I was always told not to worry unless you were off by more than 12 hours. I think taking it at the same time everyday is more habit forming which is why they recommend it plus each pill only stays in your system for so long (hence you must take it daily). Chances are if you have been taking it and continue to through your cycle you still won't ovulate so you don't have anything to worry about.

Random question: I know you can use the pill to skip a period, but can you do it with the patch?

I'm starting BC for the 1st time and my doctor prescribed Ortho TC-Low. I think I'll be starting in about a week and I have to say I'm a little nervous but luckly she gave me samples she had for 3 months so if it doesn't work out, it wasn't a waste of money. I'm mostly worried about weight gain and breaking out, I break out a little during my period anyways. Anyhow I will let people know how it goes.

best of luck - i think i've been pretty lucky without major weight gain while on depo for the last few years...

-marissa

you wanna a know a really cheap method of birthcontrol


*christy gives me a look that tells me not to say it again, if i want to lick missus misty cat*

PhiMuLady150 I could be wrong, but I think OTC-Low actually helps your complexion stay clear.. at least I think OTC did. Since OTC-low is just a lower dosage of hormones, I don't know if that would do the same?

OTC-Lo hasn't been tested yet to see if it helps the skin, I believe. It did NOT help mine. It's not going to make your skin any worse if you're new to birth control, PhiMuLady150. Mine did get worse when I used it, but it was after I had been on full strength OTC. OTC-lo doesn't work for a lot of people- very common for breakthrough bleeding, etc. which is a pain in the ass. I tried it for several months (had only switched to it b/c it was cheaper after OTC's price went way up) and had problems. So I'm on Trinessa now,w hich is the generic OTC.

But if this is your first time on BC, you definitely need to give it a couple months for your body to adjust. When I first started on BC with OTC my period was really screwed up, but it worked itself out.

Almost no one gains more than 5 lbs when starting BC pills anymore. That's leftover sentiment from decades ago when BC pills contained like 13 times the hormones they do now. You can find more information about that in the informational packet (those come even with the freebies) or on the internet.

And, you can skip your period when you're on the patch, the same way as if you were on a pill -- just put another patch on, instead of going without for the week without your period.


KEEP IN MIND though that you should talk to your doctor about doing this -- obviously there's the medical issues involved, but also, that's an extra 12 patches (4 boxes of prescription) a year that your doctor DIDN'T write you and sometimes your insurance won't cover.

So glad this thread was bumped! :)

I've just recently started the pill (Estrostep). I should have done this a long time ago... but I had a really bad experience with a gynecologist when I was a teenager, so it took me well over ten years and a lot of nagging from my husband before I'd go see one, even to get on the pill.

Three reasons... don't want a baby right now (though if I got pregnant I'd keep the baby)... I get horrible menstrual cramps... and I recently had a big problem with mittelschmerz (pain associated with ovulation) that landed me in the ER.

So far, so good, aside from a month of breakthrough bleeding :( Sex drive has definitely gone up, much to my husband's delight. ;)

I'm due for a follow-up appointment in a month or so, and I'm putting together a list of questions, some based on this thread.

Slight hijack-- although still a form on bc....


for all of you with horrible monthly pain or clotting-- when you decide you are finished having kids and want no more--- don't suffer any longer. Talk to your doctor about endomedtrial abalation. It is the best thing ever!!! There are several forms--- the form I had they use a roller ball and a laser and burn every millimeter of your uterus-- the scar tissue prevents you from forming an endometrial lining each month--- so while it results in being sterile-- no more periods, although you still release an egg every month. It was the BEST thing I did. I had my abalation 2 yrs ago this summer and no period since and no chance of pregnancy!! :)

Wow, that sounds way better than a tubal. Can anyone get it?

Finally! Someone else whose skin just freaked out with OTC! I had heard all this stuff about how it's approved by the FDA to help with breakouts, so I didn't sweat it when my doc prescribed it to me (I think doctors must get some sort of compensation for prescribing OTC, because everyone I know has been on it at some point). Everything was cool for about a year and a half, then holy cow! My skin turned into an oil slick and I had more acne than I ever had in my life, plus, my hair got really greasy. I had that changed real quick! I was on Yasmin for a while, but it made my chest really sore, so sore that I couldn't wear a bra sometimes, so I stopped taking that. My doctor switched me to Estrostep about a year ago, and I'm still on it. So far, so good (knock on wood!)--my skin isn't bad, my boobs aren't sore, and I haven't gotten any horrible side effects other than cramps, but hey, you can't have it all.

I'm on Aleese. Drs have to special order it though. But I love it! I've actually lost a bit of weight... but that also could have happened because I went off of depo and started having my regular cycle back. But it's nice because periods only last about 3 days.

