Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Andrew Clark said:I've been on the pill for seven years now, and every single time I walk into a pharmacy, they ask for a prescription. They always make sure to write the date and the quantity on the back of the box, too. Every single time...

I’ve been taking them a bit longer than you have, and my experience was exactly the same. Look, if you aren't taking vitamins, don't go around joking about it.

Arthur Miller8 said:For me, the first real one came after 2 weeks😲 then the next was 6 weeks later, and after that, things just got totally irregular. 🙂

Well, I certainly hope it doesn't turn out that way. 🙂

I can already see myself spiraling and frantically buying up pregnancy tests. 🤣

Nathan Gomez8 said:Well, I certainly hope it doesn't turn out that way. 🙂

I can already see myself spiraling and frantically buying up pregnancy tests. 🤣

I guess I just couldn't sleep... plus my hormones were totally haywire after that... 😢 so as soon as the six months were up, I went right back on the pill... 🙏 🙂

Seriously, don't even sweat it. Once I quit drinking Yasmin, my period ended up being nearly a month late. I totally spiraled about it at first—just pure unnecessary stress—but looking back, there was zero reason to freak out. So, yeah, stop wasting your energy on stuff that doesn't matter.

Just wonderful.
My pills are missing.
They are nowhere to be found, and I have looked everywhere—every single possible spot. 😠 🙂
I’ve only taken about a third of the pack (maybe 6 or 7 out of 21)... and this was supposed to be my last box anyway since my brother is moving and it wouldn't make sense to buy more.
Is there any specific info I should know regarding stopping the pills after only taking 6 or 7 from the current pack? And I'm assuming the protection stops working immediately?

My gynecologist prescribed Diane without even running any preliminary tests—it’s basically my first round of birth control pills. Now I'm wondering, since I already deal with pretty heavy hair growth, is this actually going to make things worse? The box claims it won't increase hair growth, but I'm not sure I trust their word one bit.🤷

From what I understand, Diane, you might actually need some help managing those issues with unwanted hair growth. I was personally prescribed them for that exact same reason, though I never actually started taking them.
Honestly, it’s not ideal that your gynecologist handed those out without running any preliminary tests first. That’s exactly how it happened with me—I was prescribed pills without much investigation, and I ended up dealing with quite a few complications afterward.

I just brought him my standard blood work results and asked about birth control, so he prescribed those. I'm also dealing with hair thinning, so I was thinking about checking my hormone levels on my own, though my gynecologist never mentioned needing those specific tests. All the girls who see him say he’s amazing, so I’m praying he actually knew what he was doing when he wrote this prescription... but what kind of side effects am I looking at?

Dealing with hair loss and excessive body hair can be effectively managed by taking Diana. However, you should keep in mind that these results only last as long as you are on the medication. For most people, once you stop, everything tends to revert to the previous state—and quite often, it comes back even worse than before. That said, for a lucky few, it doesn't return, so perhaps you might be one of those fortunate cases.
I honestly think the hormones aren't even your primary concern right now; since they’re already out of whack, things should eventually stabilize on their own once you get them back under control. However, if you do decide to go ahead with the birth control, my best advice would be to make sure you're getting regular blood work done—specifically checking your liver function and your coagulation levels. It’s just better to be safe and stay on top of those metrics.

So basically, my luck is finally turning around and things are looking up for me, thank God.☕ I really don't want to end up looking like a hairy man at the end of this.😢 Also, does it cause weight gain? It doesn't say anything about that, and honestly, that's the last thing I need right now...

Benjamin Taylor4 said:So basically, my luck is finally turning around and things are looking up for me, thank God.☕ I really don't want to end up looking like a hairy man at the end of this.😢 Also, does it cause weight gain? It doesn't say anything about that, and honestly, that's the last thing I need right now...

Look, whether you gain weight or not really depends on the individual. As for the hair thing, these pills are designed to balance out your hormones. They’re given to people dealing with excess hair specifically to calm everything down, so it makes perfect sense to me that the hairiness would actually decrease. Honestly, if you aren't happy with the results, just go see a gynecologist and they'll prescribe something else.

