Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

I suspect you have absolutely nothing to worry about. The probability of sperm surviving for that duration, coupled with the chance of ovulation occurring the exact moment your body realizes you’ve missed your pills, is vanishingly small. However, if you are seeking absolute certainty, you might as well take them for another month. Who knows, perhaps you are just insanely fertile 😁

That's exactly what I'm trying to dodge, my boyfriend comes over from college for a few days every month and now it feels like I'm only popping these pills for those three or four times we actually hook up...🙄

Look, it isn't actually that terrible when you consider the alternatives. If you aren't exactly a champion of condom use, yet you refuse to stay on the pill regularly, then relying on emergency contraception every single time things go sideways is far more taxing on your system than simply being consistent with daily medication.
If you intend to rely on condoms, you had better be meticulous and disciplined about it every single time, because if you are, there is absolutely no reason to touch the pill. Besides, there is a very real possibility that you and your boyfriend will find yourselves seeing each other more frequently, and it is objectively better for your health to commit to the pill for a full year rather than cycling through two months of usage followed by a month of nothingness, then back again. This constant fluctuation subjects your body to unnecessary shocks and keeps shifting the goalposts, which could lead to genuine physiological complications.
You really ought to sit down, take a moment to think, and weigh which solution serves your best interests. If you remain uncertain, perhaps continue taking them for one more month just to observe how you react before making a final decision.
And frankly, I certainly hope you've included a gynecologist in this entire conversation, haven't you?...

My OB-GYN put me on these for a few months because my cycle was all over the place, though he did mention I could keep taking them if I wanted to. Honestly, we’d just use condoms anyway if I wasn't on the pill, so there's really no debate there. I just didn't realize that stopping and starting 😕 ...I was actually thinking about taking them through the summer and then quitting once fall hits... clearly that's not the best move... feels like I'll just go ahead and take my pill tomorrow lol... thanks so much for the advice 🙏 😁

Quick question...

Can I start my first pack of birth control on day two of my period? 😕
I’ve used them before, but I just didn't get a chance to pick them up yesterday...

I read somewhere that you can start anytime within the first five days, but apparently, that just messes with your cycle length... :S

Thanks for any help... 🙂

Joshua Morris7 said:Quick question...

Can I start my first pack of birth control on day two of my period? 😕
I’ve used them before, but I just didn't get a chance to pick them up yesterday...

I read somewhere that you can start anytime within the first five days, but apparently, that just messes with your cycle length... :S

Thanks for any help... 🙂

You usually start either on day one or day four of your period.
It would probably be best to check in with your gynecologist to be safe. 🤷

Yes, the price at Walgreens went up. $5.00 🙄 That pharmacy on Broadway isn't even the most expensive one in town. 😁

Ugh, yeah, I totally forgot to confirm the higher price for the triangle too...

I completely blanked on taking my pill yesterday 😵 was supposed to be around 11 PM, but it didn't hit me until 8:30 this morning. I rushed straight home from work just to take it (thankfully I live close by so I could actually make it out in time)
but hey, living the dream 🙂

I know there are plenty of threads out there about birth control and related topics, but I’m starting this specific one because of my own unique situation. If the mods feel this should be merged elsewhere, I totally understand.

Here it is, straight and honest. I’m 26. When I was younger, I was on the pill for five years, cycling through three different brands. Why three? Because my body rejected every single one of them. First, it was Triquilar—my system couldn't handle it after two years. Then I tried Cilest for a few months before moving on to a third one—maybe Diane—but the result was the same: total rejection. My gynecologist basically told me that hormonal contraceptives just aren't meant for me.🤷

It’s been six years since I last took anything. Now, I’m reconsidering, though I have no clue which option to pick. Obviously, those first three are out. Yasmin is also off the table (we all know the deal there), and I'm lost as to what else is left. I’ve even seen names like Stediril mentioned, but honestly, I have no idea what that even is.

The main issue is that I smoke cigarettes and a few other things now, whereas I didn't back then. I'm really anxious about my past experiences, I'm worried about the smoking (there's zero chance I'm quitting), and I can't stop thinking about everything that happened with those women who were on Yasmin.

Basically, I’m looking for your thoughts on this.

Two hours and eight readings later, and still nothing?

William Sanchez14 said:I know there are plenty of threads out there about birth control and related topics, but I’m starting this specific one because of my own unique situation. If the mods feel this should be merged elsewhere, I totally understand.

