Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

So, they already have you on blood pressure medication, huh? That was my biggest mistake when I actually listened to them... Duphaston isn't a PCOS treatment. As far as I know, it does absolutely nothing for the condition itself; it just "triggers" a period. There are other ways to manage PCOS that aren't birth control, but regardless of how many people tried to convince me I needed pills (in random forums, not from actual doctors), all my research shows those are really only for when you're trying to get pregnant.

Let’s start over: so right now you aren't taking anything except antihypertensives, correct? And you started those while you were still on Yasmin, right? Why didn't you try getting off Yasmin first to see what your baseline blood pressure actually looks like? It might be perfectly fine, which would mean you're just taking blood pressure meds for no reason.

You can combine birth control and blood pressure meds if your pressure is under control. That’s the official line you'll get from your primary care doctor or any general practitioner. But what an internist, cardiologist, or neurologist would say is a whole different story. Every single specialist I talked to told me the same thing: high blood pressure plus pills... don't play games. (Like I said before). Those specialists are the ones who deal with the people suffering the consequences, not the GP.

Everyone is going to tell you the exact same thing to just try it and see what happens to your pressure while on the pill.

It’s a shame you didn't stop the pills before starting the blood pressure meds, because this way you'll never truly know if you actually need them or not.

Oh, and one more thing—why even take anything right now if your cycles are regular? It feels to me like you're going to end up taking every pill under the sun that you don't even need. Look, I'm not a doctor, it just seems that way to me...

And one more thing, for the second time—I've realized I know plenty of women around 30 who were on birth control for ages, and now they have both PCOS and high blood pressure, yet they're still taking that same birth control... though, as far as I know, nobody told them about the blood pressure issue. Is the connection between blood pressure and PCOS just a coincidence? I wouldn't say so. None of these women are overweight; some are serious athletes, others are just active, and they all watch their diet... they don't have any obvious predispositions for PCOS. 🤔

I have never used any kind of birth control in my life, not even once, but now that I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, Yasmin has been suggested to me as an option.
I actually went out of my way to see a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, a gynecologist, and my primary care doctor, all because I was determined to hear every single perspective; I simply refuse to take something I don't need, especially if the medical advice I'm getting is contradictory.
What they told me is that once I manage to get back to my original weight and get my blood pressure under control, I can stop taking the antihypertensives.
On top of that, some doctors mentioned that birth control could be part of that combination, while others insisted it shouldn't be, so I haven't walked away with any clear or intelligent guidance on how to proceed, and frankly, I’m the type of person who would much rather study the facts thoroughly than just swallow a pill without knowing exactly why.

A-ha, okay, maybe I misunderstood how everything was set up... things are finally clicking for me now. (Though they gave you Yasmin, which isn't exactly standard for PCOS.)
I still don't see the point in taking Yasmin if you're actually on track to fix everything the "natural" way.

And we can't ignore the fact that this is just a vicious cycle. Don't think that getting back to your old weight is going to solve everything; that part is yet to be seen. You might end up right back where you started—because PCOS isn't something you just cure. You drop the weight, get off the pills, and then the same thing happens all over again (if the cause is indeed PCOS, like they're telling you, it's inevitable).
Personally, I don't know anyone, and I've never heard of anyone successfully quitting antihypertensives, regardless of weight loss or other changes. We were just having a heated debate about this in the high blood pressure thread recently. Whether it's the right move or not—it seems like everyone (even every doctor) has their own take on it. Generally speaking, antihypertensives are for life. Go check out the high blood pressure thread.

Anyway, I'm done talking about this. Someone else will probably have something to add.

From what I understand about Mirena, it exclusively releases progesterone, whereas most birth control pills are "combined," meaning they pack both estrogen and progesterone. That makes Mirena a solid choice for women dealing with PCOS and a progesterone deficiency relative to their estrogen levels—which essentially applies to any woman carrying extra weight, since fat tissue actively boosts estrogen production. I’ve read that there are pills containing nothing but progesterone, but I only came across brand names that don't seem available here in the States. That’s exactly what I’m looking for, so if anyone knows of an option—please let me know!

