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isnt it dangerous to not have a period for such an extended period of time?:confused:

every month, i get insane cramps exactly one week after my period ends. i hate it, and it never fails that it happens every month. it gets so bad sometimes that i cannot stand up.

Have you thought about going on the Pill? I'm surprised your OB-GYN hasn't suggested that, or some way to alleviate cramps if they're that bad.

they don't last long. maybe close to an hour. not a straight hour of non stop cramping. just a tightening that has moments of heightened pain. then it goes away and i am fine.

late?
 

is it possible to be late if you are on the pill? usually "that time" falls somewhere between tues morning and tues night (rarely wed morning) and it's still not here and I'm paranoid...

I did have the worst PMS this weekend and what I thought were cramps today.. but still nothing :(


ETA: nevermind... it's Wed AM and it's here :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :o :o :o

okay gotta be nosy...how much a month does that sucker usually run cause like you i get forgetful at taking that little thing...which is orthotricyclen?

I'm on Depo and a huge fan. However, I've heard of really bad reactions to the birth control method and that everyone has really varied reactions to the shot. My doctor let me know that I should not start the method unless I was committed to it. He also let me know that statiscally, I would probably gain 10 pounds. It took a year for the spotting to stop (one week of spotting four weeks after I got the shot) but now, just the other week, I remembered that I have not had menstral cramps for two years. And before I started, he let me know that after I stopped the injections, it was going to take a full year before my cycle returned to normal. I have a great reaction to the medicine and its really easy to take the time to get the shot four times a year - it forces me to take a half day from work and enjoy a morning!

And I didn't gain any weight. But from gossip I've heard from friends, I think my positive reaction to the birth control was a little uncommon.

Well, I finally have the courage to go off of the pill for a trial period of time. I was originally on it for HEINOUS cramps - we're talking relentless pain radiating down my legs and through my back and everything - but now that I am not having sex, I wanna try NOT taking it.

I am wondering how it will affect my sex-drive (although I will not be having sex), my complexion and my cramps. The pill was like a miracle for me. The cramps were mild to non-existent. I am also wondering if I will lose weight. I was a size 0-2 when I went on the pill and now I am a 6. I am guessing some of this weight is due to age and eating the stupid candy and pastries they're always giving us at work, but maybe some hormonal weight will come off...MAYBE :)

I've been late on the pill all the time - your body can get affected by stress or illness or boozing and it can come early/late.

:::whew::: still, I was really nervous not getting it until the next morning, even though I was an emotional wreck and had bad cramps on the day it usually comes...

when you say early/late, do you mean a day? a few days? at what point would you start to worry?

I've had it come two days early and up to four days late. I'm not sexually active right now so I never really have to worry, but when I was, I'd usually freak if it was more than a day later - I'm usually really consistent, down to the time it comes.

Also: it was really late (the four days) after finals one semester, and my doctor told me that since I'd been taking lots of ibprofen that week, it probably delayed the flow.

What if I didn't take my pills for like a week? Should I just start them now? Or should I wait until I have my peroid and then start?

The inserts you get with your pills should have instructions on what to then...you can either take two a day until you get caught up, but make sure you're using a backup method for the next two weeks, or you can just wait until Sunday (if you're a Sunday starter) and then start a fresh pack.

Good thinking on the instructions GP! Sometimes ppl forget they come with the handy-dandy little inserts. I believe depending on what type of pill (brand) and what "stage" in the cycle you're on that makes it all complicated. (i.e. the different weeks have different hormone levels)

If you're taking Ortho TriCyclen Lo - here's what it says - If you miss 3 more more white, light blue, or dark blue "active' pills in a row (during the first 3 weeks) -

1) Sunday starter- Keep taking 1 pill every day until Sunday. On Sunday, throw out the rest of the pack and starte a new pack that same day.

2) Day 1 Starter- throw out the rest of the pack and start a new pack the same day.

So I would def. read your insert to see what it says!

I forgot about those inserts. I usually throw them away.