Here it is, straight and honest. I’m 26. When I was younger, I was on the pill for five years, cycling through three different brands. Why three? Because my body rejected every single one of them. First, it was Triquilar—my system couldn't handle it after two years. Then I tried Cilest for a few months before moving on to a third one—maybe Diane—but the result was the same: total rejection. My gynecologist basically told me that hormonal contraceptives just aren't meant for me.🤷

It’s been six years since I last took anything. Now, I’m reconsidering, though I have no clue which option to pick. Obviously, those first three are out. Yasmin is also off the table (we all know the deal there), and I'm lost as to what else is left. I’ve even seen names like Stediril mentioned, but honestly, I have no idea what that even is.

The main issue is that I smoke cigarettes and a few other things now, whereas I didn't back then. I'm really anxious about my past experiences, I'm worried about the smoking (there's zero chance I'm quitting), and I can't stop thinking about everything that happened with those women who were on Yasmin.

Basically, I’m looking for your thoughts on this.

I don't even know why you're bothering with those Forsati pills if they barely do anything for you. What's the point? 🤷

I was stuck listening to this lecture by some highly regarded OB-GYN the other day. It was fascinating, in a way. Truly. Why does it always feel like they spend half the time talking about things that have absolutely nothing to do with the actual patient? You know what I mean?They were all listening to that at the pre-marital counseling class. Who was that girl, around 22 years old? The one who smoked, was on the pill, and then just... had a stroke? 😢
Not that I'm trying to scare you, but we're talking about some heavy stuff here. Truly grim. 👎 Her gynecologist should’ve been the one looking out for her. He was supposed to be responsible for her health, to lay out the risks clearly. But he didn't. He just stayed silent. What was the point of all those medical degrees if you can't even do the basics?

She’s right about one thing, though. It’s honestly depressing how most gynecologists here won't even bother sending their patients for basic testing. No blood work, no coagulation profiles, no liver function tests—nothing. Zilch. They just ask if anyone in your family has a history of thrombosis or strokes, run a quick Pap smear, and call it a day. Is that really it? Just a checkbox and a prayer?

👎

So, that’s that. I was on Yasmin. Honestly, it wasn't all bad, except for catching Candidiasis. Then, once I finally stopped taking the pill, my back broke out in these painful acne eruptions. I'm pretty sure it was because my prolactin levels spiked. My hormones were just completely out of whack. Just so we're clear, I see Dr. Ginić regularly. I’ve done every single one of those tests mentioned above. I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I hit the gym. I’ve never had health issues before this, and God knows I never had acne. Never. Not once.

So now I’m twenty-eight, and it feels like I’m stuck right back in the middle of some hellish puberty. Seriously. What happened? 😠

I’ve been sipping on Yasmin tea for years now and honestly, nothing. Don't buy into all that hype. Half those prices are just sensationalism cooked up by journalists looking for a headline. Like, have you actually seen any hard evidence proving that Yasmin killed those girls?

Henry Moore2 said:I’ve been sipping on Yasmin tea for years now and honestly, nothing. Don't buy into all that hype. Half those prices are just sensationalism cooked up by journalists looking for a headline. Like, have you actually seen any hard evidence proving that Yasmin killed those girls?

I’ve been taking Yasmin for years too and felt absolutely 😁 until I finally stopped 😉

It’s pretty simple. Just do a quick search 🙂—type "experiences with birth control pills" into Google. Why would women/girls lie about what they went through?

And most of them say they dealt with some nasty side effects while or after taking them. Everyone takes that risk on themselves. 😉

As for death rates from pills? I’m not going there.

I was on Yasmin three years ago, and I was smoking at the same time, and honestly, I didn't feel a thing.
Maybe I'll start seeing the consequences of that now.
Now I'm sitting here wondering what people actually mean when they say, "I smoke cigarettes and a few other things." You should just tell your gynecologist that you smoke, plus whatever else you're doing, and see what they have to say about it. Personally, I don't understand why anyone would start again after going six years without pills, especially after learning through experience that my body doesn't even take them well. Do I really want to go through the agony of hunting for a medication that my system won't even accept? I'm honestly at a loss for words.div>

Look, I'm not trying to force an opinion here, I'm just reflecting. And yeah, it hit me—those third ones were the longest... As for Yasmin... honestly, this isn't specifically about her, so I'm not just attacking them out of spite. It's just that everything surrounding these pills feels more harmful than helpful to me.
Regarding smoking, I'm fully aware of the damage it does, and I know exactly what my doctor would tell me. I mean, it’s enough just to read the warning labels on the pill packaging itself.

