Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

I don't get it. How are they so weak? 🤷
They just aren't hitting the mark for you, or what?

Perhaps it's an insufficient dose of hormones? They aren't regulating the cycle properly—meaning, are they experiencing breakthrough bleeding?
Wouldn't that be the likely culprit? 🤷
If so, Lindynette 30 shouldn't be doing the trick—those ought to be the "stronger" pills.
At any rate, a gynecologist should be able to suggest some alternatives; you really ought to ask them directly.

quietfox384 said:Perhaps it's an insufficient dose of hormones? They aren't regulating the cycle properly—meaning, are they experiencing breakthrough bleeding?
Wouldn't that be the likely culprit? 🤷
If so, Lindynette 30 shouldn't be doing the trick—those ought to be the "stronger" pills.
At any rate, a gynecologist should be able to suggest some alternatives; you really ought to ask them directly.

Yeah, exactly! That’s the thing! 🙂
I just wanted to get a feel for what other options are out there and see how the prices look before I actually head in for an appointment. Because besides that...

Yeah, it's definitely a struggle. I just wanted to do a little homework first, you know? Figure out what my choices are and get an idea of the price range before seeing the doctor, because honestly, these meds are getting seriously expensive! 😢

I need some advice here.
My periods used to be completely irregular, even though my hormone levels were supposedly perfect. To fix this, my gynecologist put me on hormone replacement therapy, which finally stabilized my cycles.
Later on, she switched me over to birth control—specifically Diane. Once I stopped taking them, my hormones went haywire again. I’ve experienced a significant increase in body hair, which has been incredibly depressing for me.😢 I have now transitioned to a different doctor who is planning to prescribe a different type of contraceptive.
Is it actually possible for the hair growth to decrease if I switch to a different brand of birth control?😢

neonridge91 said:Yeah, exactly! That’s the thing! 🙂
I just wanted to get a feel for what other options are out there and see how the prices look before I actually head in for an appointment. Because besides that...

Yeah, it's definitely a struggle. I just wanted to do a little homework first, you know? Figure out what my choices are and get an idea of the price range before seeing the doctor, because honestly, these meds are getting seriously expensive! 😢

Go with Lindynette 30 then. Those ones pack a bit more punch.

Alright, look, I’m not entirely sure if this discussion has already popped up somewhere else, but I really need some clarity on this. My gynecologist is out on vacation right now and his office hours have shifted, so getting hold of him is basically impossible at the moment.

Basically, I’ve been on Logest pills for a few months now, and I was supposed to kick off a new pack this past Friday, but I just didn't manage to pick them up in time. Since tomorrow is Sunday, I'm wondering if I can just grab them on Monday and start my next cycle normally on Tuesday, or if I actually need to take a break first. I'm fully aware about needing extra protection, obviously... thanks so much to everyone for any help you can give!

As if you could actually manage to get an appointment with a gynecologist who isn't currently out on vacation somewhere

Every single pill box comes with a medication guide. You know the one—that massive sheet of paper folded down into a tiny, frustrating little square. What exactly is written on that thing?

Has any girl here dealt with stopping birth control pills halfway through a pack? I’ve been on Lindynette 20 for about nine months now, but because of some medical stuff, I had to stop right after the 8th pill in my current blister pack. Should I expect my withdrawal bleeding to behave normally—like hitting within four days of stopping—and will it last as long as it usually does? Thanks!

Linda Wright6 said:Has any girl here dealt with stopping birth control pills halfway through a pack? I’ve been on Lindynette 20 for about nine months now, but because of some medical stuff, I had to stop right after the 8th pill in my current blister pack. Should I expect my withdrawal bleeding to behave normally—like hitting within four days of stopping—and will it last as long as it usually does? Thanks!

That happened to me in a super similar way—I actually just checked my calendar to be sure—and yeah, I was taken off the pill mid-pack for medical reasons too (I was on Trinovum for about 8 months at the time) back in November 2011. I had my regular period "on schedule" at the start of that month and it lasted 4 days, but once they stopped me on the pills—I got it again on Oct 19th—and it lasted 7 days. It wasn't even particularly heavier or different from my usual flow (my average is usually 5-7 days anyway).

