Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

.. So, I was supposed to start a fresh pack yesterday 😵 but not only did I miss my dose last night 😵 I actually forgot to buy them in the first place 😵 😵 😵 and this is the second month in a row I've messed up... I used to take them on Mondays, then last time it was Tuesday—now I’m looking at Wednesday? 😵

... would it be okay if I started the next pack on a Monday instead? That would be two days early.

.. By the time it clicked, I was already out and about. My friend goes, "Oh, just take some of [Friend's Name]'s..." and I told him, "No way, she's on different meds, you can't mix those." And he's just like, "Wait, they aren't all the same?" 😕 .. Honestly, it's wild how little guys know about this stuff! 🎉

I’ve been on Triquilar since May. No side effects to report, other than the good ones—periods are practically painless and much shorter now.

Now, I have a different question for anyone who can weigh in..
Here’s the situation: I’m currently taking Klavocin antibiotics, and according to the instructions, they can decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. It isn't a pressing issue for me right now, seeing as sex isn't really on my radar at the moment 😁 ...but I am wondering: when will my Triquilar be reliable again? Once I finish the course of antibiotics, will everything return to normal, or should I bother using backup contraception for a while afterward?
Thanks 😎

Ugh, so bummed... I was reading somewhere that birth control pills actually block estrogen or something... maybe I totally misread it though—not that it surprises me given my luck... but seriously—if you start taking the pill in the evening when your period actually shows up in the early morning hours, does that even work? Like, isn't the estrogen already out there doing its thing?

I need some advice!

I took Cilest for four years before stopping a year ago. Physically, I dealt with frequent infections, and mentally? Don't even get me started. My libido hit zero; I felt completely numb.😢 Then there were the mood swings...
Once I stopped taking them, it felt like waking up from a long winter sleep.
Since my cycle is irregular now, my gynecologist is suggesting Logest. She claims it has much lower hormone levels. Honestly, going back to pills would be way more convenient—it’s just stressful when my period is a month late, even if I am being careful... so I'm thinking about it.😲
Does anyone have experience with Logest, specifically regarding libido and stuff like that?

Karen Anderson5 said:Anyone here actually used Logest? Specifically looking for info on how it affects libido and stuff like that. Any insights would be appreciated.

Look, nothing's actually happening with me. I’m just like I was before—still on the pills. 😎

I started on Logest just a few days ago. I know it's way too early to talk about the full impact, but the one thing I’ve noticed so far is that my period was completely painless 🙂 I'm really hoping it stays this way 😛

I really hope you take the time to sit down and have a serious consultation with your gynecologist regarding starting birth control pills. Speaking from my own personal experience, I truly believe it’s vital to get some blood work done—specifically liver function tests—before you even think about popping those tablets, because let's be honest, they aren't suitable for everyone. I've seen cases where breasts become enlarged, or some girls suddenly deal with intense unwanted hair growth... It is just so important to get those blood levels checked first. That being said, I am personally a fan of the pill, as it worked wonders for me in regulating my cycle, which used to be a total mess...
Greetings

You haven't even made it through two posts out of these 17 pages, have you?

wiredtrucker3 said:I started taking Logest on the first day of my period, and now I've been bleeding for 10 days straight.
Has this happened to anyone else?
😠 I honestly can't deal anymore; five days is just way too long.

Yeah. And I was on vacation! A full, grueling 17 days and nights... which is funny because I didn't even start taking them until July..😵

So, the first pack: the bleeding lasts 17 days. I’m exhausted from constant spotting, falling into this weird lethargy, and basically accepting my fate that this might never end. Then suddenly (once I got back from the beach😁), it stops. I get five lovely days of nothing, then it starts right up again (regularly, exactly one day after finishing the last Logest pill). Okay, I think I can handle that. But then:

The second pack: I actually start two days before the last Logest pill, but the duration is normal, so I naively hope things are finally stabilizing..

The third pack (yeah, this is where the real fun begins😁): I start bleeding on the 11th day of taking Logest. It lasts 10 days, then I get THREE days of peace, and then it started again yesterday (consistently two days after finishing the pack).

To make this whole ordeal even more entertaining, around the middle of this third pack, I started waking up every single night with these horrific cramps in my calves (both at the same time!).😲 By that point, once the initial shock wore off, I managed to master this ridiculous, lightning-fast stretching routine that provides instant relief, though I also started fearing for my life. I called my doctor, who told me to finish this pack first (which I did, in a state of mild disbelief/panic) and then come in for Triquilar. I'm heading in on Monday to start a new, hopefully brighter chapter in my contraceptive saga😁

Honestly, I would have tossed these damn pills out the window immediately if they hadn't saved me from hellish menstrual cramps. They completely wiped out my lifelong struggle—that constant drilling sensation in my ovaries—so efficiently that I went from needing about six tablets of Advil, Tylenol, or Voltaren per cycle down to zero. So, for that, I guess I'll stick with Logest for now. 🙏

p.s. My breasts haven't grown even a millimeter, obviously.🙂

cosmicridge5 said:If I had taken about six tablets of Advil, Aleve, or Tylenol all at once to manage my cycle, I’d be completely wiped out right now.

