Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Is there anyone else here who’s a bit "older" but still on birth control? I’m 39 and carrying some extra weight. I was on the pill for a really long time until I decided to try for a baby.
Now, I’m thinking about getting back on them just to manage my flow. I don't know if that's the smartest move, but my periods are absolutely brutal, and it just happens to line up right when I'm planning a vacation. Honestly, the whole thing with blood clots has me pretty sketched out...

Linda Ward312 said:Is there anyone else here who’s a bit "older" but still on birth control? I’m 39 and carrying some extra weight. I was on the pill for a really long time until I decided to try for a baby.
Now, I’m thinking about getting back on them just to manage my flow. I don't know if that's the smartest move, but my periods are absolutely brutal, and it just happens to line up right when I'm planning a vacation. Honestly, the whole thing with blood clots has me pretty sketched out...

So, are you still planning on having a baby, or what's the plan?

bluestag25 said:So, are you still planning on having a baby, or what's the plan?

Nah, already happened twice.🙂

Has anyone here switched from Diane 35 to something else? I’d love to hear how it went for you.

A few years back, I started on Diane 35. I stayed on them for over a year before asking my OB-GYN for something a bit milder. I moved over to Lindinet 20 for a while, but eventually, I stopped taking birth control altogether. That’s when things really went south—my skin completely broke out, becoming super oily and acne-prone all over my face. My cycle became totally unpredictable, too; sometimes it would just skip entirely. So, I decided to get back on them. My doctor actually prescribed Diane 35 again recently, but after being on them for about a year now, I’m feeling it. I'm dealing with bloating, cellulite issues, mood swings, and my libido has basically vanished. I’m terrified to stop because I don't want my skin to go crazy again, but I feel like I'm just going in circles trying to find the right pill. When I ask my doctor when this will all settle down, she just tells me it'll happen once I have kids, which isn't exactly in my plans anytime soon.

Is anyone else using Cerazette, and does anyone know where I can actually find some?
My OBGYN prescribed two boxes; I managed to grab one, but that was the last one at my local pharmacy. Of course, nobody bothered to tell me they were running out—they just kept saying "we don't have it in stock." I've hit up basically every drugstore in town, and it's the same story everywhere: "Sorry, we're out."
One private clinic said they could order them for me, but since it's not in my city, it’s just not convenient.
Then, at a private pharmacy in the city where I'm staying temporarily, they supposedly ordered them last week. I went by yesterday to pick them up, only to find out they aren't even there and apparently "can't be supplied" right now.
Now I'm totally freaking out because this whole search is dragging on, and I'm down to my very last pill with nothing to replace it. I can't switch to other combo pills because I'm still breastfeeding.
If anyone else is on these and knows why they suddenly vanished or where I can track some down, please let me know! I'd really appreciate it.

Hey everyone—so, I’ve been using Yaz for about a year now, and I just got diagnosed with rosacea. It’s mostly just this constant redness on my face—thankfully, no acne popping up at the moment. But, I did read somewhere that Yaz can actually be used as a treatment for acne... so now I’m sitting here wondering, is it possible that the pill itself actually triggered this rosacea in me?
Has anyone else gone through something similar or had any weird experiences like this?

Ladies, women, please listen to me: stay away from birth control pills. Whether you’re using them for protection or for medical reasons, it’s just not worth it!
So, I was on Yazz for three years. I started when I was 19 because my hormones were a complete mess—my cycles were crazy short, maybe 15 to 20 days, plus acne and other issues. I really wanted to fix it, so my OB-GYN recommended Yazz to help stabilize everything. Honestly, doctors love handing out prescriptions because they get those kickbacks, so don't always take their word for it! At first, things actually seemed great. My cycles leveled out, bleeding was light and painless, my skin cleared up, and my hair and nails looked amazing. Plus, I had just started seeing someone, so the pills worked perfectly as contraception.
Then, things took a turn for the worse. My hair started thinning, and the weight just kept piling on. I ended up gaining 20 pounds, even though I hadn't changed my diet or lifestyle at all.
By January 2017, I decided I had to stop. I started getting this intense chest pressure in the evenings, and I couldn't sleep or even breathe normally. Let me tell you, quitting synthetic hormones was pure hell for me. I dealt with daily panic attacks and fell into depression (I'm actually on antidepressants now). I'm not saying Yazz is the sole culprit, but it definitely played a part, and my doctor confirmed it.

So, my warm advice is to steer clear of that chemical cocktail if you can. If you need birth control, there are plenty of other ways—tracking ovulation with your basal temperature, using a diaphragm, condoms, an IUD, or just practicing abstinence! Anything is better than the pill.
And if your hormones are acting up, look into natural alternatives. For instance, my acne came back after I stopped the pills, but I’ve been using Eve's Drops and some herbal tea blends made specifically for women, and I feel so much better. I’d much rather be frugal than poison my body with all that chemistry.

Anyway, that’s just my experience, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

Is anyone actually taking Zoely? I can't find a single scrap of decent info on them online—I guess they're pretty new to the market. Even the instructions basically admit they don't have all the data yet regarding side effects... which isn't exactly comforting. I’m supposed to start them soon, so I’d really love to hear if anyone here has actually tried them and what the experience was like.
Thanks 😊

Selling some Qlaire packaging—expires 04.2021. Asking $17. Hit me up via PM if you want it.

Hey everyone!

