Logest vs. Yasmin: Which one is better?

Chris Lopez59 said:I honestly don't get how a pill with higher hormone levels (Yasmin) can somehow boost libido while simultaneously being less likely to cause weight gain, especially since hormones are usually linked to both gaining weight and killing your sex drive, right?

But I guess different brands work differently and it's just an individual thing. Still, if I were a gynecologist, my first move would be to prescribe something with the absolute minimum amount of hormones possible, and only switch to something stronger if that didn't do the trick. It’s just baffling to me why some doctors jump straight to Yasmin without even running basic tests 😕

(there could be a few reasons here. Maybe it's ignorance, or maybe they just don't care, or perhaps they're getting kickbacks from pharmaceutical reps. And yeah, that definitely happens, no doubt about it.)

That’s basically my situation. Before I got pregnant, I was on Triqilar and I was actually really happy with them. But then I switched doctors, and when I wanted to go back to Triqilar after my pregnancy, my OB-GYN told me they don't even prescribe T. anymore and handed me Yasmin instead. To be fair, Y. is fine; I tolerate it well and haven't had any issues—in fact, I think it might have even helped with some of the side effects from my hypothyroidism, though that's just my own take, not something the doctor said. It wasn't until later that I found out my doctor refuses to prescribe T. because she gets a commission for pushing Y.

Nancy Smith53 said:I was on Yasmin for six months and honestly? Nothing good to say. I should probably mention my OBGYN just handed them to me without running a single test...
Long story short, they gave me a case of Candida. I had no clue what was causing it until I saw other women on this forum dealing with the exact same thing... clearly, there's way too much hormone for my body to handle.
When I asked my doctor if it could be the pill, she just played dumb, saying she wasn't sure and it could be a million other things, blah blah blah. She didn't even notice anything was wrong until I brought it up—she was busy treating me for Gardnerell. I have no idea how she missed it... I mean, I'm pretty sure I'd notice if I smelled like rotting fish down there, for crying out loud.
Then one sweet lady on here recommended Logest because it has fewer hormones than Yasmin, and now everything is great. 😍
Plus, they're cheaper, haha.

My OBGYN put me on Cilest without any tests at all... I've been taking them for ages, but I constantly deal with breakthrough bleeding that my doctor couldn't care less about. When I finally lose my mind over it, she's just like: "Let's see... you've got 6 pills left. Just take those in three days, you'll get your period, then take a month off and start over." And yeah, I've been stuck in this nightmare loop for a year and a half... total coma.
And don't even get me started on the yeast infections! No fishy smell for me, just insane acidity—not a ton of discharge, just this massive, annoying, constant white discharge that gets worse toward the end of my cycle...
😢

Rebecca Lewis39 said:My OB-GYN just handed me Cilest without even running a single test... I've been on them for quite a while now, but I'm constantly dealing with breakthrough bleeding, and my doctor couldn't care less about it. When I finally lose my cool, she just shrugs and goes, "Let's see... you have six pills left. Why don't you finish those over the next three days, let your period happen, take a month off, and then we'll start from scratch." And that's been my life for a year and a half now... absolute madness...
And don't even get me started on the Candida! There isn't even that typical fishy smell, just this intense acidity—not a lot of discharge, but this incredibly annoying, constant white discharge that just seems to ramp up right at the end of my cycle... 😢

Switch the pills, and maybe find a new doctor if you need to.

Rebecca Lewis39 said:My OB-GYN handed me Cilest without running a single blood test... I've been on them for quite a while now, but I'm constantly dealing with breakthrough bleeding that my doctor doesn't seem to care about one bit. When I finally lose my cool, she just shrugs and says, "Let's see... you have six pills left. Just take those over the next three days, let your period happen, then take a month off and we'll start fresh." And that’s how I've been stuck in this endless loop for a year and a half... it's maddening.
And don't even get me started on the Candida! There's no fishy odor, just this intense acidity—not heavy, but this incredibly annoying, constant white discharge that seems to ramp up right toward the end of my cycle. 😢

An OB-GYN shouldn't be prescribing any birth control without seeing your blood work first. Those bleeding patterns sound abnormal, and you really need to switch brands—but before you try anything else, you absolutely must get your blood tested. Stop taking those immediately.

Kimberly Moore55 said:Good grief. Damn. Bleeding every other month for an ENTIRE MONTH? That isn't right... seriously.
Thank God I understand what a break looks like, but you are describing something completely different.

It is possible your period gets delayed if you missed a pill or took one late during your cycle...

