Period talk: Questions and advice

Lisa Barrett22 said:I don't know, these pills work on all sorts of things, so maybe they'd help with discharge 😁. Clearly not. 😁 For me, Diane was a lifesaver for hair issues, but I'd honestly rather be hairy than bloated like a balloon 😂
.

See, I never actually had any bloating issues.🤷
Diane is like a Kinder Egg; you never really know what you're gonna get.😁

LOL, alright guys, I gotta crack a joke or I'll lose it!!!!!! So, think of it like a Kinder Surprise! You get three things in one... the shock, the toy, and the chocolate... now we just have to see which ones actually match up with the real symptoms..
Anyway, hope you don't hate me... just a little joke... probably not my best move though.. I never really had issues with it myself.. 🙂

Donna Bishop94 said:There is zero chance I am ever touching the pill again

Wait, why though?
I'm asking because my OB-GYN is pushing me to start birth control just to get my cycle under control. When I asked about side effects, he was all like, "Oh, there aren't any!"—but then I hop on here and see everyone posting stuff like, "Never again!"
So... what gives?

Laura Bishop said:Why?
I'm asking because my OB-GYN is suggesting I start birth control to get my cycle under control. When I asked about side effects, he told me there aren't any. But then I come on here and read posts where girls are saying, "Never again with the pill!"
So, what's the deal? Why?

Because everything was fine for me while I was on them, but once I stopped, my skin cleared up just to have more issues with my cycle. Everyone reacts differently, I guess—it's all very individual—but personally, I really don't want to go back on them.

Donna Bishop94 said:Were your periods regular before you even started taking birth control, or did you start taking them just to get things back on track?
If they were already regular, they should have normalized by now, but if they weren't, you probably need to get your hormones checked out.
For me, I stopped taking birth control two months ago because I had to go in for surgery. My doctor immediately put me on Duphaston right away, so I had my period last month while on it, and thank God, this month it came normally.

I was on them for almost 10 years. I originally started on Cinderella for contraception, and when I first stopped after four years, my period completely vanished—I'd maybe get it four times a year. Not to mention the issues I had with acne on my face; it was pretty terrible, so I switched to Diane. But Diane gave me awful headaches, so I switched back to Cinderella, and I’ve been on that for the last four years until two months ago. Now I'm just hoping things stabilize, because like I said, there's no way I'm ever going back on pills, even if I only end up getting my period twice a year.😁

They weren't perfectly on schedule—sometimes there was a difference of a few days—but I always got them. It’s never been like this. I deal with skin issues too, but honestly, if the pills caused this mess, how are they supposed to fix my condition? For instance, if I take them again for another two years, what happens when I stop again and everything reverts? I can't exactly stay on them for the rest of my life, right?

Laura Bishop said:Why?
I’m asking because my OB-GYN is recommending I start birth control to get my cycle under control. When I asked about side effects, he basically told me there aren't any. But then I come on here and read posts where women are all like, "never again with the pill!"
So... why?

If your doctor tells you there are zero side effects, you probably need a new doctor. It's like they haven't even glanced at the warning label in the box, let alone actually bothered to research the meds they're handing out...
Side effects vary wildly from person to person. Some people put on weight, some deal with bloating, others get headaches—especially at first—nausea, depression, a totally dead libido... and then things can get messy when you try to stop taking them (again, not everyone, but looking at this forum, it seems like a common theme)... personally, I think if pills are the absolute last resort, fine. But if there’s any other way to handle it... don't take them...

Harold Stewart3 said:If your doctor tells you there aren't any side effects, find a new one. Clearly, they haven't even bothered reading the fine print on the pill bottle, let alone actually researching what they're prescribing...
Side effects are all over the map—everyone's different. Some people pack on weight, some get bloated, others deal with headaches (especially at first), nausea, depression, or a dead libido... then there's the real mess when you try to quit. Not everyone gets hit, but looking at this forum, most people do. Personally? I’m only okay with pills if it's the absolute last resort. If there’s any other way, don't go there...

I have to say, I'm right there with you. That's my whole argument. If there isn't a specific disorder making them necessary, then just don't. If your body is functioning normally without them, why mess with it? But hey, plenty of people are willing to gamble just because it's easy and convenient. Whatever. It's your life, but you better be ready for the fallout. You gotta realize those pills can cause just as much trouble as they provide relief.

So... here’s the situation. I’m 18—turning 19 in just a few months—and I lost my virginity about two weeks ago. Everything seemed totally fine at first; there was some bleeding when the hymen broke, but it wasn't a huge deal and the pain was minimal. However—and this is where it gets weird—a few hours later, the bleeding started again. Then it happened again the next morning. It wasn't a massive amount of blood, but it definitely felt unusual...