My dr's office had no problems, as long as I was sure I didn't want more kids, I had a tubal with my 2nd son so I was sure Iwas done.

I begged for a hysterectomy (sp?) and the dr kept telling me I was too young-- and then she suggested the Abaltion.

As far as anyone getting it, I think if the "conditions" were right- yes. My insurance paid for 100% of the procedure and it was outpatient surgery. I (thinking I wanted the other surgery) called the dr's office every month to complain about cramping, heavy flow and clotting and asked them to not my chart. I wanted to make sure my symptoms were well documented so the doctor or insurance company wouldn't question the procedure.

It is great!!! There were a few draw backs preparing for the procedure- i will give more details if you would like-- but afterwards is great.

There are several forms-- one is a little balloon filled with hot water basically, that scars the uterus and has the same effecct-- although not nearly as long lasting as the method I had. My neighbor had the balloon method, it cut her periods back to almost spotting--- but I haven't even spotted in almost 2 years. My dr began preforming the procedure 10yrs ago and has patients that have been 10yrs w/o a period.

If you have any questions- let me know.

Both my mom AND stepmom are on the Pill, but I think my mom got her tubes tied so I think she might have gotten off the Pill now, but I still don't think I could even remember to take a pill everyday. I thought about taking Seasonale, but I really don't want to go on anything. I don't have a steady boyfriend (and don't want one either), so I still have to use condoms anyway.

If you can remember to brush your teeth every morning, then you can remember to take the pill every day. (I personally take mine right when I get up-- drink it with a glass of water before hitting the shower.)

It's a good idea to ALSO have him use condoms, of course! :) But I find it worth it to have a backup method just in case...

Dude, chemical sterization is the best option now.

Essure: no cutting, no hormones, no anesthetic.

If you think kids are monsters, or if you already have enough monsters.

If you're interested:Essure

Is it just me or have they stopped selling KY with spermicide in it? I remember buying some with a previous bf, but the bastard kept it after we broke up. My current bf and I want to stop using condoms (I'm on the pill) but still want that "backup" method, for just in case. I can't find it ANYWHERE. Do Pharmacies keep it behind the counter or something for special requests?

You don't need it. The pill works. Ive never got a girl pregnant that was on the pill.

I'd use it. Especially if you're not sure how you'd feel about getting pregnant. Cash is right, the Pill works, but sometimes a girl's brain doesn't :) and she forgets to take it at the right time, or forgets the antibiotic she's taking for strep makes the pill not effective, or......

yeah.

Or getting pregnant right now would pose a serious health risk.

Better safe that sorry... I've used the Pill as my only defense before... but I think as I get older, I become more paranoid. :D

So I take it they still sell it somewhere.

They still have it, at least my local pharmacies do. If Wal-Mart or stores like that don't carry it, you may want to go to more of a mom-and-pop/lcoal chain store and have them order it in. It'll be only a couple bucks more anyway.

I would, too. Best to just be as careful as you can...

This might be a stupid question but...

what are your thoughts on "pulling out" as a backup method to the pill? I know that on its own it's only somewhat effective, but we want a backup for the pill and aren't a huge fan of condoms.

do those of you on the pill use backup? what do you use?

(p.s. i'm in a monogamous relationship w/ my bf of 2.5+ years and we were both eachother's firsts... so I'm not that concerned about STDs)

My thoughts on pulling out: NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER. It does not work.

I keep hearing that the Today sponge is back on the market but I haven't seen them anywhere. I used them when they were still out several years ago and they're pretty great. There is also Encare -- I'd recommend that over pulling out any day.

See my question above. I have used the Pill as my only means a few times and I've never been preggo... but these days I'd rather not risk it.

But lube with spermicide was usually my backup method of choice.

Hmm...if you really want a backup method, use the spermicide. Plus, it's not as messy as pulling out :)

I totally agree.

If condoms aren't your forte' then definitely try something w/ spermicide. The only thing about spericide is that if you have had U.T.I's before spermicide could potentially cause you to have another one. (Got this info from my doc a few months ago so I don't remember exactly *why* or *what* was it in the spermicide that might help cause another U.T.I., so I guess just keep that in mind if you have had U.T.I's before or whatever or better yet, talk to your doc for other options to use in leiu of pulling out or spermicide or whatever)

One of my friends in college used "pulling out" as her "backup" but really, it did her no good b/c ... well, let's just say it didnt work. It's totally possible she didn't take her pills on time or whatever that could have contributed to it, but she thought pulling out would make it ok, and it didnt.

Also, be safe when it comes to sex... there are all kinds of crazy diseases going around out there.

Yes, guys, please be safe...even if you don't think you have anything, you still might be carrying HPV, which most of the sexually-active population has. Most people don't have any symptoms or any adverse effects, but in others (like myself) it causes cancer, which is not fun to deal with.

