Questions

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-24-2003
Questions
5
Fri, 10-29-2004 - 6:18pm
Just a couple of questions

1) Do different brands of bcp had different levels of hormones? Not including the mini-pill.

I'm wondering if I need to be on a higher dosage, even though I already have estrogen dominance (imo I do). I'm taking Loestrin w/FE. When I take 2 pills I have no problems or very few (more spotting then anything), but as soon as I start taking just 1 pill within a day I'm bleeding, sometimes heavily w/clots.

2) Also I read somewhere that a women's weight can have an effect on bcp. Meaning that if she is overweight the amount of hormones in the pill may not be enough. I'm only a little bit overweight (in fact most people can't even tell, but I know). So could that be another reason why 1 pill doesn't seem to work.

Thanks

Avatar for rvrcitygrl
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-15-2004
In reply to: tuppervida
Fri, 10-29-2004 - 6:31pm
Hey tupper- Loestrin was the 1st bcp I ever took. At the time I was 16 or 17 and NOT sexually active. It was prescribed to me b/c I had very irregular periods. Sometimes they lasted for 10 or more days, and it was not uncommon for me to have them 2 weeks apart. Anyway, I was anemic, and they helped w/ all that. My periods were like clockwork and very light for only 3 or 4 days. However, after a year or so I switched brands b/c of miagraine headaches.

After I had my first child, I found that low dose pills like that no longer worked for me. I bled for 18 days straight once before I could get in to see my ob. I never thought of taking more that one pill, though. But I do know many women that I work with that bleed alot on lose dose pills, and not all of us are overweight. I don't know if you've had kids or not, but that seems to be the common denominator among those of us at work. Hope that helps!

Avatar for lucy4980
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: tuppervida
Fri, 10-29-2004 - 6:40pm
You may just need a different type of BC pill. I'd ask the doctor. Regarding weight and BC pills, I don't think that being overweight is the issue, I think it is being over a particular weight, which I think is around 190 lbs, but I am not positive. I would think that if you weren't a good candidate for weight reasons, your doctor would have brought that up.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
In reply to: tuppervida
Fri, 10-29-2004 - 6:54pm
Hi tuppervida, welcome!

How long have you been on Loestrin? If it has been less than 3 cycles then your body may still be adjusting to the hormones in the pills. I don't understand when you say 'when I take 2 pills' Why would you be taking 2 pills, unless you aren't taking them correctly and doubling up when you miss one? Not taking your pills on time is a major cause of irregular bleeding and also can reduce the effectiveness of your protection. If you are new to oral contraceptives you might want to read these posts in our FAQ section: Taking your pills correctly, Common pill side effects and Irregular bleeding anyone? If you have been taking Loestrin correctly and for more than 3 cycles and you are having bleeding issues you might want to talk with your doctor about a pill switch.

For the different hormones and their amounts in a wide selection of pills see the post 'Your pills and what's in them' in the FAQs.

If you are just a bit above what is considered your perfect weight then I don't think you have anything to worry about. I think there is only one method, Ortho Evra (the patch), which contains a caution in the prescribing information about being less effective for women who weigh 195 lbs or more. For more on weight and the effectiveness of BCPs see: Oral Contraceptive Prescribing: Should Body Weight Influence Choice of Pill? http://www.contraceptiononline.org/contrareport/article01.cfm?art=261 Thanks for posting. Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Good luck,

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-24-2003
In reply to: tuppervida
Mon, 11-01-2004 - 11:24am
Thanks everyone for your replies. First let me say I've never had kids. Also I know some of you are wondering why I would take 2 pills at a time. I'll just give you some background. I had taken 5 shots of lupron for fibroids and during that time I still had problems, (nothing was helping), and after it wore off and my cycle started up it was extremely heavy and clotty, by this time I had taken about 3 weeks of bcp. Which I wasn't expecting at all. Plus I had surgery about a month before. My dr. had me go on 2 pills a day for 10 days, then 1 pill a day continously. It took almost 10 days for the bleeding to stop, then after I started taking 1 pill a day within just a couple of days the heavy bleeding started up again. Basically I was taking 2 pills a day because I am tired of bleeding constantly, not getting any sleep (I'm up and down all night) and being anemic. I never know when the heavy bleeding is going to occur and it sure takes out of one's social life, even work life. I

Also I haven't missed any dosages (I take it in the morning when I can be consistent), because again if I do I'll start to bleed by that night. It is a vicious cycle.

However for the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and take only 1 pill at a time and see what happens. This will be my 3rd month on the pills. I know it can take a few months for the body to get used to the pill, but some of the things I am going through I didn't feel were right, although my dr. didn't seen extra concerned.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: tuppervida
Mon, 11-01-2004 - 10:09pm
I would talk to your doctor about a different pill. There are a variety of formulations that are available and even though Loestrin is a high-progestin pill, it might not be the right high-progestin pill for YOU! It might be that your fibroids are really creating a big problem (have you been to the Endometriosis and Fibroids board?) too, but if you change pills and it makes no difference, then you'd know.

Good luck! You might look into pills with stronger progestins, like pills with desogestrel or levonorgestrel and low estrogen doses, you can find them in the "Your pills and what's in them" post in the FAQ folder. I'd rule out the progestin-only pills right off the bat because the progestin dose is very very low and irregular bleeding is pretty common for women without other significant issues.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control