long-term but at this point in my life tbh i don't care too much :|


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## laura024 (Aug 11, 2006)

Well each pill will have different effects on everyone.
I took Cyclessa. No weight gain, but it was still a ***** to me. It made my period two weeks long and heavy, and gave me more acne than I ever had before. 
Ironically enough, I took it to shorten and lighten my period.


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## strawberryjulius (Jun 28, 2009)

I took Levlen for a couple of months and it was awful, it made me bleed for 2-3 weeks. No weight gain though. I take Yasmin now and it's much better. I don't think the weight I have gained is the cause of the pill, though. (And it was only 1-2 kilos, if that)

Contraceptive pills affect everyone differently though so just try different ones until you find the right one for you. Usually when people do gain weight it's probably their lifestyle choices rather than the pill. :b


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## Annie K (Sep 24, 2008)

I started taking Yaz a few years ago, mostly for acne, and I have been very happy with it. It almost completely cleared up my acne, and it didn't make me gain weight. But it's different for everyone. My younger sister also took Yaz, and it didn't work well for her.


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## complex (Apr 22, 2009)

Seasonale only have one four times a year and did not make me gain any weight it also comes in a generic form now that is much cheaper than the original. It is a great choice to avoid those times of the month if that is part of your goal!


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

I take Cilest and have done for about 8 years now. I don't think it's made me gain any weight, except maybe in the boob area, and there's nothing wrong with that IMO :lol It cleared up my skin too. I love it.


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## strawberryjulius (Jun 28, 2009)

It's funny, whilst I'm taking the hormone pills my breasts are larger and I get pretty excited about it and then when I'm on the sugar pills they go small again, haha. xD


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

strawberryjulius said:


> It's funny, whilst I'm taking the hormone pills my breasts are larger and I get pretty excited about it and then when I'm on the sugar pills they go small again, haha. xD


Wow, that would really freak me out!! The pill I take doesn't have sugar pills, you just stop taking them for 7 days. My boobs seem to get bigger near my period. Boyfriend always notices it :b


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

leonardess said:


> so many jokes....but I won't. I'll abstain....
> 
> I never could take any of the pills, they always made me so ill. It seems these days more people are getting the implant. have you considered that? I never think it's a good idea to mess around with one's hormones.


I could never take them either. They either made me feel sick or gave me horrible acne. Not that I need them now anyway. There's no one worth having sex with and I'm getting myself fixed soon.


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## GermanHermit (Sep 6, 2008)

I'm always surprised to see how careless young people seem about taking the pill. The main worry is merely possibly gaining weight.


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## goodthing (Feb 16, 2009)

EremitaGermanus said:


> Without wanting to degrade your plans I'd like to add my two cents worth.
> 
> I'm always surprised to see how careless young people seem about taking the pill. The main worry is merely possibly gaining weight.
> 
> ...


Ok, what should I be worried about then? I mean I know its hormones, but I guess I'm not really sure what that will do to me other than possible weight gain. The pill just seems the safest form of birth control to me, and I haven't heard of any bad experiences other than weight gain and acne. And condoms alone just don't seem effective enough. So, what should I be worried about if I take the pill?


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

goodthing said:


> Ok, what should I be worried about then? I mean I know its hormones, but I guess I'm not really sure what that will do to me other than possible weight gain. The pill just seems the safest form of birth control to me, and I haven't heard of any bad experiences other than weight gain and acne. And condoms alone just don't seem effective enough. So, what should I be worried about if I take the pill?


Don't let anyone's comments put you off - the pill is extremely safe. As I said in my previous post, I've been on it for 8 years and it's only been beneficial to me. Apparently it also reduces your risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

The only bad thing I've ever noticed about the pill is that if I miss one, I get my period either the next day or the day after. That can be annoying, but you just have to remember to take it properly.

Just a word of warning about the injection - a friend at work fell pregnant on it, twice!


