Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Maybe it would be wise to run some additional tests—and perhaps hold off on the pills for now—because this whole business with your INR levels doesn't sound particularly good to me.
There’s no need to spiral into a panic just yet, but then again, we shouldn't play fast and loose with this kind of thing—as Frigg would say.
We'll just have to wait and see what those follow-up results look like.

At the gynecologist, everything checked out—no cysts, ovaries look fine, and the pills are working for me. I think I just overdid it with my workouts these past three weeks. I was prescribed some folic acid to drink, and I took two Yaza pills yesterday evening and one this morning. I’m going to stay on track, but I still have this bleeding... 🤷

Has anyone actually tried those Adexa pills before? Like, side effects, what they cost, or just anything at all... I've been searching all over the web but I can't find a single thing about them anywhere... 🤷

Walter Ramirez3 said:At the gynecologist, everything checked out—no cysts, ovaries look fine, and the pills are working for me. I think I just overdid it with my workouts these past three weeks. I was prescribed some folic acid to drink, and I took two Yaza pills yesterday evening and one this morning. I’m going to stay on track, but I still have this bleeding... 🤷

It'll probably clear up after your period hits.
For me, during my first month hitting the gym about five times a week, I had that same spotting—plus my period actually showed up early—but once that passed, I didn't have any more issues all month, and I'm finishing my last pill tomorrow. I definitely pushed myself too hard with the workouts and diet combo, but I think my body's finally adjusted now.
🙂

Help needed.. I've been on Logest for almost two years now. Aside from some occasional breakthrough bleeding, I haven't had any issues. I get my blood work done regularly, but for the last three days, I've been feeling slight dizziness, a strange sensation in my neck and the back of my head, some mild tingling in my left arm, and just generally feeling weak. Has anyone else dealt with this? Could it be related to the Logest?

Kenneth Brown5 said:I went in yesterday.
My GP isn't worried at all; she actually said she wouldn't even react to it and would just tell me to keep taking the Logest.
But since I was clearly stressing out, she did tell me we'd run the tests again in a week just to be safe.

INR 0.88 (Th 2.0-3.5)—that part definitely isn't right, but my enzymes, metabolites, and hematology look fine.

Look, if you haven't realized this yet, that INR is perfectly normal for someone who isn't on anticoagulant therapy. That range they listed? That's specifically for people taking Warfarin—that's what they monitor in those patients. If everything else in your panel is looking good, there really is no reason to stress out. 🙂

Aaron Palmer4 said:Look, if you haven't realized this yet, that INR is perfectly normal for someone who isn't on anticoagulant therapy. That range they listed? That's specifically for people taking Warfarin—that's what they monitor in those patients. If everything else in your panel is looking good, there really is no reason to stress out. 🙂

That’s basically what my primary care doctor told me too—not using those exact medical terms, obviously, but she just kept reassuring me that everything was fine because I was totally spiraling at the time.
She also gave me a referral to get the labs re-run after ten days, and those results came back perfectly normal.

Do you happen to know anything more specific about how this works?
And if these numbers are actually fine, why did my OBGYN react so strongly that she had me stop taking my birth control right away?

Kenneth Brown5 said:That’s basically what my primary care doctor told me too—not using those exact medical terms, obviously, but she just kept reassuring me that everything was fine because I was totally spiraling at the time.
She also gave me a referral to get the labs re-run after ten days, and those results came back perfectly normal.

Do you happen to know anything more specific about how this works?
And if these numbers are actually fine, why did my OBGYN react so strongly that she had me stop taking my birth control right away?

