Hi Ladies:

I am hoping some of you will write in and tell me about your experiences on low dose bcp. I recently was diagnosed with a thickened endometrial layer, and received a d&c/hysteroscopy to resolve it. Now that it has been determined that there are no atypical cells (thank goodness), my doctor wants me to go on a low dose bc to keep the right balance between progesterone and estrogen. I am kind of leery about this. The irregular bleeding that I was suffering this past summer could be regarded as something that diminished my quality of life, and I would certainly like my periods to last a reasonable number of days (as opposed to six weeks, which is my personal record for longest number of days bleeding). On the other hand, the side effects that I have read about with some of these bcp's could diminish quality of life in MUCH more serious ways, so I am in a quandary over what to do.

The bcp that my doctor wants me to try is Yaz. I was hoping that perhaps someone else here has taken Yaz and could clue me into possible problems and pitfalls, but I would also be grateful to hear about experiences you ladies have had on any of the other low dose birth controls that are availble. If you have ideas as to anything that might be better and why, I would love to hear them.

Thanks so much in advance for your help,
Witsend

Hi,
I used Yaz for 3 months to try and shrink an ovarian cyst. While it did nothing for the cyst I do have to say I had no side effects from this pill at all. I've tried different pills in the past and I've always had nausea. This one worked fine for me. I stopped it the day of my surgery to remove the cyst but now I'm having hot flashes even though the doctor told me I shouldn't have any meno symptoms because I still have one ovary. I don't like the idea of being on hormones but the hot flashes are getting annoying.

Patty

After a LOT OF THOUGHT, I decided to try Mervelon 21 a low dose BCP here in Japan (not the lowest out there though)....I have only been on it for 5 days...I am having trouble adjusting, but I plan to give it some time....I also have thyroid issues so that may be causing some of my strange adjustment problems...honestly I am a mess....BCP is one of my last chances for feeling better...no bioidenticals here and docs don't know much about helping American perimenopausal women.....if after one or two months I see no improvement I will go off...you can always go off it......this probably doesn't help much!

hi witsend,

i have been on yasmin for 3 and half years. i highly recommend it. i took it to balance out hormones, peaks and throughs. well it has worked.

it also got rid of the majority of peri symtoms i was having, eg: hot flushes, panics, lack of concentration, bloatness and palputaions. since taking it, i have rarely had any symtoms other than a slight headache on the pill free week .

sometimes i get thirsty in the summer and have to drink lots of water, as the pill has a directic in it (potasium sparing)

the doctor who prescribed this is a gyn expert at the family planning clinc and she said i can stay on yasmin till after the menopause!!

it will take about a month to have an effect and up to 3 months for it to working properly.

good luck, you will be amazed at the difference this pill can make

love dorry xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi witsend,
I am 49 and have been taking Yaz for 2 months. It really has smoothed out many symptoms from the weird dizziness and anxiety I had been having around my period and ovulation time, to the crying, mood swings and mindless eating that came around then too. Previous to this, I was using natural progesterone cream, but it just didn't do it for me.

However, both the p cream and Yaz have made my already large lumpy breasts larger, more tender and less lumpy! Any fat/bloating seems to go there, not to my hips or tummy. I would rather have smaller breasts, but gee-- women pay big bucks for them here in the OC and husband is happy! Go Yaz!

I just switched to Yaz last week. I am 52, and had been on low dose Femhrt for a year, and had gained a lot of weight, mostly in my abdominal area, this despite having started a regular exercise program at the same time that I started on the Femhrt. I began to suspect the FemHrt, and read some opinions which said that if you are not truly menopausal, that HRT actually gives you too much estrogen, as it adds on to what you already have. The pill suppresses everything and just gives you a set amount of estogen/progesterone. After 1 week on YAZ, I feel much better, and less bloated. Perhaps since my periods began late ( 15) I will go through menopause a bit later. For now, this is working. My female doctor was very nasty about all of this and very unsympathetic, but did give me the prescrip I wanted.....

Thanks everyone for some of the responses. I didn't realize some of the earlier ones had come in --- I guess maybe it sank to the bottom before I checked "new posts" and I didn't notice! Anyway, this is all very heartening. Sounds like maybe my gyn DID make a good choice after all -- go figure. lol I've been kind of chicken about taking them, but I really can't stand these symptoms. Again, many thanks to all who took the time to respond.

One thing to consider with BCPs for mitigating peri symptoms .... as ex-urbanite pointed out, the BCPs suppress your own natural hormones and replace them with the pill's synthetic hormones. Because BCPs are not to be taken for the rest of your life, at some point you are going to have to stop, and either not cotninue any pharmaceutical treatment or switch to HRT. I read that a common problem for peri or menopausal women is very low levels of estrogen and progesterone after stopping BCPs, presumably because of the suppressive action of the BCPs. I'd like to read some experiences of the women who were taking BCPs and stopped .... did symptoms come back with a vengeance ? Did they switch to HRT immediately or go without drugs from that point on ?

Well, I'm going for it. My doc wanted me to go on Yaz two months ago because of a whole host of symptoms, but I held out and this past month was awful...the worst I've been in a long time, so I'm going to give them a try. I've got reservations as it sounds like most of us do in the beginning, but I just want my life back. I can't keep going like this. Wish me luck! I'll keep checking back on this thread because I'm anxious to hear how others are doing on Yaz too.

