Birthcontrol

Hi!

I'm new to this community but not LJ or birth control. I went on Ortho Tri Cyclen when I was 20 and was on it for 3 years. I got off it because it made me gain a ridiculous amount of weight. Fast forward to the present, the weight never came off and that with other health issues, my doctor put me back on birth control. She thought Nuva Ring would be good for me, but after two months I've decided I don't like it mainly due to the side effects: 

I have been experiencing nausea, lack of sleep, and continuous acid reflux. Has anyone else had these side effects? I'm usually a trooper when it comes to side effects but waking up at 3 AM with the urge to throw up and then not going back to sleep until 5 AM was the final straw for me. Though I did notice I lost some weight on it. Lol.  

My doctor switched me back to Ortho Tri Cyclen and Target gave me the generic: Tri-Sprintec. Is anyone else trying this? I know the FDA gave it an AB rating claiming it's equal but I'd like to hear if anyone has gone from Ortho Tri Cyclen to Tri-Sprintec and how they compare. When I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen I didn't experience nausea or lack of sleep. I don't even recall being moody/depressed - just the weight gain. 

Any thoughts? I feel that I might end up switching birth control pills a couple of times due to my health related issues. 

I know this is kind of a rookie question, but I'm only on my second ring and I really want to be as certain as possible that I'm protected.

Since my history with BC is pretty short, I'll just put in the whole thing:

21 Nov: Put in first ring
12 Dec (exactly 3 weeks after insertion): Removed first ring, started bleeding a couple of days later, bleeding stopped in roughly a week
19 Dec (exactly 1 week after removal): Inserted second ring

I'm seeing my boyfriend for the first time in a long while on the 10th of Jan. Unfortunately, according to the 3-weeks-in-1-week-out schedule, I need to take my ring out on the 9th, which means bleeding will probably occur a couple of days after that and that sort of ruins things for us.

So I did some reading up and found out that Nuvaring can be left in for up to 28 days. Yay! Just to be sure though, I have two questions:

1) Is protection compromised at all if I leave it in for up to 28 days? I really mean AT ALL?

2) If I were to remove my ring on the 13th, thereby leaving in my second ring for a total of 25 days, will that definitely eliminate any bleeding between the 10th and 13th? Basically the main goal here is to get rid of any bleeding (be it "period" or spotting) during those days. I know the fact that I'm so new to the ring, and that I'm switching from a 3-week to a 4-week cycle for the first time, has some effect on this.

3) Should I put in my next ring immediately after? Or should I wait for a week before putting in the next ring (making it 21 days in, 7 days out)?

Thanks for any help you guys can provide!

Hi everyone!
I just started taking this new pill my doctor prescribed (it's been three days now), called Cyestra -35. When I went to see him my main concern was my severe back/face acne but I was also interested in getting on the pill since my and my partner are going steady now.
I spent the past week or so reading information online about Cyestra (not to mention I have almost memorized the pamphlet), and it's all too vague for me to feel comfortable. First of all, the pill is described as an acne treatment FIRST, and a contraceptive SECOND. Is this in terms of effectiveness?? Should I be taking another pill combined with Cyestra -35, or another non-oral contraceptive like condoms??
I would appreciate answers from long-term users of this pill, or someone who has information SPECIFIC to Cyestra -35.
Thank you

While having sex with my boyfriend, the condom leaked, it didn't break, it just made a pool under us. I don't think there was any on my vagina but it leaked just under it. I immediately washed it off and changed my underwear. We filled the condom with water to check for a tear, there was no rip. I was off my birth control for a while but started taking it after the incident. We had sex on a Thursday and I got my ovulation fluid (the egg white type) on Saturday. It's been a little over a week and my nipples are tender and dark, but my areolas are not darker. I feel more tired. I don't know if I should be concerned. I haven't been eating well lately so that might explain my fatigue.

Alright,

lately I've been having a lot of problems and I'm not really sure where the problem lies, but I thought someone here may have some insight.

When I was 15 I was put on Ortho TriCyclen, and after a few months, switched to OTC-Lo, which I am still on now. I'm almost 23.

