Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

I switched from Yaz to Lindy, mostly because of the price, but also because of all the headaches I was getting, plus my libido totally tanked. Overall, my skin is fine, nothing really changed—maybe a pimple or two over a few months, but that happened on Yaz too. But hey, that’s just me, I guess. Everyone reacts differently.🙂

Hey ladies, does anyone have experience taking birth control when there’s a predisposition for thrombosis? My mom and grandmother both dealt with blood clots, so what does that actually mean for me? Am I strictly forbidden from using the pill? I was mainly looking into it to help manage these agonizing menstrual cramps.

Apparently, my doctor might refer me for some kind of blood clotting test to determine whether I'm even an option for hormonal contraceptives or if it's a hard no.
Does anyone here know much about how that process works?
Thanks so much for any insight you can share.

I’m actually dealing with something very similar right now—it’s all because of the strokes we've had in my family. I was on birth control pills for a full year, mostly because my old gynecologist wouldn't take the risk seriously at all.
My new doctor finally stepped up, took me off the pill, and sent me for blood clotting tests.
Two of my parameters came back abnormal, so she referred me to the specialists over at Mayo Clinic for more testing; I'm currently waiting for my appointment, which isn't until September.
There’s a chance I might be able to go back on them eventually, but I have to get these results cleared first—we'll just have to see how it goes.
When you see your gynecologist, please—make sure you mention the thrombosis history and insist on those specific tests. Without doing that, they shouldn't even let you start taking them.

Quick question for those of you seeing private nutritionists. When you go back after six months for a new meal plan, do they charge you extra? Like an additional consultation fee or something.😁
I really don't feel like handing over $67 just for the five minutes I'll be sitting there with her.☕

I just can't seem to find a price list for birth control pills anywhere online... could you guys suggest some options that cost no more than $70 $27 and follow the 21 days on, 7 days off schedule? Thanks!

coppernomad22 said:I just can't seem to find a price list for birth control pills anywhere online... could you guys suggest some options that cost no more than $70 $27 and follow the 21 days on, 7 days off schedule? Thanks!

So, for example, I take Trinovum—the price for a three-month supply (that's 3 packs x 21 pills) was a little over $10, though nowadays I just pick them up for free at the pharmacy via my insurance. A single pack used to be around $5.00, and honestly, I was pretty shocked by how cheap they were when I first started, but they've worked perfectly for me. As for other brands, I really have no clue about their pricing or packaging styles—hopefully, another girl jumps in here and gives you some suggestions so you can find what works best for you.

Still no response from John Thomas2 regarding my questions above?😢

Thomas Brown8 said:Hey ladies! 🙂 This is my first time popping in here, and I actually have a quick question... So, I usually take Logest, and the standard price is normally $27. But then, just the day before yesterday, my aunt was at the pharmacy and they sold them to her for only $14?! Now I'm wondering—are there any other girls here taking this who got it at that lower price, or is it possible she just got mischarged? 😁 😁

Honestly, I’ve been picking mine up in Mexico for a while now—prices over there are usually sitting around $12. Maybe they dropped the price because of some new trade agreement or something? 🤷

Anthony Watson7 said:Quick question for those of you seeing private nutritionists. When you go back after six months for a new meal plan, do they charge you extra? Like an additional consultation fee or something.😁
I really don't feel like handing over $67 just for the five minutes I'll be sitting there with her.☕

Nah, they don't charge for it. 😉

Hey everyone,

I was wondering how you guys handle keeping your pills safe during this insane heatwave? Like, are we all just shoving everything in the fridge now or what?
I’m getting a little anxious because my packaging says to keep them under 86 degrees, but honestly, with how much I'm running around town lately, I'm constantly carrying them with me, and it's way hotter than that out there. Does anyone know if they actually lose their potency, or is that warning mostly just about not leaving them sitting in direct sunlight on a windowsill?
I’d love to hear from the folks here who have been on these meds for a while—have any of you run into actual issues when you haven't been perfectly strict with those storage instructions?

Nicole Jackson6 said:Hey everyone,

I was wondering how you guys handle keeping your pills safe during this insane heatwave? Like, are we all just shoving everything in the fridge now or what?
I’m getting a little anxious because my packaging says to keep them under 86 degrees, but honestly, with how much I'm running around town lately, I'm constantly carrying them with me, and it's way hotter than that out there. Does anyone know if they actually lose their potency, or is that warning mostly just about not leaving them sitting in direct sunlight on a windowsill?
I’d love to hear from the folks here who have been on these meds for a while—have any of you run into actual issues when you haven't been perfectly strict with those storage instructions?

I was actually thinking about this the other day.🙂
I've been on the pill for four years and always just keep them in my wallet since I'm rarely home when it's time to take them. So far, zero problems.
Honestly, if I tried keeping them in the fridge, I'd probably forget to take them entirely, or something would spill on them.
Obviously, I don't leave them sitting in direct sunlight.😁

That’s exactly why I always carry them on me, especially since I’m constantly on the move and don't exactly have a fridge within arm's reach at all times...
But honestly, I’ve been low-key panicking lately seeing my Labello melt right inside my bag... and let's just say we aren't exactly big on using extra protection over here...

