Birthcontrol

I take Junel. I take the 21 day dosage. I started my second week of pills on Wednesday, and on Friday I started having some breakthrough bleeding. Enough unstable I need a panty liner. This happened to mr a few months ago as well. I haven't missed any pills. I have been very stressed out from work. Could that have something to do with it?

I'm about to go back on the contraceptive pill (Ava 20 - with 0.10 mg levonorgestrel
and 0.02 mg ethinylestradiol).

Are any of you ladies that go to the gym regularly who are on the pill noticing a change in terms of ability to gain muscle? I'm worried the estrogen will hinder or halt my bodybuilding efforts.

Some advice/input please?

Hi everyone

I have looked in the archives and links, but could not find the reference to this. I remember that a while ago I used an online period tracking tool that was mentioned here, but I have lost it now.

I am looking for an online tool to track my periods which also allows to track spotting and other symptoms and to display it all in a clear way.

Not a phone app, something I can use on my windows computer.

Huge thanks for any advice.

I've been taking Gildess Fe 1.5/30 (Generic for Loestrin Fe) for about three years now, sometimes my insurance would send me Microgestrin, but I never noticed a difference. Since the new year I've been taking Junel Fe 1.5/30- and also skipping periods, doubling packs as my doctor prescribed. I only did this twice with Gildess.
I've recently noticed that my sex drive is almost zero. I am getting to the point where I'm almost repulsed by being touched... which totally defeats the purpose of birth control.
My question is- could this be my birth control? And since its not a problem on my insurance's end, just my doctor, could my doctor tell my insurance ONLY to give me Gildess (my insurance sends me my prescription through mail only)? And how would I go about this?

Hello,

I've been taking Sprintec for a few years now, and this month I got my period on the exact day I usually do. But, for some reason it's really light....lighter than I can remember ever having...I did have my usual cramps too. Usually the first day I have dark brownish discharge (old blood) by the second day I see a good amount of normal red blood. I'm on day two and do have red blood but it's not too much.  I've been taking my pills at the same time every day there could have been a day or two I was late but not by more than 40 minutes. I had sex with my boyfriend about 2 weeks ago. We usually use condoms too but we didn't that day although he didn't ejaculate. Do you think I could still be pregnant...should I take a pregnancy test or am I just being a paranoid freak :(

Thank you!

Hello. I haven't been back here in a while!

I moved across the country and switched jobs about 2 months ago - my old health insurance ended in March and my new began on May 1 - so I was without for a month. I didn't have the foresight for this, but I ended up needing a new pill pack literally three days before my new insurance kicked in.

I'm not thrilled about having done this, but instead of forking out the $106 for a new pack, I decided I'd take 3 pills from some old packs I've kept around from previous mishaps. Two of the packs expired in 2010, and I had a pack with 1 pill that expired in 2012. So, I took 2 from 2010 and 1 from 2012. Picked up my new pack three days later. Turns out with my new insurance it's $50 - not $0 as I have been paying - so that's a whole separate stupid issue.

The pills have always been stored away in a cool/dark place, but what are chances there were even any hormones left in them at all, being 3 years old? My period stopped...so I assumed there must have been something to them.

I guess my question is: how long until I'm fully protected again? Is 7 days of new, fresh pills a good idea just to be on the safe side?

I'm married and have been on Loestrin 24 FE for something like 8 years. I LOVE this pill, but I don't think I want to pay 50 bucks a month for it...so not looking forward to switching to something else. I've tried, but there is no exact generic with 4 placebos...at least not last I checked. Sad!

Thanks again for doing what you do and having such a great forum.

- J

Hello ladies. I have posted in here a few times about my many trials and tribulations regarding birth control. My boyfriend and I used condoms for over a year, but my period was constantly late (I predict I just have a very long cycle and using a period tracker app on my phone gave me panic attacks every month, I never got my period when it was predicted) So, I went to the doctor and got a pill.
I am not thrilled about this, but Im willing to give it a shot.
Its been a little over a week. I feel like Ive been pissed off every day. And so emotional, omg. And the girls hurt a lot. I know these are all normal in the adjustment, but after only a week? really?
Also, its so difficult to differentiate between hormonal changes and just life stress getting the best of me. Im graduating in a month, Ive started desperately searching for and interviewing for jobs. Ive barely seen my boyfriend in 2 weeks. And I live very close to Boston, and anything related to the marathon bombing is making me bawl my eyes out. I just feel very sensitive to everything.

Im mostly just venting here, but any advice about how to cope with a hormonal change after not being on birth control for several years would be helpful. Or maybe how you know when a pill is just not right for you?

