Hormonal Contraception: The Pill [General Discussion]

Justin Rogers5 said:I didn't take anything because I was clueless. The cramps started at 10, but my period didn't actually show up until noon. Now I'm sitting here wondering if I should even bother taking them?🤷

Maybe just take it now. Since you technically started at midnight, you basically have all day to get it down.🙂 Just don't wait past midnight, or you'll be counting that as day two.

Greetings,

There is likely an answer to my question buried somewhere in this vast ocean of posts, but I have combed through several pages and come up empty-handed.
To be blunt, my girlfriend has started taking "Claire" birth control pills. My question is this: at what point does sex actually become safe? She is scheduled to take her sixth pill today, and tomorrow we are planning on ... 🙂 . Can we finally relax and enjoy ourselves with full completion, or do we still need to exercise caution? I am requesting an urgent response. 😉

I’ll write everything down regarding the pill instructions—assuming you haven't tossed the box yet—but if you have, just search for that specific pill online. It seems like the first pill provides protection, provided you take it the right way. For me—meaning, I took my first pill on day one of my period—that's all the wisdom I can offer. You really should read the manual, though. I take Lindinet, and that's what my instructions say.

Ronald Clark6 said:Greetings,

There is likely an answer to my question buried somewhere in this vast ocean of posts, but I have combed through several pages and come up empty-handed.
To be blunt, my girlfriend has started taking "Claire" birth control pills. My question is this: at what point does sex actually become safe? She is scheduled to take her sixth pill today, and tomorrow we are planning on ... 🙂 . Can we finally relax and enjoy ourselves with full completion, or do we still need to exercise caution? I am requesting an urgent response. 😉

It's called Qlaira.
If she started the pack on the very first day of her period, then you don't need extra protection. If she didn't start on day one, you guys should use backup protection for the first 9 days.

Day one of my period has officially arrived... so, does that mean we’re in the clear? 🙂 jeeej thanks so much

EDIT
My apologies, I didn't actually see the pills themselves; she just told me their names, which is why I put them in quotation marks. 🙂

Justin Rogers5 said:I went through that with Celestol. Don't even bother asking if you should keep going—within three days, those damn pills basically take over your whole system. It’s pointless. An old doctor once told me if I missed a dose, just double up the next day, or if I had breakthrough bleeding, take a double dose. I didn't listen. As for that bleeding, is it just your period? Just look at what day it is, count 28 days, and that's usually when it hits.😉For me, my breasts get incredibly sore two weeks before my period starts. Honestly, just toss them. Wait for your next cycle. Your protection isn't even reliable anymore. And if you're only taking them to deal with painful periods, just suck it up, take an Advil, and call it a day.😉

I don't really know if this is actually my period right now. It’s been going on for three days already. I mean, it feels like my period, but everything just feels... I don't know, totally weird about it? Because I had it just eleven days ago. Maybe it's something else, I guess. It's just super strange.
So, let me see if I’ve got this straight... I’ve been on my period for three days now, right? And if my cycle is being somewhat predictable—which, honestly, who knows these days—then I should be looking at another one in about fifteen days? And then, regarding the timing for starting the pills... I guess I should start right when the bleeding begins, or is it more like once everything has cleared up? I'm a little fuzzy on that part, to be honest. Maybe I should double-check with my doctor just to be absolutely certain.

Robin Hernandez8 said:I don't really know if this is actually my period right now. It’s been going on for three days already. I mean, it feels like my period, but everything just feels... I don't know, totally weird about it? Because I had it just eleven days ago. Maybe it's something else, I guess. It's just super strange.
So, let me see if I’ve got this straight... I’ve been on my period for three days now, right? And if my cycle is being somewhat predictable—which, honestly, who knows these days—then I should be looking at another one in about fifteen days? And then, regarding the timing for starting the pills... I guess I should start right when the bleeding begins, or is it more like once everything has cleared up? I'm a little fuzzy on that part, to be honest. Maybe I should double-check with my doctor just to be absolutely certain.

What do you mean 15 days? It’s 28. Count from the day it started, and the 28th day is when you should expect it again. Start the new pack on the first day of your period. What you're dealing with is withdrawal bleeding, since you missed three days. Usually, if you miss one pill, you might bleed, but it stops once you get back on track. You didn't stay on them, so the bleeding just kept going.

Justin Rogers5 said:What do you mean 15 days? It’s 28. Count from the day it started, and the 28th day is when you should expect it again. Start the new pack on the first day of your period. What you're dealing with is withdrawal bleeding, since you missed three days. Usually, if you miss one pill, you might bleed, but it stops once you get back on track. You didn't stay on them, so the bleeding just kept going.

I actually meant to type 25 days, but I accidentally wrote 15. (So, 25 plus the 3 days that already passed... that makes 28 total)..
Since I’m not even on Diane anymore, I can pretty much assume my period is going to be late... because before I was on them, it always used to be late. It never really showed up right on a 28-day cycle.
Anyway, should I wait and start taking them once my period actually arrives, or should I start while it's still going?

Hey, so I’ve been on Celestone for about 42 days now, just trying to get my cycle under control before I head out to New York. I popped my last pill this past Friday night. They told me my period should show up maybe 2 to 4 days after I stop taking them, and then I have to start those Decapeptyl injections on day one to block ovulation. Right at the beginning, like three days after I started the pills, I had that little bit of breakthrough bleeding, and now today—around 2 in the afternoon—I’ve got this light pinkish-red spotting going on. Is this actually my period starting or what? It’s my first time ever being on birth control, so I’m totally flying blind here, though they did mention my flow would probably be pretty light this time around.🙄

Does anyone actually know if you can use standard emergency contraceptive pills—the "morning-after" kind—more than once in a short window? I think I read somewhere that you could take two doses immediately, and then another two after twelve hours or something along those lines?

placidscout6 said:Does anyone actually know if you can use standard emergency contraceptive pills—the "morning-after" kind—more than once in a short window? I think I read somewhere that you could take two doses immediately, and then another two after twelve hours or something along those lines?

