Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

I've been on the pill for two years now—exactly, come August. I mentioned taking a break to my doctor, though I did mention I'd much rather just stay on it... She told me to bring in some blood work first, and if everything looks fine, I probably won't need to stop.

It's the same situation with Triquilar.

Well, like they say... every OB-GYN seems to have their own theory...

Nathan Collins2 said:Can you actually back up that claim about hormonal storms happening all the time? I'd really appreciate that.🙂 Why would a break happen as often as every five months? Don't you think the body needs its own rhythm, where "regular" breaks could be every five, six, ten, or even twelve months?
And what would a break after two years mean? I assume you meant after two years, but then having a break for at least two or three months... that sounds more logical to me.

Look, I can't give you medical advice because I'm not a gynecologist—that’s just my take as a regular person. My thought is that ovaries should either be fully active or essentially "put to sleep." To me, it feels like that weird situation where you take a two-hour nap, someone wakes you up, you fall back asleep for another two hours, and you end up feeling even more exhausted than before you slept.
I remember reading somewhere that recent research suggests these breaks might not even be necessary.

I don't know a ton about pausing things since I moved away from birth control ages ago—and honestly, I'm speaking from experience now, not just as a layperson, when I say I'm not a fan of them at all.

Has anyone dealt with water retention from being on the pill? Or maybe some unexpected weight gain?

That's my main concern. 😲 😲

😁

Don't quote me on this, but... I think I read somewhere that those pills just increase your appetite... So, you probably won't gain weight if you don't overeat.

I mean, I'm not entirely sure, but I GUESS I read something like that...

Anyway, I never really had any issues with it.

Listen up:

When it comes to birth control pills, I’d tell any woman out there to just stay far away from them if she can help it!

I spent a full year on the pill, and honestly, it was just one constant battle with yeast infections... On top of that, the medication seemed to wreck my body's natural defenses down there, leaving me so vulnerable that I ended up with bladder infections constantly after sex. Because of those endless infections, I was stuck taking antibiotics all the time, which just tanked my entire immune system until I started getting fungal issues everywhere, even in my throat... It was incredibly uncomfortable, truly.

After going through all that hell, I actually found myself considering going back on them for a moment, but then I thought better of it and decided I'm done for good... I know someone who took them for ten years straight, and now she's dealing with this really strange little liver tumor that her doctors are saying is a classic side effect of long-term pill use. And don't even get me started on the link to breast cancer!

CONDOMS RULE !!!

Robert Walker2 said:Look at it this way:

When it comes to birth control, I can tell any woman to stay far away from the pill.

I was on the pill for a year, and the yeast infections were constant. Beyond that, the hormones seemed to wreck my local immune system; I became incredibly sensitive, dealing with bladder infections after sex all the time. Because of those infections, I was constantly on antibiotics, which just tanked my entire system. Eventually, I wasn't just dealing with issues down there—I had yeast infections in my throat too. Not exactly a pleasant experience.

I went through all that, and even when I considered going back on it, I decided against it. A friend of mine took them for ten years, and now she’s facing a suspicious liver tumor. Her doctors claim it’s a classic side effect of long-term pill use. And don't even get me started on breast cancer.

CONDOMS ARE THE ONLY REAL OPTION!!!

Were you on Triquilar or something else?

I've been taking mine for a week now😳 and, for the moment, I haven't had any issues. No water retention, no weight gain. FOR NOW. 😎

So, here’s my experience: I was on Celeste for two years straight without any breaks, then switched over to Triquilar and kept going for another three years without stopping. After all that, everything just went haywire. I ended up having these heavy periods that lasted for 20 days. On top of that, I developed a fibroadenoma in my breast—you know, that kind of lump—with atypical changes. Now that I've started taking birth control pills again, everything seems fine. I'm not saying this because I'm against the pill; honestly, I felt amazing while I was on it since my menstrual cramps are usually absolutely catastrophic. I'm just saying that maybe you should take a break every six months or so. Your ovaries really need some time to produce hormones on their own.

