Melissa Martinez5 said:Thanks for the quick and detailed reply... Basically, I've got nothing to lose, so I might as well give it a shot and see... I've never actually taken birth control before... At least I can argue without being scared! 🙂
I suppose that’s about all there is to say, isn't it? Just a sort of resigned, "it is what it is" shrug at the state of things. We drift along, making our little efforts, watching the clock tick through another day in this chaotic stretch of existence, and somehow, we just keep moving. It’s not exactly a victory march, but then again, maybe just getting through the day without losing one's mind is enough. So, yeah. That's how it goes. 🤣.
It’s funny, isn't it, how we all sit here in these digital corridors, typing away at our little glowing rectangles, convinced that if we just find the right combination of syllables, someone, somewhere, will finally understand the specific, heavy weight of our Tuesday afternoons. I was sitting by the window this morning—watching the rain hit the glass in a way that felt uncomfortably much like a slow-motion car crash, though far less dramatic in practice—and I found myself thinking about the sheer, exhausting effort it takes to maintain a persona online. We curate these versions of ourselves, don't we? Polished, coherent, perhaps even witty, while the reality is usually just us, staring blankly at a half-eaten bagel, wondering why the concept of "productivity" feels like such a cruel joke played by the universe. I suppose I’m just rambling now, which is my default state when the coffee wears off and the cynicism starts to settle in like a fine layer of dust on an old bookshelf. But then again, maybe that's the only honest way to exist, isn't it? Just drifting through the noise, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that doesn't feel entirely manufactured. Anyway, I'm probably overthinking the whole thing. It's a chronic condition, I'm afraid. kaže: I completely forgot to take my Yasmin pill during the third week, and now the instructions are making my head spin—they’re saying that instead of taking a break after the last active pill, I should just jump straight into the next pack. From what I can gather, the whole point is to prevent my period from showing up at all. I’m feeling a bit lost here, though; do I still need to use backup protection, and if so, for how long? It’s been quite a few years since I last found myself reaching for birth control pills—I'd completely forgotten how this whole thing works—so I'm feeling a bit lost on the protocol here. I've been pouring over the instructions provided in the packaging, but strangely enough, there isn't a single word mentioned about using additional protection. It’s one of those little gaps in information that leaves you feeling a bit unsettled, isn't it? 🤷
You probably won't experience actual bleeding, but don't be caught off guard if you start seeing some spotting on your next pack of birth control; it can linger for a while. It’s one of those things that just happens—it doesn't happen to everyone, obviously. Personally, I dealt with it while I was on Estaryll, and I saw it happen with people on Yaz, too. Just so we're clear, the spotting doesn't mean your protection level has dropped at all. Now, regarding the extra backup method, you should use it for the next seven days—though for something like Yaz, it might be closer to fourteen. For Estaryll, the instructions usually say seven, and I suspect the same applies to Yaz. To be honest, I haven't really bothered looking up the specifics for Yasmin, but if you're going to go down the rabbit hole of searching online, please, for the love of everything, stay away from these forums. You're much better off heading straight to the manufacturer's official website; they'll actually have the definitive answer written right there.😉
Personally, I think they should pull or at least dial back the weight gain concerns regarding Diane—though I certainly haven't experienced it myself—and as for actual weight, well, that’s entirely subjective. But please, don't fall for those endless horror stories about women gaining thirty pounds strictly because of the pill; this forum is absolutely saturated with that particular myth, and frankly, it's just not true. The pill doesn't make you fat. You might see a few extra pounds due to water retention or perhaps a slight uptick in appetite, but then there are girls who swear they actually lose weight, maybe because they’re more 🙂😁.... if you're struggling with your weight, it's far more likely that you developed PCOS because of the excess, rather than the other way around....
I’ve been on Cilest for years now. During the first five months, my weight stayed perfectly steady, but then I hit a phase where I was eating like a maniac—just gorging myself constantly. I tried dieting, lost some weight, started eating again, gained it back... it was a cycle. My period even vanished during my heaviest stretch. Currently, I've transitioned to Diane, but it's only been a short while, and I haven't noticed any changes at all, almost as if I'm not even taking them. I truly hope it stays that way, because when I first made the switch, I dealt with these unbearable headaches, though in my case, that could easily be attributed to other underlying issues, so... well, what I'm trying to say is, despite being on the heavier side, the pills didn't cause my weight gain. Honestly, reading through all these posts, I find it hard to wrap my head around how, out of every woman I actually know, not a single one has gained weight from birth control, yet this forum is overflowing with claims to the contrary. It’s a curious thing, isn't it?