I find myself feeling quite inquisitive lately, almost like a curious young girl discovering the world for the first time. It’s funny how, even as an adult, that sense of wonder doesn't truly fade; it just settles into a quieter, more thoughtful rhythm. I was sitting on my porch in Seattle yesterday, sipping some tea and watching the clouds roll in over the mountains, and I found myself wondering about all the little mysteries we overlook in our daily rush. There is such a gentle beauty in simply asking "why" and letting the questions linger for a while. kaže:
I'm not entirely certain if this topic has already been posted, but I figure there's no harm in checking just in case, and honestly, it never hurts to be thorough. 🙂
So, I’ve been on Yasmin for about five months now, though my gynecologist decided to switch me over to Logest four months ago because I was experiencing breakthrough bleeding every other month. He claimed it was due to having an "insufficient hormone dose," but then it turned out that Logest actually contains a lower dosage than what I was previously taking, which leaves me feeling quite confused about his reasoning for the change.
Welcome to the community! Please feel free to share any experiences you might have or any advice you'd like to offer—we would truly love to hear from you. 🙂

I had a very similar experience myself when I was dealing with logestom-krvaral; I ended up struggling with it for well over a month. 👎
I consider Diane and Cilest to be my own. pasaleWell, my endocrinologist decided to switch me over to Yasmin, so I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how everything unfolds.
Sometimes I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed when I look back at how many of those pills I used to take, though looking at things from this new perspective, it’s still quite hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that anyone would actually take them just to facilitate uninhibited sex. To be perfectly honest, I was right there with you before all these health issues started, using them for that exact same reason.😛I just wanted to mention that, purely so there wouldn't be any misunderstanding between us.

placidgardener99 said:I honestly feel like I’ve become quite boring, even to myself lately. 😠Just to ensure everyone in this community stays on the same page and has the right information, I’ll mention this once more for our collective benefit: Yasmin actually contains a significantly higher hormone dosage compared to options like Logest or Cilesta.
:.

I’m not so sure about Logest myself—it hasn't quite sat right with me lately—but regarding Cilesta, are you absolutely certain about that?

Jamie Johnson6 said:Logest isn't my cup of tea, but Cilesta? Are you absolutely sure about that one?

I am 100% there with you on that. Honestly, I’ve spent way too much time deep-diving into the ingredients of every single pill out there just to wrap my head around why gynecologists act like these "mild" options like Yasminka are some kind of miracle cure. For me, the side effects were actually way more brutal than what I dealt with on Dianama.

placidgardener99 said:I couldn't agree more; I’ve spent countless hours researching every single pill out there because I just couldn't wrap my head around why gynecologists insist on calling things like Yasmina "mild," especially since my side effects were actually much more intense than what I experienced with Diana.

It’s quite clear that for those who truly need these medications most, the concept of "mildness" doesn't really mean anything at all...
While Yasmina does offer certain advantages over Logest for women managing PCOS—specifically regarding water retention and androgen levels—
I suspect only medical specialists can truly weigh all the variables, given that you simply cannot compare certain pills directly since they aren't identical in composition (it isn't just about the dosage).
In my own experience, Logest caused me the most difficult side effects, and I know a friend who didn't even have PCOS but had a terrible reaction too, simply because her body didn't respond well to it...😉

placidgardener99 said:I'm with you 100%. Honestly, I’ve spent way too much time digging into every single pill out there because I just couldn't wrap my head around why doctors act like these "mild" options like Yasmina are some holy grail. For me, the side effects were actually way worse than when I was on Diane.

Exactly. I was on Diane for three or four years, and they worked perfectly for me. But after my first surgery, I switched over to Yasmin, and it was an absolute nightmare—I basically had bleeding for the entire month, plus a bunch of other issues.
Now that I'm dealing with a second surgery, I'm switching back to Diane without a second thought. I just want my cycle to actually work again. 😉

Elizabeth Price85 said:I completely agree. I was on Diane for about three or four years, and they worked beautifully for me. However, after my surgery, I switched over to Yasmin, which turned out to be a total nightmare because I dealt with bleeding for the entire month—plus a few other little side effects that were just hard to deal with.
Now that I'm recovering from my second procedure, I am heading straight back to Diane without a second thought. I just hope I can finally get my hands on them. 😉

But what specifically are you agreeing with?
In my opinion, what you described might actually prove the exact opposite: Yasmin might simply be too mild for your system, which could explain why you experienced that constant bleeding. From what I’ve gathered regarding their compositions, Diane and Yasmin are much more comparable in terms of purpose and makeup than they are to Yaz or any of the others...
Furthermore, Diane is primarily intended as therapy for women who truly require those specific hormone levels (where contraception is really just a secondary benefit)...
I'll leave it to the pharmacists here to correct me if I'm wrong, though I am a bit skeptical about making direct comparisons at all.

