Hey, listen—if you're feeling extra fatigued and having trouble catching your breath, that’s definitely something you shouldn't just brush off—especially when you're wondering if there's a connection to those pills. You mentioned things were fine while you were on Diane, but now that you've switched to Logest, the symptoms have popped up. It’s worth noting that even though they're both hormonal, every body reacts differently to different formulations—it's not always a one-to-one match, you know?
So, about that referral for a full blood panel from your GP—that's actually a great move. To answer your question: yes, a standard complete blood count is incredibly useful for checking your overall health, but when it comes to birth control, sometimes doctors want to look at specific markers—like clotting factors or specific hormone levels—that might require a more tailored request. While the general panel gives a solid baseline, it wouldn't hurt to mention specifically to your doctor that you're concerned about how the new pill might be affecting your system. It’s better to be thorough, right?
I was diagnosed with meningitis when I was only 10 years old 😢 so it wasn't until I was 16—just on my own initiative, really—that I actually went to see a gynecologist. Now, look, I don't mean anything bad by this, but if there’s an issue with my mom, she’s going to be the first person I take it out on—mostly because she used to forbid me from even looking into things, and honestly, she’s still trying to hold me back today.
My mom gave me the exact same line—basically telling me there was no way she was going to listen to some gynecologist... she’s super diligent about her checkups, though. So I told her, you know, that I’d actually go too—just so I wouldn't have to keep hiding everything from her anymore. And honestly? She reacted like I’d just confessed to a murder or something, rather than just saying I’d finally show up for an appointment. So, here we are, playing this endless game of hide-and-seek. I’ll probably head in tomorrow, though.😍
Robin Gray8 said:I really think all women should make sure they don't skip their gynecologist appointments—especially those who are sexually active. I’m nearly 50 myself, and I stay on top of my regular checkups. I actually just had one a few days ago. Honestly? It’s always a bit awkward having someone staring right there at you—it’s enough to make anyone want to yawn just to break the tension—but I find it passes pretty quickly. He sees it every single day, so I just try to power through it! Personally, I find it easiest when I'm positioned a certain way, but I always suggest choosing a male doctor. For me, seeing a female gynecologist was just... well, it was a total disaster, and I am never doing that again. It’s much better if a guy goes with you—like my son goes with his girlfriend—it just makes the whole ☕exam process feel less intense. And as for the Pap smear? It doesn't hurt, really. You just have to relax and try to think about literally anything else.👍
My partner won't go with me, though it would definitely be a lot easier if he did.
Megan Collins86 said:I can think of plenty of friends and relatives who fit this mold—old enough to handle sex, cigarettes, and cocktails, yet somehow too "immature" to visit an OB-GYN... My own cousin is 25 and has never stepped foot in a doctor's office for a checkup; she’s been dealing with irregular periods for years—sometimes going months without one, then bleeding every two weeks—and we just can't talk her into getting an exam. And her mother thinks it's totally unnecessary (they live in a tiny small town, and Mom is always like, "What will the neighbors say?" if people find out a 25-year-old woman actually went to a doctor)🙄
What’s even more terrifying than skipping the checkups is when they start using their friends' prescriptions for birth control! A friend lends them a script, they go buy the pills, and they do all of this without ever seeing a specialist, running blood work, checking liver enzymes, or testing their blood clotting factors... and then, unfortunately, we see examples of girls who end up facing tragic consequences😢
For instance—a friend of mine, 24 years old, never been to an OB-GYN, started taking pills last year (I refused to give her my prescription, so I felt like a total jerk, but then another friend gave her hers instead). She started the pills on the first day of her period, and then she bled continuously for 45 days straight😲 For about ten of those days, she couldn't even get out of bed because of the pain. Her boyfriend and I stayed with her, begging her to see a doctor, and I eventually booked her an appointment with my own physician—should I even mention that, of course, she didn't go?🙄 And then come the ridiculous excuses: "Well, someone else handles them just fine, surely it'll pass eventually..."
Honestly, what disgusts me most isn't just that some kids are taking pills without supervision, but that grown women—who should have at least a grain of common sense—are doing the exact same thing...
When it comes to birth control, they have no one to blame but themselves; it's not about whether you've had a checkup. I got my prescription from my primary care doctor, who sent me for blood work, clotting tests, everything... and honestly, that's not a big ask for anyone😲 I would never take something on my own just because everyone else is doing it—never...
