Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

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 😁>

Well, after 29 days (including 4 days of heavy flow), the bleeding finally stopped! It's like a cloudy morning finally turning into clear sunshine. I'm so relieved that my only side effect has cleared up.

I've been on Celest since August 2011, and per my doctor's advice, I should stop taking them once I finish this pack (which is tomorrow). I’m planning to take a three-month break to see how my body reacts without any hormonal pills, as I have some health issues—unrelated to the birth control, though. So, what can I realistically expect from this hiatus? My periods used to be incredibly irregular and heavy, but they've finally stabilized thanks to the tablets. As far as I know, there isn't any supplement out there that can keep them steady during those three months off. Does anyone have experience with this? Feel free to DM me, I just really want to know what to look forward to. Thanks in advance!

Anything is possible. You might find that from the very first month, things feel just like they did before the pill—totally irregular and heavy. Or, you might fall into the second category, which is what happened to me. For a few months after stopping, everything felt normal and regular. Then, my period started getting late, then later, until eventually, it stopped altogether.

Hello. I have a question. I was wondering what happens if I don't take my pill on the 8th day after the last one, but instead take it on the 9th day? Is that actually okay, I guess?

Benjamin Robinson3 said:I've been on Celest since August 2011, and per my doctor's advice, I should stop taking them once I finish this pack (which is tomorrow). I’m planning to take a three-month break to see how my body reacts without any hormonal pills, as I have some health issues—unrelated to the birth control, though. So, what can I realistically expect from this hiatus? My periods used to be incredibly irregular and heavy, but they've finally stabilized thanks to the tablets. As far as I know, there isn't any supplement out there that can keep them steady during those three months off. Does anyone have experience with this? Feel free to DM me, I just really want to know what to look forward to. Thanks in advance!

Once I quit the pill, my cycle went right back to its old ways—completely unpredictable. My first period didn't even show up on time, and after that, they just kept getting more and more delayed.
Look, everyone's body is different, so anything could happen with you. But honestly, it's totally possible you won't see a single period during those three months. It really all comes down to how chaotic your cycle was before you ever started the medication.

So, I wanted to ask here, on this general topic regarding contraceptive pills 🙂

My gynecologist actually prescribed me Belara because of some issues with unwanted hair growth. From what I’ve read, these pills are wonderful and they seem to work wonders for seborrheic dermatitis too—which is something I struggle with as well—but there is one particular thing that has been weighing on my mind back when I was taking other brands like Yasmin, Logest, or Triquilar, I experienced these intense heart palpitations, almost like a sharp stabbing sensation in my chest . I went ahead and had an EKG done, and my doctor assured me everything looks fine. My gynecologist didn't see a connection between those symptoms and the medication, but deep down, I can't help but feel they were related...

Has anyone else here ever dealt with something similar?

I had to stop taking birth control because of my blood pressure and these constant headaches. Even though I dealt with them before 🤣, it was different this time. It’s tough to say for sure if they were directly caused by it or not. Some doctors told me they weren't linked, while others warned me they were. Honestly, I just realized on my own that things feel significantly worse when I'm on the pill, so I quit.

I think you're in the same boat—you really have to make that call for yourself.

Lisa Myers said:Anything is possible. You might find that from the very first month, things feel just like they did before the pill—totally irregular and heavy. Or, you might fall into the second category, which is what happened to me. For a few months after stopping, everything felt normal and regular. Then, my period started getting late, then later, until eventually, it stopped altogether.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Once I quit the pill, my cycle went right back to its old ways—completely unpredictable. My first period didn't even show up on time, and after that, they just kept getting more and more delayed.
Look, everyone's body is different, so anything could happen with you. But honestly, it's totally possible you won't see a single period during those three months. It really all comes down to how chaotic your cycle was before you ever started the medication.

Before the pill, I had them every month, though the timing would fluctuate anywhere from 20 to 35 days depending on the situation. I just hope I don't turn into some cranky old lady complaining about everything because my hormones are acting up.

Thomas Roberts9 [User said:]
Just checking in here to ask about tablets. General topic. 🙂

It’s me, Gin. My doctor put me on Belara because of hair growth issues. From what I've read, these pills are great—they work wonders for hair and they're actually helping with my seborrheic dermatitis too. But there's one other thing that's bugging me— Before I started drinking Kontra.tbl. (Yasmin, Logest, Triquilar), my heart was skipping beats. It felt like stabbing.Got my results back. Everything’s fine, according to the doctor. The gynecologist says it isn't related to the pills, but I'm convinced it is...