Benjamin Taylor4 said:So basically, my luck is finally turning around and things are looking up for me, thank God.☕ I really don't want to end up looking like a hairy man at the end of this.😢 Also, does it cause weight gain? It doesn't say anything about that, and honestly, that's the last thing I need right now...

It isn't a rule. In my experience, after taking a different set of pills, everything came back even more aggressively than before, even though things felt perfectly fine while I was actually on them. Maybe your experience will be different.
Personally, the pills caused me to gain weight—specifically, I felt bloated and developed cellulite—but that cleared up once I stopped. That said, I also know women who didn't gain a single ounce; for them, it was just a bit of breast enlargement or similar changes. It truly is an individual response.
I'm not sure what else I can tell you.

Hey, does anyone here have a girl who could basically write a whole novel praising Diane or maybe some other pills that totally cleared up their acne?

Oh, and one more thing... I read somewhere—I think it was on page 38 of some guide—that you really need to get bloodwork done before starting birth control, and that things like liver enzymes, cholesterol, and iron levels are super important...
So, my AST liver enzyme has been running high for about nine months now; the upper limit is usually around 38, but I’m sitting at over 50... I’m heading to my OB-GYN this Monday, and I can't help but wonder, do you think that might stop them from prescribing the pill to me?
Just like I mentioned in my last post, I'm mainly looking to deal with my acne...

Noah Allen8 said:Hey, does anyone here have a girl who could basically write a whole novel praising Diane or maybe some other pills that totally cleared up their acne?

So, look, I've been on Diane. First, I used them specifically for my skin about four years ago, then I quit for a year, and now I'm back on them but mostly just for birth control. But honestly? Since I started taking them again, my face has been totally clear, zero acne. Mmm... maybe a stray pimple pops up right before my period, but that's about it...

Noah Allen8 said:Oh, and one more thing... I read somewhere—I think it was on page 38 of some guide—that you really need to get bloodwork done before starting birth control, and that things like liver enzymes, cholesterol, and iron levels are super important...
So, my AST liver enzyme has been running high for about nine months now; the upper limit is usually around 38, but I’m sitting at over 50... I’m heading to my OB-GYN this Monday, and I can't help but wonder, do you think that might stop them from prescribing the pill to me?
Just like I mentioned in my last post, I'm mainly looking to deal with my acne...

To be honest, I don't know much about what AST actually represents, but if there is any indication that your liver isn't functioning optimally, you probably shouldn't be taking birth control. You should definitely bring this up with your doctor. While it might not be an absolute dealbreaker, you really ought to investigate why those levels are high in the first place.😉

My OB-GYN told me to start my birth control pills on day three of my period and said they’d kick in immediately. However, the packaging says you can start anytime between day two and day five, but you need to use backup protection for the first seven days. So, does that mean they don't actually start working until after those seven days are up? I read somewhere else that they don't take effect until the next pack starts, and now I'm just totally confused.

crimsoneagle50 said:So, look, I've been on Diane. First, I used them specifically for my skin about four years ago, then I quit for a year, and now I'm back on them but mostly just for birth control. But honestly? Since I started taking them again, my face has been totally clear, zero acne. Mmm... maybe a stray pimple pops up right before my period, but that's about it...

Ah, okay... so, I guess, during that year when you weren't taking them, how was your skin doing then?

Benjamin Taylor4 said:My OB-GYN told me to start my birth control pills on day three of my period and said they’d kick in immediately. However, the packaging says you can start anytime between day two and day five, but you need to use backup protection for the first seven days. So, does that mean they don't actually start working until after those seven days are up? I read somewhere else that they don't take effect until the next pack starts, and now I'm just totally confused.

From what I understand, if you start the pill on the very first day of your period, it works immediately, but if you wait until the fifth day, then yeah, it might not really kick in until the next cycle like you mentioned...
I guess for starting on day three, which is kind of right in the middle, I'm honestly not entirely sure...

I have a question. When you're doing those routine blood tests (because of the pills), who actually sends you? Like, who gives you the referral—your OBGYN or your primary doctor?🙂