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## pollster (Oct 4, 2009)

Actually, not to throw a wrinkle into anyone's high hopes, but the pill can *increase* your risk of estrogen-related cancers (such as breast). I have never ever heard that it can_ decrease_ your risk of this. (Be curious to hear where that was heard!) The Pill (various kinds) also contain the strongest form of estrogen (estradiol) - the natural body typically has at least 3 kinds (I believe). And in the body's natural state, estradiol only makes up a small percentage of total estrogen. So being on the pill really increases your body's estrogen - which over time _may_ be a contributing factor to estrogen-dependent cancers. (Along with other things.)

Consequently, if you want to go in the pill, it's best to find the most suitable lower dose pill that works for you (i.e. lower estrogen). Yaz has a lower amount of estrogen than Yasmin, or Diane, or others. But it also has a controversial progestin in it (an anti-androgen - which is why it's prescribed for acne). It doesn't always sit well with some women, which is evidenced by the law suits that are currently being filed against the Yasmin and Yaz manufacturer. But as with *any* of the pills, they all have side effects that effect women quite differently. These are hormones that you are adding to your body unnaturally. Unfortunately it's quite difficult to simply go by other people's experiences, even though we all want to (including me).

BTW, I'm speaking as a woman who has taken BCP for many years. So I'm speaking honestly, and not trying to persuade anyone to one side or the other. But I would hate for anyone to think that being on the pill will decrease your chance of breast cancer. They even mention it in the literature that comes with most pills.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

^ I just checked the leaflet in the packet and you're right Michelle. Sorry, my bad! It says it slightly increases the risk of breast cancer but reduces the risk of cancer of the ovaries and uterus. It also says it protects you against other infections and nasty things.


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## SAgirl (Nov 15, 2003)

In the past, I took mini pills. I couldn't take Ortho-Tricyclen since I got terrible headaches. I have been on Select 1/35 and Alesse. 

In the future, I might try Seasonale as long as there's not alot of spotting during the time when you are supposed to have your period.


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## mooncake (Jan 29, 2008)

laura024 said:


> Well each pill will have different effects on everyone.


Yep, you might have to switch between a few different ones before you find one that suits you. I'm on microgynon 30 and had heard some terrible stories from people about it, but I experienced no bad side effects whatsoever! I think it's more or less a case of trial and error.


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## Amelia (Nov 24, 2003)

mooncake said:


> ...I'm on microgynon 30 ...I experienced no bad side effects whatsoever!


I was on it for 10 years and didn't notice any significant side effects either. It was prescribed by a doctor. I wouldn't trust myself to choose the right kind of medication, particularly one that affects your hormones and with as many side-effects as the pill can have, so am in awe of people who are willing to do this. Nor would I want to experience the possible consequences of switching from one pill to another.


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

The pill lowers some types of cancers and increases others. Really the side effects are pretty darn low compared to nearly anything else you can take. There's a few acne medications that I'd take yasmin before. Definitely all the anxiety and depression meds have higher risks. Nearly everything does. Plus how many things in this world can cause cancer and we still use them. Name anything in your house and someone has probably proven it could increases your risk of cancer. I think the benefits outweigh the risks. Particularly when there is a need to avoid ovarian cysts, excessive periods leading to anemia, and other very common reproductive tract disorders.

Now the tricky part of hormonal birth control is that everyone's body responds differently to different hormones. It's like trying to find an anxiety med. One works great for someone where no others do and everyone else says they would never take that if they were dying. There are dozens of pills, patches, shots, rings... out there with different hormones and so far I don't know anyone who's tried several and found more than 2 that their body tolerates. 2 out of dozens. You could spend a year taking 1 dozen of the wrong ones and having things like spotting randomly throughout the month, increased acne or dandruff, mood swings, no sex drive, bleeding after sex, bleeding for more than a week.... The minor side effects go on and on and every pill you take you have those odds because no one knows how your body will react. Be prepared to experiment. Luckily all the side effects go away when you stop the pill that's causing it. Sometimes it takes a little while for your body to get back to how it was, it took me a year to start having periods again after 5 years of pills, but the side effects like that aren't permanent.