I have to go to the doctor soon so I will ask him about it too. Thanks for the advice tho:)


(I'm not gettin' any ass right now so it's not a huge deal)

In that case you should be safe, you might just have a weird period next time. You can usually Google for instructions for your specific pill if you want to know before then. :)

My cousin told me about some ring you can insert for the month...

but the idea of leaving something stuck up there so long kinda freaks me out

anyone know anyone else who's on that ring thing?

I'm on Yasmin, and I haven't had any complaints. I used to be on OTC, then OTC-lo, but for some reason both were making me have really short cycles with very long periods, so I switched. This semester, I've gotten my period early once and late once, but stress has definitely played a part in that.

GP, the ibuprofen thing you mentioned was interesting. I take it quite often, so that may explain why I was late...

As for side effects, I haven't gained weight - except for going up a cup size when I first went on the Pill, which I can't really complain about. The best part for me is that before I went on BC my periods were ridiculously irregular, but now, for the most part, they're very predictable.

I hear ya, sister! I was so irregular before I went on the pill that once I skipped the entire summer!!! :eek: I didn't mind.. but it was annoying being "surprised" :rolleyes: I got put on the pill in HS for ovarian cysts... and I'm now regular and have much lighter cramps (and much lighter periods in general)

I don't think I gained any weight when I started the pill (although my weight was yoyo-ing at that point from meds I was on) but I did gain at least a cup size too! Wooohoo!!! I'm now a C :D

I take Cyclessa and love it. No weight gain, up a cup size, sure. Cleared skin up amazingly. No PMS, rarely even any physical PMS symptoms and regualr 2-3 day periods. they have been fluctuating in when they start recently. Usually Friday nights, this month was Sunday night, talked to my doc about that, she said it does same w her, cause she's on it too and seems to be no reason for it. so whatever. But I LOVE cyclessa.

Have been on OTC and OTC lo both caused weight gain and hormonal issues. Been on Ortho Novum 777 (late 80s, early 90s in college) and made me puke daily. Been on 5 other kinds of pills and Cyclessa for 3 years--its the only one that's worked for me. LOVE IT!

Is Cyclessa a low-dose pill?
I started on OTC and that was just bad, I'm small-average sized and that dose was just too much for my system. Now I'm on OTC-lo, and it's ok, but there are still some side effects that I really could live without (gained 7 pounds, and my skin got WORSE). I'm going to see about switching pills at my next visit.

~ShyViolet

Is there anyone taking Lo/Ovral 28? I went and had my annual at the local Planned Parenthood on Monday. The doctor there put me on this pill, instead of my Yasmin. They don't keep Yasmin in stock there! :eek:

Cyclessa is a mid-dose pill. I had problems with both reg dose and lo dose--this eliminated all those issues.

[I know, this is from a while ago]
Are you on the pill right now? If not, I'd say these sound suspiciously like Ovulation pains. The only way to take care of them is go on the pill (because the hormones in the pill suppress Ovulation). I get them every month, a dull ache combined with some sharp pains that catch me off guard, for 2-3 days. I've had them since HS. They went away when I was on the pill and now that I'm not on it anymore (I'm charting my cycles) they're back.

I was on it for a while before they switched me to the generic version. I didn't have any issues with it, but every person's different.

I went off the Pill for one month, and I had those pains. They were different from any other back pain I've ever had so I suspected it was ovulation. When I brought it up to the dingbat who gave me my last exam, she told me there was no way I could feel it. :mad:

Seasonale too good to be true?
 

hey has anyone spoken to their gyno about seasonale? my house brought in one the girl's mom's whos an ob-gyn. She said that the idea of only four periods is too good to be true. if you're on the pill to seasonale, it still has spotting until your body gets used to it, and that process usually takes around a year till its only four periods a month. A girl on the shot seems to have the best and most effective transition onto seasonale. What has other doctors said?