I’ve been cycling through Buscopan and Voltaren, and lately, I honestly couldn't make it through a couple of days without tearing through an entire box of Ibuprofen just to stay functional. 😢 Things are finally starting to look up with Triquilar.

It’s just these mood swings that are absolutely killing me. 😈 I mean, he’s always been kind of moody to begin with, but lately, he’s been snapping at absolutely everything. 😳

I’m actually pretty satisfied with how things turned out. 😎

I decided to get off the pill because the side effects were just too much—things like nausea, irritability, fatigue, and feeling totally unmotivated about everything. Plus, I had constant spotting for almost a month straight... honestly, I felt like I wanted to kill everyone around me!!!!!!! Now I'm on Loestrin (the latest low-dose hormone pills), and they have been amazing!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone else is dealing with similar issues, you should definitely look into switching to Loestrin.

I'm basically looking for some kind of protection for just three days a month😁

It feels so stupid having to deal with pills just because of a two or three-day window... but honestly, Josh is even more of a pain when it comes to "dealing" with condoms and all that other junk—like lube and stuff—that just totally kills the vibe...

I mean... screw sex if you're stuck using a condom, and screw stopping everything just to take off the condom, then go at it, then have to put it back on again... all that spontaneous energy just goes straight down the drain... 😍

And taking a pill three days later😁 just doesn't make any sense... I mean, sure, maybe once in a while... but trying to use that as actual birth control is just plain dumb...

Oh yeah, and I can't exactly pick which three days of the month they happen anyway😁

So... help a girl out😎

Thinking about it deeply

So, wait—does my period actually start two days after the last pill? But isn't that basically the start of the cycle? From what I gathered, you're supposed to start the pack on day one of your period... so why even have that week-long break then?? 😕
I’m totally lost here... I’ve got my period, but I just took my last pill the day before yesterday... now I don't know if this is just withdrawal bleeding or an actual period... plus, nothing has helped with the cramps. And ugh, my boobs have gone up a whole cup size—and they aren't exactly small to begin with! 😢
But the feeling is just unreal... especially during sex, I think 😁

redgardener5 said:So, the period starts two days after the last pill? But that’s basically the start of the cycle—and from what I gather, you're supposed to start the pills on the first day of your cycle... so why even have that week-long break?😕

Well, you only start them on day one of your cycle during that very first month—mostly because otherwise, you wouldn't actually be protected that month, I guess.

After that, you just start the next pack once that seven-day break is over—you know, the time when you actually bleed. If you didn't take the break, you wouldn't even have a "period" to begin with, really.

redgardener5 said:I'm completely lost now... my period is heavy, and I took the last pill the day before yesterday... I honestly can't tell if this is breakthrough bleeding or my actual period.

Look, if you started bleeding after finishing the last pill, then it’s obviously your period. Breakthrough bleeding usually happens while you're still taking those 21 pills, I suppose.😉

P.S.—most of these packs come with a manual, anyway. 😉

I haven't read everything here... but what's wrong with Stedirile? My gynecologist actually prescribed them to me because my periods were absolutely agonizing. On top of that, I had cysts on my ovaries, so whenever my cycle hit, I’d just collapse and have to sit there for thirty minutes or even two hours waiting for the pain to subside enough to move. If some kind soul stepped in to help me up and get me back to bed, I’d honestly start screaming like I was being slaughtered. 😁
So then, my doctor very clearly noted on my medical report that I’d been taking Stedirile for three months. When I went to pick them up, my primary physician told me they weren't covered by insurance, and then the lady at the pharmacy wouldn't even give them to me until I showed up with my mom and the official paperwork in hand.
Those first three months felt amazing, but then my doctor decided I'd had quite enough "fun" in life and pulled me off them.
By the way, nobody even bothered to run a blood test for me.

Honestly, Celest would’ve been perfect for me because my migraines are just brutal. Once I started on them, everything cleared up—not a single headache since. No weird side effects either, at least for those first few months. But then, after four or five months, I just went totally numb toward sex. Like, my libido completely tanked. It was honestly awful. So I’ve actually stopped taking them for a bit, just so I can get back to my "normal" daily mood swings.

I feel for you, but as far as I can tell, there isn't a fix for what you're dealing with.😢

Wait, does that one thing not exist? What’s the name for it... I was watching this movie the other day where the woman was trying to shove it in, but it just wasn't working. It looks exactly like one of those sink plungers, you know, but without the handle 😁

I’m totally wiped out... my diaphragm is shot! 😁

Man, if I don't die laughing this weekend, nothing will! Seriously, nobody gets it 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

I was actually trying to be helpful to brisknomad6, you know, sending her a link about diaphragms, and then I saw what I found... oh my god, HAHAHAHA! 😁 😁 😁

"THE DIAPHRAGM: One of those self-inserting tools used since the 1880s to mechanically block sperm from ever reaching the egg for fertilization. Some German doctor named Mensinger came up with it. It’s also called a Dutch cap. You’re supposed to have a gynecologist pick the size. And newsflash: people using them often forget they need to use spermicidal paste or gel with it. Just like that old folk song says:

Come over, darling, I'm home all alone
Let's try out a rubber membrane,

Basically, the diaphragm is made of rubber and works by being an impermeable barrier. Visually? It looks a bit like a tiny rolled-up condom without the little nub on the end. "