Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

I started taking Lyndinete 20 and I’m currently on my seven-day break. I have to admit, I haven't had any breakthrough bleeding or anything like that, but toward the second to last pill, I began feeling those typical pre-period sensations. Today is the fourth day of my break and some brownish spotting has started; since yesterday, I’ve been feeling nauseous, my stomach hurts, and I feel incredibly sleepy... these are the same symptoms I get before my period even without the pills. Is this just the body adjusting, or is it possible they aren't right for me?

Does anyone know if there are any birth control pills covered by insurance through the government, or is America just a backwards place where you have to pay out of pocket for everything? Does anyone actually have the scoop on this?

Way back in the day, you could get things like Diane if you had a medical reason, like PCOS or whatever. Is that still an option under our healthcare system?

Or maybe they just want a bunch of tiny, starving Americans to keep multiplying, so who cares, right?

Also, I was wondering—besides the hormonal IUD, are there any pills that are strictly progestin-only? I’m dealing with an excess of estrogen, so I wanted to see if the U.S. market even carries those progestin-only options...

I don't think there are any pills out there that are totally free, but Lindynette is $10, since the Social Security Administration covers half because the full price is like 60 bucks and change

Hey there,
So, I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, and my doctor put me on Belara pills. My period was running late, and for the last three days, I was dealing with this brownish discharge. Well, today the actual bleeding finally kicked in, so I’m planning to take my very first pill today—which essentially marks day one of my cycle. My big question is: am I protected from day one, or should I play it safe and use a backup method like condoms for the next seven days because of that weird spotting I had?
Also, just to be absolutely clear on the mechanics here—my partner can finish inside me, right?

Lawrence Ramos9 said:Hey there,
So, I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, and my doctor put me on Belara pills. My period was running late, and for the last three days, I was dealing with this brownish discharge. Well, today the actual bleeding finally kicked in, so I’m planning to take my very first pill today—which essentially marks day one of my cycle. My big question is: am I protected from day one, or should I play it safe and use a backup method like condoms for the next seven days because of that weird spotting I had?
Also, just to be absolutely clear on the mechanics here—my partner can finish inside me, right?

Protection kicks in as soon as you start taking them. That's what my OB-GYN told me.🤷
Yeah, he can,
but make sure you stay consistent and take them at the exact same time every day. 😍 😉

And don't bother tracking fertile windows; that concept doesn't exist while you're on the pill since you aren't ovulating anyway.🙂

Anthony Watson7 said:Protection kicks in as soon as you start taking them. That's what my OB-GYN told me.🤷
Yeah, he can,
but make sure you stay consistent and take them at the exact same time every day. 😍 😉

And don't bother tracking fertile windows; that concept doesn't exist while you're on the pill since you aren't ovulating anyway.🙂

Thanks for the reply! :-)
My only real worry is this brownish discharge; I'm terrified it might have actually been the first day of my period and I accidentally started the pill on day two... which would mean I wasn't protected for those first seven days.

Hey everyone! So, I just started on birth control and since day one, I’ve been dealing with these cramps that feel exactly like my period is about to hit. Has anyone else dealt with this? Looking for some advice—is it totally normal for my body to be adjusting to the pill? Thanks!

Hey, maybe someone here knows the answer...

So, about a year ago, I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis and proctitis. Since then, I’ve been managing things with Salofalk 250 mg suppositories.

I was wondering, is it actually okay for me to take hormonal contraceptives while dealing with these issues and being on this specific treatment? Like, is it even safe at all?

Thanks so much in advance!

I’ve got gastritis, but I’m not actually on any meds for it right now. The gastritis itself doesn't really bother me when I take pills, but as for whether they'll mess with whatever therapy you're on... honestly, your OB-GYN or primary care doctor is the only one who can give you a straight answer on that.🙂

So, here’s the deal: I’m 18, and honestly, my skin was absolutely flawless before I started taking Novynette.
I’ve been on them for about three months now, and ever since I started this regimen, my face has been an absolute disaster zone of acne breakouts—like, seriously, I can't seem to get rid of them no matter what I do! Has anyone else here dealt with something like this, or maybe even something similar?
I would give anything just to have my clear skin back, I really would!🙂
Does anyone have any advice or tips for me? Please help!