I was on seasonale for couple of weeks for medical reasons and it was the first time that I was on birth control and it really messed me up. My gyno ended up having to take me off of it and put me on Loestrin.

i've been on it now for nearly 4months and i'm liking it now. the first three months were tough b/c i did spot almost the entire three months, but now i'm fine. my ob/gyn suggested i go on it for the simple fact that i had ovarian cysts and she felt it would help.

shelley j
sigma k

Argh
 

Why doesn't the UK have tri-cyclic pills??? It's crazy! I went to my appointment today, and found out that ortho-lo isn't available here. Then, to add insult to injury, she wouldn't give me a lo-dose pill (I'm average weight and normal blood pressure, by the way), despite the fact that I kept telling her I had bad side effects on the higher dosages. Argh!

So now I'm on Marvelon (doesn't that just sound like a bad remnant from several decades ago?) which has 5 micrograms more of estrogen than my ortho-lo did. We'll see how weepy I get this month.

End of Rant. Thanks for listening. :) Anyone else have experiences with this one?

~ShyViolet

I just got put on the patch. I've been on OTC for 6 years due to cysts, and I'm bad at remembering to take pills every day. Plus, pills make me feel really sick. I love the patch so far. It's nice and easy... you forget about it until it's time to put another one on. Taking it off is like taking off a really sticky band-aid.

My insurance charges me $40 for a 3-month supply, or $20 if I get it one month at a time from the local drug store.

You also get a back-up prescription to keep on file at your local drug store in case a patch comes off during the week (which seems nearly impossible to me... this sucker stays in place!)

I just got put on Loestrin. The whole diabetes thing didn't really help though. I'm still waiting for my period to come back from the Depo and my last shot was in June! :mad:

i might try switching then cause thats not too bad granted its still too much for me who likes being poor but if it helps on not taking everyday like i do now and like you remembering i might see if i can switch.

Has anyone used, or know anyone who's used the new Mierna IUD???

I'm on Depo, and I LOVE it! I've been taking it for about 2 1/2 years now. I was on the pill before, but one day I went to pick up my BCP at the pharmacy, and the pharmacist told me that some of the anti-depressants I was on could cause the BCP to not be as effective (I had been on both the BCP and the anti-depressants for QUITE a while before ANYONE bothered to tell me this- and yes, I do read the inserts). I stopped having my period right after the first shot, no break-through bleeding or anything, and I only get my period when I get extremely stressed out. I did gain weight, but I'm overweight to begin with, and I've gained weight just from not eating right and from some other meds I'm on/have been on. I also hated getting shots, but with my anti-depressants, I had to get my blood checked regularly anyway, and now the needles don't bother me much.

**I hope the above makes sense, I have been battling a cold for the past three days, and I'm not sure that anything I say is making sense.**

Anyone ever had an allergic reaction to their BCP? I've been on Loestrin for less than a week and my throat is all tight. (Already have a call into the dr.)

I'm on Loestrin and my allergy doctor told me that some birth controls actually can affect your ENT. My nose has definitely been a lil dry and stuffy since I started on it.

Last week when I was in London, the time change got me all confused and messed up. I ended up taking a few of my pills a few hours late. I'm always on time with my pills but last week I was sometimes 5+ hours late. I used back up but...errrr....back up broke on me.

I called my gynecologist this morning to ask her if I should take the morning-after pill but she said not to worry. She said that unless I went more than 24 hours that I should be ok. Then why does the inserts on the pills say that you must take it at exactly the same time everyday or use a back up method? Even after talking to my doc (and a friend of mine who's a nurse and my old gynecologist), I'm still not completely reassured. No babies for me right now!!!!!

Is there any GCer who is 5+ hours off on occasion and doesn't have any worries? Or a GCer who had something like this happen?

ZTAngel,

When I was on the pill a long time ago, my official start time was 12:30 pm. Sometimes I wouldn't take the pill until about 3 or 4 pm... and I was fine. No kids here.

If your doc says your cool, I wouldn't worry about it. I think it's when you start skipping pills. Because in the warnings, it says if you miss a pill, take it as soon as you remember, even if it's with your next day pill. I didn't think it says anything about using extra protection if you miss one.

And ECs are pretty good. Just don't drive anywhere while on it. x_X They make you quite drowsy.