Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

@feralstag11

Look, my OBGYN does her own research too. I actually tried two different brands that just didn't sit right with me, so after doing a ton of digging myself, I eventually suggested what would

Besides, most pills on the market today are remarkably similar. You're honestly lucky if you stumble upon the right one on your first try.
The whole idea that they can pick a specific pill based solely on your hormone levels isn't quite how it works.
Basically, she looks at your lab results, and if everything checks out, she prescribes something. It’s either because she gets a kickback from certain brands or she just knows from experience which ones work for most people.
(I actually brought this up with my doctor. Most of these have similar estrogen levels and some type of synthetic progesterone. There's no way for her to know exactly which one will suit your specific chemistry—maybe she can gauge the strength, but that's about it. Then they suggest things like Yaz or Yasmin, claiming they're "low dose," when they really aren't.)

Like I mentioned earlier, most doctors don't even bother running tests. That's why I asked. Before my current doctor, I had one who just handed me pills without any testing whatsoever—no hormone panels, no blood work, nothing regarding coagulation...
That's why I said most of them go that route.

Even in a place like Chicago, there are only about seven gynecological clinics, so you don't exactly have an endless menu of options to swap through on a whim. If you're in a smaller town, the choice is even more limited.

To be honest, a lot of OBGYNs are pretty irresponsible when it comes to this.
And those Linydete pills? They were recently added to the supplemental list, and composition-wise, they're identical to Logest.

Unfortunately, I’m well aware that there are gynecologists out there who will prescribe birth control pills to anyone without a second thought. However, I don't believe that someone just starting to consider hormonal contraception should be told they can simply pick whichever brand they want without any guidance.😳

Laura Mendoza said:Unfortunately, I’m well aware that there are gynecologists out there who will prescribe birth control pills to anyone without a second thought. However, I don't believe that someone just starting to consider hormonal contraception should be told they can simply pick whichever brand they want without any guidance.😳

If you can manage it, sure. It’s standard practice to run that through Gin.

That’s exactly what she’s going to pick: Trikvilar, Jaz, Jasmin, Logest, or Cilest. 🤷
If you guess right on the first try, great. If not, we’ll settle for second or third.

I'd suggest offering her the stuff they push most often—the high-commission items. It doesn't necessarily mean those will be the best fit for her, obviously.
It’s essentially the same thing. She can choose to go with what’s been offered, or she doesn't have to. It’s like she’s the one calling the shots on which direction to take. 🤷

I’ve told them everything—everything regarding Gin. We're already in agreement.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading up on this and comparing notes with Gin, so I’m not just posting this for the sake of hearing myself talk.

The distinction only matters if you're taking those pills for PCOS, birth control, or acne. In those cases, the perspective shifts quite a bit.

I am seeking some perspective and perhaps a bit of advice from this community. For several years, I have been using Yasmin on and off, taking breaks whenever necessary. However, after consistently using Yasmin for about a year, I reached a point where my libido completely vanished, which was incredibly frustrating.

I took a break back in January of this year, and I haven't touched birth control since. Given that my period arrives at very regular intervals—thanks to my PCOS—I am considering restarting hormonal contraception soon.😁

I have heard various things regarding Yaz, so I find myself wondering if anyone else here has experienced a similar struggle, specifically that noticeable drop in sex drive after a certain amount of time on the pill, and whether switching over to Yaz actually resolved that issue for you?

Hey, is anyone here actually on the Lindynette 30 birth control pills? There’s barely anything about them online, and everything I do find seems to be talking about the Lindynette 20 instead. :S
If anyone is using them, could you please share your experience with me? These would be my first time ever taking the pill, and honestly, I'm a little nervous about potential side effects like weight gain or extra hair growth. :/

restlesstiger102 said:I am seeking some perspective and perhaps a bit of advice from this community. For several years, I have been using Yasmin on and off, taking breaks whenever necessary. However, after consistently using Yasmin for about a year, I reached a point where my libido completely vanished, which was incredibly frustrating.

I took a break back in January of this year, and I haven't touched birth control since. Given that my period arrives at very regular intervals—thanks to my PCOS—I am considering restarting hormonal contraception soon.😁

I have heard various things regarding Yaz, so I find myself wondering if anyone else here has experienced a similar struggle, specifically that noticeable drop in sex drive after a certain amount of time on the pill, and whether switching over to Yaz actually resolved that issue for you?

I made the switch from Yasmin to Yaz myself. For me, the libido issues on Yaz were just as terrible. Obviously, your experience might be totally different. It's like anything else—some people click with certain brands, and others don't at all.

hiddenpuma9 said:Hey, is anyone here actually on the Lindynette 30 birth control pills? There’s barely anything about them online, and everything I do find seems to be talking about the Lindynette 20 instead. :S
If anyone is using them, could you please share your experience with me? These would be my first time ever taking the pill, and honestly, I'm a little nervous about potential side effects like weight gain or extra hair growth. :/

Honestly, this topic has been chewed over on this forum a million times already. Hormonal pills are strictly an individual thing. You could have fifty women say a specific brand is perfect, and it might be a disaster for you. Likewise, if fifty women say they hate one, it might work flawlessly for you.