I've been on Seasonale for as long as I can remember, and since it was discontinued I'm planning on switching to Seasonique.

However, I'm really not sure whether to try a generic form or just go with the brand name. The thing is, Seasonique is a little over $200 WITH my insurance (ugh, ridiculous), but the generic is free or, like, a couple cents. HOWEVER, back in the day I tried a generic form of Seasonale, and it didn't go well. Had a lot of breakthrough bleeding, a problem I've never had on the pill before. I mainly take birth control to lessen the symptoms of interstitial cystitis and vulvodynia, and while on the generic I noticed I was much more sore than normal. Not fun.

I just don't know if I should even bother trying the generic, or just bite the bullet and pay more for brand name Seasonique. I don't want three miserable months again like with that generic Seasonale. The price difference just...stinks. But I hear a lot of iffy things about generic BC.

Advice?

Question about how I am thinking about changing the week my period falls on for vacation purposes. Last time I did this I was simply able to skip my placebo week and start into a new pack. However due to my insurance, I won't be able to get a new pack early and be able to do this. I am wondering if perhaps once I finish this pack, will it screw up my body if I skip a week of pills entirely after my period and start my new pack a week late? I am on a 28 day pack, three active weeks and one placebo. I understand the risks of pregnancy and I have a very understanding and patient fiancé, so that's not an issue.

Any information you can offer would be great. Thanks in advance.

I have a question about switching brands of the pill.

I started a pack of Kariva bc last week, on the first day of my period. I expected things to go smoothly because I'd been on it before, years ago, no problems. The thing is I started getting INTENSE emotional swings and felt horrible. I realize that you're supposed to give it three months, but there was just no way I could feel that way for three months. I felt seriously out of control. My body must have changed and I don't think that one is for me anymore. Maybe it's the high dose of progesterone, which I seem really sensitive to these days.

Anyway, I only took it for 5 days and then stopped. My period stopped a day later, and now (4 days since I stopped Kariva) I'm starting a withdrawal bleed.

I have another pack of a different brand (Ovcon) from the doc to try, this one with less progesterone. When can I start taking the Ovcon--can I start now, because i'm withdrawal bleeding? Should I wait until I get my next "real" period, which will be in about a month? Will switching so quickly mess up my body's hormones or somehow damage my system?

thanks...

Hello Canadian readers! In the news today is recall notice from Apotex for Alysena-28 in all provinces except AB and SK, for doubled up placebo pills. This has apparently been a problem since December, so if you're taking this pill it would be a good idea to double-check.

To begin, I love this community. I have learned so much just from reading through the previous posts and really appreciate the dedication that the moderators place on the community by providing relevant, credible, and honest information.

My question regards continuous birth control pills, particularly LoSeasonique; however, this question could apply to all other continuous brands.

I am going to be starting a round of antibiotics. I understand that to be safe, you recommend using back-up protection for the week of antibiotic treatment plus 7 days afterwards (until reaching 7 active pills post treatment).

On my doctor's information packet, she stated the generic, "If you are taking birth control pills, do not stop taking them, but use a back-up method of birth control while you are using antibiotics, until you start the new pack."

My question is, what would be considered a "new pack" on continuous bcp, as LoSeasonique (for example) comes in a complete package of 13 weeks. Do you need to have a period to be considered a "new pack" like monthly pills? Would a new pack be after 4 weeks? Or would a new pack be a whole new package of LoSeasonique (after the three months?) The generic information is really aimed at monthly pill users, not continuous or stacked users, and I just want to be a knowledgeable user who is as protected as possible.

Thank you so much for your time and attention.

I hope you can help me with a couple of questions regarding the above... I have read over many related entries today and learned a lot, but don't think they quite answered everything I need for my own scenario. I really hope you can help!

Since Thursday morning (4th April) I have been on antibiotics (Trimethoprim) for a UTI. I am also on Yasmin, which I have taken at the same time every morning, certainly for the current and previous cycle. I am currently seeing a guy who lives in a different city, and we see each other every two weeks. Last night (Friday) I stupidly forgot about the antibiotics and let him inside me (without a condom) but only for a very short space of time, probably 30 seconds and no ejaculation. I had been so concerned with the idea of whether sex might reignite the recovering infection (and it did hurt, which is why we stopped) that I completely forgot about the drug interraction aspect.

Anyway, I soon remembered, got ultra-paranoid and looked all over the web, including the interraction checker at Drugs dot com (I used that one since the checker on this Livejournal leads to a dead link for me). There seems to be little evidence that the BC will be affected, but I would rather not take any chances.