Does anyone know if St. John's Wort interferes with the effectiveness of birth control pills? I've spent my afternoon Googling every single ingredient individually and came up empty, but I'd still appreciate some confirmation if anyone has any insight on this... Thanks. 🙂
And more broadly, what else should be avoided while on the pill? You have the standard medication lists, obviously, then St. John's Wort, and I've heard rumors about grapefruit... Is there anything else out there?

Arthur Sanchez5 said:Does anyone know if St. John's Wort interferes with the effectiveness of birth control pills? I've spent my afternoon Googling every single ingredient individually and came up empty, but I'd still appreciate some confirmation if anyone has any insight on this... Thanks. 🙂
And more broadly, what else should be avoided while on the pill? You have the standard medication lists, obviously, then St. John's Wort, and I've heard rumors about grapefruit... Is there anything else out there?

I was totally fine after drinking—honestly, shouldn't have messed with the effects at all.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I don't think there are any pills out there that are totally free, but Lindynette is $10, since the Social Security Administration covers half because the full price is like 60 bucks and change

I’ve been using Logest for ages and used to pay $23 full price for it, only to find out just recently that birth control is way cheaper over in Mexico. Now I just grab mine $12 while I'm there. 🙂 Figured I'd drop this here in case anyone actually finds it useful.

Has anyone here dealing with PCOS and high blood pressure ever tried using birth control and actually had a positive experience with it?
Regarding shopping over in Canada, if you're heading into a pharmacy there, would simply presenting our private prescription be enough to get what you need?

neonnomad21 said:Has anyone here dealing with PCOS and high blood pressure ever tried using birth control and actually had a positive experience with it?
Regarding shopping over in Canada, if you're heading into a pharmacy there, would simply presenting our private prescription be enough to get what you need?

Yeah 😉, I always grab three boxes at a time—never even thought to ask if there was some kind of limit on it.

So, I switched from Yasmin to Novynette last month. Because of that—long story short—I’ve officially finished my first pack.
I started taking them on the very first day of my period; at least, that's what my doctor told me to do.
Anyway, I'm currently in that seven-day break period, and there's absolutely nothing happening down there. I've been super disciplined about taking everything right on schedule, so pregnancy isn't even on the table.
Has anyone else dealt with their period potentially skipping during that first month after switching to a different pill?

Larry King said:So, I switched from Yasmin to Novynette last month. Because of that—long story short—I’ve officially finished my first pack.
I started taking them on the very first day of my period; at least, that's what my doctor told me to do.
Anyway, I'm currently in that seven-day break period, and there's absolutely nothing happening down there. I've been super disciplined about taking everything right on schedule, so pregnancy isn't even on the table.
Has anyone else dealt with their period potentially skipping during that first month after switching to a different pill?

Mine showed up right at the end of the break. So if you're still in your 7-day window, maybe hang tight until day 5 or 6.

On another note, does anyone know if these pills mess with blood sugar levels? I was at college today—had tea and a muffin (yeah, sugar) for breakfast, ate a standard lunch in the dining hall, and grabbed two sweet juices before heading straight to chem lab. One of the exercises was using those glucose meters, and mine read 3.4. If I hadn't eaten all day, I might say "whatever," especially since a normal range is usually around 4.1 to 5.9. But after eating breakfast AND lunch, seeing it that low... honestly, I'm stumped 😕.
Not sure if it matters, but I'm definitely not underweight—I'm about 155 lbs at 5'8". 😁

Yeah, I guess so—it’s my fourth day off, though things usually kick in earlier than this, so the delay felt a bit off...

Thanks, mostly. Feeling a little better now, I suppose. 😁

And as for that whole sugar thing... honestly, I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about. 😢

Hey ladies!
Question: how bad is it if I take 18 pills from my Lindynetta pack instead of the full 21?

The reason is kind of silly—the last time I started a pack, I had to stop mid-way because I ended up in the hospital. So I only used about three pills from that box and now I'm feeling too lazy to go buy a whole new one xD

Is it okay to just shorten my cycle like that?

So, you going to buy a new one after all?