Birthcontrol

So I came across this interesting article today. A new gene has been discovered that, when blocked in male mice, stopped the production of sperm. Clearly the implications of this are pretty awesome. It could lead us to the invention of a new, non-hormonal contraceptive for men. :)

I have tried to skip my period on OTC-Lo before last year. It was a success. I believe I used the 123-321 method and then got my period. However, this time for some reason I read somewhere (and thought it would be a good idea) to try the 123-3-123 method. The second "third week" pills I took was the week I was supposed to get my period. (I had wanted to skip it that week- the week of May 20th - last week). Now I am on week 1 of the new pack and just started what I think is breakthrough bleeding today. How can I stop this? I am going away on vacation this Friday and freaking out a bit! Should I jump straight to the second week pills, or maybe even the 3rd week? Or is it too much hormones to go from week 1 pills to week 3? My main concern is to stop the breakthrough bleeding for this Friday to June 5th, which is the end of my vacation.

Please help!!

Thanks so much.

Hi again,

Will inducing my period via missing the last 3 active pills alter when I get it? (ie. I normally get it on the 3rd placebo day - will I still get my period within the next three days or so?)

I'm not worried about protection; I won't be having sex for the next 5 or so months.

Hey, everyone! I have a quite specific question: I've been on Tri-sprintec for about nine months at this point, and am a college student planning on going abroad to an African country next semester. My prescription needs to be renewed basically exactly as I'm leaving, but I don't plan to have any sex during that time (my boyfriend is staying here!). So I have a bit of an uninformed dilemma: do I
1. stay on the pill, renew it beforehand and find a way to take a semester-long supply? I'm worried about the cost and difficulty if taking it's unnecessary, and about the stigma I'll face in a very-religious country. I figure I can pair taking it with my malaria pills, but I also have concerns about my ability to keep a constant time with just a watch. (dumb problem, I know!)
or
2. finish my last pack while here and then go off of it while studying? I won't be having sex and could renew my prescription when I get back, but I've never heard of anyone going off for such a short period of time and don't want to do something utterly dumb!

If the answer is no-question the first, does anyone have any advice for getting it in advance or dealing with taking it in a situation like this one?

Thanks, and sorry to bombard you all!

Hello,

I'm a bit paranoid and was wondering if someone could explain to me why it's possible for some people to become pregnant on the pill, even with perfect use (although I acknowledge that there may have been outside factors that went unnoticed). Is there any way to check whether you are "super-fertile?" Does it run in families? Do they only occur when only the pill is used?

Additionally, when the pill pamphlet states that there is a <1% chance of pregnancy with perfect use, does it account for these anomalies? Are they really as far and few as the statistics state?

I'm 19 and have been on the Portia for 6 months...I'm a terribly anxious person, so we still use a condom when my SO gets close. If the condom never breaks, how could pregnancy occur? I've heard some anecdotes about pregnancies occurring even with both methods in use. HOW?

Apologies for the onslaught of questions and thanks in advance.

Hello!

I have a question...I've been on birth control (sprintec) for over 2 years and I always take it consistently at 9pm every night maybe 9:30 once in a month. My periods always come after my second placebo. But I took my last active pill last night (I haven't even taken my first placebo) and this morning i got some brown discharge which is what usually happens right before my period comes. Is this normal? Kind of freaking out over here......... :(

Hi to all,

So I understand that swallowing St. John's Wort while on the pill can reduce the effectiveness of the pill. But what if you apply St. John's Wort topically? My friend gave me a skin care line to try, and St. John's Wort is an ingredient. I know that what you apply to your skin can be absorbed into your bloodstream, or else the patch wouldn't work... so should I stop using this skin care?

Thanks,

I changed my sugar-pill week from next week to this week, and i'm on seasonique. I should have started my period between sunday and today, tuesday, but with adjusting to this week i havent yet gotten my period. Should i be concerned or is this normal?

