Advice on which birth control is best?
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| Thu, 09-16-2004 - 2:22pm |
I have always been one of the unlucky women with heavy cycles that last exactly 7 days. And of course, the other symptoms are not so pleasant either, i.e. excruciatingly sharp cramps, severe nausea, headaches, etc. Fortunately, the symptoms have toned down for the most part; they used to be a lot worse. In high school, I used to have very severe symptoms for a week before my period even began and then all through the period as well. I was absolutely miserable.
The only aspects of myself that I was content with were my clear skin and that I had always been a size 6. But when I turned 21, this changed and my whole life fell apart. All of the products that I loved stopped working and a horrifyingly severe case of acne spread over my entire face. There was hardly a smooth patch of skin left amongst the small, medium, and large sized bumps. I tried meticulously applying concealer and using a heavier coverage foundation but it was to no avail.
I tried everything I could think of; using a different facial cleanser, using gentle bar soap, using body wash on my face, applying tea tree oil to the affected areas, rinsing off my face with water alone...each for two weeks before I completely gave up. (Everything I tried only made the acne worse.) Also, my face had started over-producing oil to the extent that my face was constantly shiny.
After battling with the acne for 8 months, I decided that it was beyond my control and I needed professional help. So I researched dermatologists that accepted my insurance until I found one whose credentials I liked. He prescribed a number of different medications, both oral and topical. Some of them helped control the acne from becoming worse, but nothing made it completely disappear. So after experimenting with the multiple medications, he suggested Accutane as a last resort.
In order to undergo the Accutane treatments, I had to select 2 forms of birth control. Prior to this, I had only used condoms, but I was never sexually active enough to want to be on the pill or to even consider trying anything else. And I'm ashamed to admit it, but I had never even gone to see a gyno before either. To speed up the process of getting my Accutane treatment started, my dermatologist prescribed Ortho Tricyclen but recommended that I see a gyno to determine which birth control I would be happiest with.
I found a gyno and they asked me how I liked the Ortho Tricyclen. It was extremely strong for me at first (I was very, very emotional for the beginning weeks) but then my body seemed to adjust to it and my hormones felt like they stabilized and were spread out evenly throughout the month. I figured, I was only taking the birth control so I could take the Accutane, it wouldn't make much of a difference which pill I took. So my gyno gave me a prescription for the Ortho Tricyclen.
Accutane treatments are generally six months, so for that duration I took the Ortho Tricyclen. I had heard that the pill is supposed to regulate your period to the extent that when you reach the sugar pills in the pack, it triggers your cycle. That never happened for me but I didn't understand why until after I stopped taking the Accutane. (I stopped taking the Ortho Tricyclen one month after I took my last Accutane pills.)
I had been very confused about the proper time to take the sugar pills (although it seems simple in hindsight) so it was only caused through my own error. But what I liked about the Ortho Tricyclen...my periods were lighter, shorter than 7 days, and I had less and less symptoms (cramps if any, were very small and nearly painless) the longer I took the pills. Also, they were more regular even though the sugar pills weren't triggering my periods.
Since it's been a few months without Accutane and without the pill, I am feeling happier in the sense that my face is back to normal (smooth, flawless skin) but my periods are back to normal as well (heavy, heavy, heavy...) Ugh. I miss how the pill changed my periods, so I would like to begin taking birth control again.
Also, there is another concern I have. Somewhere during that transition with my face when I turned 21, I also began gaining a lot of weight. My size 6 increased to a size 8, then a size 10, all the way up to a size 12. It was due to a combination of factors (not really important to list), but I have been working hard to lose the extra weight for over a year now through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. And I am back down to a size 8 and still trying really hard to continue losing weight until I am a size 6 again.
So what I am curious about, is there a better birth control for me than Ortho Tricyclen? My main concerns are no weight gain (don't want all of my progress to be in vain) and I don't want anything with hormone levels that would throw my hormonal balance off and make my face break out (after suffering through the Accutane obstacles).
I like the idea of no period such as Depo-Provera, but I am also terrified of Depo-Provera because of what happened to a girl that I used to know. She had absolutely beautiful skin and a perfect figure until she started taking Depo-Provera. Then she gained 40 lbs. and her face became ablaze with acne. She always warned everyone else that it was from the Depo and that they should stay away from it. Also, as much as I hate having a period, it's reassuring in a sense because I know that I'm not pregnant when I have it every month.
My gyno had given me a sample of Seasonale to see if I like it, but from what I have read so far, the spotting and breakthrough bleeding seem extremely unappealing to me. In essence, I think those symptoms would almost be worse than just having a period once a month. I still have the sample they provided (unopened), should I try taking it sometime before I judge it so harshly?
And the NuvaRing kind of scares me...I just won't even go into that...
From my limited knowledge of the different options I have, I would be willing to take an oral contraceptive or try the patch...although I would be scared of the patch falling off in the shower or something.
I had gone to see my gyno recently and they asked me if I was still taking the Ortho Tricyclen or if I wanted to try something else. They don't appear to be very helpful about recommending birth control options because they leave most of the decision up to me and are willing to let me try whatever I would like to try. (Which I might appreciate if I wasn't so indecisive.)
Okay, so what do you think? Am I best staying with the Ortho Tricyclen or should I opt for something else? Anything I should know about any of the options?
I have tried checking on various contraceptive sites, but they feel like propaganda to me when they say "possible side effects are". I would feel better knowing from real people what side effects they have had instead.
Thanks,
Angela

If you liked OTC before, why not go back to it? You could also try Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, it's got a lower level of estrogen and may not be as difficult to adjust to. Ortho Cyclen is another pill that is similar to OTC except it's the same dose all month.
The ring is scary? I've been using it for almost 2 years.... Some people are creeped out by the idea of using something vaginally.
I used to have pretty horrible periods before I started the pill, 7 days, super plus tampons with super maxis for the first three days, back cramps... All that is gone now! I've had side effects from some pills and not others, that's going to be a _really_ personal thing as our bodies all react to synthetic hormones differently.
For when you start the pill again, just start at Day 1, take all the pills in order, and when you run out of pills, start a new pack. It's that simple! You know you're supposed to bleed during the fourth week of pills ("starch" pills might be a more accurate term, but nobody calls them that! :p), but you still keep the same 21 days on-7 days off schedule no matter when the bleeding occurs.
Good luck, if you have more questions please just ask!
Co-cl for Birth Control
In no way will my input be specific to you, but I have had great success on Alesse. These are a really low-dose pill, and I had no weight gain or skin reactions. I actually felt that for a while I lost weight and my skin cleared because of these pills--even though it may have just been imagined. They also protected me from ovarian cysts; I developed one last summer, and started on Alesse to prevent them. The only problem I had was that Alesse contributed to a loss of libido.
I recently switched to the patch a month ago, and I'm not so sure I'd suggest that yet. I can assure you though, they do not fall off in the shower. You practically rip off hair and skin getting them off. So, needless to say, they stick really well! Good luck, and I hope this helps you some.
Wantahug
Sorry I can`t offer a viewpoint on other forms of BC! Hope this helps some.
Lena