It's frustrating, I know, but you won't truly know how they affect you until you've been on them for about 3 to 4 months.

mellowcobra82 said:And here I thought you wouldn't catch on! 😁Look, I wanted to point out that the 7-day break exists for a reason. That's when your body actually sheds the lining. If you jump straight onto a new pack tomorrow—right when your period is supposed to start—you might throw your entire system for a loop. Your body will be confused: "Wait, where did these hormones come from? We were supposed to be on a break!" If I were you, I’d wait until at least Sunday or Monday. Let the period happen naturally first, then trick your body by starting the new pack 2 or 3 days early.

As for delaying the period by skipping the break entirely? It’s definitely not too late for that! If you take your last pill on Tuesday and your period arrives on Saturday while you're at the beach, you can just start the next pack on Wednesday. You skip the break and take two packs back-to-back, or just keep taking them until you're back from vacation. If your body plays nice, you won't even notice the shift. You might deal with some spotting around the time you expected your period, but it’s not a guarantee. It’s hard to say for sure, but you won't know unless you try it! ☕

My hormones are always a total mess anyway, so I don't think my system would handle skipping the cycle break very well.
Yeah, I get it, that break exists for a reason. It makes sense. I read about this other method somewhere specifically for things like Alesse—basically, instead of starting the new cycle when scheduled, you just finish the last pack earlier, say on Sunday instead of Tuesday, and then take the standard 7-day break. To me, that seems way more logical than what we discussed before, right? Because the previous way felt more like you're trying to delay or stack cycles rather than shifting things forward, if that makes any sense at all.🤷

Drew Parker8 said:My hormones are always a total mess anyway, so I don't think my system would handle skipping the cycle break very well.
Yeah, I get it, that break exists for a reason. It makes sense. I read about this other method somewhere specifically for things like Alesse—basically, instead of starting the new cycle when scheduled, you just finish the last pack earlier, say on Sunday instead of Tuesday, and then take the standard 7-day break. To me, that seems way more logical than what we discussed before, right? Because the previous way felt more like you're trying to delay or stack cycles rather than shifting things forward, if that makes any sense at all.🤷

Look, my hormones are all over the place too. I’ve been on the pill for about ten years because of PCOS. But listen, I’ve merged cycles a few times and was fine. It’s an individual thing; everyone’s body reacts differently...

What you're describing is shortening the cycle. It's like if you miss a pill and just take another one from the pack, ending up with a period that's a day early. That's fine for one pill, sure. But stopping several days before the end? It feels like you're just starving your body of hormones!🤷 You're supposed to take them for 21 days, not 18! If you're "shifting" the cycle, shouldn't you still be taking all 21 pills?!

Honestly, if I were you, I'd just call my OB-GYN. We can sit here all day trading theories, but that won't help. The reality is that messing with the timing—whether it's delaying, merging, or shortening—isn't exactly "recommended." That said, doing it once a year probably isn't going to wreck you. Do whatever you want!

So, I know you’re supposed to start birth control on the very first day of your period, but I’m honestly a little stuck because my cycle is just super weird. Like, I never get a regular flow right away; instead, I just get these tiny, dark brown spots that look kind of clotted and really sparse—sometimes I’ll see maybe two or three of those little spots and then absolutely nothing happens until the next day when the actual bleeding finally kicks in. I was wondering if I should actually kick off the pill as soon as I notice those little brown spots, or if I should wait until the heavy lifting starts with the real flow? I'd love to hear what you guys think. :/

If I were in your shoes, I’d start taking them the very first day—even before you have what counts as a "real" period. For most people, the first day is just a trickle anyway, and things don't really get going until day two.

mellowcobra82 said:Look, my hormones are all over the place too. I’ve been on the pill for about ten years because of PCOS. But listen, I’ve merged cycles a few times and was fine. It’s an individual thing; everyone’s body reacts differently...

What you're describing is shortening the cycle. It's like if you miss a pill and just take another one from the pack, ending up with a period that's a day early. That's fine for one pill, sure. But stopping several days before the end? It feels like you're just starving your body of hormones!🤷 You're supposed to take them for 21 days, not 18! If you're "shifting" the cycle, shouldn't you still be taking all 21 pills?!

Honestly, if I were you, I'd just call my OB-GYN. We can sit here all day trading theories, but that won't help. The reality is that messing with the timing—whether it's delaying, merging, or shortening—isn't exactly "recommended." That said, doing it once a year probably isn't going to wreck you. Do whatever you want!