Hello everyone. I have two questions. The first question applies to me right now. I stack my pills and only have a placebo week about every three months. I currently take my pill around 4:00pm. Due to a schedule change, I would now like to take them at around 11am. Since I am taking them earlier, can I just do it anytime? I don't want to wait for a placebo week to switch times because I don't really have placebo weeks too often. I believe this is ok, but I don't want to overdose or something.
Now the second question does not apply to me now, but this is something that I have been curious about for a while. It is in regards to being late with the first pill of a new pack. My pamphlet states that if you miss one pill, take it as soon as you remember and you do not have to use backup. Does this still apply to that first pill of a new pack after a 7 day break? According to my pamphlet, you do not need to use backup until you miss two pills.  So lets say you have taken placebos for 7 days and on the 8th day you are late taking your first pill. are you still safe to go without backup just like if it happened in the middle of a pack. When it comes to the first pill of a new pack after a 7 day break, what constitutes late rather than missed? would you be technically "safe" to not use backup right up until the time of the second missed pill? What about if you were only 4-5 hours late starting your new pack? I am sorry if this is confusing, this is just something that has always boggled my mind. It's not happening to me now but I am just very curious about what happens if you were late or missed your first pill of the pack since the pamphlet does not differentiate between that pill or another pill in the middle of the month. It seems to me it would be more "dangerous" to be late with your first pill of a new pack. Thank you ladies!

Hi,

I'm on Microgestin Fe 1/20. I just took my last active pill in my current pack tonight. Here's my question: My 3 year anniversary with my fiance is on Tuesday. Knowing my cycle on the pill, my period is likely to have started by then or will start on Tuesday. I'd really really prefer to avoid this, so I'd like to skip my period just this once. I'm just not sure how, or if I even can, or what the cons are.

There's also another potential issue. I can't get my new pack until Monday due to some dumb insurance issue. Meaning I have no pill to take tomorrow (Is that how skipping my period would even work? Continuing to take the pill and skipping the placebo week?). That being said, do I even have the option of skipping my period while still staying protected?

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

I've been on the pill for the past 5ish years; i was another pill but switched Lo Estrin about two years ago as I got crazy emotional on the other pill. In the past 8 months to a year, my sex drive has gone from what I considered "normal" to practically non-existent. Is this possible to happen so long after being on the pill? I do h[Unknown LJ tag]ave a physical on Wednesday and plan to mention it to my doctor then. If she switches my pill (which I'm aiming for), what side effects should I anticipate happening? Is it possible that switching my pill will remedy the situation? I'd like to go in with as much info as I can to ask her informed questions. Thanks!!

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I'm trying to get more information on Lutera use while breast feeding. My doctor recommended I take it prior to getting on Mirena. I have an appointment schedule on May 9th to get Mirena. I'm trying to decide if I should even take Lutera? I'm worried about passing on hormones to my baby and the possibility of my milk supply dropping isn't exactly encouraging. Does anyone have any advice or feedback?

TIA! :)

Hi Everyone -

I'd like to ask for something we don't usually ask for around here: experiences. We're starting a Tumblr (yay!), and our first post, written by yours truly, is going to be on why I dislike Depo Provera (the shot).

As you guys know, we try to keep things really anecdote free here, but that's exactly what I'd like to know. I have my own impressions based on moderating this community, but I want to give everyone a chance to speak up.

So! Hit me up in comments if you are/have been on Depo. Tell me if your experience with it was positive or negative, and briefly, why. (I.e. bad/good periods, good/bad mood control, good bad/skin).

Thanks so much you guys! We'll link you to the Tumblr as soon as the first post is up!

In the meantime feel free to hit us up on Twitter @birth_control_.

Thanks again!

DinDin for the mod staff.

I am taking Yasmin right now, been on it for 3-4 years so far, but I am thinking of discontinuing it because I am quiting my job(which has health insurance) to move back to Wisconsin and go to school. I know I will have some sort of health insurance, but not sure how much it covers and if it will cover subscriptions. Plus, I'll be moving around for a bit, starting at my parents until I find a place to sublet for the summer then moving in with a friend in the fall. I am not in any form of a relationship with anyone(broke up with boyfriend over the summer), so I have only really been taking to control my periods. I just re-ordered a new pack, which should last until June sometime I think.

My question is, what are the side effects of going off BC? I'm afraid that it will totally mess me up, and I'll have enough to deal with when I move that I don't really want to deal with emotional side effects or health side effects. When i started I barely got any side effects at all, felt a bit queezy for maybe a few days to a week then was totally fine and have been fine ever since I started. Should I just hold on to the new pack but stop taking it now so I can give the side effects some time to kick in before I move, or should I continue taking it until I run out then stop?
One thing I will miss about taking them is when my period is and how light it has been. I can't even remember how bad my period was before I had it, but I know I don't want to go back to bad periods. Do periods usually stay at that same cycle awhile after stopping BC before getting back to its normal cycles?

I'd like to stay on it, but logistically it's probably better to stop for a bit until I figure out my health insurance stuff and get settled into a place. I'm just hoping it wont mess me up too bad emotional wise.