Personally I can only take yasmin (higher dose version of yaz) and nuva rings. I tried a few lower dose version pills and had break through bleeding and increased acne on all of them. Then I tried lybrel which is like seasonale and had bleeding constantly for 3 months. I had a mirena IUD for awhile. We don't want to go there. That was miserable and my body finally shoved it out despite them checking it with ultrasound and saying it was perfectly placed. I am not experimenting anymore. Everyone says how dangerous yasmin is but it works wonderfully and helps me with lots of things that would have made me self conscious and not want to show my face to anyone. If the nuvarings have problems (I'm a bit small and they are irritating the opening) I'm going back on yasmin (not yaz-too low of dose for my body) probably until I no longer am capable of having periods.

Oh I actually lost weight on yasmin. I then gained 50lbs when I went off it after years of taking it.


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## spaceygirl (Dec 4, 2009)

I cannot take birth control pills as they make me completely mentally unstable, depressed and suicidal. That is one thing that hormones can do to mess with your body, so if you think acne and weight gain are bad side effects, you should be aware that bc pills can also severely effect your mood (probably more so if you are already prone to depression). Not to scare you, but do your research before you choose the pill as a method of birth control. Many women experience depression/severe mood swings on the pill, and this is more than an inconvenient or simply unpleasant side effect.


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## Melinda (Feb 5, 2009)

I recommend starting out cautiously. Try a lower-dose birth control at first. That way if there are any negative side effects (mood problems, weight gain, etc) they won't be too much to handle. I started off with the patch at age 18 and I gained 20lbs almost overnight and felt horribly anxious/depressed/suicidal. Since then I've tried several other lower dose bc pills but everything I tried made me feel so awful that I've given up (and I still haven't dropped all of the extra weight). Everyone's body is different, so trying to find a method that works with minimal side effects can be a real pain.


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## Perfectionist (Mar 19, 2004)

I loooooooooooooooooooooooove birth control pills.

I take Marvelon. I don't notice any side effects, but then again I already had bad skin, big boobs, and extra weight. So I wouldn't exactly know. But they mean I don't have to think about periods at all anymore. Yaaaaay.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

I went off Yaz in September after being on it for almost a year as I had suspected it was lowering my sex drive and yea, it got much better after. It is a very common side-effect for hormonal BC and I wish it is talked about more since sort of the reason many women go on it is for sex so it can be a bit pointless if you hardly feel like having it ever. The low libido made me feel sort of distressed and really down on myself and I really wish I went off it much sooner.

ANYWAY. I'm going to the gyno this week to get an IUD (I have so see if she's cool with it first) and I'm pretty excited! My GP said Mirena would be best and that the hormone dosage is very low so side-effects are uncommon. They also make periods much lighter and less frequent, or they are even gone altogether. There is a copper IUD (which is less expensive) but it can make periods much, much worse.

IUDs look so awesome! I think they should be more popular - they are more cost-efficient... You only pay for it once (when you got it inserted) and Mirena lasts 5 years and the copper IUD lasts 5-12 years, though they can be expensive if you don't have insurance but there are some clinics that have a sliding scale for the cost... so when you compare it to the monthly cost of oral HBC it is much better. They are one of the most effective forms of BC, even very slightly more effective than sterilization (seriously).
I think part of the reason they are not too well-known is because some people and even doctors still think that only women who have given birth can used them, but that has been proven false.

http://www.scarleteen.com/birth_control_bingo_intrauterine_devices_iud
BC effectiveness charts - http://www.plannedparenthood.org/he...l/birth-control-effectiveness-chart-22710.htm
http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/programs/sexualhealth/pdf/bctable2005.pdf


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## nobodyuknow (Aug 31, 2008)

spaceygirl said:


> I cannot take birth control pills as they make me completely mentally unstable, depressed and suicidal. That is one thing that hormones can do to mess with your body, so if you think acne and weight gain are bad side effects, you should be aware that bc pills can also severely effect your mood (probably more so if you are already prone to depression). Not to scare you, but do your research before you choose the pill as a method of birth control. Many women experience depression/severe mood swings on the pill, and this is more than an inconvenient or simply unpleasant side effect.


