It might seem like I have sex birth control on the brain. Last week I asked you about your experience or lack thereof with the female condom. Although it's most often talked about in intimate settings, birth control is in the news.
Concerns are being raised about the safety of the Yaz birth control pill, the top selling pill in the US, according to the New York Times. Women taking Yaz might have a higher chance of developing blood clots compared to other birth control pills, a claim that drug maker Bayer disputes. Investigation is ongoing, as are 74 lawsuits charging that Yaz and Yasmin, a similar product by Bayer, created health problems in women taking these pills. The lawsuits are tricky business though, since warnings about clots are presented in the pharmaceuticals' literature. Bayer strongly stands behind its product.
These new fears about the most commonly used contraceptive pill in America emphasize that avoiding pregnancy can be a difficult task, sometimes with medical consequences. I am curious about you . . .
Marni
Ruco Line
Bottega Veneta
I've been on ortho tricyclen for about 10 years now. I had to go on B.C. because I would get violently ill whenever I had my period. I'd have really awful cramps, vomit and dry heave for days, migraines, hallucinations and would be bed-ridden for about 3 days each time I got it. My highschool said I was missing too many days of school because of it and that I was going to need doctor's notes everytime I missed school, so the doctor put me on the pill even though my parents weren't thrilled with it.
I've been on it pretty steady ever since. I've tried to go off it twice now in the past 2 years just to see if I don't need it anymore, but my first cycle is full of cramps and then by my second cycle I go right back to being so sick all over again. I don't know how I'll ever go off it should I ever want to be pregnant or when I enter menopause.
1Nuvaring is the best! I would NEVER go back to the pill after being on the ring for two years.
2Nuvaring is the best thing ever! Been on it a year and have no complaints! I love not having to remember to take a pill every day!
3I have an Implanon. Up until recently I absolutely loved it, because it meant I never had to have my period (which means no more dreadful PMS) and there were none of those negative side-effects the pill usually comes with. Plus, it lasts for three years, so you basically don't have to think about it. Unfortunately I think I'm going to get it removed, because as it is a progesterone only method, while you don't get your period, you can get spotting and mine has gotten out of control! For well over a year I had absolutely no blood and now all of a sudden it's like I have my period constantly. So frustrating, because I thought this was the perfect choice!
4Birth control pills make me nervous
5I'm married and we do not use anything.
6However, when we do/did, condoms are the only option.
birth control pill...mainly to control my acne and unpleasant period symptoms...I use a condom as well.
7I had terrible side effects with Yaz! It was great for about two months - my periods were nice, my skin got GORGEOUS, and I even lost weight (probably water weight because the pill has a diuretic in it - but who cares?). The third month I started getting a funny feeling in my chest about a half hour after taking the pill, then I started getting weird muscle aches and weird injuries. Finally one night after I took the pill I woke up with chest pains and difficulty breathing...I didn't go to the ER but stopped the Yaz and within days all my symptoms were gone!
8I use BCP (Seasonale now). I used Yasmin for over 5 years. Only problem I ever had with Yasmin was that it increased the amount of potassium that my body produced. It increased it to a very acidic level where if I ingested additional potassium I would get horrible stomach aches.
9That's it bad stomach aches - zero pregnancies - zero ovarian cysts- zero uterine cysts or fibroids (which is why I was prescribed Yasmin) - zero abnormal desire to kill people who annoy me.
I guess I lucked out that the Yasmin did what it was suppose to do until my body decided it needed a different BC option.
you should be able to pick more than one answer, since a lot of us that are on the pill are still smart enough to use condoms...
10Now Nuvaring caused major major health problems for me - from the fact that the insert was too large for my body to blood clots, severe abdominal pain, abnormal blood tests, bruising all over my body, and all sorts of nastiness. I actually belong to a webgroup of women who have had extreme reactions to Nuvaring and even after ceasing Nuvaring still have issues from the product.
11the whole idea of nuvaring really creeps me out... no object should be inside you for that long
12I can definitely recommend NUVARING. I've been using it for over 3 years now. It is just perfect. It is much better for the body, because it provides the body with hormones at a much lower concentration level than the pill.
13Also on Implanon and getting it removed after a year and a half. After a year of no period at all, they're lasting weeks - a 14-day stint just ended. I did Yaz before and had horrible anxiety attacks, so I'm not sure what I'll switch to next.
14Man I hated the NuvaRing. I had it for a month, and put on 6 kilos! My appetite span out of control and NOTHING could sate it. I'm STILL trying to loose the weight.
I have the Implant now and it's awesome, the only issue is that I don't know when my periods are due and can't have anything press up against it. (Cause it feels really gross when something touches it)
15I do get moody with the implant though..
