Bridge ([info]dorkdafied) wrote in [info]vaginapagina,
@ 2008-06-30 22:48:00
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Current mood: confused

Your opinions on BC for period stabilization
So I've recently joined this community because I'm honestly beside myself and tried to ask friends, look online and come up with nothing really. I would like all of your inputs and I will keep googling different methods of BC that help periods....

So here is me in a nutshell: 25 years old. Virgin (so I don't take bc for the main reason-no preggos) and have had a pretty normal 5-7 period until 2002. I got my period for 2 weeks every 2 weeks. My general physician who gives me my yearly pap put me on BC. I believe it was ortho-novum 28. I was horribly moody, I guess I gained a little weight and I have had acne issues before this. After 1 year I was like screw this moodiness (I got severely depressed and suicidal sometimes) and stopped it. I felt better but my period came back to be screwy which was expected I guess. Then I went on ortho-tricyclen. Again, moodiness. I've been on it for at least a year right now and I can say that this is how my period goes: 1 week before I get cramps sometimes. I get extremely sensitive (my skin, my mind) and usually get very angry or emotional during the week of my period. I hate this and am tired of it because its the only problem that comes up with me and my fiance. We are usually great and some people may say hey deal with it but I would really like to live with less moodiness if I have to take something to sustain my period and keep it normal. I've read the different BC articles/entries in here. What are some of my options? Other than taking a new pill.. because I really don't want to take it. I also have a problem with taking the pill at the same time every day no matter if I set alarms or whichever, I seem to always have trouble and this is another reason I get emotional because its not stable sometimes. And I'm getting married in a year and do not wish to go to condoms when we start to have sex, I'd like to not get pregnant for the first few years.
(btw when I say moodiness, I mean extreme case not like youre moody one day or for a few hours. This is become a serious problem that I can not take lightly anymore)


DEPO- doesn't seem like it would be recommended for my situation
Implanon - I don't know ? What do you guys think? I read the one implanon post where some girls said they had it done and had spotting then one girl had no period for 2 yrs. I never heard of this form of bc until coming to this community.
Patch - ?
Nuva ring- ?
Yaz - This is what my sister strongly suggests bc she gets really moody too and thinks it will help me, she said shes tryin it and gonna let me know how it works out- Have any of you used it? What was it like?

Anyway, I want less moodiness, my libido back and less cramps (i bet some of you are thinking, don't we all?). So since I'm taking bc for regulation of my period what do you guys suggest for me??? Thanks for any feedback :)


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[info]atalanta0jess
2008-07-01 03:26 am UTC (link)
You might want to consider using a Mirena IUD. Although it won't regulate your cycle, and many people experience spotting at strange times, it generally reduces periods, and in many cases eliminates them. Its a very low dose of hormones, so the potential for moodiness is low. It is supposed to be good for those that have painful periods.

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[info]dorkdafied
2008-07-01 03:30 am UTC (link)
I thought of IUDs as well and read up on some entries and the one seemed like a horror story that I hope I will never live. And I do know this is one case scenario- because birth control can be like hair dye-type of thing (unique to each of us).
However it is good to know that Mirena generally reduces periods. This may very well be the way to go. Thanks for the input!

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[info]atalanta0jess
2008-07-01 03:41 am UTC (link)
Yeah, for most people they aren't that bad. I've got a paragard. Not gonna lie, the insertion hurt. But I would take a one time pain like that over weeks/months/years of emotional upset any day, lemme tell ya. (In fact, that's why I got it.) And it wasn't TERRIBLE.

There are lots of horror stories about all different types of birth control, is all I'm saying. Don't let it scare you. For example, a lot of people love the nuvaring (and it might be another good option for you, if it didn't make you moody) but personally? It made me pretty depressed. So...yeah. It is like hair dye, only maybe even less predictable.

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[info]sternenblau
2008-07-02 09:44 am UTC (link)
I just had my mirena removed after 6 months of having it. I called it the mirena-from-hell.