Honestly—that’s just not how it works. I’m heading to the pharmacy tomorrow morning to grab a prescription. A pill will run you about $60

placidscout6 said:Does anyone actually know if you can use standard emergency contraceptive pills—the "morning-after" kind—more than once in a short window? I think I read somewhere that you could take two doses immediately, and then another two after twelve hours or something along those lines?

It depends on which ones you're using; dosing varies from brand to brand.

Logest or Lindynette—both work, I know they do because I’ve taken them myself, just can't recall the exact protocol. I think it was two doses of five tablets at once, spaced out by 12 hours, but honestly, I'd have to double-check.

Hey everyone, quick question: does anyone know if there are certain brands of birth control pills that won't trigger cellulite?

I’ve actually been on them since I was twelve—though, honestly, I didn't start the actual pills until I was seventeen. Hehe.
I can't say for sure if I’ve gained weight since starting them, or if my chest got bigger, or if I've become lazy. 😁 Those are just common myths, really—everything is totally different depending on how your body reacts. And if you think weight gain equals getting cellulite, it doesn't. Just look at thin women or athletes under twenty; they might have it, or they might not. Cellulite is just something that happens in life, regardless of whether you're on birth control or not.

Jeffrey Thomas12 said:Hey everyone, quick question: does anyone know if there are certain brands of birth control pills that won't trigger cellulite?

It’s possible you’ll get it regardless of what you take, or maybe you won't at all. Nobody can give you a guarantee on that. If you eat right, stay active, drink enough water, and have decent circulation, you might dodge it. Or maybe not. It just goes that way sometimes.

Sandra Phillips2 said:I’ve actually been on them since I was twelve—though, honestly, I didn't start the actual pills until I was seventeen. Hehe.
I can't say for sure if I’ve gained weight since starting them, or if my chest got bigger, or if I've become lazy. 😁 Those are just common myths, really—everything is totally different depending on how your body reacts. And if you think weight gain equals getting cellulite, it doesn't. Just look at thin women or athletes under twenty; they might have it, or they might not. Cellulite is just something that happens in life, regardless of whether you're on birth control or not.

Cellulite doesn't really have anything to do with weight gain; it's more about water retention. In all the different pills I've cycled through—and I've tried quite a few—water retention was always listed as a potential side effect. It just depends on your own biology whether your body decides to hold onto that extra fluid or not. The only ones that didn't make me bloat were Qlaira, though I wouldn't go so far as to say they were perfect in every other way.

I mentioned before that cellulite doesn't necessarily mean you've gained weight—it's just how things work sometimes. I’ve been on Lindynette 20, and honestly, I can say I’m heading into this spring looking much slimmer than I did last year—though I did start the pill back in November. I'm naturally prone to putting on a few pounds, and I won't lie, I wasn't exactly watching my diet this winter—but college is finally over, and I'm definitely moving around way more than I used to!

Hello everyone, I’ve been taking Diane for about two and a half years now due to some issues with my cycle, and I just went in for some follow-up blood work. To be honest, looking at these results is a bit overwhelming... I don't really understand what I'm looking at, so I was wondering if I might have to stop taking my pills altogether. Since I don't have a gynecologist right now, I haven't had anyone to ask, so I really need to find a specialist soon.

Fibrinogen 3.6 (1.8 to 3.5)
INR 0.91 ( 2.0 - 3.5 ) recommended for anticoagulation therapy
Cholesterol 6.1 ( < 5.0 )
GGT 8 ( 9 - 35 )

Those are the values that aren't quite within the normal range... and frankly, I'm a bit lost on what several of these actually signify. I'm mainly wondering who I should consult regarding potential anticoagulation therapy—should I start with my primary care physician or go straight to an OB-GYN?
I have to admit, seeing that mention of anticoagulation and the cholesterol levels has left me feeling quite anxious 😢 Does this mean I need to start a specific diet? What does this all imply? And is it possible that my cholesterol has climbed because of the birth control pills, considering it used to be perfectly fine?
Thank you so much for any help you can give 😢

Hey everyone!

So, at the start of this month, I decided to stop taking the pill. My last period came right on schedule during the break—everything seemed totally normal then—but honestly, I’m low-key panicking now. I just feel... off. I’m feeling super bloated (maybe I’m just hyper-focusing on it now, but my stomach definitely looks bigger 😠), my breasts are incredibly sensitive to the touch, and I’ve been dealing with some mild nausea and dizziness.
It could be the anemia acting up—which was actually much more manageable while I was on the pill, but now it seems to have crawled back to its old self—or maybe it’s just some random food poisoning. But whatever.
Right now, I’m mostly wondering: what are all the possible side effects—if there even are any—that come with quitting birth control?
Am I just hallucinating this whole thing or what? 🙏

One more thing—when would my ovulation actually happen?
I know the rule of thumb is usually 14 days before your period, but since it feels like I'm going to be waiting an eternity for this next one, I just want to be prepared. 😉

Hey 👋

I have a quick question... and please, if anyone can answer as soon as possible, I'd really appreciate it 🙂
So, I've been on birth control for six months now. I need to get a new prescription because my last one was only valid for six months (and even if it wasn't expired, I'd still need a new one since someone actually stole my wallet, which had my prescription in it along with everything else -.-).
My question is, can I just show up at the clinic door to pick up a new script without an appointment, or do I have to go through a full check-up again?
I'm taking Yaz, by the way.

Thanks to whoever (if anyone) decides to reply 😬