I'm on the pill now. I used to be on Nuvaring and it was great for a while and then it started reeking hell on my body. My periods got more painful and heavier and my sex drive plummeted to zero and I became very moody and easily irritated.
16i've been using Yaz for about 2 years and i've had no problems...thank god. my periods are very regular, very light, and usually last about 3 days. i haven't noticed any changes in my normal PMS though...i still get the b*tchiness and the occasional pimple.
17I got a Mirena IUD 6 weeks ago and have been very pleased so far. And I have not had children, which can make it more difficult for the doctor to insert and make it harder for your body to adjust, but I haven't had any problems at all.
The IUD and diaphragm should definitely not be grouped together as they are *completely* different -- the IUD can stay in for up to 5 or 12 years (depending on which you get) and is much more effective, not to mention that they prevent pregnancy in very different ways.
18My husband got a vasectomy. Now I have a normal sexual desire again (actually a really strong one, now that I'm mid-30's) no more dryness, no hassle or risk of pregnancy! LIFE IS AWESOME!
19I take the BCP, Cyclessa... no problems with it at all!
20I take Yaz and really have not had any problems outside spotting while my body adjusted to the new pill.
21I've been on Seasonal/ Seasonique for 5 years now and I LOVE it. It's the one where you only take the placebo pills every 3 months so you only get your "period" every 3mos. But I haven't gotten it in about 2 or 3 years (except for light spotting a few days a year). I have never had any side effects. I didn't gain weight. break out have breast tenderness etc. It is harder to LOSE weight, but I am a thin girl to start with so that's probably more the reason (that it's be unhealthy to be thinner) than the pill causing that.
22I've used Seasonale (BCP) for the past few years and love it. I've tried several different pills over the last 15 years, mostly because every time I moved and switched doctors the new doc would have a new pill to recommend. I was on Yasmin for a year when it came out, and I had no problems with it. But it didn't work any miracles for me, either. I still had the eight day long periods and accompanying migraines. So now it's no periods, no migraines! Love it!
23I had serious issues with the NuvaRing. It stopped my body's entire production of estrogen and put me into early (early 20's!) menopause. Got off of it and within a month my bloodwork was coming back normal. Of course now I'm on Yaz- eek!
24Condom. It's the only option for me.
25I was on ortho regulate my cycles, and while it worked (cleared up my skin too), it did raise my blood pressure. So I got off of it, and my skin and cycle are still great. I now stick to condom. I tried depo once as well, but it caused the worst on-going cramps.
26The Pill. I have taken a few since starting when I was 15...but I have been on Yasmin for years now, and have had no problems whatsoever.
27Not many people use an IUD, apparently? I had been on the pill for nearly nine years, but decided a couple of months ago to opt for the Mirena IUD (mostly for my anemia). It hurt like hell to insert it, but I'm SO glad I did it. I don't have to worry about taking (and forgetting) a pill no more, it lasts for about 5 years, it releases less hormones than the pill and the best thing of all: no more periods!
28I'm on Ortho-Tricyclen Lo. I've been on the pill for 9 years now. If I'm not on bc I would get violently ill on my period. I wouldn't be able to get up and walk, nauseous, headaches, cramps, etc.
29I am considering an IUD. Hormonal BC just messes me up so much - heavy vaginal discharge, low my sex drive and makes me moody. So I think the IUD is my best option, any advice?
30I'm with Anonymous. I'd really like to get the non-hormonal IUD.
Feesje - how much lower is the amount of hormones from the Mirena IUD than regular BCP? I've been taking Ocella/Yasmin.
31I've been on Yaz for about 2 years now and it's been fine mostly (used to be on EstroStep...horrible...my boobs hurt all the time and I had so much spotting, plus I gained almost 10 lbs, which my gyno thought was "not a bad thing..."), but now two out of the past 6 months, I've had spotting...I realize this happens sometimes and my doctor told me not to worry, but it's annoying...
I would love to try the ring and now that I'm reading more about the IUD, I'm highly intrigued...I would also be into Seasonale, but I know quite a few people that had a really hard time with spotting and never got to enjoy the whole "4 times a year" situation...honestly, I'm pretty lucky because my period doesn't cause me too many issues, but I just feel like it's sooo long and before the pill, I used to get it ever 32-33 days and now it's exactly 28...boo
32I'm on the pill, but mostly for the hormonal benefits. It makes my skin look really nice and it regulates my estrogen levels.
33cileste. i had some serious problems with my period, pains where i'd almost pass out, so went on it to keep functioning during that time
34oh, and it made me less moody and more positive person. like my private antidepressant
35I use nuvaring, but now after reading these comments I am wondering if it is the cause of the severe weight gain and inability to lose weight I've been experiencing.