So, I'm in my late twenties now and I've been giving some serious thought to starting hormonal contraceptives—basically, the pill. My main goal here is strictly pregnancy prevention. To give you a bit of context, I don't have PCOS, I don't deal with any major menstrual issues (like heavy bleeding or debilitating cramps), and my skin is pretty clear without any acne struggles. My cycle is quite regular, too—it usually lands somewhere between day 28 and day 32. So, yeah, the primary reason I'd consider them is just for that peace of mind regarding protection.

I was wondering if anyone here has used the pill solely for protection could share what their experience was like once they actually stopped taking them?

I'm assuming everything will be relatively smooth while I'm actually on them—since hormones tend to regulate those specific issues if someone happens to have them, right? But what I'm really curious about is the long-term impact on health. Did any of you notice or experience any new symptoms or health hiccups after you quit the pill that you hadn't dealt with before?

Thanks so much to everyone for the input.

Linda Ward312 said:Nah, already happened twice.🙂

So sorry for the late reply! Honestly, you probably already sorted everything out by now... I only asked about the pregnancy thing because—well, it feels a bit wrong to mess with your body like that—you know? Like, taking pills just to push back your period and then stopping again.
I’m a little younger than you—I’ve been on them for about 10 years total, with two six-month breaks in between, and no kids yet! Definitely check with your doctor first, obviously, but I’ve used Yasmin a few times to delay things just by staying on them through my usual break time. It’s doable—sometimes there's a little spotting, but personally, I never had any issues at all!

Timothy Chase3 said:Hey everyone!

So, I'm in my late twenties now and I've been giving some serious thought to starting hormonal contraceptives—basically, the pill. My main goal here is strictly pregnancy prevention. To give you a bit of context, I don't have PCOS, I don't deal with any major menstrual issues (like heavy bleeding or debilitating cramps), and my skin is pretty clear without any acne struggles. My cycle is quite regular, too—it usually lands somewhere between day 28 and day 32. So, yeah, the primary reason I'd consider them is just for that peace of mind regarding protection.

I was wondering if anyone here has used the pill solely for protection could share what their experience was like once they actually stopped taking them?

I'm assuming everything will be relatively smooth while I'm actually on them—since hormones tend to regulate those specific issues if someone happens to have them, right? But what I'm really curious about is the long-term impact on health. Did any of you notice or experience any new symptoms or health hiccups after you quit the pill that you hadn't dealt with before?

Thanks so much to everyone for the input.

Hi there! I’ve been on Yasmin for about 10 years now—I actually took two separate six-month breaks along the way. Every time I stopped, everything just went back to how it was before—irregular cycles, breakouts, much stronger cramps... basically, everything returned to my "pre-pill" baseline. Honestly, I can't think of any new problems or side effects that popped up specifically because I stopped using them.

Does anyone have experience using Aldactone tablets—the ones containing Spironolactone?
My endocrinologist prescribed them because my androgen levels are spiked, and I'm dealing with hair loss issues—lost about 90% of my hair over a five-year span...

Hello everyone... I’ve been on Lindynette 20 for about five and a half years now, without any breaks. Currently, I’m single and don't plan on having a partner for quite some time, so I was wondering if it would be better to stop taking the pill for maybe six months to a year, or if I should just stay on them?
Is it possible to experience side effects when you start back up on birth control after a break, and is there any risk of throwing my body's internal balance out of whack because of that gap?

Are you guys keeping your meds in the fridge with this heatwave? Not exactly a genius when it comes to this stuff, haven't done it once so far.

Does anyone happen to know if antibiotics might mess with my lab results? I have to go in for some routine blood work to monitor my pill regimen—things like fibrinogen levels, liver function tests, clotting time, cholesterol, and triglycerides. I’m supposed to get these checked out in just a couple of days, but I actually started an antibiotic today, and now I'm feeling a bit anxious about whether the numbers will be accurate because of it.

Benjamin Martin65 said:Does anyone happen to know if antibiotics might mess with my lab results? I have to go in for some routine blood work to monitor my pill regimen—things like fibrinogen levels, liver function tests, clotting time, cholesterol, and triglycerides. I’m supposed to get these checked out in just a couple of days, but I actually started an antibiotic today, and now I'm feeling a bit anxious about whether the numbers will be accurate because of it.

Yeah, those could definitely throw off your liver panels 🤷

What I'm really wondering about is whether antihistamines interfere with birth control?

I'm taking allergy meds both morning and night, and then my pill in the evening.

Plus, I take my thyroid medication and my glucose pills in the morning, so I have no idea how to juggle this whole mess...

I'm on Softinelle P.

Hey guys, I’ve been taking Softinelle P for about 3 months now. Around 2 months ago, my temp spiked to 98.6°F (it’s usually always around 97°F) and I’ve just felt totally wiped out ever since—kind of like I’m coming down with something. I’m running all sorts of tests to figure out what's going on, but since I started these pills right around then, I wanted to see if anyone else has dealt with these symptoms? I’m heading to my OBGYN this Monday to check in with my doctor, but just wanted to ask here first! 🙂

I have a question—my gynecologist actually took me off birth control pills because my cholesterol levels spiked. I recently had some follow-up blood work done, and the numbers have improved since then. On top of that, I’m taking epilepsy medication and a few other things where an unplanned pregnancy is absolutely out of the question—not that I’d want one right now, honestly. So, is it possible for me to ask my doctor to prescribe contraception again, even if it's at my own risk?

Since I haven't had kids, I'm wondering if there are other reliable options out there. I've read about things like the IUD, injections, and all that, but it's all a bit fuzzy to me. It feels like those options might be more for women who've already given birth?

Can anyone help?

Does anyone here actually happen to be on Cerazette or maybe Tangolitu—you know, the desogestrel kind?