I have never had any problems with it before, and I've always loved it. I'm hesitant to switch to anything else, because I never experienced any real weight gain (MAYBE 5 lbs?), my periods come like CLOCKWORK- I seriously always know exactly when I'm going to start which is amazing, and I love, and it has always protected me awesomely from getting pregnant, no scares at all.

BUT over the last eight or nine months, I have noticed such a change in my behavior. I moved in with my boyfriend last July, and we've been together almost two years. I used to have an AWESOME sex drive.

When we first got together, I had just started a Paxil + Xanax cocktail for depression and anxiety. I kept the xanax, because I only take it when I have a panic attack, but I kicked the Paxil after about seven months because it made me feel worse. I had a struggle with side effects for about two months, then I thought maybe I had it under control. Well, ever since then, I have noticed that I have lost joy in basically everything. Now, for full disclosure, since July I have been working two jobs and going to school full time. BUT, I really am lost at to what the problem is.

I no longer have hardly any interest in drinking, I never want to do anything, I barely leave the house, constantly want to be alone, etc. My sex drive, which I previously stated was awesome, is NON EXISTENT. It's causing so much more stress with my boyfriend because he thinks I'm uninterested in him, which is not the case at all. I still love him, I still think he's sexy,etc etc, I just am not interested in sex at all. Sex is a chore, and I hate that.It didn't used to be that way at all.

Basically, I don't know where I'm going with this. I don't know if it's that I need to be put on another anti-depressant, or if I do need to switch birth control (I read a forum where people who had been on it for years started noticing things like this way down the road), or if it really is JUST the stress and anxiety I've been under lately, etc.
All I know is that this is a sex related issue, and I didn't know where else to ask. :/

My very nice dad went to pick up my prescription at Target today and apparently Sprintec is no longer being manufactured!

The pharmacy did not give the option of getting the brand name, instead they are filling my prescription at another Target way across the city where they still have some in stock.
I have it on auto refill. They should have called me! I wonder if I can buy several months at once? That would be awesome.

Has anybody heard about Sprintec being discontinued? Does it just affect this certain generic? Are there other generics out there for Ortho Cyclen that are still $9?

I guess I could just call around for the answers, but I just wanted to share because I thought it was just weird.

Okay so here is what happened,

I went to see a movie with my friend last night, and to keep the effectiveness of the birthcontrol I took it with me to the movie and waited to about the usual time that I take it. I took it and then put it into my purse and went back to watching the movie, like the billions of other times I've done it. Anyway today, went to go take it at the usual time and I found the pack was missing! I searched my purse and the house inside out and still can't find it.

So to calm me down my parents told me to start a new package on where I left off. I keep really good track of which pill and day I am on. I mark it on my calendar, but I am still kinda worried if it is the right thing to do.

Oh and I am currently on Yazmin 21.

Hi all,
I posted here back in June when I first got on Microgestin and was suffering from nasty nausea/side effects. Those side effects went away, and y'all were very helpful. So thanks. :)

However, I've noticed that the pill is throwing me very out of wack emotionally - I cry at the drop of a hat, yell at my boyfriend, and feel quite depressed. My doc is notoriously hard to reach, so I've gotten an appt with her right after the new year. So, I decided that this would be my last month on this pill, and I would keep a journal of my "symptoms" each day to really pay attention. Then I could talk to my doc about the symptoms and probably stop after my withdrawal bleed.

BUT. All of a sudden, the pills are giving me extreme nausea and diarrhea, like they did when I started. I'm on day 4 of the active pills, and I'm waking up in the middle of the night with nausea so bad I can't get back to sleep. Not to mention cramps and gas. (Sorry for all the gruesome detail.)
I tried taking it a little earlier, with more food, but I still have these nasty side effects.
Why would these kick back in after 6 months? I don't want to stop mid-cycle, as it will screw up my period, but I can't function like this for 3 more weeks (especially not during Christmas and New Year's) :(

I have a call in to my doc, but she is, again, notoriously hard to reach. If I stop mid-cycle, will that completely screw me up? Or would it be best to try to stick it out through the month? (And why the heck have these side effects come back after 6 months?)

