roxy712

Specifically, Ortho Tricyclen Lo, and eventually Yaz.

I was using Nuvaring for almost 5 years until last month... I've been having some bad breakouts (esp around my chin and jaw), so my dermatologist recommended that I switch BC -- preferably to Yaz as it's been 'proven' to help acne.

My OB/GYN decided that the jump in hormones would be a little much for my body (apparently the progesterone/estrogen amounts are very different b/w Nuvaring and Yaz), so she prescribed Ortho Tricyclen Lo to sort of bridge the gap between the two.

So far I am *not* happy with the change in meds. I'm now on week 3 of the pills and have had persistent bleeding since last week. It's finally tapering off, but it's quite annoying as when I was on NR, my periods were super light and lasted about 4 days.

My boobs hurt, and I've gained about 5 lbs - yuck! (Coincidentally, last time I was on the pill, which was about 8 months total maybe 6 years ago, I felt as if I gained weight but absolutely NO increase in breast size. Stupid body. )

Anyway, how different are OTC Lo and Yaz in terms of hormone levels? I hate to have to go through all this again, but then again I've heard Yaz helps with that pesky weight/water retention problem.