Kimberly Castillo2 said:Keep taking them, but just so you know, you aren't protected right now. I'm not 100% sure how long, but if you don't start on the very first day of your actual period, you definitely need backup protection for a while.
Honestly, just call your OBGYN and ask exactly how many days you need to use condoms. 😉
And just so we're clear, the items listed in my signature aren't meant to be used as contraception 😂. Unless, of course, you decide to tuck them away... somewhere else 🙂.
placidmarlin15 said:Thank you. My OBGYN mentioned she’s going to put me on Yaz... We shall see how that goes...
It’s most likely because you aren't showing those obvious "external" PCOS symptoms—you know, the stuff they usually target like excess hair growth, acne, or thinning hair. For those specific issues, Diane is pretty much the standard go-to. Most other types of birth control are really just designed to stop ovulation, though I suppose things like Cilest or Yasmin are supposed to help with those physical symptoms too, just perhaps not quite as effectively.
When it comes to dealing with PCOS, there’s really only one definitive "cure" on the table—Diane35. Now, I’m sure some doctors will go ahead and prescribe other options, but quite frankly, I haven't the slightest clue what their reasoning would be, as I’ve never had the occasion to experience it myself.
It’s possible... that’s what it says on my Dianas, anyway... but honestly, you should just decide for yourself. I remember stumbling upon some advice on WebMD a few days back suggesting that you use backup protection during the placebo week and also for the first ten days of a new pack, specifically if you missed a pill during that final week of the previous cycle. I suppose everyone has their own way of looking at it.
Look, if you feel like circling back to this later, please do; I know I once saw something on a manufacturer's site about a seven-day rule and overlapping packs, specifically for Cilest. I'll go hunting for it, though it might take me a little while, alright?
Edit: Okay, found it. It’s a bit of a mess to look at, but here it is:
What to do if you miss or forget to take your pill
When was your missed pill due?
Less than 12 hours ago.
Don't worry Take the forgotten pill now Take the rest of your pills at the usual times That's all
More than 12 hours ago.
Take the latest pill now Throw away any others you missed Take the rest of your pills at the usual times Use extra contraception for the next 7 days Go to 2.
How many pills are left in your pack?
7 or more pills.
Use extra contraception for the next 7 days. When you finish your pack leave a break of 7 days before you take the first pill in your next pack.
Less than 7 pills
Use extra contraception for the next 7 days Do not leave a break between packs i.e. start a new pack of Cilest the day after finishing the current pack. If you do not have a period following the end of this new pack discuss this with your doctor before starting another pack.
Use other contraception, such as a condom in the meantime.
Extra contraception: The 7 day rule
It is important that extra contraception is used in the following situations:
If a pill is missed or forgotten for more than 12 hours If sickness or diarrhoea lasts for more than 12 hours If you are taking any of the medicines e.g. antibiotics listed under the section "Are you taking other medicines?"
You should still take your Cilest pill each day but use other contraception as well for 7 days after any of these events.
If there are less than 7 pills left in your Cilest pack when any of the above events happens, you must start the next pack as soon as you have finished the one before without leaving a 7 day gap. If you do not have a period following the end of this new pack, discuss with your doctor before starting another pack ."
There, I've bolded the part that applies to you. So, if I understood correctly, since you have fewer than 7 pills left in your pack, you should just keep going without the break and use backup protection for 7 days—just like I originally thought.
Personally, I’d put more faith in what the manufacturer says than some random person on the internet—just keep drinking without any breaks. And you really have to be careful for about seven days after missing a pill. If my memory serves me right, that’s how it’s laid out in the instructions.
It’s pretty much the same story you’d find in any other medical practice out there: everything ultimately hinges on whoever happens to be wearing the white coat. Everyone seems to have their own little way of doing things, following their own idiosyncratic rituals and personal philosophies rather than any unified standard.
