Weddingbee

I went through the same thing for what sounds like similar reasons. I did my homework and read up, and the end result was that I decided not to make any changes, I really felt like I was using what was best for me. If it is working, and you are not having negative side effects, why change?

I talked to my doctor about possibly switching. Her advice was to stay on the same pill since it was working with no side effects. She said the side effects I could experience on another pill would not be worth the switch.

loestrin24fe…love it

i have to second seasonale..i love not having my period for months at a time..and i have no side effects at all.

Nuvaring all the way, baby! (no pun intended) I tried so many types of pills, but they all made me nauseous and gave me breakthrough bleeding. I’ve never had any side effects from the ring, and it is so convenient!

I had a friend who consistenly got DEBILITATING UTIs from using the ring. And as I am prone to them easily already, don’t think I’ll ever muster up the courage.

I’m on regular ortho-lo and I love it. You don’t have to take it at the exact same time every day - it’s about a three-hour window - but some people set an alarm to ease themselves about not forgetting.

As for the period thing - you can skip them using regular ortho-lo. Just don’t take the last week of pills and start your new pack after the third week. That’s exactly what Seasonale is - only the first three weeks of pills.

As for cost, currently I pay less than $20 for a month of ortho-lo, and that’s not the generic brand, and it’s not through insurance. It works out to less than $1 per pill, even taking into account the week that you don’t use if you wanted to skip your p.

I was on ortho lo for years, but for the last few months of taking it, I was getting full blown periods (not just spotting) 2 times a month! (so yes, I think you can get side effects years later!) My doctor put me on yasmine about six month ago and it’s been great - short period, no spotting, less moodiness and no weight gain (which is my biggest fear).

(I’ve also heard that the nuva ring is great, too, but I haven’t tried it personally.)

be careful with seasonale…it doesn’t have the same results for everybody. i started taking it with the wedding a year away. i had my period almost the whole year. the only time i had a break from it was when i was at the end of the pill pack.

my doc said seasonale has that side effect on some women. you get the reverse effect of not having a period four times a year. plus the moodiness and weight gain, etc. ever wonder why you don’t see anymore seasonale commercials on t.v.?

Loestrin gets my vote. I tried the generic version of this and I had some weight gain I switched to the real mccoy and no problems at all. In fact it made my skin glow. (I have a good complexion to begin with) but my friends actually said my skin was glowing.

my doctor prescribed me the generic of loestrin, which is microgestin fe. it’s also the lowest dose of hormones available which is why i like it. bc scares me but what can you do!

I think you are color Breen. (brown+green)

Oh goodness, I’m mold. I’m… BREEN. See, you can’t do that with green/brown- it’d be GRown. Like Grown up. Grrr.

I would suggest sticking with your current pill, most pills the longer you use them the more good side effects there are. If you are on a pill longer than 2 years you slightly reduce the risk of several cancers if you are on it for even longer you will reduce your risks even more. If you go to the site for Yasmin (which is what I take) it will tell a lot about hormone pills in general, I suggest checking the site for other pills and finding out which one you think will work best for you (if you decide to switch) then talk to your doctor about what you found.

i was on a monophasil low dose pill - desogen for many many many years. when my friends switched from triphasil to monophasil, they loved it and said the side effects were much less severe. and i paid $10 or less a month for them.

Hey if your fruit is getting moldy, you should throw it out. (ahaha this is so aimless)

from Wiki: The Breen are a species in the science fiction franchise Star Trek. They wear suits which supposedly generate an arctic environment inside them. Their homeworld was once believed to be a frozen wasteland. They established the isolated Breen Confederacy in the Alpha Quadrant and became a powerful ally of the Dominion of the Gamma Quadrant.