I am on ortho-tricyclen lo and was using the 1-1-2-2-3-3 method to skip my period this month. It was my first time and thought I was being super careful. I'm on my 4th week of the two packs and just noticed I messed up a bit. I seems it took 1-1-2-3 instead of 1-1-2-2. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to proceed. I am on my 4th pill of the week. 

Should I do 1-1-2-3-3 then placebos or do 1-1-2-3-3-2 then placebos. This is my first time doing this so I'm not sure what I can do at this point. I needed to skip my period because I'm going to be on a trip when I was supposed to get my period that included hiking for 12-14 hours in the field. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!

I take my pill (low-dose combo) religiously at 4:18 each day and normally have no worries.

***TMI if you don't enjoy poop

Today in lab, we had to guzzle 220mL of tomato juice for the experiment. At around 6:30ish, I started experiencing some gurgling in my lower stomach (not pain) and was very gassy. I ended up having slight diarrhea (very small quantity - make an OK sign with your thumb and first finger - that much; not completely water but definitely more liquid than normal). I initially though I was bleeding, then realized that I was pooping out tomato juice. This occurred twice and my pelvis area is still gurgling. Wonderful.

In summary: Tomato juice disagreed with my stomach and caused me to have especially soft stools twice. Was my birth control pill absorbed properly??

Alright, so I'm SUPER paranoid about getting pregnant. I take my pill the EXACT same time every day, and have for 8 years now. I don't take any chances.

I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow morning. The oral surgeon prescribed me some Amoxicillin to take to prevent infection. Now, I know that antibiotics can possibly decrease the effectiveness of the pill. I also know that some people say it's not ALL antibiotics, and it's not definitely the case, but like I said...I'm super paranoid and take no chances.

I'm definitely going to use a backup for the course of my antibiotics and for a month afterward (paranoid!) BUT my boyfriend and I had sex without a condom last night and he came inside of me. I didn't even consider it, because I haven't started the antibiotics yet.

I've heard that sperm can live inside of you of up to a week. So...if I start antibiotics tomorrow, am I still protected from the sperm that are already inside of me? And if so...how? I mean, don't you need s steady stream of the hormones to protect you? If that 'stream' is interrupted and sperm are inside of me...isn't there a larger chance that I can get pregnant? I'm feeling really uneasy about it, and am considering not taking the antibiotic. I mean, everyone says to use a backup for the course of the antibiotics, but no one says anything about not having sex for a week BEFORE you start the antibiotics.

I need some opinions, please! I'm freaking myself out here. Thanks!

Hi birthcontrol  !

It's that time of year again, time to "Spring Forward" - Daylight Savings Time. Sunday at 2:00 a.m. it will magically be 3:00 a.m.!

We generally have several questions in a row asking what to do about the time change.

You can continue to take your pills at your normal time without losing protection.

The way it works is this: Let's say you normally take your pills at 8:00 a.m.

Sunday: Take your pill when the clock says 8:00 a.m. (after moving it forward). Your pill will essentially be one hour early because you lost an hour.

Every day from that point forward, take your pill at 8:00 a.m. - your pill will be on time because you're taking it at that same time.

We believe taking one pill one hour early will not compromise your protection. However, if this is a concern for you, simply use condoms or spermicide for the next 7 active pills. Voila! You're back on track.

Alternatively, just wait for your inactive pills to make the switch.

As always, this is covered in our tagged entries under: Daylight Savings.

Make sure to set on a pot of coffee to make up for that lost hour of sleep, and check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors!

Cheers!

dindin

for the rest of the Mod Squad

I'm new to LiveJournal, so bare with me; this is my first post/question ever. 

I have been on the pill for close to three years now; ever since my husband and I got married.  I was taking ortho-cyclen, but my gyno switched me to Tri-Sprintec approximately 9 months ago.  I take my pill every day at the same time religiously.  We do not use any other form of birth control; if an accident happens, we're okay with that.  I had my last regular period from February 13-February 19.    Before having this period I had some possible symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning nausea, and frequent bouts of low blood sugar.  I took a hpt approximately 6-7days before my period began, and it was negative.  On the 20th I started my blue pills again as usual.  My periods have always been regular since being on the pill.  Randomly, I started spotting on March 2nd or 3rd.  I thought maybe my hormones were just out of whack, possibly related to the pill, or that I was just super-stressed, causing me to start early.  I continued to take my blue pills thinking it was just break-through bleeding, which I've never had before.  Regardless, I started a full-blown period, so I took my last blue pill on the 4th, and let nature take it's course.  I had a heavy, regular period; my usual.  Today, the 9th, it is coming to an end, and this should be my last day.  In short, I started my period more than one week early, which is very abnormal for me.