Is there any way a gynecologist could write an urgent referral for blood work—like, can I just head straight over right after my appointment instead of waiting in line from 5:00 AM tomorrow? My local clinic opens at 8:00, but they start drawing blood at 7:00, and apparently, people are already lining up by 5:00—which is just wild. Plus, it’s about an hour's drive to the lab, so there's absolutely no way I'm making that happen. Honestly, after everything you guys have been saying here, I really want to get my levels checked and be done with it. In my third year of school, I only had my blood drawn once for my medications—my doctor basically told me there's just no point in doing it more often than that.
So, they finally gave me the word today—they confirmed my prize was shipped out this past Wednesday, and yep, it actually arrived! And look, I’m not trying to play games here; there is absolutely no way I’m walking away with two of them. Plus, they went out of their way to assure me there wasn't even a hint of it getting lost somewhere along the way via 😢
Sarah Morris57 said:A Sephora bag? Honestly, I find it hard to believe they don't have anything at all to dig through. One time, I actually received this little cardboard sleeve with them—it was just enough to hold everything, and since there wasn't any branding on the outside, you could tuck it anywhere, whether it's in your purse, a makeup bag, or even a pencil case.
Between my various bags and my wallet, I’m constantly digging around. I used to keep mine tucked inside a pack of tissues—just sandwiched right between two of them. 😍
The cheapest thing I can think of is probably some gum for about fifty cents
But if we're talking high-end—the most expensive thing? A bicycle for $1000 back when I was around seven years old. Though, honestly, I might have come across something even pricier lately... let me think 😍
restlesstiger47 said:Good grief—if I see one more lady at the USPS counter toss someone's mail onto the floor like it's nothing, I might actually lose it. Honestly, if they do it again, I’ll give them such a stinging slap that they'll be personally hand-delivering every single letter to the recipient's front door just to avoid me next time!😠😠😠😠😠😠
👍👍👍👍 You're absolutely right—I am right there with you on this one.
redorca16 said:Honestly, I’m completely lost when it comes to the USPS—it’s just total chaos. I’ve sent things to other people where certified mail took three or four days, while standard shipping actually arrived faster in a day or two!😕 Plus, they charge me differently for certified mail every single time—sometimes it’s one price, sometimes it’s another—and then they start nitpicking about how I didn't package something "by the book" just to hike up the price. It’s some kind of nonsense... this was all happening at my local post office in a small town outside of Chicago. Eventually, I just gave up and started using the main branch in downtown Chicago because I was tired of getting into pointless arguments with the clerks at the counter. At first, everything was fine—everything moved record-breakingly fast. But the last two or three times I went, I dealt with the same woman at the window, and she was acting so suspicious—she would set my envelopes aside while everyone else in line had their mail tossed straight into the bin under her desk!😕 Now, nothing arrives quickly anymore; it took three days just to get something to Indianapolis, and it hasn't even reached Savannah after a whole week. I don't know what to make of it, but if you think it's fishy, you're right!☕
Okay, am I actually invisible here??????? I'm telling you, I'm repeating myself
So, I had a certified package sent out from Chicago this past Wednesday, and—surprise, surprise—it hasn't shown up yet... Meanwhile, a certified letter sent from a suburb way out in Naperville on that very same Wednesday arrived by Thursday afternoon!
Now, let’s look at the logic here—Chicago is practically right next door to me, whereas Naperville is quite a trek away. So, how on earth is it possible that the shipment from the far-off suburb made it overnight, while the one from the city didn't even show up by Friday or Saturday? Is it possible the thing just vanished into thin air? Or does it really take that much longer to get mail from downtown Chicago to my place in Aurora than it does from Naperville?
So, I had something sent via certified mail from downtown Chicago to a suburb outside of St. Louis on Wednesday morning, and—believe it or not—it still hasn't shown up. How does that even work? What’s the typical turnaround for something like that these days?
Meanwhile, on the flip side, I had something else sent from a town near Atlanta—sent on that very same Wednesday—and it arrived the very next day (also certified, though not expedited...).
silverlynx74 said:Hmm... I actually have a mother just like that. She’s constantly breathing down my neck about my sex life—it's like she thinks she can control whether I see a gynecologist or not. So, naturally, I just do both behind her back, because, well, life goes on. I practically have to lie to my parents, telling them I'm just heading out for coffee with friends, when really I'm spending three hours sitting in some doctor's waiting room. 🤣🤣 I really need to start on birth control this month. Honestly, I am dreading the moment she finds out—there is going to be absolute chaos in our house once the truth comes out. 🤣🤣
I was on the pill for about three months before the breakouts hit—you know, the acne struggle is real—and now, even if she catches me, I'll probably just deadpan tell her I didn't finish the whole pack. 😍
Sarah Garcia12 said:I ended up staying too 😲. Honestly, if you’re really just trying to avoid stressing out your mom, then maybe just switch to a different gynecologist—do it for yourself, for your own health. Trust me, it’s much better to catch something early if things are developing down there rather than waiting until it's too late.