That was what happened to me when I took them. Definitely do your research! 
I can't even remember now what I tried -- it was either Yaz or Yasmin -- but I took it because my sister told me it worked well for her. She is a pharmacist and so I asked her about taking it along with my antidepressants and she said it was okay. I wanted to take it to have clear skin and less heavy, horrible periods. It worked for both but I was suddenly extremely depressed and weepy. I had been doing well depression-wise before I started taking them and when my mom asked me what was suddenly with me I clued in.


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## emptybottle2 (Jan 18, 2009)

deleted


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

BCP makes me too psycho. I'm psycho enough to begin with.

The boob-enlarging aspect was weird but not totally terrible. Sometimes I look at pictures of myself from my BCP-taking years, and I'm like, "CHECK OUT THE RACK ON THAT ONE."


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## au Lait (Sep 8, 2010)

I'm not on the pill anymore but when I was, the one I took was called Sprintec. I had a really great experience with it. It never caused me to gain any weight or anything. In fact, I don't recall having any weird side effects, aside from my body adjusting to it in the first few months. I was nauseous for the first couple of weeks (similar to morning sickness, I guess), but after that it was great. It helped a lot with PMS too.


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## eejm (Jan 22, 2010)

nothing to fear said:


> ANYWAY. I'm going to the gyno this week to get an IUD (I have so see if she's cool with it first) and I'm pretty excited! My GP said Mirena would be best and that the hormone dosage is very low so side-effects are uncommon. They also make periods much lighter and less frequent, or they are even gone altogether. There is a copper IUD (which is less expensive) but it can make periods much, much worse.
> 
> IUDs look so awesome! I think they should be more popular - they are more cost-efficient... You only pay for it once (when you got it inserted) and Mirena lasts 5 years and the copper IUD lasts 5-12 years, though they can be expensive if you don't have insurance but there are some clinics that have a sliding scale for the cost... so when you compare it to the monthly cost of oral HBC it is much better. They are one of the most effective forms of BC, even very slightly more effective than sterilization (seriously).
> I think part of the reason they are not too well-known is because some people and even doctors still think that only women who have given birth can used them, but that has been proven false.
> ...


I've had both kinds of IUDs that are available in the US and they are indeed awesome.  The only reason I didn't like Paragard was that it made my already periods even heavier. I currently have Mirena and have no complaints about it.

I had a mixed experience with the pill. I took Demulen for awhile and it made me retain water like it was my job. I had a good experience on Ortho-Tricyclin - until I got pregnant on it. To be fair, I was on it for several years before getting pregnant, but I doubt if I'll ever take any type of BCP again.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

Tricyclen-Lo is the one I'm on. I didn't notice any side effects, good or bad, though my doctor did prescribe it because it's noted for that. My body is crazy sensitive to medications. 

It IS really nice to be able to predict your period.


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## caflme (Jun 7, 2009)

When I took them - about 9 years from 17-25 when I got married ... I never had any side effect... that was from 1983-1990. It was 20 years ago and I am surprised to hear of so many complications... guess I was lucky.

I've not used any birth control in 20 years... there was no need.


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## CrazyCatLady (Feb 8, 2011)

seafolly said:


> Tricyclen-Lo is the one I'm on. I didn't notice any side effects, good or bad, though my doctor did prescribe it because it's noted for that. My body is crazy sensitive to medications.
> 
> It IS really nice to be able to predict your period.


That's the one I was on most recently. Previously ortho tricyclin regular. I've never had a problem with the pill. It's my understanding that if you do gain weight it's all water weight and you can take water pills to balance it out, but then that was about ten years ago when the pharmacist told me that.

Personally if I were going to try some out and see what was best for me I'd start with the pills before I went with something that was going to be implanted, but that's just me. Those always kinda creeped me out and I liked taking the pill, it made me feel in control of things. The only issue is that the times I went off it took two months or so for my period to get back to normal but I wasn't really complaining.


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## spaceygirl (Dec 4, 2009)

nobodyuknow said:


> That was what happened to me when I took them. Definitely do your research!
> I can't even remember now what I tried -- it was either Yaz or Yasmin -- but I took it because my sister told me it worked well for her. She is a pharmacist and so I asked her about taking it along with my antidepressants and she said it was okay. I wanted to take it to have clear skin and less heavy, horrible periods. It worked for both but I was suddenly extremely depressed and weepy. I had been doing well depression-wise before I started taking them and when my mom asked me what was suddenly with me I clued in.


