Want Some Info About Starting Bc

[tUrRrRa]

If you have very long periods, you should definitely talk to a gyno about that. It is recommended to see a gyno after age 18 even if you don't have sex. They can make sure your periods are still considered normal. My periods have always been 5 days with a one day stop in the middle. My pill did not change this at all.. it's still the same length, but it did make it a little bit lighter.

First of all, the pill is NOT dangerous.. I don't think so many people would take it if it were. If you are a smoker, then yes it can be dangerous because you are risking some problems, but if you are in good health (and any GOOD doctor should make sure of this with you), then it is perfectly safe. I went on the pill around age 16 because I was getting bad stomach aches during my periods and throwing up a lot from them. Now I never get sick on my periods and don't even get cramps (I take Yasmin). I have not had ANY bad side effects from my pill.. so that is false that the pill gives you more side effects to deal with. If this happens to you, then you probably need to switch pills because you shouldn't have to deal with that problem.

Also, I know many friends who have been to the doctor and found that they had no health problems but their periods were irregular.. the doctor decided it was hormones that were out of balance. They gave her a medication for that and she said it didn't change it and put her in a bad mood all the time. She has tried the natural remedies and they didn't work either.. the ONLY thing that has worked for her has been the pill or patch. So sometimes it IS something that can work.. but it is important to see your doctor first to make sure it isn't anything worse or something you can take care of by doing something else.

The pill isn't bad, but some people would rather not take medications.. and some do not mind. This is a choice you have to make for yourself. You should talk to a doctor about it. You don't need to decide right away, but at least get some information and talk to them about it and see if you think it's right for you. The pill has a lot of benefits.. it isn't all bad like some people say. The risks for blood clots, etc are VERY small and are mainly for smokers and people with high blood pressure. The information booklets that come with the pill (and on their websites) give information about this.. believe me, I looked!

[Kszan]

I think that before you decide to take any BC pills, you should do a comprehensive search on the internet for "birth control side effects" and specifically look at forums such as these, where women share their experiences while on the pill.

The pill is not a good option if the only reason why you're taking it is for menstrual problems. If you want to use it as a contraceptive....well, i still wouldn't reccommend it. I would not reccommend it to anyone. I personally wouldn't reccommend any hormonal birth control option to anyone for any reason, and that's due to my own personal experience, as well as my comprehensive search on the internet for others' experiences as well as clinical research regarding use of the pill and its side effects.

Some of the side effects are just bothersome or annoying, but you have to ask yourself whether you want to be bothered and annoyed such as the breakthrough bleeding, spotting and yeast infections that never clear up. Some of them are just deal breakers like the hair loss, weight gain depression, anxiety, moodiness, and killing the sex drive thing. But others are quite deadly like the bloot clots, strokes and other such problems. You just have to ask yourself whether you want to put up with that kind of stuff just for the sake of masking your true menstrual problems with the pill.

[tUrRrRa]

Kszan, I am sorry to hear about your bad birth control experience. What pill were you on??? I guess most people I know and myself are very lucky.. I do not get any side effects and the only bad side effect I've heard was from my mom, saying it gave her headaches so she stopped. Besides that, everybody else I know on the pill loves it but they have had to switch pills before. There are not ONLY bad things about it of course, but I have researched on the good things as well. The chance of getting a stroke or blood cot is VERY slim, not a common thing, so I would rather risk the chance and live more comfortably with the pill. Just wondering, but since you don't like the pill.. what other birth control method do you recommend other than condoms or having your tubes tied and other permanent solutions? Just thought that would be a good thing to know if you did.. and what else do you recommend for those who want to fix their irregular periods or lighten their periods when there is no problem at all and we have been to the doctor and looked into it?

[Kszan]

I was on pretty much every different brand at one time or another. Tri-Norinyl, Norinyl, Demulen, Desogen, Loestrin, microgestin, Seasonale, Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen, and I can't remember what else at the moment. There have been so many over the years, I'm surprised that I remembered those.

I had a lot of problems on the pill. And when I was talking about side effects, I wasn't referring to the really serious ones like blood clots. I meant stuff like losing your sex drive completely, hair loss, depression, anxiety, acne, excessively oily skin, weight gain, moodiness, headaches, etc. Although not all of those are life threatening, they certainly affect quality of life, which I think is significant enough to warrant telling people of those risks before they decide to stay on the pill.

As I said in the other post, I've been using FAM with a basal thermometer since the beginning of July. And actually, since we've been using condoms, everything has been working out just fine. I know people have a really strong aversion to condoms, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. We buy the non-lubricated non-spermicide ones and it's fine. I insist on it and he's fine with that.

Anyway, I just want people to know there are other side effects, while not life threatening, they certainly cause a lot of problems with quality of life, and that's an issue that is very important.

[livinTX]

Kszan is not alone. I also had a horrible experience on birth control pills. I would NOT advise them for regulating your period unless you saw your gyno and your period truly was abnormal (like several weeks long, so excessive you are close to fainting from blood loss, etc.).

I took BCPs for 7 years. At first, I thought I was handling them OK, but then side effects started piling up--breakthrough bleeding, depression, anxiety & panic attacks, no sex drive. I took many pills. Out of them all, I'd say I had the least problems on ortho-novum 7/7/7. After that, it was just downhill--tons of breakthrough bleeding on ortho-lo, HUGE water retention & weight gain on Ovcon35--in fact, Ovcon35 was what did it for me. It made me feel pregnant. I gained 20 lb. of water weight in the first month of use (I am not kidding). I had a HUGE never ending appetite, mood swings, anxiety, depression, a feeling that all the cells of my body were pushing outward, strange food cravings, bulgy area of my abdomen over my uterus even though I was not preggers. Doc switched me to Loestrin. At first, the symptoms of Ovcon disappeared, but then they came back. No relief on Yasmin. Then it dawned on me--this is not right. My body doesn't like this. No more hormonal birth control for me.

I've been using condoms since June. I've been charting my cycles and last month doing fertility awareness method. Last month was my first month not using condoms during my infertile days after ovulation and I did not turn up preggers...I'm feeling much more normal. Sex drive has returned and my mood is much better. But my period is STILL not normal and I still have the water retention. I'm having extremely light periods right now (due I think to a hormonal imbalance caused by the pill, hopefully, I will have more normal periods as time goes by). I never thought I'd complain about light periods, but due to them, I have HUGE water retention which is much worse than a heavy period. I don't advocate the pill either. I'm not totally against it for women who feel it works for them, but I do feel healthcare providers should be more open about all the side effects. It made my life a living hell.