Cerazette... look, nobody is actually advocating for PCOS, but people definitely push these for blood pressure issues. That’s at least what I gathered from reading up on it online. People with high blood pressure don't really care about the progesterone component because BP is tied to estrogen. There's an entire thread on this forum with that exact name. But those pills—aside from being less safe than combined ones—come with other nasty side effects. They are available here in the States.

Here

So, I'm on birth control—specifically Yaz—but my question is for everyone here. As an Oral Contraceptive, shouldn't the cycle be standardized to exactly 28 days, just like the textbooks say?😁
Now, I just finished my second pack. With the first one, bleeding started on day 4 of the break, but this time it hit on day 6. That makes it a 30-day cycle. Does it take some time for things to stabilize? Like, three or four months before it hits "to the minute" precision? Or am I just an outlier because my cycles were incredibly irregular before starting this? I’m mainly taking it to manage PCOS on my right ovary.

I don't think there's a strict rule saying you have to start the next pack on the exact same day or precisely every 28 days while on the pill. For me, sometimes they hit on schedule, but over the last few years, I've found it works fine to start whenever during that seven-day break. Honestly, maybe I already had PCOS back then and didn't realize it, which might have played a role... who knows. But I'm pretty sure anything within that break period is perfectly okay. Does the instruction manual actually state it has to be every 28 days?

Anthony Watson7 said:So, I'm on birth control—specifically Yaz—but my question is for everyone here. As an Oral Contraceptive, shouldn't the cycle be standardized to exactly 28 days, just like the textbooks say?😁
Now, I just finished my second pack. With the first one, bleeding started on day 4 of the break, but this time it hit on day 6. That makes it a 30-day cycle. Does it take some time for things to stabilize? Like, three or four months before it hits "to the minute" precision? Or am I just an outlier because my cycles were incredibly irregular before starting this? I’m mainly taking it to manage PCOS on my right ovary.

I used to have such messed up, irregular bleeding. It was honestly so unpredictable that there was this whole stretch where my period just completely vanished for two years straight. 😬Honestly, none of that even touched my cycle on the pill. I'm due for day 28 this Saturday, probably sometime between noon and 3 PM. 🤣

Look, my take is that your body just needs time to adjust to the pills. Your cycle will eventually level out once things settle down. For me, it took about four packs before the side effects finally quit and I felt (almost) totally used to being on Lindynette. I’ve got PCOS too, so my cysts aren't exactly tiny. 😁

I don't think your period actually needs to show up like clockwork on day 28 every single month. Honestly, as long as it stays consistent—like how it's hitting every 30 days for you right now—that's totally fine. It doesn't have to follow the textbook perfectly to be normal.

Victoria, I don't think that's in the manual.

Honestly, what kind of friend would drink an OHC the moment someone shows up? Every single time, I’d hear it like this. I was actually thrilled. After years of guessing and waiting, I'll finally be able to hear the alarm when it's time to show up.😁 Clearly, some of us are luckier than others.😁

Hello everyone 🙂>
I'm currently on day 19 of my Yaz birth control, having started right on the first day of my period. Everything feels fine, except for the fact that I haven't stopped spotting since I began 😢. It’s a bit like waiting for a new engine to settle in; I'm not overly worried since it's only the first month and my body needs time to adjust, but I don't see any signs of it stopping soon. I'd love to hear if anyone else has dealt with this. Thanks in advance 😁>

Donna Hill6 said:Hello everyone 🙂>
I'm currently on day 19 of my Yaz birth control, having started right on the first day of my period. Everything feels fine, except for the fact that I haven't stopped spotting since I began 😢. It’s a bit like waiting for a new engine to settle in; I'm not overly worried since it's only the first month and my body needs time to adjust, but I don't see any signs of it stopping soon. I'd love to hear if anyone else has dealt with this. Thanks in advance 😁>

honestly, just call your OB-GYN just to hear what they have to say—since you've been bleeding for 19 days straight 😉)

Jamie Kern20 said:honestly, just call your OB-GYN just to hear what they have to say—since you've been bleeding for 19 days straight 😉)

I did, and she checked me out, but I ended up panicking because I went to her in the morning when I was barely even bleeding, so she just sent me home.

Donna Hill6 said:I did, and she checked me out, but I ended up panicking because I went to her in the morning when I was barely even bleeding, so she just sent me home.