The first one I tried was Ortho tricyclen, because like you my sister takes it without any problems and she too has depression and is on SSRIS. But for months I had bad nausea and vomiting and depressive episodes, and after awhile I too thought that maybe it was the pill...so then I tried Alesse and Yasmin....suffice to say none was any better than the last! Goes to show what will work for one person, even a blood relative, won`t work for everyone.

OP if you do decide to go on the pill and experience any of these extreme symptoms or ones lasting for more than 2-3 months let your doctor know right away. The lower dose bc pills may be better, but I am not willing to try at this point.



pita said:


> BCP makes me too psycho. I'm psycho enough to begin with.
> 
> The boob-enlarging aspect was weird but not totally terrible. Sometimes I look at pictures of myself from my BCP-taking years, and I'm like, "CHECK OUT THE RACK ON THAT ONE."


Man, I never had the boob enlarging side effect, that would have been rather nice although probably not worth the other side effects :lol


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## melissa75 (Feb 16, 2010)

seafolly said:


> *Tricyclen-Lo* is the one I'm on. I didn't notice any side effects, good or bad, though my doctor did prescribe it because it's noted for that. My body is crazy sensitive to medications.
> 
> It IS really nice to be able to predict your period.


This one worked pretty good for me, although, I experienced some nausea and headaches with it. Just not as bad as with other BCP's. The best form of BCP I have found is nuvaring. It's just a bit of a different method. But, the thing about it is that the release is constant/steady, so you won't feel as intense mood fluctuations, nausea, headaches, etc. I liked it for those reasons and that it made my period extremely light...maybe 2 days max.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

Two days! Good grief!

Mine was eight before the blessed pill. Now it's four. WHEW. 

Wow we share a lot.


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## quiet0lady (Sep 29, 2009)

I'm currently on Necon, I hadn't heard much about it before starting on this one but besides nausea and really bad cramps the first few months I haven't had any side effects. Almost every pill I've been on has made me sick to my stomach, but I managed to stick it out long enough on this pill to the point where my body finally adjusted to it. I can't really tell if it has affected my mood at all. And I think I have actually lost weight while being on it, I can't say that I've ever really gained weight from any birth control pill though. Then again, I've also never noticed my boobs getting bigger!!


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

Yasmin... GET ON IT. Keeps the ova in yo ovaries naaa mean...!!!!!! haha


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## iuseings (Nov 11, 2009)

I've used ortho and lo tricyclen birth control pills and it's awesome. I have acne that occurs hormonally, so taking the pill (or this pill in particular) helps with it. 
I know, I made the abortion thread, heh... but I wasn't on the pill when that happened. I actually ran out of the prescription and didn't go back to the doctor because I dreaded the thought of a pap smear (IRONIC... cause D&C is more intrusive); plus some social anxiety in terms of seeing a new doctor instead of the one I normally saw who insists on yearly paps for yearly prescriptions. 
I'm demanding a 20 year prescription and telling them to suck it... I'll get a damn pap smear when I think there's an actual problem.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

I am having my IUD insertion tomorrow... wish me luck (?).

I'm sort of nervous, mainly because there seemed to be some confusing with the Misoprostol (it softens the cervix), on whether I'm supposed to take it vaginally or orally, haha. The gyno told me to take it the night prior to insertion but didn't specify how. I mentioned it to my GP and she said it's usually taken vaginally, my pharmacist says the same and it seems to be the case for most on the iud_divas community. 
So I just... stuck it up there, and hopefully it works the same taken both ways and my gyno intended for me to take it that way but didn't specify on the 'script slip by mistake. =/


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## kos (May 19, 2009)

Make sure to take lots of pictures


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

Hahaha.. sorry, it totally slipped my mind.



