Types of birth control pills

senoflys · 02-15-2003, 04:35 PM

Hi, my girlfiend is condsidering taking birth control pills but she is really wary of the side effects. She doesn't want to gain weight, and she's heard taht it can give you black spots and really screw up your period if you get the shot. So I was just wondering if any of you ladies have had good results with no side effects, and with what brand of birth control pill or shot. thanks

Blastoff9600 · 02-15-2003, 06:47 PM

Well she needs to talk to her doctor becuase he doctor will be able ot help her find the brand that might be best for her. It may take a few tries to find the right one.
The Depo Provera shot I would stay as far away as possible. You can do a search of the boards and find many,many posts that talk about women's experiences with Depo Provera.
They do have a shot Lunella that is one a month and is basically the pill in shot form. She can ask her doctor about that. Also there is the patch she can talk to him/her about.
But again talking to her doctor is her best bet becuase what one experiences with one brand another may have other experiences.

wrin · 02-16-2003, 06:34 AM

I've had wonderful luck taking Alesse.

Just because you MIGHT gain weight doesn't mean you WILL gain weight, either.

Kind of like just because there's a teeny risk of deep vein thrombosis doesn't mean you're GONNA have your leg rot off if you take the stuff.

tenikah · 02-17-2003, 03:39 AM

Her doctor should put her onto the right pill for her depending on her current weight etc.. If she finds she doesn't like it, eg: headaches, weight she can go back to her doctor. Most of the time the get it right first time. I agree, stay away from the shot, females can get very depressed on it, and in some people it is worse for weight gain than the pill.
Good luck

fairnymph · 02-17-2003, 11:29 PM

I agree that it varies greatly from person to person, but I've tried a handful of birth control pills and the best by far was DESOGEN (same thing as Alesse). NO weight gain or strange bleeding and minimal side effects. A number of gyn's I've talked to also recommend it highly.

Another option she could look into -- if she wants to avoid hormones -- is the IUD (intra-uterine device). EXTREMELY effective and quite safe. I'm getting one myself in a few weeks.

Best of luck.

[This message has been edited by fairnymph (edited 02-17-2003).]