Yasmin: Each film-coated tablet provides 3.0 mg of drospirenone and 0.030 mg of ethinyl estradiol.
Logest: Each coated tablet contains 0.075 mg of gestodene and 0.020 mg of ethinyl estradiol.
Diane 35: One sugar-coated tablet consists of 2 mg of cyproterone acetate and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol.
Cilest: Each tablet contains 0.25 mg of norgestimate and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol.
Jeanine: Each tablet contains 2.000 mg of dienogest and 0.030 mg of ethinyl estradiol.
Evra (patches): One transdermal patch (20 cm²) contains 6 mg of norelgestromin and 600 µg of ethinyl estradiol; one patch releases 150 µg of norelgestromin and 20 µg of ethinyl estradiol over a 24-hour period.
Trinovum: Comprised of 7 white, 7 pink, and 7 orange tablets; one white tablet contains 0.5 mg of norethisterone and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol. One pink tablet contains 0.75 mg of norethisterone and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol. One orange tablet contains 1.00 mg of norethisterone and 0.035 mg of ethinyl estradiol.
Triqilar: Includes 6 reddish-brown, 5 white, and 10 dark yellow tablets; one reddish-brown coated tablet contains 0.050 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.030 mg of ethinyl estradiol; one white coated tablet contains 0.075 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.040 mg of ethinyl estradiol; one dark yellow coated tablet contains 0.125 mg of levonorgestrel and 0.030 mg of ethinyl estradiol.

Here is the breakdown, presented clearly. Is there anything else? Naturally, all this information can be verified on the FDA website.

And yes, Diane isn't technically classified as an oral contraceptive, which explains why they're practically pennies; they’re mostly prescribed for acne issues.
As you can see, the hormonal difference between Yasmin and Diane isn't actually that significant. All those other pills I mentioned are registered in the US as standard oral contraceptives.
The options with the lowest hormone levels are Logest and Evra patches.

placidgardener99 said:I'm with you 100%. Honestly, I went down a total rabbit hole researching every single pill out there because I couldn't wrap my head around why doctors act like these "mild" Yasmina options are such a breeze. For me, the side effects were way more brutal than what I dealt with on Diane.

Exactly. In my book, Yasmin is great if you’re already healthy and don't have any underlying hormonal issues. But Diane? That's actual therapy that just happens to double as birth control. That's how I see it.
I used to have totally messed up hormones—don't anymore—but I'm still switching back to Diane regardless. It just works better for my body.

Elizabeth Price85 said:Regarding this matter. I... I truly believe that Yasmin is an ideal choice for women who are generally healthy and don't have any underlying hormonal imbalances. I remember when my sister first started her own journey with birth control, and we spent hours discussing how much easier things are when your body is already functioning quite smoothly on its own. For someone without those extra physiological hurdles, it seems like a very reliable option.I’ve always looked at it this way: Diane is primarily a therapeutic tool, and the contraceptive aspect is really just a convenient little bonus that comes along with it.
I used to struggle quite a bit with my hormone levels being all over the place, but thankfully that's behind me now; however, I’ve decided to transition back onto Diane because, honestly, they just seem to suit my body much better.

I don't quite see it that way, because when you look at the actual ingredients, they are specifically formulated to tackle excess male hormones—essentially addressing the symptoms of PCOS. It’s very similar to how Diane works; of course, everyone reacts differently, and what works wonders for one person might not sit right with another. I suspect someone with a background in chemistry could provide a deeper dive into the specifics, but it isn't necessarily about how "mild" the medication feels, but rather about the precise composition of the formula itself.😉

Just like any other standard birth control pill, Yasmin works by using a specific combination of synthetic hormones—estrogen and progestin—to prevent ovulation, which effectively makes pregnancy impossible while you're taking it. What really sets Yasmin apart from the older options I've encountered, however, is that it utilizes a newer type of progestin called drospirenone. This particular ingredient is quite clever because, beyond just doing its job with hormonal regulation, it actually offers some additional diuretic and anti-androgenic benefits as well. It’s a bit of an upgrade in terms of how it interacts with your body, according to Dr. Damir Mamuzić.