Last year, I kept them in my room the entire time—and let me tell you, it was sweltering in there. My thermometer was reading nearly 86 degrees, yet they were perfectly fine. To be honest, I don't think they’re actually that sensitive to the heat; they should be just fine.
Of course, I'm not talking about leaving them out under the direct glare of the midday sun, but I really don't believe this would cause any issues.

So, I have a question regarding the timing for my pills...

If I’ve been taking them at, I don't know, let's say every night at nine because that seemed like the easiest way to make sure I didn't forget, I suppose it wouldn't really matter if I shifted it by an hour every day? I mean, you can never be too careful, I guess. 😁.

It feels kind of ridiculous asking such a basic thing here, almost like I'm expecting someone to laugh at me, though I have a feeling someone in this group might actually know the answer.

briskcobra44 said:So, I have a question regarding the timing for my pills...

If I’ve been taking them at, I don't know, let's say every night at nine because that seemed like the easiest way to make sure I didn't forget, I suppose it wouldn't really matter if I shifted it by an hour every day? I mean, you can never be too careful, I guess. 😁.

It feels kind of ridiculous asking such a basic thing here, almost like I'm expecting someone to laugh at me, though I have a feeling someone in this group might actually know the answer.

Honestly, nothing bad will happen—don't stress about it. You can definitely shift your dose by an hour or two. It doesn't have to be down to the exact minute every single day; for instance, if you usually take them at 9:00, it won't hurt anything if you end up taking them at 10:00 or 11:00 once in a while.

coppernomad22 said:I just can't seem to find a price list for birth control pills anywhere online... could you guys suggest some options that cost no more than $70 $27 and follow the 21 days on, 7 days off schedule? Thanks!

I’d definitely suggest Logest...

Hey everyone—does anyone here have actual experience comparing second-generation pills with the fourth-gen stuff? Specifically, I’m looking for perspectives on the difference between the ones where you take them for 21 days and then have a 7-day break versus the 24/4 cycle. I know everyone’s reaction is going to be super different, and I’ve already scrolled through most of the threads about Yaz and Loestrin (like the differences between generations 2 and 4), but it seems like most women have only ever used one type or the other, rather than actually switching between both...

Thomas Collins60 said:Hey everyone—does anyone here have actual experience comparing second-generation pills with the fourth-gen stuff? Specifically, I’m looking for perspectives on the difference between the ones where you take them for 21 days and then have a 7-day break versus the 24/4 cycle. I know everyone’s reaction is going to be super different, and I’ve already scrolled through most of the threads about Yaz and Loestrin (like the differences between generations 2 and 4), but it seems like most women have only ever used one type or the other, rather than actually switching between both...

What specifically are you looking for?

I had quite a few side effects while on Yaz. For the first three months, there was some mild nausea—though that passed. After that, it was generally a suppressed appetite, mood swings I'd never dealt with before, irritability, zero libido, and depression. The inflamed veins were my biggest issue—my breasts also doubled in size and felt hard as rocks. After six months, I developed some cellulite—which cleared up on its own once I stopped—plus I suddenly dropped about 5 pounds because I lost all that water weight.

On the plus side, the menstrual cramps vanished, my face looked flawless, my skin was perfect, and I didn't have to wash my hair every single day.

When I switched to Loestrin—I didn't even take a break between Yaz and Loestrin—all the side effects stopped except for the inflamed veins, which is why I gave up on pills entirely. Everything was fine aside from the veins, though my complexion took a slight dip again.

I should mention—my doctor didn't even bother sending me for hormone testing before prescribing the Yaz.

From what I've gathered, generally speaking, if triphasic pills don't work for you, it's likely that monophasic ones will—and vice versa.

So, I’ve been on Logest for years now, and honestly, I’m pretty satisfied overall—especially since starting on the pill. I tried Cilest and Yasmin before switching to Logest, but I ended up dealing with a yeast infection right after, which was definitely a downside. Plus, my libido feels a little lower than it used to be, so that’s another minor strike against it. But looking at the big picture, Logest works well enough for me. My doctor did suggest trying Yaz if I wanted to get ahead of those infections, and I even got a prescription, but after doing a bit of Googling, I didn't exactly find the glowing reviews I was hoping for—so now I'm feeling a bit unsure. Looking back through my medical records, it looks like I also tried Triqular once, though clearly not for very long because I can't for the life of me remember when I took it or why I stopped.

You can't really know how they'll affect you until you actually try them. 🤷
They worked perfectly for my sister—and honestly, you can find horror stories about just about any pill if you Google hard enough.

As for yeast infections, I know some women deal with those right when they start birth control or switch brands due to the hormonal shifts. So, I assume it works both ways.