I just want to hear the "objective" side of this whole situation.

Thanks, everyone.😉

Has anyone else noticed their hair thinning specifically while on birth control? I’m honestly at a loss. I’ve double-checked everything and my routine is fine; the only variable is the pills, which feels illogical because my hair was actually thick and healthy when my testosterone levels were high, but now...
My gynecologist just put me on a three-month break from the medication to get an accurate reading of my hormone levels. Does that actually make sense? I'd love to hear from anyone who has been through this.
Previously, I was on Diane-35 and took a six-month break after he mentioned my levels were returning to their old state—likely PCOS, though he never gave me a definitive diagnosis—so he switched me over to Yasmin.
Please, if anyone has advice, I’m feeling quite lost on what to do next.
Should I perhaps seek a second opinion from another specialist?

So, I’ve got a bit of a situation I need to run by you guys: I just started taking birth control pills for the very first time. I’ve only got about four left in this pack before my scheduled break, and here’s the kicker—is it actually normal to deal with brown discharge for the entire month? I was reading through the fine print in the instructions, and it mentions that spotting or breakthrough bleeding can happen when you're first starting out, so I’m assuming this is just part of the deal while my body tries to wrap its head around all these new hormones. It feels like my system is just recalibrating, you know? But honestly, I’m low-key freaking out a little. Is this something I should actually be worried about, or is it just standard procedure? Has anyone else dealt with something similar?🙂

I sometimes find myself wondering if my attempts at expressing these thoughts are perhaps a bit too deliberate, but I suppose there is a certain comfort in moving through life with a steady, measured pace. kaže:
I have a question for you all: I’ve just started taking birth control pills for the first time, and since I only have four left before my scheduled break, I was wondering if it's actually normal to experience brown discharge throughout the entire month. The instructions mention that breakthrough bleeding between periods is possible, so I'm assuming this is just my body attempting to adjust to the new hormones, but I can't help feeling a little uneasy about it. Has anyone else dealt with something similar, or should I be genuinely concerned?🙂

Everything seems perfectly fine to me. 👍

I was just sitting here thinking about how everything feels like it’s moving at a hundred miles an hour lately, yet somehow, absolutely nothing is actually getting done. It’s that strange, modern paradox, isn't it? We have all these tools, all this instant connectivity, all these ways to reach out and touch anyone in the States at any given second, and yet the distance between people feels wider than ever. You look around and everyone is just vibrating with this low-level anxiety, rushing toward some invisible finish line that keeps receding further into the horizon... It reminds me of those old highways out West, where you can drive for hours and see nothing but sagebrush and heat haze, and you start to wonder if you're even moving at all. Just spinning your wheels in the sand while the sun beats down on you. Life feels a lot like that sometimes. A lot of noise, a lot of motion, but very little actual progress. Just a lot of empty miles... kaže:
I have a question: I just started taking birth control pills for the first time. I only have four left in this pack before my scheduled break, and now I’m wondering... is it actually normal to have brown discharge for the entire month? The instructions mention that breakthrough bleeding between periods is possible, so I'm assuming this is just part of the process—you know, the body trying to figure out how to handle all these new hormones... or maybe it isn't. Is this something worth worrying about? Has anyone else dealt with something similar?🙂

Yeah, seriously... I went through an entire cycle like that when I first started on the pill. It was just constant spotting. It finally stopped a couple of days before my period actually showed up, but then, boom—bleeding all over again... 🤣 And he won't be around for the next one either...

Maria Adams26 said:Has anyone else noticed their hair thinning specifically while on birth control? I’m honestly at a loss. I’ve double-checked everything and my routine is fine; the only variable is the pills, which feels illogical because my hair was actually thick and healthy when my testosterone levels were high, but now...
My gynecologist just put me on a three-month break from the medication to get an accurate reading of my hormone levels. Does that actually make sense? I'd love to hear from anyone who has been through this.
Previously, I was on Diane-35 and took a six-month break after he mentioned my levels were returning to their old state—likely PCOS, though he never gave me a definitive diagnosis—so he switched me over to Yasmin.
Please, if anyone has advice, I’m feeling quite lost on what to do next.
Should I perhaps seek a second opinion from another specialist?

For me, my hair actually got thicker once I started the pill, and it stays pretty healthy...
Maybe you’re dealing with a thyroid issue instead?