Good to know re: the UTIs. I remember reading somewhere that if you go to the bathroom before and after sex, you can reduce the risk of getting a UTI. Since it seems I'm prone to everything these days, I do it.

Being a diabetic sucks sometimes... and it comes with a whole bag of disfuction... :rolleyes:

Yea, I've also read that it's good to use the restroom after sex b/c during sex bacteria is sometimes pushed back there, and using the restroom helps flush it out.

I've definitely tried staying away from spermicide b/c my first U.T.I was the worst, and I def. want to make sure I don't get another one of those!

I've been on this for three years now...
It is an absolute GOD SEND.
I suck at taking a pill everyday- you just put this in, leave it for three weeks, throw it away, have your period and repeat.
Absolute GODSEND.

Ya know.. i think any guy who bitches about how he hates using condoms should really read a forum like this to see all the shit us gals go through!

my condoms are the lady's choice

What I really love are the guys who bitch about having to buy condoms, e.g. "If you want me to use condoms, then you buy them." Heck no--we shell out the dough for the Pill every month, so it's only fair that the gentlemen get the condoms.

Hubby and I used spermicide on his military leave (lots of times;)). I am diabetic and ended up with a UTI. I had never had one. This just explains more than the doctors did.

*bump*

Saw this article on msn today. I thought I'd post it over here and see what everybody thought.

Personally, I'd rather risk an accidental pregnancy than death, but that's just me.

-----

Birth control patch linked to higher fatality rate

Report: Device has three times greater risk of stroke, blood clot than pill

Updated: 5:33 p.m. ET July 17, 2005

Gingerly, Kathleen Thoren’s family gathered around her in the intensive care unit, unable to speak to their beloved sister, daughter, wife, or even stroke her hands. The slightest stimulation might create a fatal amount of pressure on the 25-year-old woman’s swollen brain, warned the doctors.

“We were horrified, but we tried to just quietly be with her,” said her sister Erika Klein. “In the end, it didn’t help.”

The mother of three died last fall, just after Thanksgiving, after days of agonizing headaches that the coroner’s report said were brought on by hormones released into her system by Ortho Evra, a birth control patch she had started using a few weeks earlier.

She was among about a dozen women, most in their late teens and early 20s, who died last year from blood clots believed to be related to the birth control patch. Dozens more survived strokes and other clot-related problems, according to federal drug safety reports obtained by The Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Several lawsuits have already been filed by families of women who died or suffered blood clots while using the patch, and lawyers said more are planned.

Risk three times higher

Though the Food and Drug Administration and patch-maker Ortho McNeil saw warning signs of possible problems with the patch well before it reached the market, both maintain that the patch is as safe as the pill.

However, the reports obtained by the AP appear to indicate that in 2004 — when 800,000 women were on the patch — the risk of dying or suffering a survivable blood clot while using the device was about three times higher than while using birth control pills.

The women who died were young and apparently at low risk for clots — women like Zakiya Kennedy, an 18-year-old Manhattan fashion student who collapsed and died in a New York subway station last April. Or Sasha Webber, a 25-year-old mother of two from Baychester, N.Y., who died of a heart attack after six weeks on the patch last March.

Some doctors, reviewing the Food and Drug Administration reports at the request of The AP, were alarmed. “I was shocked,” said Dr. Alan DeCherney, editor-in-chief of Fertility and Sterility and a UCLA professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

But other doctors said they would have expected some deaths and no investigation is warranted. They point to more than 4 million women who have safely used the patch and note that the FDA reports are called in voluntarily, rather than gathered scientifically.

“It doesn’t jump out at me to say, 'Let’s look at this any further,”’ agreed Dr. Steven J. Sondheimer, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania. “I don’t feel that these need to be looked at in any detail.”

Well, it probably had a little more to do with the "lots of times"! ;) I got my first one after my first weekend vaca with the college boyfriend. Mom knew about the vaca and when I came home in excrutiating pain she took me to the doctor. As we drove she said, "In my day, they called UTIs 'Honeymooners diesease'!" :o But I'm sure the addition of the spermicide added even more foreign stuff to a sensitive area and encouraged the problem. I hate UTIs - I seriosuly wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. Also, be careful with spermicides. My friend learned the hard way that she is allergic - she said she burned for a day! :eek:

Next question - to the women who are on the pill but still want a back-up. Unless you are on the pill for other reasons (acne, endometriosis, etc) why in the world would you continue to put a hormone into your body if you don't need it? I mean, if you're just going to go through the trouble of condoms, or spermicide, etc, just use those methods and save the $ and annoyance of a daily pill. Not judging, just curious.