I was on birth control pills for over 12 years and felt the same way you did — hormones for that long can’t be good for the body, right? A couple of other side effects from the pill that didn’t sit well with me: 1) I was gaining a consistent 2 lbs every year on the pill (I probably could have exercised extra hard to work it off but let’s be real here..) 2) I also travel quite a bit for work and often took the pill at inconsistent times (East Coast vs West Coast) and sometimes even forgot to bring my pills which resulted in me starting a new pack. This hormonal inconsistency actually resulted in some colorations on my face (similar the age spot-looking things that pregnant women sometimes get). Anyhoo, you get the picture — the pills were not my thang. Two of my girlfriends were using non-hormonal IUDs for 2+ years and love it so I did some research and asked my doctor about it. Most people hear IUDs and cringe because of the bad rap they received in the 70’s. IUDs are very effective (99%??) but can spread and prolong STDs in the body. So in the days of free love and emerging STD’s, many IUD users had bad experiences. Nowadays, doctor’s only prescribe IUDs to those in long-term monogamous relationships. They cost a bit more but definitely less than one year’s supply of Birth Control (my insurance covered mine). They can also stay in your body for 10+ years with just a monthly self-check to make sure the strings are still in place and can be removed at any time. It’s been about 1 year since the switch — I lost an immediate 5 lbs after I got off the pill and haven’t gained any back yet PLUS I don’t worry about taking the pill on time every day.

i second the idea of not changing your pill, especially if you’ve been on the same brand for 9 months! I’ve been on Desogen for almost a year and about after 6 months, I just got curious and decided to switch to another brand. It was HORRIBLE! I was sooo nauseus and moody for so long. I switched back immediately. I think if your body gets used to a certain brand, it’s not such a great idea to switch unless it’s for a really important reason.

First off, totally recommend
FAM - Fertility Awareness Method
Read “Taking Charge of your Fertility”
http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Reproductive/dp/0060937645

My doc also said that you could be on the same pill for years and have side effects later on because your own body changes.

I also must note that even though your doc might give you a prescription for a name brand pill, some insurance companies/pharmacy can send you the generic brand that is supposed to be a match of the name brand. It isn’t always the exact same formula. It could be off by less than a mcg but it can make a big difference in how your body reacts.

Miss Bell, I am so sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis.
However, I did want to point out to other readers that as of yet, there have been no solid studies directly showing a cause between birth control and breast cancer. A few smaller studies have shown a potential positive correlation, but when the studies are increased to include a larger number of women, and other factors (alcohol, family history, etc) are accounted for, being on birth control does not increase your risk of breast cancer. In fact, being on the pill is protective against ovarian cancer, which is among the worst possible cancers to develop — it is hard to detect, and is thus usually not caught until stage IV, at which point it there is generally nothing that can be done.
I am a Ph.D. student in oncology, so I am generally well read with the latest studies and have attended multiple seminars/talks on this subject, and I am on the pill — I don’t see a significant enough correlation between the pill and breast cancer to stop using it.

I didn’t take the time to read other suggestions, just though I would share my current “no more babies” method. I recently had an Mirena IUD inserted. Although the process was slightly less the pleasant, and the “recovery” was a little long (4-6 weeks of bleeding) it seems worth it for a) no hormonal treatments and b) up to 5 years of protection. The best part, in my mind, is that using a condom doesn’t increase your protection by enough to worry about. If you are thinking long term, it’s something to look into!

i’ve been using the nuvaring for over a year and i’m so glad i chose it. the hormones are low and i sooo can’t remember to take a pill. i’ve had no side effects. my husband and i loooove it.

I say FAM too. I thought it would be a pain taking my temperature every morning at the same time, but it’s not! When my alarm goes off, I roll over and grab it. By the time it’s almost done I basically have drifted back to sleep. On the weekends I take my temp, roll over and fall back to asleep. AND you really get to know your body, which is fantastic! My FI and I are still going to use condoms during fertile week. Best of luck!

Loestrin FE is the best BCP i’ve tried, and my BF has commented on how nice my skin looks these days! I’ve had some weight gain, but a lot of it has actually been in my breasts so I can’t complain. I’ve tried and rejected OTC, OTC Lo, and Alesse.