I'm on Ortho Evra and I change my patch every Monday. I forgot to change it on Monday this week and just put it on (a day late). How long should I wait until I can have condomless sex? It was at the beginning of my cycle (week 1). I'm a bit confused. Thank you. :)

Hi! I'm Meghan and new to this community. I've been on several birth controls, but due to a bleeding disorder, my obgyn put me on Jolessa, the generic Seasonique. The first 3 months went fine, but due to a low iron count, they wanted me to skip my first placebo week. So, I'm now midway through my second prescription, about a month and a half in, and since they made me skip the placebos, I havent had a period in 4 1/2 months. Problem? Spotting.
I don't take my pill at the exact minute every night, it's usually within an hour or two of the previous night. But I'm getting (sorry) a brownish discharge, but sometimes deep red/bright red bleeding. This has been going on for about three-four weeks now. Any suggestions on what has helped/is this normal? I've been sleeping alot, too. And cramps are my enemy. So, do you think taking it at the same time will help!? And any other suggestions, I'll take them! Thanks a ton :)

This is really annoying. I had a break last week, took my first new pill on thursday, but forgot to take one on friday and saturday. I'm now bleeding again. Is there anyway I can catch up on my pills to stop this or do I just have to have a week of blood again?

Hullo! I have posted a few times already and I just wanted to ask one more question. Feel free to delete my question if not.
So, after thinking about my pill taking regimen, I really couldn't remember how many times I had taken my pills early or late. It's just been with this pack that I have had the "I'll take my pill now or after this" sort of attitude. (Not a good idea!) I just remember taking my pill one day at like 6:45 and another day at like 7:15 or something. I was late by 2 hours only on one day.
What really worries me is that I have been taking pills like this in this pack and that I just finished my 2nd week of pills. The condom broke Friday night and then Saturday night I had some twinges, like ovulation pain (oddly enough the 14th). If I really did ovulate, the condom broke on the worst night possible.
I guess all I can do is really wait, but I can't help but beat myself up over messing up this pack of pills. I have never done this before! I'm really afraid that something horrible will happened. Plus, I have finals this week, which makes things worse.
You ladies have been so helpful already. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance or something. I feel really new to this whole thing. (I guess when a condom breaks or similar it is usually new to the person.) I just feel like a wreck with worry. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Hullo! So I was looking through the memories and saw a question about Yaz having a low dose of hormones and if because of the dosage that the timing of the pill had to be exact.
I have always been under the impression that Yaz was a combined pill. How does it work? Thank you!

I searched the memories etc and can't find exactly what I am looking for...

I missed a pill one night, so I took 2 the next day. Then for some reason I took another pill. That is 3 pills in one day. Now I am going to be one pill out for this month..what do I do ? Do i skip the one pill at the end of my pill pack and use back up orrr how does this work?


anyways, any help is appreciated. I don't usually mess my pills up so thanks in advance:)

I'm new to this comm and have been going through the entries, they've been very helpful in addressing other questions I had, so I'd just like to say "thanks!" in advance to everyone on here. :)

A little background on me; my last period was 11/23 - 11/27 and I just started my BC (Tri-Sprintec 28) on 12/5. Yes, I started before my next period because one thing I hoped to do with the BC is shift my periods to a little bit later in the month (more convenient for me).

On to my questions..

1 - I know it takes a while to adjust and was expecting that, but I have been extremely fatigued since Sunday (and I've actually been slightly *less* busy lately), to the point that I'm actually napping for an hour or two in the early evening, something completely unusual for me; Normally even when I'm exhausted, I cannot take naps and usually still go to bed a bit late.

I'm wondering if this is possibly worsened by the fact that I chose to start ahead of my period, as in having thrown my body for a major loop by doing so.

2 - Not as big a deal, but I've definitely started noticing a little water retention in my stomach. I'm going to give that one a long while to see how it evens out but if it doesn't, it made me wonder if my usual method for de-bloating on my period, Traditional Medicinals Weightless Cranberry tea, would pose an interaction or decrease the effectiveness of the BC.

