Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

I started drinking them again yesterday evening!!

Woohoo!
😎 👏 👋 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

briskpilot55 said:Oh boy... thanks a million, everyone—really.

Just one more thing—what’s that doctor’s appointment actually like? Are we talking a specialist like a gynecologist, or just a regular GP? And what do they even do during the exam if you're only going in for birth control pills?

I need a gynecologist. How old are you?

I honestly think young women—starting around 18, though earlier never hurts—should be hitting up their gynecologist for regular checkups. It’s one of those things that prevents so many headaches down the road.

Even if you aren't looking for birth control—just a routine check—I’d still say go see a gynecologist. Better safe than sorry, right?

It was just a pelvic exam—nothing painful, though. Just one of those things you have to get through.

I’ve been scrolling back through the posts, so I’ll try to address whatever it is people seem to be asking me about.🙄 😁 😁

Watery cysts—or what they call functional cysts—are one of the most common side effects of PCOS. You might just have one, or there could be several small ones. It can affect just one ovary or both. Personally, I dealt with one large watery cyst for a few years. According to my doctor, it’s basically a cyst that forms at the start of every cycle and ruptures right before your period starts. Then it reforms, then it ruptures again, repeating the whole cycle every single month. In principle, they aren't dangerous; usually, they clear up after some brief treatment or just on their own. They do cause issues like irregular cycles, though. Let me be clear: a watery cyst isn't nearly as scary as those—I don't know what the medical term is, someone here with a medical background will know—those cysts that act like their own little "organ" or mass🙄 (ugh, I’m totally rambling here😉), because those actually require surgery to remove.
For me, the watery cyst finally "disappeared" after five years on birth control. I went through Yasmin, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, and then Triquillar.
Yasmin was easily the worst thing I’ve ever had to take. I could never get used to it; I felt dizzy constantly for months, and I dealt with vision issues and headaches. Ortho was similar. Triquillar was the only one where I didn't even notice I was taking anything, and that’s the point: if you actually "feel" the pills you're on, they aren't the right fit for you.

I highly recommend revisiting getting your blood work done every six months and, if possible, taking a break during that sixth month. Regardless of how much fighting goes on in this thread regarding this topic😉, I always took a break every six months and got my blood checked, and everything stayed fine until my liver enzymes spiked once and I had to stop the pills entirely. If I hadn't been taking breaks, that might have turned into a massive problem by now. And if I hadn't been getting blood tests, I wouldn't have even known my levels were climbing. Honestly, I couldn't even get my blood drawn properly unless I skipped the pill for that month.
Everything is fine now, but look—no matter how young you are (I’m young too), and no matter how much these are marketed as "new generation" pills, I’m telling you: take periodic breaks and get your blood checked. Because once your liver goes to hell, it’s game over.

Does anyone know how long it takes for your system to clear out hormones after stopping Diane-35?

Lisa Lee2 said:How old are you?

Eighteen....

It's just a vaginal exam. It doesn't hurt.

Wait, hold on—you’re telling me they have to do a vaginal exam just to prescribe standard birth control pills??? Good grief! Honestly, I was under the impression that they would just draw some blood, run a few tests, and then decide which ones would work best for you based on your chemistry or something...
So, is there really no other way to handle this without going through a full-on pelvic exam? 😠 🙂

Good heavens, you’re eighteen years old now. Don't you think it’s high time for a check-up? You mentioned you were intimate with that guy—so, if you let him get that close to your private areas, why on earth are you suddenly terrified of a doctor?
It really isn't the catastrophe you're making it out to be; the whole thing takes mere minutes. Regardless of whether you're on birth control, getting an exam is absolutely non-negotiable.

Anyway, hey there, I'm new here.😁

Hello there! 👋

Regarding that Logest supplement you mentioned—which I’m actually planning to start taking this week—could you tell me how much of an effect it typically has on libido? Or is it designed to be completely neutral since it operates on such low hormone levels?

~*Plu. said:You’re telling me you slept with this guy—meaning, if you let him get all handsy in your most private areas, why on earth are you suddenly terrified of a doctor...?

Look, that doctor means absolutely nothing to me, whereas this guy actually means everything. Besides, I don't feel any sense of shame around him, yet somehow I feel completely exposed in front of a physician. And frankly, I have zero desire to have someone poking around down there. It’s just gross. No thanks.

Anyway, moving on—does a vaginal exam actually have to be done for these pills, or is there some way to dodge that part of the process?

Screw that doctor. He’s probably checking out another patient every fifteen minutes anyway. 😁 A how do you plan on actually going to an exam when you're this shy? 😕

I’m absolutely not going for these checkups. Honestly, if my grandmother managed to live to be a hundred without ever seeing a doctor, then I suppose I can survive this too.

briskpilot55 said:I’m absolutely not going to the doctor. Honestly, if my grandma managed to live to be a hundred without ever seeing a physician, then I should be able to pull it off too. It’s pretty simple logic.