So the IUD instertion... I don't know if anyone is curious or cares but I'll mention how it went anyway ***TMI***:

Most of it (the prep and such) felt like a normal pap smear except for the actual insertion of the IUD into the cervix, which gave me really bad sharp shooting/stabbing pains in various parts of my body. But those pains went away pretty quickly, once everything else was taken out. I've been having a lot of cramping, comparable to the really bad cramps I've gotten on my period, and there is a little bleeding and spotting but other than that it went perfectly allright . 

It helps a lot that my gyno is really awesome, very respectful in the way she talks to me and she always tell me every single thing she's about to do and how it may feel.

I realized how much that last part matters when I went to get an ultrasound immediately after the insertion, and the woman doing it really didn't tell me what exactly she was doing before each step, I'd never gotten one before so I didn't realize it would entail doing some internal stuff and idk maybe cause it was unexpected and I was already in pain, I felt really awful afterwards, not just in a physical way (she also seemed a bit judge-y). =/


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## pollster (Oct 4, 2009)

Good luck with your IUD experience, NTF. I hope it works out well for you. I've always wondered how painful the insertion experience is, and if it hurts for a while after.

I soooooo wish I could go off the pill. But I have extremely stubborn cystic acne that basically requires hormones to keep it under control (doesn't even get rid of my skin problems completely while I'm on it!). It makes me really unhappy to be so dependent on the hormones because of the health risk, which is even greater (presumably) because my mom had breast cancer. Also, my sex drive off the pill is so much better. And like you NTF, I really miss that.  I went off the pill for 6 months a couple of years ago, and although I had a _horrific_ skin breakout (I wanted to kill myself), my sex drive was great. How ironic and depressing. (Also, my natural tendency off the pill is to have very infrequent periods, so kinda sucks to be forced to have one monthly.)

I take Yasmin now. And have noticed less weight gain than when I was on Diane-35. Also, I discovered that Diane-35 greatly increased my anxiety. And I had worse headaches on it. (It's not sold in the US.)

Unfortunately, they'll probably be prying the BCP out of my cold, cancer-ridden hands one day. Gah!


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## Perfectionist (Mar 19, 2004)

pollster said:


> Unfortunately, they'll probably be prying the BCP out of my cold, cancer-ridden hands one day.


So very ditto. So very, very ditto.


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## Tawnee (Sep 2, 2010)

I currently take Jolessa. It's a generic form of Seasonique, the pill which lets you have only 4 periods a year. I love it! I didn't notice any weight gain at all when I went on it, but I had already been on a different BC pill before it. I really recommend Seasonique or Seasonale. It's great not having so many periods a year.

Also, I love how I'm able to predict my periods. Before I went on the pill, my periods weren't regular. They were also a lot heavier. The pill has shortened my periods and made them a lot lighter so that's a huge plus. They've also helped my acne and made my boobs a little bit bigger. Haha.


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## meanmachine13 (Mar 13, 2011)

Birth Control doesnt work as well for me, because I have 2 uterus's hah. So messed.


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## MojoCrunch (Mar 25, 2011)

I am still a virgin and not sexually active (I know...then WTF am I doing here). But I know people that take it for their periods and such. I've considered birth control in the future just in case but I'm a little scared of it. Two people I know got strokes off of their birth control. With them it was their birth control mixed with all the stress that they were under that caused it. Both girls took Yaz. Does anyone know the incidence of strokes caused by birth control or if something similar happened to someone they knew?

Sorry if I scared anyone. I didn't mean to.


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## quiet0lady (Sep 29, 2009)

I just switched to Yasmin not too long ago, holy hell, worst decision ever.


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## FireSoks (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm currently on Aviane. Doctor told me it's suppose to be one pill with the least amount of side effects. A good majority of the population don't experience too much side effects, and they've switched over from Yaz or another.

I'm a total newbie to birth control and this one was recommended to me for health reasons. However, I'm running the hell away from it after my pack is over. :yes

It's definitely caused me weight gain. It feels like I'm always hungry. I've been a bit more emotional (...:troll) and freaked out about what I thought could be a potential blood clot in my leg the first two weeks.

I don't like the regulation. My period was normal before hand and I'm skeptical about being on any type of medication. Sorry birth control..you're not my thing.