Anyone else dealt with something similar?

Started getting these skips in my cycle about a year and a half ago. Went to see a cardiologist, ran all the tests—everything came back fine. He wasn't sure if it was related to my birth control, but he suggested switching pills to see if that helps stabilize things. My gynecologist put me on Qlaira. I'm halfway through the first pack, so it’s too early to tell if there's any actual difference yet.

rowdyfox12 said:Started getting these skips in my cycle about a year and a half ago. Went to see a cardiologist, ran all the tests—everything came back fine. He wasn't sure if it was related to my birth control, but he suggested switching pills to see if that helps stabilize things. My gynecologist put me on Qlaira. I'm halfway through the first pack, so it’s too early to tell if there's any actual difference yet.

That sounds great, thank you so much!! 😘 Please let us know if you notice any changes.
I honestly feel quite conflicted about what to do next. On one hand, I'd love to stay on them because my skin looks wonderful and my cycles have been painless, but when I hear stories about everything people go through—especially when they point the finger at the pills—it honestly makes me feel a bit uneasy.😢

p.s.- wiredpilot25 thank you as well. 👍

Thomas Roberts9 said:That sounds great, thank you so much!! 😘 Please let us know if you notice any changes.
I honestly feel quite conflicted about what to do next. On one hand, I'd love to stay on them because my skin looks wonderful and my cycles have been painless, but when I hear stories about everything people go through—especially when they point the finger at the pills—it honestly makes me feel a bit uneasy.😢

p.s.- wiredpilot25 thank you as well. 👍

🤷
If this keeps up or if I get new side effects, I'm stopping. Until then, life feels a lot easier and better.😁

Need to learn the risks and listen to my body.
It's possible the heart stuff is linked to the stress I've been under lately.
Eat healthy, exercise, quit smoking, watch the coffee, try to keep stress down, and then see if skipping periods continues. It doesn't always have to be hormones.

Is it actually an issue if I’m two hours late taking my birth control? Like, instead of 8 PM, I take it at 10:30 PM...

Nah. Not at all.

Does another hormonal contraceptive have the same side effects as the pill? Like, will you get a stroke if you use something like a vaginal ring or an implant?

That’s just how it is. A hormone is a hormone. I’ve studied the exact same thing.

Has anyone switched from Qlaire to Yaz? So—am I supposed to take the first Yaz pill right after finishing the last dark red one? And when does my period actually start then?🤷

Hey ladies, I’m heading to the OB-GYN next week because I want to get on the pill, but before I go in and ask you all, I wanted to get a sense of how this actually works. Like, what criteria is she going to use to decide if I’m a candidate? What kind of bloodwork or tests should I expect to have done first? And realistically, how long is the wait from that initial appointment until I can actually walk out with a prescription in hand? 🙂

Basically, they gotta make sure you don't have any underlying risk factors that would make hormone treatments a bad idea in the first place.

They’ll sit down and go over your whole medical history—past and present—plus anything that runs in the family. Like, if there’s a history of breast cancer, blood clots, or strokes among the women in your family... stuff like that. They’ll check your blood pressure, get your weight on the scale, and ask when you last had a breast exam (or if you’ve even had one). And yeah, they’ll definitely ask about smoking, because they need to lay out how much smoking actually spikes those serious risks when you're on hormonal birth control.

Then comes the gyno exam, the Pap smear, and getting sent off for blood work. When it comes to the pill, checking your liver function is huge, but honestly, all those other lab results matter just as much.

How fast you actually get your hands on them really just boils down to how quick you can grab those test results and get back in front of the doctor.

...

Let’s be real here. I’m about 80% sure they’ll just hand over a prescription after asking if you have any underlying issues like thrombosis or whatever... without even ordering blood work. So far, only one doctor (out of five who've written me scripts) actually sent me for labs. I ended up having to go to my GP and basically beg them to just send it over.🙄
By the way, there’s a general thread on pills here, and pretty much every other type too, so maybe take a look at what people are saying there.😉

I mean, I was really just asking if there were any underlying health issues, without actually specifying what kind, you know? I didn't ask anything about my family members either. I just went ahead and had my CBC and liver panel done.