Questions about Estrostep Fe

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2004
Questions about Estrostep Fe
4
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 11:43am
Hello all,

Today was my first Estrostep Fe pill. My gyno changed my pill last night at my yearly from Yasmin to this one. Instead of starting my new pack of Yasmin today I started the Estrostep Fe. I am a bit nervous about the switch. I had been on Yasmin for almost two years and the first year was wonderful. Very little acne, PMS, bloating. But for the past 4 months or so I have been breaking out alot, getting bad PMS, and bloat. When I mentioned this to the gyno last night he told me that my body may be getting used to that type of hormone in Yasmin and that I probably should switch since women have gotten pregnant when their body built up resistance like that. I agreed and after talking he told me that Estrostep is a good choice for me because of my worries about acne and weight gain. I started the pill today and I am totally nauseaus.

What I was wondering was what should I expect while on this pill (estrostep fe)? I would like to hear good and bad experiences and overall what women think about this pill.

Thanks,

Christine

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2004
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 11:52am
wow i never knew that a woman's body could get used to a hormone in the bc pills and their body's build up a resistance, i have never heard of the pill you are on but i am curious on how it does, cause i am in the middle of deciding which bcp i want to start using. good luck and i hope you feel better.


-michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 10-19-2004 - 3:13pm
Hi kpmonarch, welcome!

As we age our bodies can react differently to the hormones in a pill so that annoying side effects such as irregular bleeding, different PMS or headaches begin to occur. That sort of thing can often be corrected by a pill change. I've never heard that a pill will become less effective over time as far as protecting against pregnancy is concerned though I suppose it could happen. I think if you hadn't wanted a pill change you could have pressed your doctor for more details. Let us know how you like Estrostep Fe, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 10-20-2004 - 7:37am
I too am concerned that your doctor told you that women's bodies can get used to the pill and allow pregnancy! Nowhere in any study or from any of my physicians have I ever heard that....many women take the same pill for years on end with no trouble at all, but we've heard of a few other times where the doctor has said this kind of thing.

Your tolerance of the hormones CAN change, though, that's well documented here on the board, I won't dispute that! ;) Estrostep is going to be a different pill from Yasmin. How your body likes it will depend on your body, so you'll have to wait and see how things go over the next several months. Estrostep has a lot of a fairly mild progestin, so it can help with reducing PMS and some period issues. When I took a very similar pill (Loestrin), I had very clear skin, and of all the pills I took (Nuvaring excepted) I had the best periods with Loestrin--3-4 days, not a whole lot of bleeding, not a whole lot of cramping.

I hope that helps! We don't have too many members here using Estrostep, but all that means is that it's not "in fashion" right now--a lot of how prescriptions for birth control are dispensed is marketing!

Good luck with your new pill!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2004
Wed, 10-20-2004 - 9:15am
Thanks everyone for writing back. I am feeling better today since I took the pill after eating my morning oatmeal. I am going to stick with this and see what happens. I will give it the full three month trail. Some of my confusing was caused by that fact that Estrostep was originally produced by Pfzier (sp) and then it was sold a couple of years ago to Warner Chilcott. That is why I could not find the actual site! I found it now thanks to an email from Drugstore.com. I will be happy to let everyone know how I do on this pill. Talk to you all soon.

Thanks again

Christine