I don't know whether it was cursed from the get-go, but my gyno kind of pushed the insertion rod in too far at first and nearly punctured the top of my uterus. I ended up in hospital to have it checked out because it was so bad for the next week after that. Intense pain, etc. I nearly fainted after having it inserted.

I waited the 3 months you're supposed to wait for it to settle, and it didn't. Horrible, constant cramping every single day for that three months, and spotting nearly that whole time. After that three months I got the cramping and spotting about every second day. I cramped up until the very day it got taken out.

Not to mention the PMS.. oh good lord the PMS. I had a crisis every time I got it. Like an up and change every aspect of my life crisis. Then a week later I'd get my period and we'd all realise why I was acting the way I did. I'm prone to being moody anyway, because I have bipolar/borderline personality disorder, but this was like having an episode every time I got my period. Not cool.

I got it removed last week and got the Implanon put back in. I've had the implanon 2 times before this (so I've had it for 6 years total). I only switched to the Mirena because I was sick of all the weight the implanon made me put on. But I've decided to put up with a bit of extra padding just so I know how my body is going to act. I don't get the PMS with implanon, I don't get my period most of the time (the first implanon I had made me have no period for the entire 3 years, the second made me have no period for 2 years then light irregular periods for the rest of the time). I heart the implanon, I really do.

However, my best friend went on the implanon as well, and she bled for 17 weeks straight before having it removed. And, another friend absolutely swears by the mirena.

I think it's just something you're going to have to try and figure out for yourself, as everyone's body will react differently to everyone elses.

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[info]shellazure
2008-07-01 04:07 am UTC (link)
My only experiences with birth control are with the Patch and the NuvaRing.
The Patch turned me into a raging hormone freak and I had a short fuse and turned into a huge crybaby at random times during the month. If the patch came off for some reason, it rarely stuck back on and I'd have to get a new one. The place I found that it didn't fall off of was my upper back. I'd rotate my shoulder around and look in the mirror to find the place that moved least and stuck the patch in that spot. Then it showed in my tank tops during the summer and got dirty like a bandaid after a day or two. Not a fan.

NuvaRing has been my saving grace. From what I know it has a low level of hormones, lower than The Patch, and my periods are like clockwork, though I've never really had trouble with those except their disappearance for a time when I was a teenager. It's effective enough that I can move my periods back a week or skip them overall if need be, and I usually start my period 2 days after taking the ring out. It's easy, hands- and memory-free except for every 3-4 weeks, and my moods stay fairly stable.

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[info]dorkdafied
2008-07-01 04:13 am UTC (link)
Thanks for the feedback! So do you place your own ring and take it out-then your period comes?

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[info]shellazure
2008-07-01 04:21 am UTC (link)
Yep. I stick to the 3-weeks in, 1 week out plan but some keep the ring in for 4 weeks and take it out for 1. You just have to pinch it, push it in as far as is comfortable, and I push it forward a little so it's out of the way and then after 3-4 weeks you reach in and take it out. Have your period, and after a week of no ring, put a new one in.

Here's a couple links to their website, and also be sure to look over the info here on vagpag, that's how I chose it.
http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/user/aboutNuvaRing/index_flash.asp
http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/user/aboutNuvaRing/isNuvaRingEasyToUse/index.asp?guid={97B5685D-635D-470C-869B-953151E657B9}&sid=55005612

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[info]dorkdafied
2008-07-01 05:00 am UTC (link)
Okay thank you will do.
Why didn't you choose to go with the arm insertion one? Just wondering
and if it wasnt available at the time-and now is what are your thoughts on trying it?

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[info]shellazure
2008-07-01 12:22 pm UTC (link)
I'm not a fan of sharp objects or needles, and they numb the area of your arm to make a cut and insert the implanon, that's all. :)

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[info]yearofadventure
2008-07-01 06:07 am UTC (link)
my dr. claimed depo would most likely lead to me not having a period. on average, after a year, but in her experience, after 6 mo. well, that is fine and dandy, and i was thinking i'd have a normal period until that point. uhhh no. i've been on it 4 mo (got my second injection a mo ago), and i don't really get a period, just light bleeding for like 3 wks at a time. it's obnoxious, and if it doesn't stop, there's no way i will get it again.

so, i just wanted to share this, to add to your "depo doesn't seem like it would be recommended for my situation", there's at least an example of it, haha.