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## diamondheart89 (Mar 21, 2011)

I used to be on Yaz and everything was fine, but it cost me $50/month so I switched to Yasmin which is pretty much similar and I had major mood swings/tiredness/feeling weak. :/ Now I'm looking at Seasonale because the only reason I'm on it is to regulate my cycle. Anyone familiar with it who can tell me what side effects they had. I know it's different for everyone, but just a heads up....how effective is the '4 times a year' promise?


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## quiet0lady (Sep 29, 2009)

diamondheart89 said:


> I used to be on Yaz and everything was fine, but it cost me $50/month so I switched to Yasmin which is pretty much similar and I had major mood swings/tiredness/feeling weak. :/


^Me too! I've had some bad stuff happen to me lately so I can't tell if my mood swings are from that or Yasmin, but I just feel so exhausted and depressed all the time! I also noticed my face started breaking out like crazy, I'm not sure if this is just the initial reaction to the hormone changes from switching birth control pills, or if it's going to stay that way. My doctor thinks I should wait a couple months and see how my body adjusts to it, but I'm not sure I can take a couple more months of this!


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## pollster (Oct 4, 2009)

It's funny, I've actually had relatively good experiences on Yasmin so far. Just goes to show that different people can have wildly varying reactions to a drug. Don't get me wrong, my sex drive is not what it is off the pill, and I get moody (moody-er) at certain times, and have some mild breast tenderness at times. But compared to the pill I was on before, I've tolerated it better, and with less weight gain. I take it to help my skin, although it doesn't clear it.

You should give a pill a good few months as far as skin issues are concerned. Going on to a pill for the first time or switching from one pill to another can cause breakouts. Unfortunately it can take a while to know if your skin will level out or not.

Probably also depends on what's driving your skin issues. Seems like some pill hormones/mixes that work well for some don't work well for others. It's weird.


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## binsky (Jan 26, 2011)

BC pills are supposed to make your periods lighter, but mine got much heavier on Yaz. I'd nearly bleed to death every month.

Now I take Loestrin 24 Fe, but not for contraception... for the purpose of having lighter periods. They work well for me for that purpose. Not many side effects, except I have very little sex drive... but that may just be because I'm scared of men lol.


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## diamondheart89 (Mar 21, 2011)

Anyone tried getting the shot?


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## binsky (Jan 26, 2011)

diamondheart89 said:


> Anyone tried getting the shot?


My cousin's wife got the Depo-Provera shot and suffered pretty severe hair loss from it.


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## diamondheart89 (Mar 21, 2011)

binsky said:


> My cousin's wife got the Depo-Provera shot and suffered pretty severe hair loss from it.


:um Nevamind!



> I'm afraid I'm going to become an obese, acne-ridden, depressed, sexless, bald, and paralyzed woman after taking this bc


:lol I often felt the same about Yasmin.


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

Yasmin is really bad for sex drive problems and dryness. It never bothered me too much because I had plenty to spare. Yasmin is one of the best for acne and one of the few that doesn't result in me spotting and bleeding constantly so I stayed on it until my IUD incident. After much research comparing hormone levels and types I'm on seasonique now because I developped horrible cysts when I went off birth control after my husband's vasectomy and I notice no difference in my sex drive between being off BC completely and taking seasonique for a bit over a month. 4 periods a year and no side effects so far. I feel like I'm taking sugar pills but the cysts which some had broken in to giant open sores on my legs are all gone now.

I lose weight while on BC and gained a ton of weight after stopping yasmin.


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## AliceSanKitchen (Aug 31, 2010)

I'm on the Depo shot because of my excessive bleeding. I was basically letting myself bleed to death since I didnt want to go to the doctor cause of anxiety. Even if i had an appointment i would back out at the last min. I did have a significant other at the time but he saw no concern. My doctor said I would possibly gain 5 pounds. But it doesnt matter to me since I'm exercising.


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## mellie (Feb 3, 2008)

I was on Sprintec for a long time and it killed my sex drive. It is much better now that I'm off it. I like the idea of an IUD but my gyno doesn't seem to want to give me one since I've never had a baby... which to me is pretty ironic. Being a woman sucks sometimes.


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