Jamie Johnson6 said:You're missing the point; based on their actual makeup, those specific ones are actually great for dealing with excess male hormones—basically the fallout from PCOS. It’s similar to how people react to Diane (though, obviously, everyone’s body responds differently). Someone who actually understands chemistry could explain that it isn't just about how "strong" they feel, but about the specific chemical composition.😉

Like any birth control pill, Yasmin uses synthetic female hormones—a mix of estrogen and progestin designed to block ovulation, making pregnancy impossible while you're taking it. The big differentiator with Yasmin is that it utilizes a newer progestin called drospirenone, which provides diuretic and anti-androgenic effects alongside its hormonal function. Dr. Damir Mamuzić

Let’s look at this realistically... Personally, and speaking for all my girlfriends who have been on Yasminka, we never actually saw any of that supposed "diuretic" magic happen. If anything, I was constantly bloated, retaining water, and dealing with a massive breakout of cellulite. And that was without changing my diet (which is pretty clean—mostly home-cooked meals, fruits, veggies, lean poultry, grains, tons of water, and green tea) or my lifestyle (I make sure to get at least four hours of exercise a week plus plenty of walking). So, if Saint Peter were to judge, I’d say what Dr. Mamuzić is describing just doesn't match my reality. 🤷.
Of course, it’s not just about how "gentle" a pill is, but when you actually look at the dosages available in the US market, you can see that Yasminka and Diane are definitely on the more potent side of the spectrum. As far as managing PCOS goes, most pills will technically work to address the main issue—stopping ovulation so your ovaries don't end up riddled with cysts—but really, it all comes down to which specific formula your own body decides to tolerate.

placidgardener99... I’m keeping my fingers crossed 😁 that things turn out differently for me...
Who knows, I might check back in with an update in a few months, though honestly, it's all very subjective; in my own experience, I haven't dealt with any side effects from Diane, yet I seem to get every single one when I take Logest. 🤷

Were you taking anything else alongside Yasmina, and how did you find the whole experience?

I used Diane before—it didn't bother me much. Although, I did end up with quite a bit of cellulite, but who's to say I wouldn't have developed that anyway since I started taking them at seventeen?
Then I switched to Yasmin. With Yasmin, I dealt with constant nausea and headaches, persistent yeast infections, a dying libido, and my cholesterol levels actually spiked.
Now I'm on Logest, and everything feels normal again. 😁
So, my conclusion is this: it isn't about hormone levels, it's about Yasmin (God, how scientific of me to say—I know 🙄, but in my experience, Yasmin is responsible for all the world's problems)

Jamie Johnson6 said:Logest gave me the absolute worst side effects (and this was for one friend... who doesn't even have PCOS), so it just wasn't a good fit for her...😉

I guess there’s just no rhyme or reason to any of this 🤷 but to me, it only makes sense that pills with the lowest hormone levels, like Logest, should always be the first thing you try. If they don't work for someone like you, then you move on and switch things up. It feels way more logical than just jumping straight into the heavy hitters with maxed-out hormones right out of the gate... don't you think?

Chris Lopez59 said:It seems there aren't any set rules, 🤷 but my logic is that pills with a minimal hormone dose, like Logest, should always be the first choice. If they don't work for you—like they haven't for me—then you switch. It feels much safer than starting out with high-dose hormones right away... wouldn't you agree?

I have to disagree 😁 because I feel that anyone who jumps straight to those "heavy-duty" pills when they aren't medically necessary should probably look into other contraceptive methods entirely (that’s just my personal take after going through box after box), and we really ought to agree that these medications aren't exactly "healthy," even when we need them for therapy; they are more of a necessary evil.
(On another note, we spend so much time reading online ads and instruction leaflets... it pays to actually consult a reputable endocrinologist or an internist about how these affect your blood vessels and overall health.)

In fact, especially for those of us dealing with PCOS, the most serious and dangerous issues—the ones far more concerning than skin texture or cellulite, such as blood sugar levels, vascular health, and cholesterol—can actually be exacerbated by taking the pill.
For instance, the warnings often state that people with diabetes shouldn't take them, and neither should those struggling with weight, yet borderline blood sugar is frequently cited as a contributing factor to PCOS itself. It creates this frustrating loop where, if you aren't having a period, the risks of other complications rise, forcing us back to the pill anyway.
So, I don't think it makes much sense to debate "max vs. min" doses; instead, we should get our hormone levels checked and find a skilled specialist who can tailor a specific dosage and find the right pill for our unique needs.
I think it's fairly obvious to everyone here that you don't actually have a true menstruation while on the pill, since your own natural hormones aren't really part of the equation anymore.