Hi, new to this board. I was wondering is there anyone out there that has been taking Estrostep Fe? I had a baby 15 mths ago, Doc suggested IUD (copper t) major problems so I had it removed. Then we went with the Mirena and I had problems with that as well. I went to have it removed and surprisingly it was gone (expelled). I stopped breastfeeding about 2 mths ago so now I am about to start taking bc (estrostep fe) this coming Sunday. Has anyone had problems with this bc? Weight gain, headaches, heavy bleeding, cramps, etc? I would be fine not taking any bc and having more little ones but the hubby is satisfied with what we have. Oh well need bc but would like something that I'll be happy with. Any info and or advise would be helpful.

Thanks,
Dawn

Have you considered fertility awareness? I'm a big fan. If you follow the rules diligently and abstain during your fertile time rather than just using a barrier it is 98-99% effective.

No I haven't. I'm a little nervous about doing that just because I've read you can get pregnant if you've had unprotected sex a few days before ovulation occurs and a few days after. It would be my luck I would follow the rules and get pregnant. I guess if I knew a little more about the number of days to abstain it would be worth considering.

Pre-ovulation your most important thing to chart is cervical fluid which lets you know ovulation is on its way. Without it, sperm only survive a few hours. But you could be flexible. For example sticky cervical fluid is considered not as fertile. You and your husband could decide to use a barrier at that time. If you abstained during all potentially fertile days it can be up to 10 days a month. It really depends on the individual. I love the method because I can decide exactly how much risk I want to take. And its just my personality. I love knowing when I'm fertile, rather than being on the pill and worrying about whether there is breakthrough ovulation that I don't know about. But thats just me :)
At any rate, if you are interested check out Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Actually no matter which method you choose its a fantastic book :)

P.S. the "up to 10 days" estimate includes your pre-ovulation fertile days and 4 days post-ovulation to make sure the egg is dead and gone.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into getting the book, can I get it at any book store? I think it would be better for me if I didn't have to take bc. What are you talking about breakthrough ovulation while on bc? I don't know if I've ever heard this term. Could that have happened to me while on the mini pill and I got pregnant? It was an ectopic pregnancy which the docs blamed on the type of pill.

Breakthrough ovulation means you ovulate despite the pill. I've heard different estimates of how often it happens. I think around 10% of the time for some people! Of course there are other mechanisms of the pill, like keep the uterine lining thin, so that you don't get pregnant when it happens. But I don't like the idea of that... The mini pill has an even higher rate of breakthrough ovulation.
You should be able to get it at any bookstore or even the library. Definitely look for the updated version. For example, the author in the first version recommended ear thermometers, but after more studies feels like it isn't accurate enough for fertility awareness.