3 - Lastly, is BC + excess caffeine a no-no? I usually have a little bit of caffeine every day (cup of coffee, tea) but every now and then I need a boost and have a few cups and/or a Red Bull. I've stuck to just 1 cup in the early AM thus far, since I take my pill at 4pm, but I just wanted to know if I'll be alright to give myself that extra oomph on those days.

Again, thank you so, so much for just running this community and for any help or advice you can offer!

Hi. I am new to the community. I have been on Yaz for a year and take my pills every day around the same time. (sometimes a half an hour late or early). This pack I am on my 2nd week (Sunday start) when today the condom broke when my boyfriend and I had sex. I started my pack on time and was only late by 30 min two days and 2 hours on one day. Do I need to take Plan B? I can't get pregnant. Thank you for your help!
MewMew105

Has anyone actually developed Lupus from taking HBC? I don't know if this is an appropriate question to ask here, but I was just diagnosed and need some answers.

Thanks.

Ok so another question (you guys are just too helpful). I was just put on amoxicillin yesterday and have to take it for 10 days. I plan on having sex with my boyfriend tomorrow and we will use a condom but I like to always think of the "what if?" factor. So I was wondering if something happens and I have to use the plan B pill, will the plan B pill still work even though Im on antibiotics?
Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,


I read the posts here a lot, but have been meaning to ask you all something and have just gotten a moment to do it.
Ok, so I'm on Overenette the last two months (half way through second pack). I am not the very best at taking it at the same time, but am not terrible. I occassionally forget to take it, but remember some hours later or something. Anyway, anytime I had sex whilst on the first pack myself and my boyfriend used the "withdrawal method" but as you know, sometimes it can be a little spontaneous and unorganised shall we say. There were one or two times where he came really close to my... you know, or "on" it, if you will, but not inside me. Then, about two or three days in to my 7 day break period after the first pack, I got my period. It was reeeeally light at the start, but about 4 days in it became excrutiatingly painful, was ridiculously heavy (flow) and I was absolutely crippled with pain. One day, whilst having lunch in a cafe with my boyfriend, I literally couln't sit down, or talk, or think. I generally would have suffered with bad cramps, but this was unlike anything I have ever experienced. It was unbearable. i thought I was going to pass out. It also felt like there was a burning pain inside me... kind of deep in behind my clitoris, but very deep in. It was really awful. Anyway, that same day (of the disgustingly painful pains) I passed two pieces of flesh that absolutely terrified me. They can only be described as what looked to me like two pieces of raw chicken fiilet. Thats exactly what it looked like. There was some blood n it too, but it was very fleshy. There were two pieces, and ther were fairly large, like about the size of say one third of a chicken fillet (combined)and I just flushed them down the toilet. I found them on my sanitary towel. It scared me so much though. It idn't happen again, but the cramps remained excrutiating, and the whole ordeal lastest about 10-11 days. It all scared me because a) its never happened to me before b) isn't the pill supposed to make your periods lighter and less painful, and quicker? and im really nervous now. Any ideas what happened or what the two chicken fillet-like pieces i passed were?

My second question : Has anyone heard of someone getting pregnant while on the pill? I am taking it roughly at the same time each night (definitely within the same 3 hour period) and we use the withdrawal method! But as i said, there have been times where it has been a close call and he has came in or around that "area". what are the chances of me getting pregnant?

any advice or help would be greatly appreciated....

So I could not really find any post that I felt fit my question so here it is. I am on ortho tricyclen, Im not the best user always taking it in a 2 hour time frame and on top of that I just finished taking Cipro for an ulcer right when I started the placebo week. I got my period last tuesday the 2nd of december, by saturday it was pretty much gone so I was fooling around with my boyfriend. We didnt have sex but he came on my stomach and Im worried some of it might have inched its way down south but we stoped right after that and did nothing else. Then sunday afternoon I started bleeding the brown color which I assumed was just left from my period but it stayed til this past tuesday( two days ago).