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[info]dorkdafied
2008-07-01 06:20 am UTC (link)
yeah i'd say light bleeding for 3 weeks at atime is ridiculous and not normal even using a medication.. your doc should totally give you something else
thanks for the input.

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[info]inatraunce
2008-07-01 08:43 am UTC (link)
I'm on yazmin and get literally no cramps and i used to get them bad when I got my period. Which was rare, i was like you! needed to regulate my periods and help my then-acne so the dermatologist perscribed me yazmin and ive been on it since, since i became sexually active anyways. The only bad thing was i went thru bad mood swings at the beginning, crying for no reason type stuff. and sometimes it happens but not as bad. But hey no pregnancies, no acne, and very little weight gained. oh and a pro is my boobs got bigger by a cup size :)

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[info]dorkdafied
2008-07-01 08:46 am UTC (link)
haha amazing! (boob thing is)
def voting for it then
not a fan of the mood swings i dont know... i just .. i guess i'll have to try it, since we are all different it may help my mood who knows. i'll never know unless i try. I just hate that there are a million different pills and it is like finding a needle in a haystack to fit with your body chemistry. I could spend the rest of my life finding the right one?

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[info]chimera2005
2008-07-01 11:11 am UTC (link)
My $.02: Nuvaring was my first form of HBC and it was hell on earth for me. Sure, the convenience of not worrying about taking a pill around the same time daily was nice, and my periods went down from about a week to two days, but the period pain I got for the year I was on it? AWFUL. And I got on HBC in the first place because of painful periods.

I swapped over to Yaz and loved it. Acne went away, periods weren't evil, no trouble adjusting to it, no weight gain and so on. Plus, it's marketed toward limiting the mood swings and other fun PMS/PMDD stuff.

Unfortunately, both can be pretty pricey on some insurance plans.

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[info]absolved
2008-07-01 11:35 pm UTC (link)
I've had a tubal so no need for contraception, but I tried out the Nuvaring for painful periods as well. It irritated my vagina so out it came. And then came my period and HARDCORE SERIOUS PAIN! I couldn't even walk to the bathroom and had to call out of work. It was horrible!

I gained weight on some other pills, so now my last stop before a hysterectomy is Yaz. I hope I have the same results as you!

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[info]chimera2005
2008-07-02 04:59 am UTC (link)
That was pretty much my reaction to Nuvaring. I could function on my non-HBC periods, but on Nuvaring, I was hopped up on drugs and attached to my heating pad and STILL in pain.

Good luck on Yaz!

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[info]sweetchellie
2008-07-01 01:24 pm UTC (link)
I was on Yasmin and I loved it. I was able to regulate my weight( I have a hard time losing but gain easily, with Yasmin even if I gained, I would still be able to lose a little) wasn't moody, and was pretty content. Switched to a new gyno and he said to go on Yaz because there's a lower dose of hormones and that's better for you.

I hate Yaz. I'm waiting for my wedding so I can finally get off of it. I cry a lot more now, have gained weight without changing my diet, I don't know when I will get my period, it lasts a lot longer than when I was on Yasmin. I also now have constant yeast infections and bacterial infections... the dr says it's not due to Yaz but because I'm having more sex now than when I was on Yasmin. I was on Yasmin for 3 years and had no infections.

Sorry for the story, but in sum I think every pill reacts differently with each body. Some people hate Yasmin but love Yaz, etc.

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[info]agraciado
2008-07-01 02:39 pm UTC (link)
Just wanted to confirm your comment that you should stay away from Depo. Just with the first shot I: gained 50 pounds, got horrible acne, complete personality change, bleed constantly, and severely depressed with suicidal thoughts.

Yeah, not fun.

I'd probably wait to see if Yaz works for your sister. Or look into the Nuvaring.

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