Birth Control Users?

Question

I am looking for a birth control pill mostly to regulate my period. And also if it could help with acne that would be cool too, but not nearly as important. I'm mostly just looking for something with low side affects and with help me have regular and less harsh periods. I've looked at brands such as Yaz, Ortho-tri-cyclen lo and Loestrin24. Does anyone have a specific brand that they would suggest?

Answer 1

Loestrin-is super low-dosed, I bled on and off constantly for two months straight and I got acne for the first time in my life(that took nearly another 3 months to clear up!)...promptly gave up on that one. I've heard horror stories from others as well, so I definitely would avoid it.

Yaz is the 24 day version of Yasmin which I also had problems with, though many seem to like this pill. Me however, I peed constantly(it has a diuretic-effect, which the makers claim prevents weight gain), I was hungry all the time and had all-day nausea, ZERO sex drive(apparently this one has a lot of anti-androgenic effects)...gave this one 4 months then said sianara.

I started on Ortho Tri Cyclen then switched to the Lo-dose. Love it! There are less side effects with the low dose, no nausea or breakthrough bleeding. I have put on a fair amount of weight on it(I've been taking it close to a year) which is one of the highest occuring side effects. I have less of a sex drive than I did with no pill, but it has definitely had the least effect of any pill I've taken. The low dose isn't approved for the treatment of acne, like regular OTC.

Really, the best thing I've used was the NuvaRing for regulating periods.(used it for a little over a year) I had no side effects whatsoever, periods that started at a particuliar hour on a particuliar day. You place it in your vagina vertically and it is held by the tension of your vaginal walls. It's a little weird, I know but you hardly know it's there unless it shifts(which rarely happens). You wear it for 3 weeks, take it out for one then put in a new one. The only reason I stopped using it was because although you can wear it during sex, it wasn't working for my boyfriend and I and you can only have it out for 3 hours at a time per day...got to be a pain in that department.

Anyways, there are lots of options, talk to your doctor. Be sure to tell him/her your reason for wanting to use hormonal birth control and ask her what he/she thinks would be a good option. It's a testing game too, every woman's body reacts differently to different hormones so start a pill and give it a try. It usually takes 3 months to adjust to the hormones in a new pill, so unless the side effects are unbearable(like mine were with LoEstrin) give your boy at least that long to see if the pill is a good fit. Good luck!

Answer 2

I have used Ortho-tri-cyclen Lo for about 2 years and have very short periods which are very light. They last for only 3 days with 1/2 day spotting at the beginning and 1/2 day spotting on the tail end. I have noticed an increase in acne during my period or leading up to it. I've never had issues with acne until recently, so I don't know if it's changes due to age, hormones or the medicine. Before going on Lo, I was on the original version of Ortho tricyclen and had great success on that - same short periods, but with no acne or other side effects. I would suggest talking with your doc and getting their opinion too of which one they suggest. I think each one can react slightly different with each person's own body chemistry. Good luck!

Answer 3

I had the same problem and they put me on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. Yaz would probably be what they suggest now, i dont think they had that out 4 years ago. I love OTC lo. But you might prefer the others.

Answer 4

Well, my friend and I both were on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo and we both ended up pregnant while taking it, and we have heard of more too. But after I had my daughter I switched to Ortho Cyclen and it worked really good.

Answer 5

My friends swear by the Ortho-tri-cyclen, plus it helps with acne.
I'm pregnant now, but before I just used a generic one and never had a problem. My periods only lasted 3 days and none of those were ever heavy days.

Answer 6

I know that you are primarily asking about birth control pills but another option wold be to use the NuvaRing. This is what my doctor and I decided would be best for me when I looked at my habits realistically and said I'm not always that great at taking my vitamins daily forget trying to remeber a pill at a certain time every day. The benefit of the nuvaring is you put in and leave it for three weeks, then remove for a week to have your period. It is low hormone and listed as 99% effective when used properly. For me it works great, only think about it every 3 weeks.

Answer 7

I would say ortho tri cyclen. I was on it for a long time and it regulated my periods, I knew exactly what day I was going to be on it and exactly what day it stopped. It was nice and it is supposed to work with acne, but I don't have acne.

Answer 8

Everyone reacts to the different types of birth control pill differently, and there are TONS of brands. Your OBGYN should be able to prescribe the best one for you, but make sure you mention you might like the "combination pill", because those are the ones that also help with skin issues. Some other pills actually cause breakouts!

Answer 9

I have the same problem and I prefer Ortho-tri-cyclen lo, it seems to work really well!

Answer 10

I've used the generic of Alesse for a few years now, and it works best for me. I didn't like Ortho, it messed up my hormones and my yeast level got all whacky. But, we all have different chemistry. If you try one and it doesn't work your doc can prescribe another.