How does it strike you? Me and M, walking hand in hand toward the ocean... for the very first time in my life.😂Honestly, my cycle has never once cooperated with my annual plans. And don't even get me started on tampons—they are absolutely the worst. I know playing around with hormones isn't something you should mess with, either... back when I had my hormone levels adjusted two years ago, everything just went completely haywire. My levels were all over the place, spiking and crashing constantly. To make matters worse, my periods weren't even regular, so it’s just been this endless, exhausting cycle of worry. 😉))
Maybe, just maybe, if I play my cards right, I’ll actually manage to close these loops by the end of this. Then it’s done. That's it. Simple. Hopefully.🙂

Ugh, there are way too many posts here for me to scroll through everything, and honestly, I’ve got questions and really need some advice.
So, I just started on the pill, and since I'm at the end of my first month, I'm starting to feel some of those symptoms they say are "normal," but I'm still low-key freaking out.
Like, I've been spotting a little bit every single day since I started, plus I had this intense stomach pain twice now—it was actually brutal. Has anyone else dealt with stuff like this? I really don't want to be running to the clinic every five minutes, especially since my doctor basically told me to just wait three months for my body to "adjust" or whatever.
😕

So, I’ve been on this for two weeks now. Because of my PCOS, I’ve been dealing with some ovarian pain over the last couple of days, but that's about it. No other symptoms have cropped up. Other than that, nothing has changed.

I was wondering if any women out there who have been on Cilest or Diane for quite some time might be willing to reach out via private message. I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Hey ladies! I’m new here and haven't had a chance to catch up on all the posts yet, so I’m not sure if anyone else has dealt with this, but I would honestly love any advice you can throw my way! 🙂
So, I have PCOS and I've been on Yasmin for about four or five years now. Last year, I was dealing with spotting for an entire year, which usually goes fine with the pill, right? Everything was totally chill until last month when I started having these breakthrough bleeds—which is totally normal, I guess??
But get this: this month, specifically on day 14 of my pill cycle, I ended up getting my actual period... like, before the placebo week even started! What am I supposed to do now?? Should I just power through and finish the whole pack, or should I stop now and just let the period happen?? I seriously don't think I'll be bleeding again during the break. I tried calling my OBGYN, but she's out on vacation, and honestly, I really, really don't feel like hunting down a new doctor right this second... ugh, help me out!
Help, thanks!

Hey everyone,
is anyone here currently using Lindynette 20?
It’s my first time ever using this brand, so I'm feeling a bit lost. 🤣
Today marks my ninth pill, and I'm still dealing with this constant, light spotting every single day. No cramps, no other side effects, just this endless little trickle... does it actually stop eventually? ☕

Sometimes it clears up for half a day or even a full day. I tried testing things out—having sex, heading down to the beach—but then it would just flare right back up. It gets a little heavier for an hour or two and then settles back down to nothing.

Is this standard? How long does this "adjustment period" actually last?

thanks 🙂

Hey ladies, I could really use some advice here.

So, I just wrapped up my first month on Diane-35, including the seven-day break. When it came time to start the new pack, I accidentally found myself out running errands and completely blanked on taking them. Usually, I’ve been sticking to a 10:00 PM schedule, though this past month it’s drifted to somewhere around 10:15 PM—nothing major, just life happening. I’ve since resumed at 10:15 PM instead of going back to the original 10:00 PM slot. It’s now the fifth day of this new timing.

I might be overthinking things—my mind tends to spiral sometimes—but am I still properly protected? Does that tiny fifteen-minute window actually pose any real risk?
Also, is it okay to shift the approximate time from month to month like that? I’d much rather move back to 10:00 PM for the next cycle, simply because it’s easier to build a habit around a set time.🙂

Thanks in advance for the help!

Oh please, come on—that 15-minute difference isn't even a thing, you're totally stressing over nothing. It doesn't have to be down to the exact minute, you can totally space it out with your watch—but seriously, don't go drinking at 10 PM one night and then hitting it at 2 AM the next.

I'm curious about all the different reasons people take birth control pills.

For me, it's been years of taking them just to deal with irregular cycles, bloating, menstrual cramps, and heavy bleeding—not for contraception at all. My new gynecologist is trying to convince me that these aren't valid reasons to stay on Diane 35, even though I’m completely satisfied with them and they work perfectly for me. I have to say, I'm feeling pretty confused by the whole thing, especially since my primary care doctor can no longer write my prescription; now it has to be this gynecologist who just doesn't seem to get it...
I've been on Prozac for nearly two months now.

I was taking them for birth control. Back when my periods were super painful, irregular, and heavy, my doctor prescribed Duphaston to help balance things out.
True, I was still pretty young then, so my doctor wasn't exactly thrilled about me starting on the pill.

Anyway, he mentioned that pills were originally designed just to regulate cycles, and they only realized later how great they worked for contraception... honestly, such a clever way to put it!