Micronor -anyone used it?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-26-2003
Micronor -anyone used it?
6
Mon, 09-27-2004 - 1:42pm
Hello!

The doctor has just prescribed me Micronor mini pill. Has anyone used it on this board? And if so have you had any side effects?

I am suprised that they prescribed it to me... aren't you supposed to be a certain weight for it to work properly?

Hugs

Chantelle xxx

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-29-2003
Mon, 09-27-2004 - 3:09pm
I was prescribed micronor (compatible with nursing) after my first two children were born. Not knowing any better, I continued taking it (faithfully) during DS's second 6 months. He was still nursing and progressing to solids. Well, DD was conceived while on Micronor and nursing. My son's best friend has a little sister who was conceived exactly the same way, with the exact age difference between them as my children are. I know of one other child conceived by a nursing mom and micronor. However, these conceptions only occurred in the second six months when the infant starts to consume more solids. As for side effects, the only thing I noticed was no period during the entire year I took it the first time and during the 3 months I took it the second time. I would recommend it again to augment the protection from nursing, but I don't think it's enough protection in and of itself.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2004
Mon, 09-27-2004 - 7:57pm
First off, why exactly did your doctor prescribe it for you? It's not commonly used except for women who are nursing or can't use a method with estrogen. But it's not exactly the best when it comes to effectiveness, and for women who are overweight, it is even worse. Perfect use is supposed to be 99.5%, but you have to be extremely careful to take it exactly as directed. If you don't, then the effectivess may be closer to only around 90%.

I did use Micronor for a while. I had two side effects. The first was horribly sore breasts, which lasted for a couple months really bad, and then got better. The other side effect was irregular bleeding. I was getting my periods every other week for the first several months. It got better after a while, but every now and then it would happen that way again. Overall I was very pleased though with how I felt. My problem with regular birth control was that my moods were all over the place, and that straightened up with Micronor. I was a much happier person overall. I was warned by the doctor and pharmacist both to use a backup method around the time of ovulation to improve the effectiveness and I did my best to take them on time.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 09-27-2004 - 8:01pm
due to high blood pressure problems it was the only "pill" my dr would put me on...I didn't like it at all! Most other pills cut down on the heaviness of my periods and the bad cramping....This one did not at all.It was awful!! I was on it 8 months and switched to an IUD...Hope you have better luck than I did.....
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 7:44am
The biggest difference between Micronor and combination pills (besides that Micronor doesn't contain any estrogen and a very low level of progestin) is that it is very possible to continue ovulating and have regular periods with Micronor even though it's one pill every day without an inactive week. In women who aren't breastfeeding, the estimate is that ovulation is prevented about 50% of the time (exclusive breastfeeding, no solid food for the baby, prevents ovulation), thus kellyann's suggestion to use backup protection when you're ovulating (finding out when is a little more labor-intensive, but not much). The progestin-only pill's primary defense is to thicken your cervical mucous to prevent access of sperm to the uterus. It may aid in a reduced thickness of the endometrium, which could theoretically affect implantation, but that's speculative.

The most common side effect from Micronor is irregular bleeding. Because of the mix of hormones, it's not the best at keeping the lining of the uterus stable and it's definitely going to depend on whether or not you're ovulating.

The success rates of progestin-only pills can be very high, but unless taken EXACTLY as directed (within a half hour every day), the risk of failure is not encouraging. It's up to you what you're comfortable with and if there's any reasons why you shouldn't use a combined method.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-03-2004
Mon, 02-14-2005 - 4:21pm
What are you using for birth control now?
My experience with combination pills also made me moody and the mini pills are also giving me irregular periods. Have you found something that works well for you yet?
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2004
Mon, 02-14-2005 - 9:32pm

I have a Mirena IUD now, and it's been the best birth control method I've ever tried. It doesn't affect my moods at all, and my periods are nothing more than spotting now. Some women stop getting periods completely with a Mirena IUD.

I was so frustrated with birth control before I tried this that we were about ready for one of us to get sterilized, since nothing else seemed to work out very well for us.