Seasonale - what are we thinking?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2004
Seasonale - what are we thinking?
5
Thu, 08-19-2004 - 10:17pm
Okay, so I've been seeing all the comercials for this new birth control pill called Seasonale. Now I don't need it for contraceptive purposes but I have pretty awful periods plus I just hate the whole thing. I mean it's only five days but it's like four of them are spent in hell, it's just horrible. And the weird thing is, my period used to not bother me at all. I mean I hated it but it didn't cause me much discomfort until I got to be around 20. Anyway, I'm thinking I want to try out Seasonale and see what it's like to only have my period four times a year. But I have some reservations. I mean is this really healthy, does it really work, am I going to be having bad side effects? I mean last year I was on Ortho Try Cyclen Lo and about six months later I got really sick. I was having really bad headaches, neck stiffness, pain going down my back, etc. When I went to the hospital they thought I might have menengitis, fortunately I didn't. However, I was under a lot of stress at the time and I had been taking a bunch of different pain/headache medications to try and alliviate the pain. I saw a neurologist but she never determined whether or not the headaches were from the pill. I mean, I stopped taking it but at the same time I was on meds to manage the headaches so I pretty much don't know what's what. The neurologist thinks that they're just migranes but my mom thought they were being caused by the pill and I just have no idea. That aside, have any of you tried or are thinking of trying Seasonale. What was your experience with it?

-Virginia

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-23-2004
Thu, 08-19-2004 - 11:11pm
Virginia,

I started taking Seasonale about 3 weeks ago just for the purpose of only having a period 4 times a year. At first I was concerned also about whether it would be healthy to only have a period every 3 months. My gyno told me that it was perfectly healthy and that there is no need for a woman to ovulate every single month. So I think it's great. The only bad things I've found about Seasonale is that I have actually gained 15lbs. This really has gotten me depressed but I am going to exercise regularly and watch what I eat and hope that I can get the weight off... I was only 112lbs before so I don't really look that much bigger so it isn't a huge deal for me. The only other thing is remembering to take it around the same time everyday. My gyno told me that I would be ok (sexually and period wise) if I took the pill around the same time every day, give or take an hour. I have been 2 hours late taking it and I've been ok. She said that if I took it too late it could cause spotting. So as long as I can stay fit I plan on continuing to take Seasonale for as long as I need it. The period every 3 months is what I truly love, and it's the only thing I've been happy with so far. I tried the shot which completely got rid of my periods but it caused so many horrible side effects. I haven't noticed anything outrageously bad about Seasonale, I hope this helped a little!

Hugs,

Jenn

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2003
Fri, 08-20-2004 - 9:25pm
You don't need your period every month. I used Seasonale for about 8 months. My doctor just took me off of it because the estrogen was too much for me. The only bad thing about Seasonale is that I would spot from the 7th week until the 13th week, but it was getting better as my body was adjusting. I did gain about 15 pounds, but I needed the weight anyway. After I adjusted, I lost the weight very fast. The Seasonale made me hungry all the time, so it was mostly my fault for giving in and eating that much. I also because very emotional, slightly depressed. I would cry at anything. The big problem that caused my doctor to pull me off was that my migranes increased, i had many tension headaches with my back and shoulder muscles being so tight i could barely move, and sides of my body would go numb. Now that is my own fault, he advised me against Seasonale because I am at a high risk for a stroke and I shouldn't take estrogen. I am now exploring my options for a birth control that doesn't have estrogen. I personally liked Seasonale, depsite the side effects I experienced because my periods became less painful and not as heavy. The side effects are different for everyone. A lot of my side effects were because Seasonale was not right for me, and I knew it from the beginning. You have to be prepared to give it a lot of time, about 9 months. It takes about 3 cycles to get adjusted. Be prepared for spotting and break-through-bleeding.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2004
Fri, 08-20-2004 - 11:15pm
Okay so I know I can't afford to gain anywhere close to another fifteen pounds on my body. So if that happened I'd be really upset. And the migrane/tension headache thing is what really scares me because I had that happen to me last year but they never figured out what was causing it, however, I was on birth control at the time. That makes me kind of nervous. Now about all this breakthrough bleeding, does it happen during the times when your period would normally be there or is it just random. I've been hearing a lot about spotting and breakthrough bleeding and I'm just wondering what the situation is. Thanks.

-Virginia

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-24-2003
Sat, 08-21-2004 - 12:06am
Headaches:

Any pill can make migraines worse...or better. For me, Seasonale tended to make my migraines less frequent. Part of that is due to the fact that on the "regular" pill I had hormone-withdrawal headaches every fourth week, while on Seasonale the hormone withdrawal happens only every 13th week. That being said, the hormone withdrawal during that 13th week was a little worse than on other pills. Not headaches as much as moodiness...my boyfriend learned by the second pack of Seasonale that I might just be a little crazier than usual when week 13 rolled around.

Breakthrough Bleeding:

I had a lot of this during the first pack, not as much the second pack. The bleeding is somewhat random. For me it didn't happen until the third month, but I had spotting every day for that month. By the second pack it was down to 2 weeks and I think if I had stayed on it the spotting would have completely cleared up by the third pack.

(the main reason I stopped taking Seasonale was because my insurance company made me pay three $40 copays for each pack...very expensive!)

If you're willing to try any bc pill again, I'd recommend this. Also, as a migraine sufferer, stay away from any triphasic pills (Ortho Tricylcen, Triphasil, etc. They're the kind that have different hormone levels during the month). I'd definitely recommend a pill that offers the most consistent level of hormones possible...so stick with the monophasic pills.

Good luck!

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2003
Sat, 08-21-2004 - 9:23pm
The spotting/btb started the 7th week for me, so about 2 weeks after when my real period would be. I could predict when it would happen. Some people never get btb, some do. It depends on your body. I wasn't dating anyone or really needed birth control, so I just toughed it out. It didn't effect my sex life because I didn't have one.