Well, we don't actually know what those initial lab results looked like, do we? If all that worried her was an INR of 0.88, then maybe she totally misread the report. 🤷
The report probably listed the PT (prothrombin time) as well, which is how they calculate the INR—and if that was normal (which it should have been, given your INR is 0.88), I honestly have no clue what set her off.
PT is basically just the time it takes for your blood to clot; a normal range is usually around 11 to 13.5 seconds—though that varies depending on which lab you use, like if you were at Quest Diagnostics versus Labcorp. The INR is calculated by taking that PT value and dividing it by a standard "normal" PT. So, a healthy range is typically 0.8 to 1.1—makes sense, right? 🙂 For people on anticoagulant therapy, though, they aim for a target of 2 to 3 because they *want* the blood to take longer to clot, so that's why you see that wider range on the charts.
They also measure aPTT, which was likely perfectly fine for you too.
From what I can gather, you were dealing with spotting, which is just a standard side effect of birth control pills... if it really bothers you, I’d suggest switching to a different brand and seeing if it still happens. Otherwise, the pill does increase the risk of thrombosis—which would shorten your PT and lower your INR—but your symptoms don't seem to have anything to do with that, so there’s really zero reason to panic here.
I’m just sitting here wondering what on earth spooked your gynecologist. 😕

Hey everyone,

So, I just took my first dose of birth control last night—it happened to be the first day of my period—so now I’m just sitting here waiting to turn into a werewolf or some kind of monster. 😁 Since this is my first time dealing with hormonal pills and I’m feeling quite a bit of pain, I guess it might be okay to take something like Advil? Also, I have an E. coli infection in my urine, so I wonder if it’s safe to mix cranberry or uva ursi teas with these pills. Third, has anyone ever taken anything specifically to calm down while on them? I’m not really the type, but since I’ll probably need to given some tough situations coming up, I guess there shouldn't be any issues? Thanks!

Neofen—and honestly, most standard over-the-counter painkillers—should be fine to take, along with some cranberry juice or uva ursi tea.
Regarding anything intended for calming down, I’d suggest really digging into the instructions on the packaging (which, frankly, is good advice for pretty much any medication you're using).
As a general rule, if there isn't a specific warning listed, you should be alright. If something is known to interfere with how your pills work—like certain antibiotics, for instance—they will explicitly state that right there on the label.

I've been on Belari since the start of the week—and honestly, aside from that first day where I felt all achy, super cranky, and had this nagging little headache, I haven't really dealt with any other side effects
The only thing on my mind right now is: how long can a period actually last? Because at this rate, it feels like it’s never going to end, you know?
Also, quick question—is it okay if I take Belmiran alongside it? I need it every now and then just to deal with stress levels

quietbison86 said:I've been on Belari since the start of the week—and honestly, aside from that first day where I felt all achy, super cranky, and had this nagging little headache, I haven't really dealt with any other side effects
The only thing on my mind right now is: how long can a period actually last? Because at this rate, it feels like it’s never going to end, you know?
Also, quick question—is it okay if I take Belmiran alongside it? I need it every now and then just to deal with stress levels

Man, my very first cycle lasted 16 days... and during those 16 days, I ended up visiting my gynecologist three different times! Each time, she just kept insisting everything was totally normal because my body was basically reacting to the shock of it all—just telling me to take care of myself, eat enough, and whatnot. After that whole ordeal, everything went back to being fine; all my subsequent cycles were just like they usually are, nothing crazy.

As for the Belmiran thing, you should probably dig through the actual instructions for both the medication and the Belara—there's gotta be something written in there somewhere.

Kimberly Ross3 said:Man, my very first cycle lasted 16 days... and during those 16 days, I ended up visiting my gynecologist three different times! Each time, she just kept insisting everything was totally normal because my body was basically reacting to the shock of it all—just telling me to take care of myself, eat enough, and whatnot. After that whole ordeal, everything went back to being fine; all my subsequent cycles were just like they usually are, nothing crazy.

As for the Belmiran thing, you should probably dig through the actual instructions for both the medication and the Belara—there's gotta be something written in there somewhere.