A friend of mine ended up bleeding for about a month straight. Eventually, things leveled out.
Basically, it takes the body roughly six months—if I recall correctly 🤔—to fully adjust to the pill, so don't sweat it too much 😉

Donna Hill6 said:I did, and she checked me out, but I ended up panicking because I went to her in the morning when I was barely even bleeding, so she just sent me home.

Honestly, don't sweat being sent home—it’s more important that you were looking out for yourself. Plus, the instructions usually say to report any changes anyway, right? At least you're calm now, and that’s really what matters most. 😉)

Donna Hill6 said:I did, and she checked me out, but I ended up panicking because I went to her in the morning when I was barely even bleeding, so she just sent me home.

This makes me think you aren't actually bleeding as much as your first post suggested. You probably just have constant spotting or an occasional small "flare-up." That’s perfectly normal. However, things should stabilize by your second pack. If you're still dealing with this during the next pack, call your OB-GYN. They will definitely switch your prescription. Did she mention that? Usually, prolonged bleeding means your hormone dosage isn't high enough.

Check this out. It's a great read for any woman on birth control.

Lisa Myers said:This makes me think you aren't actually bleeding as much as your first post suggested. You probably just have constant spotting or an occasional small "flare-up." That’s perfectly normal. However, things should stabilize by your second pack. If you're still dealing with this during the next pack, call your OB-GYN. They will definitely switch your prescription. Did she mention that? Usually, prolonged bleeding means your hormone dosage isn't high enough.

Check this out. It's a great read for any woman on birth control.

The bleeding is just enough to be handled by a heavy-duty pad. My periods used to be much heavier, but they were always regular and consistent, so this little hiccup has me a bit worried.
Basically, my plan is to push through to the end of this pack. If things don't improve during the next one, I'll ask about moving to something stronger like Yasmin, since my doctor already mentioned a higher estrogen dose if things don't settle down on their own.

Anyway, thanks everyone so much, you've really calmed my nerves😁 and the link is super helpful!

See, she also thinks you're on a low dose of hormones. By the way, I’d suggest using extra protection while you're bleeding. If you're bleeding because the hormone dose is too low, it means you might not be protected.

I'm no doctor, so I don't know which one you should switch to. Most likely something from an older generation of pills that are "stronger." Yasmin is one of those.

Lisa Myers said:See, she also thinks you're on a low dose of hormones. By the way, I’d suggest using extra protection while you're bleeding. If you're bleeding because the hormone dose is too low, it means you might not be protected.

I'm no doctor, so I don't know which one you should switch to. Most likely something from an older generation of pills that are "stronger." Yasmin is one of those.

When the hormone dose is too low, your cycle just can't regulate itself properly—that's why you get that breakthrough bleeding. As for protection, though, you should be fine. No need for extra backup.

If you want something stronger, look into Lindynette 30 instead of the 20. That should help get your cycle back on track—plus, they're pretty affordable $11 since you can pick them up with your insurance supplement.

I was on Yaz for two years and it just wasn't for me for a bunch of reasons—one being that annoying bleeding—but I've been on Lindynette 30 for about six months now and I feel way better.

She can certainly suggest which doctor she wants to see, but that really depends on the physician. Let's be honest—most of them have their favorites they like to prescribe, usually because of those kickbacks from specific manufacturers. She’ll just take whatever they hand her. It's not really her call. For instance, my partner prefers Celest if she's looking at older options, or Qlair for the newer stuff. 🤣

Lisa Myers said:She can certainly suggest which doctor she wants to see, but that really depends on the physician. Let's be honest—most of them have their favorites they like to prescribe, usually because of those kickbacks from specific manufacturers. She’ll just take whatever they hand her. It's not really her call. For instance, my partner prefers Celest if she's looking at older options, or Qlair for the newer stuff. 🤣

I know it depends on the OB-GYN, but honestly, a doctor shouldn't just refuse to prescribe something because it's covered by supplemental insurance—not if the ingredients are right for her and there aren't any medical reasons to avoid it.

Like, my doctor told me Qlaira is usually prescribed when periods are super heavy or the cramps are way worse than usual, so they'll swap it for something like Yaz—same manufacturer, similar price point. They won't just toss out random pills, though.
Basically, you always gotta ask.