Oh, please, what other doctor?? They’re all practically in the same group, but I get it—I honestly just try to sneak away when I go. I'll head out right at the end of the workday or something... seriously. 🙄
Sarah Garcia12 said:Oof; you really ought to be going in for a checkup—you know, Pap smears, ultrasounds, that whole routine—every six months or at least once a year. I don't quite get why your mom is brushing this off; my own mother had some serious issues with her ovaries (she actually ended up having them and her uterus removed), so she’s incredibly grateful that she takes charge of her own health now. It’s always better to prevent something than to have to fix it later. Just tell your mom that you're worried about cysts or something similar and that you want to stay on top of it—worst case scenario, just switch to a different gynecologist.
To me, it feels just like going to the dentist—I make sure to see mine at least twice a year, no questions asked.
well, my mom goes to the gynecologist all the time☕ but me? Nothing... I mean, I'm still a little girl, right?😍 I told my mom I was scared of developing cysts, and she just brushed it off—saying, "Oh, you don't have those," and she answers every single one of my questions that way.
My mom is incredibly strict about me seeing a gynecologist—like, she’s basically forbidden it—so whenever I actually go, I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, terrified someone might recognize me. I barely go at all; usually, I just have someone else go pick up my prescriptions instead of me... I am genuinely afraid of my own mother ☕ If she ever found out I was taking Logest, she would literally kill me, and look, I’m 21 years old—so I'm definitely not some child—but I am absolutely panicking about how she'd react, and honestly? It's totally justified......
Olivia Cox77 said:Have you ever actually considered tackling acne with something like Accutane? I mean, I suppose I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading up on it, though I haven't personally gone down that particular rabbit hole myself—not that I'm an expert or anything, of course. It seems like such a heavy-duty, intense route to take, almost a last resort when nothing else seems to touch the problem, which I guess is exactly why people turn to it. It’s a pretty daunting prospect, isn't it? All those discussions about side effects and the sheer intensity of the treatment... it makes one wonder if the payoff really justifies the rollercoaster ride. Maybe it's worth it for some, but I can certainly see why someone might hesitate before jumping in headfirst. I’ve cycled through everything you can think of—antibiotics, three different types of birth control, the whole works—and honestly, I guess I’ve just reached the point where Roaccutane is the only thing that actually seems to be doing anything for me. It’s funny, in a frustrating sort of way, how much effort goes into finding something that actually works.
Well, I don't have acne anymore—Diane cleared it all up for me... they were just gone within three months. Before that, I was using Acnefug ($83 once a month), trying ten different kinds of creams, some even more expensive pills, Dermowash soap—my parents spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on it, and when the dermatologist recommended Diane, my mom wouldn't let me take it because it clashed with her religious views.🤣 🤣(Yeah, she's a total religious fanatic, no doubt about it.) So, after a few months, I started taking them, and then two months later she told me to stop—but I kept taking them in secret, because I knew she would absolutely kill me if she found out...
But seriously, Diane worked wonders, because I used to have breakouts all over my back, arms, chest—just these huge red and white cysts everywhere...
And I ended up using Diane for a couple of years as both an acne treatment and my birth control.
Roger Sullivan63 said:Well, for some women, those pills actually trigger a massive appetite! My advice? Skip the candy boxes and grab some carrots or something crunchy instead. Don't come asking me in a few days why you gained weight from the Logest. It isn't the medicine doing it—it's the snacks!
Since I started Diana 35, I haven't even had a craving for sweets—even though I was taking them specifically to get rid of these breakouts. And they aren't coming back, either, because I've spent ten years dealing with acne all over my back, arms, and chest... it simply cannot happen again.😠
And honestly, I can't do the carrot thing—believe me. The ones they sell in the grocery stores lately are just bitter, dry, and frankly revolting. Where did all the good, juicy, sweet carrots go? If anyone knows where to find the decent stuff, please let me know, because I used to absolutely love carrots—but what they're selling right now?😲Gross.
So, I absolutely demolished a box of K-Plus banana bites today—and honestly, I did the exact same thing with another box yesterday—so now I’m just sitting here working my way through these little chocolate puffs... you know, the dairy-free ones. It’s just one after another, and another, and another, and another, and ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I am definitely going to end up gaining weight if I keep this up.