Yesterday, things took a turn for the worse. We were just... exploring, using a finger, and while it didn't hurt much initially, it lasted a bit longer and then started hurting whenever there was more pressure. Right in the middle of that, we suddenly felt a rush of blood—like, a lot of it. It ended up getting on my clothes, too. I actually had a pad on because it was the sixth day of my period (which is just great, honestly, because I wasn't even bleeding from my cycle, but I kept the pad on just in case), but it didn't stop anything. By the time I got home, my pad was soaked and I had blood everywhere—on my clothes and everything :S. And the walk home? It was brutal. I was in so much pain I could barely even walk...
It was leaking last night, and it happened again this morning... now I'm just sitting here wondering if this is normal. Can anyone please explain what might be happening? I'm honestly pretty scared. I'm terrified that if we try to sleep together again, the bleeding will just start all over again... it feels like this "other" thing is happening...😕

Finger sex isn't some one-size-fits-all thing.

It didn't hurt for me the first time, but everyone's different. Have you thought about seeing a doctor?

I’ll go—of course I will—but I just wanted to check in and see what everyone else thinks first. Maybe someone else has dealt with this more than once? And regarding my comment about it being the "second time"... well, I only put that in quotes because it isn't actually a second occurrence—though, truth be told, there was some bleeding, which is why I mentioned it... :S

Look, it shouldn't be happening... but honestly, I have no clue why you're still dealing with bleeding and pain for hours after sex.

Maybe some other users here have dealt with something similar...

I was just sitting here thinking back to my very first experience, and honestly, it was just straight-up horrific 😁. I spent the entire night bleeding so heavily it felt like someone had actually attacked me... I was up every single hour just swapping out maxi pads, over and over again. And on top of the blood just pouring out like a broken faucet, there were these weird, gelatinous blood clots coming out too 😁. It was so incredibly gross, and just thinking about it now makes me feel physically sick 😁. My gynecologist mentioned that a small number of women deal with complications like that, especially if they happen to be particularly narrow down there. But thankfully, after that whole ordeal, everything went back to normal and I haven't had any issues since 😁.

I was on Yasmina 9 for nine months. Now that I’ve stopped, my period is late.
In the past, I tried birth control pills a few times, but back then, my cycle was always perfectly on schedule. Over time, though, things started getting wonky—my period began sliding later and later until I was missing two months entirely. So, I decided to start over with another brand of contraceptives for a few months.
But this is a first for me; I've never had my period skip the very first month after stopping birth control before.
Has anyone else gone through something like this?
Please let me know...
🙂

Why are you doing the on-off pill method?

And how late is your cycle running?

Sophia Castillo35 said:Why are you doing the on-off pill method?

And how late are you actually?

What exactly is the "on-off" pill thing?
My period is two days late, though I usually get this brown spotting about two days before my actual flow starts—but this time, there isn't even any spotting...

So, why am I ditching the birth control?
Look, I’ll be completely honest with you...

I am ready to have a baby!!!

Fair enough, but why the back-and-forth with the pill? Why start and stop like that?

It’s only been two days; it’s perfectly normal for your body to need a moment to reset. I remember my cycle being about five days late after I stopped taking them, too. 🤔 Anyway, don't sweat it for at least another couple of days. 🙂

Sophia Castillo35 said:Alright, let’s be real here—why the back-and-forth? Why start taking the pills, quit, start again, then stop once more? It seems like a bit of a rollercoaster, doesn't it?

Look, two days of nothing is perfectly normal. You have to give your body some breathing room to actually recalibrate itself. Honestly, it feels like mine took about five days to finally get back on track after I stopped taking the pill. It’s just how the biology works. 🤔 Look, honestly, don't even bother stressing about it for the next couple of days. Just let it go. 🙂

Because I deal with PCOS, there are times when my cycle just disappears entirely for two months straight.
It’s like this: if I just decided to quit taking my birth control, everything would seem perfectly fine for a few months. I’d feel totally normal. But then, without warning, things would start slipping. My cycle would begin to drift, then it would start lagging behind by a couple of months, and before I knew it, I was right back at square one, having to restart the whole pill regimen after being off it for four to six months. It’s a constant, frustrating cycle of trying to find balance only to have it slide right out from under me again.
And what about the following month? Did things get just as backed up then, too?

Nah, things were actually a bit better last month.

Do you have PCOS or just polycystic ovaries? My doctor suggested birth control as a way to manage it, though I’m not really into the whole "take them occasionally" approach. It’s either an all-in or nothing kind of thing for me.

Benjamin Thomas8, don't sweat it—it’s totally normal, just like > said. Your body just needs time to adjust.
Though honestly, I don't get the inconsistency either—why take them one day and skip the next?
I take mine strictly for my hormone levels, and my doctor has never once suggested being "hit or miss" with the dosage...