Basically, yeah, I think you should get it as soon as you stop taking them, no matter how many pills you managed to get through before quitting.

If I start taking my pills on a day of the cycle that isn't the first through the fifth, is there any actual risk, or am I just looking at losing my protection for the very first pill?🍿

Hey. I was wondering if it’s actually possible to skip my period twice in a row using birth control?
So, I’m currently on Novynette, and what I really want to know is if I can just bypass the break this month AND the next—basically skipping the withdrawal bleed entirely by jumping straight from one pack into the next without stopping.
The manual says it's doable, but it doesn't explicitly say if I can pull that off two months back-to-back.
I really don't want to end up dealing with any unexpected medical headaches because of this.
I actually tried skipping my period once before, and everything seemed totally fine... but doing it two times in a row has me feeling a bit uneasy.
It’s just that I have some stuff going on and I really need to make this work.🙄

Hey, I lost my Wednesday pill—it dropped somewhere and I can't find it🙂 so I just took Thursday's instead. Am I still protected? I'll be one pill short, meaning I won't take it on the last day, so my period will just show up a day early, right?🙂

That's right.

I’m currently taking Belara, and I just finished my third box. They're alright, I guess... I haven't really dealt with any major side effects, except for some cellulite... My skin feels smooth, and it seems like my hair grows back slower now. The only thing is that I bleed a little here and there... maybe it'll stop eventually, who knows. But honestly, the biggest issue is all in my head... I just absolutely cannot bring myself to decide or let my boyfriend do it "inside." I have this nagging fear stuck in my brain that I'll end up being part of that 1% where things go wrong... Ugh... 🤷

What do you all think—is it actually okay to take the pill a few hours earlier than usual? The instructions are a complete mess of conflicting explanations regarding late doses, but what I really want to know is if anything catastrophic happens if I just take it 3 or 4 hours ahead of schedule for a single day...

Angela Morgan4 said:I need some advice here.
My periods used to be completely irregular, even though my hormone levels were supposedly perfect. To fix this, my gynecologist put me on hormone replacement therapy, which finally stabilized my cycles.
Later on, she switched me over to birth control—specifically Diane. Once I stopped taking them, my hormones went haywire again. I’ve experienced a significant increase in body hair, which has been incredibly depressing for me.😢 I have now transitioned to a different doctor who is planning to prescribe a different type of contraceptive.
Is it actually possible for the hair growth to decrease if I switch to a different brand of birth control?😢

Oh my god, what a disaster with those Diane pills... 😢 Are you absolutely sure your hormones were actually perfect before all this? I ended up taking Diane for the hair issues, and later transitioned to Yasmin.

granitepilot5 said:What do you all think—is it actually okay to take the pill a few hours earlier than usual? The instructions are a complete mess of conflicting explanations regarding late doses, but what I really want to know is if anything catastrophic happens if I just take it 3 or 4 hours ahead of schedule for a single day...

Nothing bad is going to happen—you're perfectly fine to take it that way.

So, looking at my e-prescription for these pills, it says they can be picked up 7 days early or within 15 days after the date listed. Has anyone actually tried grabbing their meds before the official date? Does it cause any drama or pushback at the pharmacy counter? I’ve got a trip coming up for about 20 days, and I’m heading out roughly 10 days before the date on the script, so I’m wondering if I can just get them ahead of schedule.

Also, quick question on how the renewal process works—I was given this prescription for 6 months. Can I just give my sister a call and have her extend it, or am I stuck booking an appointment and showing up in person? I don't have my next check-up until after New Year's, so it seems pretty pointless to trek down there early if a quick phone call does the trick.

For our regular patients, we can sometimes make an exception and release medication early in extreme circumstances—like yours—but we simply aren't allowed to process a prescription before its official start date.
Basically, we’re operating on a handshake basis here, trusting that you won't pick up the meds early and then try to grab them again once you arrive at your destination.

As for getting a brand-new prescription, you'll need to coordinate that directly with your doctor.