Now, my friends have discussed with me and my husband how it is possible to have a regular period and still be pregnant.  I've since read forums online about how women have reported having a regular period for up to 5 months of pregnancy.  Right now, I am not experiencing any symptoms I would associate with pregnancy, but my husband is "freaked out".  I know it would make sense to just take a pregnancy test, but because my cycle is so out of whack, I have no idea when would be the most accurate time to take one.  They say usually if your pregnant, your pregnant and the results will be positive no matter what.

So my questions:  Could I possibly be pregnant?  If I am, what would cause me to have a period and be pregnant at the same time? (Aside from implantation bleeding, because remember, this was a normal, heavy period).  To determine if I am pregnant, when would be the best time to take a test?  And, if I am not pregnant, what would cause me to start early like this, while regularly taking birth control as directed, after so many years of being regular?

The situation: Visiting my very long distance boyfriend for the next 20 days. Just had my first exam and was prescribed Lo Loestrin Fe. My period ended 7-8 days ago, so it's supposed to be a while until I start taking the pill.

I'm curious if I can safely start and be protected in 7 days, just risking weirdness when my period is supposed to start? I'll be leaving about the time I'm supposed to start otherwise... I really wish I had had my exam and got my prescription earlier!

Also, if you're supposed to start the pill the day your period starts (or the Sunday after), does the period stop when you start taking it?

Thanks everyone, total new person here...

Hello!

I have been taking birth control pills (Sprintec) for about a year and a half and always take them at the exact same time everyday! Except maybe a 40 min time difference like 2 times. My boyfriend and I almost always use condoms and the rare times we don't he never ejaculates or fully penetrates. I haven't missed a period and I had my period at my usual time at the 3rd or 4th placebo on feb 9th. But, after my period I got really nauseous and started feeling stomach pain. Then about a week after my period, breasts started feeling really heavy and a bigger than usual not so painful just look bigger and feel heavier...could I be pregnant or is there another explanation..I have been under A LOT of stress lately, not sure if it matters. Please help I'm so paranoid! :( thanks!

Ok so I had a miscarriage on december 2nd ,I stoped bleeding december 26th. On january 30th I was in the er for uncontrllable bleeding again. I followed up with my doctor and she said it was still from the miscarriage. And told me to start bc pill sprintec to control the bleeding. It controlled the bleeding instantly. My worry is my husband and i had unprotected sex a weeek later (valentines day) can I be prego? And if not how will I kno if I'm late if I haven't had a normal period since the miscarriage? If anyone can help id appreciate it...

Here's my situation...I have just started taking Tri-Sprintec. I started on a Sunday and have just started my third week today. This past Thursday my husband and I got caught up in the moment and didn't use a condom with the bc. Have I been taking the pill long enough to not worry? Also today (start of third week bc 3 days after intercourse) I started cramping and spotting... is this normal or could i be pregers? Should I continue with my pill regiment or discontinue? I'm just a little worried and confused. Help me if you can. Thanks

Hey, birthcontrol:

Sorry I don't have better news this time, but there's been another birth control pill recall. This one is from the company "Glenmark" and is distributed only in the U.S. It appears to be a generic for Ortho Tri-Cyclen, but I can't find a name for it. 

The press release is only saying "This packaging error is limited to the seven (7) lots listed in the table below of Norgestimate and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets USP, 0.18 mg/0.035 mg, 0.215 mg/0.035 mg, 0.25 mg/0.035 mg", which is the formula for Ortho Tri-Cyclen and its generics. 

Here are the lot numbers, 
Lot Nos - Expiration
04110101 - 07/31/2013
04110106 - 07/31/2013
04110107 - 07/31/2013
04110114 - 08/31/2013
04110124 - 08/31/2013
04110129 - 08/31/2013
04110134 - 09/30/2013


and here is the full information, including a picture of what your pill pack would look like if it was affected.

Yours,
The BC Mods

Okay, so this is VERY important. I had my mirena taken out on the 22nd of February and was told I have endometriosis. My gynecologists prescribed me Lo Loestrin Fe. Today, I was bleeding heavily and cramping. I was told to start my BC pills the day of my period. So I took my first pill today..I am no longer bleeding and am sort of convinced it was just spotting after my Mirena was removed. So my question is...how will affect me if I don't start on the day of my period? I don't plan on stopping them I will keep taking them, but will they be as effective??