Trying to solve the problem with BTB

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2006
Trying to solve the problem with BTB
2
Tue, 06-13-2006 - 1:01pm
Hi,
I am new here and I wanted to post my question here to see if anyone else has been in my situation. I have been taking Alesse for now 6 cycles and at the third week of EVERY cycle I get breakthrough bleeding that goes into the hormone-free week. After reading some of the posts here, I realize that I am certainly not alone with this problem and that Alesse is notorious for causing BTB. My other side effect with it is enlarged breasts during the third week (I have big breasts as it is, so I don't need any extra) and they feel heavy and sore. I remember one of the doctors I have seen say that if I don't do well on Alesse, I should try Lo/Ovral, which seems to be pretty good at preventing BTB. My only concern is will the higher estrogen amount make my breasts hurt even more? Another option I was considering was Loestrin 1/20 since it's so close in formulation to Alesse but I am not sure if it would solve my problem. If you have experience with breakthrough bleeding, Lo/Ovral and/or Loestrin, please reply.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 7:17am

Just looking at the estrogen content of a pill doesn't really tell you that much about how a pill and you are going to get along--the progestins in the pills can be very different from each other (as is the case with Alesse and Loestrin 1/20).

Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2006
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 8:45am
Actually, Levora would be a 50% increase in both estrogen and progestin, so I am not sure how effective the proportionate increase would be. I have heard some great but also some scary things about the NuvaRing. For example, I have heard that it predisposes a woman to yeast infections and other vaginal infections, which I certainly don't want. Also, I was looking at a study and it looks like in the first few months the NuvaRing does have better cycle control than the oral contraceptive. However, the rates of breakthrough spotting and/or bleeding seem to equal out towards month 6, so I am not sure if it would work for me. I was actually thinking that prior to being on any birth control, I had pretty short and painless periods most of the time, which leads me to think that my body needs more progestin in the system.