So my actual question is could this bleeding for 2 extra days be implantation bleeding? I dont know much about it but I read some of the posts and got kinda worried. Do I really have anything to worry about at all as far as being pregnant?

two months ago i ventured on this site to ask if it was okay to skip a period for a "special vacation time" for my bf and I. I take a TriNessa so i knew it was going to be messy so i decided to skip the period prior to the vacation so my week would come before my vacation. I ended up having my period on and off for the month but got my period normally the week before my vacation and had a flow free week (YAY!) .

Fast forward to my next period and it came on Friday (not my normal Wednesday so it gave me a heartattack but it still came) and it stopped promptly when i began my new pack. I randomly had some red spotting one day after i went to the bathroom, and then it ended...so i was like 'ah just a fluke'.

today i was 30min "late" taking my pill and i had a VERY light brown discharge. i'm in my last week before the placebos (Sunday start). is it possible my body is still fooling around because it was so used to the other schedule?
(it was also daylight savings time last month too so i took my pill at 12 instead of 1 because i was afraid of the gap. then switched back to 1pm this pack) ahhhh such a mess, but i didn't think an hour would really be that big of a deal.
I personally don't think half a week of sex is enough to be worried about being pregnant but should i?

should i give it the 3 months to recoop that i did when i began my birthcontrol?

I was recently put on Yaz and I love it. The doctor had given me 2 sample packs and this is my first time bringing in my perscription. I called around to a few pharmacies and found that it's a bit out of my price range. I don't go back to the doctor until Jan 18th. Am I able to just call the doctors office and ask them to give me another perscription, or do I gotta wait till Jan 18th? I'm sad cause I love this pill, but i'm kinda broke and can't afford to spend this much.


Also, I skipped my period last month and had two weeks of break through bleeding which just ended a week ago. It was heavy at times, and light at times. Now yesterday I was supposed to start my period, and nothing. Can I expect not to have a period, or should I be worried.

This could be a dumb question, but I get paranoid about these kinds of things.
Could leaving your birth control in a car overnight in freezing cold weather have any sort of effect on their effectiveness? I know there's specific temperatures you're supposed to store it at, and I totally forgot. Thanks!

Hi,

I have been on Trivora for over 2 years now. I have only experienced light spotting before my period around the time i was engaged to my now husband. They said stress can cause spotting.

Last month about a week before my period actually started i was experiencing a dark brown spotting. At first i was nervous but i got my real period the week i was supposed to. This month i am due to get my period next week. But yesterday at work i noticed a dark spotting that looked just like what the END of my period looks like.

This has never happened before and since this is the 2nd month in a row that i am experiencing this i am nervous that something might be wrong. I called my doctor on the way home to talk to a nurse, but since they are a new doc and i have not been able to get an apt yet (i have an apt for jan 25th) they could only give me a generic "that can be normal with bcp and stress".

Stress meaning my husband and I are trying to buy our first house and i just started a new job that is in behavioral management.

Please let me know if this is normal or if you have any information.

Thank you!!

I tried looking through the memories but couldn't find anything for this specifically.

Normally I start a new pack of birth control pills the Sunday -after- my period. I didn't realize that since my last doctor's visit, (where I had to stop taking a certain brand because it was giving me mental problems, I started taking Lutera and now I am fine), I was given only 6 refills instead of 12. So I had to skip a month while I got a new appointment at Planned Parenthood.

After that appointment I received 13 new refills. But the doctor told me that I should start the Sunday -of- my period, instead of after. It sort of confused me why I would do it this way since I have never heard of this before, but I thought maybe something changed and I had to. (Turns out its just a different method to starting your pills).

My period started around noon of yesterday (Sunday) so I took the pill a few hours after.

This morning I noticed my period, which hasn't even gone on for a whole day, has suddenly stopped instead of continuing.

I took a pill Sunday and one today. I don't want to keep taking it the Sunday my period starts anymore because I'm to scared about it messing up my body and it's not what I'm used to. I want and would prefer to go back to starting the Sunday after my period instead.

What is the best way I can go about doing that, given I already took a Sunday and Monday pill?
I AM completely willing to be abstinent if needed.

Thanks so much.