Apparently, there’s this new policy—though I can't say for certain when exactly they flipped the switch—regarding birth control prescriptions, specifically for things like the combo packs and Diane. They’re saying these scripts are only valid for six months now. At least, that’s what several different pharmacies have told me when I've stopped by. To make matters even more tedious, some places mentioned that doctors have started mass-producing them for just three-month stretches; so then you're stuck in this endless loop of having to call them for an extension or actually trekking down to the office, or, in my case, dealing with the extra headache of having to pre-order everything just to ensure I don't run out. 🙄
graniteviper92 said:Ladies, does your period arrive at the exact same time every single cycle (like, say, on the third day of the break), or is every month a complete wildcard?
Well, if I may interject my two cents into this discussion: honestly, it can happen on any day, and every break can be a complete toss-up. Usually, it arrives right on schedule or maybe a day early, but it can certainly go the way some of the other ladies here have described... the main thing is just that it shows up during the break. And even if it doesn't arrive immediately, don't panic; it doesn't automatically mean you're pregnant, which is why those instructions always tell you to rule out pregnancy before starting a new pack. But, if it hasn't shown up after two full packs, then yeah, it might be time to head straight to the doctor.
Justin Gomez2 said:You don't need any kind of recipe for the test.. I mean, why would you? It’s just a little device you pee on 🤣
That’s exactly what I was thinking too, which is why her question seemed so out of left field to me. Honestly, even when I went to buy it for the very first time in my life, it never even crossed my mind that I’d actually need some kind of official prescription just to walk out with it. 🤷It honestly feels like those people who are constantly buying up pregnancy tests—you know, the ones who probably think protection is just a suggestion—are the only ones who truly understand that you don't actually need a doctor's prescription for them.
Well, you know what they say—give me a hundred people, and you’ll find a hundred different ways to be wrong. It’s just how things work here in America, isn't it? Everyone thinks they’ve got the definitive answer, marching around with such certainty, while the rest of us are just trying to make sense of the noise. One man's absolute truth is another man's complete nonsense, and honestly, I've stopped trying to bridge the gap. It’s exhausting.
silentcanyon18: You probably don't even realize what your baseline temperature actually is, let alone if this current reading is an uptick from your usual state, right? It’s a bit of a moving target. Besides, there's also that whole thing with medication—taking pills doesn't suddenly make you "dry," if that's what you're implying. 🙂Hormones have their own agenda, I suppose... you can’t exactly track those fertile and non-fertile windows when you're on the pill, can you? Not even if you start right on day one, because there is simply no way of knowing for certain if ovulation actually occurred or when it decided to make its appearance. But then again, if you're sitting there wondering about it, you probably already suspect that your protection wasn't exactly foolproof from the very beginning.
Benjamin Robinson3 said:The instructions said seven days, but then I read all this stuff online that totally threw me off. If that seven-day rule is legit, I should be protected. But then this user mentioned that protection isn't guaranteed during the placebo week if you missed a pill, and now I'm spiraling. All because of one single missed pill, man.
Can you buy those at a pharmacy without a prescription?
Which one? 🤷 Good grief, please don't tell me you're actually asking if you can buy a pregnancy test over the counter without a script? I find it hard to believe you're really asking me that. 🤣
Anyway, personally, whenever I’ve ever missed a pill—which, thankfully, has never happened to me—I used to just overlap the packs. That was the only way I felt absolutely certain that the seven-day buffer was enough to stay covered. Not that it matters right now, I suppose. I suspect the odds of anything actually happening are slim. But regardless, you’ll need to wait fourteen days from the encounter to take a test... though maybe two or three days before that mark, you could try one of those high-sensitivity ones, like a Clearblue Ultra or a First Response test... but personally, I wouldn't trust any result before that full fourteen-day window unless it comes back positive. Just wait out the fourteen days. And try not to spiral. Whatever happens, happens; there's no use worrying about it now.
So, you’re telling me things have already reached this point, and now you’re just out there having unprotected sex... as if the little "period" isn't even a reliable indicator. See, being on the pill doesn't mean you're safe from a surprise; even with the hormones, there's still a chance for breakthrough bleeding because your hormonal balance shifts during the break week anyway. I was actually digging through some medical journals from some doctors over in Vienna—just trying to make sense of it all—and it turns out there’s actually a higher chance of spotting during pregnancy while on birth control than there is when you aren't taking anything at all, during that whole "false period" phenomenon everyone talks about.
