I'm about to start taking a birth control pill again, after not being on them for eight years. I remember back when I was 18 I had horrible stomach pain and gained a bunch of weight. Now, 20 years later I wonder if it will be the same. Have any of you recently started the pill and how did it go?
I'm not sure which version I'll be on... but I'm thinking I'd like the kind where you don't get any periods, or only get one every few months.
Hi...
It has been a while :)...
what i remember: my skin broke out a bit...but then was clear.
I put on a bit of weight -- but with exercise -- it came off....
GL
It's different for everyone and if the one you start on gives you unpleasant side effects, you can try a different one.
The first one I was on caused me to break out, gain 10 lbs and be very, very bitchy and short-tempered. After two months of that, I switched to something else and had no side effects other than no sex drive. For me, there is definitely a sex drive difference on and off the pill - if I don't ovulate, I'm not all that interested. If I ovulate, I am. Which from a reproductive standpoint makes perfect sense, but not everyone has a noticeable variance like that.
Side effects will vary from person to person so be sure to ask your doctor lots of questions and watch your body once you start taking the pill.
As for types, any pill can be taken in a way that allows for missed periods. When you are on the pill you don't actually ovulate so there is no real need for a period. I used to take Ortho tri and I would simply skip the inactive pills, going straight to the next package. My doctor would then simply prescribe me a couple extra packages each year to make up the difference, but he did suggest taking the inactive pills every 3rd month or so, which I usually did.
I used to take them before I had my kids. I couldn't sleep well, I was very bitchy, depressed, sex drive was low, but my weight was under control. Then I went off of the progesterin (sp?) ones and I went into a severe depression lasting a few weeks. I thought it was postpartum but I am almost sure it was that.
I won't go back to them ever. They stop ovulation which I read makes the body think you are going into menopause. It's not normal to stop your period. It's a normal thing. They can cause cancer. I used to ignore the literature and studies that said it caused cancer but I believe it now.
You never know how your body will react to the specific pill. I was scared to death to use the bcp because of the stories I heard about weight gain, etc. Then after my complete hysterectomy, I was scared to death because all I heard was weight gain, swelly belly and no sex drive.
I took bcp for years until I was ready to get pregnant with our daughter now almost 19 and I took them after her birth until I had a hysterectomy about 10 yrs ago, even though hubby had the vasectomy. We did not want an oopsie...
I never gained weight with the pill, never had issues at all. It was a piece of cake.
After surgery (instant menopause) I went straight onto a hormone patch up until September of this year and still never had any issues, weight gain, moodiness, etc.
So when I went off the hormone patch, I thought maybe I would have some changes as well... NOPE not a thing. After my hysterectomy I felt better looked better and I still have the sex drive that everyone said would go away.
Bottom line, it is how your body reacts to the meds. if you do see weight gain or have issues, switch meds and try something else to get the right fit.
I went back on the pill after 2 yrs off about 4 months ago.
No issues. No weight gain. Nothing.
This will depend largely on how YOUR body responds to hormones. I've never had issues with weight gain, etc... as a result of them. For those that have, I'd say it's fair to expect the same thing.
Just a guess on my part.
I finally quit taking them. When I'm on them, I feel good for the first year and then they wreck my mood and emotions. I feel awful physically and mentally. As I get older, my body tolerates less and less in the way of medicines and environmental chemicals.
Every gyno I've ever had has told me that bc pills do not cause weight gain. I've taken them for years, but I still have no opinion about that, because I'm just not sure. I will say that I have a hell of a time losing weight, and I will say that my sex drive is ZILCH, and that is DEFINITELY due to the pill, because when I have been off of them, my sex drive is just fine. But that's just me. Some people don't notice a single change.
Tried a number of forms of the pill, the patch and the nuvo ring. Each left me feeling like a crazy person. Short tempered, moody, teary eyed, irrational and sad. Also, they all left me a little puffy if you know what I mean. No actual change in weight, but I looked a little puffy esp at the waist, and in the ankles believe it or not.
The ob.gyn told me that had I stuck with any for longer than 3 months, the moodiness and puffiness might well have abated. I didn't however, frankly because I felt too out of sorts.
Best,
F. B.