36Condoms. Only real option for me. I know I won't remember another daily pill [already forget my other daily meds at least once a week] and the patch & ring both didn't work well. I gained a bunch of weight and was a real b*tch to be around.
The "only have X periods a year" methods frighten me. That's not how the body is supposed to work.
Thinking about trying the shot. In a rock solid relationship and condoms are starting to be a pain, not to mention expensive.
37I've been on the pill since I was 15. Same as an earlier poster, when I try to go off it my body goes haywire - my doctor says I have to stay on it until I want to have kids.
I was on yazmin for years and it was fine. I switched to ortho because my doctor said it was especially formulated to take care of your skin (but didn't really do anything) went back to yazmin, then I decided to try yaz because there was so much hype around it and there were 3 extra pills - lighter periods!!
Yaz screwed me up in a weird way, I became super moody and was crying all the time over the randomest things. Mind you - I wasn't feeing sad, I would just see something like a car insurance commercial and start to cry. It was so embarrassing!
Then I switched to Loestrin (I wanted another pill with less placebo pills, for lighter periods) and have liked it, but it's insanely expensive. Luckily my doctor gave me a coupon so it's cheaper. The only thing with this one is that now I get mild cramps, whereas before I seriously felt nothing.
I sometimes wonder what my real personality is like, since I've ben on the pill since puberty and each one changes me slightly.
38I took orthotricyclin for one year, but gained about 20 pounds and had spotting. I've been on Yasmin for about five years now and I've never had problems. I do have one question, though: I read somewhere (can't remember where) that the hormonal changes from taking the pill can cause spider veins. I have really awful veins in my legs, even though I'm only 25 and have never had kids, and I seem to remember that they started showing up when I started the pill. Has anyone else had this experience?
39cotedazur, I've never heard the spider vein thing, but all the sudden over the past year, I have noticed a few on my legs and I don't understand why I have them all the sudden. Maybe it's too many years on the pill.
I tried OTC low and I put about 10 pounds on with that and it didn't help me at all so I went back to OTC and have lost all of those pounds. I skip the week of "sugar" pills and start a new pack immediately and every 3 packs I'll take a week off to get my period for a few days and then start up a new pack. This way, I only have my period once every 10 weeks and it's still only about 3 days long. My doctor recommended I do this to reduce the number of migraines I get.
40I used to be on ortho-tricyclen lo but it made me seriously depressed for the week before my period. After talking to another friend who had the same problem I switched to Yaz and have been very happy ever since, no moodiness or the blinding cramps that were the reason I started taking the pill.
41Wow, it is so interesting reading everyone's experiences.
I was on Ortho for about 6 years or so. I started about a year before I was even sexually active, because I had horrible menstrual cramps. It was great at first, but then I started getting migraines and had issues with vaginal dryness and yeast infections. Several of my friends were all quitting BC pills for similar reasons. I think that after 5+ years or so, the pill is maybe not so good for some people.
Now I use a diaphragm (and he uses a condom). I like that it is hormone free. I would consider an IUD, but am extremely chicken about the insertion process.
Multiple bc methods are a must for us because we really do not want kids and I don't like the odds of ANY method when used alone. Even tubal ligation is 0.5%. Too risky for me.
42All those replies and not ONE about Depo Provera. I've been on it for 7 years, have had no side effects, no pregnancies and no problems (this includes periods)! I've had a few times when I've spotted, but that's it! And it's usually near the time I am supposed to get my next shot (every three months).
43I agree with TADOW. I will not take pills, they scare the sh*t out of me. I'm married anyway and luckily, not very fertile. I'm pregnant with my second son but they are 4 years apart so that tells you something. BUT, if I were to get pregnant with number 3, something permanent would have to happen...to my husband! lol
44Withdrawal method? I guess it's not a form of birth control but I'm not pregnant after nearly 5-6 years of it so something must be working !
45Other ... I use natural family planning, which is NOT the same as the rhythm method. (The rhythm method just involves counting days, whereas NFP involves reading your body's fertility signs.) I've been using it for almost six years, since my husband and I were married.
If anyone's interested, I highly recommend Toni Weschler's book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility."
46I agree with #37
I dont like the idea of only having 3 periods a year. I don't think it has been studied enough for them to say its perfectly fine. Whats the big deal anyway? Its only 3-5 days a month for most women.
I also don't really trust the pill in general. As someone who was born with a birth defect, I dont trust putting unnecessary pills in my body, i want to do everything i can to make sure my future children will be healthy. I have to be on thyroid meds already so i dont want to add anything else. Condoms are the only option for me.
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