I've been on Yaz for one week and I feel psychotic. My doctor told me to stop taking it after I called her today (a holiday) and told her I thought I was losing my mind. I have never, ever, felt so depressed. It just made me crazy. I know it works for a lot of women but this pill was a nightmare for me.

I am a new poster (longtime lurker here) and didn't look far enough down to see your post before I posted on 2/21 about Yasmin/Yaz . I will post the links again here. This is a pill that does cause a whole lot of awful side effects for many women because of its unique properties. I too was prescribed it but decided not to take it after reading thousands of posts from women who have taken it and suffered horrible side effects. *** A lot of the bad symptoms didn't kick in until women had taken it more than 6 months or more, so be careful.




*** Administrator Note: Links have been removed.

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I have been on Yaz for one month, and feel just great! I was on Yasmin for 2 years, and also felt great on that. Women who are doing well on these meds DO NOT post on message boards, generally speaking!! I am not the type of person who blindly takes medications, either. I avoided antibiotics as much as possible for my kids when they were little. I breastfed each child for several years. I refused to take Clomid, or any other fertility drug, when I was trying to have my second child. When it came to perimenopause, the quality of my life was not pleasant, to say the least. Since the natural course of events , in the olden days , was for women to die shortly after menopause, our extended life span has created a dilemma. I choose to use birth control pills at this point in my life.

I was also afraid to take the Yasmin,but I prayed about it and asked GOD to give me peace and he did,I am starting the second pack tonight.I have noticed less anxiety,less hot flashes and less anger.The sugar pill week was hard and I felt the symptoms trying to come back,but I made it.My main concern has been high blood pressur,but mine has always been normal,so I am planning on taking these as long as GOD allows.My next appt is in May,if my BP looks good,I will keep taking them,GOD willing everything will turn out well.I really needed help with my symptoms.

i am now beginning my second month on Yaz, and feel great!! On the four days of sugar pills, had light bleeding.

I am thinking of switching from regular Yasmin to Yaz in May(next appt)due to the fact the yaz has less estrogen and only 4 pill free days.The sugar pill week was a bit hard last month.I hope it works as well as the Yasmin for anxiety.Any thoughts.

I am still feeling really good on the Yaz, in the middle of my second month....

I will start month three of Yasmin next week,actually feeling pretty good for the past week.Finally sleeping better,not anxious,brain fog has rolled away,not as angry-Thank GOD for helping me.Still thinking of going down in dose to Yaz,just for the lower estrogen and fewer pillfree days,will wait and see.

Hi,
I'm new and have been trying to get info on low dose bcp, such as Loestrin 1/20. I would love to hear from anyone who is taking this or other low dose pill for peri symptoms. I have been on Loestrin for not even 3 months and have gained 16 lbs! It has helped with some of my symptoms (mostly depression) but I hate this weight gain. I was wondering about some of the other pills out there that might help peri but not cause weight gain. If anyone could share their experiences or have any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it!

Bly

I am on Yaz, which is low dose. No weight gain....
I was on Lo Estrin in my late 40's, also did well on that.....
sprry I cannot be of more help to you!
I only gained weight when I tried HRT ( low dose Fem HRT)

Thanks for the reply. I talked to my dr.'s office today and they have decided to try me on Yaz also. I hope this will be the one that works for me. I have tried 3 different low dose pills so far. Thanks again

I am on the Yasmin,and have lost 8 pounds.I have been walking a lot ,so I don't think the pills caused the weight loss,but they have not cause a gain!Hope you find the right one.GOD bless.

Hi

For you ladies on Yas and Yasmin is there a period of discomfort before the peri effects start to diminish as with AD's? - my ob/gyn suggested bcp's for the first time for me today to try and address my symptoms - primarily anxiety/jitters and I'm trying to gather real experiential info - any ladies willing to share?

thanks - Pookish

It takes about two to three months before the hormones are fully in your system.I was feeling a little better every day-especially in the anxiety department,I am now in month 5--I feel so much better thank GOD.All hormones take a while to get in your system ,so give it some time--and pray for the best.

I will turn 43 years old early next year. I've been married a little over a year and my husband and I are working toward having children. I was recently diagnosed as having a thick endometrial lining with polyps and am scheduled for a hysteroscopy/D&C at the end of the month. Any coments from anyone who has recently had the procedure would be welcome.

The fertility clinic has had me on YAZ BCP for a little less than 3 weeks. Lately I've noticed that I seem to constantly be nauseous and experiencing some abdominal pain and was wondering if this is a common side effect?

***

THANKS!


***Admin Note: This is a non-sectarian community. We are women from every ethnic background. This community respects everyone's personal beliefs; however, discussions about religion are not permitted.

Yes, nausea is a common side effect.

I've been on Aviane (a second generation bcp; the generic version of Alesse) for 6 weeks. I'm waiting to see how I do three months into it before deciding if it's helping or not. I've been having a little bit of nausea and some stomach weirdness - it's like it was when I was pregnant.

I think Yaz is a third generation bcp. 2nd and 3rd generation bcp's have different forms of estrogen (or is it progestin?) and have different benefits and risks because of that.

I know of a good web site for women who are taking/who have taken Yaz/Yasmin. I don't think I am allowed to post it here, so email me if you'd like the link.