Yeah, I took the second dose last night, and today—which is the third day of my cycle—is a total mess. This stuff shows no sign of letting up on the intensity. Oh well, I guess it's fine, provided I don't run into any other side effects.🙂

Gary Rivera2 said:Yeah, I took the second dose last night, and today—which is the third day of my cycle—is a total mess. This stuff shows no sign of letting up on the intensity. Oh well, I guess it's fine, provided I don't run into any other side effects.🙂

Fingers crossed for you! I actually got lucky and never dealt with side effects, though honestly, Yaz just messes with my head every time it arrives, so I'm not exactly a huge fan of it lately...

I totally get it, though—it’s hard not to worry when everything is so unpredictable, and the heavy bleeding is just exhausting, truly... but it’s all going to be okay! Hang in there. 😁

I’ve been on Loestrin for over a year now. I hit some breakthrough bleeding—about 10 pills before finishing the pack. It wasn't heavy, but it lasted almost until the end. I took my last pill on Thursday, and I still haven't started my period. Usually, it shows up by the third day after the last pill, but so far, it's just brownish discharge. Does anyone know if these breakthrough bleeds can mess with the volume or quality of your actual period?

Kimberly Ross3 said:Man, my very first cycle lasted 16 days... and during those 16 days, I ended up visiting my gynecologist three different times! Each time, she just kept insisting everything was totally normal because my body was basically reacting to the shock of it all—just telling me to take care of myself, eat enough, and whatnot. After that whole ordeal, everything went back to being fine; all my subsequent cycles were just like they usually are, nothing crazy.

As for the Belmiran thing, you should probably dig through the actual instructions for both the medication and the Belara—there's gotta be something written in there somewhere.

It’s day 12 for me today and it’s still going—actually, it kind of picked up again. It went back to being full strength after that weird brownish phase, I guess. Hopefully it’ll finally wrap up in a couple of days because, honestly, I’m just exhausted from dealing with this.🙄

There is absolutely nothing written on either Belmiran or Belar about this. I know I shouldn't take them if I'm on St. John's Wort, and while Belmiran doesn't have that, it definitely has some other ingredient in there...🤷

I've been on birth control for about a year now, and during my last check-up, my OBGYN told me I have a little lesion on my cervix, though everything else looks clear. He thinks my body isn't handling the hormones well—though honestly, I haven't felt any side effects, so it’s hard to say if he’s right or if this is just a random thing. Either way, he wants me to stop taking them. I'm low-key panicking because the idea of getting pregnant is terrifying, my periods are totally irregular, and I really don't want to deal with that whole process again. Plus, the thought of going through hormone withdrawal symptoms sounds like a nightmare. What can I even do here? Should I just go get a second opinion from another doctor?

So, because of these infections, I ended up on Ninur :/ My doctor told me it's fine as long as I don't take Ninur and Belara at the exact same time—just that I should take the Ninur a bit earlier... But now I'm worried about whether I need backup protection. My GP mentioned that since Ninur isn't an antibiotic, but more like Uroseptik, it might not necessarily interfere with the efficacy... Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks 🙂

I’ve been on QLaira for about four months now. I’ve been dealing with all sorts of side effects, but I was wondering if anyone else taking birth control experiences bloating, that heavy, overly full feeling in the stomach and intestines, or even constipation? Just generally speaking, any major digestive system disruptions?

Hey, just wanted to clear things up right off the bat so there’s no confusion—I’m a girl, just posting from my boyfriend's account. So, basically, for like two
years now, I've been on Lindynette 20 and everything's been totally fine, super satisfied with them. But yesterday, I totally blanked and missed my usual time (usually around 10 or 11 PM), and I didn't realize until this morning at 8 AM, so I just took it as soon as I
remembered. The instructions say if you miss a pill but take it within a 12-hour window, you're good, but if it's been more than 12 hours, you need backup protection. Anyway, my boyfriend and I were using a condom, but the thing actually broke and he finished inside me... so now I'm spiraling, wondering if there's any chance I could get pregnant. I did take the pill within that 12-hour gap, but I'm still feeling pretty paranoid about the whole thing... help me out here.. 😢