My first question: Is emergency contraception necessary in this situation? I should mention that owing to various circumstances I will be unable to get to a pharmacy until Monday morning, so just under 3 days after the sex.

My second question is, if the antibiotics have had no effect on the Yasmin (which is what I'm hoping for), and therefore I have the usual hormone levels from the pill, is taking EC a safe thing to do, and what are the possible risks in terms of side-effects e.g. sickness? I have a driving test on Tuesday, which is why I'm so nervous about this. On the other hand, I also don't want to lose my nerve because I'm so paranoid about the possibility of being pregnant.

Third question: I know that if you're on antibiotics you are advised to skip the break and continue to next pack, but does this mean you have to commit to a new full pack, or just an extra 7 days if you want that break at the next safe opportunity? I won't be having sex again until 2 weeks from now and when I do I will be using back-up. But I really want to have my break for the reassurance I'm not pregnant, and also because my body generally hates skipping packs and never lets me get away with it... whenever I've tried it in the past I've always developed horrible PMT symptoms, followed by spotting, followed by full-on bleed by about halfway through the next pack.

Fourth question:This possibly relates to the above, but in case this is relevant, two weeks ago I had sex without a condom. Although I have no rational reason to think my (pill) protection was compromised, in theory (as in, if I hadn't been protected), could it possibly have any bearing on anything that's happening now with the antibiotics?

I apologise for the confusing questions... I honestly would have phrased it all better if I knew how. And I think I'll be insisting on condoms no matter what from now on as everything seems to worry me.

Happy Birth Control Day Everybody! It is a good day, indeed!

In a long-awaited decision released early this morning, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make emergency contraception available over-the-counter to women of all ages, marking a major win for public health and women’s rights in a year that has seen science otherwise buried under an avalanche of anti-choice politics.

Today’s order was issued in response to the Center for Reproductive Rights’ (CRR) renewed lawsuit against the agency seeking to expand over-the-counter access to all brands of the morning-after pill, including Plan B One-Step and Next Choice, to women of all ages.

The court has ordered the FDA to make emergency contraception available without a prescription and without point-of-sale or age restrictions within 30 days...

"With the court’s ruling today, drug companies can now apply to make EC available to [women and men] of all ages and at stores other than just pharmacies—eliminating human error in determining who can and cannot purchase the medication."

Hi all!

Since January I've been having horrible pains. My vagina burns during sex, urination, and sometimes just randomly. It sometimes feels raw and irritated.

I've been to my family doctor countless times, as well as the walk in clinic. I have been tested for stds, bacterial vaginosis, and yeast infections. I've taken yeast creams, OTC treatments (diflucan, monistat ect) and anti bitotics for BV. I've also taken probiotics and am continuing to take them. I was tested for a uti and had a bladder ultrasound and all normal.

2.5 months later, I'm still suffering. Some days I'm perfectly fine and others is unbearable to sit at work.

The only thing we have not tried is switching my birth control pill. I am on yaz 24 active and 4 placebo pills and have been on this pill for 2 years without any serious side effects and nothing like this. Is it possible to suddenly develop a side effect like this? Has this happened or anything similar happen to anyone else? I tried to research a bit with no luck.

I am pretty much at my wits end and my relationship and sex life is suffering. But I don't want to mess around with going on and off the pill. Is it safe to go off the pill for one month and back on it the next? Im just trying to avoid any more unessecary stress as the pill is my main source of contraceptive.

Thanks in advance!

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

Hi peeps!
So, I am a little confused. I am going to start on a new pill (i've been on several others but always had problems). I have hopes that this one might be the one for me. The thing is, I'm pretty prone to headaches and I usually get more of them on hbc. One doc yanked me off hbc because of the headaches, which happened on when I tried to take Alesse--it was a low-grade, tension type headache that would get worse as the day went on, and I got them every day I was on it. Because of this I never gave that pill a chance and was only on it for 2 weeks. I wonder now if it could have worked out had I waited out that side effect. ANother doc (my current one) was not concerned about the headaches because they were not migraines with aura and prescribed me hbc again.

What confuses me is that in the pill info leaflet, it says that headaches are a "common side effect" that should go away in the first 3 months. BUT, at the bottom it says that one of the warning signs to look out for is headache "with a new pattern or worsening." This seems contradictory to me and I'm confused about whether I should be concerned about the type of headaches I get ON HBC (sometimes accompanied by dizziness, which is also listed as a common side affect and which I also get with POPs and that goes away after a while). Yes, it is a new pattern if I start a new pill and get headaches daily for a while. But then again, this is a normal side effect, and should go away, right? *confused*

I would really appreciate any info you have that could clear this confusion up for me..

