OTC Lo & amenorrhea
Find a Conversation
OTC Lo & amenorrhea
| Mon, 05-03-2004 - 2:08pm |
I switched to OTC-lo about four months ago, and my period has been getting lighter every month; this month, however, there was *nothing* at all. I've been on bcp for almost eight years now, and *never* had any brand cause any disruption to my cycle, so I'm a little nervous.
I know that depo-provera and some other forms of birth control have been *known* to cause amenorrhea, but I've been looking at the prescribing information and as much info as I can find about side-effects, but nothing lists amenorrhea as a side-effect of OTC-lo.
Has anyone else had the same experience? Is this something I really should see my doctor for (I really don't *mind* skipping periods entirely, but I just want to find out if this is an expected side-effect of this particular brand), or would I be alright waiting another month and seeing what happens before I call her? I take the pill exactly as instructed, on-time, every day.
***

***
I don’t think you have anything to worry about especially since you have seen your flow decrease over time. Cessation or near cessation of menses does sometimes happen for some women on some pills. OTC-Lo has .025mg of estrogen in each active pill. If you were previously on a pill with a larger dose of estrogen it seems logical that you could be one of the women for whom .025 mg of estrogen doesn’t grow your endometrium enough for the drop in progestin during your placebo week to trigger withdrawal bleeding. If that is the case then you might skip one or more pill-periods before having another one during placebo week. When I was on OCs I always relied on aunt flo to let me know that everything was normal and that I wasn’t pg. so for me skipping would be a bit nerve-racking! If you like skipping periods then this could be the pill for you. It might be a good idea to mention your situation to your doc and see what she says. You’ll let us know how you’re doing, right?
The best to you.
Jill
***