Look, just do yourself a favor and take a test sometime down the road, just so you aren't left guessing. 🙂
Benjamin Robinson3 said:I saw someone online saying that if you miss a pill, you have to use backup contraception for two weeks, but my Cestazol box says only seven days. Which one is actually right? Does the protection still hold during that seven-day break between packs?
Well, both versions seem to exist out there; some people swear by the seven-day rule, while others insist on fourteen. Personally, I don't see any harm in being extra cautious and using backup until you finish the current pack and get ready to start the next one. It’s probably better to overthink it than not at all.
I suspect that simply having your diagnosis isn't quite enough to paint the full picture; what really matters is whether you're undergoing physical therapy, if you've been prescribed any medication, whether this is an entirely new development for you, or perhaps it's an occupational issue stemming from your workplace... and, of course, what your primary care physician actually thinks about the situation. So, if you don't mind, please be honest—it's the only way you'll truly grasp where you stand.
swiftbear86 said:If you stick to cheaper medications, you don't hit that monthly cap, and as long as you stay within the Medicare coverage limits, it doesn't affect your base premium. That might actually be one of the reasons why. Even though, honestly, with generic pricing these days, the gap isn't even that significant anymore. Maybe the doctor just has a soft spot for domestic manufacturers—though, to be fair, even Norman is a local brand. Or perhaps he just has a few buddies over at Pfizer.🤷
A woman at the pharmacy told me straight up that she pushes anything made by Pfizer, provided they actually manufacture what the doctor ordered. And yeah, if they try to hand her a brand from a different manufacturer, she’ll pick up the phone and give them an earful. It's all very transparent, really.
Now, that bit about the base premium caught my eye... so, I guess there actually is some incentive to go for those two-for-one deals after all.
I can't help but wonder what a doctor actually gains by prescribing some cheaper alternative to whatever the specialist originally ordered—especially when they’re essentially identical in composition, at least from my perspective. In my specific case, instead of getting Concord or Norman, I’m being handed Lybrand and Valium from Pfizer. Aside from the obvious impression that my doctor clearly favors Pfizer—though I suppose one could assume they're being sponsored—I’m genuinely curious if there’s any practical benefit here. Is it perhaps a matter of managing a specific medication budget, where choosing the lower-cost option leaves more room in her resources, or is there something else going on entirely?
Hey everyone. So, apparently there’s this specific phone number you can call at Medicare when you need to get some tests done. It’s basically for when you already have a referral in hand, but you really don't feel like playing phone tag with various hospitals just to try and schedule an appointment. You just dial 459-5183 or 459-6184, leave your full name and a callback number, and then you just wait. Within a few days, a woman calls you back from one of those numbers to let you know where there’s availability and when—and this includes private clinics that take Medicare, too. I’m living proof that this actually works. I got a call within two days, and they managed to snag me an appointment for the very next day. Good luck to anyone who needs it. Honestly, I doubt anyone has even heard of this number, probably not even the doctors themselves; I suppose if they don't want to deal with the extra work, they just won't announce it in the news or anything.
I stumbled upon this the other day, it was just one of those emails circulating around. Does anyone actually know if this is legit? Besides, I have to admit, unless this actually speeds up the scheduling process—meaning it doesn't just put you further back in line—I don't see the point. For instance... personally, when I need any kind of screening, my go-to options are always either the hospital in Akron, the one in Cleveland, or maybe Quest Diagnostics if I'm using a referral. I already know by heart that I'll be seen first at Quest Diagnostics and last in Akron, so what difference does it make if someone from this mystery number books me? I could easily just do that myself....
So, I’m circling back to the question in the title... I’ve been watching how things play out here, and it seems a bit inconsistent, if I'm being honest. For instance, I saw one user get slapped with a month-long ban, only to have it somehow reduced to ten days later on. Then there’s the whole points system—some people seem to start off with just 10 penalty points, but then, after a while, those same posts suddenly carry a weight of 45 points, which is more than enough to trigger a ban. I've even seen cases where the opposite happens.