Thanks!!

Deliberately skipped a second period in a row and have had some BTB for a few days now-at first very light but now a little heavier, brown, and spotting. :/ I know it's most common with new bc users (but can also happen at anytime due to several factors) just the fact that I've been on it for seven years, have skipped many periods and have very rarely had BTB (even when I first started) and it's previously only been very mild, I was a bit concerned. I've been under a lot of stress lately so it's possible that's contributing? Just want to make sure everything checks out. :) Thanks.

Today I got my nexplanon inserted. I'm curious what all to expect during the first week or so as far as bruising, pain, etc and what I can do to keep it from being so bad. Ibuprofen, pain medication, etc? Any help?

Hi all, haven't posted in a long time... I've run into some health issues in the past few months. Very long story short, I've been having episodic vertigo since November. I have an appointment with a neurologist this week to see if the vertigo is migraine-related since I get very sensitive to light during the vertigo attacks, they happen during weather changes a lot (another possible sign of migraine), they sometimes happen on days when I have menstrual migraine, etc. It could also be an inner-ear disorder as well, as I have symptoms of that too and inner-ear disorders run in my family.

Anyway... my doc has recommended I go off my birth control pills for now due to the possible migraine risk. I've been taking generic Desogen for years and never experienced any problems with it, but combination pills are not recommended for migraine sufferers, plus I have hypertension, plus I am now 35 years old and maybe my body isn't agreeing with the Desogen anymore...you can see the rationale and the health risks racking up here.

So... I'm looking for a birth control alternative that is going to work in my situation. Would a progestin-only method be OK? (Mini-pill, etc.) Condoms will be my choice for now until I get the other health issues straightened out... but I just want to have some other alternatives in mind for my next doc visit. I really love the convenience of a pill, but obviously not if it's going to aggravate my other health issues.

Has anyone every been on the depo, and changed to the implanon or nexplanon? I'm currently on the depo shot, and am due for my next shot April 16th. Instead of getting my next shot, I'm actually scheduled Monday to have the nexplanon inserted. I'm assuming my side effects may be worse the first month due to still having the shot in my system as well. My main point here is, if you were on the shot then tried the implant did you generally have the same side effects with both? I would like to think my side effects with the implant will be much less than with the shot due to the smaller dose ofhormones... anyhow, any. personal experiences here?

I am on HBC. I take my pill around 10pm everyday. I had been constipated so I took a few fiber pills/fiber laxative pills around 11:30-11:40ish at night. I didn't throw up or have diarrhea or anything like that, but I just read that these laxative/fiber pills may have an effect on other medicine taken within 2 hours of the laxative.

Now I'm really worried about getting pregnant because my boyfriend and I had sex the day after. I am always good about taking my pills, but I'm worried this may have done something to the effectivity of my HBC.

Any thoughts?

Hey, so I missed the last pill in my pack..somehow. I'm a sunday starter, but I must have messed up somewhere in my pack because I still had one active pill for this Sunday... (my active pill should be on saturday). *Note I did take a pill Saturday, I don't know what happened here. I just took it now.

I'm seeing my fiancee next week on thursday-- Should I use protection until I've taken 7 pills?

On othro tri cyclin low.

I just started Apri after returning to the US and finding out Marvelon wasn't available here, and I'm having a horrible time with mood swings to the point where it's ruining my relationship.

I talked to my doctor and she suggested I try Alesse/Aviane for the mood swings since it has lower progestin/androgen/estrogen activity — what do these three things affect?

And, if I change from Apri to Alesse next month (I have my period, then start Alesse on the first day when I would have started my new pack of Apri) will I have to use a backup method?

Thanks!

i'm on loestrin 24 and was due to take my last pill tonight and my pack of pills is NOWHERE to be found.  I've ripped my entire house apart and its just gone.  The first and only time I had sex this pack was saturday.  I thought I had read at one point that with loestrin you have more active pills so missing the last (two i think?) pills isn't the end of the world but now everything i'm reading online says that the first few and last few are the most important.  Should I be worried or is it not the end of the world that I'm not taking the last active pill of the pack?

Hello! This is my first time posting here :) I'm currently on Junel 21 Day and had the stomach virus yesterday. I took my pill around 10-10:30am and then threw up around 12:30pm. I've looked through some older entries and some responses say the absorption time is around 2 hours for a pill, but I know that I kind of cut it close. Should I use backup protection for the next 7 days?