Are you kidding me? I honestly thought you had vanished for good.😲 Look, you clearly have no idea how to actually use the tools at your disposal. You’re sitting there acting like you’ve mastered the digital age because you can navigate a browser, yet you claim you want to live to be a hundred without ever seeing a doctor? Give me a break. Do you even bother reading anything useful on the internet, or is your entire online existence limited to scrolling through nonsense? A computer isn't just some high-tech toy for playing video games, and the internet isn't just a playground for shouting into the void on message boards. There is actual, legitimate information out there that could help you stay healthy if you weren't so busy being willfully ignorant. If you actually applied a shred of logic to the wealth of data available to us, you'd realize that being "connected" means nothing if you aren't actually learning anything. Use your head.🙄
Hey, what's up? Just checking in.

~*Plu. said:Good grief, you’re only 18. Don't you think it's time for a checkup? You mentioned sleeping with that guy—so if you let him get handsy in private, why are you so terrified of a doctor...?
It isn't that scary—takes maybe five minutes tops. Definitely go for the exam regardless of the birth control stuff.

Anyway, hey there, I'm new here 😁

Exactly!

The exam isn't mandatory just because of the pills, but once you're already at the clinic, the doctor will probably want to check you out anyway—and honestly, it's just good practice.

Nathan Collins
Man, I seriously thought you’d vanished into thin air.😲 You’re clearly an expert at navigating every gadget and corner of the web—but you think you can dodge the doctor for a hundred years? Do you actually use that internet for anything useful? Look, a PC isn't just for gaming, and the web isn't just for hanging out on forums.🙄
whatever.

this one hits home too 👍

Just so you know—a former classmate of mine caught an early-stage uterine tumor during a routine annual checkup. Pure luck, really.

If you ever get sick—God forbid—you'll be examined by everyone from the residents to the interns, not just some senior attending.😉

I finally got over my own fear by just seeing a female gynecologist—once I did that, the anxiety just evaporated.

Even when you're in labor, and the whole hospital staff can't take their eyes off you, man... 😳 😁 🙂

Heh. Good grief. What a joke. Now you’ve gone and made it sound all intense. 😁

I’m only 16, and while I’ve been to the doctor a few times, I’ve never actually had a pelvic exam. Not that I’d need any birth control yet anyway. 😛

And honestly, it feels a little awkward going in for that kind of thing. It’s just a thing for us younger people—and by "younger," I mean anyone under 20, just so nobody here feels ancient. It’s a bit uncomfortable. But whatever, we’ll get through it eventually. 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

briskpilot55 said:Okay, but does the doctor actually need to perform a vaginal exam to administer the tablet, or is there some way to avoid that?

Look, if you tell him you’re a virgin, he might just opt for a rectal exam instead—I suppose. 🙂
But honestly, I probably wouldn't recommend going down that road—not that I'm an expert or anything.
😱

Harold Gomez65 said:So, tell me about this Logest I'm starting this week—how much hair regrowth are we talking about? Or does it even matter since it’s formulated with such low hormone levels??

Here is what I know about Logest: the hormone dosage is incredibly low, which is why you can stay on it for years. For instance, my hair growth slowed down significantly, whereas Justin Gonzalez87 claims hers is picking up speed again....
--and my breasts... they're sore... though I haven't noticed much change in size yet—maybe just a tiny bit, it's hard to tell... but then Justin Gonzalez87 argues they've grown huge...

Bottom line: it’s completely different for everyone. Honestly, the real issue with Logest is that these are newer options on the market—there isn't enough long-term data yet. We need more women who have been using them for years before anyone can actually say anything intelligent about them.......

Sean Doyle said:Look, just tell him you’re still a virgin—maybe then he’ll actually bother looking at you through his backside. 🙂

Though, honestly? I wouldn't suggest that. 😱

Anyway... my first exam was exactly like that. I survived just fine—even though I was convinced I was going to die from pure embarrassment (and it was a female doctor, too). But everything turned out okay.
.. Just remember: it’s their JOB. Like someone else said—what do you actually think you have that they haven't seen a thousand times before? 😛

Thank you, Jonathan Perez; I truly hope I don't end up feeling under the weather, and perhaps my appetite might actually increase thanks to Logesta 😳 😉

Jonathan Perez88 said:So... my very first exam went something like this... I survived without any major issues—though I honestly thought I might actually die from pure embarrassment (it was a female doctor, mind you)—but everything turned out perfectly fine..
.. you just have to keep in mind that it’s their JOB.. like someone else pointed out once.. what do you really think you have that they haven't seen a thousand times before???? 😛

And mine was a bit more... memorable, shall we say 😱

It stuck with me as a pretty terrible memory because the gynecologist was incredibly unpleasant and blunt (and quite unprofessional, besides that) 🙂
Naturally, I never stepped foot in that doctor's office ever again 😁