period longer then usual?

Question

hello,
i'm just wondering if anyone had information for me. I have just been put on a new birth control pill (microgynon 50). Since taking this, my period has lasted longer then normal. I'm now at day 9 and it is really really annoying. It isn't heavy, it's light flow, but its annoying coz it's still there. Is my body just adjusting to the new pill or is it too strong or should i just change again? Has/is anyone using the same pill as me?
thanks for your help

Answer 1

BC pills are hormones, and each person is going to react differently to it. It's the same level of hormone for everyone, but not everyone is the same. Your body is just adjusting to the new influx of hormones. It will take a little bit of time for your body to have a regular schedule again, they say usually 3 cycles.

Answer 2

Side effects Hardly any
Strength Medium

Advantages: Regular & lighter periods, reduced pains
Disadvantages: Does not combat spots, does not take away all pains, nausea

Recommend to potential buyers: yes

Full review
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Background***

When I first came to this country, I still had a 9 month supply of the pill that I had been prescribed in North America and had been taking for years: Demulen. I loved this pill, because it solved all my problems: It regularised my periods, it made them much lighter, it got rid of my spots and period pains. I never even knew such a thing as PMS.

When I ran out of the pill, I went to see my GP in London in the hope that this pill had made it over here as well. It had not. She looked at the composition of Demulen to find something similar. She came up with none other than Microgynon 30.

I have been using Microgynon 30 for a year now. When reading this review and looking at my rating, please bear in mind that my opinion is based on a comparison with my previous pill, which certainly deserved 5 stars in every respect.


***The product***

Microgynon 30 comes in a white and green box and contains a pill tray with 21 beige pills. Each pill contains 150 micrograms of the progestogen Levonorgestrel and 30 micrograms of oestrogen Ethinylestradicot. The pills also contain sucrose and lactose.

The pill tray is rectangular , and the pills are arranged in a circle around the edges. On the back of the pill tray the days of the week from Sunday to Saturday are indicated, to help you remember whether or not you have taken your pill that very day.

I have two criticisms about the arrangement of pills. In the first place, I would find it helpful if the package would contain 28 pills instead of 21 pills, i.e. 21 beige pills for contraception and 7 blue pills contaning only sugar. Rather than taking a 7 day break and perhaps forgetting to start the new pack in time after your period, it would actually get you in the habit to take the pill every single day of your life.

I also do not like the circular arrangement of pills. Once I was really tired and went around the circle the wrong way around, consequently confusing me as to whether or not I had taken the pill. It would be a lot more helpful if the pills were arranged in rows, one row for each week.


***Price***

I pay £6 for a three month supply, as I get my prescription through a private GP. I am not sure if there is a difference for NHS patients.


***How to take***

When switching pills or starting on it for the first time, it is best to start your new pack of pills on the Sunday after your period began. You take one pill a day and should ensure that it is always taken at the same time to ensure maximum protection. While it generally does not matter if you take the pill one hour later or earlier, the more irregular you take the pill, the less protection you will have.

To that effect you should choose a time that is convenient for you. I always take my pill at night time, as I tend to go to bed at the same time every night. Taking it in the morning would upset my cycle, as I wake up much later on weekends than on weekdays.

A word of warning, though. If you are prone to nausea, taking the pill late at night might be bad for you. I find that for the first three days after starting my new pill packet, I have nausea in the morning and morning sickness-like symptoms. That is certainly not fun.


***Missed pills***

If you only miss one pill and it is no more than 12 hours late, you should not have to worry about losing the contraceptive protection.

If you are later than 12 hours in taking your pill or have missed more than one pill, however, you MUST use extra protection for a minimum of 7 days to ensure you avoid conceiving.

In any event, you should take your missed pills as soon as you realise that you forgot to take them.


***Possible side effects***

The leaflet lists a number of possile side effects. These include:

- Bleeding and spotting between your periods
- Headaches
- Feeling sick, being sick and stomach upsets
- Sore breasts
- Depressive moods, loss of interest in sex
- Changes in weight
- Chloasma (yellow brown patches on skin)
- Poor tolerance of contact lenses

I do not think that I have experienced many of these. Should you experience these or any other effects, however, you should ensure you tell your doctor about it.


***My experience***

When I first switched to Microgynon 30, I was expecting my period during a trip to New York. I was used to starting my period on Tuesdays, so I was very shocked when my period did not start on Tuesday or Wednesday - but in fact 2 1/2 days later, on a Thursday night. I do not know whether this is normal when starting a new pill or whether this was largely due to a change in time zones.

The next month, my period started on a Wednesday morning. From then onwards, I found that I could really set my clock to it - it would always appear very punctual - every 28 days at 10 a.m. in the morning.

Regularising my period in this way is definitely the biggest advantage that I would attribute to this pill. Unfortinaetely, the regularisation only applies to the arrival of the 'monster' and not to its departure. Usually my period does leave by Saturday, but lately it has been staying 1-2 days longer.

Another advantage is that my periods are now considerably less in strength. I used to have to wake up in the middle of the night to change tampoons and ladies napkins. Now I do not have to worry about this at all anymore.

My period pains have been lessened considerably, but they have not disappeared completely. I still get cramps, but they are not of the strength that I used to get. In the past I would pass out on the floor in pain and would sometimes have to spend whole days in bed.

I have always been prone to migraines and a doctor recently suggested that this may be due to this pill. However, he was very surprised to hear that my migraines tend to come during my period, i.e. when I am not taking the pill. Therefore, there does not seem to be a link between my headaches/migraines and Microgynon 30.

I have to admit that occassionally I do get depressed, but I do not think it is unusual amounts of depression that one could fairly link to Microgynon. I think it is just the normal amount of depression that comes with having a stressful job and little worries of life. And the dreadful weather in England may also play a part.

So what side effects did I experience? As I said above, in the first few days after starting my new pill packet, I do tend to exhibit quite a bit of nausea. Other than that, I cannot really complain about side effects.

The only other disadvantage I found with Micrognon 30 is that it does not help against acne at all. Being someone who has acne problems and needs to be on the pill, it seems like it is a real shame that Micrognon does not offer this additional benefit.

In summary:

- The advantages are: regular periods, lighter periods, less period pains.

- The disadvantages are: nausea, still some period pain, no added benefit of acne prevention


***My verdict***

I am not sure whether or not I would recommend the pill. It largely depends on what type of person you are. If you have no problems with acne, I suppose this is a very good pill to use, as I experienced very few side effects and have really benefitted from having regular periods.

Personally, I am looking into switching to another pill, however, as my acne has got really bad since I have been on it. On my previous pill, Demulen, I had few problems with acne.

I hope my experience has been helpful to you all in deciding whether this pill is the right one for you. But do remember to ask your GP for their professional opinion.