Andrew Anderson6
Those are the newer tablets; according to the label, they have the lowest hormone doses. I’m planning to start taking them soon. Is anyone else using them? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience—weight changes, appetite shifts, and anything else.

Thanks...

I wasn't quite sure which thread to use given how many pill discussions are happening here, but this felt like the right spot since these specifically fall under that category.
I saw my OBGYN today. I brought along my blood work results just to make sure everything looked normal after being on Triquilar for two years before taking this two-month break. She asked if I wanted to switch over to the newer Logest or just stick with the old ones...
Andrew Anderson6, it’s been a little while since you posted, so how are they working out?
Should I make the switch?

Andrew Anderson6 :
I think I need to start taking them too.

Me too.
In about ten days or so.
My doctor mentioned they’re the best option right now—at least according to him.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted.🙂

Come on, give me the scoop. I need to know because I'm starting in just a month.
I don't have any information regarding that specific term or context. It appears to be a single word without enough surrounding detail for me to provide a meaningful response. If you can provide more context or explain what you are referring to, I would be happy to look into it further.

I could reach out to you on day one—but shouldn't we wait a bit for the side effects to actually kick in?😕

Daniel Lopez said:Andrew Anderson6, it’s been quite a while since we last spoke. How have things been going with you lately?

Honestly, I have absolutely no concept of what time it is.
Andrew Anderson6 says she posted her first message back on May 8th. My brain is telling me that was way too long ago—like, two or three months have already flown by.😁 )
No worries at all. It’s all good.

Lost in time.

Justin Gonzalez87 said:I could reach out to you on the first day, but shouldn't we wait a bit for any side effects to actually show up?😕

Well, they will definitely show up. I’m starting my regimen in exactly five weeks. That isn't a massive amount of time, but it's enough.

Alright then. I'll be in touch😉

I've been on Logest for about a year now and it’s honestly 👍. I lost weight (okay, fine, I was dieting too, but this made it easier), my libido shot up by like 100% (my boyfriend can't get enough of me 😁), and my skin is still looking great... I'd say go for it.

Daniel Lopez said:Man, I seriously have zero concept of time—like, actually none at all.
Andrew Anderson6 says Blondie posted her first one back on May 8th—my brain’s telling me that was ages ago... like, way more than 2 or 3 months past.😁 )
my bad...

Lost in time—honestly, kind of a mood.

🙂
Starting Monday—I’ll let you guys know which 2 or 3 weeks I'm actually around...

ninanana said:Look, here’s my experience. I was on Celeste for two years straight, no breaks. Then I switched to Triquilar and stayed on that for another three years without stopping. After all that, everything just went haywire. I ended up dealing with heavy bleeding that lasted twenty days. On top of that, I developed a fibroadenoma—that’s a lump—in my breast with atypical changes. Now that I’ve taken a break from the pill, things have stabilized. I'm not saying pills are bad; they actually made me incredibly happy because my periods are usually a nightmare. I'm just suggesting you should probably take a break every six months or so. Your ovaries need to handle some hormone production on their own once in a while.

That’s exactly what I’m thinking... taking breaks every now and then.
My periods are brutal too, so I'm wondering if it'll actually get easier...
Thanks! 😉

Ah, I really shouldn't be exerting myself just yet... though there's still quite a few months to go, and iiiii... mmmmmm... 😁 😁

Well... I finally got mine too... though I haven't actually started taking them yet—waiting about two weeks until my period starts.
The only thing bugging me is what they say about smoking (cigarettes 😁)—wondering if they play poorly together... anyone know anything about that? Like, just generally... pills + cigarettes...

Oh, right... that Logest stuff is new on the market and seems to be everywhere lately... and it's over-the-counter, you know—you just pay for it at the pharmacy.

Jonathan Perez88 said:Yeah, honestly... that Logest is the new thing on the market. It seems like everyone is getting their hands on it lately. And it’s not even prescription-based—you just pay for it outright.

What makes you say that? My doctor actually offered to write me a prescription for it just last week.