Which birth control pill works best for you?

steviecooke1985

After a break from being on the pill I'm deciding to go back on it and I can't stand the acne and the implausible weigh gain! I always used to take yasmin, but I think they're trying to take people off it, similar to what they did with dianette. Just wondered what works best for you? My main problems are acne and the weight gain (as well as erratic periods!).

Alliwan

When I was on BCP I did well on Ortho Tri-cycline, I needed the 3 different levels of hormones, it cleared up my acne and my period was much lighter and not as long. I didn't do so well on BCP that had one straight hormone level dose all month long.

But after I had cancerous breast lumps and we found out my husband cant have kids anyway, I went off BCP and so far, haven't had any more lumps. Ive read and heard from others that BCP can make your PCOS worse over the long run, as we already have too much estrogen, progesterone and other lovely hormones in our body, so adding to the excess we already have isn't good.

Dragonwolf

None, because I don't use a pill.

Instead, I'm on Mirena, which I think when I get it replaced, I'll switch to ParaGard. They're what's called an intrauterine device (IUD). Mirena is a low-dose hormonal one, while ParaGard is a hormone-free copper one. So far, I've had fewer side effects and fared better on it than I have on any other birth control that I've tried (I've done both Ortho Evra - the patch - and Depo-Provera - the shot - and both have had some not-really-pleasant side effects). In my opinion, the fewer hormones f*cking with our systems, the better.

I can't quite tell if it was the BC that gave you acne or being off of it, but I've found that the only way for me to get rid of my acne is through dietary changes. Namely, it seems I'm gluten intolerant, and the main effect is skin issues (both acne and eczema). My periods also stabilize the most when I work out consistently (and not just the measly little walks or whatever - it has to be kick your *kitten*, fall on the floor because you can't move anymore, type of workouts - thankfully, it only has to be 3 days a week or so of that to be effective). The exercise, eating LCHF (under 75g-100g carbs, over 100g fat), and 2000mg of Metformin a day have been the only thing for weight, unfortunately, though I'm hoping I can start walking down the Met as I lose weight and stay consistently low-carb.

jaimekbee1219

I had a great experience with Yasmin also. I was put on it because it doesn't have any androgens. I've had HORRIBLE experiences with the generic version (Ocella) and one called Zara or something like that. I was miserable - facial hair got worse and my face was super greasy. I also had migraines and horrible ovary pain - which my gyno said were normal. Sigh. Since my insurance doesn't cover Yasmin or its generics I switched. But since my gyno thinks all pills are pretty much the same she just picked the first one off the list. Which was discontinued.. as was the next one. [Sorry this turned into a partial rant about my gyno. She sucks when it comes to bc, but is incredibly thorough in other respects which is why I keep seeing her.]

I'm currently taking Aviane, which I mostly love. I don't get monthly headaches anymore - they still happen occasionally, but I'm trying to track my sleeping patterns because I think these headaches occur when I don't get enough sleep. I feel normal on this one like I did when I took Yasmin. No mood swings like one the other pills! My one complaint is that my periods are occasionally really short and light (last month it was only two days). I know that there are other factors that could be contributing to that, but on all the other pills my period usually lasted 4-5 days. 2-4 days seems kinda short ...

Everyone's chemistry is a different though, so what works for me might not work for you. I was reading the reviews for Aviane and a lot of women had the opposite experience from me. Oh! It's the generic of Alesse. Had to google that...


Good luck!!!

CharRicho

I did really well on Yasmin as far as PCOS symptoms went. I got down to almost no unwanted hair growth, I had no hair thinning at all, almost never got so much as a pimple, had regular cycles (I knew the hour I would get my period and the hour it would stop), and was able to lose weight pretty easily once I actually started counting my calories on this site.

The negative was that I had pretty much no sex drive at all. And I got a really hard time about being on Yasmin from one doctor that I went to see. She basically told me I had to switch or she wouldn't treat me. Which was fine with me because there was no way I was letting someone who was rude to me be my doctor anyway. Three other doctors had already said it was find for me to be on Yasmin if it worked well for me, and so long as I was aware of the (very slightly) increased risk of clots, and I had none of the risk factors for clotting.

I am currently TTC, so not on anything, but to be honest I really don't want to go back on the pill at all again. I'm hoping between a good PCOS diet, supplements and metformin I can manage it without. I just personally don't like the idea of the extra hormones ever month, that basically treat symptoms and not root causes of PCOS. And I'm sure my husband would prefer it if my sex drive did not plummet again.

Everyone's different. You may need to try a few to figure out what works best for you, BUT you need to give your body at least 4-5 months before concluding that it's not right for you, because generally the first 3 months on anything will be unpleasant (acne, gastro issues, painful/irregular periods, spotting, etc.) as your body gets used to it. If side effects are not gone after 4-5 months, it's probably time to try a different hormone combo.

LooneyBruni

Diane 35

purplepink1992

When I was on birth control back in the day Alesse was my favourite one. I was on ortho tri-cyclen lo and it was hell itself. I had bad headaches, and the most absurd mood swings. I also tried Portia and that was good too!